Perhaps Autism is a Spiritual Experience

My cousin Adam is autistic. He’s one of the lucky ones. He’s a functional autistic now in his late 40’s and working as a gas station attendant.

My most vivid memory of our childhood was him coming to visit on Christmas Day. My father always had a full fire going in the fireplace to warm us in the cold Detroit weather. When Adam came by he took a seat on the couch in front of the fireplace and stayed there the entire visit. Sometimes I would watch him as he sat there and occasionally rocked quietly. At first I would go to him and sit nearby and say a few words. But as he rocked and fixated on the fire it was clear that he was not going to answer me.

His mother, my first cousin taught him to communicate through sign language. Evidently this was a great decision for him because I believe that this is part of the reason he is functional in society today. 

As I watched him I used to imagine being inside of his head. He seemed like he had some type of communication going on but it was within himself. In my mind I thought he was just talking to God. He seemed to have a full life inside of his head and he just tuned all of us out – almost as if we were the invisible ones.

Later when I majored in early childhood development in college I would often think of Adam. Part of my education was learning about autism. Then as I moved into a focus on children’s spirituality I deepened my interest in autism. I observed more children and read more research and drew my own conclusions.

Perhaps autism is a deeply spiritual experience.

Quite frankly as I got older I met other people who reminded me of Adam in various ways. I began to learn that some people have a deep connection with an inner voice that speaks to them daily. All of us have this inner voice but some people focus on it quite a bit. At the other extreme are people who are so focused on the outer world that they do not even recognize that the inner world exits. I’ve learned that to some degree people who are deeply spiritual have a deep focus on this inner voice.

People who are autistic have a deep focus on their inner voice. Perhaps it is a deep connection with the spiritual side within them. Perhaps their communication connects them with a world of unseen supporters that we believe in but cannot access. Perhaps people with autism are the liaisons to connect us to our heavenly reality. Perhaps autism is a deeply spiritual experience. 

So often when people are different from the norm we spend lots of time, money and energy trying to get them to conform to the norm. While the norm is important for our cohesiveness as a society, learning from those who are outside of the norm is also important. So perhaps our approach to autism could be one of learning from them to understand more about our own spiritual connection. And maybe through sign language we can learn more about what is going on inside of the minds of those autistics who benefit from sign language. 

Or maybe we just need to sit by the fireplace with those who are autistic or who are deeply focused on their inner world. If this is what autism is – a spiritual experience – there are many of us on the planet would could benefit by being a little autistic.

Norma T. Hollis, America’s Leading Authentic Voice Doctor® helps people find, live and share their authentic voice. Norma offers various authenticity products, programs and seminars across the country focused on personal development, leadership, youth, women and professional speaking. Take Norma’s Authenticity Assessment and participate in the free Authentic Tuesday calls to live more abundantly with authenticity. These gifts are available at www.GiftsFromNorma.com.

The Grand Alignment

Every 26,000 the universe known as the Milky Way experiences a phenomenon known as the Grand Galactic Alignment. This is a time when all of the nine planets of the Milky Way are aligned in a way that apparently only happens every 26,000 years. The last time it occurred was before humans inhabited the earth so we have no knowledge of what this grand alignment will mean or what it will do.

Some say that this Grand Alignment will create great havoc within the planet. They speculate that there will be more earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes and other cataclysmic weather events. These doomsday promoters cite the recent increase in hurricanes, tornados, tsunamis and earthquakes in several parts of the world. Some even predict that the planet will shift and life on the planet will cease to exist.

Others believe that this alignment means changing the consciousness of humans so that we become more cooperative rather than competitive. We see this now in the term ‘conscious entrepreneur’ and the effort in many corporate arenas to include spirituality in the workplace. Those parts of our society that formerly were focused on hard core capitalism are softening to a more cooperative rather than competitive way of life.

The recognition of the Grand Galactic Alignment comes from predictions of the ancient Mayan and ancient Egyptian civilizations. Because they didn’t have the ability to predict beyond this alignment their prediction was that when the Grand Galactic Alignment occurred the world would end. The actual date that these and other civilizations predicted is this year, December 21. Actually it is not difficult to predict the date that these planets are in alignment because it is based on scientific data about how the planets circulate around the sun. But what we cannot accurately predict is what this alignment will mean to our planet, our way of life, our consciousness and ultimately our existence as a human race.

There is a lot of research about how the planets affect us as they travel around the sun. This is the field of astrology and there is a great deal of verifiable research on many levels. We also know how different planets affect each of us based on their travel around the sun and their changing energetic pull on us. But we don’t know what happens when they are all aligned together. 

