ChoicePoints March 2006

This issue released: March 10, 2006

"We compromise ourselves because we think that if we let others see who we are, they’ll move away from us. And yet, when we do that, we end up not liking ourselves and have already moved away from what's meaningful."
_{Louise LeBrun}

In this issue: Spotlight On Today's Thought Coming Attractions!

Thought Waves Quick Updates

We also invite you to read the ChoicePoints Archives for items you may have missed.

Spotlight On —

May 15-19, 2006, Oceanstone, N.S.

Picture this …a week by the ocean as spring bursts forth all around you …days spent discovering and exploring your creative side while nourishing and exploring your soul …all supported in a physical environment designed to delight and replenish the body.

Our Creativity and Huna Retreat is a rare offering that combines elements of growth and evolution that are typically considered to be separate and distinct. Imagine the discoveries that await as you engage personal mastery through the traditions of the ancient Hawaiians and see that growth reflected in the painting or writing that you create as the week unfolds. You might be an experienced writer or artist. You might be someone who would like to discover if you have any painting or writing abilities. You might be someone who has always been intrigued by the notion of a spiritual journey and have held back because you don’t want an experience that is based in religion. Whatever your expertise, Creativity and Huna is an invitation to relax, enjoy and discover.

Gwen and Louise have planned a retreat week that will both stimulate the senses and invite deep relaxation. You’ll have mornings for exploring, conversing, catching some rays on the beach. Afternoons will be devoted to explorations of Huna, painting or writing. Evenings will evolve from where our afternoon conversations take us, but all will include lots of interaction and a sense of playfulness.

Oceanstone Inn is our location and we know from previous experiences that we are guaranteed great food, friendly service, fabulous vistas, relaxing massages (if you’re so inclined), glorious night skies and plenty of quiet in which to rejuvenate the spirit. We encourage you to make your reservations as early as possible to avoid disappointment. For reservations go to www.Oceanstone.ns.ca

We anticipate that Creativity and Huna will become an annual offering and are pleased to extend a special $1,500.00 plus HST Registration Fee for this initial retreat. All art and writing supplies are included. You can select from Acrylics and Watercolours to explore your artistic Muse. Registration is limited to 20 participants, deadline for registration is April 15th, 2006.

For more information visit www.WEL-Systems.com/programs/CreativeHuna.htm or call Gwen at 613-254-7218.

Today's Thought

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us."

Joseph Campbell

Coming Attractions!

We are pleased to offer you the following seminars, workshops and programs. Each one designed to provide thought-provoking and life altering experiences for your on-going personal and professional development.

WEL-Systems Experiences: March to June

The Power of One WEL-Systems Change Agent™ certification	Mar 14 - 15
Taking Care of Business in Changing Times …results, resourcefulness & reality	Mar 17
Communicating with Intention …creating a context for results	Mar 21
Your Self Directed Career …creating work that works for you	Mar 23
Connecting with Confidence …creating productive relationships	Mar 28
From Survival to Thrival …creating, flourishing, growing - with Less Stress, More Life	Mar 30
Sekhmet Rising: The Call to Awaken Women gathering in conversation with other women	April 8 Calgary, AB
Resourcefulness in Action WEL-Systems Coaching Practicum	Apr 22 - 28
Igniting the Self WEL-Systems Facilitator Certification	Apr 24 - 28
Influencing with Intention WEL-Systems Master Facilitator Certification	May 1- 7
Creativity and Huna a WELness Experience	May 15 - 19 Oceanstone, NS
Sekhmet Rising: The Call to Awaken Women gathering in conversation with other women	May 27
Igniting the Self WEL-Systems Facilitator Certification	June 5 - 9 Oceanstone, NS
Sekhmet Rising: The Call to Awaken Women gathering in conversation with other women	June 17 Toronto, ON

The listing above only shows the first scheduled date for Ottawa Ontario. For more details and the complete program schedule, see www.WEL-Systems.com/schedule.htm

Quick Updates

Igniting the Self and Resourcefulness in Action

As surely as spring follows winter, April brings with it another offering of the powerful personal evolution experiences we call Igniting the Self and Resourcefulness in Action.

If you wake up wondering if life is somehow passing you by, despite having a good job, great partner, and all the trappings of a successful life, Igniting the Self is sure to make a difference. You may be one of those people who has a dirty secret that is eating you up from the inside and you know that it is only a matter of time before it starts impacting your life. Or you may be someone who is dealing with health issues that don’t seem to be responding to medical interventions. People dealing with any of these life issues find that the innovative, supportive and challenging approaches to exploring human consciousness that are typical of Igniting the Self create huge results in your capacity to live a meaningful life.

