Have you read Mark Joyner’s Rise of the Author?

If you’ve ever thought about writing a book, you’re probably heard how difficult it is to get published. Mark shows you why the dominance of publishing company’s has come to an end. The power is now in your hands. YOU, the individual, now hold the power.

Mark, a best-selling author himself, is revealing how he gets his books to become bestsellers in this free tele-seminar.

Both the front runners in the 2008 U.S. presidential race, Obama and McCain, are those who have exhibited more willingness to reach out to those “on the other side.” I believe what we’re seeing is a shift in how we choose leaders, and how we will choose them in the future. In the past, we’ve often viewed great leaders as those who do not change their positions and do not become too friendly with the enemy or the other side.

My mother is a huge Hillary Clinton fan. When she looks at Hillary, she sees a woman who has courageously faced a largely male-dominated world, and taken a stand again and again and again to serve people and make this world a better place. Yet, what the greatest criticism people have about Hillary is the way she has made enemies in how she has fought for change. It’s not unlike the criticism that people have of George W. Bush, who may be perceived by many as more friendly, but who’s hard-line, positionary style of leadership after 9/11 has alienated many at home and abroad. Bill Clinton is now speaking out, defending his wife’s way of fighting for change, and saying his and his wife’s legacy is being ignored by Obama. What he may not see is the cultural shift driving support for Obama. It’s a shift in values that I believe is largely being influenced by the Internet and the values of the Internet.

On the plane home from Hawaii last week, I read New York

Imagine if the world had been wired and Gandhi had a laptop 100 years ago.

Imagine if the world could have seen the abuses of the British LIVE on YOUtube…

And if he could have created his own YOUtube videos, so that all of India and all the world could have heard his speeches? And if he could have used MeetUp to unite and activated people all across his country? What if he could have raised donations for his cause from around the world, and received his money through PayPal?

Of course, we revere him all the more, because he didn’t have access to these modern technologies. Nor did Bill Gates have the internet when he started out. But guess who does…

That’s right, we do. YOU do.

You’re connected to the internet, and you’ve got a vision or at least a dream. But how powerful is your connection?
Not your internet connection, but your vision connection!

How connected is your vision to your heart?

When the tough times come and everything seems impossible, do your eyes well up with a deep, overflowing wave of love and passion that carries you through?

When your best friends and family lose faith and hope down the road, will you stand strong with your heart wide open and your vision clear, inspiring them to stand with you again until the end?

You want to change the world? Inspire the world or create a better world? Or create a better world?

If you’ve got vision, and an internet connection, you’ve got a good shot. Now there’s only one thing left to do. Let’s wire your vision to heart right now.

Go to this page and sign up for our Free vision demo this week, if you haven’t already.

Just hours from now, Michael Skye will personally be leading a LIVE, Free demonstration of a potent 3-step method to plug your vision straight into your heart. Join us LIVE on the phone and then watch in the coming weeks as you find yourself easily rising above old doubts and fears to stand powerfully for what matters most!

To join us, please follow this link and sign up:

–> http://www.visionforce.com/teleseminar/ve-opt-in.html

You’ll be taken to a page where you can download the materials you need for the course, as well as the phone number and schedule. We look forward to hearing your voice on the call! Let’s change the world!

Excerpts from a conversation Michael Skye had with participants in the VisionForce Ambassador Program about his upcoming book: i Stand – the Rise of the Visionary (working title).

Remixed by Shawn Madden

MP3 File

It’s February 5th and many Americans will be heading to the polls today to vote in the primary elections.

If you hadn’t noticed, there’s something very different about this election year. A new era is upon us. How the world chooses its leaders is changing as the power is now shifting back to the hands of the people.

I talk about this power shift in my new book, which I’m very excited about. As I’m sure you’d agree, books can change the world. However, I’m not writing to tell you about my book today.

I’m writing to tell you about another book that every rising visionary and 21st century leader should have.

But first, I’ve got to confess… I rarely read many books these days. It’s true.

Have you ever noticed yourself getting caught in the trap of thinking you need more knowledge, more expertise, more preparation before you take the bold actions that make all the difference? A few years back, I realized that reading was getting in the way of taking the actions I needed to take.

So now, when someone tells me of a “must-read” book, I usually ask them to summarize it for me. Well, not this book. It explains some of the dynamics behind one of the fastest political movements in modern times.

Whether or not you’re up on politics, this is one political movement you’ve probably heard of:

The Ron Paul Revolution.

