Testimonials

 

I contacted Scott after hearing his bi-weekly columns on CBC Radio and I have read many of his blogs and posts. My hope was to learn how to cultivate a happier and more grateful life, a life where I was the driver, not the spectator. My daily moments have been enriched by learning that each of us builds our own reality, and determines our own future.

Working with Scott has helped me become more aware that our words and thoughts have incredible power and we can exercise control to determine our narratives, our feelings and our behaviours. It’s not what we face in life that determines our happiness, success or legacy; it how we react to those events. We need to choose to see what  goodness can come from any situation, even the most tragic. There are so many reasons for joy, wonder and happiness in everyday situations, and throughout every life.

I personally love all the metaphors that Scott uses to illustrate how our lives unfold, from driving (yes, sometimes in the ditch), to fish in a fishbowl to our lives as movies in which we determine what the frames will portray, to our existence as flowing water in a river. Scott has helped me realize that we can choose limitations through negativity and busy narratives OR we can still the busyness to create wonderful lives; we all have the potential for incredible happiness, peace and potential.

Right now I’m participating in Scott’s Advanced Program and find our weekly sessions to be enriching and wonderfully helpful as I learn to live my life, with all its challenges, in technicolour, full of joy and gratitude. I highly recommend it.

Donna
Farmer and Teacher

 

Great course! Scott is a solid guy who has an amazing talent. I have never felt so relaxed and positive. I have learned how to BE me.

(There is a longform testimonial by Denis available here.)

Denis
Parent and Professional

 

I had suffered with anxiety and depression my entire life I’m 39. Scott has changed my life. He taught me a completely new way of thinking, I or we are able to think this way its in all of us, we just don’t know it. I’m now in control of my anxiety it does not play a major role in my life anymore. Scott taught me that the are other ways of thinking and listening to your mind, or not listening to your mind, a lot of what he said made so much sense and was so life changing for me because I had no idea that I could be positive and that I could be calm. I cannot stress this enough if you suffer from anxiety and it effects your day to day life you must speak to Scott. I was driving down the road of life, in the ditch the whole time, I’m now up on the road and I’m never going in the ditch again. Thank you so much Scott.

Dominic
Business Owner

 

I took “the principles” a long time ago, and at that time, it helped me to start seeing things better, it opened my eyes and heart, and the most, it enabled me to become aware that I can indeed be(come) aware.

Since then, time passed, but I’ve never looked back, and always found sanctuary in concepts/principles Scott teaches, especially in stories that he’s readily shared with me – I still get together with him, we do “refreshers”, and every time after our conversations, when I am back home, my wife would say: ”Go, talk more to Scott, spend more time with Scott.”

Boris
Business Architect

*

I believe that when you are ready for the teacher, the teacher will find you. This is exactly what I found to be true when I connected with Scott. It was a little bit of serendipity in hindsight. I was struggling with a very big decision in my life, a kind of life choice that has serious consequences. I was lost and confused. I took a chance and trusted my gut and took Scott’s course. Ironically we grew up in the same city, yet I’m a world away in Australia, yet I found clarity over the phone with Scott . One of the most pointed messages that has stuck with me is that he showed me that I am in control of my reality.  I have recommended him to my friends all over the world and am so grateful to have met Scott. He is truly … truly … one of a kind. Namaste Scott

Lisa
Social Worker

*

The training gets you in the Moment. It’s experiential. Unlike reading about living in the present, this actually lets you do it. It’s the difference between reading about swimming and taking swimming lessons. Have you read Eckhart Tolle’s books? It’s what he writes about. Unlike therapy, which challenges, Principles Training is pleasant, fun and you feel good after a session.

Peter
Cinematographer

*

In the two years since I’ve taken the course, I have never –not EVER– gotten nearly as depressed as I did before I took the course. I am no longer taking medication, I am no longer seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist and I feel stronger, happier and more like my self than I have since as long as I can remember

Meeting Scott and taking The Course very very literally saved my life. If I could assign a value to my life, then I would assign an equal value to what I have received from Scott and Principles Training.

