Nope, I didn't make it...

Unfortunately I didn’t make it to the third round and the Next Top Spiritual Author ends here for me. As you know, I’ve learned a lot from this ‘race’ and my network grew enormously because of it. Behind the scenes we already were working on self publishing Henry’s Vision, so those plans will come into place very soon!
Of course I feel some disappointment, but I’m also looking forward to the new path I can utilize my gained knowledge about marketing and promotion! Thanks again for your enormous support in these lasts months!!!

Tuesday we will know...

The second round is done. Voting is done. Will I be one of the last 25 authors in round 3? We will find out. Tuesday evening (Dutch timezone) the names will be known. Please keep your fingers crossed!!! I know I will:-)

Would you like to know Henry's Vision on (the illusion of) incapacity? You can find it here

New passion...new ''pitch''

As you know - or could know :-) - the Next Top Spiritual Author Coopetition is in it's second round and I thought I was ready...well, basicly I was, but it didn't mean I was done:-) Along this NTSA way I found a new passion: making movies. And Xtra Normal makes it very easy and very fun: you write your scenario down and this site turns it into a movie. How cool is that?
Well, I love it and had a lot of fun creating this interview with a 'kind of Larry King'-figure and myself. Okay, I know I look like Sarah Palin, but that was the only option giving, so I went with it.
This first interview was triggered by an Oprah Winfrey contest. She is looking for ideas for her OWN network, but for some reason (and I trust it's a good one) only Americans can join the challenge. But being Dutch doesn't mean I didn't had any ideas. So I made this movie.
And I had SO much fun, I made another one. A box talking about the meaning of life. It's here.

And...yes...the fun was not over, so I made a second interview on the same subject and for some reason I let ''Larry'' end the interview with a comment about 'talking about your book', so I knew there was gonna be a third one. But before I came to that point, this big game of dominoes flipped over another piece first: a place to put these movies...our own online TV station! So Selfbuilding TV was born and after putting the movies in, I started with the third interview...and it came out so nice, that I decided to change my original pitch with this one! Let me know what you think!

The party starts again!

The second round officially started: we’re open for voting again! Did you vote in the first round? Please use the same data to log in. Thanks in advance!


Although voting is also a part of this next round, a lot is different. Maybe especially with me. On May 18 it was possible to upload the book proposal and so I did. Monday, May 24, voting was added, but for some reason I didn’t felt any urge to ‘jump into the mail’ and ask people to vote. It was no indifference. It felt peaceful. To let it simmer for a while. Trust. Something like that.
So I went on the vote-journey myself and made a Dutch manual for the voting process, so even without any knowledge of the English language people could find their way on the site.


That evening Stuart, one of my NTSA colleagues, had a very useful tip about pasting images into the online book proposal and gratefully I went to work. And it made the proposal even more ‘me’! So it was obvious: this was the reason I hadn’t ask to vote yet! It wasn’t really done yet! And now it was.
But still I didn’t feel like ‘this is a good time to reach out’. Striking, but I just listened to it and let it go. Helped by this major inflammation in a back tooth that needed a root canal treatment. So I did have some distraction…


And Tuesday evening, May 25, Peter forwarded a message. He had ask a interpreter he knew to help us edit Henry’s Vision and to show us his working procedure, he had send a part of the book with his changes. And guess what…it was exactly the part of the book I share in the book proposal! And the changes made it all even better, so I uploaded this new version immediately! And now there was no doubt: NOW it’s ready to go!


So our news letter was send yesterday and the second round officially begins now for us! And of course, I would appreciate it VERY much if you would vote for me!
And as you may know by now: you can vote for more authors (one vote per author) so I do hope you’ll have time to check out others, because the offer is great and good!


Thank you!!!

The next step is made…

As I´m up to my ears in my freelance job on Tuesday, I was quite surprised by this unexpected need to put my book proposal on the site. I had already finished a first draft, but I hadn´t looked at it anymore and suddenly there was this urge to get going.
So I took out this first attempt and read it very carefully. Besides needing some small additions, I still had a good feeling about it. I then took the time to figure out how it all worked (thanks to a helpful video it was no problem) and put it on there. To find out that it was more exciting then I thought! It really felt as a huge and powerful step, that even made me emotional. Very unusual.

