Sitting at my computer one morning, I got an email that would significantly impact my life. At the time, I had no idea who Danny Morel was or what Awaken Your Higher Self Seminar was about.
With a packed calendar, I was surprised to see I was available for the three days the Awaken Your Higher Self seminar was to be held at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort and Spa. It was 15 miles from my home in Palm Springs. I emailed Danielle Dorman of DDPR. Inc. and told her I would be delighted to accept the invitation.
I was hosted for this event. However, I am sharing my observations and learnings from my heart.
Who is Danny Morel?
I didn't know who Danny Morel was, and I soon realized many people on my social media platforms did not either, for I kept getting replies: "Who is Danny Morel?"
Born in New York City to a mother from Ecuador and a father from the Dominican Republic, his life was filled with music, art, food, and everything relating to Latin culture. Then at 13 years old, his parents divorced. His mother moved him to California.
The only place they could afford was ghetto-like areas of Southern California. As the oldest son, he did what he could to help and vowed not to live this way for the rest of his life. Nor did he want his mom and brother to live in such conditions. He declared he would buy his mother a house. By the age of 21, his mother moved into her new home.
Danny Morel Real Estate Career
With a mentor and applying his mentor's wisdom, Danny built a real estate empire worth 1.1 billion dollars. The next step was teaching others how to succeed in the real estate world.
Before long, he realized patterns surfaced about people holding themselves back. Numerous conversations with his mentor resulted in him starting a coaching career, which has now evolved into Awaken Your Higher Self three-day conference recently held in Palm Desert, California, at the JW Marriott Desert Springs.
Awaken Your Higher Self, Presented by Danny Morel
With a notebook and pen in my purse, I headed into the large ballroom to my reserved seat. With a sold-out conference, I'm bad with numbers, but there appeared to be 500-plus people seated and tapping to upbeat music, waiting for Danny to open the morning session.
Things that Impact Our Energies Daily
Parents' Values Passed Down to Us
Parents' Beliefs Passed Down to Us
Circumstances in our Day-to-Day Life
Demands of our Day-to-Day Life
All the above affect us:
Health
Relationships
Finance
We took out our notebooks, quietly sat there, and considered how we would like our lives to look under the three categories. With the goal in mind, we settled in to understand how we must establish new thought patterns to access our newly designed lives.
At What Level Do We Operate Our Lives?
It didn't take long to realize I was living at the survival level. Traveling and seeing beautiful places and being able to write about them so I can share them with readers brings me great joy.
However, I pay my bills through my dog-sitting gigs. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs, and my human clients are delightful, but I realize there is still more to life. Thus, Danny had my attention, and I was ready to play full out.
First Exercise Forgiveness
At first, I felt I was on top of this one. I told myself there was no one to forgive, and I had many in-depth conversations. Then Dany started presenting the concept that you are either the creator of your world or a victim.
Throughout the day, the concept came up again and again. Reinforcing things if you are living in survival mode, what are you doing to create that situation? What choices are you making?
Breathwork for the Evening Session
All of us were lying on our yoga mats. The lights dimmed, and we began a rhythmic breathing pattern led by Danny. My brain went everywhere: This isn't easy. I wonder what is going to happen next. Does this work? You get the picture.
Then, we were to go back to normal breathing. Unexpectedly, someone very close to me popped up in my mind. I will refrain from mentioning her name, but those close to me will know. Over the years, our relationship has been painful and brought me tears when I talked about her with others.
Then, the thought popped up out of nowhere: Wait, I'm not a victim. She has chosen a different path and is making her choices for her path, which has nothing to do with me.
Tears followed the realization. This new viewpoint was such a relief. Thus, I knew in my heart it was not what I did. It was the choices she was making.
A Discovery About a Relationship During the Seminar
When you have a 20-year friendship with someone, you cannot help but think there is more-I remained hooked.
Once I spelled out what I wanted in a relationship: Let me be me, support me in my career, respect me, encourage me, want to be with me on a day-to-day basis, and buy me flowers because he knows they make me happy, etc., I realized I was far from receiving this from the individual.
Oh, and another thing Danny said, Men, what if you spend ½ the time you spend on your favorite sports spend it on your relationship? I'm not saying stop watching sports. Remember that in the scheme of things, your relationship makes life sing when handled well.
Yes, I got the lesson loud and clear. NEXT!
Another Evening session with Breathwork
Again, we lay on our yoga mats and followed a guided breathing process.
Unexpectedly my father popped up. I was close to my father, and his approval was important to me. Thus, when I would stack wood, he would take an additional log and say, here's another one to go here –I think it is good enough.
The same was true of the large mirror over our sofa I was in charge of cleaning each Saturday morning. He would find a spot, clean it, and say, That's good enough.
Until this breathwork, I blamed him for making me feel like I was never good enough. Through this process, I realized Dad has had the most influence on my life and, indeed, my career.
As we know, no one is ever perfect. Through Dad's teachings, he helped me learn how to contribute to society and do it to the best of my abilities.
Oh, and there is something else—Dad had an 8th-grade education, fell asleep reading Popular Mechanics Magazine each night, and built our house without formal training.
Other Participants at the Conference
As many know, people you meet at a conference can sometimes quietly influence your life. This seminar was no exception.
I met a nurse during the break and talked about the Covid experience. She worked 16 hours daily and slept in her garage to avoid infecting her family. What surprised me the most. She said, Kathy, the most challenging part was how we were treated after Covid was waning—no one wanted to be around us for fear they would get it.
During the final exercise, we were asked to join with someone we didn't know. Much to my surprise, I was doing the exercise with Danny's father-in-law. It was his first experience seeing his son-in-law present. Okay, I'll admit we didn't do the exercise. We were too busy chatting.
The takeaway from the conversation, Kathy, is that you have seen the real Danny, and I am so proud of him. I can't get over how simply he breaks down complex things.
Emails Can Bring Unexpected Opportunity for Growth
Some of you were watching my social media posts and saw that I was enjoying the experience. Truthfully, I feel a little bit lighter. I had no idea about some of the things I mentioned above.
Oh, one last thing. The overwhelming theme of the seminar was always to be your authentic self. I am so appreciative of what I learned. I trust you will consider growing through education through Danny Morel's seminars or open yourself up to programs and events that challenge you to move out of your comfort zone.
Thank goodness I opened the email. As someone said, I was courageous enough to enter unknown territory, trusting it would be for my higher good.
Kathy Condon is a Journalist, Travel Writer, and Award-winning Author who shares her thoughts and travels to help stretch you to grow and learn about the world around you. kathy@kathycondon.net 760-902-2094 www.PalmSpringsInsiderGuide.com AboutKathy