Monday, November 27, 2023

Spotlight of The Rock­ing Chair Prophet by Matthew Kelly


PHOTO SOURCE:
TYPORAMA

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THE ROCKING CHAIR PROPHET
MATTHEW KELLY
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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF JENNIFER MUSICO, BOOK AND AUTHOR PUBLICITY - JENNIFERMUSICO.COM
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There are a lot of voices in our lives. 
 
But there's one voice that never leads us astray and it's inside all of us. 
 
All of our regrets come from ignoring this voice. 
 
We choose to listen to other voices: friends, teachers, siblings, celebrities, etc.  
 
Until we learn to listen to the voice within, we’re addicted to these external voices. 
 
Listening to that voice is the difference be­tween happiness and misery, wonderful memories and heartrending regrets. 
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August 15, 2023
Blue Sparrow
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PRAISE FOR THE ROCKING CHAIR PROPHET:

"Extraordinary! It was like reading your love letter to the world." — John C.

"The Rocking Chair Prophet is a rare book. It's a gripping story full of emotion and a treasure-trove of life-changing wisdom." — Stephen A.

"Life-changing! This is more than just a story. It will change the way you see yourself and the way you see your life, and it will give you the courage to embrace your unexplored potential." — Krista W.

"The Rocking Chair Prophet is amazing! I have been reading Matthew Kelly's books for more than 20 years and have loved them. But this book, this is something special. As soon as it arrived, I jumped straight in and couldn't put it down. I'm going back now and re-reading it, but I wish I had savored the first experience a little more. Give this book to anyone in your life struggling with any question." — Margie T.

"Highly recommended. The author grabbed my attention from the beginning, had me emotionally invested in the characters, and delivered incredible life lessons. There's a particular section about loving the unrealized potential in yourself and other people that has become a daily part of my interactions with my family and coworkers. I'm sure I will be coming back to this book again and again. Great read!" — Eric C.

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ABOUT THE ROCKING CHAIR PROPHET:

The Rock­ing Chair Prophet is a transformational story about reclaiming that voice and the unmiti­gated joy that comes from following it.
 
After an unspeakable tragedy devastates his life, Daniel, a thirty-three-year-old sub­urban man, disappears into the mountains.
 
Years later, he reemerges filled with uncom­mon wisdom and other extraordinary gifts. 
 
From that day on, people travel from far and wide to meet with Daniel, who sits on his rocking chair, meeting with visitors, and helping them explore their deeply per­sonal questions.
 
These questions lead to se­ries of epic conversations that traverse life’s quintessential topics: love, suffering, health and well-being, education, work, money and things, spirituality, regrets, depression, ambi­tion, nature, parenting, midlife crisis, choic­es, our hopes and dreams, the meaning of life, and enduring friendship.

The Rocking Chair Prophet is a rich explo­ration of life and the human condition.
 
It’s an invitation to rediscover yourself and reorient your life.
 
Matthew Kelly has masterfully wo­ven into the story a piercing wisdom that is thought-provoking on a life-changing scale.
 
It is stunning that one book can have some­thing so meaningful to say on so many topics.
 
This is destined to be a book readers return to time and again, a book that speaks to us anew in every season of life.

The story is about the reader; it’s about you.

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Q & Q WITH MATTHEW KELLY:

Can people really change?

Absolutely. Most people believe that people can change, they just aren’t sure they can personally experience transformation. When people ask, “What is the meaning of life?” they really want to know, “What is the meaning of my life?”

How has your belief about how people change evolved over time?

If you would’ve asked me five years ago, I would’ve told you that incrementalism is the secret. I don’t believe that anymore. I think most people who change significantly do it relatively quickly. Whatever change you desire in your life, pursue it boldly. If you need a big change, make a big change. Don’t make a hundred little changes. Get after it. Go make it happen.

Do you think people’s lives spiral downward incrementally or relatively quickly?

I think it happens much quicker than people think, and it can happen in an instant. We all know people who have made one choice and it has redefined their life forever. It’s a choice that they never recover from. It’s a choice that they will spend the rest of their lives trying to understand and make peace with. And it wasn’t even necessarily a conscious choice. They got caught up in something. So, our lives can spiral downward very, very quickly. Maybe that sounds negative or pessimistic, but it can be quite hopeful. If the power of change can work quickly in a negative direction, I believe that the same power can be harnessed for positive change.

Do you think a change is inevitable?

Yes, but I don’t believe progress is inevitable. We are always changing. I’m different today than I was yesterday. Am I a better version of myself today than I was yesterday? Well, that isn’t always necessarily true, and that’s the problem. Activity is easily confused with progress. People can be very, very busy and very, very busy wasting their lives. People can be in a hurry, and in a hurry to the wrong place.

What are people hungry for today?

People are desperate for clarity. The busy world has them distracted from what matters most. The constant noise is drowning out their inner voice that points out their way. All our regrets come from ignoring that voice, and yet, many have never been taught how to listen to that voice.

How do we learn to listen to the voice within?

People want it to be complex and hard to comprehend. It isn’t. People want you to say there are seventeen steps and it takes seven years. It doesn’t. Silence and solitude are the secret. Find a quiet place where you can be alone, turn off all the noise, set aside all distractions, and simply sit quietly. That is all. You don’t have to do anything. You don’t have to think anything. Just be. Let your mind run around frantically as it inevitably will when all stimulation is first removed. Wait it out. Ten minutes today, fifteen minutes tomorrow, then twenty minutes each day for a week, and then as much as you can stand and spare. Just sit quietly and be. Learn to be comfortable in silence and in solitude. There is no better investment of time. For once you get in tune with your inner voice, it will lead you directly to a life you cannot even imagine today. The more time you are willing and able to spend in that silence and solitude, the more you’ll get to know yourself, the more comfortable you’ll become in your own skin, the more clarity you will have in your choices. All of this will enable you to boldly take the next step toward your destiny.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Matthew Kelly is a best-selling author, speaker, thought leader, entrepreneur, consultant, spiritual leader, and innovator. 

He has dedicated his life to helping people and organizations become the-best-version-of-themselves.

Born in Sydney, Australia, he began speaking and writing in his late teens while he was attending business school. 

Since that time, 5 million people have attended his seminars and presentations in more than 50 countries.

Today, Kelly is an internationally acclaimed speaker, author, and business consultant. 

His books have been published in more than 30 languages, have appeared on The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller lists, and have sold more than 50 million copies.

In his early-twenties he developed “the-best-version-of-yourself”; concept and has been sharing it in every arena of life for more than twenty-five years. 

It is quoted by presidents and celebrities, athletes and their coaches, business leaders and innovators, though perhaps it is never more powerfully quoted than when a mother or father asks a child “Will that help you become the-best-version-of-yourself®”

Kelly’s personal interests include golf, music, art, literature, investing, spirituality, and spending time with his wife, Meggie, and their children Walter, Isabel, Harry, Ralph, and Simon.

For more information about Matthew and his work, please visit: 

MatthewKelly.com. 

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CONNECT WITH MATTHEW:

YouTube: @MatthewKellyAuthor

Instagram: @matthewfkelly

TikTok: @matthewkellyauthor

Facebook: @matthewkelly

Twitter: @MatthewFKelly

LinkedIn: @matthewkelly

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