Shift - A Game About Love, Fear and Life

Check out this blog. She correlates her thoughts and intentions to the traffic she received. It’s a great piece and here’s my response:

Wendy,
I just found your site because someone mentioned Alexa and then ironically, I read your post which was only too perfect. It was the exact message I needed to hear. I created a game called Shift that, like The Secret, shows us that our thoughts create our reality. Yet it actually shows us what those thoughts are.

I admit I’ve been ignoring my blogging to focus on our corporate trainings and the work we do with kids… and all that other stuff that as women working from home, takes precedence. (I commit to baking a cake for my husband’s birthday this weekend- that and the laundry will happen!). So, I went to check our traffic, which unlike you and your readers has received little of my attention even though I sold internet advertising for 7 years in SF and thought I knew everything about viral marketing. I guess I just gave up on it because I started to believe we’d need a PR agency or at least some college students to start posting for us. And yet, I’ve really been ok seeing that our traffic is consistent without growth.

Then I came to your post and got so excited about who you are, what you’re doing and your amazing chart that shows the correlation of your thought with your traffic rankings. I love it. Like most of us, I’m sure, I’ve had my valleys and my pinnacles and notice that when I’m in it or just running my male energy because there’s so much on my plate, I stop writing.

For me, writing is my catharsis and I think I’ve censored myself a bit and only wrote when I thought I could represent “The Shift.” Yes, a shift in thought can shift your life…and yes, it can happen in an instant. And yet, there are times when shifting is a gradual change of direction, like a ship changing course and after reading your post, I feel you’ve given me a reminder to be gentle with myself and let it all show on my blog…

After all, I’m training my mental muscles and some days it really is like bending spoons. Thank you for reminding me that the good stuff comes before what we grow into and it’s ok to be in that place too.

Thank you,
Nicole

We’ve had so much going on lately… we had an amazing evening playing Shift with some of Colorado’s top executives from companies such as Crocs, Corporate Express, Bowne, Mclain Finlon, WorldWit, Entercom, Strategize & Organize, Sassy Martini Radio 107 FM, at the owner of SieGal Media, Candy Campbell’s stunning home. Be on the lookout for the upcoming article and series in Colorado Company Magazine.

We just exhibited as a feature presenter at the World Wellness Weekend. There were incredible keynotes from T. Harv Eker and Jean Huston. We got to connect with amazing people including Mark Victor Hansen, Reggie Rivers and Rod Smith. We’ve had so much fun meeting and playing Shift with everyone.

We had our first Shift Circles of the year last night at the Tattered Cover and started to work our mental muscles by conditioning our Gratitude muscle.

LOTS GOING ON… and I have so much to write about… yet there’s much to do… so I’ll leave you with this. It was the closing meditation we read last night. It is our new Shift Meditation that we read to acknowledge the work we’ve done. Enjoy.

The Shift Meditation
I am abundance, joy and peace.
And I acknowledge all that I am.
I Trust, I am open and I live in gratitude.
And I acknowledge all that I do.
I am complete and know I need ask and I’ll receive.
And I acknowledge all that I have.

I am loved and I know that loving is my purpose.
I am a catalyst for change and my shifts start within. I walk in triumph for I have made a choice and the choice I’ve made is Love.

I’ve been MIA becuase I took the last month or so to reestablish my priorities. I was working insane hours and because I just got married, I had an excuse to totally shift gears and think about me, my new husband, and fun. IT WAS FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!! I went fishing in Montana and hiking and biking. I got back to me.

I’ve experienced a shift. For the last many months I was consumed with the struggle. I was pushing instead of going with the flow and I had all sorts of limiting beliefs blocking my success. I can’t tell you how many times I repeated statements like, “I don’t have the time or the money or the people.” Guess what? That’s what I got.

I was working so much that I constantly had back pain from sitting at the computer. I’d go see my chiropractor and things would get a bit better but I was still doing the same stuff to my body.

