Lion Goodman answers the question:

What is the nicest thing a non-family member has ever done for you?


 

Well, I've been thinking about your question, because you warned me you were going to ask it. I looked up the word “nice” to understand it, and the definition is “pleasant, agreeable, or satisfactory.” And that's not really impactful enough for me. I would use impactful, awakening, powerful. Something shocking actually can be nice to do for a person, because when you're speaking the truth to them, it's not often pleasant or agreeable. You're waking them up to something inside of them, and that's actually a nice thing to do for someone, even though it's not pleasant and agreeable.

So I asked the question, who am I grateful to? That's a bit of a different question, and often those are people who aren't very nice to you. The first thing I thought of was all of my teachers. I've had incredible teachers all my life. Isaac Newton said, among many others, if I can see further than the average person it's because I stand on the shoulders of giants. That's how I feel: I stand on the shoulders of all of my teachers, in all their guises. So that's what I'm most grateful for.

  
  
T.D. (Theocharis Docha Anthropotis) Lingo
 

I picked my top four most impactful awakeners. The first is a man named T.D. [Theocharis Docha Anthropotis] Lingo. Lingo was a teacher who had his own school in the mountains of Blackhawk, Colorado — it was a school in the middle of a forest... log cabins, no running water or electricity. What he taught was self-therapy and brain self-control. Now, I was 19 when I met him and he turned me on to neurology. This was way back in 1971, so that's how far back I go. We studied a text on neurology, and then he extrapolated that on how to use neurology as a basis for consciousness expansion. He was very early in that field, and he really got me started on my path to be interested in consciousness, and awakening, and spirituality, and the brain, and neurology, and how it impacts us.

So I would have to say that of all my teachers, he was the one that gave me the biggest kick-start and often that kick was in the rear. So it wasn't pleasant quite often, because he would point out where I was off-base, but he would then help me with some specific tools and techniques, which I now teach to my students.

The second person I thought of was a man named Ray, and Ray traveled with me for three days when I was a traveling salesman. And then he pulled out a gun and shot me in the head four times. Now, that would not be called nice by anyone's definition, but it actually kick-started me in a different direction. It got me grounded, it got me started in my career as a headhunter. After having my head hunted, I became a headhunter, which is a little ironic. He really launched me into the next phase of my life, because I was kind of drifting after college, and he gave me that awakening shot. I don't recommend it as a path to awakening, but it did work for me. So I'm grateful to him for being not nice to me..

The next person I thought of was Anodea Judith. Anodea is a well-known author and teacher about the chakras. When we got together as partners, she saw me for who I was and who I could be, and she helped me by launching my career. I became a teacher with her, we co-created courses, and she also brought me into her community of hundreds of thousands of people around the world. So I got to teach at places all over the world with her, and then we wrote a book together called Creating On Purpose: The Spiritual Technology of Manifesting Through the Chakras. That was such a powerful thing for me to become a published author with someone so illustrious, and our 9-year partnership was really a wonderful thing for me. Hard at times, of course, as relationships are, but very important and really got me going in another direction.

Then my final person is my current partner, Carista Luminare, who has been... Well, let's see, I'll tell you what she awoke me to. She taught me about secure attachment and developmental psychology. And what I realized when I studied it was that I was not having secure relationships. I was having insecure relationships as an adult because I had an insecure relationship with my mother, so she was awakening me to my early developmental patterns, and I realized what I really wanted out of love and a relationship. So she is my current awakening partner, and we awaken each other in many different ways.

And if family members were allowed, I would have to acknowledge my first wife, Janet Goodman, who gave birth to our daughter, Sara — and Sara herself, who has been my teacher in more ways than I can count. She has grown up to be an incredible woman that I'm very proud of. She's a PsyD and works as a psychologist, so she's followed in both her mother and father's footsteps. She has been a wonderful being in my life. She brought me into fatherhood and she taught me what being nice was all about.

So there's my coterie of people who were the greatest influences in my life.
 

Read Lion’s story about his encounter with Ray, A Shot in the Light... and watch the 19-minute film it inspired, The Kindness of Strangers.


 

  
  

I’ve been called a subconscious pattern detective, a belief therapist, a healer of the psyche, a teacher of change agents, a coach of coaches, and (my favorite…) an evocateur — one who evokes the best in others.

I am a Professional Certified Coach, and CEO of Luminary Leadership Institute, an initiatory coaching program for leaders of businesses and organizations, and other coaches, therapists, and change agents.

After decades of inner research and development, I created the Clear Beliefs Method to transform beliefs at the core of the psyche. I’ve had the privilege of teaching this transformational technology to hundreds of coaches, therapists, and healers around the world through my Clear Beliefs Coach Training.

For more than 40 years, I studied and practiced a wide range of subjects, including psychology, neurology, spirituality, philosophy, and the principles of success. My early career was in executive search and executive coaching, where I helped more than 250 CEOs and executives find the talent they needed. I worked with healthcare and technology companies, from early-stage start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations.

I’ve taught workshops across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and the Americas, and through the internet to students in 18 countries. I’ve led trainings in the art of manifestation, how to improve relationships, healing male narcissism, clearing beliefs to change your reality, and healing childhood wounds.

I’ve written four books...

… and dozens of articles on consciousness, beliefs, psychology, and inner development.

I’ve been an active participant and leader in the men’s movement for more than 30 years. I served as Director of Men’s Programs for The Shift Network, where I created programs for more than 20,000 participants, including the Ultimate Men’s Summit. I am a co-founder of Tribe of Men, an initiatory men’s program in the San Francisco Bay Area.

With Carista Luminare, PhD, my wife and partner, we offer programs to help couples heal their relationship and develop deeply secure and passionate partnerships. We coach couples worldwide who want to repair their relationship and renew their healthy love bond.

I love communicating with my readers, and those who share my passions. Please visit my website, where you can register for one of my workshops or programs, or let me coach you into a successful life. Or, get in touch via email, and I’ll do my best to get back to you promptly.

I look forward to meeting you, and learning about your unique magnificence.
 

Catalyst is produced by The Shift Network to feature inspiring stories and provide information to help shift consciousness and take practical action. To receive Catalyst twice a month, sign up here.

This article appears in: 2019 Catalyst, Issue 16: Kindness

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