I was recently asked a good question by my friend and colleague, Rob McMahon.  He asked, “With all that you’re working on, how much of it is you having to do it versus Spirit?”

I answered that it feels like it’s me pulling to make things happen about 75% of the time, with 25% being handled by Spirit.  But then I realized, wow – that’s a lot on my shoulders.

How would YOU answer that question?  

With what you’re working on, what percentage of it is YOU versus Spirit?  

Last week I was facilitating a day-long private ceremony for a client that flew in from Florida. I continued to sit with the thought, “What if I was doing only 1% and let Spirit do 99%?  What would that look like?  How would I move in the world if that was the case?”

While I pondered this thought, I suddenly had the urge to get up and do Tai Chi.  It had been months since I had done it last, and yet as I slowed myself down and became “empty” – down to 1% that I was doing – it was some of the best tai chi I had ever witnessed myself doing.  I could literally feel Spirit and my breath doing 99% of the work to complete the movements.  It was absolutely beautiful.

Man, if I could just move that way all the time.  Here I am several days later struggling to remember how that felt as I deal with the challenges of my two babies, work, emails, and the new projects I’m launching.

But it begs the question, “What is the energy that we’re creating with?”

Is it the energy from your last coffee?

Or energy from “The Universe”?

Of course, in any true creation – whether it’s a song, book, or business – it’s about opening up to let the creative energy of the universe flow through you.

Yet, how does the energy of the universe move?

In my experience, very slowly.

Look at the way a flower or tree grows.  It happens, but slowly.

There’s a beautiful hike in the canyon of Laguna Beach that I love going on with Eden.  We often veer off the main trail through waist-height brush to visit our favorite place:  a huge tree that has literally grown right through the cracks of a giant boulder.  It’s an amazing site to see.  Here’s this tree that has literally cracked through the center of a boulder of solid rock, with only the slow energy of Mother Earth as her power.  But what power it is!

Imagine if we could harness this same energy!

Later on in the ceremony with my client, I asked spirit to bring forth the guides that would most serve me over the next several months.  I’ve received many power animals as guides over the years.  This was the first time I was given a Turtle.

A turtle?

Yes, I was shown that I need to take one little, slow, step at a time.  In the days since, this power animal has actually pissed me off.

I don’t want to crawl like a turtle. I want to soar like an eagle, or gallop like a horse, or run like a deer.  I like to go fast.  I like to drink coffee. I want to get up and go – quickly. So what do I do when Spirit gives me a turtle as a power animal?

Do I rebel?

Do I say, thank you very much, but I’d like something else?

The thing with Spirit animals is they are here to teach us something we don’t already have, or don’t already know.  They are here to help us evolve an aspect of ourselves that, frankly, needs some work.   I know there is something to this “turtle” thing.  I know it will help me slow down and take each step more carefully, if I allow it to.  In this allowing, I would be able to let Spirit finally do the “heavy lifting” because I’m not running 10 steps ahead trying to do it all myself.

If we are going to allow Spirit to work magic in our lives and do most of the work, then we have to slow down, tune in, and be one with spirit.  Otherwise, there will be too much “static on the line”.  Spirit may be giving you signs, but you could miss them with all of your mental chatter and belief you can do it all yourself.  If you’re hearing a voice in your head (or heart!) tell you, “take a left” and you keep going straight because you’re moving too fast, then you’ll likely miss an opportunity that could have shortcut the path to what you were wanting.  That outcome, based on your own doing, may not be the highest one that is aligned with Spirit.  You’ll get somewhere, but it may not be the most elevated option.

If you’re not going to put your faith in Spirit, then you better drink lots of coffee and read some Tony Robbins because you’re going to need a whole lot of personal force to make your outcomes happen.  That is one way to get it done.  We’re talking about another way here.  One with minimal personal effort.

Here’s the formula:  

Slow yourself down. 

Clearly set your intentions.

Ask Spirit to do the heavy lifting.  

Know the action required to co-create with Spirit.  

Allow that to unfold for you in this moment. 

Using the principles of the Create a Thriving Practice course, this practitioner was able to set up 13 new individual client sessions in less than a week!

