Please introduce yourself and your book(s)!
My name is Pauline Nguyen. I am an Award Winning Author, International Speaker and Spiritual Entrepreneur.
I won Debut Writer of the Year for my first book Secrets of the Red Lantern (Murdoch Books 2007) and my most recent book The Way of the Spiritual Entrepreneur won Best Entrepreneurship and Small Business Book of the Year 2019.
Bio here: https://www.paulinenguyen.com.au/about
What is the base premise of your new book, The Way of the Spiritual Entrepreneur?
Why did you write it?
The Way of the Spiritual Entrepreneur is the new frontier in the science of achievement – because the old ways are no longer working for so many of us. I wrote this book because I want to create something tangible that my fellow entrepreneurs can take away, absorb and action for themselves. I believe that today, a different kind of suffering has been misdiagnosed as psychological suffering. So many are suffering but it is not psychological suffering – it is spiritual suffering. Indeed, a spiritual crisis is happening at the moment. I wrote this book to awaken the reader to new ways of seeing things and new ways of doing things and new reasons for seeing and doing things differently.
To be ‘in spirit’ means to be inspired, and to perform all tasks and live our lives from a place of inspiration and from a higher mind. Spirituality does not come from religion; it comes from our soul. Spirituality is not theology or ideology. Spirituality is about self-realisation, self-determination, self-actualisation and, ultimately, self-transcendence. Spirituality is about mastering our thoughts, our behaviours and our emotions.
What is a Spiritual Entrepreneur?
Spiritual Entrepreneurship is a new way of being, not doing. The Spiritual Entrepreneur dedicates their mastery and training to LIFE, placing emphasis on their mind, their body, their breath and their emotions, so that they can ‘show up’ in the face of any adversity – and be fearless, stress free and unshakable.
Happiness alone is no longer such a great orientation. Fearlessness, Stress Free-ness and Unshakability are much more powerful traits. Where fear resides there is gold. This book is written with one purpose in mind: to empower you in the choices that lead to more freedom, more peacefulness and more joy in a rapidly changing world.
Spiritual Entrepreneurs understand that we only have control over four things in our life – the thoughts we think, the images we visualise, the people we associate with and the actions we take. The purpose of this book is to empower you with new ways of thinking – and new reasons to think differently – so that you have a deeper understanding of yourself and your part in this world, bringing harmony to your home, your life and business.
The Way of the Spiritual Entrepreneur is about getting good at LIFE.
What
are you working on at the moment?
The
new season of my Spiritual Entrepreneur Round Tables will commence in
February. My Round Tables are always incredibly enriching
experiences.
More info here:
https://roundtable.paulinenguyen.com.au/1
As well I am working on a new book – something very differently and very exciting.
What inspires/inspired your creativity?
Inspiration
comes easily to me because my
way of being
is to be ‘in-spirit’ and ‘inspired’. Inspired by nature, by
books, by movement, by conversations, by stories, by tapping into my
own intuition and the people in my network who I deliberately invite.
Most of my life, environment and my network is by
design, not by default.
How do you deal with creative block?
I don’t dwell. You can’t edit an empty page. When I am ‘stuck’, I walk away from my computer and wait. I go out into nature – go for a walk to the ocean or a swim or read by the beach. When I am in an inspiring environment with inspiring people (or alone), nuggets of gold always come. It is a process of strategic surrender. This has worked for me time and time again.
Do you have tips on choosing titles and covers?
Leave
it to the experts to come up with a few alternatives based
on your brief,
then trust your intuition when it comes to the final decision.
If
it doesn’t feel right, speak up. If you are not quite happy, speak
up – because it is your book and you have to look at it for a very
long time. The final decision must be yours. The final question to
ask yourself…. “Am I proud of this?”
How do bad reviews and negative feedback affect you and how do you deal with them?
Like water off a duck’s back. As with everything in life that we create, whether it be a book or a restaurant or a keynote speech… if we understand that the law is 50/50, or 60/40 or 70/30. There will always be lovers and always be haters – it is the law. When we can understand this, all ego is removed.
How has your creation process improved over time?
I listen to new voices, learn new concepts, read new material. I deliberately become a ‘new person’ with a new set of skills and a new world view on a regular basis. Once the process of creating the ‘new’ is put into words for the greater good of the collective consciousness, I trust my intuition and my life experience to make the final decision in the creation process.
What were the best, worst and most surprising things you encountered during the entire process of completing your book(s)?
On
both occasions winning awards for both my books came as a huge
surprise. And knowing how many people all over the world both books
have impacted in a big way.
My heart sings at the
letters and emails and testimonials I receive as a result of my work.
I never take any of it for granted.
I am Always grateful.
I am Always grateful.
Do you tend towards personal satisfaction or aim to serve your readers? Do you balance the two and how?
It must be a balance of the two… but more erring on the side of the impact on the audience. The personal satisfaction comes into play when I ask myself …
“Did I do my best? Was I true to my core and my soul plan for this lifetime? Am I proud of this?”
What role do emotions play in creativity?
Joy, Love and Surprise are the 3 most powerful emotions that connect us humans together. My work always includes these 3 powerful emotions.
As an author, and a keynote speaker especially, it takes skill and fearlessness to get out of your comfort zone in order to take the audience on an emotional journey.
This is how impact is made. This is how we are remembered.
Do you have any creativity tricks?
Become expansive. Open your mind, while Staying true to your core.
What are your plans for future books?
I am currently working on a new book. Very different and very important for the collective consciousness of today and tomorrow.
Tell us some quirky facts about yourself.
I have 2 black belts
I pole dance – until I get too dizzy.
I practice nunchucku
I have an incredibly high pain tolerance.
I am Shaman
What’s next for you?
– Enjoying the new season of my Spiritual Entrepreneur Round Tables and Awaken the Spiritual Entrepreneur Retreats.
– Ziva Life Collective Women Only Retreat – www.zivalifecollective.com
– Currently working on Another book – very different and exciting.
How
can people connect with you/ see you speak/ learn
more?
www.paulinenguyen.com.au
– go to ‘live events’ for my Round Tables and Retreats
- go to ‘coaching’ for one on one coaching
- go to ‘speaking’ for speaking information
- go to my restaurant Red Lantern – www.redlantern.com.au
- Read my book! https://book.paulinenguyen.com.au/1