PR Straight Talk

1.  “Vivekananda: Lessons in Classical Yoga” by Swami Vivekananda (edited by Dave DeLuca) is, in my opinion, a spiritual masterpiece.  There are two reasons for this:  first, one can recognize almost instantly that the book is universal, and has relevance for anyone of any religious persuasion; and second, it is simple at the level of profundity.  

I have never read a book that speaks to the reality of the great Oneness that permeates the Universe, existence and our lives, in such a compelling and inspirational manner as does Vivekananda in this wonderful compilation of the great Swami’s own speeches and writings.

I recommend this book highly for seekers and realizers alike.

2.  “From Diversity to Unity: Return to the One Spiritual Source” by Hua-Ching Ni, a great Chinese master who in his youth learned from highly achieved masters in the mountains of China.

The book endeavors to review the objective reality of the world’s great religions, but then works to reintegrate the flow of different cultures and present them as one universal culture.  It’s a wonderful read for people who honor humankind’s diversity, but also see the Unity that transcends diversity.

3.  “The Writings of Florence Scovel Shinn” by Florence Shinn.  Florence Shinn was a pioneer on the subject of the power of positive thinking, the power of the spoken word, and the power of treatments and affirmations.  What a wonderful book, with powerful affirmations and treatments that can make a difference in clearing the cobwebs of the mind, and manifesting abundance and fulfillment in your life.

“Self Matters:  Creating Your Life From The Inside Out” by Dr. Phil McGraw is the best self-help book, both written and audio versions, I’ve ever read or listened to – and I’ve read and listened to many.  Dr. Phil starts out with an essential premise:  we all come into the world with an “authentic self” – and that organic self, filled with natural God-given unique talents and attributes, becomes marred with negative programming and influences from key people in our external lives, at crucial points in our growth and development, that distort who we truly are in terms of how we see ourselves.  We develop a false self-concept.

Until we can break down these key moments, and key influencers in our lives, and the negative messages and belief systems about ourselves we’ve bought into – the path along the journey of life can be rocky and problematic.  Dr. Phil then provides exercises and questions we can give ourselves that help us isolate those moments, and allows us to come into contact with the false messages and false beliefs we’ve absorbed – and by becoming conscious of them – our path to releasing them, and coming into a healing realignment with our authentic selves, can begin.

It’s not that the information is glaringly new – but it is brilliantly and simply presented – from a man who’s obviously not only gone through the process in his own life – but who’s deeply thought through the cause-and-effect relationships, and presents his findings in an upbeat, confident, centered and inspirational style of delivery.  The book reaches, and has impact.

I recommend the book to anyone who’s been through therapy, self-therapy or no therapy.  Dr. Phil seems to be the therapist we all deserved, but didn’t necessarily get.

Some time ago, I realized why I probably chose public relations as a career, and publicity, specifically.  First, I was enough in touch with my “authentic self” to realize I loved to write, and loved to communicate.  I also enjoyed the art of persuasion.  Second, my false or inauthentic self had a great need for approval from the outside – beyond the norm.  Public relations provided a certain satisfaction for the fulfillment of my talent – and my need.  But the latter was somewhat out-of-whack.  I craved getting the approval of editors and producers on a story I had pitched.  And I felt a real down when the proverbial “rejection slip” came along – the “no, not interested.”

I think this is true for a number of my colleagues in this field, as well as literary and entertainment agents.  We live for the approval, and “die” when the rejection comes.  We confuse the approval or disapproval of our pitch, for ourselves.  We believe we’ve been rejected when nothing could be further from the truth.

The way out of this, for me, was to come into greater touch with my authentic self, and develop greater self-respect for who I truly was, and to disassociate rejections from rejection of “moi.”  Perhaps strains of this false belief, that I had to count on approval from journalists for my own self-affirmation, came from the fact that I am the child of parents who survived the Holocaust.  Perhaps I inherited a semi-conscious belief that we are “not good” because society once said so – and that we are embarked on a path where we constantly seek society’s approval.   

The story of how I moved through that is too long for this blog entry – but the turnaround comes from a moment, and recurrent moments – of realization that my self-concept is affirmed by me, from the inside out.  I don’t ultimately need anyone to approve of who I am, or what I’m worth.  My worth – and our worth – is inherently God-given.  I am – and we are – individualized creative expressions of a Higher Power; and so I am perfect just as I was created. 