I’m often amazed by the results that are produced when people take to heart the principles of my Thriving Practice course.  As a shaman or healer, you’re already aligned with Spirit.  That means that the totality of the Universe is on your side.  So to me, awesome results should follow. Yet, for many practitioners who want to be of greatest service, they are stuck and blocked. There are many healers who know that they make a tremendous difference with someone once they’re in a session with them. The question simply becomes, “How do you set up more client sessions?” and “How can you present yourself in a way that’s not pushy or trying to force an outcome, but rather in a graceful way that simply attracts those that you’re meant to be of service to?”  That’s what the Create a Thriving Practice course provides. Join us Thurs, Sept 18th to Sunday, Sept 21st in Laguna Beach, CA! The course is a combination of mythical elements, conscious marketing, branding, and practical business-building information. Since you have an integrity to “do the work”, come explore what it takes to do more of it!

There’s a scene from the HBO show, Bored to Death, where the character played by Ted Danson is informed that he has cancer.  It hits him hard.  He says, “I don’t want to die.  I haven’t figured anything out yet.”

I’ve been on a wonderful journey my whole life of seeking to figure things out.  It’s why I read Think and Grow Rich when I was 15, studied meditation and Eastern thought in my early 20’s, became a life coach at 30, and a shaman at 36.  It’s led me to the heights of many mountain tops in North and South America, with stacks of journals along the way.  Yet, most of the time, this principle is still something I sit with on a daily basis: “Trying to figure things out.”

It’s a powerful moment in one’s life when they move beyond the need to figure things out.  What came through in a meditation recently is this:

“Stop thinking that you need to “figure out” the way.  That is exhausting.  Instead, just seek to keep yourself in balance, seek to be in your heart at all times, and simply open to the moment.  What you need to do will be right there.”

I don’t know why about every week and a half, I seem to have an existential crisis.  I once again become invariably concerned with, “What I am doing?” and “How am I going to get there?”

Why do these two questions seem to run my life?

It gives me a headache.

I know I should just relax and surrender, seek to be in balance mentally and emotionally and then see what the universe brings me.  Yet, every 10 days or so, I forget this and go back to a place of “needing to figure it all out”.

Why do I do this?

After our trip to Greece a few years ago, I had a realization:  That if my life wasn’t about winning, what would it open me up to?

There is a freedom when you get off the hamster wheel.  Just breathing a calm, centered, purposeful moment right now is glorious.

But like many people out there, I’ve spent my life trying to win at everything.  In school, with sports, in the different jobs that I’ve held.  Also, as a coach and speaker, wanting to win and be successful.  Of course, there’s nothing wrong with achieving.  We often fulfill our purpose by being in action in service to others.  Yet, when you’re always focused on the “next” step, which is what a life spent dedicated to winning often becomes, you can miss something.  

I used to say that the most important thing in the world is, “What you do NEXT.”  That’s not necessarily true for me anymore.  It’s not what you do next, but rather what’s underneath your next movement.  It’s what is behind the thought impulse that drives your action.  What’s actuallymost important is your starting point.  Is it a starting point of stillness?  Of the heart?  Of a grounded consciousness?

Or is it some bit of chaos?

Because your next movement, whatever it is, will be informed by what just preceded it.  Hence the importance of slowing down and connecting to the heart center, as many times as it takes throughout the day.

Give up the need to figure things out. 

Step off that hamster wheel.

Breathe in the present moment. 

Open to the Truth that is there. 

“How on Earth am I going to be able to manage all of this?”

That was my thought as I’ve been trying to sort out running my business from home while also having a newborn baby and 20-month old toddler running around.

My wife gave birth to our son two weeks ago.  It’s been such an intense time on every level:  literal, mental, emotional, and energetic.  I had to smile when I received a few emails wondering why I haven’t sent out a newsletter in a while.  Life has become very full. But now, I hope people understand.

The birth of my son, Sorya Sage, has brought with it many lessons and opportunities for growth.  In addition to fully supporting my clients and helping my wife to care for our two children under the age of 2, I’m also launching a new business endeavor providing energetic support and workshops for conscious organizations and companies.  (See www.elevatedcompany.com if you’d like to check it out.)  So how on earth am I going to be able to manage all of this?

