Articles - Laura C. Cannon

Book Launch Event to benefit the Avergan Foundation

Book launches are strange things. On one hand, it’s terrifying to put a book out into the world at all – on the other hand, I’m excited. As terrifying as it might be, I want to share the finished product of my latest creative dance with the divine. I’ve found myself hoping that it changes just one person’s life for the better, or inspires people to live a life that brings them more joy and freedom.

When I started writing The Conscious Entrepreneur last year, my goal was to share some of the principles that helped me the most through my entrepreneurial journey and, in a broader sense, the principles that have shaped my life for the past 15 years. I wrote this book for a lot of reasons – for starters, I wanted to pass along the pieces of wisdom that have helped my clients the most. I also wanted to share the lessons I’ve learned, and the things I need to remind myself of most. Essentially, I wrote the book I need to constantly re-read for my own growth. I also wrote this book because I want everyone, ALL OF US, to suffer less. And, I wrote this book so my daughter would have a permanent record of the things I truly believed would help her to live her best life.

I just couldn’t get over the fact that it felt totally awkward to have a book launch event. Yes, I want people to know about the book, because I deeply trust it will help anyone who reads it to suffer less, and easing the suffering of others is one of the central missions of my life. But, self-promotion makes my stomach churn. I kept imagining how weird it would be to tell people to come to an event to buy a book, written by me, signed by me, at an event starring me. No. Just, no. I had yet to come up with a way to solve this dilemma when I met with my sweet friend, Natalie, for lunch.

We met up at her new work space in Annapolis so I could give her an advance copy of my book and we could have some soul sister time. Natalie Franke and Krista Jones (along with their husbands Hugh and Davey) founded the Rising Tide Society – an educational community for creative entrepreneurs. They had just moved into their beautiful new space on West Street and Natalie was telling me about their vision for the space. It would be a space that would be more than just an office for Rising Tide business; it would also function as a community space for local creatives to use. It was during our chat that the idea to hold a launch event for the book in this special space was born. I got really clear about the fact that what mattered to me most was having the event itself be in alignment with the core principles that I share in the book, especially the principle of service.

What if we could hold an event that wasn’t about me but was about what matters to me? What if I could work with awesome people to create a win-win for everyone? What if there was a way to get my book in the hands of others with the hope that it will serve them, AND have all the proceeds serve something even greater? Yes. Absolutely, positively YES. I decided that I would launch the book at an event for charity, as an opportunity to benefit the causes and people I loved.

Back in 2012, I performed a beautiful and touching vow-renewal ceremony for Tom and Allison Barnhill. Ironically it was a “book themed” reception. I got to know them and their two sweet children, one of whom is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Barnhills started a local 501(c)3 charity based here in Annapolis called the Avergan Foundation, whose mission is to promote awareness and acceptance of ASDs and to provide hope to affected families. The Avergan Foundation’s cause is particularly close to my heart, because both of my partner Evan’s sons are also on the spectrum. So choosing Avergan represented another win-win; I could support a cause close to my family, friends, and community. WIN!

I’m so grateful that several of my fellow wedding industry professionals have come together to make this event so special. Charlotte Jarrett of Charlotte Jarrett Events has taken on the task of planning all of the event logistics – in the height of wedding season no less – and I couldn’t have done this without her. Special thanks as well to Allison Barnhill of Allison Barnhill Designs and The Avergan Foundation for all her hard work getting this event set up and coordinating our ticketing and sponsors.

Thank you to our wonderful sponsors:
Rising Tide Society
Putting On the Ritz Catering
Metropolitan Kitchen and Lounge
Blackwall Hitch

Other awesome vendors, like Madison Short Photography and the Inn at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club, have donated some great items that will be raffled off at the event to raise even more money for the Avergan Foundation. Please join us for this wonderful event!

The Conscious Entrepreneur
Charity Book Launch Event

Wednesday, July 20, from 6-9pm
At Rising Tide Society Headquarters
209 West Street, Suite 101
Annapolis, MD 21401

GET TICKETS NOW

And, because we wanted to give an opportunity to the entire Rising Tide Society community and anyone who can’t travel to the event to be able to offer their support, we’ve created a special offer: If you purchase a paperback copy of The Conscious Entrepreneur: A Guide to Maximizing Your Potential for Success, Freedom, and Happiness from Amazon anytime between July 20-25, 2016 and email a copy of your proof of purchase to info@lauraccannon.com, we will donate a portion of every paperback copy you purchase directly to the Avergan Foundation.

I sincerely hope you will join me in raising money for such a worthy cause – thank you for your support!

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What is a Conscious Entrepreneur?

