My ART for Self Development

Part of the art of self development for me is literally creating art for other self development trainers. I'm a professional illustrator as well as a life coach (two passions coexisting!). Here's a link to my illustration website where you can see some of the art I've done for trainers, teachers, educators and healers... http://www.moon-man.com/educational.htm.

Cheers!
Scott

Dec 16 2008, the EFT Holiday Stress Buster Seminars Are Back!

If you live close to Guelph, and you're interested in practicing some EFT, here's an opportunity for you!

Holidays are supposed to be all fun and joyful, right?

I don't know about you, but the holidays are pretty stressful for me.  They put a strain on every area of our lives.

Think about how your life is affected by the holidays.  How does it affect your stress in the areas of health, finances, time, energy and relationships?

Even if you love the holidays with all your heart, there are still stresses.

EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is a very special stress reduction technique that not only makes you feel better emotionally, but can also dramatically reduces and sometimes even eliminates physical ailments and issues.  This is because our emotional state has a direct and fairly immediate affect on our physical state caused by muscle tension and body chemistry.

Many of our life difficulties come out of fears and emotional obstacles inside ourselves in the form of beliefs about ourselves and the world that may not be supportive to your well being and success in life.  Would you like to be able to identify and remove those blocks easily and quickly?  If yes, then I highly recommend you attend this seminar.

• Our behaviors run on beliefs and feelings programmed by past reactions to emotional experiences.
• Some of our programming is distracting, counterproductive, or downright self destructive.
• EFT is a powerful and gentle systematic process for reprogramming the thinking that steers you off track in life.
• EFT uses acupressure meridians and whole-brain learning to dramatically accelerate your desired changes in thinking and behavior patterns.
• This allows you to breakthrough, move forward and take action with noticeably greater confidence.

EFT is generally considered an energy healing technique... more accurately, it's in the field of energy psychology.  But you don't need to have any unusual magical energy powers to do it.  You don't even have to believe it will work... it'll work anyway.  It's a very systematic and measurable process for clearing your specific issues.  Anyone can do it, yourself included.

*** When:
I'll be running the seminar twice on Tuesday December 16th.
- Once at lunch time (Noon till 1:30)
- Once after work (5:45 till 7:15)

*** Where:
Trina Koster Photography ( in the Flo workshop space), 260 Waterloo Avenue, Guelph, Ontario.  519-767-2948.

*** Who:
I'm Scott Mooney, life coach and EFT practitioner.  I'm dedicated to teaching people like you and me how to improve and develop your sense of ease and power in life.

*** How Much:
These seminars are $20 each to attend.  You'll get the second session for half price if you come to both.

Payment in cash or cheque are preferred, but we do have debit
and credit card if need be.

*** How:
Just send me a quick email to scott@coachwithscott.com letting me know which seminar(s) you are coming to.  Seating is limited to 25 people per class so I'll need to know you are coming.

During the seminar you can just follow along.  I'll give you a handout with lots of info, and I'll stick around after the session to answer any questions.

I want you to have an experience with this seminar that will improve how you feel and give you the very beginnings of a virtual superpower... the ability to heal, strengthen, and clear your mind body and spirit.

These seminars are actual group coaching sessions and you'll probably experience some noticeable positive shifts on the spot.  During the class I will be giving you some resources to explore how you can use EFT on your own or with a guide.

Bring a notebook and pen, because you'll want to take a few notes.

I'm really looking forward to seeing you there!

Cheers!
Scott

Holiday Stress Relief with EFT!

A 90 Minute Seminar on How You Can Beat the Holiday Blues With this Simple Three-step Acupressure Tapping Procedure.

Last year's seminars were great! I'm looking forward to seeing you there this year!

