Costa Women Blogs

Introducing you to the proud birth of my book (now six weeks old!)    Rewiring the Soul: Finding the Possible Self   Here is the Product Description from the Back Cover and Amazon:    Ask anyone, whatever their circumstances, if their life is vibrant, fulfilling, harmonious and happy. An honest reply is likely to be ‘no’, because to answer a truthful ‘yes’ is no mean feat. Only to grow psychologically and emotionally is not enough. And only to grow spiritually is not enough either. All three dimensions need to be developed in order to realize your full potential. If you are willing to assume total responsibility for the self and to start what is an on-going journey, you will quickly begin to glimpse the first fruits of the ultimate goal: inner well-being, freedom, peace, harmony and joy. This book sets out the pathway to self-mastery and self-discovery and walking that pathway will be the most exciting adventure of your life.    Here’s what some early reviewers are saying about it: “A revelation of insight into the foundations of human suffering & transcendence. It not only lays out essential steps for inner freedom & joy but illuminates the way to true human potential. Dr. Kortsch is a spiritual master for our time.” Paul Rademacher, Exec Dir, The Monroe Institute; author: A Spiritual Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe   “The masterwork of a profoundly gifted healer of the soul. Dazzling, challenging, wondrously useful.” Peggy Rubin, Director, Center for Sacred Theatre, Ashland, Oregon; author: To Be and How To Be, Transforming Your Life Through Sacred Theatre   “The instruction manual on rewiring the soul. An in-depth guide on life, love, spiritual evolution & our integration within the universe.” Michael Habernig & April Hannah; Producers: The Path- The Afterlife & The Path 11 Documentaries   “Rewiring the Soul is one the best introductions to the spiritual life I’ve ever read. Not esoteric but real-world & practical. The implications are profound.” Peter Shepherd; Founder Trans4mind.com; author: Daring To Be Yourself    “The human being’s directory to the soul. A breakthrough for those seeking practical assistance, those of a more mystical bent & every soul awaiting discovery.” Toni Petrinovich, Ph.D.; author: The Call: Awakening the Angelic Human   This Recent Interview Answers More Questions   Who is the book written for?   Rewiring the Soul is written for anybody who suffers and I guess that means just about all of us! It is written for anybody who has not yet experienced enduring happiness and inner well-being; anybody who is reaching for inner peace; anybody whose life is not as they would wish it to be.   What can a reader expect to gain by reading this book? What makes it different from most other transformational or self-help books out there?   So many wonderful teachers tell us about working on our spiritual selves. So many other wonderful teachers show us how to work on our psycho-emotional selves. But very few actually integrate the two. And Rewiring the Soul is my response to that challenge. Rewiring the Soul brings together the need to take your daily life in hand with the need to put your spiritual life in order as well. By daily life I mean your personal life, your professional life, the way you do or do not love yourself and all that such an attitude entails: conscious awareness, healthy boundaries, meaning in your life, recognizing you always have a choice, and taking responsibility for all your choices, etc., and by spiritual life I mean the inner connection to your eternal self.   If you have learned how to meditate, or do yoga, or whatever it is that you do, have you also learned how to observe yourself in the middle of an argument with your rebellious teenage son or your angry partner and hence choose to react differently because you have learned to love yourself enough to do so? If you have learned how to communicate more effectively with your children, spouse, friends, colleagues or employees, have you also learned how to be mindful and connect to yourself in meaningful ways to achieve that spiritual balance in your life?   While  Rewiring the Soul is about so much more than that, those previous examples give an idea of what my book is about and how it does so in such a way that our psychological and spiritual selves nurture each other.   In a nutshell: neither the spiritual nor the psychological or emotional dimensions of your life will work if you neglect: your inner connection to the eternal self while you seek happiness in the outer world your happiness in the outer world while you seek the connection to the inner eternal self It was Goethe who said “If everyone will sweep in front of their own door, soon the entire world will be clean”. In Rewiring the Soul ‘sweeping in front of your own door’ means bringing yourself to the utmost point of inner and outer growth, creating progress in body, mind, and soul. This literally means that you have already begun to change the world because of how you are changing yourself.   