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Ignite Your Creative Spirit
- Nick Seneca Jankel
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In today’s episode of Healing From Within, your host Sheryl Glick, author of The Living Spirit: Answers for Healing and Infinite Love, a book which shares powerful examples about utilizing the Universal Laws of Energy and awakening to your inner consciousness to support healing and help to manifest a joyful purposeful life experience, welcomes Nick Seneca Jankel author of Switch On. Nick is indeed a 21st century shaman who has helped over 50,000 individuals, hundreds of world-class organizations like Microsoft, Disney and Nike and millions of TV viewers worldwide to switch on, unleash their creativity and break through real challenges to thrive.
Nick Jankel, who is a psychologist, coach, social entrepreneur and innovation and leadership coach with a triple first from the University of Cambridge in medicine and philosophy, will share ways to recognize our personal power and make a difference. As he wrote in the dedication of the book… “In memory of the forgotten millions who have struggled with adversity and come back able to heal their corner of the world.”
Nick looks back to his childhood and recalls an event or experience that may have reflected even at that earlier time his life path and major interests. Nick says “he was an awkward teenager, feeling lost without love, what ever happened to the oceanic feeling of oneness of communion of creativity…Diagnosed with clinical depression, a spate of panic attacks and wracked with pain from a strange condition called fibromyalgia it took him several years to kiss the girl and many more to move pass the self-loathing and self doubt that paralyzed his growth and search for happiness wellbeing and freedom…every time he felt the juiciness of life fade after an amazing moment it has sparked Nick to find a way to recapture that switched on feeling of love and joy he had while allowing himself to get onto the dance floor of that club and let go and be in the moment.”
After studying medicine at Cambridge University getting a fine grounding in anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, psychology, psychoanalysis, sociology and more Nick realized that most of the everyday emotional problems many face are not really medical in nature and may not be issues with our cells hormones or neurotransmitters and the like but with our thoughts and perceptions. Sheryl agrees with that and writes in her book The Living Spirit Answers for Healing and Infinite Love, “I am always overjoyed to hear members of the medical community embracing energy work as a way to heal pain, clear negative thoughts and align ourselves with Spirit. I have had the opportunity to interview many of the leaders in the medical community on my radio show, Healing From Within. In fact I have noticed over the past few years that an increasing number of my guests are doctors, surgeons, psychiatrists, and psychologists who combine their traditional medical training with intuitive and/ or energetic healing abilities.”
Nick says, “Growing up my father was a hardcore atheist and was struck by the lunacy of a wrathful hierarchical and separate God and Nick studied at a university famous for being a temple to the godless pursuit of hard facts: but low and behold Science can only take us so far…and then we find we must answer big questions like What am I doing here? And What’s my life’s purpose? Ex: Even something as simple as a backache which is the single greatest burden on global health isn’t easy to solve with scientifically identifiable causes. The answer to that my friend is blown in the wind as the great song suggests…and you wrote..We cannot be fully creative or feel totally free when fears abide in our hearts; and only love can free us from them for good.”
Russian composer Igor Stravinsky said “In order to create there must be a dynamic force and what force is more potent than love? Science has little to tell us about what love is and how to fall head over heels in love with ourselves, our work, and our world so we can enjoy the sense of peace, purpose, and possibility most of us desire. To understand love, we need to look beyond reason.”
So Nick went into the study of the world’s great wisdom traditions and transformational techniques which focus on how to master love compassion gratitude collaboration connection relationships and mindfulness and studied social change from Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence to spiritual anarchists such as Leo Tolstoy. Sheryl shares that her interests in her college days centered on philosophy literature religion science and the pursuit of finding her way past the societal mores which she realized could not bring about our true inner needs to grow and evolve as both spiritual and physical beings…in the limited constricts of science and religion, between the lines or words and actions and separation lie the truth, peace and wisdom of Universal Source…we need only awaken to find that placed within us. Seems Nick and Sheryl’s questions and discoveries put them in a boat that followed the stream of love and compassion moving within this world and as a shaman bridging many worlds.
