Michelle Casto's Blog, page 8

Guest Blog with Sheila Applegage

I am honored to share with you a Destiny Discoverer “inside-scoop” interview, with Intuitive and Spiritual Teacher, Sheila Applegate.

Q:  Can you give us a brief overview of  Enchanted One: The Portal To Love?

A:  In Enchanted One, I provide readers with a guide to embracing love in every moment.  It gently reopens and reconnects readers’ hearts with their minds and encourages surrender as they delve more deeply into their heart center to explore emotions.  Enchanted One supports the highest expression as readers find themselves resting in Divine Love.  In this space you will remember that you are a beautiful reflection of Divine Love on earth.”

In  this book, I offer a message of love that weaves together channeled messages from the vibrations of Isis and Magdalene, with my own personal experiences of embracing the full spectrum of emotions as a gateway to living in harmony with All That Is.

Turning to the Divine Feminine, the essence of which has always been with us, to offer guidance, I channel the spirit of Magdalene and Isis with an open heart and weave together teachings from these two beautiful and loving Goddesses.

Whether you are beginning your journey of exploring emotions and living in unconditional love, or you have journeyed deep within your soul and are on the verge of fully integrating Divine Love into every aspect of your life, this book will meet you where you are and gently guide you to the next level.

Q: You say that you weave together, channeled messages from Isis and Magdalene. Can You explain a little about what you mean by this?

A: To me, the term “channeling” is best described with the metaphor of a television.  We all know that television shows are constantly running through our airwaves whether we are tuning in or not.  Once we turn the TV on, we have a choice of what channel we will tune into.  Tuning into one does not stop the other broadcasts from existing; they are just simply not in our awareness at that particular time.

Similarly, when I tune into Spirit, there are various levels, or “channels,” through which I experience the messages.  In its simplest form, this is best described as inspiration, creativity, or intuition.  I simply allow myself to open my own knowing and, in surrender, allow God’s grace to flow through me.  My experience and understanding is easily expressed from this place of higher consciousness.  I am fully aligned with my Spirit and focused on my intentions with an open heart.  This is the level that I strive to live from in my daily life so the vibration when I am speaking from this state is very similar to me simply talking in a casual conversation.  You could say I am ‘in the Zone’ at this level of surrender.  It is my intention to live from a space where this is my natural state.

As I surrender deeper, I begin to hear and see the spiritual realm of angels and ascended masters that are here to assist us.  This is where the metaphor of the television really comes into play.  There is so much more in existence than what we see and hear with our physical senses.  Even in the simplest terms we know that animals hear  sounds that we cannot hear.  Basic science has proven energy fields exist that we are not aware of with our five senses.  In this state I simply ‘change the channel’ to tune into the vibrations that are not commonly recognized by our lower senses.  We all have the ability to see, hear or sense beyond our common senses.

When I begin to move to an even deeper level of surrender with the Ascended Masters that I journey closest with, I completely give myself over as a pure vessel for ascended master teachers to use in order to get their message to the world.  This is the vibration that I was in when I brought through the messages from Magdalene and Isis in Enchanted One.

These messages that I offer in Enchanted One are of Divine love, Unconditional Love, Universal Love.  The message is beyond the language.  In order for us to support and guide each other on our spiritual paths to that space of fully living in the remembrance our Union with God we must use language.  I use the words that bring me clearest understanding.  I use the stories of ascension that are most familiar to me.  I tap into the vibrations of Love that resonate most closely to me.  Whether through Isis or Magdalene or simply love itself, then, I ask that you open your heart to receive the message of Love that exists beyond language and names.

Q:  When did you realize you had a gift of communicating with Spirit?

A:  I would say that the most defining event in my early years was the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. I was a Syracuse University exchange Student in London the semester leading up to that tragedy.  Many of my friends and most of my fellow students were on the plane that went down just before Christmas.

I can still vividly recall the moment I heard about the bombing of Flight 103.  Then later, when my family from the states called to read me the list of people who had gone down with the flight … as I heard name after name … face after face flashed through my memory as my brain tried to fathom the depth of loss.  This was the breaking open of my heart and a journey into grief that would, with time, act as a gateway to my understanding of Spirit, Life After Death and My Oneness with All That Is.

A few weeks later, while attending a memorial service for my friend Lindsey in Baltimore I had my first experience of communicating with Spirit. I was staying with Lindsey’s family. They of course were anxious to hear about the last six months of her life as back then overseas communication was limited so they knew very little about her last moments on earth. After an evening of sharing memories with them… being in a sense the voice of their daughter/sister, I said good night. Shortly after sliding into the bed, in that dreamy state just before sleep, I was startled by a vision of Lindsey sitting on the bed with me. This was my first experience seeing and hearing a loved one after death. I was of course a bit uneasy at first but her love and friendship soothed me. She shared with me a message she needed her family to hear and in the morning I told her family about the experience. They were both open and grateful to hear of her peace. This pivotal moment sent me on a journey of exploration and mastery that led to my life as a Spiritual Seer, and Teacher and Author.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers today?

A: Yes, I want readers to understand that while Enchanted One contains deep messages from Spirit it is also a very practical guide to living in joy on earth.  I think sharing an excerpt from the introduction is a good way to express my passion to help people create the lives of their dreams.

From the Introduction:

In each situation, in every minute of each day, you have a choice, and the choice is always the same: “Do I choose to live from a place of love or a place of fear?”

My answer is, and always has been, love, in every situation.  This is how I have learned to create a beautiful world around me. And this is what I want to share with you.