Are there many exercises in the book?   Not at all. This book does not mean hard work, or spending a lot of time doing specific things. It simply means that as you read – if you so desire – you begin to incorporate small changes into your daily life. And so it begins. And the quality of your life changes…   How did you come to write this book?   For years the essential content of  Rewiring the Soul was like a small, recurring voice in my head; it was always there, and simply would not leave me alone. I had dozens of excuses for not writing it: I was working on my Ph.D. in psychology, I was teaching at a state university, I had three sons, later I was occupied with moving back to Spain, I was setting up my private practice, I had a monthly newsletter to write in English and Spanish, I had a weekly one-hour radio show to broadcast, I had a daily blog post to write, I facilitated numerous workshops and gave frequent speeches, and apart from all of this busy activity and work, sometimes I even had a life. In short, I told myself the book would simply have to wait. But just as a splinter under your skin eventually needs to be seen to, I ultimately realized that the only way I was going to be able to honor the more and more loudly clamoring voice in my head – and heart – was to sit down and write the book.   And you know, that goes to meaning. We all need meaning in our lives, and although I had many things that gave much significance to my life already, the inner urging and excitement I felt each time I thought about Rewiring the Soul compelled me to write the book. Rumi puts it beautifully: When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. More Early Reviews From the Inside Pages and From Amazon   “I thought I could pick just one chapter to write a review, but I couldn’t …. I was glued to the chair as I read Rewiring the Soul … a literary, in-depth masterpiece to the human psyche, behavior and ultimate transformation. Exquisitely written, beautifully executed.” ALI R. RODRIGUEZ, Business Coach, co-author of Mastering the Art of Success with Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen (Aug. 2011)   “A glance at the contents of Rewiring the Soul will tell you much about the values promoted: awareness, freedom, peace and love. I fully agree with the author that it is all about re-connecting with our authentic ‘loving self’: it is only then that we can deeply transform our life while also inspiring a transformation in the lives of others! Through this powerful book, Gabriella Kortsch honestly shares her love of serving the inner potential and the spiritual growth of human beings with passion, joy and commitment.” ELISABETTA FRANZOSO; International Speaker, Coach, author of Stella’s Mum Gets Her Groove Back: A True Story   “This book is a gift to humanity, a valuable tool in aiding seekers to accomplish mastery of their own lives. Gabriella Kortsch provides clear steps to help people find peace in a practical and powerful way. She does not ask you to give up anything other then what no longer serves you. Brilliantly written!” HILLARY RAIMO; Author & Radio Host   “Rewiring the Soul is a thoughtful guide to the peace and joy that self-government through inner awareness brings. In the words of author Gabriella Kortsch, anyone’s ideal ‘possible human’ becomes their actual reality by following the simple inner steps in this remarkable book.” JIM WAWRO; author of Ask Your Inner Voice   “Gabriella Kortsch uses her talent and experience to write the instruction manual on rewiring the soul. An in-depth guide on life, love, spiritual evolution and our integration within the universe.” MICHAEL HABERNIG & APRIL HANNAH; Producers of The Path: The Afterlife and The Path 11 Documentaries   “This meticulously researched and crafted book is clearly the masterwork of a profoundly gifted healer of the soul, one who thinks deeply, feels deeply, and cares deeply about the well-being of the world and its humankind. Reading it will change your life; beginning to live actively any of its ideas, principles, and suggestions will transform your life. And bring you safely and joyfully home to your true self, your soul. I found it dazzling, challenging, and wondrously useful.” PEGGY RUBIN, Director, Center for Sacred Theatre, Ashland, Oregon; author of To Be and How To Be, Transforming Your Life Through Sacred Theatre.”   