As we wait for December 21, 2012 we can be aligning our own lives. The more we are aligned personally the more we will enjoy the benefits of the upcoming Grand Galactic Alignment. As humans we are given the great gift of free choice. As the planets make their authentic alignment we can do the same with our own lives. It just means making the choice.

As the Grand Galactic Alignment takes place and the nine planets attain alignment I encourage you to align your own life. My personal suggestion – connect with the energy that fuels your life. When you can recognize then connect with this energy you create an authentic alignment within yourself. Then no matter what the Grand Galactic Alignment does to the planet and its people, your personal alignment will keep you joyful, purposeful and abundant!

Finding Our Authentic Message as Speakers

As speakers we often struggle to find the right topic to speak about. Some of us look to our passion and identify things that we really get excited about or things that really make us angry. Others go to their experiences – maybe the challenges or really good experiences from the past. Still others focus on their background and what has become their expertise. Each of these are great foundations for finding the message to focus on as a speaker. But the true test of whether your topic is your most appropriate one is to examine its authenticity in relationship to you.

So ask yourself these three basic questions about your topic as a speaker.

1. Is it the message of your life?

Each person’s life tells a story. Your message should reflect the story of your life whether it comes from your passion, experience or expertise. When your message reflects your life it grows with you as you grow in speaking. You gain more experiences and you can continue to discuss your experiences in sync with your message because it is the message of your life. Do you know your life’s message? Looking at the thread that ties your life together gives you a chance to see its story. Finding your message is like uncovering buried treasure. It takes time and is well worth it because this is the foundation of a great speaker.

1. How does your message reflect your past?

If your message represents the thread of your life then if reflects your past. You have stories that support your message and your experiences. You have humor and sadness. When you add both to a presentation you engage your audience in ways that go beyond just facts. And when your message reflects your thread and your past you have a message that is authentic. 

1. How will your message grow with your future?

The perspective that I share with you is grounded in the thread of your life. Once you uncover the thread and see how it unfolds you gain confidence in your future. If you capture your thread and build on it then everything you do in your future will also spring from this thread. So it will grow with your future because it is the root of your past.

Once you understand that speaking authentically means speaking form your core, you will find it easy to uncover any message you are trying to share. It starts with knowing your personal core and the message of your life. Speaking authentically means speaking from your passion, experience and/or expertise. And it means growing with your message as you grow with your speaking ability.

Take time to be clear on your thread and your message and you will shave years off your learning curve as a successful professional speaker.

Norma T. Hollis, America’s Leading Authentic Voice Doctor® helps speakers find, live and share their authentic voice. A former owner of a speakers bureau, online directory of speakers, as well as a speaker, facilitator, author and coach to speakers, Norma helps speakers step into their authenticity. She is building a network of speakers and coaches known as Authenticity Ambassadors who she certifies to deliver her Authentic Voice System. Learn more about Norma and her authenticity program at http://www.GiftsFromNorma.com 

The Voice of the Children

In my first career as an early childhood specialist I learned a lot about children and how they display their natural gifts and talents. The concept of natural gifts and talents was discussed somewhat in the classrooms of my early childhood education training however the true learning took place observing children in actual child care settings. 

In the preschool classroom children have the option of playing in several different corners of the room. If they like art they can go to the paint section and paint a picture on a small easel or use crayons at a table. Children who are physical can play on the jungle gym while others can play house in the dramatic play area. Then there’s free play, puzzle, music or any of the other creative ways that teachers give children to express themselves.

Interesting how this freedom of expression is generally only available during the preschool years. As children get older the school focus is more academic and the rote memorization of letters, words, numbers and rules. There’s also the need to stay in line whether sitting in the classroom or walking as a group to the bathroom or lunch room. 

I’m not saying that this way of providing structural organization is bad. Quite the contrary. We are a huge society and we require certain structures in order to be orderly and civil. But what I am saying is that sometimes we focus so heavily on the order and structure that we forget to return to the creative.

As human beings we are basically very creative animals. It is quite evident in our preschool years when we move freely from one way of creative expression to another. However by the time we become adults we have gone through a process of maximizing our memorization skills and minimizing our creativity unless we had parents with the will and the resources to develop our creativity. Otherwise we become products of public school systems whose focus is on getting the masses through the process rather than highlighting the creativity of the individuals.

As a result, the voice of the children often gets lost in the effort of parents and society as a whole to just get us through the process. And in the process the individual voice of creativity often gets set aside and the children adapt rote memorization and ‘get a job’ attitude that most people conclude is the only option in life.

However when children have the opportunity to find their voice at an early age they grow with self-esteem and self-empowerment. When children can tap their creativity they have a fresh view of the world and themselves. And when they are able to find career paths that utilize their natural gifts and talents, they get the opportunity to share their voice with the world in ways that school might never have taught. 