After taking time in July and Auguest to be a new wife, I saw that it truly was possible to get everything done by working just a few hours. I could take time for myself in the morning with a walk and that everything I needed to get done, could get done even if I stopped at 5 and made dinner or just spent time with my man, me or my friends. Wow. There truly was abundance.

The projects I was struggling with, instantly came to me and the direction I’ve been wanting to go in became incredibly easy to pursue. We now offer workshops based on Shift. This is exciting for me because I’ve been wanting to facilitate for years and now I get to , with my own content. I now get to interact with an audience whether it’s teachers or employees or members of an organization, and see them have their aha moments first hand. I get to see them realize that they are in control of their reality. I see people come into their power and it fills me with energy.

I made a decision to stop seeing my chiropractor even though I love him. I decided to step back to the cause and make a shift in the way I work so that I could maintain a healthy body. I’m cruising now. The creative juices are flowing. I have more than enough time and money and I truly am living in abundance. It’s so cool.

I probably spent 6-9 months wrapped up in the struggle and knew that for things to change for us at Shift, I had to change within. Now I walk or do something for me every morning. I spend some time visioning, really feeling what I want to acheive or have. I am 100% omplete with work. I sleep soundly and guess what, I no longer have any pain in my back.

So on my walk today I thought about conducting an experiment. I’m curious to see what would happen if we could get 1 million people to commit to making a personal shift by January 1st 2007. Would things feel any different? I believe they will.

I’ve been watching these news stories and wish I could snap my fingers and rebuild New Orleans and end every war. I’d also love to improve education, house the homeless and provide healthcare to those in need. I’m guessing it might take a while for me to change the world. However, what I can shift right now is me. I realized that although we might be frustrated with our partners, our work, our community, or even our country, to make a real shift in the world, we need to start within. Making a shift doesn’t require money, the right politician or anything outside us. It can be as easy as just choosing to see something differently. I know that if 1 million people committed to making their own personal shift we’d feel something, more peace, abundance, connectedness, love.

Perhaps you’ve heard that what we think is what we’ll get. My co-worker Joyce puts it another way, “When I believe it, I’ll see it.” It’s true. Our thoughts can create our reality. The cool thing is, when we write what we want down, we are even more likely to attain our goal. So, I’ll start by writing what I’d like to shift and let’s see if we can get 1 million people to join us and declare their personal shift.

Please send this to as many people as you know and when you do, make sure to include the person that sent it to you. (If anything, that person knows you and can “call you on your Shift” to keep you committed to making your shift.) For every 100 people that make their declaration, we’re asking that the email come back to us so that we can post your shifts on our site. Imagine a massive list of people committed to improving their lives by making a shift.

Let’s declare our personal shift to the world and, even better, publicly commit to make that shift.

What are you willing to shift? Please tell us what you are willing to shift and then make sure you include the sentence, “I commit to making this shift,” your name, location and date.

1. I will create balance because I will make time for my physical and spiritual well-being everyday. I commit to making this shift. Nicole Casanova, Boulder, Colorado 8/29/06

2.

When we reach 100 people, can you please email to info@shiftthegame.com too. Thank you.

One small shift in thought can shift your life!

Let’s make it happen,

Nicole

This is a quote from a participant at a recent Shift Workshop. Other comments included playing Shift in the workshop “taught me how to think and react to any subject”, “I learned my defense is The Critic - I will improve and be less judgmental” and “I came in today with fear and now with the game I have the ability to SHIFT into a happier place”. And this was not an easy crowd! This workshop was with staff from all levels at a public Pre-School - 12th grade special needs school. Staff concerns on their first day back from vacation ranged from time issues to communication to being able to express emotions when needed. Through exercises and playing the game, many SHIFTED to start their year in a better place that just the day before. Check out our Shift Workshop pages to learn more about what Shift can do for your organization. Teachers learned that a game really can change your life.