Holiday stress intensity ranks right up there with asking the boss for a raise! This time which is meant to be filled with togetherness, joy and peace is often filled instead with loneliness, money worries, anxiety and/or exhaustion. See if you recognize any of these issues:

• Feeling Overwhelmed
• Tense expectations of jolliness
• Too many responsibilities
• Power struggles
• Unpleasant Memories
• Unpleasant emotions
• Unpleasant bodily reactions, (sudden illnesses and ailments).
• Guilt
• Hectic schedules
• Using food, alcohol, or drugs to cope with stress.
• Expectations on other people’s behavior.
• Greif
• Financial worries
• Depression
• Winter Blues, aka, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

There’s lots of great strategic advice on the net for things you can do to lower your stress. However, one immediate thing you can do is change your emotional response to these and other seasonal scenarios, people, and things that trigger these reactions.

What!? Change my emotional response? How do I do that?

EFT (aka Emotional Freedom Technique) is a powerful tool for swift and radical emotional tension relief.

EFT is a safe and non-invasive technique that works directly on the energy system to lower emotional intensity, which causes tension, which causes or perpetuates a plethora of issues. Reduce the emotional strain and you reduce the engine behind the issue. Get the emotional intensity down to zero and you might just discover some special healing you weren’t sure was possible.

I’m holding a series of seminars on it this coming week where we will be doing EFT together as a group. You’ll likely get some immediate relief and you’ll also learn to do a simplified version of EFT on your own for self healing and stress relief.

I’m a level two EFT practitioner and life coach. The EFT process is known to positively effect both physical and emotional issues and I’ve used it with people to create instant relief for migraines, cramps, arthritis pain, phobias (including fear of driving, fear of public speaking, and fear of authority figures), anxiety, headaches, stomach aches, nausea.

We’ve had very good success with long term coaching for trauma, anxiety, and building self esteem, confidence, and a sense of purpose. This is an excellent tool for positive life transformation.

The seminars are short 90 minute sessions.

Note: These seminars are now over, however I will be running more, both live and over the phone as a teleseminar, so if you want to be notified of them in future you can get on my mailing list by signing up for my free EFT mini-course in the sidebar near the top, just under the "About Me" blurb.

Cheers!
Scott Mooney
www.EFT-in-Guelph.com

Resisting What's Good For You?

I want to share a little something with anyone who is struggling with their own resistance to growth.Sometimes we're resistant to something because we've outgrown it, or it's not right for us. But sometimes we resist stuff even if we're quite sure it is right for us. Seems weird, right? It could be self sabotage. It could simply be the natural resistance to change in general. Or perhaps it's something else. In any case, here's a little thing I wrote for my computer's desktop image and screen saver to help me remember a valuable principle... that the discomfort of resistance is actually a good sign! It means you are growing and pushing your way towards the sunlight! Pushing your way past the limitations of your comfort zone. Here's what I wrote:

Feeling resistance to stuff?
GOOD!
Congratulations!

That means you're growing!
Pushing your envelope!
Exploring new territory!
Escaping your comfort zone!

Way to go, Champ!

Here, I'll post the jpeg image for you to use as your desktop pattern (looks good on a black background) on your computer.

Life Change via Belief Change Work

My mentor, coach and friend, Paul Cutright, emailed me a Quote today which very succinctly explains the idea of how we create our own "realities" with our thoughts.

"The power of memories and expectations is such that for most human beings, the past and the future are not as real, but rather more real than the present." --- Alan Watts

The good news is that we can change our interpretations of our key formative memories, and we can change our expectations of our future far more easily than you might think. This is a very powerful bit of knowledge when it comes to making a life change, self development, and managing our emotions.

Some of us think that our interpretations are the real and absolute truth and would strongly oppose the idea that we can change those perceptions and thus change our results. Others of us do have a sense that we can change our interpretations and perceptions and that this would change how we feel about things and how we respond to things and thus change our results in life.

If you're in the first category, you're probably not even reading this because you think it's stupid... or you're fervently gathering your evidence to oppose the idea... or perhaps you are open to exploring the possibility, and I invite you to read on.

If you're in the second category you may be wondering why it's so hard to change some of those interpretations and perceptions. The reason it's hard is that back when we made these decisions, or agreements with ourselves that "this is what such and such means so I have to respond like such and such", often these decisions were made while in a state of very intense emotion... very often the emotion of fear.