That led to a moment as a publicist where I no longer invested my own self-definition or self-worth on the approval or disapproval of a journalist’s reception to my pitch of a story idea.  I became “unattached” to the outcome of that pitch.  And when I did that, I noticed that I gained increased respect from journalists – but most important, from myself.

This is by no means a new book, but it was the first book that showed me that science and spirituality converged - and of the possibility that “evolution” and “creation” were not conflicting theories but of one pattern.   Written by a Jesuit priest and paleontologist, Father Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, it lifted my spirits, and for the first time I could see that Life on this planet and in this Universe was purpose-driven and of an intelligent design leading it to ever higher expressions of unfoldment and of the Spirit.

One need not agree with all of Father Teilhard’s theological suppositions to appreciate the majestic possibilities inherent in this book.  This priest/scientist was a truly spiritual man, in the best sense of that word, and this and other books by him (e.g., ”The Divine Milieu”) reveals the thinking of a truly great man. 

Author Bernard Haisch’s views click with my own experiences, sensitivities and speculations thus far.   It appears to me that consciousness is the source, and that materiality arises out of consciousness - not the opposite.  It appears to me that each of us IS an indivualized creative aspect of this larger consciousness, and that our lives are to a significant degree shaped by what we think and what we believe.   It appears to me that this larger consciousness is the moving force behind evolution - and that therefore evolution is true and creationism is true.   One never hears much about the possibility that both are true, rather than one or the other.

It appears to me, too, that since we are moved by the source of consciousness, that this Higher Power gives to us the freedom to choose and that we co-create with God.   God does not micromanage because it is left to us to govern our affairs.   And yet, when in alignment with the ultimate intelligence and goodness of the Creative Power, are choices our healthier and our lives are happier.

It also seems to me that this kind of spirituality speaks to a reality where God lives in us and through us as our higher truth, and that religion, when it departs from the essence of that truth, has historically developed controlling doctrines that have more to do with containing people based on aspects of the mind that are divisive and ego-centered.

In the more spiritual scientific view, there is an ultimate Goodness inherent in life because it is inherent in consciousness. We see and sense this goodness in the ongoing perfection of nature, in the beauty and perfection of beingness in an oak tree, a duck, a puppy or kitten, and so beautifully in a new born baby.

Everything this author writes about corresponds to my own experiences and reflections about the ultimate nature of Reality.

This of course isn’t a new book, but it’s still one of the most popular business self-help books of all time. It was my honor to have represented the book and its author Harvey Mackay in a publicity campaign that turned it into a long-time New York Times best-seller - having sold millions of copies.

The thing about Harvey Mackay is that he is a man who practices what he preaches. He is filled with amazing energy, enthusiasm and a focus on winning. When I was first approached by him to promote his book, he was a first-time, unknown author - and yet his faith in himself, his dedication to research and learning about the process of success as a published author, and my determination to help him achieve his goals, all lent to a very successful publicity campaign.

Harvey distinguished himself far above the average author, with his willingness to do anything I asked him to do, and go anywhere I asked him to go, to interview with the media. One example: after I interested a syndicated columnist out of Cleveland to interview Harvey by phone, Harvey instead jumped on a plane and had lunch with her. This didn’t turn into the planned one-column story - but a week of stories.

Harvey regarded each media placement as a jewel - and treated each journalist he met as a valuable vehicle that would lead to the success of his book. He’s quite a guy.

It’s been my honor to represent this important book and its authors, Phil Smith and Eric Thurman.  Phil is a former Oklahoma and Texas oil executive turned philanthropist, who is now a passionate donor to microcredit projects in the Third World.  Eric, my former boss at Geneva Global, is a microcredit pioneer, and was CEO of HOPE International and Opportunity International.

This is the first book written by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs.  It clearly demonstrates why microcredit (tiny business loans that bootstrap poor working men and women into small businesses of their own, lifting them and their families out of chronic poverty) is the most effective form of charitable giving today.   Microcredit, unlike other forms of giving, doesn’t breed continued dependence, but fosters independence and self-sufficiency.

The forward to this book was written by 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus; and is enthusiastically endorsed by legendary investor Sir John Templeton.

Publisher is McGraw-Hill Business, and the book was personally edited by M-H’s publisher Herb Schaffner.