The Tao of Influence. Karen McGregor

and leaders is evident in everything she does, including her latest book, The Tao of Influence, where she provides much needed direction and support in this time of global change.”

      —Charmaine Hammond, MA, CSP, professional speaker and bestselling author

      “With traditional systems and structures crumbling all around us, now more than ever we need Karen McGregor’s inspired brand of ancient and cutting-edge wisdom that gives thought leaders the tools to promote the principles of living in alignment with our most authentic selves for a more compassionate and sustainable planet. The Tao of Influence provides a ‘heart map’ of sorts: a masterful blend of the personal and the universal that Radiance readers and beyond will benefit from for lifetimes to come.”

      —Scott Ware, president of Radiance Multidimensional Media & Magazine

      “When you mix ‘Tao—A Way’ with ‘Influence—Your Way,’ you’re bound to experience a natural pathway to live your extraordinary life. From Karen’s lived experience she offers four pillars to navigate your journey and its associated destinations. Practical, down to earth, and in plain language, The Tao of Influence is worth the read. More so, it’s worth your time and effort to use this book as a map to make it happen for you and those you love!”

      —Dr. Stephen Hobbs, cofounder of the International Mentoring Community

      The Tao of

      Influence

      Ancient Wisdom for Modern Leaders

      and Entrepreneurs

      Karen McGregor

      Mango Publishing

      Coral Gables

      Copyright © 2020 by Karen McGregor.

      Published by Mango Publishing Group, a division of Mango Media Inc.

      Cover Design: Roberto Núñez

      Cover illustration: Oleg_Yakovlev/Shutterstock.com

      Layout & Design: Roberto Núñez

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      The Tao of Influence: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Leaders and Entrepreneurs

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication number: 2020933896

      ISBN: (print) 978-1-64250-275-6, (ebook) 978-1-64250-276-3

      BISAC category code BUS071000, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Leadership

      Printed in the United States of America

      For my mother, my first teacher of love.

      Table of Contents

       Foreword

       Introduction

       Pillar I

       Power

       One

       Understanding Power

       Two

       Identifying Your Power Patterns

       Three

       Releasing the Ten Ego Needs

       Four

       Seven Ways to Illuminate Your Power

       Pillar II

       Presence

       Five

       Awakening Presence

       Six

       Sacred Stillness

       Seven

       Stillness Strategies

       Pillar III

       Purpose

       Eight

       Understanding Purpose

       Nine

       Leading with Purpose

       Ten

       Embracing Divine Purpose

       Pillar IV

       Potential

       Eleven

       The Holy Flow

       Twelve

       Mastery in Form

       Thirteen

       From Mysticism to Activism

       Final Thoughts

       P.S.

       Acknowledgments

       About the Author

Foreword

      The first time I read Lao Tzu’s masterpiece, the Tao Te Ching, I had recently finished my studies at a respectable Jesuit university in Chicago. Within weeks of graduation, I’d met the woman I would one day marry, and she exposed me to mystical traditions of other religions and philosophies, including the fresh and exciting world of New Age spirituality, which was just beginning to emerge. One of the first things that drew me to Linda was her spiritual curiosity; it was something I could relate to, but only through the perspective of my Catholic upbringing.

      Within days of meeting her, I devoured my first non-Catholic spiritual book—Paramahansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi—and my world was forever changed. I began to haunt the shelves of the tiny New Age bookshop around the corner from my apartment. It was filled with crystals, channeled books and tapes, and a wide assortment of other out-of-the-box material that made my mind spin. Everything