tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68852510005616786792024-03-13T18:27:44.783-04:00Mental ManifestationJeannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02206342024283098691noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-90816998239080101242015-07-25T18:57:00.000-04:002015-07-25T18:57:32.238-04:00Testing...to see if this blog was hacked. One of my other blogs was hacked and redirected to some stupid domain name for sale page. I found the hacker's nasty little bit of hijacking code in my blog template, cleared it out and reclaimed my blog.<br />
<br />
All the others are fine so far.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I'm alive. Busy. Manifested a full-time job with benefits, manifested the ability to go back to school.<br />
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Now, I'm trying to manifest a way out of all this, because the college of my employ no longer offers the specific programs of study which interest me, and the job I was hired into changed considerably within the first four months, and it's no longer the right fit.<br />
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Lesson here? Be careful what you wish for. When you do finally get it despite all resistance from the Universe telling you "no" and you continually insist that it's what you want, it might turn out later to not be what you wanted at all, and if you'd just listened to the wisdom of the Universe instead of insisting you knew best, you might not have had to waste precious time doing the wrong thing.<br />
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So that's that.<br />
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Onward.Jeannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02206342024283098691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-45335368267041269092013-12-30T17:16:00.000-05:002013-12-30T17:16:02.519-05:00RelocatingI've made the decision to let go of the domain mentalmanifestation.com. To that end, since this blog was filed away under an account pointing to that domain, I've moved it to another account.<br />
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If you're still with me, thank you. If not, then you won't see this anyway. :-)<br />
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Happy New Year--to LETTING GO.Jeannehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02206342024283098691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-29328267553866773432012-06-23T19:51:00.002-04:002012-06-23T21:56:10.966-04:00Regarding S P A M, et alToday, my inbox received several messages marked Mail Delivery Failed. These are emails I'd allegedly sent, but that bounced when they reached the sender. The sender's addresses claimed to be originating from the mentalmanifestation.com domain.<br />
<br />
I PROMISE you, I did not send these. They are SPAM.<br />
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I'm the only one authorized to administer this site. There are no other authors or admins. How they are able to use my domain to mask the true origin is beyond me.<br />
<br />
But if you arrived here because someone claiming this as their address sent you an ad for v1@grA or some such nonsense, allow me to apologize sincerely. It was not me, and I'm looking into ways to prevent this from continuing or happening again.<br />
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This blog, albeit oft ignored, is STILL devoted to the exploration of all things mystical, magical, and metaphysical. Peace out.<br />
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And if you're a spammer/scammer, THINK TWICE before using my domain—what you send out... returns to you tenfold. Including spam.<br />
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Also, if you sent a manifestation request via Unifestation, and no one responded, MY SINCERE APOLOGIES. My blog email is supposed to forward to my main email address. For some reason, it stopped doing that, and as a result, I missed out on four years' worth of intention requests. So I do apologize sincerely.<br />
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Computers. They're supposed to make life easier...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-46987364655902600162012-04-27T19:54:00.002-04:002012-04-27T19:57:30.318-04:00What It Feels Like to ShiftEver have an epiphany, and it feels like an exclamation point? Like<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>!!!</b></span></div>
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Surprise. That's <i>not</i> what The Shift feels like.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When you Shift, it feels more like a period (in the UK, it would be a "full stop"). It's not even a thought, per se. It's like a curtain is pulled back, an understanding drops into place, and then you feel like</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">When</span> The Shift hit me yesterday, I was seated at my desk in my cubicle at my temp assignment, counting pages and feeding the scanner. I was halfway tuned out, mulling over something random, partially paying attention to the chatter in the back of my brain when all of a sudden I just froze. My body just stopped mid-count.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Time stood still.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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Every fiber of my being was on high alert, and I was as fully "present" as one can be while incarnate. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My internal focus zoomed in on a point of blazing clarity. It wasn't even a fully-formed verbal thought, it was more like an idea. A "knowing". The past ten years of my life flashed by in hindsight and I just... <i>understood</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've been living under the belief that: <i>I've been abandoned by the Universe, I'm being ignored, my requests are falling on deaf ears, maybe I haven't suffered enough yet or proven myself somehow, or maybe I'm just missing some integral aspect in this attraction process stuff because I can manifest gutter repair guys out of thin air, but I can't seem to manifest more important stuff. Maybe it works for others, but not me. Maybe I can't do it the way the gurus do. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In that moment of brilliant clarity, <b>that all fell away and I SAW</b>.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I <i>saw</i>, and I <i>understood</i> exactly HOW the Universe HAS been supporting me, fully and completely, the whole time—I just didn't see it for what it was or recognize it as such <i>because it didn't take the form I thought it would or should. </i>It didn't look "big" enough to be Universal Support.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Silly me.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Within the space of a heartbeat, all of that transpired, and the
curtain pulled back, the understanding dropped neatly into place, and
then I felt like
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>.</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Utter clarity and certainty,
enough to literally freeze my body AND my mental chatter. (I seriously
could not move for a moment, and I lost count, too.)<br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Shift happened.</i> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Funny, I'd always expected I'd be overjoyed when this occurred (if it ever did). The truth?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Quite the opposite, LOL! I had a minor mental breakdown (within the privacy of my own brain, after all I was at work) because I really felt like I'd had ten years' time where I was perfectly set up (though I didn't recognize it being that way) to explore the exact opportunity I'd asked for mere days before being liberated from the permanent workforce (May 24, 2002), and I <i>blew it</i>, and now my circumstances no longer permit me to do what I wanted to do and oh, had I just <i>realized</i> what I had when it was in my hands, I wouldn't have wasted it... it was a hard few hours until I got home, bruised internally from kicking myself mentally.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When I finished work and arrived home, I was able to explore the idea that had dropped into my brainspace, and I discovered I was wrong. I have <i>not</i> blown it. Oh, I for sure blew the previous opportunities, yes; but I blew a series of them, and each time, the Universe sent me a revised version. I blew that, then got another one... the important point here is not that I successively blew several opportunities that I didn't recognize having, but that <i>in each instance, the Universe kindly offered up a revised version. Every. Single. Time.</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This entire time, the Universe has been patiently waiting for me to "get it", to see the opportunity and rise to it, and when I miss it, it just hands me another chance. No judgment, no conditions, no expectations. It just says "ooops, missed it, here, try another". And it will CONTINUE to do so, because <i>that is the function of the Universe.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Realizing that made me understand that it IS all right, that a new opportunity will arrive shortly, that I can never really "blow it". <b>I just need to open myself up to recognizing</b><b> the opportunities and support when they arrive, in whatever form they take.</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I need not fear, I need not doubt; I never needed to. The support is there; the Universe is at the ready, just waiting for me to put in the request. And it has answered. I just wasn't asking the right questions or something, or asking for "enough" of what I need or want. I let my <i>limits</i> dictate my requests, and I got exactly what my limits asked for.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I also realized that <i>commitment </i>plays a big role. The Universe responds when I have fully committed to an outcome—good <i>or</i> bad—and when I get wishy-washy and change my commitment, it changes with me. <i>This is why my manifestations have not happened, or have happened half-way.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>It's all based on the quality of my commitment to my outcome.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>And it's all based on not just the thought/visualization, but on the FEELING I have about the outcome.</i> So if I'm debating on which direction to go, and I'm worried that I might choose the wrong path, then what I'll get is... the feeling that I chose the wrong path, <i>no matter which path I choose.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is vital that I make sure I have the right FEELING in place first—then it matters not what outcome I actually choose, because regardless, <i>it will manifest in a way that matches the feeling I have when I set the intention. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>~~~</b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