The Soul doesn’t get sick but it does need nourishment; if not it seems as if our life starves to death. This wonderful book by Dr. Gabriella Kortsch is definitely healthy “Soul food”. It becomes clear that as the personality endeavors to “rewire” the Soul, it is its own energy or conscious awareness that is elevated to that higher level where the invisible becomes visible and experienced as peace, joy, love and freedom. A treat to enjoy and celebrate.” ERIC ROLF; author of Soul Medicine: The Heart of Healing   “Rewiring the Soul is a revelation of insight into the foundations of human suffering and transcendence. It not only lays out the essential steps for inner freedom and joy but it also illuminates the way to true human potential: the stunning and dynamic “Possible Self.” Written with clarity, compassion and wisdom, this chronicle is not one of mere speculation, but arises from the depths of hard won personal experience. Gabriella Kortsch is a spiritual master for our time.” PAUL RADEMACHER, Executive Director, The Monroe Institute; author of A Spiritual Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe   “Rewiring the Soul is one the best introductions to the spiritual life I’ve ever read. Not esoteric but real-world and practical. Read it and Soul is no longer just a dogma, nor hypothesis, it is made real and as much a part of your being as your toes. We usually shut off our inner voice, yet by recognizing this aspect of ourselves we begin to discover our essential nature, our intuitive truth, and that becomes our loving guide. The author illustrates the limitations of living only as the mind’s Ego, and demonstrates in practical terms how we can transcend this by awakening a conscious viewpoint, following the path of our intuition and feelings, no longer separated from our body and the reality around us, and integrating at last our Soul’s inner guidance and wellspring of love. The implications are profound.” PETER SHEPHERD; Founder Trans4mind – trans4mind.com; author of Daring To Be Yourself   “Rewiring the Soul is the human being’s directory to the soul. This inspirational book asks you to simply open yourself to the possibility you are much more than you have considered yourself to be; in truth, you are spirit in form living a soul-directed life. It is a breakthrough for those seeking practical assistance, those of a more mystical bent, and every soul awaiting discovery. Read it cover to cover first; then place it close at hand to pick up every time your mind strays from your soul’s message radiating from within the heart.” TONI PETRINOVICH, Ph.D.; author of The Call: Awakening the Angelic Human     More About the Book From Amazon:   ‘Rewiring the Soul’ provides a user-friendly roadmap for personal transformation. Using conversational style, it guides the reader to an understanding of those problems and how they can be resolved, deliberately including the reader’s connection to his own soul and spiritual growth. Based on common sense and the author’s work as an integral psychotherapist as well as lessons gleaned from teaching and personal experiences, all interwoven with current findings from neuroscience, positive psychology, quantum physics and Buddhism,  ‘Rewiring the Soul’ signposts the path to resolving everyday life and its problems while converging with the inner quest for connection with the soul. This process allows life to take on a revolutionary new meaning: resolving personal and interpersonal issues while keeping the inner connection to the soul in mind leads to unprecedented growth that is simply not possible if psycho-emotional matters and spiritual concerns are not combined.   Taking responsibility for your own happiness, your own well-being, your own feelings, your own actions, reactions, attitudes, and way of thinking, is the philosophy that lies at the core of her work and in her book  Rewiring the Soul this comes to the fore. Whether you want to improve your relationships, your professional life, your inner and outer health, or the way you feel about yourself; whether you feel blocked in your emotional expression, whether you are suffering from phobias, fears, trauma, difficult sexual relationships, obsession, possessiveness, desire to control, depression, shyness, lack of confidence, self esteem, and assertiveness; whether you cannot control your anger, live with violence or abuse of any kind, and are unable to extract yourself from dysfunctional situations; whether you no longer feel motivated in your life, or that you simply are unable to find the next turning in the road, her work and this book focus on the reader’s growth and empowerment.   The book is available as a paperback and Kindle e-Book for Kindle and all Kindle applications on Amazon   Rewiring the Soul is also available via most of Amazon’s global sites (USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Japan), but due to reasons I am unable to explain, it appears that the US print book rate (even taking shipping charges to Europe and other areas into consideration) is currently the best.   Rewiring the Soul can also be ordered via most bookshops, but due to additional delivery charges and other fees, choosing that method may notch up the rate.                  

