Re-printed with permission from the May 5th edition of the Present Moments Newsletter from Hay House for the upcoming Hay House World Summit. To join the mailing list and learn more, visit the Hay House World Summit site.
Hello Friend,
This week, I have one of the easiest columns to write. It’s about someone I know very well since she’s our Event Director and I’ve been working with her for more than a decade. I’m talking about Nancy Levin. About a month ago, we offered Nancy a publishing contract and as of today’s release of her newest book, Jump…and Your Life Will Appear, she will be an official Hay House author.
With her warm and gregarious personality, Nancy has been such a dynamic force behind the success of our I Can Do It! Events. I didn’t really know about this other side of her creative talent until a couple years ago. Someone showed me a poem that Nancy wrote for the wedding of our event manager Mollie Langer and her husband Andrew. When I read it, I was very moved by Nancy’s powerful words. The next time I saw her, I said, “Nancy, you’re a real poet” and asked if she would read some of her poems at the opening of our conferences.
As more and more people resonated with her poems, Nancy decided to put together a collection of her favorites and published them with Balboa Press. Her first book was Writing for My Life…Reclaiming the Lost Pieces of Me. Soon, Nancy joined our roster of event speakers and began giving 20-minute talks about her own personal journey.
While journaling about this new chapter in her life and the major changes she was experiencing, Nancy noticed the many valuable lessons she had picked up by working so closely with some of the wisest spiritual teachers of our times—Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Doreen Virtue, Gregg Braden, Cheryl Richardson, Brian Weiss, and more. These were the seeds that eventually sprouted the manuscript for her latest book—Jump…and Your Life Will Appear.
In her new book, Nancy offers 10 steps to help us all get through major changes that we sometimes have to make in our lives. My favorite chapter is about—“Asking for Help,” and you’ll find out why when I tell you my story.
I recently took a week’s vacation in Idaho with my wife Kristina and our kids, Ava and Dane. We just bought some property there and are in the process of building a barn with an apartment above it. If you’re standing where this place is going to be built, you can see an exquisite landscape of giant trees and magnificent snow-capped mountains. It’s absolutely beautiful.
While surveying our backyard, I noticed a clump of dead trees that was obstructing our picturesque view. I anxiously purchased a chainsaw so I could try my hand at clearing some of the older, lifeless trees. Since some of them were more than 60 feet tall, I thought it best to talk to our contractor first. He showed me how to safely cut these trees and clear the brush. I have to admit, I really enjoyed taking on this role of a mountain man in the brisk Idaho weather tackling nature with a chainsaw in hand. I proudly succeeded at cutting several enormous trees, doing it exactly as our contractor instructed.
But in the middle of this fulfilling task, the chain suddenly flew off the saw. Being a guy who doesn’t really like to ask for help, I spent the next three hours trying to get that chain back on. When my wife suggested going back to the store for help, I didn’t want to admit my failure and insisted on doing it myself. I upset everyone around me and even berated myself by thinking what an idiot I was for not being able to do something as simple as putting this chain back in its place.
Finally, I gave up and brought the chainsaw back to the store. Swallowing my pride, I surrendered to the Universe and asked for help. The cashier said he knew what to do and I asked him to show me so I’d learn for the next time. But when he examined the machine closer, he told me that the chain had broken and I would have never gotten it back on! If only I would have just asked for help in the beginning, I would have saved myself and my family hours of anguish.
Later, I sat down with Kristina and my kids and admitted that I had a big problem with asking for help. I wanted to share my feelings with them and let them know what a good lesson this was for me. Then I remembered reading a chapter in Nancy’s book about how we often believe that we’re revealing our weakness when we ask for help.
Nancy’s book Jump…and Your Life Will Appear was especially helpful for me and I think it could help you, too. You may not be cutting down trees anytime soon, but you may find yourself working too hard or worrying too much over something that could be solved by just reaching out for a hand.
As Nancy says, “Imagine a world where everyone feels too selfish to receive. No one would have the profound pleasure of knowing they’ve helped someone else. Know that the world functions in a healthier way with a balanced, steady flow back and forth.”
I’ve included a couple photos of our beautiful view in Idaho. I’ll have to remember to take a video next time.
My best wishes,
Reid Tracy
I share my “Tips to Live By” from the same Hay House communication in my recent post One Different Choice.