How glorious is it that I know I can never go back to thinking the way I used to about the Universe and the support it provides? I will never be limited like that again. I reached the tipping point, I made The Shift, and I'm excited to see what wonderful things I can attract into my life from now on.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-82727114594329434842011-04-10T15:57:00.003-04:002011-04-10T16:08:31.067-04:00YOUR Side of the FenceA dear friend of mine is having issues with the neighbors. Without going into too many details, let's leave it at this: boyfriend moved back in, the property is in a horrendous state of disarray, and the pool is in such bad shape the neighbor kids beg to use my friend's pool. The neighbor's house is in a state of postponed foreclosure and this is in an extremely nice area. To top it off, the neighbors have a penchant for loud music, ATVs, and other irritating, obnoxious, peace-shattering activities.<br /><br />My friend is beside herself. She'd been hoping that once the woman (the owner of the home) lost the house to foreclosure, newer nicer neighbors would move in and life would improve all around. Finding out there is a chance the woman will keep the house after all has almost sent my friend over the edge.<br /><br />She emailed that it has activated her weekend warrior side. <span style="font-weight: bold;">It's almost as if she needs to go overboard to improve her own residence, to ward off the negative vibes emitting from next door.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I smiled, because that is exactly what she's doing.</span> I sent her a long email applauding her efforts. By focusing on improving her own surroundings, she turned her attention away from the chaos next door and how she decided to allow it to affect her.<br /><br />Now, she's focused on her life, and what she wants in her life. She has, in effect, reaffirmed her commitment to beautifying her world for herself and her family and maintaining it. She's focusing on enjoying the rewards of the life they've worked so hard to build for themselves. She's aimed an armload of positive vibes into her own surroundings, effectively building a vibrational force field around her property that will negate or at least downplay the effects of the vibes from next door.<br /><br />It also sends a powerful message to the Universe about what she truly wants to create in her life.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I told her, "focus on what's on your side of the fence, and the other side of the fence will take care of itself". </span>Eventually, the negativity won't be able to stand such close proximity to overwhelming positivity and the neighbors will self-destruct on their own (or, even better, begin their own self-improvement project).<br /><br />It will take patience on my friend's part, but she's like me—committed to this crazy self-improvement thing—and I'm looking forward to the day she emails to tell me the neighbors are gone, and the new neighbors moving in this weekend are a joy to be around.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-54714300899273624692011-01-18T21:21:00.003-05:002011-01-18T21:28:53.874-05:00Are You Celebrating Future Abundance, or Poverty?I'm a regular recipient of Carol Look's Attracting Abundance Newsletter and a recent mailing ("<span style="font-style: italic;">Celebrate Your Future Abundance</span>") caught my attention in a big way. (To subscribe, visit <a href="http://www.attractingabundance.com/">http://www.attractingabundance.com/</a>)<br /><br />Carol wrote:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">The fantasy of abundance is as real vibrationally<br />as the reality of abundance.</span><br /></blockquote><br />In this instance, "fantasy" refers to the image inside our minds, the vision we hold, as opposed to "reality", which is what we believe we are actually experiencing right now. The energetic vibrations of the image we visualize (fantasy) of whatever it is we desire is just as real as the energetic vibrations of the "reality" we see in front of us.<br /><br />Well. That got me thinking. I realized that this applies to <span style="font-style: italic;">negative</span> vibrations and visualizations as well as positive ones. Whatever image we hold within our minds carries a vibration. It would follow, naturally, that:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">The fantasy of </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">poverty</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> is also as real vibrationally<br />as the reality of poverty.</span></blockquote><br />If this doesn't cause you to stand up and take notice of your thought processes, nothing will.<br /><br />Carol encourages us to:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Build [your] abundance by practicing how it will feel when you are enjoying your future abundance in your present time.</span><br /></blockquote><br />Doesn't this feel better than the idea of building your <span style="font-style: italic;">poverty</span> by practicing how it will feel when you are suffering your future poverty in your present time? But wait—<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Isn't that exactly what you're doing when you're <span style="font-style: italic;">worrying</span> (about money, health, gas prices, the economy, etc.)?</span></blockquote><br />OH.<br /><br />I believe I've just had a major BFO (Blinding Flash of the Obvious). You, too?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-54213563202105022032011-01-02T18:39:00.002-05:002011-01-02T18:47:23.478-05:00Apply Your Oxygen FirstIt's time to apply the oxygen mask to my own face before assisting others.<br /><br />That's right, 2011 is the year that JB of MM comes first. The year JB moves from the bottom of the list to the top of the list, the head of the line.<br /><br />No more putting everyone else ahead of me. I've done this for decades, and it has to stop.<br /><br />Does this sound as if it goes against the "give to receive" basis of the Law of Attraction (or the Bible)? Does it sound as if JB has suddenly become a selfish monster?<br /><br />No. The truth is, there is a point at which one gives too much of themselves to where it becomes detrimental. There is validity in the phrase used by the flight attendants when they instruct you to apply the oxygen mask to yourself first, before assisting others. If you have no oxygen, you are soon rendered ineffective (because you are unconscious or dead).<br /><br />Let's face it—dead men tell no tales, nor do they help others survive the flight. It's understood that the one who grabs the mask the fastest is best-equipped to assist those who are slower, infirm, too young, or too terrified to grab a mask for themselves. It is imperative that the strongest help the weakest, but they must practice self-preservation in order to do so.<br /><br />I've been reflecting on a lot this past year, and I find it interesting to note that the people with the strongest negative reaction to my idea of putting myself first have always been the ones for whom I have done the most: the ones who asked more of me than anybody else, the ones who in many respects took advantage, the ones who demanded their needs be met even when it harmed me in the process. These are the people most likely to snort in disgust and call you selfish, self-centered, spoiled, and claim that you don't deserve anything more because you already got yours (even as they are enjoying rewards beyond compare while you're struggling to make ends meet).<br /><br />Ironically, the ones who support the Me First mandate are the people that have not required my help, that may have even helped me on occasion, and that I've generously offered to help many a time whether they took me up on it or not.<br /><br />People are mirrors; sometimes they mirror back what they believe about themselves.<br /><br />But they also sometimes mirror back what we believe about ourselves. Discerning the difference takes practice and careful self-analysis.<br /><br />Remember also that the Universe mirrors whatever energy we put out there.<br /><br />With that in mind, please take a moment and think carefully about the concept of mirroring.<br /><br />When you stand in front of a mirror, it reflects back to you what you show it.<br /><br />Try this exercise. Imagine that you have a friend, Fred, with you. Fred's job is to agree wholeheartedly with you, and then parrot back whatever you say <span style="font-style: italic;">exactly as you said it</span>. This means the pronouns remain the same; he doesn't flip it and substitute "you" for "I", for example.<br /><br />Look at Fred and say, "I come first this year."<br /><br />What does Fred say in return?<br /><br />(Did you just say, "Yes, YOU come first this year"?) Uh-huh. I thought so.<br /><br />Well, that's not what I said he'd do, is it? I said he would agree (Yes) and repeat back to you EXACTLY what you said, <span style="font-style: italic;">without changing a single word</span>.<br /><br />The correct response from Fred, according to what you said, is, "Yes. I come first this year."<br /><br />OK. Now you're thinking, <span style="font-style: italic;">what is this, the Three Stooges? Who's on first? No, what's on second?</span><br /><br />"No, my friend," you say, frustrated. "<span style="font-style: italic;">YOU</span> don't come first, <span style="font-style: italic;">I</span> come first. Get it right."<br /><br />"Right," says Fred, "<span style="font-style: italic;">I</span> come first."<br /><br />"No, Fred... <span style="font-style: italic;">I</span> come first, <span style="font-style: italic;">I</span> am at the top of the list, <span style="font-style: italic;">I</span>, meaning me, JB—oh crap, I GIVE UP!!!"<br /><br />(Fred says, "Yes, I give up!!!")<br /><br />THIS is a correctly mirrored conversation. Make note of this, because <span style="font-weight: bold;">this is also how the Universe functions.</span> The Universe in this example is represented by your agreeable, doofus of a friend.<br /><br />What you really meant was that YOU come first. Again, tricky. If you say "you come first", it might yield bizarre results. Who in this instance is the focus of "you"? <span style="font-style: italic;">You </span>meaning the person in the mirror? <span style="font-style: italic;">You </span>meaning the Universe? Do you really want the Universe to misinterpret and potentially put itself before you? Wait. This is getting a little too confusing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The best way to handle this is to specify exactly who comes first, by your given name, nickname, or other identifying moniker.</span><br /><br />Now. Try the exercise again, substituting your name for the words in the brackets.<br /><br />"OK, my friend," you say, "this year, [JB at MM] comes first. [JB at MM] gets helped first before anyone else does, then [JB at MM] can help others."<br /><br />Your ever helpful parrot of a friend replies: "Yes indeedie, this year, [JB at MM] comes first. [JB at MM] gets helped first before anyone else does, then [JB at MM] can help others."<br /><br />Now everyone is in agreement about exactly who comes first. There is no confusion, there is no potential for error—unless of course there is another [Your Name] in your social circle, but I believe if you hold a firm vision of your own face in your mind as you identify it as being [Whomever You Are], the loophole will close securely.<br /><br />I hope this post has helped clarify one of the stickier points of the Law of Attraction, which is how to phrase intentions in a way that closes the bigger loopholes that cause mis-manifestations. Your homework is to think about this and see how it might have applied to previous manifestations.<br /><br />Happy New Year, and may all of <span style="font-style: italic;">our</span> best dreams come true!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-77965944189522705172010-11-29T20:41:00.003-05:002010-11-29T20:53:46.409-05:00Please Stand ByIt's 1970-something. As happened every so often in the early days of color analog TV, the station I'd been watching lost its broadcast capabilities for the moment and went off the air. Technicolor bars appeared in place of the cartoons I'd been watching, followed by a high-pitched "oooooo" signaling the disruption. The words flashed on the screen,<br /><br />EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. PLEASE STAND BY.<br /><br />I immediately stood up and took up my position next to the TV.<br /><br />My Mother, in the next room ironing Dad's shirts, looked up from her work and asked me what I was doing.<br /><br />"I'm standing by, like it said."<br /><br />She uttered a single snort of laughter, her face registering resignation and acceptance as it would many times throughout my childhood, and said, "Oh honey. Don't be silly. That's not what it meant."<br /><br />I was confused. "Well that's what it SAYS. It says 'stand by', so I'm standing by. What else could it mean?"<br /><br />She set the iron on its edge, both hands on the ironing surface, smoothing out the shirt. "What do you think it means? It doesn't mean 'go stand by the television', it means 'they're having problems, please wait while they fix it'. The obvious thing."<br /><br />It certainly wasn't obvious to me. What was obvious to <span style="font-style: italic;">me</span> was that when someone said "please stand by", they meant "go and stand by whatever it is that needs to be stood by until otherwise notified".