Christina
Artist and Mother

*

I recently just took this class and I can’t thank Scott enough for the knowledge he shared that has changed my life. I’ve suffered from panic attacks for almost as long as I can remember and he’s taught me how to overcome them and it works! My on-again off-again good/bad moods are almost 100% good moods now, and I feel so much happier and at peace. Even my husband has noticed the changes in me. To anyone with anxiety, depression or a million other ‘mental health’ problems this is the class for you! To anyone not simply enjoying life, believe me when I say you can learn how.

Jacquie
Jewelry Designer, Retail Manager

*

This program is excellent and I highly recommend it for virtually anyone who feels the need for positive change in his or her life. The learning transfer is remarkable, and the principles have had a greater effect on me than any other training of its kind. In fact, it has been four years since I took the course and I draw upon it more now than right after the course when I probably wasn’t sure how to process everything. Since then I have practiced the principles like any other type of training and I (and my wife) am amazed at how much happier, calm and content I am.

Greg
Author, Catch Them if you Can; Founder The Headhunters, CEO, TalentClick

*

The training gets you in the Moment. It’s experiential. Unlike reading about living in the present, this actually lets you do it. It’s the difference between reading about swimming and taking swimming lessons. Have you read Eckhart Tolle’s books? It’s what he writes about. Unlike therapy, which challenges, Principles Training is pleasant, fun and you feel good after a session.

Peter
Cinematographer

*

I have had psychological counseling to try and help me understand the ‘why me’ syndrome. I became more and more saddened as I kept re-living the experience of pain. The Principles of Human Experience has allowed me to live in the ‘NOW.’

Sharon
Yoga Instructor, Mother to a Champion Child

*

First I would like to thank you for the chance to take this program. It has changed my life in a positive way. This program has taught me that if I abandon the things I think I know and just feel, then I am more likely to have a positive outcome. My thoughts only last as long as I think them. That is, if I stay relaxed and give my thoughts the time to clear, then I’ll have better insight into the situation.

We base a lot of what we do on what we think we know, but everyone is different so no two people are gonna think or feel the same. So this program has taught me to have an open mind and to stop relying on what I think I know and just relax and the wisdom will come.

I think this program changes lives for the better. I know it has mine. I’m a nicer person to be around and I know I stop and feel before I react. Scott was wonderful. Thanks a million.

Alissa
Inmate (with a bright future)

*

As a parent, I see my children suffering in age appropriate ways rather than feel they are purposely driving me crazy. I am also more firm and less insecure regarding parenting decisions. I am aware of the fear I feel for them, but I am now less likely to have that fear dictate my actions.

Lynn
Writer, Parent

*

It shows you that it’s not what you did, or what you’re going to do, it’s what you’re doing that affects your life the most!

Brian
CNC Operator

*

I’ve paid for my staff to go through Scott’s course, not only to uphold my company culture and code-of-ethics, but to give my employees life skills that will help them be better individuals and workers for others and maybe themselves in the future. In a very short time—and starting in the midst of a recession—I have built Paintsmith Décor Ltd. into a six-figure business. I have an outstanding rapport with my clients, energetic and loyal staff, and most importantly freedom and passion in what I do. There is a better way to do business. And Relax and Succeed is how I achieved it.

Amanda Smith
President, Paintsmith Decor; Cleansmith Custom Cleaners

*

I remember trying so hard to explain to my fiance what I learned and how it works but I never explained it right. You really have to be a part of it to fully understand but after each class I felt so light, carefree. Happiness stopped feeling like something to be achieved. It is just a way of being.

Jessica
Conductor

 

The first time I heard Scott was on CBC Radio while on the slow drive home from work on a snowy winter day. It was one of those few interviews that I felt compelled to investigate further. Listening to it, I marvelled at the different way of reacting to or perceiving situations in a way that would never have occurred to me. That episode kept rising into my conscious thoughts over the following months and each time it left me feeling that I wanted that. I even made my wife listen to it and discuss it with me.