This summer, Specsavers Opticas in Spain have conducted a survey about protecting the eyes from the sun, and with some interesting results.   Almost 100% of people asked know the importance of protecting their eyes from the sun, but not all of these people wear suitable sunglasses to protect their eyes from damage. According to the survey conducted in the Costas and Mallorca, at least 40% of people aged 18-34 wear sunglasses for fashion purposes as well as protection. However, not all sunglasses provide sufficient protection from damaging UV rays.   To ensure adequate sun protection, choose sunglasses that meet industry standards and carry the ‘CE’ mark which indicates these shades have met the necessary requirements for the European market.   The National College of Opticians and Optometrists in Spain (CNOO) have been campaigning for years on the importance of protecting your eyes from the damaging effects of the sun. They report on their website that close to 80% of the 12 million sun glasses sold in Spain during 2005 haven’t passed any quality control. They say “It is fundamental to use lenses with special filters that fit the following criteria: stop dangerous solar radiation reaching your eyes, like infrared and ultraviolet, and reduce the intensity of the visible radiation to remove glare and have a clear and comfortable vision. Only sun glasses bought in optical stores with advice and prescription of an optician or optometrist can guarantee the quality of the filters and the eye health of the user.”   Choosing the right sunglasses   Specsavers Opticas advise that when looking for sunglasses, customers should check the UV rating and choose a style which offers the maximum coverage to avoid stray light entering the eyes through the top or sides. Lens colour is not an indication of protection, yet neither is price.   Wearing sunglasses that do not meet the European industry standard protection of UV380 rating, especially dark lens glasses, is more damaging to the eyes than not wearing any at all. Dark lenses make the pupil dilate; therefore letting in more harmful rays than if you weren’t wearing them, because without the glasses the eyes would naturally squint to keep the rays out. Without the sufficient UV protection, they are nothing more than fashion spectacles.   For those aged 18-34, it takes just 5 hours per day of exposure to sunlight on the eyes to double the chances of developing early age related eye problems. People with lighter coloured eyes will be even more sensitive to this. This makes it all the more important to be able to combine fashionable designs with high UV protection.   To make protecting your eyes more affordable this summer, Specsavers is offering a free UV and sun tint on your second pair of glasses when you purchase from the 75€ ranges. There are Specsavers Opticas stores in Fuengirola, Calpe, Javea, Torrevieja and Santa Ponça, Mallorca. Visit www.specsavers.es to find your nearest store.

So now you have a business and you are ready to sell! Really? Well, maybe…. let’s see what you think. You’ve got your brand new business cards hot off the press from the printers.  Well you have, haven’t you? OK, perhaps you’re still waiting for them, but you have got a handy notebook and pen at the ready?? Never go anywhere without your business cards; for women that includes supermarket, hairdressers, dentist, school gates, etc….  These are your informal networking opportunities. But we’re looking at formal networking for the moment, ie pre-arranged, professionally organised networking opportunities.  Why would you want to book into something like that?  Word of mouth referral is responsible for 70% of business taking place! That is 70% of business activity is down to people who get to know you and like you, whether or not they have bought your products or used your services, they feel comfortable in recommending or referring you. So that would seem a pretty fool-proof and economical way to grow your business; to make money.  Yes, but it doesn’t happen overnight – it takes time and effort – by you!  Effective and successful networking isn’t just about “the money”.  It’s about learning from your peers, sharing experiences and support.  Which in turn all add to your well-being and that of your business! If you are going to be successful in business, face-to-face networking is an essential part of your business’s marketing strategy. So here are the Rules to make networking work for you:- ✓  Networking is about developing trust and relationships over time – so you need to attend regularly ✓  Be prepared to give and help others – what you give will come back three-fold – see where you can make connections for others ✓  Show a genuine interest in people and really listen – you never know who they know! ✓ Always follow up contacts, by phone or email ✓ Arrange 1:1s – to find out more about each other and business opportunities so always take your diary, whether paper or electronic, with you ✓ Invite business contacts to experience a networking meeting – spreading the word extends opportunities for everyone ✓ Circulate – don’t stay in your comfort zone  ✓ Be prepared – have plenty of business cards, perhaps an A5 flyer, and certainly have a 1 minute talk (let me  know if you’d like a copy of the 1230 TWC 1 Minute guide) ✓  Treat your network like gold – don’t abuse your contacts Remember “Today’s preparation determines tomorrow’s achievement” anon Networking is not about selling, it’s about building the relationship.  