By no means am I asking you to live in an illusion or a bubble. You are a practical, rational being. You face life head-on. The lessons in this book are about embracing, not escaping. When you embrace the full spectrum of your emotions, increasing your awareness and moving deep into your shadows, you allow yourself to live in the power of unconditional love. This is how you will create the beautiful world your heart desires.

Over the past centuries, the heart-centered teachings of the divine feminine have been buried — not lost, but simply hidden until we as a collective group of souls on Earth were ready to understand and embrace them. We are ready now.

Whether you are aware of this or not, you are ready now, which is why your heart led you here.

This is the perfect moment for you to open your heart and receive the profound message of love that you have been seeking for so long. You are about to embark on a journey of unconditional love — the journey of the open heart.

My wish is to help others to open to the beauty, love and joy that is all around them in this moment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sheila Applegate:  As a clinical therapist, motivational presenter, author & teacher, Sheila’s passion is to provide a forum for people to process emotion & integrate spiritual understanding into their daily lives. Her new book, Enchanted One: The Portal to Love, provides readers with a guide to embracing love in every moment. www.sheilaapplegate.com

In celebration of the release of Enchanted One, Sheila is offering this raffle contest for multiple chances to win one of two Amazon Gift Cards.

TAKE NOTE (if I may be so bold)! PLEASE… Share your thoughts and comments below and to show my appreciation and support I am making this special offer (in addition to the raffle contest offer above!).

When the Going Gets Tough, the Smart Get Support

When I talk with some of you…..I am amazed at the courage and strength many of you have in the face of “real-world” challenges and changes…..divorce, financial set backs, work that sucks the soul right out of you.

Times certainly are challenging, but really, no more challenging than other times, except that now it’s US experiencing some pretty intense social and economic changes.



If I could give each of you a medal, I would. Really, some of you are really going through the “tough stuff” right now.

I want to tell you that you are not alone, and that there is a reason for everything you are experiencing, and further what it might mean that things in your life seem to be falling apart.   Many times, they are ‘falling apart’ so they can come back together much more aligned and fulfilling for the True You.

I speak from experience, I’ve been through some  challenging times…..such as growing up feeling unsupported emotionally and “feeling weird,” divorce, financial set backs, foreclosure, and three serious car accidents where the car was totaled, and yet I suffered minor injuries.  Each of these things shook me to my core and caused me to awaken to more of my Purpose in life.  I knew I had a choice to make and so I chose to work with some of the brightest lights on the planet, and I am so grateful to all the coaches, mentors, healers, who helped me to access more of my truth and potential.  Each of them had a key that unlocked an important part of the real me.

In my book The Destiny Discovery:  Find Your Soul’s Path to Success, I discuss the concept of the dark nights of the soul, and that I actually see them as rather  dark nights of the EGO.   They are sort of a rite of passage for those of us brave enough who choose to go on a Soul’s Journey–they are to be expected.  You will get through them.  The question is whether you make it easy on yourself.  As you look ahead to 2013, I am going to invite you to make a commitment to yourself to get the help and support you need to make that career change you have been wanting to make, let go of the path you have outgrown, and start believing in yourself a whole lot more by working with a mentor.  Did you know that the original meaning of the word mentor goes back to ancient Greece and means ‘highest advisor’?  This is because throughout history, it is known by those who succeed in life, that the best way to get headed in the right direction, is to follow the footsteps of someone who has already ‘been there and done that.’  Right now, you can begin the journey to authentic success and purposeful living, by starting with a Destiny Activation Session. 

Michelle L. Casto AKA Bright Michelle is a woman on a mission to inspire you to discover the Truth of who you are so you can freely shine your brightest light. Whether you are changing careers, making a major life transition, or seeking more meaning from life, you can benefit from the support of an experienced mentor to assist you with navigating the tough spots of walking your highest Destiny. Michelle has worked with thousands of international clientele to find their ideal career path, expertly blending human psychology, spirituality, and the science of success into a powerful formula for personal transformation. Her proven Destiny Success Process (Awake-Shift-Shine-Succeed) empowers people to grow beyond victim mentality and shows them how to be conscious creators of their life. A prolific author of 30+ life transformation products, her latest book, is The Destiny Discovery: Find Your Soul’s Path to Success.

Journey to Acceptance: The Key to Living Consciously

We all feel the impulse to love deeply.

The impulse to live big dreams.

The impulse to connect.

The desire to accept ourselves, others, and the world at large.

Yet why is it so few of us in our lifetimes truly actualize our fullest potential?

Many of us have read the books, watched the DVD’s, studied the information, and we know WHAT to do.  We may even be over-loaded with information.

Yet, with all that information, we are still continue down the path of judgment, struggle, and falling short of being who we came to be.

I know many of you reading this have a desire to make a big difference, and you want to impact the world in a positive way.  I know many of you have something truly valuable to contribute and a purpose that longs to be fulfilled through you.  That you want to come into Full Acceptance of who you are and your greater Destiny.



This is one of the reasons that Jennifer Urezzio and I were guided to create and deliver at the end of this pivotal year, the brand new program Journey to Acceptance. 

After coaching thousands of people across the planet, we have found that The Key to living consciously is Acceptance.  What we can say is that the Journey to Acceptance is a profound program for visionaries, lightworkers, coaches and healers that are truly ready to release the resistance and step into who they were born to be in this life. 

If you are ready to breakthrough that final barrier and begin playing a much bigger game in life, then we want to invite you to journey with us and others who are committed to The Conscious Path–vibrating Acceptance, Love and Success.

The Journey begins November 13 and continues for 6 weeks, completing December 18, three days before the Solstice event.  To say that this is divine timing would be an understatement.  It’s time to know the freedom and fulfillment that comes from BEING the Energy of Acceptance, no matter what.

