NL: Hi everyone! My name is Natalie Ledwell and this is The Inspiration Show. Today on the show I have a very good friend of mine who's going to be talking about how we can create Heaven on Earth. Fantastic subject and we'll be diving into that in just a moment. But before we do, I just want to remind you that after the show is over, if you’d like to click on the link below this video if you're watching it live on Facebook or if you're watching it on our YouTube channel later on, make sure you click on the link so you can do my 30-second quiz, so we can figure out what is holding you back from success. So please let me introduce my very special guest today, Mr. Martin Rutte. How are you, Martin?

MR:  Glad to be with you Natalie, as always.

NL: I am very excited to be having this conversation which we’ve had several times ourselves, but to be sharing it with our community. Now I know Martin because he's a fellow member of the Transformational Leaders' Council and we've had many discussions about how we can create heaven on earth. But rather than just talk about it, Martin actually is creating a movement which he’s going to be talking about today and a whole thing that goes with it. But before we do that Martin, why don’t we get you to tell us a little bit about like who you are, what is the work that you’ve been doing and what led you into this project?

MR: Sure. I’m a management consultant and I think there are probably three major chunks of my life. One is I worked with individuals and companies on their vision. So Sony Pictures, Marion Merell Dow Consumer Pharmaceuticals, I spoke then four times at the Harvard Business School all on the notion of vision. And people and companies desire for the kind of world they want whether it’s for themselves, their company or the world. Then I moved into spirituality at work as an inquiry. So I helped set up a center for spiritual work in a business school in Canada and really opened that conversation in the world, helped to open that conversation. And most recently this work on Heaven on Earth. And the Heaven on Earth Work really came out of, I have a frustration and a hurt, I guess, is a good word Natalie, inside of me for the kind of problems that are going on in the world. Pollution, refugees, the threat of War, gun violence. On and on and on and in the same way that I worked with individuals and companies on what their vision is for the kind of ideal situation they want, I asked the same question, I said what if we have heaven on earth? And my first thought when I had that thought, when it came to me, was you're crazy, you can't say that. And then I thought well, why not? We can talk about hell on earth, can't we? That's an acceptable conversation. Well, why can't we talk about heaven on earth? And that's really what opened this inquiry which has been about twenty years for me into what will it take for you to discover what heaven on earth is for you and start making that real in the world.

NL: Right. Because It is an individual thing, right? Like you know I know that you’ve worked like with hundreds of people and so tell me about how you were facilitating this. Is there like a website or people sharing what their vision of heaven on earth is.

MR: Sure. People can go to projectheavenonearth.com. They can sign up for a free 7-day course there and also look at the link that’s the tab stories. We have about 62 different examples of people all over the world who have taken on what heaven on earth is for them and more specific to your question, what I’ve discovered Natalie, in asking people over and over and over many, many years, three questions which get at it. So can I ask you the three questions so people can really[inaudible words]... All right. So recall a time when you experienced heaven on earth. What was going on?

NL: I was working on my children's program and I was in the flow and I had the realization in my bones that what I was creating was actually going to change a generation.

MR:   Beautiful language. So question one: recall a time when you experienced heaven on earth. And you noticed that what you did was you answered my question. What you didn’t do and what nobody does is say what do you mean by heaven on earth? Which I find fascinating. So how could you know what heaven on earth is without some kind of what I call already knowing within you. Question one. Question two: Imagine that you have a magic wand and with it, you can have heaven on earth. What's heaven on earth for you?

NL: Heaven on earth for me is that every single child on this planet is acknowledged, is loved, is nourished and nurtured.

MR: Very clear. And you noticed how you went right to it now. I have asked you these questions before but that was several weeks ago but still, you go right to it as does everyone. And the notion of the magic wand relieves you of the necessity of having to know how you're gonna do it. You don't have to know how you can go right to the what. And what I've discovered Natalie in asking that question, imagine you have a magic wand and with it you can have heaven on earth, people know what heaven on earth is for them and by that knowing is what I want to have come out in the world and be a part of a normal human conversation. The third question is: What simple, easy, concrete steps will you take in the next 24 hours to begin making that real or more real?

NL: Well I’m currently working very diligently on the children’s program so just making sure that every single day I’m taking a positive step forward in the completion of the program and reaching out to the teachers around the world who want to facilitate it. So I mean I have a big action plan happening.

MR:  In your case, that's something you're already doing and all I ask of you is could you add the phrase and this is my contribution to heaven on earth.