If you are a parent, grandparent, godparent, teacher, caregiver or in any other capacity where you have the ability to impact the children in your life, remember to look for and develop their creative nature. That’s the part that makes each child unique and is the foundation of their authentic voice. Please take time and listen to the voice of the children in your life.

Norma T. Hollis is America’s Leading Authentic Voice Doctor®. An author of several books and founder of the Authenticity Movement, the Authenticity Grid and the nine dimensions of authenticity, Norma also applies the concepts of authenticity to her advocacy for field of children’s spirituality. She’s a strong believer of helping children find, live and share their authentic gifts and talents as the clue to uncovering their path in life. She also sees authenticity as the path to life fulfillment. Norma offers numerous programs and services to help parents and caregivers raise authentic children. Claim free gifts and learn more at http://www.GiftsFromNorma.com.

Your Voice

Everyone’s life tells a story. It’s like a message that lives within as our activities uncover a trail of experiences that become our story. Our story unfolds one day at a time as we seek to resolve everyday issues that frequently become lifelong journeys. In the process we inspire ourselves to move forward if for no other reason than because there are no other viable alternatives.

As we enter into the second quarter of the year we continue to write our own story. Some of us enter the second quarter with an assessment of the previous three months and strategic plans to accomplish for the incoming quarter. Others approach it in a creative frame of mind allowing life to flow as it presents itself. Still others find an approach that falls between these two perspectives. Each path reveals a different route to authenticity.

Finding your authentic path is really important. In our youth we struggle to find out who we are and what we want to do with our life. At that time we have very little perspective about what life is and even who we are in the world. And sometimes once we get into the world we find that our view of ourselves gets challenged as we learn views that we never even considered before. 

Those who are lucky find career paths that honor their natural gifts and talents. Those who have the greatest internal drive find that they become entrepreneurs because it’s the most effective way to authentically express self. The lucky ones outmaneuver the financial world yet most live a life of passion that seems to be married to struggle. The really lucky ones become an overnight success that only takes 15 years to build.

This is the path of authenticity. Knowing who you are and being it, no matter what. As you enter the second quarter of the year you have the opportunity to make a new commitment to invite authenticity into your life. Will you?

The Intelligence of the Heart

Over the last several decades a lot of research has been uncovered about intelligence. Previous ideas that intelligence was strictly a brain activity have been tempered with new perspectives. Rather than our intelligence lying solely within our head, it has recently been found that there is an important intelligence that lies within our heart. And some believe that heart intelligence is more impactful than head intelligence.

The heart will lead you to where you want to go in life. When you follow the passion that lives within your heart you have greater joy and generally things just work out for you. You have put your heart intelligence to work. Making that connection is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Here’s some ways to connect with your heart intelligence:

1. Listen

Your heart speaks through your inner voice. Set aside time to be silent and listen to yourself. This can be done by just sitting still and listening to yourself breathe. As you focus on your breathing and get more relaxed you will be able to ‘hear’ your heart speak through thoughts, feelings, memories, visions – different people receive their intelligence in different ways. Learn to ‘listen’ to how your heart speaks to you.

1. Respect Your Passion

Your passion is reflected in your gifts and talents. What do you really love to do? Are you doing it? How often? Whatever you are passionate about is what you will be happy doing on a day to day basis. When you do this you enable your heart to create its own language. The peace and freedom that your heart will feel when it is connected to passion is the energy that drives you to success. Listen so you can find then respect your passion.

1. Trust the Process

Once you learn to receive the message from your heart and give it respect, it will be time for you to learn to trust it. I also call it your inner or intuitive voice. Most of us have times when our voice is trying to tell us to do or not to do something and we don’t trust it. Therefore we find ourselves frequently saying “I know I should have…”. How often do you say this? When you learn to accept that your heart has intelligence maybe you will accept that it communicates with you, just like your brain does. But the language of the heart is feelings, thoughts, ideas, hopes and dreams.  Trust the language and allow it to lead and direct you.

Sometimes the only defect within ourselves is our unwillingness to be our self. When we are connected to our heart intelligence we have the greatest opportunity to know and be our authentic self.

Norma T. Hollis, America’s Leading Authentic Voice Doctor® helps people find, live and share their authentic voice. Norma offers various authenticity products, programs and seminars across the country focused on personal development, leadership, youth, women and professional speaking. Take Norma’s Authenticity Assessment and participate in the free Authentic Tuesday calls to live more abundantly with authenticity. These gifts are available at www.GiftsFromNorma.com.

