Every musical act has influences. The Beastie Boys and A Tribe Called Quest influenced each other. Punk bands from the U.K. influenced garage bands in Southern California and vice versa. Reggae and dub influenced each other.
What are your influences? That’s what we talked about in Helping and Listening Skills this week. We came up with a great list and I liked it so much I took a picture of it.
I asked the students to tell me about the things that influence them. What do they value? Why do they do what they do; love what they love? This is the list they came up with:
Parents
Environment
-Friends
-Neighborhood
-Peers
-Religion
Culture
Schools
Food/Nutrition
Media
Mental Illness
Life Experience
-Observation
Socio-Economic Status ($$$)
Books
Music
Relationships
Friendships
Family
-Uncles
-Aunts
-Brothers
-Sisters
-etc.
Role Model
-Coach
-Minister
-Teacher
Law
Government
Health
Medication/Drugs
Language
Sleep
Fashion
Freedom
Travel
Pets
Sex
Arts
-Pictures
-Painting
-Dance
Entertainment
Perception
The point I want to make in this class is that you cannot know any of these things about yourself or anyone else unless you first learn how to listen.
A great Master Mind group is one that’s committed to honoring and respecting each other and that includes listening unconditionally and without judgment. It is honoring a person to trust that they know what’s best for their own life.
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When you think about it, every musical act you know of is using the Master Mind principle whether they realize it or not. They are joining together as a team with a combined vision. You can use the same principle and make some truly rockin’ things happen in your life.
Do you have a creative project you want to complete? Do you want to find a purpose for your life?
If so, I invite you to come over to my brand new page called Start a Master Mind Group.com. I’m offering 4 freebies to get you started so you can get a sense of what the Master Mind is all about.
2010 is the year that all girls and women must break free from body image and weight issues. Stop wasting your life in self-hatred and learn to feel fabulous now.
I know weight and eating issues can be a heavy burden so I made this light-hearted video to encourage you to drop the weight and embrace the joy, fun and freedom of being alive today.
This morning I read an e-mail from Oprah. She posted a short video of Regie Hamm and asked her insider community to answer this question: “Regie Hamm found his fame on American Idol and his heart through a special needs child. What has caused your life to shift?”
I responded with this answer:
In the past, all of my shifts in life came about from “hitting bottom. But this year I have experienced major shifts in my life as a result of love and friendship. About one year ago I had a “chance” meeting with Erin. We became fast friends and eventually we started our own BlogTalkRadio show. The conversations I have with Erin are life-transforming, mainly because of her ability to remain non-judgmental and to listen to what I have to say. I would like to think I offer the same benefit to her and we have both become a better version of our “Selves” because of this relationship. As a result of this relationship and our talk show together, we are able to reach out to others so they can also experience the impact of friendship, mutual respect and unconditional love. This is a very gratifying, soul-satisfying way to experience the shift and I hope to shift even more as I move toward my greater destiny.
About one year ago I met my friend and co-host Erin at church. The fact that we met at church is no big deal. But what makes it seem miraculous is that she only went to this church one time and one time only and I am a sporadic attendee. So, the chances of us meeting were very slim. She was sitting in the after-church refreshment area alone and I invited her to sit next to me. I didn’t know many people and I always liked it when someone made me feel welcome so I simply extended a gesture. We discovered instantly that we had many similar interests and we became fast friends. Over the past year we have had hundreds of phone conversations for thousands of hours. After 4 months of knowing each other, we started a BlogTalkRadio show so we could talk some more and also share our insights and favorite things with an internet audience. The experience of having a show has been so magical that we hope we can do even more and eventually get a T.V. talk show together. In any case, our friendship has impacted our lives and the lives of many others all because of a “chance” meeting.
I think it’s important to share the good things in life with each other. On The Sheri and Erin Show we dedicate the second Thursday of the month to talk about Master Minding. This is a great way to build mutually respectful and supportive relationships with other people. Click on the player below to hear one of our shows about Master Minding or visit our show page today.
(If you don’t see the video above, click here to go to YouTube)
On Tuesday morning my husband came into the bedroom, where I was comfortably sleeping and proclaimed “road trip”. We got in the car and drove to a destination that was a surprise to me. We ended up at the California Poppy Reserve in Antelope Valley.
Along the way, we listened to music non-stop and documented the day with photos and video. In a sense, this is a mix-tape of our trip. All the car shots have music in the background.
We listened to Q-tip, Gary Numan, drum and bass and The Fall. We traveled from the 710 in Long Beach to the 5 freeway at Castaic Lake. Then, we took mountain roads all the way to the poppy fields. I hope this video inspires you to get out on the road or out in nature. I think we all truly need this type of rejuvenation for our sanity.
