THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT!!!

This summer I sent out a request to a few individuals for testimonials about work I had done with them personally or with their organizations over the years.  The response that I received was very beautiful.  I expected a couple of lines of testimonial support, but instead received a few detailed love letters.  The feeling I had as I received each one was extreme gratitude, humility, and love.

In preparation for the online release of my new business website (coming soon, NexAim.com) with my business partner, corporate consultant, Mike Amado, I finally got around to organizing the testimonials and posting them to my personal website (http://www.markedgarstephens.com/testimonials.html).  All that I can say to those who wrote to me, whether posted or not, is “thanks for the support.”  It means a great deal to me.

Suggestion to those who read this blog:  No matter your line of business or whether you are even in business, select a few individuals to write a testimonial about you.  Sometimes it is very powerful to be reminded of how you have positively affected those around you, and the reminder can be great inspiration to keep giving the best that you have to give.

Thankful,

Mark

www.MarkEdgarStephens.com

www.WhoAreYouChoosingToBe.com

IT’S ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS! Audio Post

I’M HERE! GLAD YOU’RE HERE WITH ME!

Okay, folks, I’m starting this off with a BIG THANK YOU to those of you tuning in and turning on to this blog and its accompanying audio post.  Yesterday’s posting hit an all-time high for my blog postings and I received several comments and emails from friends.  It was very heartening and motivates me to keep moving in this direction.  In recent years, it seems that I have become more isolated.  It seems to be the pattern with many people as we get older (am I really using that word???  seems so).  Things get in the way — work schedules, an aversion to driving (especially in LA), family functions, children’s events, a desire to simply be at home, the need to watch “So You Think You Can Dance,” etc.  Personally, I don’t get together with good friends nearly as often as I did in the past.  I suppose blogging is a way of reaching out to a visually invisible world with the intention that my words, my expression, is being felt somewhere and maybe (just maybe) making some sort of a difference.  At the heart of who I am, I am a communicator.  The desire to communicate and share something of value lives inside of me like a heart beat (I suppose this is true to some extent for a great many people).  I like to communicate using words such as love, passion, inspiration, possibilities, choices, etc.  In my posts you can expect to see and hear those words a lot.  It is my intention that they bring a lift to your day as they do to mine.  Thanks to you, I am inspired to move forward into other areas of communicating using the magic of technology and the internet.  The possibilities really are endless!!!  Thank you for the comments.  Thank you for the company.  Thank you for the inspiration.  I look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with you.

Opening to new possibilities,

Mark

www.MarkEdgarStephens.com

www.WhoAreYouChoosingToBe.com

INVITING QUESTIONS!!!

So, the summer months are coming and with them come long days and more time for questions.  I am entertaining the thought of starting a weekly (or daily) video log (vlog) to answer, comment upon, or explore some of the questions that I receive in emails, during personal appearances, and from clients.  I need your help in this endeavor.  Any question that is related to body language, hypnotherapy, dream analysis, graphology, behavior modification, public speaking, body/mind therapy, overcoming fear, moving ahead in life, raising consciousness, my book, relationships, sex, romance, dating, passion, possibilities, inspiration, or anything related to life-affirming, life-enhancing issues, I welcome to this blog or to my personal email, mark@markedgarstephens.com  My intention is to start this vlog response, which will be featured on this blog, on my website and on youtube, as soon as it is possible.  So, please, if you have been holding onto a question with which you’d like a bit of perspective and exploration, I’d really like to hear from you.  As usual, I’ll keep you posted with developments on the vlog.   Of course, if you are visiting this blog regularly, you won’t be able to miss it.

Curious about your questions,

Mark Edgar Stephens

www.MarkEdgarStephens.com

www.WhoAreYouChoosingToBe.com

RESPONDING vs. REACTING

Recently, a client was dealing with some issues around reacting too quickly and very emotionally to certain things in his environment.  His immediate, passionate reactions were not helping him to communicate in a way that was helpful for him.  I introduced to him the difference between “reacting” to a situation and “responding.”  The difference may seem subtle, but the result is huge.  A reaction has less awareness, consciousness, and thought.  It is immediate and is based on internal programming that has been in the subconscious mind for a very long time.  Like Pavlov’s dog, it is a behavioral reaction that is always ready to be activated.  A response has some “space” around it, or some breath in it as I like to call it.  It allows you time to actually step back from a stimulus, check into your triggered emotions, breath in a greater awareness and consciousness, and respond from a place of reasoned logic.  Often, it is not overly charged with emotion or a need to lash out.  A simple tip for training yourself to respond rather than react is to breath deeply into your gut whenever you feel emotionally activated by an external stimulus — a rude comment, a bad driver, a verbal attack by a co-worker or disgruntled friend.  Try it the next time you feel yourself activated.  As the emotions are activated, stop for a few seconds to breath deeply before saying or doing anything.  It is these few moments of creating some space, some breath, around the emotional stimulus that allows you to respond with more awareness, consciousness, and ease.  Responding increases understanding and peaceful communication.

WHO ARE YOU CHOOSING TO BE ?

Purposefully,

Mark Edgar Stephens

www.MarkEdgarStephens.com

www.WhoAreYouChoosingToBe.com

BALANCING RELATIONSHIPS

Recently, I have had an influx of clients who are working through some major relationship issues.  I value these clients because they teach me so much about what makes a relationship work in terms of balance, focus, and attention.  Ultimately, the learning lesson usually comes down to honoring the partner in the relationship, while honoring the self to an equal measure.  It sounds so simple even as I write it, but it can be a very tricky thing to master.

One of the questions from my book that I like to ask people is, “Are You Taking Care Of Yourself?”  I have learned that if you are not taking care of your own physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, you certainly cannot be at your best to help your partner, family member, or loved one.  It is amazing how much more giving, loving, and attentive we can be when we are balancing our relationships.  Taking care of the self is a requirement for balance in any relationship.

Are You Taking Care Of Yourself?

With Care,

Mark Edgar Stephens

www.MarkEdgarStephens.com

www.WhoAreYouChoosingToBe.com