If you’ve noticed it’s been a while since I’ve written. We’ve been busy dealing with of all things, change. Constant change. Just when I thought I’d worked to my capacity, I’m required to step it up another few notches. Well, I’m getting much much stronger. We’ve been focusing on sales and I’m excited to say that we’ll be doing some cool things with Wild Oats coming up and we got in with Deepak Chopra’s center.

I’ve been so focused on sales and the window of opportunity…not sure if i’ve mentioned how I funded this endeavor myself… that I had to be reminded last night to play the game. I’ve been operating from fear… mainly working from a belief that there’s a lack of time and money. Everything needs to happen yesterday.

In doing that, I was reminded what the true purpose of the game is. Yes I want to get it out through all these distribution channels and get people to buy it. I’ve been pretty focused on what’s the quickest turn around, where’s my lowest hanging fruit and although that is necessary, the truth is there are so many people that not only get the game, they could benefit from it. That’s really who I created the game for first. People that are in need of transition, who want to make a change.

Just a little heads-up for me as of late. Of course I’d love to get into Starbucks and be the next Cranium. Today I’m going to shift my perspective and focus on the organizations and women’s group that I can support and see what shows up.

Sometimes it takes me a while to listen and sometimes it takes me a while to see… yet I’m always open to learning…

the events of toy fair are still running around my head, as if they have the New York energy, just as i’m settling back into my rocky mountain routine…
i havent had a chance to write yet, or more likely, i havent known what to write.

let me start with this.  i am 23 years old.  this, and toy fair speicifically, is the biggest thing i have ever been a part of.  and when you can stand back, and soak that in, it is a humbling feeling.
i love NY, i love everything about it, and feel as if every time i leave, i come home with a sense of inspiration and new found courage to go boldly. 

let me state how these lessons came to be on this trip.

we always say that our goal is to operate with ease and grace.  we arrived in NY, were picked up by our van service, dropped our stuff off, and made it to Charlotta’s easily.  we set up saturday morning, and spent the afternoon shopping.  ease and grace.
sunday, the opening day of toy fair, started with a boom - literally.  lightning, thunder, and over two feet of snow.  i questioned nicole for putting make-up on, just to walk through horizontal wet snow, and the miami girl in her continued to do so.  we bundled up, set out, and froze.  there is something about a city that is burried. there is a silence that can’t be explained, but only experienced.  i managed to fall on my butt, and even run into a man in the middle of the street because it was so painful to look up.  i was grumpy to say the least, and nicole learned from me, all it takes is five minutes, and i’m fine.

the first day was quiet.  we met many people.  as i like to think, we made friends.
the next few days came and went.  they were a blur.  but lessons were learned and i’m thankful for those people who stopped to learn about shift.
i learned that the game really works.  on a slow afternoon i played the game with the man from the booth next door.  before that, i knew his name, he made games, and he was silly.  after playing the game, i formed such an understanding with him that i was sad to say goodbye.  he knew me and i knew him and by the end, we were friends.  just because we took a half - hour to play the game.  i had never been so proud of the game.

i learned to believe in what you do and be proud.  it radiates. people can tell.
i learned to watch out for water puddles (as i stepped in one every day of toy fair…).
i learned that we are living the sugi tanka quote, "Don’t go with the flow.  You are the flow." 
…and, we are the future of games.
turns out toy fair is a lot like summer camp, in my opinion.   you are intimidated at first, you make these relationships, you learn the ways, and just as things get good, you need to pack up and go home.  granted there are no campfires or mosquito bites, but the bags are heavy, and everyone is exhausted when it is all said and done.  you go home and wonder if you were crazy for doing what you had done, but know that every experience makes you who you are and takes you where you are going. 


(i’ll add my after Toy Fair lessons…
 - you don’t think you can do something until you have to - then you do it and wonder what you were waiting for.  you feel fabulous.
-nothing works without communication.
-see only the present - love the past - and carry the lessons with you to the future.
-slow down.
-laugh with your whole body.
-go big or go home.
-live in the moment.)             -Thank You.

It’s a day or so after Toy Fair and I’m processing all the feedback and excitement. We had a great response and people really loved what we are doing. It’s really nice to get that acknowledgment. It feels fantastic.