This video with lyrics included is all about taking charge of your life and it all begins by taking charge of your mind. One of the first lyrics is “half the kids that you grew up with were pushin’ prams by the time that they were just sixteen” then later, those same kids “aren’t pushin’ prams are pushin’ pills to boys and girls who are half their age” (In case you aren’t familiar with the word pram it refers to what most American’s call a baby stroller.)
I’m here to tell you it’s never too late to change your mind and thereby change the course of your life. If you need help, there is a free MP3 hypnosis download at icreatehabits.com titled Create the Life You Want.
This three minute lesson on how to start a movement shows what happens when one “weird” person is willing to stand out from the crowd and stick to his (or her) guns despite potential ridicule. It also demonstrates the importance of embracing and encouraging your first followers. I have seen it happen many, many times. Haven’t you?
I just finished listening to a teleseminar interview with Peggy O’Neill. It was too powerful and enlightening to keep it to myself. Peggy is a gifted speaker who gets to the heart of celebrating differences starting with the celebration of your own uniqueness.
From the soaring height of 3 feet 8 inches, Peggy O’Neill has traversed the front lines of personal transformation for over three decades. Coming from the field of psychotherapy, Peggy is a sought-after speaker, award-winning author and skillful life-coach. Peggy is a spirited advocate for positive living and is wholeheartedly committed to empowering others and increasing unity amidst diversity. Whether speaking to professionals, women, students or those with disabilities, Peggy shows people how to “Walk Tall” and move through life celebrating differences and sharing their innate magnificence.
You can listen to this call in it’s entirety or download it here.
For more about Peggy, visit her website: YoPeggy.com
Toastmasters has been an amazing experience for me. It’s helped me to uncover my voice and build my confidence. Now I can speak about what I want to speak about the way I want to speak about it. Today I completed my Humorously Speaking manual in Toastmasters and delivered speech #4 “Keep Them Laughing”. I need help with writing jokes but it feels good that I’m confident enough to try.
In the past, if someone laughed during my speech, I thought for sure I had done something stupid and they were laughing at me. In this speech, I decided to make fun of fear by bringing it right into the speech and joking about it. With practice I hope I truly will “keep them laughing” because I know that laughter is powerful.
I would love the opportunity to deliver this speech or one like it to groups of women and girls of all ages. If you are looking for a speaker at your next event, contact me by leaving a comment here or contact me on Facebook.
It’s my body. If I am overweight by societal standards or some height/weight chart, my body does not need to be starved in order to fit in. My body will be the size it is supposed to be if I am taking care of myself. I will not fight it.
It’s my body. If I go out on a date and a guy buys me dinner, I do not owe him a kiss or anything else. A simple, “thank you,” does the job just fine. Despite what society might say, my body is not my currency.
It’s my body. If I overeat at a party today, because the food is just so good, I do not need to restrict or over-exercise tomorrow. My body needs to be nourished, everyday, and never deserves to be punished.
It’s my body. If I have been abused, my body does not deserve to be hated. My body is not disgusting because of what someone else did to me. My body is not something to feel ashamed of or to hide. I cherish my body.
It’s my body. If I am sick, I need to give my body rest and do whatever it takes to get well. My body is not invincible. It is fragile. I must not abuse it with food, alcohol, drugs, or anything else. I must take care of it.
It’s my body. Today my organs are nourished and can function properly. I get enough sleep. I am strong. I do things that feel enjoyable like hiking, swimming, getting a massage, yoga, or even kissing my date — when I choose to do so.
It’s my body. I do not look like you or anyone else. You might be taller or thinner than me. By societal standards, you might be prettier than me. But you are not me. And I am not you.
It’s your body. Respect it. Nourish it. Love it.
Jenni Shaefer will be a guest on The Sheri and Erin Show on February 18, 2010. You can visit the show page to set a reminder before the show so you won’t forget. Also, if you see this post after February 18 you can listen to the archive.
Appointed to the Ambassador Council of the National Eating Disorders Association, Jenni Schaefer is a singer/songwriter, speaker, and author of Life Without Ed and Goodbye Ed, Hello Me. She is a consultant with the Center For Change in Orem, Utah and Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit www.jennischaefer.com.
Tonight’s dinner was not only tangy and robust, it was a visual treat. This is one of my favorite salads. I get all the ingredients at Costco so sometimes, after a Costco run I will eat it every night.
Ingredients are:
Spring salad mix
Sliced strawberries
Crumbled goat cheese
Sliced walnuts
Kirkland Balsamic Vinegar
Kirkland Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Dash of ground pepper
Adjust ingredient amounts to suit your taste and health needs. Lip smacking, taste bud tinglin’ good.
When you think about it, every musical act you know of is using the Master Mind principle whether they realize it or not. They are joining together as a team with a combined vision. You can use the same principle and make some truly rockin’ things happen in your life.
If you need help learning how to love yourself as you are, consider the 
