Live Your Music — Margaux Joy DeNador

Book Review: The Shift by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

 

 

 

 
 

 

I am happy to announce that I have been asked to be a book reviewer for Hay House Publishing! 

 

The first book Hay House has asked me to review is Dr. Wayne Dyer's book The Shift: Taking Your Life From Ambition to Meaning. In this 112-page book, Dr. Dyer takes us behind the scenes and explores some of the ideas and stories shown in his movie The Shift. I enjoyed the movie which shows Wayne Dyer meeting people while at a beautiful resort on the coastline of California. During the movie several of the people make a shift in their thinking — from ambition and ego to meaning and spirituality — that causes them to feel happier and more fulfilled after talking with him. 

 

Because I liked the movie so much, I was curious to read the book. I found it so enjoyable that I finished it in one sitting. In the book Dr. Dyer suggests that at a certain point in life we begin to want to feel life has meaning. He calls this shift moving from the "morning" of life to the "afternoon" of life. The shift in our thinking also causes us to act with humility and feel a greater connection with other people and all of life. If you feel you're one with the Universe, you feel connected with everything instead of separate or apart as the ego sees it. This leads to humility, forgiveness, and meaning which creates a shift in our focus from what we can get — to what we can give. 

 

Here are seven things Dr. Dyer says we will experience as we shift from ambition into a life of meaning:

 

1. We shift to personal empowerment.

2. We see ourselves connected to everyone.

3. We are motivated by ethics, serenity, and quality of life. 

4. We shift to the possibility, even the expectation, of miracles being part of life. 

5. We pursue a meditation practice. 

6. We begin to recognize ourselves in nature's beauty and intricacy. 

7. We are less judgmental, and we easily understand and forgive. 

 

As Dr. Dyer writes, on page 71, of The Shift: Taking Your Life From Ambition to Meaning, "By taming the ego, we elicit the support and assistance of our own originating spirit, and we come to notice synchronicities happening in our life. The people we need appear, circumstances come together in a way that assists our Dharma path, financing becomes available that was never there before, and so on."

 

I love Patanjali's quote about inspiration, and in this book Dr. Dyer included the last part of it which says, "Dormant forces, faculties, and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be."  It is inspiration that causes us to come fully alive and use all of our talents. When we allow ourselves to be inspired life can feel like a magical and meaningful journey. 

 

 
 
 

If you are a fan of Dr. Dyer's work, I am sure you will enjoy this book. In my opinion, the book can stand alone or be read as a companion book to the movie. I like the fact that it is a small book and can be easily taken with me as a reminder to shift my thinking. As Dr. Dyer reminds us, shifting from ambition to a life of meaning and purpose allows us to enjoy life more and can also improve our relationships with the people we love. 

One thing I am wondering is how I would feel had I first been introduced to Dr. Dyer's work with this book as opposed to one of his earlier books. It seems to me that if you've never read any of his books, you might want to start with watching the movie or perhaps reading one of his earlier books first to better understand his philosophy. Here are a few of my favorites: Ten Secrets for Success and Inner Peace, The Power of Intention, There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem, and Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life. As I write this, I feel inspired to re-read some of Dr. Dyer's earlier books myself.

I found this book interesting and inspiring. I recommend buying a copy.  

Dr. Dyer's book, The Shift: Taking Your Life From Ambition to Meaning, will be available March 1, 2010. To find out more about the book, and to purchase a copy of it, please click on one of the three links below:

Hay House  
Amazon
Barnes & Nobel

I would love to hear your thoughts after you read The Shift: Taking Your Life From Ambition to Meaning. Please send me a message or post a comment on my blog or on my facebook wall. 

Love & Joy, 

Margaux

What Would You Do…?

  

If you knew it would be Fun?

If you knew you could do it?

If you Believed in yourself and Believed in your Dreams?

If you knew it would Feel Good?

If you knew it would help even one person feel more JOY?

If you knew people were waiting for you to do it? 

If you knew it is how you will feel the most JOY?

If you knew it was the easiest and most joyful way to attract $$$$$$$$…?
 

If you knew it would allow you to spend more time with people you love, in places you love, and doing what you love to do? 
 