I’m also finding out that the big players are interested in what we’ve created because they have their own projects in the works. The internet taught me it’s important to be first to market and if you were not first to market, get a massive audience going and supercede those that came first to market. It’s very possible that that might happen. After all, the combination of Kevin McNulty, the man who’s responsible for bringing Trivial Pursuit and Pictionary to market and Joel Osteen, the Christian pastor at Lakewood Church, who has the New York Times Bestseller, “Your Best Life Now” and has 30,000 attendees each Sunday and is broadcast live to over 80 million homes each week is an extremely powerful combination.

I was fortunate enough to meet with Kevin (might I say, the absolute rock star of the game industry) to talk about his new game. I’d tell you more about it but it’s still in development and they only have the box at this point. I wonder how they’ll transfer the book to a game. Not that that matters- he says they’ve already got a slot time on Oprah in June. They might have a huge hit on their hands.

Yet, I believe there’s space for everything.

My studies have taught me some things that the business world did not. Comparison is fear-based. Truth attracts truth and love attracts love. I keep hearing my fellow peeps from my Course in Miracles classes saying, “Create the game in its highest form and it will attract on its own merrit.” Charlotta, our gorgeous artist who is also the covergirl for February’s Spafinder magazine, says there’s always a market for the truth… it will find it’s home…it will find it’s audience- and we need not compare.

When I speak of truth, I mean Truth is what is real for you. The Buddha said, “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who has said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”

I truly believe that ideas are not owned. That something worth having is worth sharing. I’m happy to see that the project I’ve been working on for four years is creating a vertical within the game market to create benefits in the lives of the players.

There’s plenty of room for everyone and we have something truly different. It was made with love because I do believe that all that I give, I receive.

namaste

Kristen and I are in New York for Toy Fair and today was day one. We woke to almost 2 feet of snow, thunder (is that normal?) and wind. Since we know “the only constant is change,” we decided to nix our beatiful girls in Shift shirts promotion and let them sleep in. After all, it was a Sunday and there was a blizzard. We went with the flow and trudged some blocks in the snow, then turned and huffed another three or so in the direction of the wind coming off the Hudson. I’ll soon attach the pics here so you can see our before and after shots. Wet is not our look unless it’s poolside.

It was a mellow first day. We were mostly exhibitors chilling in our booths reviewing our pitches, walking the floor checking out the competition or comparing notes on manufacturers and distribution. Kristen and I wore our Love shirts today so we could start the show in love (get it?) and now at nearly midnight, I’m questioning whether today’s clothing choice had any affect on where I actually chose to come from.

You see it’s 11:56 and I’m sitting here reviewing the day and instead of being grateful and totally excited about some of our conversations, I’m being totally fearful. We had one woman from Hong Kong buy the game and then we had, (I’m still amazed) Dave and Kelly Long, the founders of SceneIt! stop by our booth to check us out specifically. We traded games- how cool is that? Yet I keep thinking about how I blabbed and blabbed and never really let them speak. I just went on and on about how great the game is and why and . . . and now at midnight I’m thinking, why would someone from Hong Kong be interested in the game? Why would the makers of SceneIt be interested? Is it because we really are representing the future of gaming and we might be able to do something cool together or is it because Shift represents the future of gaming and other people want to get in on it. Dare I say steal it? Or, are my not good enough thoughts so pervasive that I can’t believe that we are truly worth stopping and taking notice of. Could people in the game industry, big time players, actually be interested in us?

It’s disgusting that I still have these thoughts. I think that’s what too many years in the Dotcom industry taught me. I got conditioned to think that Corporate America is cut throat and that you’ve got to watch your back. Somewhere I got suckered into the idea that a contract makes you safe.

I created Shift for many reasons. One was so that I could have an experience of corporate life based on love. We did a check-in tonight with Joyce who’s holding down the fort back in Colorado and at the end of the call, we said I love you. It came so naturally because it’s the truth. I missed Toy Fair three times because I wasn’t ready and now, years later, we are here!! I know that I am here because I am supported and loved. How many CEOs can say that and feel it? I am grateful.