We hope you will be joining us. Click this link to learn more. 

Michelle L. Casto AKA Bright Michelle is a woman on a mission to inspire you to discover the Truth of who you are so you can freely shine your brightest light. Whether you are changing careers, making a major life transition, or seeking more meaning from life, you can benefit from the support of an experienced mentor to assist you with navigating the tough spots of walking your highest Destiny. Michelle has worked with thousands of international clientele to find their ideal career path, expertly blending human psychology, spirituality, and the science of success into a powerful formula for personal transformation. Her proven Destiny Success Process (Awake-Shift-Shine-Succeed) empowers people to grow beyond victim mentality and shows them how to be conscious creators of their life. A prolific author of 30+ life transformation products, her latest book, is The Destiny Discovery: Find Your Soul’s Path to Success.

Destiny Discoverer Contest Winner: Kathy Mallary

Our Destiny Discoverer Contest Winner is Kathy Mallary, a beautiful and insightful SOUL.  

What were the stepping stones that allowed you to step into your True Purpose/Destiny?

There are too many to list here, but I think three key stepping stones were:

Motherhood – I feel I’ve matured into my true self for having been a mother, because it gave me a clear and higher purpose outside of my own self-interest. My heart is open because of the unconditional love flowing through it for my son, and I feel both more grateful and more generous in my life because of this blessing.
Immersing myself in personal growth over an extended period of time – it started with reading (The Nature of Personal Reality, by Jane Roberts was an early paradigm shifter for me), but I don’t think reading alone would have been enough. I needed to talk w/others, experiment and practice; so I took a series of workshops through Landmark Education, which was difficult and rewarding at the same time. I’m still discovering new learning from that experience today (almost 20 years later).
Healing from heartbreak – within the space of 9 months, I lost my mother, my marriage imploded, I became a single parent, I quit my job and changed careers, and I moved. To say it was a stressful time would be putting it mildly. Between the death of my mom and the end of my marriage, I truly felt as if my heart was shattered. But while the process was scary and often sucked, what I gained from the process of healing was independence and resilience – and I found my true calling.

What did you have to let go of in order to truly follow your path?  Needing to be right; needing to be in control; needing to understand ‘why’.

What did you say yes to?

I’m working on remembering to say yes to everything – to take it in, accept what’s so, and use my intention, time and energy (that I would have otherwise spent on resistance) to expand my capacity in all directions.

What were the key actions you took to start creating the destiny you wanted to experience for yourself?

Remembrance of who I am in relationship to All That Is; this sustains me.

Forgiveness of myself and others; this frees me.

Love; this is my highest purpose.

What is one key nugget of wisdom you wish to share from your journey?

One key, two parts:

Part 1: My job is to make things possible; it’s God’s job to make things happen.

Part 2: Stay out of God’s business.

About Destiny Disoverer Kathy Mallary

Kathy Mallary is a business development specialist who helps coaches master their signature coaching method so they can make a bigger difference and healthier profits. Get free resources for innovative coaching methods that expand capacity and add to the bottom line atwww.spiritspring.com

 

 

Discover How Your Mind Creates

Knowing how your mind works is a great advantage in the modern world especially since it creates your reality.

Whether it is a happy and successful reality is up to you.

Successful (or effective) people know their own minds and recognize the relationship between their thinking and their reality. They make spiritually smart decisions that are in alignment with a higher power source. Successful people look within for guidance.

Unsuccessful (or ineffective) people have no clue what they are thinking and see no relationship between their thoughts and their reality. They make unconscious decisions that are disconnected from a higher power. Unsuccessful people look to other people for guidance.

A major problem in the world today is that human beings have not developed their thinking skills.

Here’s a thought to ponder (I love brain twisters). Just because you have a thought does not mean you are thinking!

Thoughts fly through our heads all day long (to the tune of about 65,000 a day, and 95% of those are thoughts we have already thought, and those are negative and limiting).

In this mode, we are on autopilot and going nowhere fast, circling the same territory again and again.

Thinking involves a conscious and deliberate act to monitor and choose the thoughts you want to think. It involves asking yourself questions so you can gain insight and revelation. It is kind of like conscious dialoguing with yourself and a higher power.

It’s been said many times  that we become what we think about all day long.

So when we allow unconscious and negative thoughts to run through our minds all day long, guess what our reality is like?!

Not a pretty picture.

Speaking of pictures, are you aware that your brain thinks in images?

Let me demonstrate….

If I were to say— think of a horse.

You would think of a horse

 If I were to say— think of a purple horse.

You would think of a purple horse.

If I would say— DON’T think of a horse.

You would still think of a horse.

See what I mean!

So what are you telling yourself-what to do or what not to do?

Follow me……If you are saying to yourself:

Don’t make a mistake.

Your subconscious cannot see “don’t” so it “sees” mistake and that is what you get.

In fact, research shows the brain cannot “compute” words like no, don’t can’t, not and yet we use them all the time.

(To do your own research, keep a log of the number of times you and those around you use these words in our daily conversations!) You will be astonished.

I was— especially when used to sub at  the junior high campus: “Don’t run. Don’t talk.” “No talking. ”

Ha. The kids do just the opposite!

To grow new neural pathways in your brain, you may want to think/say something like this:

I am completely focused and get my work done ahead of schedule.

Now your brain can go to work on how to make that happen.