<br /><br />To think it meant otherwise was to infer my own meaning and interpretation into it. In my youth, still only a few years into this life experience disconnected from the cosmic energy from which I came, interpretation had not yet been learned. I took things literally. I understood the words to mean exactly what the words themselves meant, in the most basic, obvious, literal way.<br /><br />It wasn't until much later in life that I learned that words can have multiple meanings, in some cases far different from their original intent. It was even later that I learned the effect this can have on one's life.<br /><br />The human brain is a primitive construct. Its basic function is to regulate the body's systems so that we stay alive. It reacts and responds to positive and negative stimuli in order to protect its human and sustain life. It's known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amygdala">amygdala</a>, also known as the "<a href="http://thelizard-brain.com/definitions/def_li.html">lizard brain</a>". It operates in isolation from our thinking brain (our intelligence or intellect) and runs on auto-pilot.<br /><br />The human brain, and the Universe, are incapable of making inferences. The human brain and the energies of the Universe function in the same way as my childhood mind did. They do not infer, they do not read meaning into words. They interpret them <span style="font-style: italic;">verbatim</span>. As written. As spoken. Never mind your intention.<br /><br />To the Universe, to the unlearned lizard brain, it would make perfect sense to go stand by the TV when the TV asked you to. Because that is what the words SAID.<br /><br />It is not until we develop intellect and intelligence, which are separate from the base functioning of the human brain, that we learn to infer and assign alternate meanings and begin to read into and decide for ourselves what we think the person's words really meant.<br /><br />Hence our planet is full of rampant miscommunication. Hence we always get what we <span style="font-style: italic;">ask</span> for, but rarely do we get what we really <span style="font-style: italic;">want</span>, really<span style="font-style: italic;"> meant </span>to get, or get it in the <span style="font-style: italic;">way</span> we wanted it.<br /><br />Because the brain that uses our thoughts to direct our actions does <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> infer. It hears the words we think and say, and it "goes and stands by until further notice". Because the Universe, which gathers the energies of our words and thoughts and manifests it into physical matter, does <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> infer. It hears the words we think and say, and it "goes and stands by until further notice", too.<br /><br />So when life is going haywire, you set a perfectly reasonable intention for a better outcome. You craft it very carefully, using all you've learned from NLP and knowing what words are more beneficial. You avoid shooting yourself in the foot by sending out the negative opposite of what you really want ("<span style="font-style: italic;">I am a nonsmoker</span>" is the intention; the negative opposite is "<span style="font-style: italic;">I don't want to smoke anymore</span>"). You stay focused on it, you hold it in your mind, you meditate, and so on.<br /><br />And nothing seems to happen. Life is stagnant, as usual. And then you begin to feel that little niggling doubt poking at the corner of your mind. You grow a bit uncertain. You wonder if it's ever going to really happen.<br /><br />"NO!" you cry out. "I set my intention and that's what I'm sticking to". You reaffirm. You feel stronger. And life goes on.<br /><br />And once again, the worry and doubt gradually increase, turning into panic and hesitation and then fear.<br /><br />Out of desperation to get yourself back on the affirmation track, you cry out to the Universe in a plea for mercy. "Please! God! Universe! Buddha! Whomever You are!!! I can't stand it anymore. Please help me." <span style="font-weight: bold;">And then you utter the words that deal the final blow to your intention.</span> Words, so innocuous, so innocent, they couldn't possibly have a negative effect on your desires.<br /><br />You call out and demand that the situation <span style="font-style: italic;">turns around right now</span>.<br /><br />And then, much to your horror, within a few days, things do turn around.<br /><br />For the worse. Instead of getting better, they're falling apart. Which of course sends you into paroxysms of panic, because you feel like the person who is carrying a precariously balanced overload of stuff who just felt one little bauble slip, and you know it's only moments before you lose control of the whole thing and everything goes flying everywhere.<br /><br />And you cannot for the life of you figure out <span style="font-style: italic;">what</span> you did to so drastically derail your carefully crafted intention.<br /><br />I can tell you. You told it to "please stand by". You didn't <span style="font-style: italic;">mean</span> for it to actually stand by; you meant for it to hang out and wait while we fix this. But you didn't SAY "please hang out and wait while we fix this". You said, in effect, "please stand by".<br /><br />I see you're confused.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">You said, "Turn it [this situation] around."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Well, what's wrong with that?</span> you ask.<br /><br />Everything, if your initial intention was well-set, and you were doing a fine job of staying on track with it and keeping it focused. Because despite appearances to the contrary, your outcome—the manifestation of the actual result you desire—was already on its way to you. Things were already reorganizing themselves to align with your intention, like the players gathering and taking places before the curtain rises. The orchestra was tuning up, the singers warming up, the last-minute stand-ins were going over their lines one last time in preparation for the curtain call. And the curtain master had his hands wrapped around the heavy cables, watching for the signal to pull and reveal the tableau.<br /><br />But you blew it.<br /><br />You said,<br /><br />TURN.<br /><br />IT.<br /><br />AROUND.<br /><br />So, to use another metaphor, your ship, which was about to dock at port, applied the brakes, shut off the engines, and began the long slow process of turning around. So it could head in the opposite direction. "<span style="font-style: italic;">Sorry sailors. I know we just spotted land after months at sea, but I guess we won't be discovering the New World. We've been called back to Spain</span>."<br /><br />I'm sure you get it now. Your intention was happily on its way to manifestation, but you panicked and you told it to turn around. You didn't MEAN to tell it to go away. You just couldn't see that it WAS on its way, that it was almost here.<br /><br />In fact, that worry and doubt you felt? Perhaps it could have been the excitement of knowing It was mere moments from arrival. Like the anticipation in the days before Christmas. But you misinterpreted it, assigned it a new meaning (fear), and sent out a counter intention to turn it around.<br /><br />It's fine to infer and interpret with other intelligent beings in human form. But to our knowledge, nobody else has what we consider to be true "reasoning" capabilities. Horses, cats, dogs, crickets—they only understand what we tell them, to some extent. <span style="font-style: italic;">No. Sit. Lay down. Quiet</span>. They don't understand that "stop barking" means "be quiet". They don't understand that "no, don't climb the curtains" means "stay down". They interpret short verbatim sentences, if they understand the words at all and aren't just responding to the tone of voice and our body language. So does our lizard brain and the Universe.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">When you SAY, "turn it around", it turns around. Regardless of the direction, good or bad, in which it was headed before you issued your edict.</span><br /><br />So watch what you say, think, complain about and ask for. Because you will get it. Verbatim. Word are vital. Use them wisely.<br /><br />And now I must finish my <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org">NaNoWriMo</a> submission (9,889 words to go before tomorrow night's deadline), so <span style="font-style: italic;">please stand by</span> while I go do that.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-60664798389449774062010-08-29T19:55:00.003-04:002010-08-29T20:31:06.562-04:00Joe Vitale Discusses the Need ZoneI like to read the blogs of other LOA masters. One in particular is Joe Vitale ("The Attractor Factor", "Zero Limits", appeared in "The Secret"), aka Mr. Fire. <a href="http://blog.mrfire.com/the-need-zone/">Today, he discussed the concept of The Need Zone</a>, something I hadn't yet heard about.<br /><br />It threw me for a loop. It had my mind grappling to understand the concept, just as Joe said had happened to him when he first heard about it. The idea that one would attract what they need by upping your need for it? Please. I agree with Joe—that's not what one wants to hear when they are already in dire financial straits. As the song says, "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1yTWauVjwo">I'm already there</a>!"<br /><br />Besides, isn't needing something counter-intuitive to getting it? Need equals desperation. Need equals lack, and focusing on need/lack only attracts more need/lack. Right?<br /><br />According to Joe's post, which I encourage you to pop over and read lest I become redundant here, it's possible to attract the resources needed when you stretch yourself into the need.<br /><br />I thought about it. Then I remembered a time when I first had my horse, and despite a beautiful beginning, within a few months we'd had a major parting of ways on a trail ride and it became very apparent that I hadn't a clue how to read or communicate with my horse. I had no idea how to predict what he may or may not do, never mind what to do about it, and that created fear.<br /><br />I needed someone to teach me how to understand horses, fully and completely, and I needed it NOW. It seemed impossible. Nobody at my barn seemed all that savvy; I didn't know any horsemen other than Dad and he was beyond the age where he could show me. I was on my own and lost.<br /><br />Then I found a training program that said it would teach me exactly what I needed to know. I bought it... and it worked. Far better than skeptical me had anticipated.<br /><br />There were more memories of similar incidents where needs were met once I determined I needed them. But I still didn't quite get it.<br /><br />Then I smacked myself. I just had one this week. While I have some money in the bank, my pocket money was running low. Pocket money, in my book, is the extra cash I make for small jobs that I don't put in the checking account—I get paid in cash, and use that for little things like going out to dinner, buying milk and lotto tickets, entertainment. That way I avoid draining the checking account paying for incidentals. I had a stray thought that I needed to get more pocket money.<br /><br />The temp agency called last week to let me know that one of the part-time positions I've occasionally taken was starting back up again. The job is doing phone surveys. Not terrible, but not great pay.<br /><br />But I've put off calling to commit because I have serious reservations about going back. It is VERY hard on the voice. Nine weeks of calling people and wrestling them into doing 200-question surveys left me hoarse. As a vocalist, I knew I was on the road to nodes and permanent vocal damage despite using my voice properly and caring for it. In addition, it's loud in the room, hard to hear, and I'd turned up the volume to the max. I've noticed the hearing loss in that ear has become a tad more pronounced in certain note ranges. Not good. After my last stint with them, I'd decided I was done with phone surveys, and had already made up my mind that I wasn't going back ever.<br /><br />I was very surprised by the call. I'd been intending for a completely different type of work. Why was THIS making a re-appearance?<br /><br />Oh.<br /><br />DUH.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Because I'd asked for it.