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The Transformative Power of Place: See the Change!

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul alike." - John Muir

Once a man I loved wondered why I didn’t want to move into his ratty little house. He felt that love should prevail even if I didn’t like the place. When I told my sister about it, she commented, “You should tell him you grew up in a family that would spend two hours picking out a campsite.”

That’s how it is, too, when I’m choosing where to offer my Transformational Speaking programs. I’m not willing to invite you to join me just anywhere. I want you to experience the luxuriant forests and rocky beaches of Hollyhock on Cortes Island in British Columbia and discover the majesty within yourself. I want you to revel in the lakes and woods at Omega Institute in New York’s Hudson Valley and rediscover your own wild nature. And I want you to feel the ancient spirit of the Pueblo peoples in Santa Fe and wonder why suddenly your dreams are so rich and alive.

When we remove ourselves from our regular routines and commit to deep work, the places we choose can strengthen and inspire us. Whether or not we’re fully aware of it, we want that feeling of “Ah, I am safe here. I can put down my defenses and catch up with myself.” Then, relieved of commonplace annoyances, the impossible can happen. In fact, I always ask the people in my classes, “What is the one impossible thing in your speaking I can support you in accomplishing?” Once you name it, it moves within reach.

Our world needs more people to inspire the impossible. Be sure to include the power of place in the matrix of your own journey to become (or remain) one of these people. See the change to be the change!