 

How would you answer each of the questions above? You're answers will help you know what will help you enjoy your life and give what you are here to give. One of my answers — that still keeps showing up — is that I would write and publish my book, The Art of Living a Life You Love. It is published and available on amazon. Now I am in the process of checking the audio recordings for my book. My intention is for my book to help people go from feeling OK — or even depressed — to feeling good and then to feeling fully alive and blessed with a life of love. 
 

I hope you will ask yourself the questions and give yourself the gift of answering them on paper. When you get clear on what you want — and why — answers for how to do it will begin to show up. Will you answer the questions? I hope so because I wish you ALWAYS a life you love to live — a life of love, creativity, and joy. I wish you a life where you feel fully alive, enjoy each day, and are able to give all you want to give and live the life you most want to live. 
 

Love, Hugs, and Joy,

:) Margaux
 

Happy New Year & New Decade!

 

Let's begin 2010 with a clean slate — it's a New Year, a New Decade, and we are all ready to begin a new way of looking at life — we are all ready to be who we are born to be — to believe in our biggest DREAMS and to move toward them one step at a time. "Show Up" for your DREAMS and they will come true — at exactly the right time and in exactly the right way. 

 

What would your best life look like? Who would be part of your life? What would you see? What would you hear? How would you feel? Are you happy? Do you love your life? 

What did 2009 teach you about how you want to live your life? 

A treasured teacher of mine, Cheryl Richardson, wrote a message about some key things she wants to remember as life lessons from 2009. What she wrote about in her list — of life lessons to remember from 2009 — are all things I learned from it as well. If you would like to read Cheryl's list of lessons from 2009 click here. 

What about you? What did you learn from 2009? What life lessons do you want to remember?

What colors would you like to choose to paint your reality beginning with this year? I hope you will decide how you want to feel — and what you want to be real for you.

My book The Art of Living a Life You Love can help you create a life of love, creativity, and joy.

Will you join me in making this the most joyful year — and the best decade — you can imagine? 

If you have any questions about my book, or about any of the messages on my blog, please email me. 

Enjoy being YOU. ♥

An Outstanding Environment for Children

 

 

While our son was growing up I began to wonder, "What is an outstanding environment for children?"  I decided that, for me, it is an environment where children feel loved, appreciated, feel good about themselves, are helped to explore their interests, and feel inspired to keep learning. Then I began to ask myself, "How can we help create an outstanding environment for our child?" 

 

In his Nightingale-Conant audio CD program, "What Do You Really Want for Your Children?" Dr. Wayne Dyer encourages parents to become role models of the kind of behavior, beliefs, values, and attitudes that we would like our children to develop. While listening to Dr. Dyer my husband and I were reminded that children model what they see their parents do and what they hear them say.  

Dr. Dyer’s funny stories about raising his own children helped me realize that as parents we can make the choice to become a better role model for our children in the areas where we feel we need to set a better example. 

Learning that my son would be modeling my beliefs and behavior inspired me to pay attention to my current set of beliefs and my own behavior. I took a good look at myself and I realized that there were plenty of ways I could be a better example for my son. I began to work on goals to help me be a better mom and be a better role model for him. 

Following are some questions that have been helpful to me in becoming a better role model for my son:

1. What BEHAVIOR do I want my child to model?

2. What BELIEFS do I want my child to model?

3. What VALUES do I want my child to model?

4. What do I want my child to SEE me do?

5. What do I want my child to HEAR me say?

What do the children in your life see you doing? Do they see you reading? Writing? Learning? Exercising? Eating healthy foods? Giving your time to help others? Doing work you enjoy? Making a positive difference in the lives of people who know you?

Do they see you as someone who decided you knew it all once you finished school? Or do they see you as someone who enjoys learning and intends to be a life-long learner? 

What do they hear you saying? Do they often hear you comparing what you have (or don’t have) with other people?  Or do they hear you talking about how grateful you are for all that you DO have in your life?

Dr. Dyer also believes in “catching kids doing things right.” He suggests that parents give MORE attention for a child's good behavior than for bad behavior. (He says that too often kids get MORE attention for behaving badly than they do for good behavior.) What gets more of your attention?

Kids who get attention for behaving badly will continue doing things that get them attention because even negative attention is better than none! We have found it to be true, as Dr. Dyer says, that if parents notice and reward good behavior their children will enjoy the positive attention and they will want to do more things that get them the positive attention that feels so good. 