Igniting the Self continues to evolve to meet your needs. Now a 5-day experience fully focused on the power of WEL-Systems to support you in reconnecting to the essence of Self and discovering your capacity to live life creatively, Igniting the Self is a powerhouse opportunity. For more information, visit Igniting The Self Program Information. The next scheduled offering is April 24-28 in Ottawa.

To register, visit www.PortalsPassages.com/flame/register04.htm or contact Gwen or Louise at 613-254-7218. Registration deadline is March 29th.

If you’ve already completed Igniting the Self and are ready for more it is likely time for Resourcefulness in Action. Take your growth and evolution to the next level. Discover deeper truths about yourself and your perceptions of the world around you. Learn about yourself through your engagement with others, guided by daily coaching experiences. While there is no requirement to move on to Resourcefulness in Action, it is not unusual for there to come a time when our clients begin to feel restless, when a desire for more begins to move in the body, when the urge for big, meaty conversations cannot be denied! Scheduled for April 22-28 in Ottawa, click Resourcefulness in Action for more information.

To register, visit www.PortalsPassages.com/feather/register04.htm or contact Gwen or Louise at 613-254-7218.

Sekhmet Rising: The Call to Awaken

If you found the article compelling (Sekhmet Rising: The Restlessness of Women's Genius) you're going to love the real-life, real-time conversation with other women on this journey of discovery of personal power!

"Sekhmet Rising: The Call to Awaken" is a one-day, Open Forum conversation with women 'in the search'. Honoring all of who we are, this day is designed to invite, evoke and embrace all that we carry deep inside of ourselves as the truth of who we are. There is no more powerful force in our lives than the truth of our own experience. All we have to do is listen.

With humour and a sense of play (because who says we have to do serious things, seriously?), women gather in groups no larger than 25, in environments that are welcoming and nourishing. The day includes great company and great conversation, a light breakfast and lunch, and all the tea/coffee you can manage!

For a schedule of events in your area, refer to: www.WEL-Systems.com/poster/CallAwaken.htm

Women and Power now available on CD

We're pleased to announce that our popular Women and Power series is now available in a digitally remastered CD format. The Women and Power CDs can be purchased individually or as an 11 CD set in a custom nylon wallet. Individual CD topics cover:

Speaking Up and Speaking Out

Magical Mystical Money

White Knights and Reluctant Heroes

To Be or Not to Be My Mother

Emotions: Messengers from Inner Space, and

The Cost of Collusion

More information on the Women and Power series on CD is available on our website

Magic and Miracles

Read what Carole MacInnis, CEO of Oceanstone Resort in Nova Scotia had to say about her experience in the Igniting The Self program!

"As someone who experienced (ITS), I know the power of the material presented. When I signed up... I had no idea that it would change my life in such a positive way. Being a psychologist and an educator I have had many opportunities to study and participate in programs and workshops to promote growth. None of my previous experiences could have prepared me for the impact stepping into Igniting the Self would have on my life. The body of knowledge presented by WEL-Systems is unique and evolutionary. As a result of the experience my life began to change almost immediately. Things that I felt were impossible started to happen as my own clarity regarding my direction became clearer. Many of the beliefs and attitudes which were hindering my own growth began to shift and fall away effortlessly. My life has become more expansive, playful and joyful. The excitement and the feeling of abundance that I now bring to my work at Oceanstone has had a profound effect on the growth of our business and the movement towards our original intention which is to support the growth of individuals and groups who become our guests.. "

Carole MacInnis, PhD, Oceanstone, N.S.

The next scheduled offerings of Igniting the Self, are April 24-28, 2006 in Ottawa, ON. and a retreat experience June 5-9, 2006 at the Oceanstone Resort, in Oceanstone, N.S.

Thought Waves

Who Says it Has to be Hard!

by Louise LeBrun

Every time I find myself writing about, speaking about or facilitating a conversation on ‘ways to improve your life’, I am reminded that this has been my life for more than 25 years. What an honor it is to be invited into the lives of so many who are seeking to find or to redefine themselves. In what becomes the Sacred Space of a shared enquiry, and as we discover just the right process to mid-wife new beginnings into their lives, my own life is magically transformed. So here I sit, thinking to myself: what can I share with you that can make a difference in your life – just from reading an article. What will make it easier for you to manifest a meaningful life for yourself? After all, isn’t that what we’re looking for?