Follow the above rules consistently and it will work for you. I would love to hear from you about your networking experiences and please share your own networking tips.    Jackie Groundsell: Founder of 1230 The Women’s Company Ltd – leading UK network for business women, providing opportunities for business and career women to meet locally in the Business High Street, share experiences and work together to grow their businesses through regular vibrant, buzzy meetings.    Helping you get more business. t:  +44 (0)20 8650 8015 m:  +44 (0)7930 756012 e:  jgroundsell@1230.co.uk www.1230.co.uk 

Just to let my beautiful ladies know that my book is launched and can be purchased through Amazon and other book stores. A brief synopsis of the book:-An Introduction to The Love Revolution Love Life, Not Strife The inspirational teachings of wellbeing therapist Lily Trainor Personal Life Coach Extraordinary A remarkable small book with a wealth of information and guidance for those who are trying to make sense of their lives, deal with a wearisome or distressing situation, or feel that they are not achieving their potential. Drawing on a lifetime of learning, teaching and acquired education from her own life experiences, life coach extraordinary Lily Trainor has a gift for organising the disorganised. She says passionately; My sole objective in attaining this knowledge was to pass the torch; to inspire others with a passion for living, especially those for whom indifference and even despondency had become self-inflicted afflictions. Without giving too much away this invaluable life changing volume offers the nuts and bolts of mental mechanisms. Subjects cover health, family issue, attitudes in the working environment, and healthy diet. Interaction is an essential component of the human condition, the most powerful being that of loving relationships: Very important too; friendship, sociability and integrity of companionship. Essential, an understanding of the concept of trust and service to ones circle of friends and family. The Love Revolution places our lives in proper perspective so that we may understand better, and, in a rational way put in place the rapid response solution to reduce stress, cope with a stressful situation; and help us achieve mission seemingly impossible. Learn not so much the authority of words but the authority of their meaning. This is not an encyclopaedia but many readers will find that by practicing its recommendations their lives will change for the better. Enjoy and I would appreciate reviews of the book.  Blessings and love to all…. www.inspiration4life.es  

The name of the popular song from the late 90's evokes joy, a sense of being carefree, and yes - why not?

Our obstacles are our problems. Sometimes our problems reside only in our heads, as in negative thoughts, or worries, or fear, and sometimes our problems are actual events that occur to us, such as losing our job, having an accident, failing to pass the bar, and so on. Sometimes our obstacles are individuals whose presence in our lives makes everything so much more difficult. Think of the nagging mother-in-law, the over-bearing supervisor at work, or the colleague who steals your ideas. I could mention the life partner who abandons you (see also When Love Walks Out the Door: Six Tips For Intelligent Survival), or the one who cheats on you (see also Why Does My Partner Treat Me Like This?), the teenage child that takes drugs, or the sister that was just given a terminal diagnosis. Obstacles are what stand in our way to an easy life. Our obstacles make our life difficult, and we just know, we absolutely know that the day we manage to get rid of them all, everything will be so much better…or will it? (Also listen to my audio clip How Do You Choose to React?)   A Bad Rap Obstacles really have a bad rap. Life’s burdens. Our crosses. We don’t tend to refer to obstacles in positive terms, nor do we speak well of them, or welcome them into our lives. Obstacles form part of our lives, and when they hover on the horizon, we cast our eyes about, attempting to find the quickest way to rid ourselves of them. The very connotation of the word obstacle is something grim, gloomy, foreboding, awful, and the dictionary tells us that it is a barrier and a hindrance, an impediment, an interference, a difficulty and an inconvenience. Our Friends And yet, obstacles, by their very nature, precisely because they must be overcome if we are to surmount them, offer an innate opportunity. If we allow ourselves to view obstacles from another standpoint, we might just come to the conclusion that obstacles are our friends. (See also Claiming Responsibility For the Self). Huh? Yes. Our friends. That old business about every cloud having a silver lining…there is actually some merit in it. If you can look at your obstacles as opportunities for growth, there is not a shred of doubt in my mind that you will find something of value in your moment of difficulty, and furthermore, you