Everything just as it should be

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A special invitation for those of you that live in and around Antwerp (Belgium) and have an interest in Seishindo.
You are all invited to an evening presentation on April 20th from 19:30 hours till 23:00 hours, in Kasteel Den Brandt, Antwerp. Charlie will do a short presentation and demonstration as a way of giving you a 'taste' of Seishindo. Afterwards, there will be opportunity to join us for a drink and socializing.
Marleen Adriaensen

For detailed information and registration, please visit the Seishindo Presentation page.

1. Thank you

Many of you wrote thanking me for the previous article on the importance of taking care of yourself. Hearing from any and all of you is always very much appreciated. Especially in the virtual world of the internet where it is hard to know the effect of one's voice.

Taking the time to care for yourself can take many forms. As with everything else in life there is no one right way to do this. For me, rollerblading is one of the activities I take part in that helps me to feel fully alive. Give me a nice spring day and a full battery in my iPod, and a good time is sure to follow!

2. Everything just as it should be

Starting and stopping without warning, the streets of Tokyo hold many wonderful surprises. Whenever I go out rollerblading I love exploring unknown territory. Recently I found myself in an interesting warren of backstreets. In a neighborhood that seemed to have fallen asleep a number of years ago, I came upon a very unusual bonsai shop. The sign out front proudly proclaimed, "Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week!"

"Wow," I thought, "even in Japan, there's no way bonsai are that much in demand!"

As I rolled to a stop I saw an elderly man in the back of the shop who appeared to be sleeping sitting up. To my surprise though, the minute he sensed my presence he opened his eyes looking wide awake and attentive.

"Very impressive," I said to him. "Having a bonsai business that is open twenty four hours a day, seven days a week."

"Have a seat and we'll talk," he said. "If you are impressed, it is likely for the wrong reason."

Suzuki-san introduced himself and told me he was 78 years old. By the time he was 35 he had three children and had taken over a family cut flower and bonsai shop in a fashionable part of town.

"I had a lot of money coming in, a lot of money going out, and very little free time to do anything except keep up with all that needed to be done," he said.
"Besides missing the time I couldn't spend with my family, I had an itch to study Zen that left me feeling very restless."

"At the age of 40, I finally understood that if I sold the shop and bought the house and yard you're sitting in now, I would have a LOT less overhead, and I would thus need to make a LOT less money in order to provide for my family and be happy."

"You see, I already had a strong following for my bonsai. By simplifying my life I finally had time for my family and sitting zazen as well."

"All this sounds wonderful" I said, "But how does your story lead to the sign that says you're open for business 24/7?"

"Ah," he said, "the sign is meant to be a cosmic joke."
"My business is largely run on trust and appreciation, and there is no need for me to be present in order for business to be conducted."
"I know most of my clients, and most of them are very familiar with the signature of my work."
"When I begin a piece I usually have a particular client in mind. I call him when I'm done, and purposefully leave his bonsai amongst other work that isn't quite finished. I then take off visiting temples and looking for interesting stock in countryside nurseries, confident my client will know which piece is his. So far no one's ever come by and picked up the wrong bonsai."

"Fascinating" I said, "But don't you ever worry about theft?"

"People don't steal bonsai," he said with a chuckle. "Even in Japan, they don't see the value in it."
"Besides, people can't imagine stealing something that seems to be there for the taking."
"We are sitting here amongst a few hundred thousand dollars worth of my work, and I believe the best way to protect it is by not keeping it behind a fence. This is a wonderful feeling!"
"Nothing to lock up, nothing to worry about, and everything just as it should be."

"Please come sit zazen with me some time, and I'm sure we'll become good friends."

3. Introducing my colleague Molly Gordon

Authentic Promotion Teleclass
Below is an offer from my friend, mentor, and colleague Molly Gordon. If you're a business person wanting to more successfully promote yourself, you'll find her teleclasses to be of great value. If you're a fan of Sesihindo, you'll be happy to know the principles of Seishindo are included in her work!

Have a look at Molly's offering below, and visit Authentic Promotion - her small business marketing resource to learn how to promote your work with integrity and authenticity.

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I'm offering Authentic Promotion again as a LIVE teleclass. The enrollment is strictly limited to 9 persons.

Why such a small group? I want to make sure that each and every participant completes this course having transformed his or her relationship to marketing. In addition to the classes, every participant receives two private coaching sessions with me.

Authentic Promotion can transform your relationship to marketing or promoting your work, but only if you enter into it with a deep commitment to the journey. One way to make sure that I attract the right nine people to this cohort is to place the price high enough to discourage casual participation.

I can guarantee that everyone who puts heart and soul into this process will be wealthier on many levels a year from now. The thing is, I don't want to waste my time or yours. This is not a quick fix. This is not a 7 Steps to Instant Prosperity solution. This is a down-to-your-toenails, DNA-shifting, soul-shattering (I mean that in the nicest way) experience for those who are up for it.

Please find the details here: Authentic Promotion Teleclass

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