July 2019 - Sedona Soul Adventures

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Are you burned out? It’s more serious than you think

We all talk about being burned out, like it’s a normal thing that happens all the time. But did you know that the World Health Organization has now recognized burnout as a legitimate condition that needs to be managed and treated?

It’s gotten so serious all around the world, that people are really starting to understand that this kind of stress is literally killing you. Watch my video:

She found her happiness

I love reading our reviews. Sometimes (confession time) I go into Trustpilot to see what new reviews have come in because it makes me feel so good to see what’s happening. Also, because I meet all these people when they first come in and I can see how much help they need, and then to have them have such huge turn-arounds each and every time is just so wonderful. It just warms my heart.

And I have to admit that sometimes when I meet people, at the beginning they are in such a state that I have the thought of, “Oh gosh, they might be the first person in a very long time to not have a life changing experience.” And as I leave, I say a silent prayer of, “Oh, God, please let it happen for them.” And you know what? It always does, it’s just absolutely amazing.

So would you like to find your happiness? Worse, are you feeling burned out? If so, you’ve got to do something about it — as the WHO has recognized, this can kill you!

Call us and speak with someone today. We’ll dig deep, finding out what’s at the root of your burnout – you probably think you know what it is, but after all these years of doing this work, I’ll tell you, it’s probably even deeper than you think. We’re masters at figuring that out, clearing it out and bringing you back in connection, joy and happiness!

Or if you’d prefer, call us toll-free at 1-877-204-3664 (US and Canada). For our friends outside the US and Canada, call 01 928-204-5988 or click here and one of our Retreat Guides will call you.

Wishing you a week filled with peace, quiet and happy!
 

In these series of videos, I’m talking about concepts from my book, The Journey to Happy– How Embracing the Concept that Nothing is wrong can transform your life, and also the things we teach to help people have incredible transformations in their retreats with Sedona Soul Adventures.

Today I’m talking about Burnout…

Did you know that the World Health Organization has now recognized burnout as a legitimate condition that needs to be managed and treated?

That’s really important because that makes it a legitimate concern and something that people can get treated for.

So what exactly is burnout?

I love this definition from Help Guide, which is associated with Harvard University:

“Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest and motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place.

Burnout reduces productivity and saps your energy, leaving you feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical, and resentful. Eventually, you may feel like you have nothing more to give.

The negative effects of burnout spill over into every area of life—including your home, work, and social life. Burnout can also cause long-term changes to your body that make you vulnerable to illnesses like colds and flu. Because of its many consequences, it’s important to deal with burnout right away.”

And it’s important to note that burnout is different than stress. 

Stress spikes, burnout is just getting to the point where you feel like you just can’t take it anymore. There are many scientists and doctors that have done studies showing that the ongoing, continual stress that many people feel can lead to Burnout.

Now the condition that the WHO issued their findings about was specifically Burnout in the Workplace. But if you’ve ever experienced it, you know that it very much affects every area of your life and that’s exactly what they say in the definition above.

The first time I came to Sedona over 20 years ago, I was completely burned out.

I had just started my 20th year of law practice and the thought of spending another 20 years literally felt like a prison sentence. And the worst part is that it was affecting absolutely every area in my life…

  • I weighed over 40 pounds more than I weigh now.
  • It was affecting my marriage and ultimately led to divorce. 
  • My ex husband and I had made some bad business decisions during that time which led us into debt of over $50,000, which just added to the pressure.

And that’s the insidious thing about burnout – it creeps into every area of your life.

There were days I didn’t even want to get out of bed. It felt like nothing I did was making any difference.

The thing that changed everything for me was coming to Sedona. 

I came here for three days and was lucky enough to connect with an amazing practitioner who now works with me in Sedona Soul Adventures. The three days that I was here changed my life. 

I’m going to talk in other videos about other types of burnout and how to spot it, and also some things you can do to deal with it.

But I’ll tell you, if you want to really deal with your burnout, or if you’re married to or friends with someone who is suffering from burnout, the fastest and most effective thing I know to do is to come here to Sedona and do a retreat.

Now the difficult part is that if you’re suffering from burnout, very often you just don’t have the energy or the desire to do anything; it’s just easier to lie in bed. Or if you’re married to someone or friends with someone who’s suffering from burnout, they’re probably not going to be interested in doing anything.

If that’s how you’re feeling, if you’re just thinking, “What’s the use?” that’s exactly the indicator that tells you you’ve absolutely got to do something! You know this is affecting all the areas of your life. You know it’s affecting your family, you know it’s affecting your kids, and I’d be willing to bet money that it’s affecting your health. Because this is the stress that kills.