NL: Right. Yes, yeah so taking a positive step every forward to having the program taught in schools around the world and this is my contribution to heaven on earth.

MR: Brilliant, brilliant. So the three questions again and by the way, if people go to projectheavenonearth.com and sign up for the course, you'll get the three questions: recall a time when you experienced heaven on earth, what was that, what went on? Here’s a magic wand with it you can create heaven on earth, what’s heaven on earth for you? And what simple, easy, concrete step will you take in the next 24 hours; excuse me, to begin to make that real. And so you see what begins to happen is three things. One - people do know that they've had an experience of heaven on earth. Secondly, they do know what heaven on earth is for them and third by taking the smallest, simplest, easiest organic step you’re in the game. And so what we’re doing, if you then jump into a larger level Natalie is saying we’re co-creating the new story of what it means to be a human and what it means to be humanity namely heaven on earth. Several years ago we kept hearing people say current stories not working it’s not working, it’s not working. We need a new story, we need a new story but nobody named the new story. And so we begin to not hear that language anymore. What this is saying is look project heaven on earth is if you choose the new story, we’d love your contribution.

NL: Yeah. So the word heaven, I mean if you had any feedback from, because to me that's more of a religious term, like have you had any like feedback or pushback on that?

MR: Yup. And what happens is people think that there is a hidden agenda here of proselytizing a particular religious point of view, which is not true. People asked me to use another word instead of heaven, like vision, but heaven on earth and your vision for the world. They’re not the same thing. Heaven on earth is much, much deeper in your soul. And the other thing that I found, Natalie, is that once people get what heaven on earth is for them by their definition, then the fear of proselytizing just disappears.

NL: Right. So can you share some of the stories or examples of people who are creating heaven on earth?

MR: Let me start with a really, really simple one, is a woman named Susan Alima Friar who at the time was in Hawaii. I did a workshop there and she said Martin, what can I do, you know. I said well tell me what you do. She grows and teaches people out of her little microgreens, you know, those nourishing things that you can grind up and drink. They’re really wonderful. She put her definition of heaven on earth she embedded that at the end of her emails. So now every email that goes out simply has her definition of heaven on earth. And she’s now asked the question and here’s the magic wand, what’s heaven on earth for you. Very, very simple, very easy do it once, it’s done. Then we can move up to an organization. There’s a real estate company in Halifax Canada called Domus Realty with a lovely woman there named Brenda McKenzie. We’re talking about suffering in the world and she said I’ll tell you, suffering by homelessness she, I mean, do you, her whole face went white like I’d punched her. So I said well, what’s heaven on earth for homelessness? So she said well, obviously a home for everyone but that’s impossible. I’m a real estate agent, I work 80 hours a day, I’m in a relationship, it takes time, blah blah blah, but I’m fine fine fine. What are you gonna do? And this little light bulb goes on. She goes back to her agency, sits them all down and says, we’re going to create, we’re going to end homelessness by creating a home for everyone. I’d like you as a real estate agent, when you sell a home or a building, to agree right now that $100 will come off your commission and go into a pot. They’ve raised a hundred and forty thousand dollars so far, the last time I spoke to her. This is the fifth year of the program, it’s called “A home for everyone” and they get individuals and organizations to submit proposals for how to create a home for everyone. It’s brilliant. It’s so simple. And the third one, even a bigger one, we have people now who are taking on their country. So I have people in Japan, Argentina, Croatia, Denmark, Austria, and Hungary this morning, Kenya, the Arab world. These are people who have stepped forward and saying I’m taking on my nation being a heaven on earth nation. And I remember asking this woman Elizabeth in Austria. This is amazing, why you know, why you, this kind of seems huge to me and said, well because it’s simple and I learned a great lesson there, Natalie, which is I need to shut up. If somebody wants to take on the world, somebody wants to take on their email, somebody wants to take on their nation, whatever you want to do, I support you in there.

NL: Yeah. So is there a way people who created heaven on earth to be able to connect with each other? Is there like a place that they can go and support each other as well?

MR: Yes, once you sign up for the free course at projectheavenonerth.com, you’ll be invited to join a Facebook community called Heaven Makers in which people can well not can, people do, interact from all around the world and they answer the questions and they talk about their projects and I post inspirational quotes. It’s a way of building community and connecting people from all around the world. And also there’s a tab called stories. I think we’re up to like 62, as I said earlier, individuals and groups who have taken on heaven on earth projects. And so you can read them and just be inspired. A police officer in Texas wrote a 16-page manual,  “Heaven on earth for law enforcement.”

