Win an autographed copy of the book! Read on and check out the giveaway I’m having today.

I have been reading Something Beyond Greatness by Judy Rodgers and Gayatri Naraine. These authors are on a quest to understand the inner workings of people with something beyond greatness.

greatness

Their beyond greatness qualities and characteristics include…

  • Being stable, peaceful, and compassionate.
  • Improving the life and/or awareness of others with no self-interest.
  • Having humility.
  • Aligning one’s inner self and with one’s outer self.

One of the main themes that I heard again and again was the concept of serving and giving to others. Page after page, I couldn’t help but wonder what the heroes and heroines did to refuel  and revive to be able to give so much to others.

In interviews, the authors heard people talk of being tireless “drawing on a deep well of energy that appears to give them endless endurance and unlimited patience”.

Wow.

Can you imagine having a deep well of energy?

Can you imagine having endless endurance?

Can you imagine having unlimited patience?

Something Beyond Greatness shares inspiring stories of men and women who go above and beyond serving the world and people across the globe. The book focuses on their actions and their characteristics, but I’d love to know how these great people practice (or practiced) self care.

How can you have an endless well of energy without practicing self care?

It is possible? Magical? Or simply something beyond greatness?

We Must Live Our Own Lives

One of the most powerful messages in the book was from Hafsat Abiola, the creator of KIND, the Kudirat Initiative for Nigerian Democracy, which is dedicated to empowering women and strengthening civil society in Africa. This is what Hafsat Abiola had to say about women living their best lives.

“It’s this whole idea that a woman must live her life. We need to generate that permission within ourselves, not even so much from society but from within ourselves, that we have a right to aspire to our own dreams, to work for changes in our society, not just within our own family.”

How are you truly living your life? Is your life consumed 100% by different roles or have your isolated space to live your authentic life?

Free Giveaway!

To learn more about the power of natural inner greatness and to have access to remarkable stories, I am giving away one autographed copy of Something Beyond Greatness.

To enter the giveaway, send an email message to maryalicequinn@live.com and write “Create A Balance Contest” on the subject line. One winner will be randomly selected. The giveaway ends at midnight CST on July 12, 2009.

Looking for More About Greatness?

Check out the following links for more information about Something Beyond Greatness…

You can also read books reviews from two of our favorite bloggers…

And be sure to check out Positively Present’s book review on July 13.

Your Natural Inner Greatness

After their journey to find greatness, the authors concluded that we all have our own unique natural inner greatness.

How are you sharing your natural inner greatness with the world around you?

Showing 21 comments
  • Lance

    Hi Stacey,
    I think such an important thing you’re touching upon here is this idea of living an authentic life. That speaks to me of listening deeply to what matters. And I think that when we get to this spot, or when we begin to ascend to this spot – one thing that comes from that is compassion. And the more compassion we truly feel in our lives – the more our real inner greatness shines through. And as the authors have concluded, the inner greatness is something that is naturally within each of us. And I couldn’t agree more – it’s just quieting ourselves to let that inner soul shine. And that’s when real greatness comes out – day in and day out – in all the little things we do that make a difference!

    Stacey, thanks so much for sharing your takes on this book!

    Lance´s last blog post..There Is Greatness Within

  • J.D. Meier

    You hit a really key point. The key I’ve found is playing to strengths vs. weaknesses. For example, one of my strengths is structuring information. I could help you organize information all day. Another strength is brainstorming. I can brainstorm all day.

    On the flip side, one of my weaknesses is crunching numbers in spreadsheets. I’m good at it, but it drains me, so it’s a weakness. I could help you in short bursts, but then I need a break.

    Aside from strengths and weaknesses, another key point is giving your prefrontal cortex a break. It’s the smart part of your brain, but it burns out quickly. One trick to improve your energy is to turn more things into checklists. This reminds me of another key point … you need to think of your energy in terms of physical, emotional, and mental … and they play off each other.

    J.D. Meier´s last blog post..Finding a Way to Do the Things You Hate

  • Stacey Shipman

    Did I miss the book launch party or what? You, Lance, and more…Now I know…it seems to be a must read!

    Stacey Shipman´s last blog post..A New Presidential Role and a Few (Video) Remarks

  • Evelyn Lim

    If both you and Lance are recommending it at the same time, I must say that it is something worth checking out on! One of the inner healing that I regularly check on is whether I have the permission to be successful. I guess I also need to check on whether or not I have the permission to be GREAT! Thanks for the tip!

    In case I haven’t already told you, you’re AWESOME. Love the positivity of your blog messages!

    Evelyn Lim´s last blog post..Love The Man In The Mirror

  • Stacey / Create a Balance

    Lance – When we are living our authentic lives, we provide opportunities for our greatness to shine.

    J.D. – Yes! May we all focus on our natural inner greatness.

    Stacey Shipman – You can check out the full book tour here: http://tlcbooktours.com/2009/04/something-beyond-greatness-by-judy-rodgers-and-gayatri-naraine-on-tour-june-2009/

    Evelyn – I think you are quite AWESOME too! tip!

  • Positively Present

    Great review of the book! I’ll be reviewing it next week, as you mentioned, and it’s been so great to read others’ reviews and get an idea of what they thought about the book. Thanks for mentioning my upcoming post. Yours was great!

