Seldom is one so privileged to peek through this most intimate and private window into a legend’s life.

There is so much to ponder here, so much to be grateful for, and so much to learn.

My favorite quote comes from Robert Greenleaf who said, “In saying what I have in mind will I really improve on the silence”.

In this case it will not.

Growth and Employment Models

The policy prescriptions, industry models and performance incentives that emerged from an era of consumption and debt-driven growth must be transformed to deliver quality growth. Growth that is sustainable, entrepreneur-driven and employment-creating should be the outcome of the rebalancing and deleveraging of the global economy.

Leadership and Innovation Models

The leading countries and global governance institutions of the Cold War era must create space for major emerging economies, private sector institutions and multi-stakeholder partnerships. These new actors should have the responsibility not only to address important global and regional challenges but also to introduce innovative solutions.

Sustainability and Resource Models

The realization that human activities have a major impact on Earth’s ecosystem must drive future changes in behaviour and policies. Our ecological footprint will have to be fully internalized in business models.

Social and Technological Models

The next wave of technological innovation, particularly in life sciences, nanotechnology and artificial intelligence, will not just deliver productivity gains but will also transform us by adding new dimensions to our lives. As the “Internet of things” that connects billions of sensors and devices becomes a reality, stakeholders should work together to safeguard the knowledge, data and networks that are critical resources for our future development.

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…and I say all of these are laudable.

AND, let’s add one more – one that perhaps could become an umbrella “model” for all the others because it is a condition for the success of them all:

A Spiritual Model

The world needs a reinvention of current thinking in order to move us away from a competitive model based on separateness, to a new one based on collaboration and the recognition of oneness. Economic, climate, religious, technological and intellectual events are no longer local – everything is global. We are our brother’s keepers. This new model can simply be described as one where we first consider the impact our decisions, conversations, laws and actions before we introduce or implement them.  “Will this inspire others?” is a prerequisite condition that, if asked, can help us to build the world we are all seeking. We can begin here.

World leaders have a responsibility, along with all of the rest of us, to assume responsibility for setting the tone and the pace of this change of thinking.  We need it today more than ever.

How often can you say you are so engaged in activities that inspire you, that you are “flying without a license”?  And if the answer is seldom, what is holding you back?  How do you ensure that you do not die with your music still inside you?  Here is a way to help you find your Calling.

The New York Times review of this book can be found here.

Today, she launches her new book The MAP: Finding the Magic and Meaning in the Story of Your Life.† In this excellent work, she points out that we all†have a powerful personal map that reveals our lifeís journey and she shows us how to†plot points on this map to discover all the archetypal landscapes we have been throughóthe plains of pain, mountains of joy, mirages, beautiful oases, wastelands, and moreóthe reader becomes the mapmaker with the ultimate capacity to shape their own destiny.

When Colette first began working as an intuitive counselor some 22 years ago, she help my wife and I make dramatic shifts by encouraging us to envision our lives as a Map and look at the details of our inner landscapes. Since that time, Colette has worked with over 33,000 clients using this process and has helped many achieve remarkable inner and outer transformations. These discoveries and successes led to the design of the MAP described in her new book, The Map: Finding the Magic and Meaning in the Story of Your Life!

With The Map, Colette shows you how to use the magic of metaphors to delve into the most profound aspects of your subconscious, the places within you that light the way to lasting change. As you discover the details of your inner landscapes, you can transform negative experiences from your past or present. Whatís more, you can also choose to navigate to a desirable location on this interior map, to a place where youíll find joy, excitement, balance, and serenity. Change where you are on the inside and the emotions and qualities you experience internally will†take form in your everyday life.

My life work is about creating inspiring lives and inspiring corporations, which, in turn, can†lead to an inspiring world.† Colette has added a great gift to this cause by writing this book.

My friend Laura Berman Fortgang is releasing her new book, “The Prosperity Plan”, today, and I have invited her to contribute a guest blog.† I hope you enjoy it and I encourage you to buy her book – it is terrific. Order today and enter your receipt number at http://www.theprosperityplan.net/promo/ and you will gain access to FREE downloads by Laura and other well-known leadership and self-help authors.

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There is a huge shift happening in the evolution of human consciousness. Are you feeling it? Is your world changing without your permission? Have you been forced to reinvent your work or give up things in your life you once held dear?

Here is the good news: as frightening as it can be when things swing out of our control, it is in precisely in times like these that we begin to pay attention and a dramatic shift in consciousness becomes possible. However, the choice to remain conscious is entirely up to you. You could also just hide and go back to sleep.

Whether this is showing up as desperation or something surging within you, one thing is certain: global economic changes are forcing us to embrace a new way of building our lives and financial security. The old ways guaranteed by hard work, fitting in, and loyalty are no longer enough to ensure your career and give peace of mind about the future. We need a new currency that requires a rewiring of our minds and of our beliefs about how prosperity works.

The work I have done for almost twenty years as a pioneer in the personal coaching field has been grounded in the belief that, as John Naisbitt, futurist and author of Megatrends and Megatrends 2000, put it, “Öthe most exciting breakthroughs of the 21st century will not occur because of technology but because of an expanding concept of what it means to be human”. I interpret that to mean that our awareness of the spiritual nature of our being will become the currency of our future success. By subduing that aspect of ourselves despite all that we accomplished in the twentieth century, we inflicted unintended damage on our planet, our health, and other beings. We have seen our ever-expanding progress and prosperity begin to contract and many of our systems fall apart. All we have done so far no longer seems to be working, so it is time to heed the call.

What are your expectations right now? Are you fearful and worried? Are you concerned that the changes in the world preclude ever feeling on top of your game again? Are you resisting what is going on in your life?

If you are living in this currency of fear, you are putting your feet in a tub of wet cement and letting it harden into a solid block. Your movements and your ability to change will be limited.

However, by creating the circumstances by which great luck can find you, you will experience prosperity and opportunity that seems magical in quality. To succeed, a fundamental change is required of you. You will need to recalibrate your energy and vibration level.† Keeping that going means staying conscious. It will mean doing battle with your subconscious and it will mean anchoring yourself in the better half of your thinking. When fear, doubt, or your critical voice try to intervene, you’ll have to send them out to pasture.

To beat the odds and attain the level of wealth and happiness you have always dreamed of, you will have to switch out your currency.

You’ll have to “play to win”.†You’ll have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

This is an excerpt from The Prosperity Plan,ù (Tarcher-Penguin) by Laura B. Fortgang, released today, January 6^th. For more information, please see http://www.theprosperityplan.net/promo

NOTE: if you want to link Laura B. Fortgang, you can do so at http://www.laurabermanfortgang.com