And I felt proud, because I really stayed true to myself. We were giving some guide lines, that I kept in the back of my mind, but soon I felt restricted by them and decided to be true to myself.
Not a strange decision for me, because this fitted one of the most obvious processes of the last few months: being true to myself and showing myself as I really am. Not the image I think ‘they’ expect or what is easier to handle for some people. And that made it a very personal story, that I support completely.

Proud too, because suddenly I saw my own growth very clearly. As a control freak and perfectionist, the end result was always extremely important to me. And primarily the end result as I wanted it. Only then it was okay. And now, with this COOPetition, the end result is not an issue and plays no part in my decisions. During this Next Top Spiritual Author I realized that I really focus on the process! It is quite a step out of my comfort zone, so I stumble across many emotions, that I recognize and look at. And that’s it. That’s where my focus is. So unusual to find myself at this point!
And don’t get me wrong…I really want to move on to the third round, but it is not my goal. It is my goal to show myself as I am. That intention has been of overriding importance from the start. Taking myself seriously, taking my message seriously and taking it ‘out there’.
That’s what I’m doing and yes, it’s still very scary at times. But it also releases a power I can’t even put into words. Immense.

Today I made another step. The book proposal, the marketing plan…it’s all in place and on May 24th a part of it will become visible to everyone. Undoubtedly this will become a very exciting period again. Can I count on your support again? I hope so!!!

YES!!! I made it to round 2!!!

Last night I came home from a few days seminar with Steve and Barbara Rother (highly recommended, by the way!) and I had just left a message on my forum that I was home, when an e-mail came in…The Next Top Spiritual Author…although the first round ended last Monday, May 3rd, it still was not clear who made it to the second round. So it was like they had waited for me to come home:-)

Anyway, with Peter on my side I went to the list. The authors were put on with their ID number, so that made the search easy. Number 1475. YES!!! I am on the list!!!
So to everybody who took the trouble of voting for me: thank you VERY much! De next few days I will keep myself busy with writing the book proposal and marketing plan…. EXCITING!!!!

Today another mail from the organisation and it made me nauseous again:-) The mail offered a list of action points for round 2 and it makes me nervous all over again. And that okay…it’s a lot. It is clear by now that in the second round we must appeal to ‘the world’ again for votes and to be honest…I’m not happy with that. I’ve been doing that for a whole month now, I learned a lot from it, but been there, done that. That’s how it feels to me. Anyway, what IS different is the space voters get to comment on the book proposal. They can give their opinion.
So we have to deliver a book proposal for the voters and a extensive one for the publisher. This last one needs:

• Brief description of the book: It should include what the book is about, who it's for, and what readers will learn from it.
• Detailed outline of the book: step by step and in outline form, what we can expect to read and in what order.
• Submit one sample chapter, preferably chapter 1. Well, that’s tricky because Henry’s Vision doesn’t have chapters…I’ll think of something
• Author bio: your qualifications to write this book, and any kind of public platform you have.
• Personal Marketing Plan: please list everything you plan to do to promote your book. This is one I find the most scary.
• Genre and Complementary titles: which category does your book belong in? Please list what books/authors you think your book is most like, if any. What makes your book different or unique from those?

It’s quite the list, isn’t it? I can feel this inclination to say: “I think it’s great that I made it to the second round (because, to be honest, I’m pretty confident that I will be…so far I made the list every week!) and I’m gonna leave it like that” …and I know that voice. It’s fear.
And it's allowed to be here, I understand why it is, but it doesn’t determine my actions anymore. So I’m going through the fair again and set myself open for great ideas, especially on the marketing part. Tips are very welcome!

Did you know...

...you can vote for more than one author? Well, you can and you should! This COOPetition offers a lot of great messages and with your support and vote this message can be taken a step further...into the second round of the Next Top Spiritual Author!

On this blog you can find a couple of authors that caught my personal attention, but there are many many more! Just go to the website and choose a category that speaks to you. For me, as an author, this NTSA is a great adventure, but it could be for you too! Dive into this pool of spiritual messengers and see what you can bring to the surface!

