Chaos Or Peace On Laura’s Birthday?

It’s Sunday, April 2nd and I’m starting leg one of a 33-hour 6768km Victoria/Toronto round trip to the US Consulate in Toronto to renew my five-year E1 Visa to speak in USA. Sorry to say that one cannot renew a five-year Visa at the US Consul Consulate in Vancouver.

Laura and I had a peaceful drive on Laura’s Birthday, Friday, March 31 from Parksville to Victoria to celebrate our Birthday long weekend with Laura’s mom, Helen.

Peaceful in part because;

• We completed the four-month project of gathering all the paperwork for the five-year E1 Visa renewal in advance of my 9:30am Monday, April 3 appointment at the US Consulate and I had all the paperwork in my possession
• We completed our March month end on March 30 in advance of our travels.

While driving, I was periodically affirming/breathing into a new affirmation that I developed; Empty my mind into my heart for deep, deep awareness. I have adopted this affirming/breathing to counterbalance overthinking in this overstimulated world that we all live in. In essence spending more time and being aware in my heart vs constant and never ending thinking.

The only business and personal work that we did while driving was Laura and I brainstormed/discussed what we have accomplished in the first quarter of the year in both our business and personal lives. This is a great way to set the stage for the second quarter of the year.

First Quarter Review Highlights included;

• Blogged Off in March
• Cash flow / profitability – good
• Client investment in one year agreements payable in advance
• Client new prospects – good
• Client new sales – good
• Client retention/satisfaction increased
• E1 Visa renewal paperwork completed
• Glamping holiday in Todos Santos
• Infusionsoft database reporting reorganized track clicks/opens to; export to Maximizer, prioritize for new email and phone follow up
• Leading Advisor Team Coaching implementation
• Married happily for 13 years
• NAIFA Membership Sales System Contribution and Webinars
• Speaking presentations booked – 9
• Speaking presentations for NAIFA Toledo and Underwriters Marketing Services successfully delivered
• USA Accounting completed
• Writing started on new email coaching campaign

Our plans for Friday, March 31 to celebrate Laura’s birthday included;

• A peaceful drive from Parksville to Victoria
• Lunch at Milestones on Victoria Harbour
• Taking an afternoon advanced meditation/yoga class
• Dinner with Helen at Padella’s Restaurant

Laura and I arrived safely in Victoria and sat down to lunch at Milestones. During lunch, both of us simultaneously received emails from Maryam, our Immigration Lawyer’s Assistant, and Maryam was calling me on my cell phone.

Please be advised that we just received an email from the Toronto Consulate requesting that you take with you to your interview, “All supporting documentation (i.e.: invoices, receipts) as proof of on-going trade.” As a reminder (and as noted in your instruction letter) please ensure that you take the second package (2016 documentation) in addition to the bound package with the blue piece of paper on top titled, “additional documents for tab 8b) Invoices” (scan attached for your reference).

In addition, we would suggest that you take any invoices that you have in your possession indicating U.S. trade for 2015 and 2017, just in case they want to see that as well.

Please confirm receipt of this email.

Laura was reading the above email while I was picking up a cell call from Maryam, and Laura said out loud that we were going to have to return to Parksville. I instantly thought that this was not going to be necessary.

Maryam and I concluded that Maryam would email me copies of the 2015 documents that she already had in her possession and that Deanne, our friend & Virtual Assistant, would email me the 2017 documents that still had to be produced. I would print off the 100 documents at the business centre at the Toronto Hilton Hotel on Sunday night.

The irony of this last minute US Consulate email was it was 15 minutes before our advanced meditation/yoga class. So Chaos Or Peace On Laura’s Birthday? While I was talking out the strategy with Maryam, I was simultaneously breathing/thinking that in the past, our amygdalae would be stressed about this last minute email and these days we are breathing deep, deep awareness.

In the past, our amygdalae were still addicted to the Unmet Need of worthiness, the emotion of fear and the belief that someone, something, some authority, false god, father, government, patriarch, whatever, could steal our identity, our souls. We’ve grown to understand that these mistaken Unmet Needs, emotions, and beliefs are false.

Here are the benefits that are a result of the meditation and yoga classes that Laura and I have done over the past 10 years;

• Decreased blood pressure
• Decreased overwhelm
• Increased awareness
• Increased circulation
• Increased concentration
• Increased faith
• Increased happiness
• Increased peace of mind
• Increased physical strength
• Increased thought leading ideas
• Improved listening
• Improved understanding
• Less emotional and physical weight
• More balanced emotionally and physically
• More decisive
• More focused
• More peace of mind
• More time efficient

Meditation and yoga balance the opposites of Chaos and Peace.

At the moment;

• My 12:25pm flight from Victoria to Vancouver is late meaning I may miss my Vancouver to Toronto connection
• I’m not calling Laura or posting this news to Social Media as all this may do is create unnecessary thinking and drama about XYZ Airline did or didn’t do this or that
• I’m looking forward to completing the new email coaching campaign
• I’m looking forward to successfully receiving the renewal of the 5yr five-year E1 Visa
• I’m looking forward to seeing Laura and Helen in 33 hours
• I’m periodically affirming/breathing; Empty my mind into my heart for deep, deep awareness

May this deep, deep awareness continue to be available because;

• There is no way out of change
• There is no way out of judgement
• There is no way out of pain

Only deep, deep awareness of the truth.

Thank you Laura and Helen for a wonderful birthday weekend.