There are things that happen “naturally”, without you searching for them intentionally. This is what happened to me when I came across “The Middle Path”, a song by a very young artist from Holland: Michelle van Min.
Michelle is a singer-songwriter with her own and particular sound and a fresh and deep voice. In my opinion she has all the makings of a genuine artist. And I wish her success in the music world and bliss in life. Here you are two videos of her. Since I like watching and listening to the artists live, one of the videos is a live performance of Michelle van Min in The Hague at the Showcase Talent Event 2011 on podium Musicon (you can see her playing and singing ”The Middle Path” and some other songs; the second video is the official ”The Middle Path”. This song is about what the right way to live is. Do we really listen to each other? Do we express our feelings to someone we love?
“My main priority is to let people feel what I feel, my love for music and the World” Michelle van Min.
To read the orginal article by Dr Amit Nagpal, please visit merinews or click HERE.
Good Manner 1
Social media is all about sharing your talents and skills.
Zig Ziglar rightly says, ‘You can have anything you want as long as you give people enough of what they want’. Become likeable and respectable by sharing wisdom and good content that you come across. ‘Service before Self’ is the motto of National Defence Academy, India. The same philosophy applies to social media.
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Observe people before getting too friendly
First observe people what they like, how they behave, what they share and what kind of posts they comment on. Then slowly become friendly by offering help. You need to be extra sensitive when dealing with people of other cultures and young women for example. Many people get turned off by over-friendly behavior and may think that you have a hidden agenda…
If you wish to keep on reading this interesting article, please click HERE.
Dr Amit Nagpal is a Personal Branding Consultant and specializes in Personal Branding with a holistic touch. He is based in New Delhi, India. His philosophy is, “Take charge of your life and your brand”
On 21st October 2011, at the Ateneo de Madrid, we had our 9th Coachtulia (coaching + tertulia; “tertulia” is the Spanish word for “gathering”). This time the topic was the second part of our previous coachtulia on systemic coaching. Pilar Fernández and Paco Torres were in charge of the preparation of this coachtulia’s topic.
Pilar Fernández did a demostration of a family constellation with one of the attendees.
Our next Coachtulia will be held on 11/11/11 at Ateneo de Madrid and it will be surprising, because we will be celebrating the 10th Coachtulia after one year of existence already!! See you there.
9th Practical Philosophy & Music Therapy Conference
On a Philosophical Praxis. Reality, Life & Knowledge.
Presenting:Victoria Caro Bachelor on Philosophy and Education Science and Dramatic Arts
Secretary of “Sección de Filosofía” from Ateneo de Madrid
Salón de Actos – Ateneo de Madrid
Tuesday, 1st November.
11:00 am – 06:00 pm
Free entrance
Opening: Sr. D. Ilia Galán
PhD & Professor of Aesthetic and Arts Theory, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.
President of the “Sección de Filosofía” from Ateneo de Madrid
16:00 – 18:00 Café Filosófico (philosophical gathering) at La Cantina del Ateneo “Philosophy into practice”
Coordinated by: Óliver Álvarez
Organized by: Ateneo de Madrid, Agrupación de Retórica y Elocuencia
& Victoria Caro
Collaborating: Ediciones B, Ágora-Agrupación para el Diálogo, Nuestra Ágora, Luces Acción Teatro, Tatira Teatro & Penicilina Filosófica
My first contact with Liberia was through the Liberian social entrepreneur Tina Kpan. I had the honor and privilege to spent some memorable days with her in Madrid a little bit more than a year ago, during the 1st African and Spanish Women Enterpreneurs Meeting organised by Fundación Mujeres. I wrote two articles about her in this blog already: “Make your gift a profession” and “Tina Kpan: prize to her work and business project in Liberia”
Now I would like to take the chance to congratulate all women in the World (specially Liberian and African women) for the Peace Nobel Prize 2011 awarded to Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (President of Liberia and first woman who became a president in an African country), Leymah Gbowee (Liberian activist who helped to put an end to the second civil war in her country) and Tawakkul Karman (politician from Yemen and human rights activist). In my opinion, the prize awarded to Mrs Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is much more deserved than the one awarded to Mr Barak H. Obama in 2009.
When I met Tina Kpan, I was impressed by her perseverance and positive energy. And I would like to honor her by posting one of the videos we recorded back in 2010:
I got to know about György Sebök thanks to the wise comments that the pianist and coach Eliane Lust makes on her Facebook wall, which I recommend you to follow. Around one year ago, Eliane posted a comment and a video about her old master. I watched it and I got captivated by György Sebök’s words and by his performance of Ferruccio Busoni’s transcription of the Adagio BWV 564 by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Born in Hungary, György Sebök was a pianist, great pedagogue and distiguished professor at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music from 1962 until his dead on November 14, 1999.