COVID hit the following spring and we all went into lockdown and started working from home. I have always been an anxious person and my high-stress job became even more stress inducing. Dealing with technology issues and workload changes due to layoffs over the next several months brought me to my mental knees. I hit the wall and could no longer function. I sought help from my Doctor, psychological services, reading, and Cognitive Based Therapy (CBT). I grasped for anything I could think of that could possibly help me get rid of my anxiety and return to work as soon as possible. Luckily for me, this was also one of those occasions when that CBC interview floated back into my awareness. I looked up Scott’s website to find courses or anything else that might help. Due to COVID, nothing seemed available. I decided to reach out anyway and was able to connect with Scott to set up some personal sessions. I am skeptical by nature. I really had no idea what to expect other than perhaps a few more mental tools to treat my anxiety.

What is the training like? As far as the mechanics of the training, it consisted of several long, easy-going conversations that took place over socially distanced walks or telephone calls. The conversations were innately non-judgemental and positive. There was the occasional mental game or activity, but mostly it was just visiting and engaging in interesting conversation and observations. In between sessions, there was usually a suggestion to be aware of some aspect of my perceptions or some small activity to practice. None of this required any strong mental effort. For much of the training, that didn’t prevent me from putting pressure on myself to try to remember everything we talked about and stress about ‘doing this right’ or about ‘making enough progress’ – I was just ‘being’ my normal anxious self. As the sessions progressed, the discussions evolved to gently undermine the flaws in the ways I had built my reality and to propose solid and positive ways of redefining it. There were setbacks, but they have so far served to help prove to myself that I can rely on this stronger foundation.

As far as what the training accomplished, this is my interpretation. Scott spent some time getting to know my thought patterns, my perceptions of myself and the world. He found topics to discuss that we could both relate to and were of interest to me. Through analogies and occasional mental activities, he helped me to recognize who “I” am and that “I” am not anxious. Anxious is just something I am working at being during any given moment. During our sessions, I was noticing a lot of informational similarities to what I was learning through the other ways I sought out help. It was like I had the theoretical knowledge but had not been able to connect it to the real world of my mind. I am reminded of the driving lessons I took as a teenager. I had 10 hours of class instructional time followed by 10 hours in the car with the instructor. I already had the theory/class time but was not adept at putting it into practical use. The sessions with Scott are like the time in the car with the instructor. You are the driver of the car that is your reality. He helps you discover where all the controls are from your position in the driver’s seat. The rear-view mirrors are your past and the windshield is your future. The car and the world directly outside your windows are the now. You become aware that you can decide to focus on that ugly pothole in the past and how it damaged your car or, like me, focus anxiously on the oncoming curve that might have black ice and a bigger pothole. That focus to the front or rear-view can take over your now, like it did for me. I have learned to see that I am being anxious about that curve, but now I can choose to relax the death grip on the steering wheel. I can change direction, slow down, or stop. I can take in the scenery around me. I can open the sunroof and roll down the windows so I can feel the hot sun and summer breeze. Beyond what I can see directly in front of me the road ahead is unpredictable. As the driver, I may be able to choose the direction I am headed, but even if I cannot change the outcome, I can choose to be open and find the positive in the moments as they arrive. It is just a curve up ahead.

I am just starting the rest of this journey where I am in the driver seat of this being called me. I am optimistic about where ‘we’ are headed. It feels like I just got my learner’s licence. I am a nervous driver. I am going to make mistakes, but that is OK because I have the basics down and will get better at it. When I get that inevitable flat tire and I need to swap it out in the rain, I will also know that I can choose to notice the smell of fresh air and maybe it will even result in meeting a new friend who decides to stop and help.

I asked for help with anxiety. I got far more than I asked for.

Like the Rolling Stones song goes…” You can’t always get what you want, but… you just might find you get what you need.”

Many thanks, Scott.

Denis
Parent and Professional

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