 

Teachers who love to teach can also be positive role models for children. They can help children enjoy learning by providing a positive classroom environment that inspires and encourages children to do their best. 

 

Because we have found Dr. Dyer’s advice to be the best we have received as parents we donated copies of his book, and the inspiring audio program, to the libraries in our son's elementary and middle school. 

Dr. Dyer’s advice has helped us feel amazing amounts of love and joy as parents. Even now I sometimes listen to the CDs while driving in my car. The CDs are full of reminders to do what we know in our hearts will make a difference for us — and for all of the children in our Circle of Influence. I am glad we listened to Dr. Dyer's advice and have kept looking for ways to be a better example for our son.

 

We can each make the decision to do what we can to help create an outstanding environment for children. Think of the difference it makes for children to have positive role models at home, in school, in sports  and in other community activities as well. Feeling good about themselves helps children learn and it helps them enjoy life.

 

A child’s environment — especially the people in it — greatly influence the mental, emotional, and social development of the child.  Positive attitudes, beliefs, and habits greatly increase a child’s success in school and they can also help children have better relationships with the people in their life — now and in years to come. 

An interesting thing to note is that an outstanding environment for children is also an outstanding environment for us as adults. The people we spend time with continue to influence us and we continue to influence them. I encourage you to spend as much time as you can with people who have a positive influence on you.

What helps create an outstanding environment for everyone? 

Here are a few things we can choose to do: 

• Encourage and inspire others to explore their interests

• Tell the truth with courage, kindness, grace, and love

 

• Catch them doing things right

 

• Show them the benefits of a positive attitude

 

• Be an example of someone who likes to learn and enjoys life

What will you do to help create an inspiring and outstanding environment for the children — and adults — who are in your Circle of Influence? 

Happy Birthday Louise Hay!

 

Today I am celebrating Louise Hay's birthday. Happy Birthday Louise!!!

Louise Hay has been a treasured teacher and mentor for me ever since I first read her book, You Can Heal Your Life, in the first part of 2005. It was in 2005 that I bought my mom a copy of Louise's book in the gift edition. My mom loved the beautiful illustrations and the loving words of Louise Hay. I had a copy of the book on my shelf — that I had purchased because it was so beautiful — but I hadn't read it because I was thinking that my life was already "healed" and as happy as possible. Then, while my mom began to read the book, I decided to read my copy of it each night before going to sleep. What I discovered right away is this: We can all "heal" our life because it is infinite how healthy and happy we can be. 

 

 

 

In 2005 I felt inspired to go to my first “I Can Do It!” conference in Las Vegas so I could meet Louise Hay and find out more ways to help my mom heal.  The conference was so inspiring that I decided to go again every year.  

 

 

My mom was inspired by the story of how Louise Hay had healed from her cancer.  She took the book with her to all of her doctor appointments and chemo treatments. Louise Hay helped my mom believe that she could heal from her lung cancer and it became reality — my mom was in remission from it during the last year of her life.  

 

My mom was one of the most unconditionally loving people I’ve ever known but it took Louise Hay to help her realize that unconditional love was the greatest gift she could give herself.  Seeing what it did for my mom helped me realize the power of unconditional love.  Now I truly believe unconditional love is the greatest gift you can give yourself.  

 

The photo of me with Louise Hay, above, was taken at the Las Vegas "I Can Do It!" conference on what would have been my mom's 76th birthay — May 20, 2007. Right after the photo was taken, I was interviewed for the movie they were making about Louise Hay. The interview didn't make it into the movie but I will always remember how good it felt to be able to tell the story of how Louise Hay helped my mom be as healthy and joyful during her last couple of years as was possible. I am so glad I had some time to talk with Louise Hay and tell her thank you in person. 

 

The last two years of my mom’s life were filled with joy and a large part of that was thanks to what we learned from Louise Hay.  I am very grateful for Louise Hay, her books, CDs, and her “I Can Do It!” conferences. Her company,  Hay House, publishes most of my most treasured teachers’ books. I am thankful that Louise Hay believed in her dream to publish her books and start Hay House publishing. Louise is a joy guide in my life and the lives of people all over our planet.  During the past few years I’ve felt more joy than I ever dreamed was possible thanks to Louise Hay and am very grateful for the joy she has helped me feel.  