Here you are my transcription of Professor Sebök’s words in this interesting video from TV channel Arte:
“It’s a kind of personal confession. After the war there was a time that I was suffering from not suffering. I had the feeling that I inhibited all my feelings and my reactions to any thing, not just music. One had to overcome all kind of feelings, primitive ones like fear or being in danger of life at many times. The aim was not to really feel deeply, even it was the opposite. It was to survive and the price of surviving is not to feel. And that not to feel, sooner or later, includes music itself. And then after the war, life started again and I had the feeling that music is obviously something wonderful, but the connection to the essence of it was lost. I knew, it’s obviously wonderful, it’s beautiful [he plays piano]. Yes it was acknowledging of beauty or greatness, but playing that transcription [he plays piano again] And after the long toccata comes… [he plays again] And I felt something very strange: my throat, some strings that were not functioning started to vibrate.”
I would like to dedicate this beautiful music to the the relatives and friends of Steve Jobs, who recently passed away. Likewise, I dedicate this beautiful music to all those people who have lost a beloved one recently. May your throat strings vibrate!
On October 5, 2011, Steve Jobs passes away… Steve was the founder of Apple and creator of Mac along with Steve Wozniak. Here you are his great commencement speech at Stanford University. R.I.P. Steve Jobs
Tell us something about your unique coaching style or greatness coaching.
First of all, I would really like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about this. The greatness coaching idea came a couple of years ago when I read a “great” book by Stephen R. Covey, The 8th habit, explaining how to shift from just effectiveness to greatness, that is, finding your “voice” and helping others to find their own voices, too. And this taking advantage of our body, mind, heart and spirit intelligences. I am also influenced by the neuroscience and the work of Howard Gardner, specially his five minds for the future: disciplinary, synthesizing, creating, respectful and ethical.
Reformulating Mark Twain words: Do not be parted with your dreams and illusions for when you cease to live, they will keep on existing; the true transcendence is to transcend… in the others. This is something I learnt from Carmen Cayuela, a Spanish PCC Coach specialised in Emotional Intelligence.
I believe there is something great in all of us, we just have to find what it is. When people talk about achieving goals, they mainly think in terms of “effectiveness”, which is good, but what happens if our ultimate goal is greatness instead? I believe we open a new space for coaching where transpersonality plays a key role. And this leads to transleadership. Lately, I am also following the work of a great transleader I am learning from: Jennifer Sertl.
What is the importance of communication to achieve greatness? Can you elaborate with some client /coaching experiences?
Who is the person you talk the most for the whole of your life? It is you! We are continuously talking to ourselves, communicating with ourselves. And this inner communication affects the way you communicate with others. And otherwise: the way you communicate with others affects the way you communicate with yourself. What is the basis of a coaching session? Communication. And this communication within a coaching relationship requires empathic listening and silence from the coach, too. Silence can be very telling.
I have met many people from very different culture, nationalities and walks of life and, in my experience, the common thing to sort out conflicts has been communication which, as I said, involves a big deal empathic listening. Before I became a freelance coach, I used to implement coaching in the way I led (you “manage” things and “lead” people) working teams. I remember I was once assigned to a project in New Caledonia for a closing of operations. I knew quite in advance that the goal of the company I was working for at that time was to do the closing and send people home. So, basically, I would be the one sending those people home and I had three months time to deal with the situation. I will not go deep into detail, but…
Dr Amit Nagpal is MBA (Marketing) and a PhD in New Media & Digital Marketing. He has been associated with the field of Branding & Media Management for the past 15 years. He had a heady start in his career with Cadbury India Ltd in Sales. He has worked in middle management positions with Sage Publications and Sahara TV where he was involved in several product launches, media relations and brand building activities. At WLC (Wigan and Leigh College) as HoD-Management, he was involved in creation of world class content for new subjects (including Digital Media) as well as development of process based training pedagogy.
His blog, “The Joys of Teaching” (A Blog on Life Mantras for Sustainable Success) is read in 100 plus countries and the numbers continue to rise as the words spread day by day.
Last Friday, 16th September 2011, at the Ateneo de Madrid, we had our 8th Coachtulia (coaching + tertulia; “tertulia” is the Spanish word for “gathering”). This time the topic was coaching, family constellations and systemic coaching. Pilar Fernández and Paco Torres were in charge of the preparation of this coachtulia’s topic. Pilar Fernandez presented the family constellations and his creator Bert Hellinger.
8th Coachtulia participants. Ateneo de Madrid.
We also had a bit of time to do a little demo of a systemic coaching case. The next coachtulia will be held in October and we will continue to learning about systemic coaching with some study cases with Pilar Fernández and Paco Torres.
There are things that happen “naturally”, without you searching for them intentionally. This is what happened to me when I came across “The Middle Path”, a song by a very young artist from Holland: Michelle van Min.
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On 21st October 2011, at the 
Dr Amit Nagpal is 