Michelle L. Casto AKA Bright Michelle is a woman on a mission to inspire you to discover the Truth of who you are so you can freely shine your brightest light. Whether you are changing careers, making a major life transition, or seeking more meaning from life, you can benefit from the support of an experienced mentor to assist you with navigating the tough spots of walking your highest Destiny. Michelle has worked with thousands of international clientele to find their ideal career path, expertly blending human psychology, spirituality, and the science of success into a powerful formula for personal transformation. Her proven Destiny Success Process (Awake-Shift-Shine-Succeed) empowers people to grow beyond victim mentality and shows them how to be conscious creators of their life. A prolific author of 30+ life transformation products, her latest book, is The Destiny Discovery: Find Your Soul’s Path to Success.

 

Destiny Discoverer-Michelle Casto, The Destiny Diva, Success Catalyst and Author

We end this amazing Destiny Discoverers series with yours truly!  

I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed connecting with all the amazing experts. I realized I had not given you insight into my own journey,and exactly what it took for me to transform myself several times, first from being an only, lonely child with no visible means of guidance to learning to follow my heart, and then losing it all as an adult, in order to gain everything, to now be a leading expert in living a life of passion, purpose, power and Destiny.  

What were the stepping stones that allowed you to step into your True Purpose/Destiny?

Growing up, I always knew I was destined for greatness, even though it was not something that was cultivated by my family of origin.  My parents did not really have the skills to guide me, as they were unawakened to who they were (let alone who I was!).   Fortunately I was intuitive enough to follow my heart early on, and to forge a non-traditional path, one that has led me to where I am today, talking about this big concept of Destiny. 

At an early age, I was fascinated by the world around me, and was very much at home in nature, talking with the horses in farmland surrounding my neighborhood in Kentucky.  As a teenager and young adult, I found insight in astrology and one of the first “life path” instruments I was curious about was getting an Astrological Natal Chart run…..one of my first readings indicated that communication and spiritual development were very much a part of who I was and what I was here to do. Apparently, I was a natural born communicator, and here to facilitate a change in consciousness!

I learned to be quite independent and found my own way in the world after my parents divorced when I was 15.  As a first generation college student, I paid my own way first at the community college, then for my bachelors, masters and eventually, I earned a non-traditional PhD program that allowed me to study the correlation between coaching and cognition.  There were all a part of my formal studies, but LIFE was the place where the most profound learning occurred for me. 

My higher awareness always seemed to be with me, and I quickly saw the connection between what happened and how I was feeling/what I was thinking.  The awareness was not enough, though, because I did not yet understand how to access my inner knowing to its fullest capacity, and for too long, I was creating my life by default, feeling a little too like a victim of circumstance.   

This back and forth between empowerment and disappointment went on until my 30’s when one of my biggest wake up calls happened after I got divorced in 2006…..I had a serious car accident and woke up in an ambulance and asked “is that a bad dream?”  and the paramedic said “no mam this is not a bad dream.”  (you can read more about my awakening in my book).  Suffice it to say, that was when I had to make the choice to Wake up and Stay awake.

What did you have to let go of in order to truly follow your path?

There were four main things: 

 A so-called normal life, based on “society standards.”  You know the one, the ‘socially acceptable formula for success’ which not only was based on money and status, but also on what other people thought about who you were and what you did for a living.
My life & career plan that were based on working in an academic setting.  As much as I enjoyed teaching and counseling students, it was too small for what I was meant to truly do.  Whenever I would try to put my big SOUL into a small job-box, it just never worked out. Finally, I had to realize that I was not born to fit in, I was born to stand out.
The limiting belief that I had to do things alone and that I was not supported. This has been a painful “life story” that I have battled throughout my life, and even though I have moments when I may slip into old thinking, for the most part, I have given that story up in favor of writing a new, more empowering one, which has opened new levels of fulfillment in my life.
My first marriage, because part of my success formula included being in the right partnership. 

What did you say yes to?

To what my heart desires.  To believing in myself.  To living life on my terms. To accepting support. To being loved.  To being loving. To being “weird”.  To making changes.  To handling the challenges. To facing the mental monsters.

To experiencing the life, relationships, and business that I knew in my heart were possible.

What were the key actions you took to start creating the destiny you wanted to experience for yourself?

My two key actions were education and mentoring.  I am an advocate for lifelong learning, especially that of Self-Knowledge, that is knowing and honoring yourself from the inside out.  I took the standard “what do you want to be when you grow up assessments” as well as relied on astrology, tarot, and other intuitive arts to guide me.  When I faced a challenge, I religiously sought out ways to understand what was happening so I could move through it faster.

And of course, being supported in my personal growth process.  I have had many mentors (coaches, healers, guides, mirrors) along my journey, and each one is, I believe a “divine appointment.”  People that we are meant to connect with to further our path.  I know  that especially the mentors that I paid to work with had keys to help me unlock more of True Self.  I cannot recommend getting mentoring highly enough.  It goes without saying to filter everything you hear and see through your own heart and take only what resonates for maximum effect.

What is one key nugget of wisdom you wish to share from your journey?

You are the one you have been waiting for, and the time is now.  Stop doing what does not serve you and start doing what lights you up.  Life is short, right now is your best shot to experience the MORE that your soul is looking for. 

Ask yourself these following questions and get moving in YOUR right direction!

What would make my heart sing?

What is possible when I just believe in myself?

What would I do if I had the courage?

Who can help me get where I want to go?

***Michelle L. Casto (yours truly) is The Destiny Diva, Success Catalyst and Prolific Author.  Read my  latest book upon which the series was created The Destiny Discovery:  Find Your Soul’s Path to Success.  