    Positively Present´s last blog post..how to write a life worth living

  • Lisa Munley

    Stacy, what a lovely post. Thank you so much for all the time and energy you put into reading and reviewing this little book. I hope your readers seek it out and enjoy it as much as you did.

    Lisa Munley´s last blog post..Mortimus Clay, author of The Purloined Boy, on tour September 2009

  • Stacey / Create a Balance

    Positively Present – I’m looking forward to your book review.

    Lisa – I really enjoyed this book and getting pulled into the many stories that the authors shared.

  • Tess The Bold Life

    Wow Stacey sounds like a great book. I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic schools for 11 years. One of the biggest influences or gifts I was given was being taught to serve others.

    I’ve been involved with volunteer work since my early twenties. I’ve volunteered in prisons, soup kitchens, an orphanage in Mexico and the clean up of hurricane Katrina to name a few.

    Last week I was looking at volunteer work outside of the U.S. and got so excited I couldn’t sleep that night. I can’t wait to read the book.

    I have the unlimited energy due to ADHD and endless endurance however what I would love is unlimited patience!

    I like what Lance says about compassion. When I was young I was so compassionate I took on the pain of others. (I think that had to do with upbringing). How’s that for poor self care!

    How am I sharing my natural inner greatness ( I’ve never heard it put that way) with the world? By bringing kindness and hope to those I come in contact with. Since my husband lost his job my ego (lower self) has been telling me not to tip or donate anything. Now how crazy is that?

    So I continue to tip all servers in restaurants, cabs, shuttles, etc. I’m tested because I travel so much. And the bottom line is am I going to demonstrate I believe in lack or prosperity? These are the days I need to walk my talk!

    I’m going over to win that book!

    Tess The Bold Life´s last blog post..The Power of Focus

  • Stacey / Create a Balance

    Tess – Your comment is making me think about where and how I learned the gift of serving others. I used to volunteer a lot before I started a family. Now I service others in different ways other than volunteering my time. I look forward to the day when my family can volunteer together when my boys are older.

  • Judy Rodgers

    Stacy, the question you raise about how we can have an endless well of energy is an important one. In our conversations with the “man of science” and the “woman of God,” it became clear that being in a loving and generous state produces energy, while being in a state of worry or anxiety drains us of energy. That said, we still have to care for ourselves: monitor the number of things we say “yes” to, put ourselves in the company of those who give us energy instead of draining our energy, and work at things that give us a sense of fulfillment. The positive psychology literature has more on the connections between states of happiness, contentment, etc. and the energy and creativity we feel. Thank you for taking the time to read and write about the book. Judy Rodgers

    Judy Rodgers´s last blog post..Vote for Media Features

  • Arswino

    Hi Stacey, I think this is a great book which will bring us to the peace of mind and heart.
    Thanks for the review.

    Arswino´s last blog post..7 Tiny Places to Find Everyday Inspiration

  • Stacey / Create a Balance

    Judy – Welcome to my blog. I’m honored to have you here. I will hold on to the idea that being in a loving and generous state produces energy. What should people do if having people in their lives that drain their energy is simply a reality? Can adding positive people into our lives who give us energy balance out the our energy drains?

    Arswino     – Yes, I was definitely had a peaceful mind and heart when I was reading this book.

  • Mindful Mimi

    Thanks for sharing – I’m always up for interesting books. And thanks for the great giveaway chance.
    M

    Mindful Mimi´s last blog post..How to Make Your Life a Drama-Free Zone – by Christine Kane

  • Patricia

    I have this book on my Kindle now…I am taking it with me on my long plane ride and Julie from Random Meanderings Eat to Live recommendations – I should truly come home a new person! or maybe just more authentic?

    Good post- thank you for sharing – I am excited about reading the book

    Patricia´s last blog post..A Birthday Ritual

  • Stacey / Create a Balance

    Mimi – I’m working on having more and more givingaways on my blog. They are very fun to organize!

    Patricia     – Enjoy the book and your travel adventures.

  • Judy Rodgers

    Hi Stacy, I am going back to an post from 3 weeks ago when you raised the interesting subject of what to do when you have people around you who drain your energy. I think the “Woman of God,” Dadi Janki would say that we need to learn to be detached and loving. It is important not to just be detached as that can be a justification for pushing people away. But being detached and loving means to let go of the push-pull bonds we can have with these people and to look at them with pure feelings and good wishes. Of course each situation is different, but in essence we are saying “good wishes to you” — “may things go well for you with this issue you are raising,” but not to get pulled into an old issue or situation. Continued congratulations on your good work.
    Judy

  • Sara

    Stacey — I will definitely check out this book. I’m a believer that by giving to others, you receive positive positive energy back and it’s doubled, This, in turn, makes it easier to keep on giving. In addition, giving to others authentically gives me a great sense of peace and connection with the Universe.

    Thanks for letting us know about this interesting book:~)

    • Stacey / Create a Balance

      Judy – Thank you for bringing up the concept of detaching. I hear what you are saying and will be meditating on this concept.

      Sara – I’m beginning to focus my balance on Me Time vs. Giving Time. It’s interesting managing the balance.

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