NL: Hmmm, wow.

MR: It’s amazing.

NL: Yeah.

MR: And I also say some of this is perfect today, I wanted to show you the cover this is can you read that?

NL: Yeah.

MR: Project Heaven on Earth?

NL: mm-hmm

MR: So this is the manuscript and I’m getting my first copy today, a proof copy of the book Project Heaven on Earth, so it’ll be up on Amazon soon.

NL: Oh fantastic! So, is there some guidelines or something that there’s some structure that people need to follow for them to start, you know, creating heaven on earth?

MR: You know, let me tell you something. I spoke to this guy Craig from, was in Irvine I think, couple days ago and he heard somebody saying the phrase heaven on earth and it’s it just his whole body he said just shook. He knew that’s why he was here and so he’s doing the course and all this, but what I want to say to people, if the phrase “heaven on earth” resonates with you then sign up for the course, because there is a growing community, as you said, in your introduction. This is more than a good idea now - this is an evolutionary movement. We have people all over the world who have stepped up and said okay I’m part of creating this new story of what it means to be human and what it means to be humanity, namely heaven on earth.

NL: Yeah. So awesome. So awesome. And so with um the course is free, right?

MR: The course is free.

NL: Mm-hmm and that's a fantastic way for people to be able to connect with other like-minded people who you know and to be able to support everyone else as well you know.

MR: Correct. And the other thing is what I’ve discovered, Natalie, over the years of asking these questions over and over, in addition to the book containing and the course the three questions, there are also what I call gateways. There are eight gateways into heaven on earth. Whether they are internal, external, relationship or here and now. So you’ll explore some of those gateways in the course and see one or more of those gateways will be yours and you’ll go that’s it. That’s what I’m supposed to do and you’ll know.

NL: Yeah. Because you know I was at a conference a week or so ago and Dr. John Demartini was speaking, one of the speakers, and he was talking about how we all have a yearning. We all have a yearning to be able to contribute and make a difference and do something positive. And he was telling the story how he was in South Africa and he was in a jail in South Africa and so this is like some very, very hardened criminals, gang members, and he asked the question you know, who would like to make a contribution, who would like to do something good for the world. Really everyone put their hand up. So what I love about this project is that it gives people an idea of how they could do that, figure out what it is, you know, for us. Because I believe that our purpose is all the same. Our purpose is to be the best version of ourselves and make a contribution. But our mission and how that shows up is different and unique to all of us. So being in an environment like this where you know you’re going through and you’re teaching them about the different gateways and then something finally clicks, you know, and the thing is when something shows up for you and you feel excited about it, then that is the direction that you want to be going. Definitely an indication that that is the path that you want to be following, so.

MR: Beautifully said, Natalie. That's exactly it. I mean honestly not everybody grabs on to heaven on earth, I wish they did but you know part of it has to be it’s okay to say no but if it is yes for you, you will know. Something will resonate so deeply and so purely and the answer about what your contribution is will be so simple and so elegant. I used to think that it was really huge, you know. Even if you think about it for a moment this woman in Austria taking on Austria which, in my mind, was huge but in her mind was simple, and so what I’ve discovered over the years is people discover that simple answer that for them is that’s it, that’s me. I’m in.

NL: Yeah, know I love it. Well, Martin thank you so much for joining me today. So can you just tell us the websites again where people can go to information?

MR: projectheavenonearth.com very simple and if you look a couple of weeks you’ll be able to also find that book on Amazon. So projectheavenonearth.com the course is there, the stories of the 62 people, you'll see interviews with people talking about what heaven on earth is for them. There's a lot of stuff. What we want to do, Natalie, is normalize this conversation to say that experiencing and co-creating heaven on earth is normal so I can just come to you and say, Natalie, what are you doing for this, you would answer and you'd say Martin what are you doing for heaven on earth that I would answer. Would be a very normal question.

NL: Yeah, know I love it. Well, thanks again darling for sharing time with me today. It's always a pleasure talking to you. Now, guys, I encourage you to share this video. Let’s get the word out there. Let’s spread the love. You can do that by clicking the Facebook and the Twitter share buttons on this page. And also we’ll have either banner to the side or a link underneath here where you can go directly through to Martin’s website and don’t forget that after the show is over if you’re watching this live on Facebook or on our YouTube channel just click the link to take our 30-second quiz so we can figure out what’s holding you back from success. So until next time, remember to live large, choose courageously and love without limits. Thanks guys, we’ll see you soon.