“By expanding and elevating my energy in every area.”

That was the answer that immediately occurred to me.

To paraphrase Incubus, it’s now about “going beyond the heights of what I think I know.”

We’ve all heard that managing energy, not time, is our most valuable asset.  So how do I do this when both my time and energy is at a premium?  How can I produce results with the least amount of effort possible?

The exploration of that last question is the reason that I’ve been practicing Tai Chi Chuan for the last few years.  It’s been an enlightening experience to take the concepts of Emptiness, Void, and working with universal energy instead of my own and bring them into the physical.  It’s one thing for me to nod my head about working with flow of the universe and not against it.  It’s another thing toactually move that way.

What’s the least amount of effort required to take flight?

I’ve learned that in nature, animals don’t “think their way” into a situation.  They don’t strategize or “figure out the how” of getting off the ground.  They just do it.  They naturally take the path of least resistance, using their God-given talents and strengths to their benefit.

Here’s an awesome video I recently found of birds taking flight in slow motion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4uS7NL4tu8

While it may seem like these birds are flapping pretty hard, if you look closely, they jump and then at just the right moment, they bring their wings up to create the

maximum amount of lift.  Then they bring their wings down with full force as they lift their bodies up in a beautifully timed burst of synchronistic motion.

It’s not that flight doesn’t require some effort.  It certainly does.  But what is the least amount of effort required to get off the ground?

For us, when we need to flap and extend some effort, how can we time it just right?

We do it by listening first, giving us the intuitive knowing of the exact moment to strike (or flap) with minimum effort but maximum force.

Having a Different Measuring Stick

There are many ways for us to measure our success.  It’s easy to measure it in terms of money or results.  We can also measure it in Happiness.  Lately, it’s occurred to me that it’s pretty easy for me to sacrifice my personal happiness for the sake of my path.  But this doesn’t serve me.  After all, what is all of the success in the world worth without Joy?  So I’ve decided to ask myself a certain question each morning upon waking:  What would it take for my resonant being to be one of Joy? What would it take for me to be happy today?  And making sure I ask this question before I ask, “What do I need to do today?”.

I feel that letting Joy lead the way is one of the ways to get the timing right and work with the flow of the universe.

It’s certainly not by just “trying harder” to push the boulder up the hill.

My wish for you is that you find the right timing with all that you’re up to, that you’re able to sense when to flap, when to jump, and when to sit still.

May your flapping, or the energy that you exude, come back to you tenfold.

Blessings.

John Germain Leto

By the way, if you’d like to see a photo of my new little wise man, he’s right here:

During the second night of ceremony in the Amazon jungle on our recent trip, I had a moment outside to myself.  The jungle was glowing with the full moon light that was basking down.  As I sat there listening to the sounds and taking in the sights, I had a moment where I was able to speak with the trees.

Speak with the trees?  John, are you out of your mind?  How do you know it wasn’t just your imagination?  

Well, I don’t.  However, it’s often said that Spirit speaks to us through our imaginations.  So just roll with it, and with me, as I share how the conversation went down:

The Trees:  “Wow, you guys are a noisy bunch.”  

Me:  ”You’re right.”  (I was outside our hut where ceremony going on and there were lots of people from our group crying, screaming, and whaling as they were processing heavy emotions so that they could heal.)

The Trees:  “You know, if you guys would just grow the way that you’re meant to, then none of that crap would be necessary.”  (Referring to the healing, crying and whaling that was going on inside the hut)

I then looked around and saw how the trees had grown in just the way that nature intended.  It was a beautiful array of trees, bushes, flowers, and grass all merging with each other in the unique way that is the Amazon Rainforest.  The trees weren’t insisting that they grow a certain way.  They don’t say, ”I know what’s best and I want to grow in this specific direction”.  They allow the energy of the universe to move through them and guide their growth.  As a result, they’re happy.

