Tag: stephen hopson

  • Meeting Janet Attwood, Author of The Passion Test

    “You have to read The Passion Test,” said my friend, Stephen Hopson last year. Stephen is a transformational speaker who is also deaf and he’s a dear friend of mine. I was a little hesitant about ordering yet another book, because I had promised the hubby not to add any more books to the piles around the house.  But there I was, sitting in front of the computer, trusting the recommendation of my friend and ordering Janet and Chris Attwood’s book.

    A year later, what can I say… The Passion Test, along with Aspire by Kevin Hall,  and the Yes to Success workshop with Debra Poneman changed my life.  I created a vision board and vision list.   “When you are clear, what you want will show up in your life, and only to the extent that you are clear,” I learned from The Passion Test. There were specific things that I wanted to accomplish and I wrote them all down.  I knew the order of my passions. The list was a long one, but I didn’t hold back.   Between the books and the workshop, life was going in a whole new direction. “Passions are about process. Goals are about outcomes,” Janet and Chris wrote. People who have witnessed the change in my life the last year and half have remarked that I seem to always be having fun.  But that’s exactly what life is about– having fun, enjoying it to the fullest and being happy in the process.  And when life lines up with your passions and your purpose, then it is indeed filled with lots of joy.

    Whenever you are faced with a choice, a decision, or an opportunity, choose in favor of your passions.

    “Meet Janet Attwood,” was on my vision list, and last night, I spent a magical two hours in the company of Janet Attwood as she shared her journey that lead to the book and her amazing life. Earlier in the week, I had an interpreter lined up along with a back up interpreter.  Both ended up not being able to attend. At the last minute, I made countless calls to try and locate another interpreter.  I resigned myself to a night of lipreading, but as it turned out, Janet was so easy to understand that I was able to sit back and enjoy the evening.

    Tomorrow, I’ll be heading to Chicago to soak in another day with Janet.  This workshop is hosted by Positive Focus Productions.  Janet will focus on:

    • How to discover your top five passions
    • The one secret that guarantees a passionate life
    • The three keys to creating anything you choose to have in your life
    • Learn how to live with less anxiety and fear
    • Experience a deeper connection with the most important people in your life including yourself
    • Experience a new sense of vigor and well-being

    The Passion Test is featured in the November issue of Oprah’s O Magazine. Quite simply, it will change your life.

    Following Your Bliss

     

  • A Scramble of Updates

    First of all, today’s the first official day of… unemployment.  That’s right, I’m no longer a Sales Manager for ZVRS, a job that I’ve held the last two and half years.  I’ll dearly miss the Z Team, but with my Z-20, I can stay in touch with everyone.  And speaking of the Z-20, I just gotta say that the VCO really rocks on it!  It comes with a phone as well as the headset option.  I just got off the phone with a gal from a major corporation and she had to ask me, “Karen, I know you’re deaf– how is it possible for you to be talking to me right now?”  Technology and top-notch interpreters– gotta love it!

    I just got back from Gallaudet University, where I gave a presentation on “Unwrapping Your Passion” at the Global Deaf Women retreat.  I had the honor of giving away a copy of my ultimate favorite book, “Aspire: Discovering Your Purpose Through the Power of Words,” by Kevin Hall.   Kevin kindly sent me a signed copy of his book and I thought long and hard about who I wanted to share it with– I knew that the Global Deaf Women retreat was just the place for it.  Cindi Molloy was the proud recipient of the book and I can’t wait to see what she learns from it.

    Before I left for D.C., I met Stephen Hopson for lunch and then we took off for the Drake Hotel for the Social Media Chicago event.  Stephen is the author of Obstacle Illusions, another book that I highly recommend to everyone.  Stay tuned for a post on Stephen and some insight into his book!  Stephen and I met online several years back and we connected at an SOBCon Conference in 2008.  He has become one of my dearest friends and my fake husband (yes, the real life hubby knows!).   Stephen was in town to speak at Debra Poneman’s Yes to Success workshop where he received a standing ovation.  Before we took off for our respective speaking gigs, we enjoyed a night of connecting with the SOBCon gang, including Liz Strauss, Chris Brogan, Wendy Piersall, Becky McCray, Sheila Scarborough, Chris Garrett, and Lorelle VanFossen.

    Coming up on PBS and Create TV is a show called Growing Bolder, featuring a segment on my return to barefoot water skiing.  You can see the teaser paragraph on this month’s issue of the Growing Bolder Insider.  Scroll down to the bottom and you’ll see a picture of me barefooting (sort of… I’m on shoes!) backward.  I’m proud to say that since it was filmed, I actually did learn to barefoot backwards on my feet.

    Karen-Putz4x3.jpg

    In the next Insider: What do you do when the one thing you love most is the one thing everyone tells you not to do? As a teen, Karen Putz lost her hearing while barefoot waterskiing. More than 25 years passed, but her desire to get back on her feet kept burning within her, until she finally decided to try to barefoot again.

    No Skis, No Sound, No Problem!

    When I arrived home, I thumbed through The Waterskier magazine and sat down to read “Legends Collide,” an article that I wrote featuring two-time World Barefoot Champion Keith St. Onge and Glen Plake, who was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.  It never gets old to read stuff in print!

    Everyone has been asking, “What’s next?’  I’m focusing on finishing the books I’ve started and booking more speaking engagements.  Joe and I have also teamed up with Send Out Cards, a company that I also use as a marketing tool: Appreciation Marketing Goes A Long Way.  For every card you send, a percentage goes toward barefoot training and competitions. You are welcomed to try it– send a card for free.  If you’re interested in joining my team at Send Out Cards, shoot me an email at karen (at) karenputz ( dot) com.

    To wrap up, I wanted to share a quote by William Hutchinson Murray that can be found at the beginning of Chapter Two in Aspire:

    The moment one definitely commits oneself then Providence moves too.  All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred… unforeseen incidents, meetings, and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.