Drive. Align. Shift. Spirit Driving Institute Blog

27Oct/10Off

Putting the Puzzle of Your Life Together


I watched Jane Fonda on Oprah and enjoyed what she had to say about her childhood, growing up, and becoming whole. It sounds cliche, but so much of how you look at your life now depends on your childhood. Those that are most successful decide not to be put in shackles if they had a less than wonderful childhood or, as Jane Fonda put it, had parents who didn't "show up".

Jane Fonda mentioned doing a life review so that you can put the "puzzle of your life together". It's a symbolic activity that will help you to put everything in its place and figure out why you are who you are. In other words, it's a way to get a complete picture of your Personality.

Fonda went a step further and interviewed those who were key players in her younger years. Keep in mind that this isn't about pointing fingers to place blame. And it's not about trying to find all the things that you want to change about yourself. It's an activity to help you feel whole and content with who you are so that you can move forward to more success.

I chose to use my book as my life review (at least of the first ~30 years). It was a cathartic way of putting the puzzle of my life together. I talk about my successes and struggles as a person, in school, on the job, in my business, with family, and with friends. It hasn't been a perfect life and, honestly, it shouldn't be. Also, it hasn't been easy, and it shouldn't be. Every part of it has shaped my Personality and helped me to become the success that I am today.

And a final thought on success. You'll hear me use that word a lot on my blog and, of course, in my book. When I speak of success, I want you to know that it doesn't come from a place of arrogance and it isn't all about money and advancement. It is more so about a feeling of contentment. The definition of success will be different for everyone.

Have you completed a life review? How did it feel? How has it helped you to define who you are now?

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24Oct/10Off

Now What Do I Do?


Is this a phrase you find yourself asking after you've just achieved a goal? I mean, you've worked hard and let your Spirit drive in order to get there. So, once you've achieved your goal, you might be asking, "Now what?"

It's funny when you're a goal-oriented person because you often feel like you always have to be working toward a goal. You might not take the time to reflect on your success and give yourself a pat on the back to appreciate your progress.

I experienced something similar last week. Not only was publishing my book one of my goals, it's been on my bucket list for 10 years! I have to admit that I had a few moments of feeling like I had accomplished one of the biggest goals of my life. I found myself asking, "How can I top this?" and "What should I focus on next?" Yes, my Personality was driving.

Instead of focusing on shifting Gears and getting to the next goal, I recommend sitting in Neutral for awhile so that you can do the following:

  • Appreciate the successes you had along the way. This is especially true with the goals that we classify as biggies. We get so focused on checking something off of our list, that we might not appreciate all of the smaller successes it took to get here. One of my smaller successes was putting together a publishing and marketing team in a few months even though I had never done anything like that before.
  • Reflect on the struggles you had during the journey. Don't forget to pay attention to the struggles you had because you can learn the most from them. When did a seemingly insurmountable obstacle get in your way? How did that obstacle take you in a different direction to get you where the Universe wanted you to be? When publishing both my e-book and paperback, I had some last-minute changes come up that caused us to come uncomfortably close to the deadlines I had set. After taking some time to make those changes, I noticed that there were some other critical areas of the book that I wanted to alter as well.
  • Consider what this goal means for your life. If you have a bucket list, you will have some fun goals (one of mine is getting another tattoo) and others will be more meaningful. Either way, consider what achieving this goal means for your life. How has it changed you as a person? What will you do differently in your life now that you have checked off this goal?
  • Show gratitude. You could show gratitude by meditating or praying about it. Thank those in your life who helped you (and even those who didn't). Remember that the naysayers also can push you forward without your realizing it. I even thank my naysayers in my book and recognize how their words pushed me in a certain direction.

Once I got my Spirit back in the driver's seat, I realized that it wasn't about topping what I had done. Publishing my book is a big accomplishment and is only the beginning of even better things. I spent most of the weekend in Neutral so that I would have the clarity I needed to move forward when it feels right.

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21Oct/10Off

Driving to Success has arrived!


The paperback has dropped, as they say in the music industry. You can now order Driving to Success: Let Your Spirit Take the Wheel. I'm so excited that this day has arrived. I chose this day because falls during Fall Car Care Month and it is my 10-year dreadlock anniversary, which happens to be the same number of years that I've been working on the book. Coincidence?

On a serious note, Driving to Success isn't just about me. There's a lot of practical advice for those in high school, college, thirtysomethings, fortysomethings, fiftysomethings, and beyond. I hope that you will take this opportunity to learn more about yourself and how you can have real success in your life by purchasing the book.

In the coming weeks, I'll include updates as the book becomes available in more places (online and off). Also, I'll let you know how you can help us with this process.

Thanks again for coming along on this journey. I hope you will continue and I wish you much success!

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13Oct/10Off

Spirtual Advice from The Situation?


I know. I'm always finding spiritual messages in the most unlikely places. NOTE: I have never watched Jersey Shore, so my only reference is what I've seen on tabloid shows. :)

Last night, I was watching Dancing with the Stars. The Situation was voted off. During the closing interview, Tom Bergeron admitted that he has become addicted to Jersey Shore. He also noted that he was surprised by how different The Situation acted on Dancing with the Stars. Then, The Situation mentioned that what people see on Jersey Shore is a character and that the audience is just looking through a keyhole to see what he's really like. He also said that he wanted to do this show to let people know that there are other sides to him. (I'm a paraphrasing here).

I tend to have the same philosophy. We all have different "characters" that we play in specific situations (pardon the pun). Think about it. Are you the same exact person around your parents, spouse, kids, co-workers, and friends? Probably not. Depending on who I'm around, they might describe me as a writer, an analyst, sarcastic, a jokester, silly, a dancer, an aspiring chef, spiritual, or a techie. When you look at these traits together, it might seem like they couldn't be speaking on the same person.