Kute Blackson, Global Transformation Leader

Welcome to our 11 day Odyssey of Interviews called ”Destiny Discoverers”  

These are people that I have personally invited to play because I sense their big heart,  open mind, and  ability to succeed  on their path of Purpose. T oday we are talking with Kute Blackson, a one of a kind transformation expert with a contagious enthusiasm for life .  Kute has been on my radar for a couple of years and I feel blessed to be able to catch up with him, as he travels the globe sharing his empowering message of the liberation of the SOUL.  This is one man you will want to stand up and take notice of, because just about everything he shares rings TRUE.  

What were the stepping stones that allowed you to step int your True Purpose/Destiny? (watch this video for this answer)

What did you have to let go of in order to truly follow your path?

Questioning myself. So often we feel a strong intuition and guidance to go in a certain direction and we question ourselves. We are told to follow a dream and before we even get chance to step into the dream, the mind kicks in and before you know it we convince ourselves out of what we’ve been guided to do on a deep level.I had to let go of 1) Believing the mind and 2) Questioing myself.I began trusting my internal guidance and that there is an intelligence that knows how to fulfill my dream in a way the mind cannot conceive right now. I had to trust and say YES to the dreams given to me and kept saying YES YES YES!It requires a deep trust in Life. You can either trust your mind, which constantly sells you all sorts of B.S. all day long. Or you can trust the Infinite Intelligence that is not only living and breathing you right now, but synchronizing all of life itself.



What did you say yes to?

I said YES to LIFE. I said YES to being used in the biggest way possible by life itself. With that yes comes a surrender of the “how?” and the mind wondering how things are going to happen. I said YES to being a vehicle for life to flow through and use me in whatever way it sees fit. In that moment of surrender it’s plugging into a stream of infinite energy that fulfills beyond human form, plugging into a whole other sream of possibility.



What were the key actions you took to start creating the destiny you wanted to experience for yourself?

I simply took one step. Most people have grand, elaborate, spreadsheets and vision boards and mind maps – that’s great, but the key is to take ONE action step in the direction of your dreams. One action step in the direction of your dreams is more powerful than any elaborate plan… but we often don’t take the first step. We think about the big vision, and yet we don’t take the first step. The first step may not be the most sexy or glamorous – picking up the phone, going to the gym.The first step which leads to the next first step, and the momentum builds and you’ve taken 10,000 steps before you know it. In the fulfillment of your vision there’s not 10,000 steps, there’s just ONE step… one step over and over and over again.Most people sit around and they wait, waiting for the perfect sign, the perfect person, the perfect moment, the perfect tarot card… waiting is suffering. Waiting will get you no where. All the time you are waiting you could be moving toward the perfect vision. Sometimes the mistake we make is we think the small action steps won’t make a difference.What’s the point of gym one time?

One donut won’t make me fat today?

One phone call won’t make me wealthy?

Running around the block one time today won’t make me an iron man?

Spending $100 won’t make me poor today?

It’s those tiny action steps compounded that put us into a whole different reality. Those tiny keys we do when no one is watching have tremendous impact and over time they fulfill themselves.

Stop waiting for stars to align, and align your mind. The first step in front of you is the best action step you can take. Taking the first step in front of the next first step, in front of the next.

What is one key nugget of wisdom you wish to share from your journey?

Simply Surrender. Get out of your own way.

The most powerful prayer is simply to SURRENDER. To give up what you think your goal and vision should look like, to give up your attachments to the form, and to open yourself to the highest good unfolding for all concerned.

When you surrender what you think should be, you open to a higher flow of GRACE. You tap into the Infinite itself, and IT knows exactly how to bring about the most authentic fulfillment of your dreams and destiny.

The mind is limited. Your personality is limited. In any given moment you can only see part of the picture. Surrender moves you beyond the mind, and into a stream of magic, synchronicity, and miracles.

The illusion is that YOU need to manifest your vision. Inherent in your authentic dream is already the seeds for it’s fulfillment. Your role is not to struggle or force anything. Your role is to simply GET YOURSELF OUT OF THE WAY so that the Universe can flow through you and manifest itself as your vision in your life.

Then things are effortless, since it’s not really you DOING it.

You are then in the flow, simply showing up, participating 100% and witnessing the miraculousness of the Universe at work in your life.

P.S. If you are ready to breakthrough your limitations, and catapult yourself into living your deepest purpose and destiny, join me on the one of a kind journey of a lifetime! Boundless Bliss Bali! Find our more here: www.boundlessblissbali.com

About Destiny Discoverer Kute Blackson

“I said YES to life itself!”

Kute Blackson is an utterly unique visionary in the world of human potential. Unlike those who promise to simply help people “get” what they want, Kute’s life work instead reveals to people what they have to give, by liberating who they are most

truly and deeply. The focus: Freedom.

World renowned for creating revolutionary results, Kute is creating a world-shift in consciousness and is widely known as a transformational facilitator, speaker, and leader. Today, the venue for his message may be one-on-one, a vast stadium setting, experiential seminars, and transformational travel intensives all of over the world. Kute has an energy that is so powerful and complete, one cannot leave his presence without a recollection and feeling of what love truly is, true love, who they have been all along. His transformative and healing energy is sought out worldwide. Kute is a bold voice for a new generation.  Visit www.kuteblackson.com 

***Michelle L. Casto aka Bright Michelle is on a mission to help you discover your Destiny.  Read The Destiny Discovery:  Find Your Soul’s Path to Success in paperback and Kindle.