</span><br /><br />I'd declared a need for more pocket money. And that job is the easiest way to snag some. I inadvertently put myself directly into the Need Zone for pocket money. I didn't have to stretch very far to have the resources walk up and meet me (if I wanted to take them).<br /><br />So... perhaps I need to restate my need. Think bigger, so I attract bigger. Instead of needing pocket money, my need should be more expansive.<br /><br />If I'm understanding this correctly, then theoretically, were I to say, "OK, I AM going to graduate school, and the money for tuition and living expenses is coming from somewhere (stipend or not)" and really put my foot down... then it would happen?<br /><br />Meaning, I might not win the lottery just because I declare I need money. Where is the REASON? Just to <span style="font-style: italic;">have</span> the money?<br /><br />If I declared I was winning the lottery and had a very good reason for it then stretched into the reason while awaiting the outcome, would <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> put me into the Need Zone and finally attract that win?<br /><br />If I declared that the vacant home I still have IS sold, and I have a very good reason for attracting a buyer out of thin air (no matter what, despite the economy/housing market), then stretch into the reason for the sale while awaiting his or her arrival, does that put me into the Need Zone?<br /><br />Maybe the trick is to have a very good REASON for needing the money or resource—then declare it, then stretch into it by performing the steps toward the goal (registering to take the GRE, preparing essays and portfolios—conscious, concrete efforts), and expect the money/resource to arrive.<br /><br />Or declare your intent to start a business, and have a REASON for the partner to show up. And so on.<br /><br />I think this is what Joe is talking about. Who knows? Maybe he'll come by and read this and tell me if I'm on the right track. I could sure use the added insights!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-15903436588557919622010-06-02T01:49:00.005-04:002010-06-02T01:57:00.857-04:00If What We Resist, Persists... Is Resistance the Key?It seems that the more I dislike something, the more it persists and continues to show up in my life.<br /><br />I've also realized I have a habit, when I like something, of becoming fully involved in it, almost obsessively for a time, then one day, the enthusiasm wanes. Once this occurs, I'm able to easily let it go—just drop it. Remove my hand, so to speak, and allow it to fall without emotion of any kind. <span style="font-style: italic;">OK, I'm done with that</span>.<br /><br />This doesn't mean I don't like it—just that I've gotten to a point where I have lost the intense emotional involvement with it that the novelty of newness brings with it. I've reached the saturation point of the event or interest. Obsession is similar to the desperation one feels when negative circumstances persist; only obsession can feel more likeable.<br /><br />It seems the moment I'm able to reach this point, the more "normal" it becomes for my life, and the easier it is to keep it around. It shows up in my life without bidding, and I'm always quietly pleased, almost a bit blasé, to have it arrive again. Which it does. Consistently, without effort on my part.<br /><br />The thought occurred to me today that to change my life, perhaps I either have to figure out a way to fully despise the desired life changes (so the conditions arrive and persist) OR fall fully and completely in love with the desired life changes to the obsession point. Then when they arrive, embrace them, obsess over them, throw myself into them headlong until I reach the saturation point and am able to let go.<br /><br />Perhaps then they will settle in and BE.<br /><br />Or...<br /><br />Maybe it's about loving the Now. Loving what IS. Even if it isn't very lovable.<br /><br />Maybe, if I were to have two full-time jobs (a concept that causes extreme cringing and a big NO to rise up), and if they were the kinds of jobs I would never love...<br /><br />Maybe I should embrace them fully, and LOVE them. Maybe loving them to the saturation point will make it easier to drop them one day. Just, <span style="font-style: italic;">done</span>. No longer need this in my life; now something better comes along.<br /><br />Hmm.<br /><br />I'm not sure I've quite figured out this one, but I feel like I'm on the verge of a breakthrough.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-58472587061253612432010-05-28T14:35:00.002-04:002010-05-28T14:44:08.481-04:00Minding the GapAs everyone who has studied the Law of Attraction knows, there are certain steps required in the manifestation process:<br /><ul><li>figuring out what you want</li><li>figuring out what you don't want</li><li>clearing limiting beliefs</li><li>paying attention to the language we use when setting the intentions because the Universe does not interpret meaning and cannot process negatives (as in "I don't want to do this anymore"</li><li>acting on the nudges the Universe provides us once we've set our intentions</li><li>learning to let go of the "how"<br /></li></ul>There is one step I've yet to see explored in any LOA materials, that I have determined is a critical part of successful manifestations.<br /><br />I'm calling it <span style="font-weight: bold;">Minding the Gap</span>—the time between setting the intention/taking action steps and seeing the resulting manifestation.<br /><br />This is a dangerous time in anyone's journey. Intentions are like missiles—we fire them off without knowing it, and they are already in progress. Then we set a conscious intention without being aware of the previously-set unconscious intentions we'd made before we knew better.<br /><br />What happens is this. Let's say I am in the midst of awaiting the arrival of my consciously manifested result, and a completely different event occurs. My initial reaction?<br /><br />Whoops! I tend to feel thrown off-course, and this is when I run the biggest risk of messing up. I think "Oh no, I made a mistake" or "Uh-oh, it doesn't look like it's going to work out after all!". This causes me to focus on the wrong outcome! I focus on the <span style="font-style: italic;">Oh No</span> part.<br /><br />What we focus on, expands, so the manifestation result shifts. Instead of focusing on the outcome I prefer, I allow my focus to shift to the outcome I didn't want and wasn't aware I'd called for. Then I get that outcome, and think the LOA doesn't work.<br /><br />Ah, but it DID. :-) <span style="font-style: italic;">I just wasn't expecting that outcome because I wasn't aware I was setting the intention to manifest it.</span><br /><br />The trick is, <span style="font-weight: bold;">when an unexpected event occurs or something happens that seems to be the opposite of the preferred outcome, take it as a sign that your preferred outcome is on its way.</span><br /><br />Why? <span style="font-style: italic;">Because manifestations, like intention-setting, happen in sequence.</span> I'd unconsciously set an intention, and it manifested; since I'd set a conscious intention in between, this means my <span style="font-style: italic;">conscious </span>manifestation is next in line!<br /><br />No matter what happens, <span style="font-weight: bold;">stay focused ONLY on your preferred outcome</span>, knowing that anything random or unexpected that occurs between intention-setting and manifestation is just fallout from previous subconscious intentions, and the LOA WILL WORK for you. Every time.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-42539918501147693982009-12-15T04:18:00.002-05:002009-12-15T04:26:52.519-05:00Word of the Year 2010<a href="http://christinekane.com/blog/resolution-revolution-a-better-way-to-start-your-year/">Christine Kane has a better idea for resolutions</a>. Rather than preparing a long list of vague things to do, she suggests choosing one word to set the tone for the year, and to use as your intention for the year.<br /><br />Last year, I chose <span style="font-style: italic;">Improvement.</span> However, I didn't really follow through with focusing on the word throughout the year. Did I enjoy any improvements? Sure; but probably not as many as if I'd really focused on it.<br /><br />This year is different. For the past several days, I've been writing down words trying to hone in on the ONE WORD that will lay the foundation for the changes I need most in my life, the changes that will propel me into the now that I wish to experience.<br /><br />Several words are on the list: <span style="font-style: italic;">courage, brave, now, re/solved, focus</span>... but none of them really hit home. I needed a word that encompassed every area that needs an overhaul: finances, clutter, decision-making, plans for my future, the path I'm on, removing obstacles—to name a few. How could one word sum up the change needed?<br /><br />And then I found it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">CLEAR.</span><br /><br />It's a verb, an adverb, a noun. The path can be clear. I can make clear decisions, have a crystal clear idea about my future. The clutter can be cleared. Clear sailing. Clear a lot of money in a deal. Clear, focused thinking. Joe Vitale talks about "clearing" limiting beliefs before setting intentions. Clear has so many variations, and they all apply to my life.<br /><br />I looked it up on dictionary.com, and the definitions are astounding. Too lengthy to post here—if you're curious, <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/clear">here's the link to the entry</a>.<br /><br />Yes. My word for 2010 is CLEAR. It's the clear choice.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-38986525023882743472009-09-23T14:45:00.003-04:002009-09-23T14:57:48.937-04:00What Are You WHYning About?What are you WHYning about today?<br /><br />We all do it. We all find ourselves saying, "Why me?" or "Why did that happen again?" Some say the cure is to ask "Well, why NOT me?" I say we can probe deeper and make permanent changes. You see, I've noticed something.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The interesting thing about our complaints is that they tend to answer the very questions they ask.</span><br /><br />Beliefs generate thought energy that attracts situations and circumstances that are in alignment with the belief. Whatever we believe, we speak aloud to others as statements—or as complaints. If the situation is favorable in our opinion, we proclaim it as a statement. But if the situation is not to our liking, we complain about it, and it usually comes out as a WHYne.<br /><br />Here is an example of a standard WHYne:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why does it always seem like every time I get close to getting ahead, something comes along to undo it?</span><br /><br />Well... it's because <span style="font-style: italic;">this is what your belief IS</span>!<br /><br />Just remove the "why does" part and turn it into a sentence/statement, and the belief hidden within the complaint is revealed.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">(Why does) it always seem like every time I get close to getting ahead, something comes along to undo it(?</span>)<br /><br />Becomes:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It always seem(s) like every time I get close to getting ahead, something comes along to undo it!</span><br /><br />So why does it seem this way? Because it just does! Because YOU believe that it does.<br /><br />What is the positive opposite of this belief? Well, there are a lot of options. One possibility is this:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It always seems like every time I get close to getting ahead, something comes along to <span style="font-style: italic;">make it even better</span>.</span><br /><br />Or, you could try:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I'm so glad that I seem to be getting ahead now.<br /><br /></span>You could even go so far as to turn a positive opposite into a tongue-in-cheek WHYne, but with a positive aspect:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why does it always seem so easy for me to get ahead?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>I mean, if we're going to complain, at least we can get into the habit of complaining positively, right?