It then occurred to me that I simply need to grow the way that I am meant to.  I shouldn’t hold on to a fixed way that I think I’m meant to be or how I think my work should unfold.  Instead, I should listen to the energy of the universe that is pushing me to do something or be something.

How happy are you? 

If you’re not happy with what you’re doing, then that is the barometer that measures that you’re probably not growing the way that nature intended.  But how do you grow in the way nature intends?  You tune into your instincts.  That’s how you know:  By the way that you feel.  

They trees are happy because they don’t insist they grow one way when mother nature is pushing them another way.  They don’t have “issues”.  They are born, they grow, then at some point, they die.  Along the way, they get nourished, they feed others, they provide homes for birds, insects, and other animals.  They source from both the earth and sun.  And they are happy.

So be happy, like the trees.  Grow the way nature is intending for you.  Let go of what you think you need, but you really don’t.  Move in the direction of your highest path and purpose.

It’s my intent to grow that way that nature is intending for me.  I want to tune in and listen to what the universe is bringing me, so that I can see how to meet the Universe halfway in what is meant to be created with my work and life.

Yet, I still have the question - How do I be happy more of the time?  How can I experience joy more often, especially when the stress of life gets to me?  Because I have my moments too.  When there are bills to pay, and I’m tired after a long day, and I just want to check out but I can’t because I have to do something for the children, even though I just want a beer but Spirit is telling me not to.  How do I be more happy especially in those moments?

Here’s the answer I was given in the jungle:  CONNECT your love with your joy.

Ok, so how do I do THAT?

I was shown, “You already have.  Your daughter – her middle name is Love, her last name is Leto, which means to “Come in Joy”.  So another way of saying her name is Aquiline LoveJoy.  THAT is what it looks like when you connect your love to your joy, the way that she is.”  It brought tears to my eyes to realize this.  That the same LoveJoy that exists in her also exists in me.  That I can be that same connected LoveJoy in every fiber of my being.  I feel it now, in my heart, my hands, even in my toenails.  I was shown that I simply need to be that, everyday.

Frankly, it’s been hard to do since coming back.  I returned from Peru with an empty mind, purified soul, and full heart.  There were so many lessons, so much growth, so much healing and beauty, so much advancement and transformation.

Then I got home and the stress of the world started to set in.

So what do we do when we’re challenged and squeezed?  

It’s one thing to feel enlightened and at peace when we’re on the top of the mountain.

Yet, how do we approach our lives with the same sense of consciousness when the everyday world comes crashing in?

Let me tell you what I do:

I find stillness, somewhere.  In the swirl of life, there’s a steady spot somewhere.  It’s important to find it and reside there (even if it’s in the bathroom stall at your office.)

For me, when I get stressed, I become ungrounded and disconnected.  Yet, by returning to stillness I’m able to get reconnected again.  Now, what are we “getting reconnected” to?

Well, that’s for you to answer for yourself.  For me, it’s a strong internal connection to my heart center.  The place where I’d like to reside, all the time if I can.  I may have gotten caught up in the swirl lately, but I’ve moved through that now to be back in my heart.

And that’s one of the other core lessons for me:  to simply return to the heart space, over and over again, as many times as it takes throughout the day.

May you find the strength and peace that resides in your heart so that you can be on the path of your highest joy.

I was shocked, back in January, when I asked the attendees of the first Collective Course, “How many of you are actively seeing clients?”

Out of 25 people, 2 raised their hands.

This was a group of very skilled, experienced energy medicine practitioners who were in an advanced class.  Yet, only 2 people were actively seeing clients.

That means that most of them were not actually being of service using their energetic tools, doing the work of the soul’s journey.

Why? 

Why are there so many people who have spent thousands of dollars on training, who could do so much for other people, but are not utilizing their healing skills and abilities? 

There might be several reasons for this:

• Some simply feel they’re not ready yet.
• Some would like to be of service, but all of the attempts to attract clients have fallen short and they don’t know what to do.
• Some are afraid to be visible and seen for who they really are and how they can be of service to others. They are afraid that “coming out” may be harmful, or they may be mocked or judged.
• Some are using other excuses to not step into their big mission.  Like, “I’ll do it when…(insert excuse or rationalization here)”.

