In search of the elusive key to success.

Free porcelain heart give away in this post: read carefully to find out how.

John Bauers unique technique combines soft textures of old lacework into the hard permanence of porcelain.

.John uses textures of plants in his work. He specially gives honour to pavement weeds.

Patchwork Porcelain lets the light shine through

Turning the concept of a bowl upside down.

What is success? The unattainable pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? How do you reach it? The other day as I was driving along in my car, my children suddenly gasped with amazement. “Mom! Look!” They shouted in excitement, “The end of the rainbow is in our car!” I had a C.D. on the front seat, which I was just about to put into the music system and it was reflecting rainbow patterns onto the roof. Auspiciously, when I put it in, the song “Somewhere over the rainbow,” in the version of that amazing Hawaiian singer, Isreal “IZ” KamaKawiwo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I) rang out in beautiful harmonies. “We are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. “ I told my children. “ It’s us!”

Everyday I pass these people who have somehow managed to achieve great financial success – or so it seems. And there are others, who have achieved the success of fame if not fortune through their work. And every day I strive, going through the motions of writing lists, doing the chores, squeezing in as much as possible into the day between fetching kids from school and all the humdrum housework, and wonder how they do it? What takes them further? Is it hard work? Is it social networking? Is it knowing the right people? Is it being rich in the first place? Is it self-confidence? Is it pure talent? All of these are probably quite important ingredients, but what’s the key?And then there is the question: how much do you compromise your spirit for financial success? Many who have financial wealth, live in spiritual and emotional poverty. Which is more desirable? And is it possible to keep a balance?

Yesterday I had a morning coffee with artist and ceramist John Bauer in his kitchen. (See video clip bellow, to get the full experience!)

He told me that what shifted him was the decision to participate every day in the experience of bliss. Following ones bliss is a concept made popular by Joseph Campbell. It means following your heart. Listening to, and becoming aware of what lights you up. What makes you feel alive? What puts you so much into the present moment when you are doing it, that you hardly notice time pass? This does not refer to pleasure seeking activities, such as sex, drugs and general revelry. It refers to meaningful soul awakening activities, some of which you may think are unattainable or not profitable.

John’s insights made quite an impression on me on this level. “I have watched artists ten times more talented than me come and go.” He said, sounding like a very old man. “They were too swayed by the external.”

An artist uses his or her creative energy to make art. It comes from an internal place. It is hard to focus on that when external pressures of survival keep drumming on the door.

“To understand success,” said John Bauer with great authority, “ you have to separate bodily hunger. Even if you are hungry, you have got to choose to take off that pair of dark sunglasses, temporarily suspend starvation and evaluation. People are too coloured by their starvation.” He explained.

I struggled to grasp this concept. It kind of went over my head, but I kept probing. (While drinking my coffee in his kitchen which had much more crockery in it than food.)

“A robot cannot fix itself, “ -was Johns next analogy. “ You have to power down, when working on any electrical appliance. The trouble with modern man is that they want to stick a screwdriver in the toaster and wonder why they get a shock. What fundamentally changed my experience was going to a cheaper country and living off the rental income from my home in SA. “ He told me.

John spent six months in India, where he got a break from the constant financial stress we are used to in South Africa. “I had no spiritual awakening in India.” John explained, “What happened was my brain got to let go of the fear that is programmed into us by the pace of life. And I got to process time differently. “ Could that be the key to success- or the first step towards finding it? Being free to follow your bliss, because there is no money or time pressure? Makes sense to me right now. Money and time pressure do keep us moving don’t they, but do they keep us moving in the right direction? You have to think out of the box of all those driving survival needs. Fly like a bird above it all and think big. Birds eye view big. Breathe and imagine what it would be like to be free of all those trappings, now you may have the clarity to remember what makes your heart sing.

If you were not driven by the need to survive financially, would you still choose to do the same things every day? That question sometimes takes some meditation to answer. Its hard to get ones head out of the stress machine that keeps us on the treadmill. You may need to put your feet firmly on the ground and take a few deep breaths to answer it. Would it be your hearts path? Or are you already doing the kind of work to make a living that is in line with your hearts path? When I say hearts path I mean the heart not the head. The Hearts path is the path of love. If you are, then you can congratulate yourself on being a success. Success feeds on success.

“The success enables you to work hour after hour.” Says John Bauer, who has experienced great success in response to his work. This success does not have to be an award or huge riches. It can just be a little recognition from an admirer, I guess.

And when you are following your bliss and doing what your true life purpose is, then financial and other forms of acknowledgement should begin to flow. However it takes a leap of faith to begin. Take baby steps and build your strength. Or simply trust the universe and jump, but take a calculated risk.

John Bauer is giving away 10 Free hand crafted porcelain heart pendants to the first 10 readers who are prepared to write down what following their bliss means to them. And how they wish to live their lives with Love. Write to me by clicking on the “Contact me” section, and tell me how you would like to make the concept of “ following your bliss” a reality in your life.

Why don’t we let ourselves shine? Why not be the pot of gold reflecting all the colours of the rainbow everyday? I am going to try it and see what happens. According to a book I recently read : Manuscript found in Accra– which is apparently the translation of ancient wisdom as told by a prophet visiting an ancient West African city called Accra just before a war, and written by Paulo Coelho: “Success comes to those who do not waste time comparing what they are doing with what others are doing, it enters the house of the person who says, “I will do my best’ every day. People who seek only success rarely find it, because success is not an end in itself, but a consequence. The truly rich person is the one who is in contact with the energy of Love every second of his existence.”

In the video clip link bellow: John explains more about how he follows his bliss by creating an “Offering” – which in his case is a message of love, set in porcelain, and explains the significance of wearing a porcelain heart.