<br /><br />Change the belief that is hidden within the WHYne, and you will change your life. Now—what have YOU been WHYning about today?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">**Podcast Update: It's coming! Life happened along with a few technical glitches, but stay tuned.***</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-46806563870801217432009-08-08T03:04:00.000-04:002009-08-08T03:05:11.268-04:00Quick UpdateStay tuned... podcast and eBook on their way!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-62231882203616556072009-07-17T23:53:00.005-04:002009-07-18T00:14:29.128-04:00Do You Know Why Your Outcome Derailed?I'd like to take an informal poll. Please post your answers in the comments.<br /><ol><li>How long have you been studying the Law of Attraction?</li><li>Do you understand the concepts of clearing limiting beliefs?</li><li>Have you done the work of clearing your limiting beliefs through EFT, Ho'oponopono or other methods?</li><li>Do you feel completely clear before you set your intention?<br /></li><li>Have you had any success manifesting small, unimportant things?</li><li>How about bigger, more important things?</li><li>Have you noticed a difference between the ease of manifesting smaller, less important things versus manifesting bigger, more important things?</li><li style="font-weight: bold;">Do you seem to have more difficulty manifesting the bigger, more important things, despite having a strong intention, all the right affirmations and language, and being completely clear?</li><li>Do you have any idea why the bigger, more important outcomes are more challenging?</li><li>Do you have issues with doubts and fears that arise between the time <span style="font-style: italic;">after </span>you set the intention and <span style="font-style: italic;">before</span> the outcome manifests?<br /></li></ol>If you answered YES to numbers 8 and 10, and NO to number 9, stay tuned.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I have the answer for you, and this is the only place you will find it presented in this much detail.</span><br /><br />This information will be available in two formats:<br /><ul><li>I'll be posting my first hour-long Podcast for download very soon</li><li>I'm finishing up my first eBook, <span style="font-style: italic;">Navigating the Gap</span>. This will contain the transcript of the Podcast, but will be an expanded version of the topic being discussed</li></ul>If you would like to be alerted via email when the podcast and eBook become available, send an email with the subject line "Podcast" to jb@mentalmanifestation.com. Thank you for listening, and Manifest Great Things™!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-75899692789309432752009-06-08T18:09:00.002-04:002009-06-08T18:14:34.087-04:00No More Pursuit<span style="font-weight: bold;">I am no longer pursuing my dreams.</span><br /><br />Before you all freak out on me... Let me explain.<br /><br />Something rose up in my attention today about the word “pursuit”. I actually wrote about 17 pages in my journal exploring it. But here’s what I’d invite you to do: get a dictionary. Look up these words, and note the definitions. I got mine from Word’s Encarta Dictionary.<br /><br /><ul><li>Pursuit</li><li>Dream</li><li>Generate (Create, Attain, Achieve, Accomplish, Nurture, Reach, Prosper, Succeed)<br /></li><li>Intention</li><li>Purpose</li></ul><br />I researched these and a few others and I realized a few things.<br /><br />One definition of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pursuit</span> is: <span style="font-style: italic;">to make the effort to try to achieve something.</span><br /><br />OK. Read that slowly. To make the EFFORT to try... to achieve something.<br /><br />You mean, “to try to try”? Wow. What is wrong with THAT statement?<br /><br />It’s bad enough when someone says, “I’m trying to do this...” but to say “I’m trying to TRY to do this” is so lame I can’t even think about it. <span style="font-style: italic;">There is no try, only do</span>. At least if you’re<span style="font-style: italic;"> trying</span>, you have a better shot than if you’re <span style="font-style: italic;">pursuing</span> (and only trying to TRY).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dream</span> is defined as <span style="font-style: italic;">something you hope, long or yearn for, but are unlikely to realize.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hope</span>, as you know, is akin to Wish and Want, which are words that really mean “I lack”.<br /><br />So to <span style="font-style: italic;">pursue your dreams </span>means...<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">I’m trying to try to attain this thing that I lack and probably have no chance of ever attaining.</span></blockquote><br />Also, <span style="font-style: italic;">to pursue</span> means <span style="font-style: italic;">to chase</span>. You can chase something and never ever catch it. If you’re focused on the pursuit of something, you’re always behind it, always reaching for it, never quite connecting, never quite catching it. The thing remains elusive.<br /><br />So now you have an elusive, hard-to-catch thing that you’re lacking in, and you’re TRYING to try to acquire it.<br /><br />Talk about doomed!<br /><br />After much research, I’ve decided I am no longer pursuing my dreams.<br /><br />Instead,<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> I am generating and nurturing my purpose and intention (of having a successful ________)</span>.<br /><br />To <span style="font-weight: bold;">generate</span> or <span style="font-weight: bold;">create</span> means <span style="font-style: italic;">to bring something into existence</span>.<br /><br />To <span style="font-weight: bold;">nurture</span> means <span style="font-style: italic;">to provide tender care and protection; to encourage it to grow, develop, thrive, and succeed</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Purpose</span> is defined as <span style="font-style: italic;">the reason for the existence of a thing; a goal or intention that one determines to accomplish conclusively</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Intention</span> is defined similarly.<br /><br />From now on, when someone asks me what I’ve been doing lately, I’ll tell them:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">I’m generating and nurturing my purpose and intention. I’m bringing into existence my purpose and intention to be a ______, and I’m providing it tender care and protection, and encouraging it to grow, develop, thrive and ultimately succeed at every phase along the way.</span></blockquote><br />Doesn’t that sound and feel more determined?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-41330712404129384752009-05-13T01:54:00.001-04:002009-05-13T01:55:36.859-04:00More on AssumptionsI’ll say this: getting it straight in my head is quite the journey.<br /><br />I’ve been thinking for weeks now how I need to “figure out how to hang on to stuff and get through this until I’m back on my feet again” meaning, how to cover the mortgage; how to cover/barter for board; how to triage the bills...<br /><br />UNTIL I get back on my feet.<br /><br />Note the word UNTIL.<br /><br />What does it say to you? <span style="font-style: italic;">Until.</span> As in, a while from now. Sometime down the road.<br /><br />Focusing on the GAP between “now” (not on my feet) and “then” (back on my feet).<br /><br />WHICH LEAVES ME FIRMLY WALLOWING IN THE DAMNED GAP.<br /><br />I shouldn’t be focusing on how to ride out the gap UNTIL I’m back on my feet—I should have my focus on BEING back on my feet. PAST the gap.<br /><br />I tell ya. It’s innocuous, this subconscious thing.<br /><br />Good thing I'm becoming more aware of my thoughts and WHAT they are saying.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-42151131110656361462009-05-09T12:26:00.011-04:002009-05-09T12:57:37.585-04:00AssumptionsIn the early morning "revelation" hours, I woke up after a really bizarre but good dream. As I came out of the dream, Brain (yes, I consider that to be its proper name) began working overtime trying to figure out, like usual, how to address the various situations in my life that need solutions, such as how to pay bills, how to pay for grad school, how to survive another month, and so on. Brain was working furiously to come up with yet another feasible possibility, when...<br /><br />A Voice (which is likely God or my Higher Self) spoke up and drowned out Brain's worrisome chatter.<br /><br />The Voice said:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">“The problem <span style="font-style: italic;">isn’t</span> that you need a job, or cheaper board, or even money to pay bills or go to grad school. In fact, these are just symptoms.”</span><br /><br />Brain stopped "solutionizing" mid-thought.<br /><br />My Conscious Self chimed in to the debate.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0); font-style: italic;">Oh? Symptoms? Of what? What IS the problem, then?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">“The problem is that every solution and decision that you make is based on the <span style="font-style: italic;">assumption</span> of continued poverty.”</span><br /><br />Well, that stopped me short. I thought, <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">well, duh, yeah, I mean, I gotta figure out how to survive until I’m flush again—</span><br /><br />The Voice cut me off. <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">“NO. Listen. YOU ASSUME POVERTY WILL CONTINUE.”</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0); font-style: italic;">Uh, yeah, it probably will—for awhile, anyway...</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153); font-weight: bold;">“NO. You see? THAT’S THE PROBLEM RIGHT THERE.”</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0); font-style: italic;">Huh?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">“You are assuming that you’ll probably still be poor for awhile. So you are FOCUSING on the probability of being poor for a while longer.”</span><br /><br />Oh for goodness’ sake.<br /><br />The Voice is right.<br /><br />Focus means manifestation; focus leads to actions that support the manifestation of that reality of <span style="font-style: italic;">probably being poor a while longer</span>. DUH DUH DUH.<br /><br />If every decision I’m seeking arises out of the assumption that it’s gonna be awhile before I can afford _________, then <span style="font-style: italic;">I’m attracting exactly that situation to myself!</span><br /><br />I’ve been mulling this over and journalizing, exploring this concept in depth. As I thought about all the "problems" I've been facing, and all of the potential "solutions" that really aren't very good answers at all, it began to make sense.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I had already been creating this "probably poor awhile longer" situation, simply by assuming—or </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">expecting</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">—I'd still be in it.</span><br /><br />The sticky part is, it's easy to <span style="font-style: italic;">maintain</span> this assumption, when the circumstances around me <span style="font-style: italic;">seem</span> to point in that direction. When I look at my bank balance, or the rejection letters from jobs to which I've applied (and not even being granted an interview before they decide I couldn't possibly have anything to offer them), the bills piling up, the unpaid things... it's very easy to see that should things continue this way, poverty is a given. With or without the added panic from the Media, who cry out about the state of the economy and housing market in such a fearful manner.<br /><br />The Voice asked another question or two.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">“How would your life change, if you lived under the assumption of wealth? Or assumed/expected that things are turning around? What would change in how you approached everything in your life?”</span><br /><br />Wow.<br /><br />I'd never thought of it that way. I came up with a whole list (which I won’t bore you with) of things that would change. It’s amazing how much different I would be living and thinking right now IF I assumed that it is all turning around, or rather WHEN I EXPECT that things are turning around and that there IS money and prosperity and success on its way to me now.