Have fun and feel free to let me know what treasures you found!!

Stones in my stomach...

This morning I found another update e-mail in my box and after reading it, I felt stones in my stomach. In this mail Robert Evans told us that the Top ‘Vote Getters’ list was adjusted yet once again. This time it was cut back from 180 authors to 150 authors. And yes, I could do the match…it meant 30 authors dropped off the list. Would I be one of them?
The stones were bouncing and turning…

So I rushed over to the Next Top Spiritual Author site, clicked on the list and used Ctrl F for a quick search. A deep breath and then relief. I was still on there! So obviously people are still voting for me and I’m very grateful for that!

It is hard to put into words how it feels, this support. The best word I can come up with is powerful. One great ball of energy that comes together to help me out. Even complete strangers! Taking the time and effort to cast their vote. It’s SO great! So to you, who voted: thank you VERY much!

This first round ends on May 3, so I’m not ‘there’ yet. But I’m getting closer to that second round and thinking about that brings those stones in motion again. But I’m starting to love that feeling. Fear is okay, now it’s not holding me back anymore. It feels like excitement now. And believe me…it makes you feel alive! On the edge of my seat. Not watching from the side lines, but into the game. What’s your game? What’s your passion? Step into it! It feels great!!!!

I'm still in the race!!!

Last Thursday, April 8th, we had the first indication of our position in the first round. A top 100 was put up and yes, I was on it! But this first round ends on May 3rd, so everything can happen.
Tonight a new list was presented. This time with about 180 authors having a shot at the second round. And I’m still on the list! So I’m extremely happy! Thanks for your support! You didn’t vote yet? Great! Maybe your vote will keep me in the race next week! Thanks in advance!
In gratitude,
Syl

In local newspaper today...

With this picture and a nice article I made the local newspaper today. Last Thursday I had the interview and was grateful to find my conversation partner very open for my – for some – strange story about a bunch of invisible energy thingies :-)


It is – like a lot of things in this whole COOPetition – very two-fold. On one hand I like the attention, I like the phone call of my mother when my parents spotted me, I like the enthusiasm. On the other hand I would like to run and hide. And hey, both sides are okay. If they can function side-by-side, so can I :-)

In gratitude,
Syl

Flashback 2: My 'date' with Henry

In 1987 I learned to use the pendulum and came in contact with an energy that introduced ‘himself’ as HENRY. Putting the word himself in inverted commas, because although I keep referring to Henry as HE, Henry actually is a group that communicates with one voice. One beautiful, low, male voice in my right ear, to be exact.

Little by little (because I didn’t and still don’t accept something unthinkingly) I discovered Henry means well by me. Very well, even.
He never told me what to do, he never told me I did something wrong (or right). He ‘only’ stimulated me to look at certain circumstances from several different angles.
He inspired me to stop my frenetic efforts to cling to ‘securities’. To let go.
And if you realize I was a major control freak and perfectionist, you will understand this was not a simple assignment. It was not a brief assignment either. I’m still in the middle of it…
By my faith in Henry is now big enough to bring this contact into the open. Not entirely without fear and trembling, but with the conviction that it is important to share this gigantic influence this inner dialogue with Henry has had on me and my life. And continues to have.


To me Henry is that part of me with complete overview and he’s able 'the big picture' whenever I loose myself in details again. To me Henry is that part of me that floats like a hot air balloon, without sandbags filled with judgement, resistance, Automatic Pilots, phantom beliefs etc.
To me Henry is a continuous reminder of who I really am, so I can explore my human experience. Because according to Henry, life is not about proving who spiritual you are or could be. Life is about accepting, embracing and celebrating our human experience!