Transformation – although far too often over-promised and under-delivered! – is what my clients are looking for. Not incremental change; not small adjustments and little twists on the status quo, but those huge and irreversible changes to the way they move through the world. Our greatest invitation is to be able to free ourselves from our own limitations and experience the full potential of who we know, deep down inside, we truly are.

This magnitude and depth of change need not be difficult. Nor does it have to take a long time! What I’ve discovered for myself is what I choose to share with you to support you along your journey of personal evolution. But don’t take my word for it. Try it on and see how it fits in your life.

Trust your body! Your body never lies. Unlike what many of us have been taught to believe, not only is your body not the enemy, it is in fact the gateway to the transformation that we seek. Far more powerful than any process of the intellect, your body is the quantum biological processor that creates all the feelings/emotions that shape the experience of your life – and since it created them, it knows exactly what to do with them. All we need to do is surrender the intellect to the body and let the body lead. Our greatest challenge is getting out of our own way!
Breathe! Science now tells us that your body is a quantum biological instrument of immense capability. It is not ‘like’ a bioprocessor – it “IS” a bioprocessor and breathing is what makes it possible for it to do its best work. Begin by paying attention to your breathing and notice when you hold your breath. In that moment, just stop…..close your eyes….and take three or four long, slow, deep breaths. If you extend the exhale so that it is twice as long as the inhale, you’ll go a long way to creating a deep state of relaxation in the body. In that state, you cannot feel fear – and when we are unafraid, we are more willing and able to consider new information and new experiences.
Follow the Impulse! The next time your body ‘feels’ something, instead of trying to shut down or move away from that sensation/impulse, breathe; relax your body; and choose to move into the sensation rather than away from it. Keeping your body open and relaxed, allow the sensation to begin to flow and to fill your body, all the time focusing your attention on keeping your body open and relax. You pay attention to your body and your body will pay attention to the energy/information that is moving. What you’ve been taught to call ‘emotions’ are really waves of energy/information trying to be metabolized (like your lunch) in the quantum biological processor that your body is, so that you can get on with your life! With the integration of each wave of information come insights and discoveries. Life changes – quickly, easily, effortlessly - and there is no going back.
Tell the truth! Even if you never say it out loud to another soul, tell yourself the truth – inside you, where you live. Allow yourself to know the truth of your own experience. We lie to ourselves all the time and tell ourselves that something doesn’t matter, when it does; that we’re willing to do something when we’re not; or that we want something when we don’t. When we allow ourselves to claim the truth of our own experience, something powerful happens inside of us and in that moment, we discover more of our own potential. Yet consider, as much as you need never tell another soul, remember this: Telling yourself the truth is an act of courage. Telling your truth out loud to another human being is an act of transformation.
Stay in the tough conversations! The toughest conversation you’ll ever have to stay in is the one with yourself. When you consider that there are only two things going on in the world - the conversations you have with yourself, and the conversations you have with another human being (i.e. chats, email, reports, etc); and when you consider that you can’t change the one you have with another person unless and until you’re both willing and able to change the one you have with yourself, staying in that tough conversation with YOU will determine the quality of your life! It will also determine your capacity for intimacy and connection to another human being because if you can’t stay connected to you in a meaningful way, how can you ever connect to someone else in a meaningful way?
Be willing to stand alone! That doesn’t mean that you’ll have to stand alone, you just need to know that if push comes to shove and you have to, you’re both willing and able to do so. Far too often in life we go along just to get along, We compromise ourselves because we think that if we really let others see who we are, they’ll move away from us. And yet, when we do that, we end up not liking ourselves much and have already moved away from ourselves. When we become both willing (a choice) and able (see the previous four points) to stand alone, we discover as we look around that there are many others who seek the same quality of life. These folks indeed, make great playmates!

As you engage your life in this way, you’ll begin to discover that you are much more than you ever dreamed possible – and it all comes from discovering that your body is not the enemy. You can relax into and trust your body to gently guide you home.

A seeker for more than 25 years, Louise LeBrun creates and facilitates experiences for personal discovery and exploration. A provocative and compelling thinker, writer, speaker and educator, Louise is the Founder of the WEL-Systems Institute (www.WEL-Systems.com) and author of several books and audio programs that will take you to the edge of your own awareness. Creator of the WEL-Systems® approach to change, Quantum TLC™ and The CODE Model™, she is also a Reiki Master and Huna Initiate with a passion for living and great compassion for those who desire to awaken to a more meaningful life.