<br /><br />The point is, <span style="font-weight: bold;">I must change my </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">overall expectation</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> from one of continuing poverty “for awhile” to one of renewed, impending, immediate prosperity and success.</span><br /><br />That overall expectation is the foundation that drives and informs absolutely every single thought, action, and decision I make, and every solution I seek. Once I shift my overall expectation, everything changes in a trickle-down effect.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">All my decisions, all the solutions I seek, every thought and action I have or make shifts to conform to my EXPECTATION. And I’ll get what I EXPECT to get.</span><br /><br />One of these days, I’ll have this DOWN, baby. I will.<br /><br />Once upon a time, I held the expectation of prosperity and success. I hadn't realized that the expectation had changed somewhere along the line to one of <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> expecting—rather, expecting the opposite of prosperity and success.<br /><br />I'm not sure if I need to pinpoint when it changed and what caused it to change in order to change back. If I can rewind to a point before it shifted, reset my expectations to what they once were, and live in that mindset again, I'll be all right. But maybe all it takes is simply recognizing that there has been a negative shift, then shifting it back to positive.<br /><br />And because miracles DO happen, I can expect things to fall into place for me right away—once I’ve adjusted it so I BELIEVE it is happening.<br /><br />There is one question unanswered: Despite MY shift in expectations, there are still those who require explanations from me and specifics about WHEN I expect to discharge my debts, WHEN I plan to pay off that bill, WHEN I anticipate having money for X. They are less likely to accept the vague answer of "oh, soon—it's turning around, I can feel it, because I've shifted my overall expectation to one of prosperity and wealth." Mortgage companies want deadlines, realistic or not. Utility companies also want to know WHEN.<br /><br />I'd love to be able to <span style="font-style: italic;">promise</span> "when", and meet it... yet that little seed of doubt emerges and says, "But it depends on a lot of things falling miraculously into place—and <span style="font-style: italic;">you cannot predict when that is going to happen</span>".<br /><br />Hmm. Maybe THAT is the limiting belief preventing manifestation?<br /><br />Thoughts?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-28051623823628514102009-04-02T18:06:00.002-04:002009-04-02T18:22:26.717-04:00Why Pray for Others, When I Need the Help?Thought for the day:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed."—James 5:16</span><br /><br />Though I'm definitely New Thought, I'm comfortable listening to just about any Christian or Catholic minister/priest/pastor/teacher when they give a sermon, as long as they stick to Biblical principles and avoid straying off into denominational differences (such as is it or is it not a sin to dance, have long hair, and so on). Sometimes I watch <a href="http://www.orm.cc/">Richard Roberts</a>, other times <a href="http://www.joelosteen.com/Pages/Index.aspx">Joel Osteen</a>. I've found <a href="http://www.fathercorapi.com/index.aspx">Father John Corapi</a> is quite an inspiring speaker as well.<br /><br />Last night, I was listening to Lindsay Roberts and she mentioned the verse above. She said she'd always misinterpreted it to mean, pray for others so that <span style="font-style: italic;">they </span>would be healed; but that the true interpretation is pray for others so that YOU can be healed.<br /><br />She related the story of a woman who was diagnosed with cancer. Instead of praying for herself, she immediately went round to all the hospitals, finding cancer patients, laying hands on them, and praying for THEIR healing. Not long afterward, the woman's cancer was declared gone.<br /><br />Skeptics may scoff at this, but Law of Attractionists and spiritualists alike understand what happened here. It makes sense to me.<br /><br />Like energy attracts like energy. Put out into the world the kind of energy you wish to attract back to you. Do unto others as you would have done unto you.<br /><br />If you had been diagnosed with a terminal illness, what would you want others to do? Pray for you. Envision you in good health. Support you. Show love for you, from which you could gain strength. For starters.<br /><br />Put out that energy... receive that energy. Pray for someone else who has the same affliction as you... attract back the kind of energy YOU need to solve your problems.<br /><br />What if this was applied to, say, someone in a poverty situation? Or who is seeking employment? Or needs help with their relationship? Instead of criticizing, complaining and giving up on people, perhaps we would better serve them and ourselves by praying FOR them. Pray that everyone who needs a job finds a good one, soon. Pray that those in poverty experience the financial miracles they need to lift them out. And so on.<br /><br />Do we need to go TO them to do this? I don't think so. I think it would be just as effective if the world's hungry and poor were included in our daily prayers; though it might have more of an impact to go directly TO people in situations like our own. We do not need to admit we share the affliction or condition. But we must be sure to treat them with respect and dignity—never as if we are somehow "better". Any one of us could find ourselves in a difficult position in a heartbeat. We must treat others currently having that experience as we would want to be treated.<br /><br />Thoughts for the day.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-72681362331544295122009-03-31T15:03:00.003-04:002009-03-31T15:09:03.401-04:00Why Fear Wealth?One of my biggest limiting beliefs is that being rich will lead me away from being spiritual. I've been trying to figure out why. I think I know.<br /><br />It's because of the phrase "Idle Rich".<br /><br />I don't believe there is such a thing, at least not in my world. I'm only idle when I'm poor, because the things I love to do cost money (if I'm doing them effectively). I stay home. I trim down to a frighteningly frugal level of bare minimum maintenance. I haven't had a hair cut in over a year. I do not go out. Period. I use the library. I rarely leave the house. I become tight-fisted and less generous because you never know when you might need that $20. I only maintain cable because my internet service comes through it, and in the event I get a freelance design job, I need to maintain my capability of getting the job to the clients and the print shop. But I've trimmed the cable selections to nil.<br /><br />When I'm wealthy, OTOH, I am ACTIVE. I'm all over the place! I'm traveling, dining out, meeting friends, socializing, thinking up project after project, starting a new one before beginning the old, "going off on tangents/traipsing all over the countryside" as my Mother used to say...<br /><br />I'm a go-getter, up and at em, energy ball when I'm wealthy. <span style="font-weight: bold;">I'm the opposite of idle</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">And that's the problem. Because all of those things are DISTRACTIONS. They are time suckers. They keep me going, going, going like the Energizer Bunny, rarely slowing down to take a breath while the world whips past.</span><br /><br />When I'm working it's even worse. I spend 8-10 hours at the job, where it's go go go meet deadlines fix problems don't think just DO and hurry up about it (I was a print production technician and designer), then I go home and collapse from exhaustion in the evenings. Time is lost because I'm too worn out to do anything "fun" or for myself. Weekends are a busy cramfest where I try to fit in all the things I didn't have time or energy for during the week. Church? Are you kiddin' me? Get up early on a Sunday when I could be sleeping in?<br /><br />And so my spirituality fell short. I fell out of touch with my inner being, with God, with the whole meaning of life. As I wrote in my journal the other day, certainly judging by the events of the past few years, this qualifies as the WORST time of my entire life.<br /><br />But it has also in many ways been the best. There are a couple of areas that have gone well in spite of it all: my horsemanship activities and my spirituality/self-knowledge. I've had plenty of time to sort myself out, reconnect with God, and figure out what spirituality means to me. I've also worked on my horsemanship and riding, which is moving me towards my goal of becoming a Parelli Natural Horsemanship Instructor and Horse Developer.<br /><br />The other day, I asked myself what my favorite experience on this planet has been. The answer? My time with horses. The past eight years have had horses in them full time, and it has been the BEST time of my life.<br /><br />Wait a minute. Didn't I just say it was the WORST time of my life?<br /><br />Yes. <span style="font-weight: bold;">The best AND worst times of my life are occurring simultaneously.</span> The beauty of this realization is in understanding that I've been focusing only on the WORST part, and completely overlooking the BEST part. My joy, my heart, my reason for existing is wrapped up in that horse, and nothing I've experienced any other time in my life other than God has been that joy-filled.<br /><br />So in a way, this temporary descent into the world of the not-haves has had its blessings.<br /><br />But... when I return to prosperity... when my life picks up and takes off again... when I return to work... if I suddenly find myself in possession of a large amount of money... will all of this change? Will I revert? Will I go back to being <span style="font-style: italic;">busybusybusy</span> with no time to stop and smell the horse barn? Will I lose sight of my spiritual side, my connection with God, and be mindless again?<br /><br />I suppose my fear of suddenly becoming wealthy again stems from this sense that my connection to my spiritual side is not yet as firm, not cemented in place. It's still shaky. It's still developing. It has roots, but the soil could be a bit more fertile. It's growing, but the leaves are new, and they must enlarge to take in the nourishing sun. The blossoms are still buds. I fear that one smell of material boost and WHAM goes the plant, tromped down under the shiny new Kenneth Cole boot that just had to come home with me. (I exaggerate—I'm not very materially inclined nor am I particularly attracted to designer labels unless you consider Wrangler and Resistol to be designers, but I needed an analogy.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">All of the material goods that accompany financial prosperity, and the events and circumstances, can become distractions that lead the focus away from the spiritual self and the Unseen, directing it to the physical, earth-bound "can be seen" reality.</span> I guess I just really don't want to be that person anymore. Ever. It doesn't mean I don't want a decent home, my truck and trailer, and a lovely little farm—just that when I attain those, I'd like to also maintain and continue to foster my spiritual growth IN SPITE of my prosperity.<br /><br />And I don't want to be one of those people whose success and financial status makes them the subject of critical judgment and sneers. Such as a former boss. My friend's husband worked briefly for the company that had laid me off. He told of how because of the economic "crisis", it was necessary to cut everyone's salary by 20%. That was done; then two weeks later, the boss rolled up in a luxury car that was newer, nicer and twice as costly as the luxury car he'd been driving the previous week.<br /><br />Now. It LOOKS as though the boss did not apply his philosophy to himself and in fact continued to treat himself while making his employees cut back, and that left employees steaming with unexpressed resentment and jealousy.<br /><br />But is this how it REALLY was?