The people, places and pursuits that fuel your joy are not mere accidents. Each of us has a wise GPS encoded within us. And that which brings us feelings of awe and wonder are precisely where our greatest self wants us to be. Release the chattering messaging of your intellect and trust the powerful whispers of your instinct. You will rise.

Ask Yourself These 3 Questions [to x25 Your Energy]

Saint Ignatius believed that God could speak to us just as clearly in our imagination as through our thoughts and our memories. This exercise tries to bring the listener into a closer encounter with Jesus.

Music:
The Lord is my Light by Margaret Rizza from Fire of Love
Breath of Love by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind. Used under a Creative Commons non-commerical licence from Magnatune.

Imaginative Contemplation: Jesus and Zacchaeus

Roald Dahl's wickedly funny novels have turned him into the world's number 1 storyteller. In this collection five splendiferous stories are brought to life by the author himself.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Abridged)
Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last!

James and the Giant Peach (Abridged) 
A little magic can take you a long way

Fantastic Mr. Fox (Unabridged) 
Nobody outfoxes Fantastic Mr. Fox!

The Enormous Crocodile (Unabridged) 
This greedy crocodile loves to guzzle up little boys and girls

The Magic Finger (Unabridged) 
Horrible neighbors learn their lesson from a little girl with powerful magic!

The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl, read by Roald Dahl (audiobook extract)

Big Oil and Gas Versus Democracy&mdash;Winner Take All &#160; In 2010, the words &ldquo;earthquake swarm&rdquo; entered the lexicon in Oklahoma. That same year, a trove of Michael Jackson memorabilia&mdash;including his iconic crystal-encrusted white glove&mdash;was sold at auction for over $1 million to a guy who was, officially, just the lowly forestry minister of the tiny nation of Equatorial Guinea. And in 2014, Ukrainian revolutionaries raided the palace of their ousted president and found a zoo of peacocks, gilded toilets, and a floating restaurant modeled after a Spanish galleon. Unlikely as it might seem, there is a thread connecting these events, and Rachel Maddow follows it to its crooked source: the unimaginably lucrative and equally corrupting oil and gas industry. With her trademark black humor, Maddow takes us on a switchback journey around the globe, revealing the greed and incompetence of Big Oil and Gas along the way, and drawing a surprising conclusion about why the Russian government hacked the 2016 U.S. election. She deftly shows how Russia&rsquo;s rich reserves of crude have, paradoxically, stunted its growth, forcing Putin to maintain his power by spreading Russia&rsquo;s rot into its rivals, its neighbors, the West&rsquo;s most important alliances, and the United States. Chevron, BP, and a host of other industry players get their star turn, most notably ExxonMobil and the deceptively well-behaved Rex Tillerson. The oil and gas industry has weakened democracies in developed and developing countries, fouled oceans and rivers, and propped up authoritarian thieves and killers. But being outraged at it is, according to Maddow, &ldquo;like being indignant when a lion takes down and eats a gazelle. You can&rsquo;t really blame the lion. It&rsquo;s in her nature.&rdquo; Blowout is a call to contain the lion: to stop subsidizing the wealthiest businesses on earth, to fight for transparency, and to check the influence of the world&rsquo;s most destructive industry and its enablers. The stakes have never been higher. As Maddow writes, &ldquo;Democracy either wins this one or disappears.&rdquo;

Blowout by Rachel Maddow, read by Rachel Maddow

FAMILY ISN’T EVERYTHING. How often have you heard phrases about putting family first? Most of us had a plaque on the wall growing up that said something similar. But if you’re letting family walk all over you, you’re doing a disservice to yourself. We get what we tolerate. If you don’t like something, but you tolerate it, you can’t expect people to change. So how do we have better relationships with our families? We have to create a request. And we have to keep our word. Telling people what you need doesn’t always feel good, but it’s necessary to take care of yourself. On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk about boundaries and reparenting yourself with an inspirational holistic psychologist: Dr. Nicole Lepera. Dr. Nicole LePera is a Holistic Psychologist who believes that mental wellness is for everyone. She evolved her more traditional training from Cornell University and The New School to one that acknowledges the connection between the mind and body. Dr. LePera founded the Mindful Healing Center in Center City Philadelphia where she works with individuals, couples, and families taking gut health, sleep, movement, cellular health, belief, and mindfulness into treatment. Dr. Nicole Lepera shares her three steps to creating healthy boundaries and how to break cycles in ourselves. So get ready to learn how to be a self healer on Episode 844.