When you have an experience with a powerful emotional response in yourself, this experience and your interpretation and decisions about it gets very deeply ingrained into your memory, your energy system, your subconscious mind, and your body (including bodily responses). It gets lodged there. Your decision becomes a deeply held belief for you. Maybe it really is true. Maybe it's only partly true. Maybe it is only true under certain circumstances but you're system is automatically applying it to all situations.

Here's the rub... the vast majority of these life altering, life directing decisions that you live by today were created by the emotional understanding and intellect of a very small child, between the ages of zero and six years old. That child was you learning how the world works at a very early stage in your development.

When your decision becomes a deeply held belief often no amount of logical understanding to the contrary will remove the response. Sometimes a very deep new insight can partially or fully dislodge it. Sometimes your belief leads you to a very painful crisis which finally gives you enough emotional charge to create a new decision, a new agreement with yourself of what such and such means and how you will respond to it.

Do we have to wait for a painful crisis to change our deepest held beliefs for the better? No. In fact, if you just let a new crisis change it randomly, you might end up replacing the old belief... or simply layering on top of it... with an equally distorting and unsupportive belief.

"So NOW what do I do?!"

You take conscious control of your personal evolution. You break your old unsupportive agreements with yourself and make new, more supportive decisions about what things mean and how you will respond to them.

"It's so overwhelming... Where do I start?!"

You start simple, with whatever is bothering you right now. Whatever is bothering you today is the place where your beliefs are in conflict with your present experience with the world. What's bothering you today is the most prominent thing creating friction, holding you back from really going for your dreams... or for some its a prominent belief that holds you back from even daring to dream.

This is where Belief Change Work comes in. Paul Cutright and his wife and partner Layne Cutright, (both of them EFT masters) have created a comprehensive system, based on their respective 30 years of personal development and relationship coaching, for doing just this. It's called the Conscious Upset Resolution Exercise... appropriately acronymed "the CURE", which teaches you a very clear and user friendly method for using your upsets as a growth opportunity, a way of discovering the core beliefs you hold that are causing you this friction, and stress, and pain.

Once you have discovered an unsupportive core belief you can change it, and far more easily and painlessly than you might think. The technique I use with my clients is called "Emotional Freedom Techniques", commonly referred to as EFT. In the hands of a talented trained practitioner EFT is extraordinarily powerful, and surprisingly painless. It's an Energy Psychology method. It is not "talk therapy". It's based on the energy meridian healing system of Chinese Medicine's Acupuncture. (I've written an article about EFT, called "Be Free with EFT", which is posted here in this blog if you scroll down... or simply click here.) EFT involves tapping on certain acupressure points while tuning your attention in to the issue that you'd like to deal with.

I'm an EFT practitioner and I can help you with this over the phone. EFT is generally self administered with live guidance from an experienced coach and we can do it from anywhere in the world with a telephone. Call me at 519-766-4680, or visit my EFT site at www.eft-in-guelph.com for details. You could start with getting my free mini course which includes my illustrated EFT Cheat Sheet, my teaching article "Be Free with EFT", and a series of tutorials that help you with the common setbacks I've come across with myself and my clients (to be emailed to you in bite sized chunks over a few weeks period). Just sign up for it in the form close to the top right hand column of the blog (www.ArtOfSelfDevelopment.com).

You can even learn to do EFT yourself with a bit of study. You can purchase Paul Cutright's excellent 5 hour EFT home study course (a very affordable $119.95 USD at the time of this writing) by clicking here. This course was one of my earliest trainings in EFT and the things I was able to help myself and others with after taking this course were astounding. The course consists of a set of downloadable audios and printable PDF manuals, and a short series of videos to be viewed on-line. I've listened to the audios several times over and each time I do it makes me an even better practitioner.

And you can find Paul and Layne's CURE training in their book "You're Never Upset for the Reason you Think" (click here). At the moment I am studying on the coaching track of Paul and Layne's "Relationship Savvy" course which will train me more deeply in using the CURE with my clients. I've been using it with my own upsets and really discovering my core issues so that I can gently tap them away with EFT and Paul's guidance.

And if you want to really get into a lot of information and training for EFT you can check out the official EFT website and it's resources by clicking here. There are several sets of training DVDs and a huge archive of articles that grows by leaps and bounds weekly, a newsletter chock full of case studies, and more.