<br /><br />What if the boss had also tightened his belt? What if they'd been a two-car family; the newer car had been his wife's, purchased during an economic upswing or on a discount because they had a friend who deals cars who got them a deal, and it was fully paid off; and in the light of the economy now, they'd opted to become a one-car family, so the boss had traded in or sold off one car, and they'd decided the wise thing would be to keep the newer, paid-off car for obvious reasons, and his wife was now sacrificing her mobility so hubby could get to the job?<br /><br />Nobody thought to consider that, though, I'll bet. Besides, he IS the president of the company. His economic standing was always going to be higher than that of his employees. Even if he DID cut back in his own way.<br /><br />But being the subject of the first assumption is something I wish to avoid.<br /><br />However, this belief is serving me poorly, no pun intended.<br /><br />So is it okay for me to pray for a lottery win? Of course. Because it's not about the money; it's about what it can do for me, for my family and friends, and for all the people I have yet to meet that will benefit from my generosity.<br /><br />I've also realized that the way I behave MATTERS. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Despite my economic position, it is </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">imperative</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> that I continue to behave in as many ways possible as if I am </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">wealthy</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> in order to generate the proper vibe to </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">attract</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> more wealth in to my life.</span> Putting out vibes of scarcity and restriction attracts more of that.<br /><br />I may not have oodles of money to spend, but I can certainly do things in ways that make me feel more prosperous. I just need to be considerably more creative than via shopping and dining out. If it helps, for example, to eat my Ramen by candlelight on the good china with a freshly pressed tablecloth on the table and soft music in the background, then I should do that, while relishing every yummy bite.<br /><br />If I feel more prosperous simply because my gray hair IS covered, then I should prioritize applying that $2 bottle of dye to my head even if it's not the spa experience I'm used to, then swing my hair around like the girls in the shampoo ads (because I'm worth it™).<br /><br />It's the little things that matter; and the little details that are the devil to distract you. How you approach them is the trick.<br /><br />I've finally narrowed down my spiritual leanings and determined that I would be considered a practitioner of Religious Science, Science of Mind, or New Thought. (Note—this is different from Christian Science or Scientology!) I've located THREE (!) spiritual centers in my area and a church of Universal Unitarianism nearby that I'm planning to check out this month. My gut feeling is that once I'm firmly ensconced in a church setting where my faith is being supported and maintained beyond what I do here at home, it will give me the roots and fertilizer needed to strengthen my faith so that it will be strong enough to withstand the distractions that may come up as my prosperity returns. I believe that once it is obvious that I'm decidedly on this path, things will turn around, blocks will lift, and I am being fully restored.<br /><br />Go forth, and prosper. May you be blessed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-51071725309873720302009-03-18T12:52:00.001-04:002009-03-18T12:53:33.351-04:00Can We Rethink It?You know, if we all quit thinking of it as a "financial crisis", it would quit BEING a financial crisis.<br /><br />I vote we all refer to it as "the financial transition" from now on. Then picture it transitioning into prosperity.<br /><br />I mean, what the hey--we're awfully good at mass manifesting a CRISIS, right? What if we used our powers for good rather than evil?<br /><br />Just a thought.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-10879016863574777892009-03-10T17:41:00.003-04:002009-03-10T17:47:17.907-04:00Why Do Some Things Manifest More Easily?Question.<br /><br />Why is it so easy to manifest some things than others?<br /><br />For example, I quit smoking 10 years ago simply by changing my mind. Seriously! I'd just purchased and moved into my first home, and I didn't want to mar the cleanliness with my smoking habit. I considered insisting that all smoking take place outside, but realized I'd enjoyed smoking inside, so that wouldn't work.<br /><br />I'd been suffering on and off with persistent bronchitis that fall, and the doctor told me I was pre-asthmatic. Having grown up with a serious asthmatic and being well aware of the progression, I decided maybe I should try to quit.<br /><br />So I started declaring every chance I got that I was a non-smoker, and, well, here I am, a very happy non-smoker for ten years without a single slip or craving. And not asthmatic, either.<br /><br />At first, it was a tad bit of a challenge. I had to be on top of reminding myself I was a non-smoker. I had to catch myself a few times before the new habit of NOT reaching for the pack when I got in the car became more natural. But as time wore on, I didn't have to be so diligent. Now, I don't even think about it. In fact, I often forget I ever was a smoker.<br /><br />Try that with "I'm a multimillionaire". Not sure why, but it doesn't seem to be working <span style="font-style: italic;">quite</span> as effectively...<br /><br />Yet.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-19916633106225609722009-03-03T14:57:00.009-05:002009-03-03T16:07:08.328-05:00Oh, As IF—and, How Do You Deal with Fear?Today I must admit to something that I'm not proud of.<br /><br />I'm not always cheerful and upbeat. Nor am I always the best representation of a follower of the LOA or someone of faith.<br /><br />Sometimes, I fall down.<br /><br />Yesterday was one of those days. (Before we go on, today <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> better, so fear not for my well-being.)<br /><br />In hindsight, I realize there was a lesson in all of this, and that I had to go through it to be able to understand it when others go through it, which they will, so that I can help them by example.<br /><br />I've been reading Barbara Sher's book with the impossibly long title, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Could-Anything-Only-Knew-What/dp/0440505003/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236110407&sr=1-1">I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was: How to Discover What You Really Want and How to Get It</a>". We'll call it Sher's book for brevity's sake. Many of the exercises correlate to self-analysis work I've already done, but some are new. I do those. Most of them.<br /><br />One exercise wants you to ask yourself which of the Four Feelings is the one you're experiencing right now. The Four are Anger, Fear, Hurt and Joy, as these are the most basic emotions we feel. Other emotions, like grief or resentment, are combinations or variations of the Four.<br /><br />Well I opened up a can of worms Sunday night. The one that came up was ANGER. With a capital everything. I had no idea. I thought I was just sort of sad. Turns out, I am PISSED OFF BEYOND BELIEF. At my Mother. At my sibling. At my childhood. At myself. At former bandmates and beaus. At my old jobs. At all of the injustice I've experienced in my life. I let it all out. It was a long night. But I slept well, and I woke up feeling...<br /><br />Not so good. REALLY bad, in fact. I haven't felt this down-deep depressed in a long time. And it lasted all day. It was so bad... I actually wrote up a note of whom to call in case I couldn't take it anymore—who gets the cats and horses, who to email... in a way, that might have been part of the purge because after that and hours of crying, sobbing and grieving, I felt better. Not good, mind you, but the <span style="font-style: italic;">feeling</span> had passed.<br /><br />Yes, it was hours of torture going through it. Wave after wave of excruciating emotional pain kept coming up. I cried myself hoarse and my eyes still feel like sandpaper. Apparently I'd crossed from ANGER to HURT.<br /><br />Thing is, I'd been attributing the emotion to <span style="font-style: italic;">frustration, </span>and believing it was because of my blocked financial situation. I live in Ohio. Our economy isn't the best right now. The excuses are, I have things to sell but due to the economy in this state (when I switch into the old thinking of "being realistic"), nobody's buying; the estate hasn't closed because the house hasn't sold; my employable skills apply to jobs that aren't available right now and the jobs that are available don't align with my skills (or won't hire me because of that nasty little glitch called being "overqualified"), and the correlation between the amount available in my bank account versus the bills that need to be paid is way out of balance.<br /><br />Poor me.<br /><br />Wahhh.<br /><br />It took HOURS to work through all of this. Alone. At the tail end of the sobbing, when I'd finally wore myself out, I begged God to help me. I became very quiet. I had nothing left in me, nothing left to say.<br /><br />For a moment or two, there was nothing but the silence after the storm.<br /><br />Then a small, soft voice in my head said:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Act as if it is all right.</span><br /><br />Huh?<br /><br />It continued.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What would you be doing differently tomorrow, if you KNEW help was on its way, if you KNEW that in a few days, it WOULD be all right?</span><br /><br />Well, hell. I'd never considered... that I might be living my life anyway BUT that way. This voice and I had a conversation in which it was pointed out to me that I'd been living <span style="font-style: italic;">as if<span style="font-style: italic;"> it was NOT going to be all right</span></span>, and all of my actions—or lack thereof—sent out that message.<br /><br />Naturally, it attracted the very experiences to me that I didn't want to have, and voila—here I am.<br /><br />I realized that if I <span style="font-style: italic;">truly</span> believed that everything was on the upswing, whether it had manifested any visual signs yet or not, <span style="font-style: italic;">I would be living a little bit differently every day.</span><br /><br />I'd be focusing on improvement (not just emotional): getting in shape, cleaning up the house, sorting stuff, preparing for the future that was on its way. I would NOT be living every day as if it might be the last day I have heat, or with full-on scarcity mindset, putting off stuff and refusing to "get involved" because what's the point? Why get deeply entrenched in a recording or creative project, or my horsemanship studies, or studying for the GRE, when by next week or next month, I might be giving away all my possessions because the person whose couch I'll be occupying when the money runs out doesn't have room to store them all, or I'll be working two jobs just to pay the bills and won't have time for "such nonsense"?<br /><br />Yes, one's brain can think up some pretty wild thoughts, can't it? It's tricky, true, but my mind is really making an enormous mountain out of an inconvenient little molehill that I really am quite capable of overcoming. The house is paid for, in fact it still belongs to the estate, not me; so the chance of being evicted by anyone is unlikely. I do have friends who would help me out in a crisis if I'm too embarrassed to request a small advance from the estate, and I'm not in serious debt (no credit cards). There are jobs out there, and who knows? If I focus on what I want, I can create it. Hell, I seem to be pretty good at creating the <span style="font-style: italic;">other</span> stuff, right?<br /><br />The point is, my mind was tricking me. It was feeding into my fears, and it was using MONEY to set up a crisis so that I would avoid dealing with the feelings that I accidentally wound up dealing with this weekend. I even, at one point, seriously doubted the validity of the LOA.