There is one email I received that had a profound effect on me. Although I don’t normally share such letters or emails, this is one exception I am going to make. It came from India and sent to me via a training company called Golden Inspirations, who featured my TEDx talk on their website. They were asked to forward it to me. ( I did get permission to share it first.)

The email was headed by the subject; YOUR VIDEO SAVED A LIFE. It began like this…

Hi,
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful clipping. I would like the team to know that I am fighting an ailment for the past 19 years now and it has affected my day-to-day life. It has become so bad that for the past FEW WEEKS I AM CONTEMPLATING “SUICIDE”. But today after seeing and listening to Janine I got a new ray of hope. Pray I succeed too. My journey begins NOW.
Thanks Janine for your inspiring touching story about how you FIXED your broken body. You did try to keep it as witty as you could but Dear tears were rolling down my eyes all along.”KUDOS” to you. You are an inspiration. GOD bless you. Fly high always and you sure do “TOUCH THE SKY WITH GLORY!!!”

If my talk has saved just one life, then I have been truly blessed. So please, if you know anyone who is struggling right now, and in need of some inspiration and hope, please share my talk with them. You never know, it might make a difference in their life too.

Much love,

Janine

YOU ARE NOT YOUR BODY

We often define ourselves by things that are ‘outside’ us: relationships, work, family — even our own bodies. But what would it mean to have your life dramatically altered and your body irrevocably damaged? Who would you be then? This talk explores the impact of loss on the human psyche and the universal quest to find meaning and fulfillment. It is only through the process of losing everything we thought we needed, that we find who we truly are.

I arrived home last week from the USA where I was speaking at my first TED event…TEDxKC. It was an absolutely awesome experience and I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to share my story and ideas with such a warm and responsive audience.

The venue was the newly inaugurated Kauffman center for performing arts, which is a stunning and beautiful building in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. At first glance it reminded me of the Sydney Opera House which I thought was a perfect connection for me.

The day before our performance, I was taken through the building and shown to my dressing room. Wow! My own dressing room…I couldn’t believe it. Complete with bathroom, couch and a huge mirror framed by lights just like you see in the movies. I even had my name outside the door!

So just to give everyone at home and inside glimpse of backstage at TEDxKC, I made a short video of my dressing room which I have posted below.

The link for my talk will be up in a few days which I will post for all who missed the livestream.

I will be sharing more on my TED experience when the link is up so stay tuned!

Only 7 days to go until my latest book, The Gift of Acceptance, is available in book shops around Australia!

TGOA is published by Allen and Unwin under their inspired living imprint and I am so excited to share a more intimate part of my journey with everyone in this book.

It was great to be able to take some advance copies to the USA a few weeks ago, where I was speaking at the Chopra Centre’s SynchroDestiny course. I ran out of books and unfortunately it isn’t available there yet, but I am working on that!

For those interested in meeting up with me and hearing more about TGOA, I will be appearing at the following locations:

EVENTS

The Bookshop, Bowral – 6pm March 15

Dean Swift Books, Nowra – 11am March 16

Harbour Bookshop, Ulladulla – 3pm March 16

Brown’s Books, Bateman’s Bay  – 11.30am March 17

I will also be appearing on the following radio programs, ( I will post exact times beforehand)

[National] ABC Radio National Life Matters – interview (Feb 27)

[NSW/QLD] 2SM Weekends – interview (Feb 29)

[WA] 6PR Nightline with Graham Mabury – interview (Feb 29)

[WA] Curtin FM  – interview (Feb 28)

We are also working on Tasmania and Perth and I will add to this list as we get closer to the date!

If you are interested in me visiting your area you can contact my publicist, Anna Haywood, at Allen and Unwin. I know she would love to hear from you!

Anna Hayward T: (02) 8425 0139 | M: 0417 473 663

In a few weeks I will be heading over to the USA to join the final SynchroDestiny course at the Chopra centre in Carlsbad, California. I attended the course four years ago in Portland, Oregon, and it was a magical experience.

I set my intention at that time that I would one day come back and speak at a Chopra event. In perfect timing, the universe conspired around this and now, in 2012, I am giving my keynote presentation and sharing my life story with everyone there.

This will be my first speaking engagement in the USA and I am really looking forward to it! I will also be doing a book signing and may even have a few copies of my new book, The Gift of Acceptance, to give away. ( It is due for release in Australia at the end of February )

Spaces are limited, so if you are ready for a life-changing experience make sure you reserve your spot and I will see you there!

SycroDestiny Course Information (pdf)

At SynchroDestiny, you will learn how to access your hidden potential, recognize the possibilities that are always unfolding around you, and create what you want with effortless ease. SynchroDestiny will give you the tools and inspiration to move to the next phase of success and fulfillment.