I think it’s fair to say that most people who are able to be of tremendous service to others have huge holes in the calendar when it could be filled with clients.  Or, they are so consumed with their traditional jobs that it will just have to wait until another day.

A final word from John…. Last week, on an expedition I was leading to Peru, I realized that we each need to look within to see what is the appropriate amount of rock or starenergy for our endeavors.  I feel that there are too many people whose practice just isn’t “off the ground”. How can you elevate what you’re doing by tapping into the wisdom of the stars? Much of what has made me successful over the last 10 years has had to do with tuning in to my divine guidance.  It has come from above.  Yet, there are practical ways of putting into practice the insights that I’ve received in a grounded way that speaks to people right where they are.  Come get your practice off the ground by exploring what the upcoming Create a Thriving Practice course could provide for you.  I hope you can join us! ~ John Germain Leto

Sometimes, we can get really close.  Really close to achieving what we’ve set out to.  We can go far on a journey.  We can travel a long way down a path, first for our own healing and growth, and then for the healing and growth of others.  But do you actually see it to completion?

I had a client tell me this week that before we started working together, five years ago, that the one word that would most characterize his life was “almost”. He was almost happy. He was almost fulfilled. He was almost satisfied with his physical well-being.  He was almost pleased with his career.

Now, his life is not “almost” anymore. It’s taken quite a journey of letting go, of healing, of facing many fears and breaking through the barriers that he thought were in his way. He’s not “almost” anymore. He is living. He is being.

Where in life are you “almost”?

Where have you skirted the edge of what is possible, but haven’t fully jumped in?

Where are you tinkering with things, almost feeling as if you’re there, but knowing that there is so much more for you to give and experience?

I remember what my life was like, nine years ago, when I had a consulting arrangement 4 days a week and only had Fridays to focus on my budding business. I was doing client sessions at night and on the weekends. But thank God for those Fridays each week, when I could actually focus on the activities that were most important. At the time, my life was such that I HAD to have that consulting arrangement for financial reasons. I wasn’t yet making enough money as a coach and practitioner.

But sometimes, if felt as if I was only really living one day a week. I remember what that felt like. At the time, it seemed as if my life was “almost”. I couldn’t wait until I could finally turn the corner with my practice and be able to leave the consulting job. I was able to make it happen, but not without additional information, resources, and support. There are countless book, seminars, and business coaching sessions that I consumed, which once I put into action, ultimately made the difference for me.

I’ve taken all that I’ve learned of what it takes to be a successful practitioner in the last 9 years and put it into my upcoming course – Helping Healers Help the World: Create a Thriving Practice.

I tend to walk on the edge of life, rarely taking the safe or middle road. I listen; I take risks; I travel to wherever Spirit calls me to go. And so far, Spirit has provided for me in many beautiful ways.

And yet, there are times, when we’ve gone as far as we can go on our own. When we must open up to divine help, to other resources and information, that Spirit is providing us on our path. Sometimes, it comes from our own inner Source speaking directly to us. Other times, it can be the words that you read from another Source (just like right now). Either way, if you feel a calling, do you act on it?

If you feel that what you’ve been doing is working, but only to a degree, then maybe you could use some additional resources and support to catapult you and your practice to a new level.

Stop being almost and make the choices that will have you fulfill your highest destiny.

May your path be illuminated in front of you.

 

• Would you be able to quit your unfulfilling day job? 
• Would you be able to spend more time with your children?
• Would you be able to travel more, taking your sessions with you via phone or skype?
• Would it mean no longer having to commute to work? 
• Would it mean no longer struggling with money, but rather a sense of freedom around your finances to finally be making much more than you’re spending each month?

These are all of the things that I’ve been able to experience by having a full client practice over the last 10 years.  

Let me share with you what I’ve learned.  Here’s a quick video where I share the first primary intention of the next Shaman’s Collective course:  Create a Thriving Practice.

