I've been thinking about the people who've shaped the way I see fulfilment. 

If I had to pick my four biggest inspirations, they'd be like the suits in a deck of cards. Each one unique, yet together they make the perfect hand.

Perhaps that sounds cheesy.

But life has certainly dealt me some winning teachers.

So without further ado, here are the suits in my deck of cards. 

Leading with:

Hearts (Michael Neill)

Michael’s program Creating the Impossible was when the penny dropped for me. 

It was when I saw that my experience of life is up to me. 

I used to think my job was stressful, my workload was overwhelming and the corporate system itself was a big, fat, hairy con. But two-thirds of the way through Michael's program, it dawned on me that no circumstance is inherently anything until I think it is. 

With this penny dropping came so much freedom, choice and peace that I knew I had to go deeper into Michael’s world. 

A couple of years ago I ponied up $5k for Michael’s Genius Catalyst Certification. 

This was my entry point into transformative coaching and a bloody good investment to boot. For instance, the program was the spark for the 40+ Mindset & Clarity workshops I’ve run for my esteemed banking colleagues over the last 12 months.

And I’m only just getting started with these...

Next up, a diamond geezer:

Diamonds (Paul Millerd)

Paul opened my eyes to the fact that quitting my job didn’t need to be a terrible mistake. He also put words to feelings I’d had about my job for years and helped me see that I wasn't the only person questioning what Paul calls “the default path”.

If I hadn’t quit my job, I wouldn't have started writing and coaching. And it was Paul’s book, The Pathless Path, that lit a small fire under me and showed me that yes, there are absolutely other ways to approach working life (even if you’re working a 9 to 5!)

If you’re interested in the world of work or you’re questioning the role of work in your life, The Pathless Path is essential reading. 

Next, my wild card:

Clubs (Rupert “The Spiralizer” Spira)

I had no idea what The Spiralizer was banging on about when I started listening to his podcasts and watching his YouTube videos. 

Even so, something made me keep going back. Maybe it was his posh, silky smooth voice and his knack for making gobbledegook sound profound.

But over time, things started to click. Some of what Rupert was pointing to started to make sense. Sure, I’m just starting out on my non-dual journey and I’m not pretending otherwise. But through The Spiralizer I’ve been introduced to a new world where sages, gurus and mystics explore the mysteries of the universe. It’s a world which fascinates me and feels very alive for me right now.

A few months ago, I jetted off to my first Rupert Spira retreat in a small town near Oslo. 

I came away from the retreat seeing the difference between knowing about myself and simply knowing myself. 

I loved it and I’m sure it was my first Spiralizer retreat of many.

Finally, the ace up my sleeve:

Spades (Wayne Dyer)

I’ve been banging the drum for “The Father of Motivation” since I started this newsletter over three years ago.

Wayne is one of the OGs of the personal development world. His first book (Your Erroneous Zones) is still one of the best-selling books of all time and his speaking tours were selling out Wembley decades before Coldplay and Taylor Swift.

To put it in perspective, I have more Wayne Dyer books lining my dusty bookshelves than any other author (and that’s really saying something!).

But it was his book 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace which really hit me between the eyes.

In fact, it was one specific passage in the book which helped me see that I was waiting to live my life instead of actually LIVING my life, even as the weeks, months and years were flying by.

This is the same short passage which has inspired my new coaching program, The Music Inside You.

This program is a journey back to the bubbling source of joy, energy and aliveness that makes life sing. It's a way to stop waiting for permission and start dancing with life right now, in this very moment.

I’ve been dropping hints about the program for the last couple of weeks. 

But the hints are over.

Tomorrow, we go live. And I can't wait to share all the details with you.

If The Music Inside You has got you curious, keep your eyes peeled on your inbox.

Until then, if you’d like to listen to Wayne himself musing about The Music Inside You, you'll enjoy this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOkNkcZ_THA&t=480s

Just flip to the 8 minute mark and press play.

To fulfilment, 

Tom