Now, the book I’m about to share with you says *nothing* about the Ron Paul Revolution, but if you understand the concepts in the book, I believe you can gain insight into building a movement of your own–in society, at work or even at home. So, if you want to inspire people to step forward and take a stand with you, then understanding how Ron Paul is doing it is of critical importance.

The book is called,

The SPEED of TRUST: The One Thing That Changes Everything
by Stephen M.R. Covey

Speaking of the book, Seth Godin said, “Trust drives everything in our non-branded, too fast world. So, trust this: This is an important book. The younger Covey has written a book that matters.” –

Chris Anderson, author of The Long Tail and Editor-and-Chief of WIRED magazine, had this to say in an interview with Covey for Speed of Trust Radio: “Money was the currency of the old economy; Trust is the currency of the new, global economy.”

Covey breaks down the key factors that build trust, and when trust is present, results happen fast. In fact, in high trust environments, unimaginable results are often created in record time.

Covey highlights 13 behaviors you should adopt, including: talk straight, create transparency, confront reality, keep commitments and extend trust.

CASE STUDY: The Ron Paul Revolution

It appears Ron Paul has mobilized multitudes of young people as well as people who’ve never been politically active.

However, much of the grassroots campaign, record-breaking fundraising and other bold initiatives have little or nothing to do with the Ron Paul Campaign. Instead, it’s more about what Paul is not doing that is empowering and inspiring people to step forward and take responsibility for the movement.

When asked why they’re now vigorously politically active they talk about the striking difference between Ron Paul and other politicians, and how he has earned their trust:

1) TALK STRAIGHT – Young voters mention his honesty, authenticity and straight talk. YOUtube Paul and watch clips from Republican debates, if you haven’t already.

2) CONFRONT REALITY – Many young voters say Paul is the only one confronting the economic situation we’re facing head on, as well as other key issues.

3) TRANSPARENCY – The Ron Paul campaign is very transparent with real-time statistics, etc., at www.ronpaul2008.com. This has people feel trusted and empowered to take actions that can increase the numbers.

4) KEEP COMMITMENTS – Paul has been consistent and principled in his voting record – even when he’s in the minority, which as a US congressman is quite remarkable.

5) EXTEND TRUST – Another thing that you hear many young people saying about Paul is that he trusts people. His policies, they say, inherently trust human beings to do the right thing, whereas it seems many politicians want to control our lives, which implies a lack of trust in humanity.

I see people becoming more and more conscious, and as we head into the future, I believe it will be more humble, authentic people like Paul stepping into leadership.

All of the speed at which Paul’s support is growing is even more remarkable, given the way the press largely ignores Paul, and the way other presidential hopefuls, who look and sound much more “presidential,” smirk and laugh at him openly (not a very trust-engendering way to behave).

SPEEDING UP YOUR REVOLUTION:

I recommend that as a fellow leader, visionary, activist, entrepreneur–world-changer-in the 21st century that you:

A – become a student of the Ron Paul Revolution and the dynamics behind it.

B – become a student of trust, and how to generate relationships and cultures of high trust,

C – grab a copy of Stephen M.R. Covey’s best-selling book, The SPEED of TRUST: The One Thing That Changes Everything.

You can get it in soft-cover today, here:

At Barnes & Nobles | At Amazon

Standing with you and for you in bringing about a better world,

Michael Skye
VisionForce.com

(Please note: Michael Skye and VisionForce make no commission on this book recommendation.)

What follows is an excerpt from a very early draft of my upcoming book, i Stand (sub-title yet to be determined). Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Judgment Walls As A Tool of the Positionary Mind

The young child is adored by her parents. In their eyes she can do no wrong. She is precious, perfect. Even when she messes her diaper, she’s a little miracle.

Her parents seem to be all powerful. They can get the cookies down from the top shelf. And they’re all knowing too. They know how to tie shoes and count to 20. Her parents are her grasp on reality—what’s what, who’s who, and why things do what they do.

Then one day, mom comes home after being stuck in traffic and sees the house a mess. She hasn’t had any time to herself in a long time. She’s been giving so much, working so hard, and now the house is a mess again.

Around the corner comes the adorable little girl, so happy to see mommy, and in that instant she sees the glare in her mom’s eyes, hears the shriek of her voice and her towering presence over her. The little one is petrified.

She cries out, her whole world is upside down. The one who knows everything, the one who gave her life, the one to takes care of her, the one who she depends on for love and survival is suddenly a threat to her existence—or so it seems.

What is she to do? What can she do?

As the child grows older, she learns a few basic strategies to deal with this pain.