Nick determines that everyone of us runs every moment of our existence using a life philosophy. Naturally many of the beliefs and ideas within it are passed down from our parents, acquired from the media or invented by a younger version of us…many assumptions and habits get us into trouble and lock us into suffering or a loss of our divine expansive energy for joy and creation.
William Blake wrote in Jerusalem: “I must create a system or be enslaved by another man’s I will not reason and compare..My business is to create. We can only become free to create a life, and a world, that fits our deepest aspirations when we invent (or discover) a life philosophy that helps us thrive.”
Nick knew then he wanted a life free of breakdowns of any kind: relationships full of love and excitement and a career of real purpose…..that would help you thrive and be designed to work in the world we find ourselves in today of creative possibility and everyday tragedy in equal measure.
Carl Sagan, one of the most famous scientists of our time began to realize “Science is not only compatible with spirituality: it is a profound source of spirituality” As many eminent scientists and wisdom teachers have found there is no reason on Earth why we have to choose science or spirituality the synthesis that has emerged from these multiple strands of inquiry—into scientific insight, spiritual intuition and social change—is centered on the marvel that is breakthrough. Nicks discovery of the Breakthrough Curve may hold the secrets of all creativity and transformation and offer a series of tools and techniques for mastering our capacity to thrive, grow and love helping us to deal with real life problems in real time….(Breakthrough Biodynamics).
As Nick began to switch on, he opened up multiple fields of possibility that would have remained shut and can enjoy a different future past looking for a simple cause or person to blame and he can assume responsibility for every problem he is involved in.
The same thing is true of organizations..a leader of any organization can only open up possibilities for non-linear breakthroughs once they take responsibility for everything that happens in and around it. A leader cannot control employees competitors or the stock marked but they can take ownership of the problems the organization faces and find new ways to perceive and react to them.
Nick believes switching on is the most important thing an individual or company can do. Problems are natural. Pain may be inevitable. But suffering is optional and by switching on your creative or spiritual energies imagination and brain gut and hand power you can correct change improve and weather any challenge without undue stress or failure. It is a state of mind and attitude utilizing the life force or spirit and physical body to make the best choices.
Nick wrote… “Problems have been given a bad rap in human history. Conflict, aggression failures limitations and disappointments are rarely welcomed as sources of joy. However, move beyond the initial intensity and we can start to appreciate them as enormously valuable sources of growth. Problems compel us to break through them. Humans have always used challenges to spark, fuel and focus creativity, whether in science, business or art. We can turn constraints into prisms of creativity by owning every problem we encounter, no matter how frustrating or frightening, after all without problems there would be nothing to break through.”
Nick and Sheryl mention several great stories or movies that start with a character who has a sizable problem. It does seem the more interesting the problem the more we are hooked on the story..Examples..Harry Potter’s problem is that his parents were killed and he must face the world and an evil wizard totally alone. Luke Skywalker’s problem is that he has to come to terms with the loss of his dad while learning to avoid the dark side of “the Force” which can take down the best Jedi. Katniss Everdeen’s problem is that she or her loved ones might be selected to play in the Hunger Games while her hometown is on the verge of starvation. … We all Love the story of the hero and his search for his true potential and divinity.
Sheryl Says…. “In my book The Living Spirit I suggest we are never alone, each of us has scores of loving friends relatives angels and guides on the other side as well as here on earth and can intuitively download help from a higher informational field of energy that has our best interests at heart and shares answers to our life challenges…Sheryl tells a story of a little Penguin who was desperate to fly like the other birds and she wrote… Recently I was reminded of my humanity when I heard the sounds of doves during a Reiki healing session and wasn’t aware of what Spirit wanted me to know…a few days later I saw a children’s book called Wings to Fly and sat down to read it. The penguin thought it was impossible for him to soar through the sky but still held that dream in his heart. One night he heard sounds on the lake and saw Santa and his sled crash into the middle of the lake. The courageous little penguin swam out and pulled the sled to safety. The next evening in his sleep the penguin saw 10 white doves gather around him and helped lift him up so he could fly. I was struck by the parallel between life and noble intentions and good deeds, and how with the help of a higher power or energy we may accomplish our highest goals.”