Foundations for the Future

The things you do today are the template for things you will do tomorrow. It’s also the role model for the history that the children around you will remember. People detect your authenticity by the things that you do and the energy that you emit. You create history by the things that you think, say and do. What history does your life tell?

I have recently been working very hard on myself. My history includes traumatic pain that I experienced in my first decade of life. It became evident to me that my challenge with moving forward with my success was stuck somewhere in my history. As I analyzed my situation I realized that the pain of medication being placed directly on my exposed eardrum caused some changes in my thinking that ceased serving me decades ago. Yet I was still holding on to that history. I had not made the necessary ‘tweaks’ to align myself with the thinking required now. But getting back to this history to reprogram it required very conscious effort.

As I talked with friends and listened to various people talk about the challenges in their lives I began to realize that so many of us spend so many decades reprogramming situations we experienced in our childhood. The history of our childhood stays with us throughout our life. Some of us have historical memories that empower us and others that haunt us. And our authenticity is built on this history.

Consider the history that you are exposing to the children in your world. Examine the areas in your life where you might ‘tweak’ thoughts, words or actions to be an empowering role model. The people in your world who look up to you will appreciate these foundations you are creating for their future.

Is it time for a transition in your life?

Transitions take place all the time. Becoming authentic means making transitions from patterns of inauthenticity into a constant state of seeking truth. Sometimes we get so caught up with our goals and desires that we don’t even examine whether or not we are stepping into truth. With my constant focus on authenticity I find myself in this state of mind from time to time too.

Currently I’m making another transition in my life. For years I have had health challenges that require me to be very aware of what I eat. Two years ago I thought I had resolved my dietary challenges then found myself with kidney stones and the need to transition my diet again. Now I’m at a similar place as I step into eating 80% raw food. Since last year was my first year since age 7 that I have not had an ear infection, I’ve learned that transitioning my diet and staying within a certain weight range is the answer to my health challenges. Yet getting and staying there requires great discipline on my part. It’s another transition.

At the other side of transitions is usually a new view of self and the world. We make transitions in order to enable new patterns of thought, communication and/or action to take place in our life. If you are looking for a change in your life, look for the transition that you can make to create new values and step into a new view of you. And this is stepping into your authenticity. 

Are We a Civil Society?

How long are we going to continue to promote a society where children have access to guns and are so angry and out of control that they use them on their classmates? Life has always been hard – every generation has its challenges. As a matter of fact, our challenges as humans going through the process of being human – our challenges are the same, no matter which generation we are born into. Women go through the challenge of monthly cycles to produce children then finance them and care for them – pretty much for the rest of their life in one way or another. Likewise men have the similar challenge without having to actually give birth. We all have the challenge of getting along with each other. We deal with envy, greed, anger, disappointment and sometimes rage in ways that hopefully are acceptable to society. And it seems to me that society has some responsibility in offering ways to help us adjust to life’s challenges. Thus my focus on raising authentic children and teaching them at an early age to recognize and deal with the issues of being human, including emotions.

These are some of the things I wonder about when it comes to how our society is structured to raise children.

• What provisions do we make to help children deal with their emotional development? Are there any classes on ‘being human’ – helping children learn how to recognize and manage their emotions – love, fear, anger, etc. Is this a standard part of school curriculums or only dealt with when there are emergencies?
• How do children get the opportunity to learn about “who” they are? I’m talking about the spirit of the child and understanding the voice that speaks within. Now I’m not referring to religious education where churches help children understand church doctrine. I’m talking about helping the child identify feelings they may be experiencing and identifying responsible ways to deal with their feelings. 

One of the wonderful beauties of being human is being able to feel emotions. Being able to manage emotions is what makes us a civil society. A civil society makes ways for its members to maximize their potential for the benefit of the overall society. How are you doing this for the children in your world?

A “Rush” to Authenticity

Thank you Rush Limbaugh! 

I’m happy that you can’t help but to be your authentic self. You have just done what many have attempted to do for years – unite us and get the Authenticity Movement® started!

Your recent comments about college student Sandra Fluke succeeded in giving you the shock factor you crave. I know this is who you are and why as a society we even know your name. What I guess you didn’t bank on was how un-bankable these comments would be. And you have exposed how ‘the old boys’ support each other. Thanks for the continued revelation.

But now that you have been so authentically transparent, the country has rightfully stood up to you and your outrageous remarks. Even some of the old boys are backing away. I guess when they got home and faced the women in their life they were struck with a personal reality hit them in the face – or maybe in some other body part. Do you think your male support will put you over pillow talk?