These things really work. They've worked wonders with me, and with my clients. It's a very rare case that doesn't get some relief from this. In fact, I've never had a client who didn't receive some noticeable relief from their pain or distress. Most of the time we can create huge relief, huge shifts... and often total relief.

To your success in any endeavor,
Scott Mooney
Personal Breakthrough and
Emotional Freedom Coach
www.eft-in-guelph.com
www.ArtOfSelfDevelopment.com

Radical Personal Responsibility...

... and the Way of the Enlightened Warriror

I really know what it feels like when circumstances seem to be dictating my behavior. Believe me, I've been there... a lot. Sometimes it gets really tough to feel like you have any choices in life. The trick is to realize that it's all choices. There's nothing but choices, and that's where your power resides.

Patience through the tough stuff. It'll pass. You're still in your power. It doesn't mean you can control everything, but it does mean you can acknowledge your choices. Realize that everything you're doing is a choice you're making... even if it's a choice you don't like... and thus you are still in your power. As soon as you start believing you are not choosing your actions, then you fall into the victim role, and are literally handing your power over to someone or something else.

Something my EFT and life coach, Paul Cutright, taught me last week is that when people don't control themselves they invite others to control them. Institutions take control of their lives, or people treat them harshly to try to keep them in check. A warrior is not someone who conquers others, but someone who conquers themselves. Meaning, they've conquered the things inside themselves that stop them from going for what they want. You're in your power when you know that everything you do is a choice you are making... even if you don't like the choice... And that's okay. Just know that you are growing towards being able to make other choices you prefer. This is radical personal responsibility.

Taking radical personal responsibility means letting go of blame... even of blaming yourself... and taking action to rectify to the best of your ability... and the ability of the people you recruit to help you. The reason it's radical is because the cultural norm is to blame, and you are breaking that norm... even if you look powerless in comparison to others... because you know you're choosing.

When you go to Harv Eker's "Enlightened Warrior Training Camp" on the first day you sign an agreement. One of the items in that agreement is " I agree to be responsible for my own learning and results. I agree not to complain, blame, or play the victim." Another one is "I agree to be kind and encourage myself and my fellow warriors and not judge or criticize anyone or anything." It sets the space for radical personal responsibility. You still acknowledge your challenges, you just don't bother blaming them on anyone. It's amazing how good it feels to do that!

Since attending Warrior I have succeeded in retraining myself to do this as a matter of daily course. Now when I make a mistake I don't even bother wasting my energy making an excuse. I just say "I'm sorry, I have no excuse. How can I help fix this?" In the past, at my worst, I would try and make it look like it was my client's fault that I missed a deadline, or that I got sick, or that they asked too much of me, or whatever. So part of it is to not take on more commitments than you can follow through on. Under-commit, over-acheive.

Also, I used to be paralyzed when it came to taking action. I was a perfectionist, which means I did almost nothing. Everything had to be just so in order for me to take anything on, and even then I'd hum and haw and avoid because I was afraid of screwing it up, I was afraid to say "no" and so would commit to stuff I didn't want to do, didn't know how to do, didn't have time to do... and I felt completely controlled by people and events, and was constantly dropping the ball, getting in trouble (ie. people getting mad at me for not living up to my commitments). Now I say no. Now I do what I said I would do because I only commit to things I know I will do, will have time to do, will have motivation and desire to do. Sounds selfish but really I'm doing everyone a favor because this means I'm not letting people down left right and center... including myself.

Harv's seminars have literally transformed me. I can't say enough about them. And the beauty of it is he gives his introductory 3 day seminar (valued at over $1200) away for a very low cost... The cost of his book... at the time of this writing If you buy the book you get 2 free tickets... and if you go to this seminar you will be offered an serious discount on the Enlightened Warrior Training Camp seminar (as well as any other of Harv's seminars you're interested in). This introductory seminar touches on many aspects of the Enlightened Warrior seminar and is primarily focused around creating a personal transformation of your fears and hangups around money that prevent you from creating the security and abundance you want. It's called "Millionaire Mind Intensive". All you've gotta do is show up and enjoy. It's a fun and fascinating and enlightening weekend. I came out of there full of creativity, seeing opportunity everywhere I look.