Nick writes, "It seems to some people that a crisis either mini or maxi comes out of nowhere but that is not usually the case. Most crisis’ are simply the result of a hidden but mounting problem being brought into the harsh light of day…example Our boss dumps something on us and your kid has a tantrum in a busy grocery store…Perhaps if you look at the situation carefully perhaps our boss has slowly been losing faith in us or the organization has been getting into difficulty and you have been unaware of these problems…Perhaps your kid is really unhappy at school or upset that you haven’t been around much and hasn’t found a way to tell us. The crisis is the alarm bell sounding that something is amiss and it needs attention. The sooner you make the breakthrough the easier it will be to prevent the problem from swamping us."
Definition of crisis: from the Greek work Krisis meaning a turning point: a moment for a major decision. The Chinese word for crisis is two words: One for emergency and one for opportunity. Crisis’ are also signals to show the way we are living does not fit the way the world is becoming and are signals to adapt. When the old ways start breaking apart it opens space for the new. Crisis forces us out of our comfort zone. When this happens there are 3 ways to go…1 React either act out in a tantrum or a bit of the silent treatment 2 Repress or denial (Taking painkiller or tranquilizer only traps us further in the Survival Trip 3 Remix Engage the problem fully and find creative ways to remix it..meet life where it’s at ..discover the lessons that lie within and perhaps find a treasure – Own it or it Owns You.
Nick states, "A breakthrough is how nature has built us to have the unique ability to switch on to problems rather than switch off as we fight them or flee from them..Breakthroughs like happiness and love are our natural birthright although our hands head and heart tend towards fear and reaction. When we use our creativity and imagination we chose to switch on to facing obstacles and overcoming them using our genetic and biochemical components (an active vagus nerve produces compassionate grateful loving and happy positive people… the prefrontal cortex which dampens down fear and our amygdale becomes more relaxed….a part of the brain called the insula is the key to the Thrive Drive(Helps us make sense of the world keeping everything in a state of integration and balance….Advanced meditators, experienced warriors and top athletes have a highly developed insula and share a heightened sense of what’s going on in their body."
Sheryl says, “When I began to study Reiki energy healing techniques I was told by one of my teachers who was a medium that my mother in Spirit was telling me to let go and to surrender .. of course at that time I had no idea what this meant or how to begin… but indeed soon learned if our energy and thoughts are focused on the past or limiting belief systems it is not possible to open up to developing our true spiritual talents and to know life not only on a physical level but on an energetic or soul level… In The Living Spirit I wrote “As an energy healer, I help people discover their own energetic presence. After connecting to their soul, they are often able to perceive new thoughts about long term fears or limitations that have impeded their progress in a way that allows needed changes to be made. I personally believe that we have destinies, experiences and challenges that enable us to grow expand and evolve. As we learn to feel and manage our energies and emotions we increase our ability to deal with all of life’s experiences…. to send and receive the most positive thoughts… and love… and to remember to be grateful to be alive, conscious and comfortable in our own energy, physical body and spirit.””
Nick writes….”The more love we feel the more we can bring forth bigger and bolder ideas. If we fall head over heels in love with the promise of a better world, we will do our best to bring that into reality. Che Guevara the iconic revolutionary put it this way…”At the risk of sounding ridiculous let me say that a true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love. Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King all knew this. Love is the great synaptic solvent that liquefies old ideas and the neurological pathways that encode them allowing new ones to burst free.”
Sheryl says she has interviewed famous shaman Miguel Ruiz author of The Four Agreements who is a surgeon and left his practice to study the ancient Toltec way of the Maya people and describes a shaman as a bridge between two worlds: the world of Unseen Energy and the Seen or material world. Shamanism teaches us that everything that exists is alive and has a spirit. Shamans speak of a Web of Life that connects all of life and that the Spirit or Divine lives in all things. Everything on Earth is interconnected and any belief that we are separated from other life forms including the Earth stars wind etc. is an illusion.
Sheryl says it would seem we are all shamans of creative change and the main focus of a healer-shaman is to recognize their inner potential for love and compassion using imagination and creativity to work to release this inner goodness in order to bring beauty kindness and love into all that is created in our thoughts and actions in our physical world and therefore those like Nick working to inspire others to find and live in truth with a passion for creating and adapting to all life’s circumstances are indeed healers and shamans.