The word “conscious” has become a bit of a buzzword lately. It’s common to find the word on everything from clothing to cosmetics, but what does it mean to be conscious?

Consciousness roughly equates to “awareness,” and in the context of a company or a product it normally refers to a business’ awareness of the impact that it has on the environment, its employees, and so on. What the word conscious means when applied to a person is a bit different. When we say that someone is conscious, it means that person is capable of being fully present and aware – not only of their external circumstances, but also of their internal emotions, biases, and motivations.

Therefore, a Conscious Entrepreneur is not simply a business owner who takes into account the impact that their business has on the world, while that is certainly important in today’s economy. Rather, a Conscious Entrepreneur is a businessperson who actively cultivates self-awareness as part of a practice of continual personal growth.

Someone who is in touch with themselves and understands their own strengths and weaknesses can better recognize whatever is hindering their progress. When it comes to achieving outstanding results, it’s often the willingness to look inward – for understanding, guidance, motivation, courage and strength – that makes the difference between facing failure or finding true success.

The New Professional Superpower

It’s no mystery that entrepreneurs and businesspeople are constantly searching for a competitive edge in business, whether it’s a new technology, a new market, or a new partnership. More and more, these boundary-pushing trailblazers are looking for ways to not only improve their businesses, but to improve themselves as well. Seeing self-improvement and skill-building as a way to “growth hack” their businesses and careers, a new generation of ambitious go-getters has contributed to the explosive popularity of authors like Tim Ferriss and Brendon Burchard, as well as renewed interest in peak-performance coaches such as Tony Robbins and Jack Canfield.

This emphasis on personal development has now taken an exciting new turn, with more and more of the world’s top entrepreneurs focusing their attention on a potent combination of modern psychology and the ancient wisdom of Eastern philosophy. Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Russell Simmons, and Arianna Huffington are only a few examples of massively successful entrepreneurs who openly credit a significant amount of their success to mindfulness, meditation, and personal growth.

The Motivation to Succeed

In my new book, The Conscious Entrepreneur: A Guide to Maximizing Your Potential for Success, Freedom, and Happiness, I explore six fundamental principles that are critical for success in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing business world.

Central to these principles is the concept of “self-actualization,” popularized by American psychologist Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow theorized that once our basic physiological and emotional needs have been met, our primary motivation is to self-actualize – simply put, to reach our highest potential. In essence, this means that the desire for self-improvement and personal growth is not simply a luxury afforded to a small group of ambitious and self-motivated people, but is a critical part of our identity as human beings. The drive to achieve our highest potential, to “be your best self” as Oprah Winfrey puts it, isn’t just a pleasant-sounding idea, but is instead the fiery core burning in each of our hearts.

For anyone who is interested in maximizing the success of their businesses or careers, this makes sense – but understanding Maslow’s hierarchy and reaching the top are two very different things. Reaching the point of self-actualization is often dependent on each person’s willingness to face challenges and their individual level of consciousness.

Putting it into Practice

Bringing conscious awareness into your personal and professional life can produce amazing results, leading to greater success as well as more balance and a wider perspective. Rather than engaging in a purely philosophical exploration of these concepts, The Conscious Entrepreneur includes interactive exercises and real-world business examples to help you understand and apply these principles to your business and your life right away. You’ll find concrete, action-oriented advice for making difficult choices, managing relationships, and finding a greater sense of peace and well-being.

The Conscious Entrepreneur is currently available on Amazon Kindle and launches in paperback July 20^th. Sign up now to have updates and inspiration sent right in your inbox, and don’t forget to connect with me on social media!

How to Find Your Calling

As a coach, I often get asked questions about “how to find your calling” and what finding your calling even means in the larger context of someone’s life. These questions often come at a time when someone is feeling lost, unsure, or disappointed in their personal or professional life. When someone tells you to just “find your calling” it can be incredibly frustrating, not only because the answer is different for everyone, but because there’s so much misunderstanding about what a “calling” really is.

It can be incredibly tempting to look for the solution to these types of feelings in the external world – the work you’re doing, the relationship you’re in, the schedule you keep – but I can tell you that the answer to these types of questions always lies inside your heart. Each of us has a unique calling that speaks to us every day, whether we’re aware of it or not.

Finding your calling is a process of self-awareness, where you need to look inside for what makes your heart sing and what’s important to you at a fundamental level. It means doing some serious introspection, and then coming up with an action plan based on those feelings that really make you feel inspired.

I recently developed an interactive video and workbook entitled “Find and Follow Your Calling in 7 Simple Steps” as a way to help people connect with these answers for themselves and then actually DO something about it.

Click on the image below to access the offer (signup is required) and you’ll receive immediate access to this powerful tool for your own awakening!