Flashback 1: My first novel

My first novel started as a dream. In 1996 I woke up and I remembered this dream. It was a strange dream and to make sure I wouldn't forget, I started to write the dream down. And I kept on writing. After 15 minutes I realised this was a book. I just had to write it. And I did.
During this writing process I didn't feel as a storyteller, I felt like a reporter. Writing down what I 'saw' happening. And the story became bigger and deeper, with storylines that started a life of their own. I had NO idea how the book was going to end. But somehow, in the end, all the storylines came together and even made sense:-)


The story was placed at Lake Winnipeg, Canada. I don't know why, it just did:-) I'd never been to Lake Winnepeg, but while writing I felt I was there. I wrote some details about the area and family names and to make sure I wasn’t ‘full of it’, I decided to run an add in a local newspaper. A few nice guys, living at the lake, responded and every detail matched reality.
It was one more confirmation that ‘something’ had helped me writing this book and I was convinced I would find a publisher. But I didn’t. Confused and disappointed I put the book on the shelf and that was that.


In August 2002 I joined a discussion on my message board about ‘following your dream’ and I told this group of people about my book – well, manuscript – and the whole process around it. And they became very excited, motivating me to look for a publisher again. This time I had some enthusiastic response, but somehow nothing really worked out. Now I became frustrated. What message did I overlook?
The answer came from Henry and was very clear: why wait for someone else? Why not publish it yourself? Answer: well…for starters, I would need a lot of money. That we didn’t have.
Henry: be creative.
And somehow this idea was there: to ask people to buy a book that wasn’t a book yet. We calculated that we needed 30 people to make this happen. On November 4th 2003 I share our idea on the message board. On November 5th we went to bed with 46 orders in our pocket. On November 28th we had 117 payments and the book is now really a book. And still selling.
Today I’m writing on my second novel and fourth book. And it’s the same process. I feel like a reporter and the characters in the book feel very real to me. That’s one of the reasons I love writing. I feel so connected and I am discovering new worlds inside of me, when I write.
I never had the opportunity to connect with fellow-writers to share this passion and that is one of the blessings this Next Top Spiritual Author adventures brings me. And I’m loving every minute of it!


In gratitude and awe,
Syl

Well...I'm out there...

End 2009 Henry suggested I would ‘show myself some more’. And when Henry talks about ‘myself’, I know they mean: who you really are.
And I thought I did. I really thought I did. But now I know: when Henry talks about ‘some more’, they mean MUCH more!
On March 11 my good friend Sandra send me an email about a competition. A writers competition, to be exact. The email came from Neale Donald Walsh and one of the initiators was James Twyman. Two gentlemen I feel a click with. So I was intrigued. After reading the email the intrigue had turned into disappointment. You could only enter this competition if you’d sign up for a workshop and yes, you had to pay for that.
And although I do understand the Universal Balance and I did understand that they wanted something in return, I’m also a big believer of the power of choice. And the only choice seemed to be: do the workshop and enter or don’t. So I didn’t. I wrote Sandra an email with my findings and went to bed.

The next morning Sandra replied and so I was faced with that email again (because it was still under our conversation) and that’s when I noticed a link to a website. And the minute I saw it, Henry said: you COULD investigate a little further…So I pushed the link and there was the choice: you could enter with a workshop or…you could enter without doing a workshop! I could hear Henry snigger. They were very pleased with this turn of events, that was for sure.
I wasn’t. I felt fear. I felt my comfort zone stretching. Talking about ‘showing yourself some more’! Not only would I step into a competition in another language (I’m from the Netherlands), but I immediately knew what book I supposed to enter. I’ve published three books so far and this one was the only one that’s also available in English. So that was a no-brainer. But this meant I had to show myself AND Henry. And that was even stretching it further.

It had been quite a challenge to be open about my conversations with this group of Higher Energy and by now it felt pretty comfortable in the privacy of my own message board (where Henry shares his vision in consultations and coachings). Putting the Dutch version of the book out, felt as a small step. But this competition asked every participant to promote the book with a video or audio! I’d never done anything like that…

But I did. I went through the fear and I did. I made a video (Henry showed me how it could look like and it turned out pretty much like that) and put it on YouTube. On March 29th the profile pages came online and I send out emails to ask people for their vote. Another stretch! But again I did.

After 1,5 weeks the Top 100 most votes getters where presented and I was on it! And this made it even more real. I’m really out there.

In this blog I’d like to take you along with me on this great adventure. To keep you informed, but also to share some travel stories about my journey to this point. Combined with Henry’s vision, of course. We’re a team and I’m ready to tell the world! Hello world! I’m here!

In gratitude,
Syl