may even find that in some measure, the obstacle proves easier to overcome than others in the past, simply because of this new viewpoint. When my mother died when I was 19, while I was traveling abroad without the faintest idea that she was even ill, I was hurled headfirst into a bottomless black pit of gut-wrenching despair. I thought at first that I would never come back out of it. I imagined her having known that she was dying of a very fast-moving cancer, letting me go on my trip, taking the decision not to tell me so that I did not have to watch her die, and I felt myself tear into pieces. I could not imagine that I would ever be able to leave that black subterranean place that accosted me with its ferocious pain as I woke up every morning, and held me in its gelid embrace as I fell asleep at night. A Greater Purpose After only a few days, out of some deep place inside of me, I knew that this had to serve a greater purpose. She could not have died in the manner in which she did, without it coming to mean something valuable in my life. I had to make something of it. And I did. I began to realize the importance of the now moment. I began to appreciate the utmost wonder of every moment we have that we can share with those we love. I recognized how important it was to tell those we love that we love them. It’s not enough to know that they know…it’s also necessary to put it into words every so often. Choices We Make About Our Obstacles Those early lessons didn’t make me perfect. Later lessons were – seen subjectively – even harder, and – in some, very dark moments of my life – much more devastating. In the richness of hindsight I now know, and am pleased to affirm, that the person I am today – someone that I like very much – is this way precisely because of some of those major difficulties in my life. You might almost say that the obstacles were the jewels in my life that helped to hone me to bring me to the place I am today – on an inner level, and that without those obstacles, I would not have become who I am. In trying to learn the lessons these obstacle brought to me, I fell by the wayside many times, and certainly will again, but they placed me firmly on a road from which I have not side-tracked for decades. And they taught me that all our obstacles, or our challenges, if we make the choice to view them through this new prism, can indeed become our friends, can indeed present us with magnificent opportunities to grow and learn, can indeed teach us important lessons about life, and thus can indeed bring us to a place where we actually live life more authentically and in a much better – and more free – way than before. Not Minding What Happens Viewing our obstacles from the point of view expressed by the great Krishnamurti – by what he said was his secret – I don’t mind what happens – allows us to recognize that – in the words of Eckhart Tolle in his A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose: “To be in alignment with what is means to be in a relationship of inner nonresistance with what happens. It means not to label it mentally as good or bad, but to let it be. Does this mean you can no longer take action to bring about change in your life? On the contrary. When the basis for your actions is inner alignment with the present moment, your actions become empowered by the intelligence of Life itself.” (If you have not seen his ten 90-minute webinars about this book on Oprah’s website, click here to access them. This link is always available on the right side-bar of my blog in the links section.) Where There is no Resistance, There is no Pain Chris Griscom also wrote, many years ago, in one of her many magnificent books: where there is no resistance, there is no pain. And that brings to mind something similar in Tolle’s seminal work The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment. Two short paragraphs in this – his first book – had meant a great deal to me almost three years ago when I was given a diagnosis of malignant uterine cancer. “The present moment is sometimes unacceptable, unpleasant, or awful. It is as it is. Observe how the mind labels it and how this labeling process, this continuous sitting in judgment, creates pain and unhappiness. By watching the mechanics of the mind, you step out of its resistance patterns, and you can then allow the present moment to be. This will give you a taste of the state of inner freedom from external conditions, the state of true inner peace. Then see what happens, and take action if necessary or possible.” A Miraculous Transformation “Accept – then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it. Make it your friend and ally, not your enemy. This will miraculously transform your whole life.” And that is what brings us to the point of this whole article: as you work with your obstacles, rather than against them, you will find – through this miraculous transformation Tolle refers to – that one singular ingredient – worth its weight in gold – in your life that can make it so much better –transform it miraculously – and that I continue to talk about over and over again in these newsletters: you will find inner peace and inner freedom. For many more articles at my blog Rewiring the Soul, click here