She learns ways of finding separation from her parents’ eyes and voice, so she’s not hurt by their looks of disapproval, or the subtle mockery in their voices. Eventually, as she begins to form her own identity among her peers, she becomes more self-conscious and the extra shaming from her parents only adds fuel to the fire.

She stays in her room a lot. She puts on her headphones and listens to music. She spends a lot of time with friends, who understand her and approve of her. She leaves the house a lot, finds other things to do. She covers her ears and runs out of the room, when necessary.

And there’s another way she finds separation. She erects walls of judgment. If mom is a psycho basket case, then when mom’s yelling at her, it sounds like Charlie Brown’s teacher. Waa Waa Waa Waa Waa Waa Waa Waa. And, it doesn’t hurt as much that mom disapproves.

Any kind of judgment works. Maybe mom is too old, too conservative, too tight, too out of touch, too controlling, too manipulative, too mean, too ___________________.

What works is that mom’s looks and words of disapproval don’t hurt as much anymore.

Then, when she’s in school and the cool group of girls laugh at her, she learns to look down on them. They’re stupid, or preppy, or arrogant. Again, any judgments will do the trick. It works for the girl’s mind, because it’s less painful to be in their presence or to think of them.

As the girl dates, and is rejected by the guy she adores. It hurts. Judgments help give her the strength to let go and move on.

But over time, the girl has erected a set of emotional and mental walls that begin to keep her separate and alone, a virtual prisoner in a self-made jail. And she’s getting really good at it. She knows how to shame someone just with a roll of her eyes. Inside, though, she’s hurting. She just may not know how much she’s hurting. Others may not know. Until she starts to find ways to medicate herself or find approval among peers, who are also hurting.

By this time, her parents have little influence. It hurts them that their daughter won’t open up to them fully. It hurts that she says mean things to them. They raised her, supported her, sacrificed so much for her, loved her through it all—and now she’s so distant, and sometimes as cold as ice.

They don’t know what to do. They too are hurting deeply. To be rejected, even hated by their flesh and blood, by the little precious baby they gave birth to. What could hurt more deeply? Silently her parents blame themselves, and each other. And, of course, when their daughter looks at them or speaks to them in a disrespectful way, they sometimes lash out—further fueling their daughter’s pain, and justifying her fears that they don’t love her, don’t see her, and don’t understand her.

Sometimes the young girl may try to open up and explain. And her parents, assuming they understand and wanting to help, offer her advice–from behind their own judgment walls. And she feels it. She can’t hear their words, because she senses their disapproval. They think they’re listening. She knows they’re not.

And so the separation grows ever wider. At some point, a comfortable distance of separation is reached, and everyone comes to accept each other. “Such is life,” they say. And they give up on the impassioned dreams and desires for deeply intimate, loving family bonds. Sure, they laugh together, visit each other, talk to one another, and everything’s fine.

But there’s no vision for it being any other way.

Their Judgment Walls keep them from being able to see and speak to the heart of the other.

Judgment Walls are an integral tool of the Positionary Mind. Judgment Walls limit our vision, but they keep us protected from being hurt—or at least it appears that way.

Over the years, the separation caused by the walls brings far more suffering than the pain of being judged in the moment.

Judgments, however, can be a powerful way to force yourself and your views on others. They can be used to have people do what you want, because they fear you, or fear being judged by you. Whether we realize it or not, most of us are judgment Jedi’s! We can swing our sword of our judgment in the blink of an eye.

Many people have become very successful in today’s Positionary World using Judgments as tools and weapons. It’s obvious to see in those who walk all over others to get their way, but most of those they walk over, no doubt stand in judgment of them.

So, how do we protect ourselves from our parents’ and other authorities’ judgments of us? By building our own walls of judgment, which in turn hurt them. Of course, they then make their walls even thicker which hurts us more. And, on and on it goes….

Why are our parents and other authorities in our lives often so incapable of really seeing us and speaking to our hearts? Why do they use fear, guilt and shame to enforce their views on us? Why are they so distant? Or, so intrusive? Or, so insensitive? Or ______________?

Consider that they grew up in the same crazy world we’re living in now. They faced the judgments of the world, to be who they have become. Inside each adult is a wounded child, longing to be seen and honored for who they truly are.

If you’re ready to end the craziness of the Positionary Mind, and collapse the walls of judgment that keep you separated from the ones you love, I invite you to take an application for the iStand Experience, formerly the VisionForce Boot Camp. NOTE: The application deadline for the Spring Session is tonight, Monday February 4th at 11:59pm.

Please leave your comments below:

As Gaza plunges into darkness, Israeli and Palestinian fighters-turned-visionary-peace-activists speak out.