It’s an honor for me to present our next guest – Mr. Gary Karp. He is mindfulness coach, author and certified hypnotist. His first book Clarity is Power: The 5 Steps to Creating Empowering Goals that will Excite and Inspire You received very positive feedback and has 4.5 rating in Amazon.

– What is your book Clarity is Power: The 5 Steps to Creating Empowering Goals that will Excite and Inspire You about?
– Clarity is Power offers a step by step blueprint to help you get clear on what you truly want in life and shows you how to achieve it. Each chapter in the book guides you through simple, practical exercises that help you get clear on your goals, gives you compelling reasons to achieve them, makes sure your values are aligned with your goals so there is no self sabotage, shows you all your resources for achieving your goals, and helps you create an action plan.



– How you decide to write the story?
– The book grew out of the goal setting workshops I hold in NYC. After each workshop I would receive emails from people who attended. They would share with me their success stories and tell me what the achieved. Some asked me if I had plans to write a book based upon the workshop. They told me they wanted to always have the strategies I teach within arms reach and they wanted to share them with friends and family. After the hundredth person or so asked me, I decided the universe could stop dropping anvils on my head. Clarity is Power is the result.
– What was the biggest challenge during the write up process?
– The biggest challenge I faced during the writing process was capturing the excitement, passion, and intimacy of the live event in the static form of a book. There is a synergy that is created when a group of people gather together for a single reason and commits all their intent and energy to achieving that reason. Ensuring the book was exciting enough to have you not only read it but participate in the exercises was important to me. I believe I did that.
– How much time you need to finish the story and to publish it?
– Planning the book and writing the first draft took approximately six months of writing every day. It took another month or two to go through several rough drafts until the final draft was set for publishing. That’s where things slowed down. I knew I wanted to self publish the book instead of going through a traditional publisher and I wanted it to be perfect. I needed to set aside my need for the perfect cover, the perfect sales channels, the perfect marketing campaign, the perfect publishing platform and website. I needed to learn that there will never be a perfect time. That there will always be a better way and a reason to delay publishing. I needed just take the chance. So, it was over a year from planning to market, but it should have been only six to nine months.
– Who are you?
– Wow! Deep question! I don’t think we have enough time to explore that one. LOL!! I am a mindfulness coach, author and certified hypnotist. I am also divorced and live in New York, and a member of Toastmasters (CC, CL) who loves to read and cook. I enjoy Science Fiction, Food Porn (I’m a Food Network junkie!), and talking head programs on Science Channel (Through the Wormhole is my current obsession). I also am a Trekker and Doctor Who fan who’s first doctor was Jon Pertwee. I live with my seven cats (yes, seven) who seem to think that they are my master and I am simply here to serve them.
– What are your writing habits?
– I write everyday. Whether it is for my blog or newsletter or my latest book. It may be something that is not related to my business like poetry or fiction. The important thing is to write. I set a time goal of one hour a day and just write.I also keep everything I write, even if I see no use for it at the time, in a folder on my desk.
– Are you satisfied by the sales of the book and do you plan another one?
– Yes, I am happy and pleasantly surprised by the acceptance of the book. It is a start. It can get better and gain traction in more markets. That require work. It is up to me to build the marketing plan and promote the book. And yes, I already have a folder for my next book. I plan to start writing it in earnest in November. It will include simple, practical strategies that will allow people to cultivate an attitude of Mindfulness. One of my goals is to demystify the metaphysical world and make it approachable and usable every day so people can reduce stress and anxiety.
– What are you doing to promote by the best possible way your book?
– In order to publicize the book I created an two pronged approach. On line and off line. On line, I am using my social media presence to promote my book in all it’s formats (ebook, paperback, and soon in audiobook) and my newsletter, I am accepting invitations for guest blogging opportunities and appearing on radio shows over the internet. I have also made my book available for reviews on amazon and to book review blogs. Off line, in the real world, I am holding in store book signing appearances, attending networking events, offering the book to clubs, organizations, and schools, and offering for sale at my speaking engagements.
– How you decide to become a motivation coach?
– Life experience. I always followed the Golden Rule and did what was expected of me. I put my dreams of acting on hold and went to college to study Computer Science. I got a safe job, in a safe office. I got married and bought the Condo. At 40, I found myself unemployed, divorced, and evicted from my home. It was then I decided that “there” way doesn’t work. I was promised the American Dream if I was a good kid, ate my vegetables, and did what I was told. It didn’t work out. I decided that if there were no guarantees in life then let my have no guarantees doing what I love and no longer hiding my authentic self. I use myself as a cautionary tale now so people can live authentically and write their own story instead of living up to the expectations of others.
– Why the people need help from outside and it’s tough to resolve them by their own methods?
– Everyone needs a coach. LeBron James has a coach. Rory McElroy has a coach. It is important to ask for help because other people have different experiences and have learned different lessons. They may have a something to teach you.
– What is the approximate time that a person, who start to follow motivational advices, to achieve some success?
– Success can take as little as one day or a long as a month or year. It depends on the goals you have set and your personal definition of success. I am more interested in creating, and “locking in” good, empowering habits. The actions you take every day. The thoughts you encourage every day. Studies show that, on average, it takes 21 days for a new belief or behavior to become a habit. I would encourage people who are working towards improving their life and changing limiting beliefs and behaviors to keep at it for 30 days.
– How much a company may improve their business, when they book you or some other motivation specialist to hold seminar for their workers?
– When I work with companies I encourage a culture of employee empowerment and leadership transparency. I show how to improve communication between leadership and the employees and build trust. Once communication is improved, transparency is accepted as Corporate Culture, and trust is built teamwork will improve because each employee will feel like a valued member of the company. At that moment improvement and company growth may become exponential.
– Do you think that the educational system in USA don’t pay enough attention in order to make the young Americans more ambitious?
– I do not believe you can teach ambition. The job of the schools and parents is to build confidence in our children. To encourage and empower them to find and follow their passion instead of prepping them to be cogs in the machine. If we make it a priority to empower our kids and build their self confidence ambition and drive will follow as a direct result.
– Ask yourself a question (And don’t forget to reply).
– What one thing would you say is the most important part of cultivating an attitude of Mindfulness?
– Do not judge yourself. Understand that feelings are neither “good” nor “bad” they are simply true for you at the moment you are having them. Do not get stuck in them. Give them a beginning. a middle, and an end. Let them have their journey.

Check out more about Gary Karp on his web page

Take a look at his book

Clarity is Power: The 5 Steps to Creating Empowering Goals