It’s evident that you also didn’t consider that women make 90% of the buying decisions for their households. And guess what – they are not buying you! Now that it is touching your pocketbook do you admit that you’ve gone too far? But then again maybe you haven’t. Because if you hadn’t opened your mouth and spouted what you did, the Authenticity Movement wouldn’t be gaining such momentum.

For me, your words have had a great benefit. I’ve often wondered where to find authenticity in America. People seemed to be quite apathetic and most seemed to not only believe but be deeply influenced by what television, billboards and other media advertisements were telling them. I wondered if people could see through the multitude of efforts that are made to separate people from their money for things that have little meaning and less need in their lives. But people do it all the time and focus on things more than people. But you changed all that Rush. You tapped the soul of many people who like me, have been looking for the incident that would get the movement started. And you helped create the “Rush” to Authenticity.

First you have united the women. We are only eight years away from the hundred year anniversary of the woman’s suffrage movement. I guess you started Movement #2. Thanks Rush. Women of all ages, ethnicities and roles have been stepping out from everywhere to protest you and your ideas. And we have you to thank for it.

Secondly you have aroused the Millennial Generation. I am so proud of them. Unlike you and many of your supporters, these young people value human dignity and put great value in building a society that honors collaboration over competition. They seek a world of authenticity.

And third – isn’t it interesting when the same thing you used to discredit us is what is used to discredit you? Now it’s not just media, it’s social media and these women Millennial’s understand it and use it with great efficiency. 

So thank you Rush for getting the Authenticity Movement started. You have touched the hearts of those in our world who truly believe we are here to get along with authentic respect for each other throughout our journey in life. The world and its opinions don’t belong to you and your posse. It’s a different world now and you either join it or step aside while we get the Authenticity Movement started.

Norma T. Hollis, America’s Leading Authentic Voice Doctor® is the founder of the Authenticity Movement, an effort honor the authentic gifts and talents within each of us and be the person we were born to be. Take the Authenticity Assessment and receive other free gifts at GiftsFromNorma.com.

The Academy Awards of Politics

Did you watch the Oscars? I was at a friend’s home playing cards with my monthly group of bid whist players. This month we decided to have a different kind of fun and dressed like one of the characters. Since my name is Norma Jean my friends encouraged me to dress as Marilyn Monroe. So I did.

I showed up in one of my mother’s gowns, did my makeup like Marilyn including the mole on the face and even put on a blonde wig. As a matter of fact I won the award as the best costume although when I looked in the mirror I didn’t recognize Marilyn or myself.

As I watched the awards my mind drifted to the presidential campaign. I’m not aware of an academy award type celebration for political candidates so I pondered what that would look like. I examined the list of 24 award categories that are presented and considered whether any of these awards would fit our current candidates.

I found a few that were relevant then I looked at them through the eyes of authenticity. I am an authority on public speaking and finding your authentic voice, so I’m beginning to look at these political candidates in this light. I created my own awards based on the authenticity of the candidates. Here’s my take:

Best Screenplay Adaptation - Mitt Romney gets this award for his skill at attempting to adapt his personality and voice to the interests of the voters. Romney adapts the screen play not just to play to voters. He changes the script to appease Super Pac supporters, middle class America, women, his hometown, even it seems…his principles.

Best Animated Short Film – Speaker Newt Gingrich for the passionately animated way he expresses himself. He’s the most animated of all the candidates. You can always count on his passion although you might not have a clue what he’s going to say. 

Best Documentary Feature - Ron Paul who keeps you thinking and keeps the story going. 

Because he is great researcher his story is a great documentary. There is consistency in values, beliefs and integrity.

Best Film Editing - Rick Santorum for his skill at extracting edits to meet personal views. Santorum has great skill at taking universal concepts and extracting the part that meets his personal views then imposing his belief system on all of us.

Best Original Story – President Barack Obama for his success at utilizing innovative practices to claim presidential success. As the first president to win through social media campaigning he has created an original way to keep the conversation going.

And one final award:

Best Display of Authenticity

I selected this topic because I am America’s Leading Authentic Voice Doctor® and an authority on assessing authenticity in people and organizations. When I apply the concepts of authenticity to the political candidates I’m actually surprised at what I discovered because the winner is: Rick Santorum.

The reason I selected Santorum is because he has such an authentic way of sharing his beliefs. His message is consistent and unmistakable. While we may not agree with his belief system he is steadfast in it, one of the tenets of authenticity. What you see is what you get and that too is authenticity. Only thing is that it doesn’t resonate authentically with so many people. Even though he wins the Best Display of Authenticity award, Santorum may not be the authentic solution in this election.

Presidential candidates often have script writers to write, edit and research their script. But as the populace we generally don’t have that luxury. So who is writing your script?