<br /><br />Sidenote: Just because someone had great parents and a nice upbringing doesn't mean there wasn't <span style="font-style: italic;">pain</span>.<br /><br />When I realized that I'd been sitting on a schload of anger and hurt, and hiding it behind semi-imaginary money woes that I'd created all by myself, I was in shock. When I realized that I'd been acting and speaking as if it was NOT turning out OK, even though I thought I was doing otherwise, I was horrified.<br /><br />Shortly thereafter, I outlined how I'd behave if I believed, and I began to feel better.<br /><br />This morning, I caught myself in a thought process I was surprised to have. I realized I'll need to be very diligent and observant because scarcity thinking can be sneaky.<br /><br />I was wondering, "should I maybe check into the insurance agents I see advertised on TV all the time and see if I can lower my car insurance payment even further?"<br /><br />Not because it's a great deal, but because then I would have less going out, more to live on, not use up my savings so fast in the event that things didn't improve...<br /><br />SMACK! <span style="font-style: italic;">What did you JUST think?!?!?</span><br /><br />Oh, my. A very complex, convoluted thought, and it was right back into scarcity.<br /><br />" in the event that things didn't improve..."<br /><br />Naughty, naughty!<br /><br />So it isn't enough just to decide "OK I'm going to act as if from now on". Nope, I have to watch myself because the scarcity thinking is so deeply ingrained it filters out subtly without my even noticing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How do you fix it?</span><br /><br />By becoming aware of it and perishing the thoughts.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How does one live "as if"?</span><br /><br />It's not that I should go out and act as if I'm a multimillionaire and start spending like crazy. That would be dumb. But what can I do that is in alignment with being "OK" that doesn't cost anything? There are plenty of actions along those lines. When I start doing those as much as possible, I'm sending out the message that I believe.<br /><br />My objective is to maintain the lifestyle I had before my parents died, which is a comfortable neither-rich-nor-poor lifestyle in which my needs are met and I'm able to enjoy the small pleasures that make life worth living, like an occasional dinner out, a movie matinee, a short roadtrip, and so on.<br /><br />Continually trimming out more and more things until I'm down to food, absolute basic utilities, and shelter with absolutely no room for even one night out is sending a message of a belief in scarcity.<br /><br />But that reality thing... so someone asks me to go check out that new restaurant in town. I could answer "truthfully",<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Sorry. Can't afford to right now. Maybe later."</span><br /><br />Or, I could answer "as if":<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Sure, I'd love to! This is a busy time—how about we try for next week/next month?"</span><br /><br />Not ruling it out. Not claiming scarcity. Just, scheduling it for the future. Which is going to be FINE. Which will be a time when I am more than able to afford it. And, visualizing ahead to the day we go and check it out. Then letting it go. Forgetting about it until next month, when...<br /><br />Surprise, I'll be able to afford to go.<br /><br />As for my bills, I'll do triage. Pay the most urgent. Partial pay the less-urgent. Decide that it's OK to pay some next week, when there is more money. Fix these thoughts in my mind. Hold the visualizations then let them go. Expect it to be fine. Expect that the job is appearing. Expect that the blocks are dissolving.<br /><br />And act as if it IS working out.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">But... what about the fear?</span><br /><br />Well, emotions come in and go out much like a ride on a rollercoaster. They start at the bottom, quietly, then rise, rise, rise until they peak, then you freefall back down until they subside and go away.<br /><br />The trick is to hang on for the ride. I've discovered three ways that we deal with emotions.<br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">RESISTANCE</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">SENDING OUT</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">ALLOWING</span></li></ul><br />What usually happens is we sense the feeling rising, and we think NONONONONO and try to push it away. <span style="font-weight: bold;">RESIST</span>. Panic rises inside of us because we do not want to feel this. So it tries even harder to get to us, and eventually either we stuff it back down for awhile (ever wary of its next attempt) or it gets us anyway.<br /><br />When it is suggested that we allow the experience, people worry, "but isn't that going to attract more of it to me?"<br /><br />Nope. To attract it requires either resisting it (which energizes it) or <span style="font-weight: bold;">SENDING IT OUT</span> on purpose. That requires a conscious effort to push it out. Raising your arms and sending it out, or pushing it from your solar plexus—both require active energy.<br /><br />That's not what I'm talking about.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ALLOWING</span> the feeling is like passive-resistance. You see it coming. Instead of rising up to battle it, or actively sending it out, you STOP. Just stop and be still. Wait for it. Continue to stay calm and breathe through it. You let the energy come TO you and go THROUGH you, but <span style="font-style: italic;">you do not add your own energy to it</span>.<br /><br />Think of yourself like a reed in the water. Usually it is still and calm. But you see it, on the horizon, an enormous wave is headed your way. If you fight it stiffly, you will break under the weight of it. But if you bend... it will wash over you. You will withstand it, and then it will pass and calm will return.<br /><br />What you do is you open yourself up, and welcome it. When you feel it beginning to rise, you take a deep breath and set your internal stance to a power position where you cannot be knocked over. Then you wait. The feeling comes. It will rise. It will reach a point where you think "I cannot withstand this anymore". This is the peak.<br /><br />This is the point where most people cave in, and they either put up the fight or they break.<br /><br />This is the point where you hold strongest. One more deep breath, and...<br /><br />There it goes. It's subsiding. Only this time it will likely stay gone.<br /><br />If it's fear, it'll rise, peak, and fall away.<br /><br />If it's anger, same thing, but you may need to open a portal and express it safely. Write in a journal, punch a pillow, or yell.<br /><br />If it's pain, you will have to allow the tears. It's going to hurt like hell at the peak, and that will be scary, but stay with it.<br /><br />I promise. If you stay with it, and ride over the crest, you will land safely on the ground again, and you will be fine.<br /><br />I should know. I'm speaking from personal, recent experience.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-1432110303299252642009-02-27T15:35:00.002-05:002009-02-27T15:38:30.552-05:00Gratitude and NowI came up with a couple of new prayers today that I thought I'd share with you:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Thank you God, that I have more than enough of all good things, plenty to share, and freedom from desire, want and need. Amen.</span></blockquote>That’s it. No need to ask for money, love, stuff, food, etc. Just assume He is providing me constantly with more than enough so I can share my wealth (of all types) generously, and that I’m free from desire (cravings, yearnings, wanting what is lacking). That’s a good place to be, eh? And I can be there <span style="font-style: italic;">right now</span>. That's much better than arriving there "someday in the future".<br /><br />The other one is more of an affirmation:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Right now, I am happy!</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">As I am,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Where I am,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">With what I have,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">And who I am...</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Because I choose to be.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Thank You, God, and God Bless </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Me</span><span style="font-style: italic;">! Amen.</span></blockquote>Have a wonderful weekend.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885251000561678679.post-62635003254164611162009-02-26T16:01:00.003-05:002009-02-26T16:18:17.256-05:00Can You Identify Your Goal in 5 Words or Less?I couldn't before, <span style="font-style: italic;">but I can, now.</span><br /><br />So many blog posts go on at length in an attempt to define a concept, goal, or belief. I should know. I've been doing it myself. As you know, I tend to ramble. And I've been trying for months now to provide my skeptical friends and family with a sufficient explanation of why I find the concept of having a J.O.B. so offensive and out of alignment with my true nature.<br /><br />I've tried to describe this state of producing things from my heart and soul, of enjoying my efforts, of having more than one source of income and <span style="font-style: italic;">still</span> being highly successful (as in, no need to book me a couch at your place for the month, thanks). I've come up with a long list of the myriad ways in which money can be had <span style="font-style: italic;">other</span> than from a J.O.B. I've tried to dispel the myth my parents told me—without a job, you will not be able to survive.<br /><br />Along the way, I have (as you probably also have) run across quite a number of folks who are defying that myth daily—people like Portable Empire's <a href="http://patobryan.com/">Pat O'Bryan</a> or The Attractor Factor's <a href="http://www.mrfire.com">Joe Vitale</a>—as well as people who are doing what they love no matter how crazy it might sound and enjoying amazing success doing it, like my horsemanship mentor <a href="http://www.parelli.com/">Pat Parelli</a>.<br /><br />It's proof that you don't need a trust fund or a lottery win to have it all.<br /><br />You've probably tried your hand at affirmations. If so, then you are aware that brevity is the key to success, because it's easier to focus on a brief statement than a long-winded ramble. You know that it's easier to visualize a focused concept akin to remembering one scene than to try to replay the entire movie in your head. You also know how difficult it can be to condense into a short sentence the Ultimate Goal you're trying to achieve.<br /><br />I'm with you there. I've struggled with the same thing.<br /><br />Until today.<br /><br />All I did was read another's blog post. I'm giving a big shout-out to <a href="http://patobryan.com/blog/?p=129">Pat O'Bryan</a> for summing it up for me in his own ramble.<br /><br />Drumroll, please.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Ultimate Goal is to have...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"multiple streams of passive income"</span><br /><br />That's it. That's all it takes to define my goal. Five little words.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Passive income</span>, meaning I don't have a J.O.B. by definition but I still have the income; and <span style="font-style: italic;">multiple streams</span> meaning it comes from my "various creative endeavors and not one takes primary focus". With multiple streams of passive income, I'm free to pursue all of my activities and enjoy my life rather than waste my precious years working for someone else, doing someone else's "thing", making someone else's dreams come true while mine die on the vine.<br /><br />All right. I have my goal. I'm heading off now to visualize my goal and set my intention for having "multiple streams of passive income". Thanks for listening.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">PS: When you can define your goal in five words or less, please share it with me in the comments.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0