In this section of the Emergence Site, we introduce what is certainly one of our more exciting new endeavors, a project which has been more than four years in the making.

What is this project? We call it, the "Bernie Book."

So what is the Bernie Book?

First and foremost, the Bernie Book is a way to "find out where your money goes.

What makes it different though is, you not only find where your money goes, you also have fun doing it. In fact, once you start, you don't want to stop. It's that much fun.

Fun? Finding where you money goes can be fun? You've got to be kidding.

Actually no, we're not. In fact, of the people we've handed this booklet to, close to ninety-nine percent of them tell us they feel drawn to fill it out. Immediately. And with the intuitive expectation they'll have fun doing it. This includes financial professionals from accountants to wholesalers.

Can you imagine? A financial form people actually feel drawn to fill out. And one which helps people find out where their money goes no less.

So how have we managed to do this?

To begin with, we started with everything we know about people and money; how people often go into shock in and around their money.

Then we drew on everything we've learned about human personality and states of consciousness to create an entirely new way for people to talk about their money. And at the same time, have fun doing it. Imagine!

Please know, we've also focused on a second aspect as well, something we see as being even more important. We've focused on the idea that most people have a hard time connecting in financial relationships. By this, we mean, pretty much all people get stressed when they talk about their money. So whether they be family members, accountants, financial planners or business people, pretty much everyone feels stressed when they discuss their finances.

So what have we done to change this? Basically, we've focused on just one thing; we've made doing a Bernie Book so powerful an experience that the simple act of filling it out creates a warm, lasting, professional connection between the people who do it.

Allow me to say this to you again: Besides making it fun to find out where your money goes, filling out a Bernie Book is actually such a powerful experience, that you and whomever you do it with become personally connected.

In a sense then, the most important thing a Bernie Book does is it connects you and whomever you do it with. More over, these connections, like connected experiences, last. So if you fill a Bernie Book out with the person who helps you manage your money, then you create a lasting personal connection with this person. And if you fill it out with your spouse, or with your children, or with your business partners, then you create lasting connections with these people as well.

So now the obvious and important question? What is really happening here? How can filling out what is usually such a stressful form accomplish so much?

To be honest, we're not quite ready to reveal all our secrets. We can tell you this much though. People who fill out Bernie Books learn to trust each other. Moreover, they learn trust each other in and around what is certainly one of the more difficult things to learn to trust around; talking about your money.

So what is filling out a Bernie Book like? To be honest, like all things based on the principles of Emergence, to know it, you must experience it for yourself. Unfortunately, as the book is now only being beta tested, we can't even show it to you yet. Sorry.

So why have I even posted what you've just been reading?

The answer is pretty simple; we're very excited and proud of what we've been doing. We've been creating a way in which people learn to genuinely trust each other in and around money. More over, we also wanted to include you in our fun, by keeping you informed as to how this project is progressing. And share some stories about the people we're helping.

Beginning this month then, we'll be posting stories about some of those people here on the site. You'll find an index to these stories listed below.

You'll also find some excerpts from the coming book, mostly words, but some pictures as well. Know it is mostly in the pictures that the power lies. Well, a good portion of it anyway.

As to who "we" are, if you look above at the very top of the page, you'll see a new company name: the Financial Focus.

So who are we?

Over the course of creating this book, we've come to affectionately call ourselves, the "Three Bernies." So who are the Three Bernies?

To begin with, there's me; Steven Paglierani. I'm a personality theorist and writer on human consciousness. I'm also the author of an entirely new talk therapy; Emergence Therapy. Most of all though, I'm a man who dreams of helping babies and children to have better lives than we have ever imagined possible or had for ourselves. In this, I've already begun.

Besides me then, I have two partners; Austin Shaw and Brian McDaid. Let's start with Austin.

Austin Shaw is a very successful New York City graphics design artist who has worked for many major firms; Target, FedX - Kinkos, ABC Sports and the New York Knicks to name a few.

He's also one of the teachers in our Emergence Teachers' Group and has been exploring Emergence with me for quite a few years now.

In addition, Austin is also co-author of the Baby Art you're beginning to see pop up all over the site. In fact, Austin and I will be using this Baby Art to create a major book we hope to complete in the coming year. In this case, rather than on finance, we will be focusing on personal relationships and on what keeps people from connecting in general. And what people can do to better connect.

Our hope for this book then, is to combine Baby Art, the Layers of Aloneness Personality Theory, and Emergence Therapy into a kind of master manual for personal relationships. We plan on making this book an easy, practical, accessible guide, useful not only to the more self motivated but also to the everyday folks as well. And like the Bernie Book, it will be more a visual guide than a book you have to read, something like the books babies read only for adults.

Will we succeed? Well, if our personal lives are any indication, watch out world! (Can you tell how excited I am. Using Emergence to help people can do this to you <grin>.)

As for the third Bernie, Brian McDaid, Brian is a successful New York CFP (Certified Financial Planner) who has managed his thriving practice for several decades now. He is also a frequent speaker for financially-minded groups in the Northeast. And like Austin, Brian has been exploring Emergence with me for many years now and has been using it to better the lives of those he serves. And of course, Brian's also the author of the Bernie, Case of the Week Stories you'll find below.

Combined with Austin's art and my human consciousness skills, this makes the three of us a pretty broad based trio.

So there you have it. A conscious financial planner, a conscious artist, and me. As for me, I'm kind of the middle man here. I build the bridges between Conscious Finance, Conscious Art, and you, the folks who are really important here.

So when will you be able to actually see one of these books?

We hope, sometime about mid next year.

So what's in it for you? Well, perhaps just a better way for you to connect to your spouse or partner. And if you work in finance, perhaps a whole new way to help your clients. Either way, though, we hope to make your life a little better. So stay tuned.

Brian's "Bernie" Case of the Week

And for those interested in learning more about Bernie,
here's a link to the new Bernie Book site,
TheFinancialFocus.com