Being on the professional speaking circuit has given me so many opportunities to travel not only around my own country but to many overseas destinations as well. Last year, in the space of a few short months, I have traveled to Singapore, Fiji, New Zealand, the USA and France.

While in Singapore I was presenting a keynote presentation and workshop to a group of medical professionals from India. “Do you change your presentation for a non-English speaking audience?” a friend asked before I left. “Not at all” I explained, “I will speak a bit more slowly, but as far as the message goes….it is universal.”

However, it was in Singapore that I was going to learn one of my greatest lessons in a profound way, that it is never too late to start life over again.

Arriving at the airport, I was met by Ali, my host. He would be looking after me during my four day stay, he said, as well as my private driver, Peter. They would be at my disposal to take me wherever I needed to go in Singapore, whether it be sightseeing or shopping. When I travel, I am so used to looking after myself, that I was grateful for this gesture of friendship.

I spent four wonderful days with Ali and Peter. They took me to a large shopping centre as I needed a new computer and made sure I got a real bargain. We went sightseeing and visited the iconic Shangra-la where I tasted my first Singapore sling, shelled peanuts and also indulged in the famous, ‘High tea’, something not to be missed when visiting Singapore!

The presentation was a success and I finally packed my bag to head for the airport and back to Australia. Sitting in the back of the limo with Ali, I thought he was joking when he suggested I write a book about Peter’s life. “He has an amazing story” he said, “It would make a great book.” I was amazed and enthralled by the story he told me.

Peter had been a member of the secret service in Singapore, dealing in drugs and the underworld, where survival became man against man. He became involved from the age of 15 and when finally caught and convicted, spent 15 years behind bars.

Peter told me that he would have got the death penalty instead of time had his father had not been a member of the police.

I was shocked to hear of his ‘other’ life, and the things he was made to do as initiation into the secret society. All I could do was listen in disbelief that this gentle man I had spent the past four days with could really have led a life that was so violent.

When I asked him how he managed to turn his life around, he explained that he simply fell in love. “I have a young daughter now, he said, “and every day I go to work, I kiss her goodbye and know I have to come home to her.”

My mind raced, “Ali, how did your company ever have the trust to hire Peter after such a notorious history?” I asked, knowing it must have been such a difficult path for all involved.

“Well, in Singapore, we believe everybody deserves a second chance,” he answered.

Wow, I thought, what a wonderful lesson in forgiveness, acceptance and trust.

With that, I noticed that Peter was playing with some beads around his wrist; I asked him what they were.  He explained that they were his prayer beads, the same ones he wore in jail and when he was in the secret society.

“Ali, can we stop at the markets on the way to the airport so I can buy some?” I asked.

Peter didn’t hesitate; he pulled the beads from around his wrist and passed them to me. “Oh Peter, I can’t take your beads.”

“In Buddhism, we believe it is good to give something away.” he explained, ” it is the cycle of life.”

I now wear those very beads, worn by this man, as a reminder that everyone, no matter who they are, deserves a second chance…and that it is never too late to start over and create a new future.

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” – Maria Robinson

Six years after my accident, my right arm began to ache. In fact, it was so painful that I thought it could possibly be a stress fracture.

“Don’t worry”, the doctor told me, “probably just a strain, try to rest it.” she said.

I had a baby to care for at the time, so resting an arm was out of the question. It got to the point where I couldn’t even lift a teacup. “Do you think we should have it x-rayed?” I finally asked on my third visit to her.

We did, and to everyone’s surprise, my right arm was broken! “How could this be possible?” I asked, “after all this time!” 

As it turned out, my arm was still broken when I left the spinal ward after almost six months! I then needed more surgery to fuse the bone together with a metal plate.

“Didn’t it hurt?” was the question most people asked. Well of course it did, but so did everything else in my body! After all, what is a little old broken arm when the rest of my injuries reads like a list of horrors…broken neck and back in six places, five broken ribs, broken collarbone, broken arm (still!) broken bones in feet, head injuries, major lacerations to legs, torso, massive blood loss…the list goes on.

I tell this story to illustrate a point. Many people have tweeted me over the past few weeks asking me to blog about pain, something I feel I have the credentials to do confidently. I thought about my arm and all those years it was broken without me knowing, and the things I did with a broken arm. Not only did I learn to fly and get my commercial pilots licence, but also I flew aerobatics, which required me to pull on the stick of the aircraft with quite a bit of G-force…all with my broken arm!