Some Questions I Ask:
What were your biggest limiting beliefs? (9:30)
How do we become unstuck? (17:00)
How do we manage the guilt of our family? (23:00)
How do we regulate our nervous system? (46:00)
What does it mean to “reparent” yourself? (1:0200)
How do we become a self healer every day? (1:16:00)

In This Episode You Will Learn:
How emotion is tied to memory (12:00)
What “interdependence” means (20:00)
The three steps to create a boundary (29:00)
How to “depersonalize” (39:00)
Dr. Nicole’s definition of manifestation (57:00)
About the “Small, Daily Promise” (1:13:00)

If you enjoyed this episode, check out the video, show notes and more at http://www.lewishowes.com/844 and follow at instagram.com/lewishowes

The School of Greatness

On Apple Podcasts

Become a Self-Healer and Break Free of Emotional Cycles with Dr. Nicole LePera

Don't know about you, but we've really felt the need for a little more joy around here lately. We miss it, and as the world continues to turn upside down, we’re learning how to find it in new ways and in new places. So, Minisode Fifteen is dedicated to JOY, and the best thing about joy is that once you have a little of it you can find ways to pass it on, like a paper chain of joy spreading out across communities virtual and real. What's bringing you joy right now? Is reading a joyful act? Can finding joy be a practice? And as we get into what brings us joy, hopefully we’ll spread a little of that joy to you, and finally as usual give a few recommendations of things we’ve been into lately. This is our last show before we take our summer break in August, so we wish you all good things, and may you go to your joy.

Minisode Fifteen: Joy

Lake Meditation By Renee Lewis

One of the hardest things you'll do in life is to find within yourself the capacity to forgive someone who has harmed you. Forgiveness is essential if you want to experience true inner freedom. If you think you're not quite ready to forgive someone, know that forgiveness is a journey. It takes time to forgive someone, especially if that someone is yourself. In this week's series, you begin one of the most difficult, yet most important, paths to inner freedom -- the journey of forgiveness. &nbsp; THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE: Begin the process of experiencing compassion for someone who has harmed you.&nbsp; &nbsp; THIS WEEK'S MEDITATION TECHNIQUES: &nbsp; Affirmation - "I forgive myself. I forgive you." Breathing - Inhale forgiveness, pause + observe, exhale peace Mudra - Shunya - forgiveness Chakra - 4th- compassion Herb - Hibiscus - heart health Yoga Asana - Freedom Pose This is part 1 of a 7-part meditation series, Forgiveness, episodes 2047-2053.  You'll find additional daily support and a weekly guide with the meditation techniques for each theme at sip.and.om Instagram and sip and om Facebook. You'll find deeper, longer daily 30-minute guided meditations on the Sip and Om meditation app. I invite you to try it for 2-weeks absolutely free! Receive access to 2,000+ fully guided meditations customized around a weekly theme. Select from 300+ series to fit your mood with a Clarity Journal and a Slow Down Guide customized for each theme. Brand new themes are introduced each week. Connect with other meditators on the private Facebook group for app subscribers.    https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sip-and-om/id1216664612?platform=iphone&amp;preserveScrollPosition=true#platform/iphone   https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sipandom.sipandom All meditations are created by Mary Meckley and are her original content. Please request permission to use any of Mary's content by sending an email to Mary@sipandom.com. Resources: Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke and Greg Keller.