There are parts of your Personality that always shine through no matter who you're with. But then there are other parts that you only show at the appropriate times. If you've ever had someone say, "That's so unlike you", this proves that there are some parts of your Personality that you're holding back around certain people.

Does this mean that you're being a phony? Not necessarily. There are times when people will put on an act and pretend to be someone that they are not. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about people who communicate with their Spirit and are confident in themselves. They aren't denying parts of their Personality. Instead, they know when there are around others whose energy will resonate with theirs. They know that the other person will appreciate this part of their Personality. In my book, I refer to this phenomenon as "The Complete You". The Personality is like a diamond in the rough that has many facets. Depending on a person's relationship with you, they can turn the diamond to expose other facets.

So, the next time you're thinking about how to present yourself in a certain situation, think of The Situation's take on his Personality. (I couldn't resist!)

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13Oct/10Off

The Land of Obligations


Last week, I had several sales and project meetings, was finalizing the publication process for my book, and was trying to schedule time to go to Balloon Fiesta. Although I consider myself to be pretty organized, every morning I found myself saying things like this:

  • I need to make the agenda for this meeting.
  • I have to assign tasks for this project.
  • I should take time to research this problem.
  • I have to review this before I can pass it on to the next person.
  • I need to find time to schedule a follow-up meeting.

You'll notice that these all use obligatory words: 'need', 'have to', 'should'. I realized that I was placing pressure on myself to get things done on a deadline that actually could have been more flexible.Words are powerful and carry a certain energy with them. I found that the words themselves made me feel worn down and overburdened.

I was automatically giving the tasks negative connotations and assuming that I wouldn't have time to complete them. My time is very important to me. If you've read my book, you'll remember that Time is one of the four Success Drivers or ways that you can define success for yourself. So, I'm not surprised that Time was an important factor in the way I was viewing my workload.

Just for fun, I decided to become more aware of when I used these obligatory words. I was shocked by how often I did it whether I was talking to myself or someone else. After taking this mental inventory, I decided I would replace the words with others that had more positive energy. I call this 'flipping the script'.

Here are the same phrases with those replacements:

  • I plan to make the agenda for this meeting today.
  • I'll make time to assign tasks for this project.
  • I think it would be good to research this problem.
  • I'll provide my feedback on this so that I can pass it on to the next person.
  • I'll be able to schedule a follow-up meeting.

Replacing words might seem like a completely pointless thing to do, especially if you're only saying the words to yourself. I encourage you to monitor your obligatory words anyway. They might not be the same as mine and that's OK. I'll bet that you will find your attitude about the task changes just by making that change in wording.

P.S. I did manage to fit in time for all of the work I wanted to do and an early morning Mass Ascension at Balloon Fiesta!

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4Oct/10Off

Driving to Success Book Launch Celebration on October 21st


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rio Rancho, New Mexico (October 4, 2010) - Leila Johnson, co-owner of Data-Scribe® and founder of Spirit Driving Institute, has written a book called Driving to Success: Let Your Spirit Take the Wheel. The paperback version will be released on October 21st, 2010 to coincide with National Car Care Month.  At 6:30p MDT, Leila will be interviewed by Dr. Monique Hunt during the Paperback Book Launch Celebration Webinar. Participants will be able to answer questions on Leila's "Vehicle Check-up" to see where they are in their professional and spiritual paths.

Driving to Success uses a driving theme to explain how entrepreneurs and professionals can be successful by taking different paths in their professional lives.  It is a guidebook for those redefining the answer to "What do you want to be when you grow up?". Johnson notes, "After taking many paths in my professional life, I thought it was time to share my journey and provide some practical spiritual and professional advice."

Each person is their own vehicle. Leila discusses how your professional path can take a different turn depending on whether your Personality or Spirit is driving. For those who can’t wait until October 21st, you will be thrilled to know that the book is currently available as an e-book.

For more details on Driving to Success: Let Your Spirit Take the Wheel and the paperback book launch celebration, visit http://www.spiritdriving.com.

ABOUT Leila Johnson: Leila Johnson's book, Driving to Success: Let Your Spirit Take the Wheel, is a guidebook for entrepreneurs and professionals redefining the answer to "What do you want to be when you grow up?". Since 2003, Leila has co-owned and managed their full-service, award-winning Web and communications firm, VelaMira, Inc. dba Data-Scribe® with her husband. As part of her journey on the road of life, Leila has earned her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and in the Metaphysical Sciences. Prior to starting her business, Leila worked as a call center coach, curriculum developer, and trainer in the financial and insurance industries. Leila's site is http://www.spiritdriving.com.

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1Oct/10Off

Countdown to paperback book launch!


It's just 20 days away! I can't believe it. After 10 years of writing, rewriting, revising, second-guessing, and "noodling", Driving to Success: Let Your Spirit Take the Wheel will be a physical, tangible book that I can hold in my hands. It's almost surreal. I can't wait to share it with you.

Don't forget to sign up for the book launch Webinar during the evening of October 21st. It's free and you could win a copy of the book!

I'll continue to post updates on the blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

Thanks to everyone for coming along on the journey!

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Get the Book!

The book is now available!

Get it at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or the Spirit Driving Institute Web Site.

About the Author


~ Leila Johnson, Founder of Spirit Driving Institute and Creator of the Drive. Align. Shift. Program

~ author of Driving to Success: Let Your Spirit Take the Wheel

~ co-owner of Data-Scribe, digital branding specialists for professional service firms

~ wife, mom, foodie

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