Let us help you. Let us get to the root of what’s ailing you. It’s in there somewhere and we’re masters at figuring that out, clearing it out, and bringing you back into connection.

I hope this helped, and if you got value from this video, please take the time to like it, share it with someone in your life who think might get something out of it, subscribe to our channel.

And If you want an even more direct path to dealing with your burnout, click here to get your complimentary copy of The Sedona Guide to Spiritual Retreats today.

Or if you’d like to talk to someone about doing a retreat that’s custom designed for you call us at (928) 204-5988.

You can have the life  AND the relationship you want – I know it.

Happy July 4, Happy Anniversary and I can’t believe she said that!

This past week was a big one. Not only was it Independence Day, but it was the 17th Anniversary of Sedona Soul Adventures going live on the internet – July 4, 2002! We specifically wanted it to be on Independence Day!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and got some rest and relaxation, and that you were able to reflect on the amazing liberties and freedoms we have – we are truly blessed.

Last week I spent time reflecting on all that has happened over the past 17 years and while I was doing that, I had the most amazing thing happen. I was at a gathering for women in California, and I was in a small group when someone asked me about my work. I told them about Sedona Soul Adventures and one of the women said, “Yes, I did a Soul Adventure 10 years ago.” To which I replied, “What?!!?”

She said, “Yes, I did a Soul Adventure 10 years ago and of all the things I’ve done in all the 10 years since, all the workshops and all that, it is hands down the best thing I’ve ever done for myself.”

Well, of course, that was just the most amazing thing. So we spent time talking and she told me all about her life. It turns out that after her Soul Adventure, she has made the most amazing life for herself. She’s become a very sought-after publicist in Hollywood and I was so impressed by her roster of clients. She started a new business a few years ago and even she is amazed at how well it is going. She’s in a wonderful relationship and she told me that none of this would have happened without her Soul Adventure.

We had already been there for three days and when I asked her why she hadn’t said anything to me, she said she didn’t want to intrude on my privacy (she’s very conscious of that with her own clients). She said, “It’s so funny, I’ve kept up reading your newsletters all these years, I know everything about you — I know about Richard, I know about your dog, I know everything. It’s actually a little stalky!” 

It was so cute because then she told me, “I’ve always wanted to go to Egypt with you, but I couldn’t, because it’s always at the time of the Oscars and my clients are always at the Oscars! But they moved it up one week this next year, so now I really want to make it happen!”

Oh my Goddess, can you imagine this? I didn’t get to meet her when she came the first time, because I was in Peru with my group. To run into someone ten years later and have them tell me that this changed their life and that the transformations have just kept on coming all these years — well, all I can say is, Happy Anniversary! What a fitting thing to happen right at this time.

If you would like that kind of transformation, the real, long-lasting kind. Please give us a call. This is not unusual, this is what happens all the time, all day, every day.

Or if you’d prefer, call us toll-free at 1-877-204-3664 (US and Canada). For our friends outside the US and Canada, call 01 928-204-5988 or click here and one of our Retreat Guides will call you.
They’ll connect with you (or both of you if it’s a couples retreat) in deep conversation. Then they’ll custom design the perfect retreat for you, working with our Master Practitioners here in beautiful, mystical Sedona to.

Wishing you a week filled with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!

I was lucky enough back then to connect with Jorge Luis Delgado, our shaman and guide. Jorge is a master and as everyone in all my groups always say, they can’t imagine doing Peru without Jorge, that it quite simply wouldn’t be the same. That’s a photo of my fabulous 2008 group.

On my first trip in 2008, I met his wife and son, who at the time was 14, a gangly teenager, and he spoke great English. He and I started talking and sat next to each other on our bus ride from Lake Titicaca to Juliaca.

We started talking about American politics, as the 2008 election was in full swing, and Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton were slugging it out in the primaries. He asked me if I thought it was possible that Obama might be nominated and possibly win, and we had a very spirited and enjoyable conversation.

Jorge told me later, “It’s so strange, I’m not sure how this happened, he’s so interested in American politics and all kinds of things from other countries.”

Over the years, I’ve always asked Jorge how his son was doing and the news just kept getting more and more interesting. He did very well in school, went to University, then ended up living and working in Japan, spent some time in China, and learned to speak Japanese and Chinese fluently. Now this year, he decided to return to Peru and he’s working with Jorge!

He was working with a Chinese group and he came to the airport in Cusco when we were about to depart for Lake Titicaca, and we got to spend some time talking. What a joy to see and feel what an incredible young man he has become.