The game has a quote that says,”Teach only love for that is what you are.” If my intention is to be consistent in what I teach, then I need to step back and acknowlege myself and what I, rather what we, have created and see that it just might attract on it’s own merit. I’d like to open myself to that possibility.

I keep thinking of Marriane Williamson’s passage:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

This is how I’ll approach the next few days. Let’s see how brightly I can shine and let’s see who shows up.

Love is the way I walk in gratitude…oh, yes it is.

We just had an amazing weekend at our first conference, World Wellness Weekend. This is the first time we’ve really engaged with the public and we received the most amazing support and feedback. People kept telling us how much they liked the concept and the amazing part was that they kept telling us how proud they were of us. I can’t tell you how many people said they were proud of me. People hugged us and had me sign their games- (which is interesting for me- still learning to receive that I can be loved and show humility at the same time). Games sold and people took the game back to use in their coaching practices, play with their friends and even use in an outpoatient rehab clinic. One husband was hilarious. He and his wife bought the game the day before and played that night. They stopped by the booth the next day and he had to tell us that he made it to love first. She joked and said that she visioned his getting their first to stroke his ego.

It was just what we needed. We’ve been working so hard and I’ve been whipping Joyce and Kristen. I constantly talk about revenue and how every move we make needs to be tied to it and I’ve been keeping them hidden in a darkened basement behind their computers. They have 61/2 years left of their indentured servitude:) So, this conference was fantastic. They got to hear the feedback themselves and have fun. It reassured all of us that we are on the right track. People got it and it was oh so nice to hear all of the words of encouragement.

Kristen said something profound last night on our way home from the show. Weak and weary from both excitement and the strain of being on all day, we had just packed up the truck and were heading home when Kristen said (I’m trying to quote accuratley however you must remember that I was weak and weary…), “You know, it’s just a game. It’s just another tool. What truly makes the difference is the person’s willingness.” Kristen is 23. Her wisdom shows that it truly isn’t the age- it’s the stage.

It stuck with me all night.

It’s the truth. It’s the reason why I still love James Frey’s book even with all the controversy.

We must be willing.

Shifts can only occur with willingness. We must be willing to see. We must be willing to listen. We must be willing to open ourselves to new experiences. We must be willing to be vulnerable. We must be willing to believe that there can be an outcome that differs from all the ones that came before. We must be willing to believe that we are loved and then willing to receive love when it shows up.

People congratulated me this weekend because they admired my story. They liked that I quit my job and pursued my vision. Is that really any different than getting in shape or trusting in a relationship? Does willingness really come in different forms or show up on different levels? I believe that my choosing to follow my vision was really just an extension of the same willingness that brought me to these lessons in the first place.

If playing a game allows people to show up differently in their lives because they had the willingness to try it in the first place, then I am very excited to see what’s down the road.

I am incredibly excited for what lays ahead and man oh man, am I willing… I am willing it to be…

a few years ago there was a series of nike ads that i fell in love with (who knew i’d end up being an ad major??) that empowered women and inspired all who read them.  over the years i saved them and when i came across them again, i realized that i related to them more now than before.  i’ll share:

"i take me, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, so help me god.

we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all women are created equal and independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent and inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  awoman.

On my honor, I will try to make my health a priority, make it to the gym, note women into the office, balance work, kids, relationship, and all my other roles without losing my mind and to live by the make-myself-happy-law.  balance.

grant me the serenity to accept the things about myself i cannot change.  the courage to achange the things i can.  and the wisdom to know that i am beautiful.

i have the right not to remain silent, to put myself first, to be sexy, intelligent and tough all at the same time.  to be rich and happy.  anything i desire may not be held against me.  do you understand these rights?"

thank you nike - not only for many-a-pair of running shoes, but also for inspiration over the years.  keep it up!