Forgiveness

&ldquo;Every bit as beautiful and healing as the season itself. . . . This is truly a beautiful book.&rdquo;&#160;&mdash;Elizabeth Gilbert &ldquo;May writes beautifully&hellip;.A contemplative, hopeful, consoling book.&rdquo; &mdash;NPR An intimate, revelatory book exploring the ways we can care for and repair ourselves when life knocks us down. Sometimes you slip through the cracks: unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a break up, or a job loss can derail a life. These periods of dislocation can be lonely and unexpected. For May, her husband fell ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave a demanding job. Wintering explores how she not only endured this painful time, but embraced the singular opportunities it offered. A moving personal narrative shot through with lessons from literature, mythology, and the natural world, May's story offers instruction on the transformative power of rest and retreat. Illumination emerges from many sources: solstice celebrations and dormice hibernation, C.S. Lewis and Sylvia Plath, swimming in icy waters and sailing arctic seas. Ultimately Wintering invites us to change how we relate to our own fallow times. May models an active acceptance of sadness and finds nourishment in deep retreat, joy in the hushed beauty of winter, and encouragement in understanding life as cyclical, not linear. A secular mystic, May forms a guiding philosophy for transforming the hardships that arise before the ushering in of a new season. Available for purchase at: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085N3MXHZ?tag=randohouseinc7911-20">Amazon</a><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/?ean=9780593189504">Barnes & Noble</a><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-8373827-10747236?SID=PRHD39095A662--9780593189504&url=http://www.booksamillion.com/p/9780593189504">Books A Million</a><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/2186/9780593189481?prhc=PRHD39095A662">Bookshop.org</a><a href="http://www.hudsonbooksellers.com/book/9780593189481?utm_source=prh&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_term=301&utm_content=PRHD39095A662--9780593189481&utm_campaign=9780593189481">Hudson Booksellers</a><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780593189481?aff=penguinrandom">IndieBound</a><a href="http://www.powells.com/book/-9780593189481?utm_source=randomhouse&utm_campaign=randomhouse&utm_content=PRHD39095A662--9780593189481">Powell's</a><a href="http://goto.target.com/c/128773/81938/2092?subId1=PRHD39095A662--9780593189481&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fs%3FsearchTerm%3D9780593189481">Target</a><a href="https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=9780593189481">Walmart</a><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1502020205?at=11l3IH&ct=PRHD39095A662--9780593189504">Apple Books</a><a href="https://google.prf.hn/click/camref:1011ld4r/pubref:PRHD39095A662--9780593189504/destination:https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780593189504&c=books">Google Play Store</a><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/link?id=VD9*lkiWNd8&offerid=258185.12829781935712206&type=2&u1=PRHD39095A662--9780593189504}&murl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kobo.com%2Fsearch%3FQuery%3D9780593189504">Kobo</a>

Wintering by Katherine May, read by Rebecca Lee

Twelve early pieces never before collected that offer an illuminating glimpse into the mind and process of Joan Didion. Mostly drawn from the earliest part of her astonishing five-decade career, the wide-ranging pieces in this collection include Didion writing about a Gamblers Anonymous meeting, a visit to San Simeon, and a reunion of WWII veterans in Las Vegas, and about topics ranging from Nancy Reagan to Robert Mapplethorpe to Martha Stewart. Here are subjects Didion has long written about -- the press, politics, California robber barons, women, the act of writing, and her own self-doubt. Each piece is classic Didion: incisive and, in new light, stunningly prescient.

Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion, read by Kimberly Farr

Includes an audiobook-exclusive bonus track: "The 10 Unbreakable Rules of Networking"

Finally - a networking book for introverts!

The sequel to Pollard’s international best seller The Introvert’s Edge: How the Quiet and Shy Can Outsell Anyone, selected by Book Authority as the number two “Best Introvert Book of All Time” and listed by HubSpot as one of the “Most Highly-Rated Sales Books of All Time”.

Introverts across the world have been sold a lie: One of the biggest myths that plagues the business world today is that our ability to network depends on having the “gift of gab”. This is nonsense. You don’t have to be outgoing to be successful at networking. You don’t have to become a relentless self-promoter. In fact, you don’t have to act like an extrovert at all. The truth is, introverts make the best networkers...when armed with a plan that lets them be their authentic selves.

Matthew Pollard, an introvert himself, draws on more than a decade of research and real-world examples to provide an actionable blueprint for introverted networking. In this paradigm-shifting book, you’ll discover how to:

* Overcome your fear and discomfort when networking
* Turn networking into a repeatable system
* Leverage your innate introverted strengths
* Have people hanging on your every word
* Target and connect with top influencers
* Leverage the power of virtual and social networking 

Whether you’re a small-business owner struggling to make a living or a professional who’s hit a career plateau, The Introvert’s Edge to Networking is your path to a higher income and a rolodex of powerful connections.

The Introvert's Edge to Networking

Download Audiobook

THE INTROVERT'S EDGE TO NETWORKING by Matthew Pollard

Harper Audio proudly traces its roots back to 1952, when Dylan Thomas first recorded for our Caedmon label. For more than five decades, HarperAudio/Caedmon has been synonymous not only with distinguished poets reading their works, but also with equally distinguished authors and readers performing classic and contemporary texts.

THE INTROVERT'S EDGE TO NETWORKING by Matthew Pollard

HarperAudio US