Difficult moments may center around the patterns we experience. Nick wrote…. “Some of the moments we experience repeatedly may be the patterns that led to our personality and our usual reaction and action to situations that trigger the same emotions and feelings..Examples Patterns are…slamming phones, compulsively working trying to get in the final word, thinking there is a right way to do something, being inauthentic, gossiping behind people’s backs, playing the fool, avoiding conflict, continually looking in the cookie jar, repeated procrastination, reaching for a cigarette and so on …If you find yourself being rigid, closed-minded fearful or lacking flexibility, then it is likely you’re stuck inside one of your patterns. A simple way of defining a pattern is a predictable response to a specific type of situation. It will always be made up of a symphony of Hands, Head and Heart components.”
Sheryl says her most challenging moments are in watching others suffer and create their own suffering as she knows they are choosing suffering and could be choosing instead to live with love acceptance and allowing the flow of events. Nothing that happens on the outside world can really hurt us but not knowing our inner emotional landscape, patterns, and reasons for any discomfort, not recognizing the tremendous resources we possess which can allow us to see all crisis as an opportunity for soul growth, greater love, compassion and multi-dimensional healing, lead us to fear and a loss of our personal freedom and it is what makes me at times feel sadness for people. Seeing people who are self-absorbed and oblivious to the fact that we are here to serve and share, and that we are not just material beings but spiritual beings with values that must include humility, honesty, trust, compassion and gratitude which could bring marvelous results to everyone. Seeing people who are emotionally undeveloped and immature and who blame others for their lack of awareness rather than improve their own actions and behaviors is hard for me to observe, yet I must allow everyone the chance to learn and grow in their own time and space…
Sheryl wonders if Nick could only teach people one of all the Thrive Hacks in his book, what would it be. One Sheryl liked is, “With a little effort if we travel into the world of others which will help us understand more about their stories or the noble lies or implicit set of assumptions and beliefs that we assume about human nature, science, God, the economy, the past, the future, the industry we work within, everything, then we don’t have to question our story..but when we see these old limited beliefs as the only truth just to make us feel more certain and settled, we will be unable to make the changes and new possibilities for growth and adapting to new circumstances possible… LIMITING BELIEFS AND OUT OF DATE ASSUMPTIONS PREVENT BREAKTHROUGHT AND CONSTRAIN CREATIVITY….Do not allow your patterns which are there to avoid pain or boost pleasure stop us from adapting inventing thriving in the here and now..don’t let patterns sabotage our potential by being rigid… Be more spontaneous and create a new biodynamic.”
Nick writes, "Science may be built on skepticism mixed with a heady brew of optimism and imagination. So science seeks answers to what lies beyond ordinary vision, and magic and wisdom, or switching on to creating new possibilities and truths, is not about becoming someone new. It is really about becoming who you always could have been behind the front or the pattern that has been held in place for so long. Simply the act of spotting a pattern and then consciously interrupting it can break through it and Science is much this way…forging past limiting values to new awareness and proof of your exploration or experiment."
Nick has described how nature has evolved us into creatures that must use their ability to switch on to problems rather than go into denial and switch off fight them or flee from them..It is the creative spirit “within” that offers us the neurobiological capacity to be creative and successful in making breakthroughs and changes in our perceptions patterns fears and limitations allowing us to thrive grow and as Nick wrote..The Heart no matter how deeply wounded can heal…Every head no matter how rigid or afraid can find a way to image and hope and every set of Hands and feet no matter how racked by addiction or bad habits can find a way to flow. You were born to switch on break through and thrive and….we can all come back from anything if we know how to reconnect rewire and remix.”
Nick and Sheryl would ask you to remember that science physics and ancient wisdom traditions are saying much the same thing: Everything is connected and science and spirituality offer us a way to know ourselves the physical and energetic world, and Universe in its magnificent and unlimited potential. The key is to discover within a sense of courage and resilience to face and change all thoughts to those that sustain and enhance your joy and happiness in the human life journey. Switch On…..