Destiny Discoverer Sark, Bestselling Author and Succulent Wild Woman

Welcome to our 11 day Odyssey of Interviews called ”Destiny Discoverers”  

These are people that I have personally invited to play because I sense their big heart,  open mind, and  ability to succeed  on their path of Purpose. T oday we are talking with SARK, bestselling author and living JUICY expert.   I admire her mission to help people live more BOLD, COLORFUL, Authentic Lives.  She is highly successful, known throughout the world, and a true inspiration. If you have seen her books , they are very colorful, right-brained and heartfelt.  I whole-heartedly agree with her philosophy of having internal processes that allow you to take care of yourself and see that as essential to Life Success.  

What were the stepping stones that allowed you to step into your True Purpose/Destiny?

Asking, believing, visualizing, having faith. These are the steps I practice to allow miracles to happen. I’ve learned to ask for whatever I want, and trust that the universe wants me to have it. I do transformative practices and processes that I’ve created everyday, in order to allow the miracles to flow and expand. A main component of these transformations is my inner Wise Self- which is activated and empowered in my life. This allows me to make decisions from a place of deep knowing and wisdom. And when it doesn’t feel that way, I know how to pretty quickly get back to a centered place.

I had a grandfather who told me: “Do everything you can think of doing, so you know what you don’t want to do for the rest of your life.” So I had 250 different jobs from the age of 14 to 26. These jobs made my devotion to creative thinking and living an integral part of my being.

What did you have to let go of in order to truly follow your path?

I used to be the worst procrastinator! I would get all these books on a subject, and then of course, wouldn’t read them! My mind moved in great gulps and I would scare myself to death before ever beginning. I would leap into the future – “How will I ever publish this?”, or defeating “What If” questions.

So often, we are stifled by an immediate inner censor – “Oh, I couldn’t do that” or “That won’t ever work”, etc. These thoughts effectively stop us so we don’t even have to try. I now know that creative thought is a process that can be learned, practiced, and expanded. And now I have feelings care systems in place- including how to care and transform inner critics- so that these aspects of me are not the decision makers! Instead, it is my adult self and my inner Wise Self, guiding and mentoring me- with fantastic results!

What did you say yes to?

To my inner Wise Self, to the energy of creativity, to playfullness, to relaxation, to joyFULLness, simply and delightedly – to LIFE itself! I am in the most fabulous long term love affair with myself and with life and all that it contains.

What were the key actions you took to start creating the destiny you wanted to experience for yourself?

What’s helped me free my creative spirit and keep it free:

*Empowering and activating my inner Wise Self

*Developing and creating transformative practices and processes, like 3 Part Harmony, MicroMOVEments, 5 Point Process, the Marvelous Messy Middle- and then doing these on a daily basis

*Belief in miracles – experience and practice (we are always on our way to a miracle!)

*Visualization – imagery in my mind; writing or drawing a picture of what I want. (I drew a picture of a “magic cottage” with a garden, and 2 weeks later, I moved in!)

*Relaxation – stretching, napping, dreaming- REST is absolutely necessary

*Affirmation – positive, supportive thoughts contributing to self-love, and knowing how to care for the feelings that don’t feel like this;-)

*Serenity – spiritual practice and self-healing- and being receptive to other dimensions

*Support system – a circle of fabulous, talented, funny, loving friends and family. Both family of choice and of origin. Being awake to the world and people I haven’t yet met

*Reading – pleasure reading especially. Voluminous, voracious, insatiable for BOOKS of all kinds.

*Developing a habit of completion – frees me to do more wonderfull things!

What is one key nugget of wisdom you wish to share from your journey?

Provide quiet, creative time for yourSELF everyday. I call this practicing exquisite Self love & care. Learn to celebrate your Self. You are outrageously wonderFULL and delightfully imperfect! Give yourself permission to follow your heart and fully embrace the journey that you choose. And be willing to do your tranformative practices and processes. Any healing work you do, contributes to us all.

About Destiny Discoverer SARK

To see all things SARK, go to www.planetsark.com

******Michelle L. Casto is The Destiny Diva, Success Catalyst and Prolific Author.  Read her latest book upon which the series was created The Destiny Discovery:  Find Your Soul’s Path to Success.  

 

Destiny Discoverer Colleen Mcgunnigle, Graphic Arts Extraordinaire

Welcome back to the 11 day Odyssey of Interviews called “Destiny Discoverers”  

These are people that I have personally invited to play because I sense their big heart,  open mind, and  ability to succeed  on their path of Purpose…..today we are talking with  Colleen Mcgunnigle-   someone I have been aware of via social media for a few years, and always wanted to know better. And then as fate would have it, our paths crossed more personally during a group coaching program on “accessing higher consciousness.”  I jumped at the chance to interview her, and I know you will see the shining bright light that I do after reading her interview.

What were the stepping stones that allowed you to step into your True Purpose/Destiny?

Stepping Stone #1:  “Everything is do-able. Embrace new experiences.”

In 1989, when my very first big client asked me to design and generate color separations for a national ad for Vanity Fair, I could have easily passed on it saying, “I’ve never done that before.” Which would have been true! Local ads, sure! I’d done that. But something on this grand scale? Uhh, nope.

Instead of saying “no,” I chose to sit down with a color separator, explain my intentions, and find out what each of the terms meant and how a project like that was brought to fruition. Although brand new to me, creating national ads turned out to be well within my capacity and I went on to do them for many years.

Remember, nothing is impossible. Opportunities to learn and grow abound. Something that feels too grand may just be a new friend you have not yet met!  

Stepping Stone #2:  “Listen to your inner voice. Be mindful to when something feels like a yes or a no.”

At the start of my business, I would wake up nightly to the feeling that I should be doing something “good” (aka “helpful to others”). When I brought this up to my friend Holly, a social worker, she said, “Well Col, not everyone can be a social worker. There must be teachers and doctors and grocery store clerks. You can be a good (kind/compassionate/helpful) graphic designer.”  Which made sense. And I wove this theme into my business.