I asked him why he had returned to Peru and he told me, “I want to really learn all the spiritual teachings.” Isn’t that fantastic? This gangly little kid I met 11 years ago, has become a worldly, accomplished man interested in all aspects of the world, including spirituality. He said he plans to stay here for about two years and then he’ll be off to some other place in the world.

It’s reminiscent of my godson, Anthony, who I also got to see on this trip and what a joy that was. Back in 2008 when we went to Amantani for the first time (a very rustic, beautiful island in Lake Titicaca where at the time they had no electricity and no running water), we did a very special ceremony and we spent the night in the home of his family.

Anthony was 6 months old at the time, a tiny, adorable baby.

I spent a large amount of that evening holding him and at times I was crying gently and processing. His parents, Juana and Joaquin, don’t speak English, but in some way we really connected.

It turns out that two days later they were doing a ceremony with Anthony that is somewhat similar to what we know as baptism.

They asked Jorge to ask me if I would like to be a godmother for Anthony because they felt I had such a strong connection to him. They said they didn’t want any obligation from me, just the spiritual connection. I was honored and the ceremony was very beautiful.

After that, I would see Anthony every year and I’ve also happily contributed to the family and Anthony’s education. This photo is from 2014, when I brought him some blowing bubbles. At that time, Anthony was six and he told me he wanted to become a doctor. He also said he was learning traditional Peruvian dance and he enjoyed that very much.

Starting in 2015, Anthony started going to boarding school on the mainland so that he could receive a really good education, so he was never at home when we would spend the night at Juana and Joaquin’s home on Amantani. But this year, what a surprise. They brought him, along with his sister, to Chiquito where we had a reunion.

He showed me his school Certificate of Excellence and his parents told me what a good student he is. One of the members of our group interpreted (thank you, Rhonda!), and he told me again that he wants to be a doctor and how much he still enjoys dancing. But now he also really enjoys football (soccer).

To think that this boy from a small island, where they have almost no electricity or running water and when you take a walk you continually run into people who are herding sheep and donkeys, is going to become a doctor…this reminded me of Jorge’s son. Anthony’s energy is so sweet and pure, yet he is also a determined little boy and I can’t wait to see how this unfolds.

Another really fun thing we do every year is to go to Seminario Ceramics in Ollantaytambo. Pablo Seminario is one of the premier ceramic artists in the world, his works are displayed in various museums around the world, including the Field Museum in Chicago.

When I brought my first group in 2008, when we were returning from Machu Picchu by train after a very long day, Jorge asked me, “Would you like to go to the ceramics place?” Not having any idea of what an incredible place this was, I said no because everyone was tired.

One of the members of the group, Jennifer Watt, overheard us and said, “What are we talking about?” and I said, “That we’re not going to the ceramics place.” She said to me in her usual very direct way, “Who made that decision?” and I responded that I did. I then said if she wanted to go, we’d go and I am so glad I did. His work is so incredible and over the years, I’ve brought many of his pieces to my home and each year he speaks to our group and we have a wonderful interaction with him and his wife Marilu.

After that trip, Jen and I became great friends and in 2010, I asked her to lead my Peru trip two years in a row (I had Egypt in March, Peru in April and Bali in June, and it was becoming too much to handle), she loved Peru and she had experience leading groups. She did a fantastic job and from that, got a job leading trips to Peru, especially for high school and college students and teachers.

She has now been to Peru 54 times! And one of the things she has incorporated into the tours is an intensive piece of learning about traditional ceramics through Seminario! She, Pablo and Marilu have become great friends.

So when we were there last week, we took a photo of all of us to text to Jen saying, “Wish you were here.” Jen had just been in Sedona the week before visiting us at our home and we showed Pablo this photo of Jen and our friend Ranjita (who had been on the Peru trip with me in 2008 and again last year).

I told Pablo this is the view from our home, and he and Marilu should come and visit us in Sedona. He said, “If Jen will bring me, I will come to Sedona!”

So it’s so incredible to me, all these connections that started with this first trip and have woven their way through my life, and all these other lives, through the years. Not to mention the other close friends I have made through these trips, people who came on the trips, people I love who are a huge part of my life.

Because at the end of the day, all of this is not so much about the sites (although they are absolutely incredible), it’s about the amazing people we share them with and keep connecting with.

This year again, our group has bonded in such a beautiful, special way. One of the women said to me yesterday, “I can’t believe how I love everyone in this group and feel so close to them. Doing this with other like-minded people has just been so wonderful.

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