 

If you would like to be as healthy and happy as you can be, I encourage you to read Louise Hay's book, You Can Heal Your Life. I also encourage you to watch her DVD movie, You Can Heal Your Life the Movie. 

 

 

Louise Hay wants us all to live a life of love. She wants us to be loving and kind to our own mind. She wants us to learn, grow, and share what we know. I know that Louise would join me in asking you to please give yourself — and everyone in your Circle of Influence — the gift of unconditional love, today and always. 

 

This is what I would like to say to Louise Hay today:

 

Louise, thank you for being a bright light shining your love on all who are in your always expanding Circle of Influence.

 

Thank you for helping us love ourselves, heal our lives, and live with joy. I wish you a joyful and fun birthday celebration today!!! 

 

Today as we celebrate Louise Hay's birthday, please decide to love yourself and your life!

Visualize Your Desired Outcomes!

Yesterday I achieved an exciting long-range health and fitness goal. Here is what I've learned is true: By visualizing my desired outcomes I get inspired to take the actions that allow me to achieve my goal. 

To inspire me to take actions and "show up" for this long-range goal, I created a "vision board" for health and fitness. My "vision board" inspires me to exercise, track my "points" (which also means to watch portion sizes), and eat foods that help me look and feel my best. My vision board did help me achieve my desired outcome. Following is the "vision board" that helped me. It is a combination of photos, quotes, and reminders. 

Following are some quotes that also helped me achieve this goal: 

"Become the change you want to see. Those are words I live by."
— Oprah 

"What we believe becomes our reality."
 — Oprah

"A belief is just a thought and thoughts can be changed."   
 — Louise Hay

"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."    
 — Wayne Dyer

"By visualizing my desired outcome, the perfect action is always inspired."
 — Abraham-Hicks

What would you like to visualize? What outcomes do you want to create? Would it help you to create a "vision board" to remind you of your desired outcomes? The "vision board" in this message inspires me to keep "showing up" for my health and fitness goals. What would you like to inspire yourself to do? 

Decide what outcomes you want and then — visualize yourself enjoying your desired outcomes!

A Hundred Thousand Angels — Anna Taylor

My new — and treasured — friend, Anna Taylor, is visiting from England to record songs she has written with my long-time treasured friend Robert Berry. The songs are being recorded at Robert's recording studio, Soundtek Studios, in Campbell, California. A week ago I went to pick her up at the recording studio. I got to hear one of her songs and it sounded beautiful. Here is a photo of me with Anna at the recording studio.

 

 

Spending time with Anna inspires me. I am so glad to have had time with her last weekend. We had so much fun having Anna here and showing her some favorite places to see in Sausalito and San Francisco. 

Today Anna will be singing the song "A Hundred Thousand Angels" to open Doreen Virtue's event, in Los Angeles. I wish I could be there to see and hear her sing the song! 

In my opinion, Anna is an Angel here on Earth. I feel certain you will enjoy hearing her songs. Hearing her sing makes me feel joy. 

Here is a link to Anna Taylor's music website, so you can read about her and the songs she is recording at Soundtek Studios:

Anna Taylor Music 

GREAT QUESTIONS

Questions help us instantly change our focus. Following are some of my favorite questions for changing how I look at things, which changes how I feel, and then I feel inspired to take action to create my most desired results. See which questions, below, resonate with you.

GREAT DAY QUESTIONS

1. What am I grateful for?

2. What do I appreciate?

3. Who am I thankful for?

4. What am I happy about?

5. What am I excited about?

MEDITATION QUESTIONS

What do I need to know?

What do I want to remember?

What do you want to remind me?

What do I know for sure?

What do I appreciate?

What will I be glad I did?

PROBLEM SOLVING QUESTIONS (PSQs)

(These questions create a shift of focus and inspire action.)

1. What’s good about this?

2. What outcomes do I want?

3. What am I willing to stop doing?

4. What am I willing to do?

5. How can I get the results I want?

 

INSPIRING QUESTIONS

What makes you feel most alive?

Are you living your music?

Are you living your best life?

What would your best life look like?

How would your best life feel?

How would your best life sound? 

Are you becoming all you can be?

Are you giving the gifts you are here to give?

Are you living the way you most want to live?

What are your favorite questions? I would love to hear. Please send me an email and tell me your favorite questions and why they are your favorites.