Yet the feeling persisted. Without knowing what I was doing, I opened to hints and road signs and listened to my gut for what felt like a “yes/go” or a “no/stop.” A “yes” feels expansive and light and fun and your heart sings … a “no” feels dark and heavy.

Follow your inner yes’s.

What did you have to let go of in order to truly follow your path?

Aaah, perfect timing for …

Stepping Stone #3: “Love the twists and turns. Be willing to let go. Of EVERYTHING.”

“To everything, there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven … A time to build up, a time to break down. A time to dance, a time to mourn. A time to cast away stones. A time to gather stones together.”  — Pete Seeger, The Byrds, and of course, Ecclesiastes!

At first, people would say to me, “With your skills, you should be working for a high-end design firm in New York City rather than working for yourself! You would be making SO much money!”

Yet when I envisioned doing that, somehow it just didn’t feel right.

I thought, “No way! Someone who’s built up her business for 5 years (Ha! Now that sounds like a drop in the bucket but at the time, 5 years felt substantial!)  … Someone who’s been working so hard to build something should never just abandon her business like that!”

5 years later, I let go of any and every pre-conceived notion of what a person living in this five-sense-reality world “should” do. Know why? Because I was listening to my inner voice and willing to let go.

When the opportunity to do something which felt like an inner “HELL YES!” arose, I left behind everything that felt normal, everything that was filled with all sorts of “shoulds” … and stepped directly into a brand new line of work. Anna, a little girl who has autism, needed me. This was the “good” work I had been looking for.  A sort of Mission in Life.

And so I let go. When something feels like an inner “yes” … be willing to let go of all of your former “yes’s.”

What did you say yes to?

This would be a good time to share …

Stepping Stone #4: “Follow the breadcrumbs. Open to opportunities to follow inspired action.”

Working with Anna did not come in a direct line. It came in a weaving path, Hansel and Gretel style. And I said yes to thing after thing after thing along that path. Anything that felt like a clear match to the energy I was following … the energy of “good and helpful to others.”

First, there was working for a few hours after doing my design work, at an after school program. (I adore kids. When you adore something, there’s your first clue. You’re probably onto a breadcrumb there.)

Next, I met and completely connected with a new friend’s son, who has autism. So when I saw the ad about working part time with Anna, it just leapt off the page at me. (Leaping off the page: Big sign. Breadcrumb.)

A year later, when Anna’s parents asked me to come with her to a new school and work with her full time, the answer was a no-brainer. What had formerly felt unthinkable (leaving my business) now felt completely natural and utterly obvious. Of course I would do that. Duh!

(Of course, after making sure that all of my clients were taken care of by another designer. Y’gotta be respectful, mindful and responsible, even while following breadcrumbs!)

Follow inspired action step by step. Each time something feels good and yes-like, take a step. Even when you don’t know where it’s leading.

What were the key actions you took to start creating the destiny you wanted to experience for yourself?

Getting super-clear on what works for me / what I would truly love to be doing.

This was a very important key action for me. Getting clear.

Not about the specific, controlled-outcome details (for example, “Working in a school with a little girl who has autism”) but the feeling of it … the energy of it … (like, “Connecting with someone. Making a difference in their life.”)

Writing your story.

When I first came back to graphic design (yes, I came back in 2007, when Anna no longer needed me and coming back felt like a “yes!”)  … I wrote down all of the juicy details of what I so love about design:

The clients I adore … the way we connect on this soul level … the way I create something for them and they are filled with glee, as if I channeled it from the depths of their heart … the laughter we share … the beautiful, radiant results we see before us in the artwork of their logo and web site.

I wrote more than that but you get the picture.

Here’s where you say, “But Col! I thought you said ‘not the specific details’!” I know, I know. It’s a delicate balance, you see. In writing the story, it’s great to swim around in details. In fact, it’s fantastic. As long as that feels good.

Then … let go of the details and open to whatever your next inspired action may look like. I have news —it so often looks entirely different than what you had expected. (Usually better.)

To sum up (cuz I love it when people do that!) … The two key actions I took were getting super-clear on what emotions I was wanting, writing the juicy-detailed story, then letting go of the juicy-detailed story, saying “this or something better.”

What is one key nugget of wisdom you wish to share from your journey?

Embrace new experiences, listen to your inner voice and fall in love with the twists and turns. Follow your breadcrumbs and open to the abundance that is all around you. Open to all of the ways that what you desire deep in your heart may flow in to you.

About Destiny Discoverer Colleen McGunnigle

Colleen (Col) McGunnigle is a graphic designer specializing in the art of attraction, helping others draw in their ideal clients through imagery that sings to the soul and inspires action. Her signature Muse Infusion sessions jump start the process with remarkable results. Download a complimentary The Art of Attraction: How to draw in YOUR ideal clients and customers (from the inside out) audio and worksheet at DesignByMuse.com/IdealClient.

***Michelle L. Casto is The Destiny Diva, Success Catalyst and Prolific Author.  Read her latest book upon which the series was created The Destiny Discovery:  Find Your Soul’s Path to Success. 

Destiny Discoverer-Cliff Michaels, AUTHOR, BROKER, SPEAKER, STRATEGIST

Welcome back to the Destiny Discoverers Interview Series.

These are people that I have personally invited to play because I sense their big heart,  open mind, and  ability to succeed  on their path of Purpose…today we are talking with Cliff Michaels.  Cliff brings in a new and grounded perspective with his entrepreneurial vision, and “4 essentials” that help people to become a success in life and business.  One of my passions is real estate. That is one of the many reasons I am so pleased to share Cliff’s wisdom with you, because I truly believe being grounded and “real to life” leads to success with ease. 

