Happy Independence Day to my US friends. (and to my Canadian friends, celebrating independence on Canada Day, July 1). The roots of what was initiated here in the US more than 234 years ago started with great possibilities. Some of that purity of intent has gotten corrupted over time. But there remain bright lights and good hearts dotted across the continent. From these embers, we must ignite the new hope.

Eleven years ago, right about this time of the summer, I too had reason to celebrate a personal independence when I stepped out of the corporate publishing world to create my own venture.  My journey over these 11 years has had ups and downs, but right now I am creating something new to lift the ceiling, so that greater possibilities open up like flowers before me and inside me and for all who choose to play in my circle. I’m raising my set point on good new stuff for myself and for the Write Synergies Circle that I am creating.

I completed 25 of the blog posts during the 30 day blog challenge convened by Jeanette Cates. Not bad considering I was unplugged at a retreat for 8 of those days. I received the “Mini 7″ award, which is completing 7 daily posts. I liked to joke that several of us completed multiple “mini 7s.” It was great fun shared with a cool circle of people. I truly appreciate everyone’s energies as we journeyed together. I look forward to the mutual support from this special circle of people as we move forward.

In Lake Geneva, as I reported here earlier, I fell into a circle of heart-full new friends. In Hawaiian, it’s called an “O’Hana,” or family. And that’s just how it felt. Energized from this gathering, and using it as a springboard, my process and creations are being magnified at an amazing rate.

Over the past year, I have been shapeshifting the copywriting I do. It’s not going away, but it is morphing as all living things do.  For those who can benefit from coaching, even if they don’t need the copywriting, I am adding Full Presence Coaching as a sacred listening space to support people on their creative and business journeys.   I realize that some people can benefit from entering into a sacred space as part of these Full Presence mirror conversations — a perfect way to metabolize the learnings that they are going through. Send me an email if you want to discuss the coaching option.

I continue to work deeply with Susan Castle, Paul Bauer, Jan Stringer, Alan Hickman, as well as my coaches Judith Sherven and Jim Sniechowski. It’s interesting to observe how the mentors most important in my life right now are committed couples. Just noticing, that’s all.

AND YET:  “Just Noticing” is absolutely crucial. Think about this. Act on this. Aim, for a week, to build “just noticing,” into your everyday life.  As I write this at the kitchen table in my personal Shangri-La, the crows visit. Crow has become one of my totems since I began noticing crow’s presence in my daily life at crucial moments over the past year. Crow, like the yin and yang bracelet I wear, symbolizes the unity of the polarities.

“Just noticing.”

See what you notice, then report back. What are you able to notice when you pay attention to what is around you? What about when you pay attention to the story behind the story? I look forward to your shared insights and stories.

Here’s to independence and noticing!
Bobbye Middendorf
The Write Synergies Guru

#mini7, 30-day-blogging-challenge, Alan Hickman, Bobbye Middendorf, Canada Day, coaching, Copywriting, Independence Day, intent, Jan Stringer, Jeanette Cates, Jim Sniechowski, Judith Sherven, Lake Geneva, O'Hana, Paul Bauer, Publishing, Shangri-La, Susan Castle, The Write Synergies Guru

In convening this sacred circle community, I am putting into it everything I know about writing, communicating, creating, and publishing; about consciousness and spirituality; about marketing, connection-making, and tribe-building; and about co-creating a community of compatible, purposeful, like-minded conscious creators.  I invite you to join me on the journey.  It encompasses wild and unbroken territories that we will explore together and so create the maps so that others can follow.

Now is the time and we are the ones.   Jean Houston has emphasized this.  So has Clarissa Pinkola Estes, as has Neale Donald Walsch, and many others on the pathways of consciousness.  If not us, who? And if not now, when?

I have been frozen like a deer in the headlights for a while. Or maybe it has been the seed deep underground, slowly putting out tender shoots into the light. In so many of our conversations, you have heartened me with your love and support. I am breaking free, extricating myself from this thrall of inertia. And, yes, the 30 Day Blog Challenge has been instrumental in a shift to public presence.

In such times as ours, dire emergencies call for us to come together in love instead of fear.  Partnering with like-minded fellow travelers, together we are blessed with the right words to initiate our dialogues and open our space, to connect the many dots that our multivalent and interdisciplinary explorations have brought to light.  We are creating new and collaborative partnerships for birthing big visions, creative brainchildren, and the gifts and greatness we came here to share.

Together and in collaborative community, we unpack the knowledge and insights long-buried. We tread the pathways that are our sacred circle, creating the safe haven for shining our lights.

Keep shining!

(This is post # 11 in the 30-day blog challenge. Follow along on twitter at #blog30.)

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It’s time for the annual Publishers’ University–next week!  What happened to May?!  It’s sponsored by the Independent Book Publishers Association.  I’m leading two panels this year:  The Publishers’ Repair Kit and Converting Promotion into Book Sales.  We have attracted amazing speakers again.  I will also be up bright and early to share my expertise at the pre-breakfast round tables, “Ask the Experts.”  I love the chance to connect with colleagues in the book publishing business, to meet exciting new publishers who are passionate about what they have to say, and to help convene these panels where we all contribute to each others’ learning and success.

If you have been thinking about publishing and want some grounding in the fundamentals and good business practices for *every* aspect of book publishing, then you should consider IBPA’s Publishers’ University a required stop on your highway to success.  You can learn more at http://www.ibpa-online.org.  From that home page for the association, click on the icon for Publishers’ University.  If you can’t make it to New York, you can order recordings of any or all of the sessions.

Ask the Experts, Book Publishing, Converting Promotion into Book Sales, IBPA, Independent Book Publishers Association, Publishers Repair Kit, Publishers' University, Publishing