Yes, it hurt, but I was so focused on flying and getting my life back, that it didn’t bother me. It wasn’t until I slowed down that it got my attention. By that stage I had accepted that pain was a part of my life, so I just got on with what I had to do, which was flying, and I learn’t to channel my pain in another way.

I live with chronic pain on a daily basis and I have developed ways to deal with it, and to maintain a quality of life that means it does not exclude me from doing anything I want to do.

While pain is never desirable, we can however use it for valuable lessons in life. I have chosen to see my injuries and pain as a symbol of what my life represents, and it has given me the most extraordinary opportunities for inner growth and freedom.

Let me say that pain is a complex issue and we need to distinguish between the two types of pain, physiological and mental/emotional. As emotional reactions to pain differ from person to person, much of our mental anguish comes from our desire to suppress our pain. The more we fight against it, the greater it becomes, and the more energy we give it. In the words of Carl Jung, “What you resist persists”. So rather than focus on my pain, I focus on my wellness and what my body allows me to do. 

French Buddhist monk and scholar, Matthieu Ricard writes about pain and suffering from the Buddhist perspective and details various methods to manage pain. Use of mental imagery, awakening oneself to love and compassion and developing inner strength are all ways to transform ones mind. I have, at varying times, used all three as well as other methods. 

There may not be a ‘cure’ for chronic pain, but from experience, I know that it need not prevent us from leading a fulfilling life or prevent us from achieving inner freedom. In the end, our attitude is the best pain management tool we have.

“We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.” ~Kenji Miyazawa

A few years ago, I woke up early and a thought popped into my head…I really want to go to India!

After making my morning cup of tea, I sat down at my computer to check my emails. The first one that appeared on my desktop was from India. Wow! Unbelievable!

The process of manifestation is something that fascinates me, and my use of intention, and attention, is a tool I use in my life everyday. It’s how I learned to walk, and fly. However, the speed of this request took me by surprise. It was almost instantaneous!

The email began as follows….

I’m fascinated by what I’ve seen on your website. I would like to explore the opportunity of working together which could include speaking engagements and/or publishing your book(s) in the Indian market.

I was blown away! The sender introduced himself as Prakash Idnani, and detailed his background and business in India. Bubbling with excitement, I replied to his email and that was the beginning of not only a wonderful partnership but a great friendship too.

The first speaking engagement I did for Prakash was to an audience of 500 Indian delegates on the Gold Coast. It was an absolutely awesome experience. This was my very first presentation to a non-English speaking crowd, and when I received a standing ovation at the end of my talk, I was completely overwhelmed, and humbled by the reaction.

I spent hours mixing with the delegates afterwards, who showered me with cards and invitations to visit them in their homes in India. I was really touched by the hospitality

Since that event, Prakash has also taken me to Singapore to give a workshop to an Indian audience, and we are inching our way closer to mainland India everyday. (The speaking circuit is still in its infancy over there)

After that, Prakash sent me a request for me to write an article for one of India’s top business magazines called, The Smart Manager. The magazine was fascinated by my story and wanted me to write an article on how traditional knowledge systems like medicine are eventually no match to your self-knowledge.

The result of that was an article I wrote called, ‘The Quest- A Personal Perspective.’ Click on the picture below to read it.

The Road to India

P.S I particularly love the picture they designed for my article. When I showed it to my 12 year old son he said, “Excuse me, I have an appointment with God!” – Very funny!

For all enquires in India -

Prakash Idnani
The Seminar Company,
9 State Bank Street, Mount Road,
Madras 600 002, India
Email: idnani3@vsnl.com
Phone: +91-98840-30830 (mobile)

As a regular reader, and admirer, of Brene Brown’s blogs, I recently came across one that caught my attention. Brene had posted pictures done by an artist named Colleen Stevenson. She had made graphic recordings of a talk that she had given on Inspired Leadership to Fraser Health.

Brene said she was blown away by them and when she asked her how she decides on what gets recorded and what doesn’t, she replied, “I listen for the hush and intense quiet. These are the moments.”

I couldn’t help but reflect on a similar experience I had recently when I was giving a presentation to the organisation, Workcover in Adelaide.

There I caught up with fellow speaker and friend, Glenn Capelli.  Glen is the creative guru! He is a motivational speaker, author, songwriter, radio and television presenter. You can learn more about Glenn from his website, www.glencapelli.com

After my presentation, Glenn sent me copies of the graphic recordings he had done on my talk. It blew me away! I loved it and posted it on my Facebook page for my friends to see.

It reminded me of the mind maps I often use when I give workshops. I find they get the creative juices flowing, as do Glenn’s drawings. It also showed me that everyone takes something different from my presentations, and it was fun to see Glenn’s perspective and how he interpreted my messages.

Enjoy!