What were the stepping-stones that allowed you to step into your True Purpose/Destiny?

Passion, Purpose, Patience, Practice :  Love what you do, give back, and make it meaningful. Do that and you’ll jump out of bed each day saying, “What’s next?” I have a love for learning and a passion for helping others.The secret to any success I’ve had however was combining those abilities with hyper-focus.

I’m dyslexic but was undiagnosed growing up so I never understood why reading and math were difficult. As a home

alone kid with divorced parents, I focused on reading a ton to occupy time (albeit slowly). To compensate for the reading

challenge, I learned to speed read (forcing my eyes to catch keywords), and I wrote a lot of short stories. Writing ignited a

passion for words, creative thinking, and problem solving. As a result, I learned to condense ideas or capture the essence

of written material rather quickly. The core of my book, The 4 Essentials of Entrepreneurial Thinking was built in part on

those early challenges as a kid.

I also dreamed of playing professional soccer, but injuries ended my athletic career before it started. That forced

me to think differently about life and career goals. I had a foundation for practice and teamwork. That served me well.

But as a semi-dyslexic insomniac, I was unemployable in my mind and opted for entrepreneurial pursuits, primarily real

estate.

Penniless when I left home at 18, I managed to get through a year at USC as a gopher for real estate mentors. That

enabled me to build strong investor relations at a young age and enabled me to leverage partners to buy properties.

I just kept asking what if, why not, how can I help? Those simple entrepreneurial questions helped me build a powerful business network and a ton of referral business at a young age.

What did you have to let go of in order to truly follow your path?

I always felt like a misfit. I was too naive to know what I couldn’t do so most of the time I just did it. I let go of (or

perhaps never bought into) a popular notion that says innate talent, a degree, socio-economic advantage, or higher

intelligence are proxies for success. I also dropped my ego after many years of trying to do it all on my own. I like to

say “have the humility to know what you don’t know, don’t like, don’t want to do, or don’t have time for. Then you can focus on what you do best, delegate, collaborate, or eliminate the rest.”

I’m also a minimalist. The more I get rid of, the more abundance I attract in my personal and professional life

because there’s less noise and clutter.

Entrepreneurs are more concerned with doing than data. I never had a need for information overload or paralysis by analysis. I believe in learning from everyone and taking immediate action. While many friends were busy writing business plans, I was seeking investment partners, prospecting for deals, and buying real estate with a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. I let go of believing you needed cash to start. I learned early in my business career that venture capital doesn’t drive entrepreneurship; entrepreneurial thinking (being of service and hardcore action lead to success and happiness), attracts clients, capital, and revenue. I even negotiated my first office space for free in the luxury Fox Plaza of century city (Nakatomi Plaza from the movie Die Hard). I simply bartered my services in exchange for free rent, phones, and furniture. IT was like a jackpot for a start up in my early 20s.

What did you say yes to?

EVERYTHING & EVERYONE. If you start with no, you have no opportunity. But not every opportunity is good… it may

even be a threat to your central focus. You need balance. Threats (like competitors) can also be great opportunities for

learning or partnerships. So I always start with YES, then analyze whether or not the short or long-term opportunity is

worth the time, money, effort, relationship, or experience.

What were the key actions you took to start creating the destiny you wanted to experience for yourself?

Show up early & work hard. Find your unique ability and leap! My mantra again — Focus on what you do best,

delegate, collaborate then eliminate the rest. But most importantly, care the most and show extreme gratitude.

You can’t take friends or clients for grated. I started writing 5 handwritten thank-you notes per day at 18 and never

stopped.  I’ve never advertised. But I’ve build a lifetime referral business of the highest quality. Quantity never matters when you have quality.

I also believe in personal & professional growth going hand in hand. Complacency is the enemy of entrepreneurial

thinking. By the same time, you have to know when to chill out. That humility comes with some experience. The sooner

we surround ourselves with complimentary talent, teams, and values, the sooner we find our niche. Not everyone is

willing to do the work however and that’s where they fall short.

What is one key nugget of wisdom you wish to share from your journey?

Be yourself. Everyone else is taken (that’s my favorite Oscar Wilde quote). Be humble. No you limits and unique ability so

you can FOCUS. But it’s not enough to write goals, follow your passion, or even focus your intention. You can run east

looking for sunsets all day long and never find what you’re after because your sprinting in the wrong direction.

About Destiny Discoverer Cliff Michaels

“When in doubt, go with your gut, follow your heart, but take your brain with you!”

Cliff Michaels is an author, speaker, and social entrepreneur. He’s also a life coach and strategic consultant. His real estate firm, Cliff Michaels & Associates, has closed over $500 million dollars in sales since 1992. Among his achievements, Cliff was the Founder of Knowledge Cafe (1996), an online learning center for personal and business growth. He was also Co-Founder of FirstUse.com (1999), the world’s first online registry for digital-notary services.

In his New York Times Bestseller, The 4 Essentials of Entrepreneurial Thinking, Cliff proposes a paradigm shift in global education and dispels the myth of born entrepreneurs. He then takes readers on an inspirational personal journey to explore entrepreneurial minds from da Vinci & Edison to Jobs, Oprah, Branson, and many others. Critically acclaimed by academic and business leaders worldwide, the book launched #1 on Amazon and Barnes & Noble in 2012.

***Michelle L. Casto is The Destiny Diva, Success Catalyst and Prolific Author.  Read her latest book upon which the series was created The Destiny Discovery:  Find Your Soul’s Path to Success.