There are many other “pieces of the puzzle” that also need to click together in order to thrive as a healing practitioner. These other pieces include:

• Having your own unique strategy to attract your ideal clients
• Breaking through any energetic barriers you may have to being fully visible
• Learning how to speak powerfully about what you do
• Creating a personal brand that’s rooted in your truth
• Learning how to tell your personal story in the most powerful way
• Creating a compelling online presence and website that works for you
• Learning how to have an effective phone conversation with a potential client
• Building complete certainty as a healing practitioner
• Activating the highest destiny of your practice

If you’re missing one or more of these pieces, it’s like having an engine that’s not firing on all cylinders.  

If you’re really going to succeed with your practice, you need more than glimpses of greatness.  You need to be that way almost all of the time.  You need an engine that is revving.

“I never wanted to be a practicing shaman.” 

Like most people, I stepped onto this journey for my own healing. There were things that were “up” in my life and I wanted to go as deep as I could to resolve them.  I certainly did that.  Along the way, I picked up invaluable energetic tools and ways to shift someone’s personal energy and help them to heal from the past.

But I never started with the intent of being a practicing shaman.  Yet here I am now, doing client sessions with people all over the world, helping them to heal past wounds and step forward powerfully in their lives. 

I don’t think I’m alone.  Most likely, you’ve explored the shamanic arts primarily for your own transformational journey.  Now you have all of these powerful tools.  Yet maybe you don’t make use of them for others as often as you’d like.

Creating a thriving practice does not mean you have to see 5 clients a day or open up a retreat center.  A thriving practice is whatever you say it is.  Perhaps it’s simply having an outward presentation and website that matches your inner clarity and healing, so that if people wanted the same, they would know where to find you.

If this is you, it would be of tremendous benefit to experience some of the Create a Thriving Practice course content.

Below is a webinar that explores some of the practical elements to setting up your conscious healing business, however that looks for you, whether it’s just actively seeing one or two clients per week or setting up your own retail establishment for healing, like one of my newest clients.

The Webinar Recording!

Every time I teach the Create a Thriving Practice course, new insights occur.  I’m approaching the second class of the current 6-week webinar and I’m at the point where I’m helping everyone craft a focus for their practice so they can attract their ideal clients.  How? By exploring the greatest lessons they’ve experienced in their own life.

I’m always amazed at the profound wisdom that people acquire on their journey through life and the incredible upheaval they’ve been able to transform.  They’ve completed a tremendous amount of personal work and understand so much about the mythic journey that we’re all on.

And yet, some of these advanced souls are mystified by business.  Even one of my key mentors and teachers – who is extremely advanced – recently exclaimed, “I just don’t think I understand business.”

In one of my favorite scenes from The Wolf of Wall Street, the main character says to a group of his employees, “Sell me this pen.”

One of the guys then stumbles through an answer about the pen.

When he asks the second person the question, “Sell me this pen”, he replies,

“Do me a favor a write your name down.”

“I can’t, I don’t have a pen.”  The main character replies.

“Well, here you go! (Tosses him the pen).  Supply and demand, my friend.”

It occurred to me this morning, in the simplest of terms, what business actually is.  Reduced to its most plain language, business is simply…

Fulfilling a need.

That’s all it is.

Yet, most healers and practitioners seem to forget this when build their websites or talk about what they do.  They often position themselves and their offerings as “a good idea” instead of something that fulfills a need.  I’ve seen some beautiful practitioner websites that explain things like the chakra system and “dreaming the world into being”.  Yet, for most people, it all sounds like “a good idea”, not something that’s indispensible.  It’s a service that seems worthwhile, but something that, “I’ll do a little later when I have some spare money”.  If you’re a healer looking to build a practice, this simply won’t work.

So business is fulfilling a need.

Like the movie, another way of saying that is:  “Supply and Demand.” 

But it occurred to me that it’s actually more appropriate to think of it as Demand and Supply. 

What’s the demand that people are asking for?

Where are they experiencing pain?

What’s their need?

What would they demand of you?

Then how can you supply it?

How can you position your services as meeting and fulfilling their demand:  the need that they have for your services?

Do that one thing correctly and you’ll never have to worry about having enough clients. 

Do that one thing well and you won’t have to work another day in your life. 

It would simply be about doing what you love to those that NEED what you can offer.