This fall I'll be attending Harv's "Ultimate Leadership Training Camp" which is a big deal for me since I'm a majorly introverted lone wolf, do it all yourself kind of guy... which is seriously stunting the growth of my business! So leadership ho! Here I come!:-) Time for a new growth spurt!

Anyway, you can learn more about the Millionaire Mind seminar and the principles it teaches you (at a very deep level I might add) at the following links:
Click here to buy the book and get your 2 free tickets.
Click here to participate in the teleclass (this is a short seminar given over the phone).
Click here to check out a live evening seminar in your area.

Scott Mooney
scott[at]moon-man.com
Personal Breakthrough Coach
Time heals all, EFT heals it faster.
www.eft-in-guelph.com

The Law of Attraction is Keeping me Fit!

Here's a story about the law of attraction manifesting what you want in your life. The Law of Attraction is the principle that the things you consistently focus on begin to be magnetized to you and find their way into your life... be they good or bad. It's sort of like karma.

I exercise every day and it's just a part of my morning routine. If I don't do it I feel stiff and dopey all day, and after a while I get really skinny and physically weak. Before I made it my habit to do strength training every day I hovered around 140 pounds... and I'm six feet tall, so that makes for one skinny dude. Add a little pot belly to that and I'm not feeling too attractive either. So I like to do strength training to keep at least somewhat bulked up and feeling strong and energetic.

There are certain exercises my body craves and I never had the space for the gear that would allow me to do it. These are body weight exercises, akin to moves one would use to climb a tree. For years I've wished I had a sturdy waist-high bar... ever since I saw Bette Midler in the movie "Ruthless People" (with Danny DeVito) where she gets kidnapped and spends her time working out in her strangely harmless captor's basement, making herself stronger by placing a broom stick across two chair backs and doing a sort of reverse push ups... pull ups. That was the exercise I really wanted to be able to do and never could. the chairs and broomstick just seemed too unstable and even dangerous. I've been messing around with free-weights but those are mostly weight lifting exercises. I wanted body lifting exercises. But I made due with the free-weights, power yoga, and some running and got some pretty good results.

Then one night I'm up late, a bit bored, so I flip on the TV (a truly rare event for me) and catch the tail end of this infomercial for a device called "the Lebert Equalizer"... which happens to be everything I've been dreaming of having and more! Not only did it offer the upside down push/pull ups, but it also had a bunch of other cool exercises. Wow, get me some of those! I thought... and then another program came on and I promptly turned off the TV and went to bed, forgetting all about the cool Equalizer thing.

Fast forward to weeks later. My wife says, "Hey, I just found out our friend Marc is totally into personal development just like you are! You guys should get together!" Mark is a personal trainer and owns a gym, called Fuel, in Mississauga, Ontario, just outside of Toronto. So, after a volley of emails between me and Marc I make an astonishing discovery... My friend Marc Lebert is the inventor of the Equalizer! I couldn't believe it! Not only that, but he came to my house and showed me some exercises I could do with them and gave me a short set of exercises to use as a daily routine (see the illustration above).

Now I've been doing this short routine almost every day for 9 days and I'm experiencing really noticeable muscle growth. I'm almost 40 years old now and I've never been this muscular before in my life... not even when I was planting trees all day for 8 weeks every summer in my 20's. Now I'm up to 160 pounds and lean. So that's 20 pounds of extra muscle, and these Equalizer bars have a lot to do with it now, breaking me past a plateau in my progress. So my body was right in craving these things... and the universe brought them to me! Thanks again, Law of Attraction!

Above is an illustration of the exercise routine Marc gave me. It really fills in the gaps my yoga and free-weights can't fill... especially in the triceps, upper back and chest. Click here to check out his website and see more exercises and applications for this simple and incredibly versatile device, plus fitness tips and info.

Cheers!
Scott Mooney
http://ArtofSelfDev.com
http://EFT-in-Guelph.com