What does it feel like to be a best-selling writer? Basing your livelihood on making an emotional impact through storytelling is fascinating. Authors get inspiration from many sources, including their spirituality and their lessons from life.

In this episode, Mark Victor Hansen and Crystal Dwyer Hansen talk about their experiences with the book series Chicken Soup for the Soul and their new book, Ask! They also share their inspirations and their mutual roles in their loving partnership.

Listen to this episode and become a more inspired storyteller.

3 Reasons to Listen:

1. Know about the people and processes behind Chicken Soup.
2. Learn about the key ingredient for a healthy marriage.
3. Discover how to turn inspiration into impressive storytelling.

Resources

• Tools to purge messy thinking at Crystal's website
• How to be Up in Down Times e-book at Mark's website
• Ask!: The Bridge from Your Dreams to Your Destiny by Mark Victor Hansen and Crystal Dwyer Hansen 
• Skinny Life: The Secret to Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Fitness by Crystal Dwyer Hansen
• Join the Ask book club
• Join Seek Go Create’s giveaway! Just enter your email address on our website. Get updates on our month-long anniversary celebration too.
• Episode Details

About Mark and Crystal

Mark Victor Hansen is the co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul, as well as a keynote speaker and marketing expert. With over 500 million book sales and over 6000 people reached in audiences worldwide, Mark seeks to help people achieve their fullest potential.

Crystal Dwyer Hansen is a renowned international speaker, consultant, entrepreneur, and author of Skinny Life: The Secret to Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Fitness. She guides people to transition from hopelessness to triumph and happiness.

Are you interested in reaching out to Mark and Crystal? You can contact Mark through his website or on his Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram profiles. You can also reach out to Crystal by going to her website and connecting through her Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram profiles.

Episode Highlights[03:26] Mark's & Crystal's Work

• Crystal is a transformational coach who helps people attain the best version of themselves.
• She helps people recognize messy thinking and pushes them to remove baggage from their lives.
• Mark writes best-selling books on personal transformation to inspire people to unlock their genius talents.
• His work aims to plug everyone back into their own brilliance.

[04:09] “What I do is I write best-selling books to transform people into fulfilling their destiny, and each and every one of us has a genius hidden inside. Genius talent, genius skills, genius abilities.” - Click Here to Tweet This[07:23] On Wellness[07:33] “You can't have a shift in your wellness, health, or weight, until you have a permanent shift in your mind, okay, because everything starts with the mind.” - Click Here to Tweet This

• Crystal believes that any physical change must be rooted in the mind. Mindset shifts that focus on goals rather than setbacks are essential.
• All we have to do is love ourselves enough to take time, research, and do the work.
• Not being physically healthy dims your light a little despite your success in other aspects of life.
• Including exercise into your daily routines and watching what you eat are necessary parts of wellness.
• Look out for the chemicals used in producing the food you eat. Listen to the full episode to learn about the five disasters of health!

[09:20] “This body is the only temple you have on this earth to express the soul and spirit you were given. How important is that?” - Click Here to Tweet This[16:26] Buckminster Fuller

• Near the end of his life, Buckminster argued that there is a God, above reason, who heads our intelligent universe.
• He also realized that his purpose in life is to make humanity become successful, both physically and economically.
• Now, Mark sees Buckminster as a source of inspiration and emulates his purpose of serving humanity.

[16:19] “So it's fascinating what you can do if you think right, talk right, act right, live right, eat right, and exercise right.” - Click Here to Tweet This[21:22] Mark's & Crystal's Partnership

• Crystal appreciates Mark as he allows her to express herself as fully as possible.
• Mark found a soulmate in Crystal, even as he used to maintain what seemed like unattainable standards when it comes to finding a soulmate.
• Crystal meets all of the 267 virtues, values, qualities, characteristics in Mark’s list. He is the most grateful man for having her, and he wants that for everybody.
• Their story is in the 20th anniversary edition of Chicken Soup for the Soul.
• The couple experiences synergy together. Their spiritual intimacy is proof of the strength of their marriage.

[31:45] The Chicken Soup Model

• Mark and his co-author Jack Canfield get a lot of story material from their audiences.
• It's their job to rewrite the content they get so that they can tell a good story.
• Their model prioritizes stories that can cause instantaneous behavior change while packing enough emotional impact.
• Crystal shares how Jack was doubtful at first, but Mark firmly believes they would find success.

[38:25] Ask!

• Mark and Crystal wrote this book after finding out that high achievers don't differ much in talent or ability than other people.
• They started to look at how aligning with a higher purpose and asking the universe can help you get the success you want.

[39:29] “There are three channels through which to ask, and those are: ask yourself, ask others, and ask God. And we found that each of those channels are equally important to, you know, employ in your life so that you can become what we call a master asker.” - Click Here to Tweet This[42:17] Writing Together

• Both Mark and Crystal first wrote sections of the book separately.
• Crystal acts more as the organizer for the book's contents.
• They were able to interview 26 people, allowing them to learn about amazing stories and experiences.

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To growing and becoming all we are created to be,

Tim

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