Life Shrinks or Expands in Proportion To One's Courage
Anais Nin.
Live a Big Life
Why is it important to live your life big?
Living bigger isn’t cause for overwhelm, or to even be complicated. The idea of having a larger life is intended to provoke you, interest you, tenderly prod you into a broader vision of what is possible, like a horse whose blinders are removed and it can suddenly see through its peripheral vision. The blinders protected the horse from being spooked or distracted from its job – to win a race.
Complacency contracts, makes life smaller.
We’re sometimes like that, anxious about the unknown and we think it's easier to wear blinders. We become complacent with a misguided sense of satisfaction. Usually it's because we think we’re not strong enough, or capable enough or we believe someone else can do a better job. The tendency is to pull back, not go after what we want, which only serves to mininize our lives.
Face your fears, trust your instincts and go after your deepest dreams without inhibition. You will see what you currently can't imagine as you expand your life beyond your greatest imagination as you use it, exercise it, allow yourself to believe there is more to see.
Just Show Up
It’s what happens when you put yourself in the driver’s seat. You direct your life by participating, showing up, getting involved, getting out there and talking to people.
80% of success is just showing up. Woody Allen
It can be a supreme act of courage to just show up, to be open to the possibility, the opportunity, and the mystery that is always in the present moment. Be eager to charge fearlessly into the unknown.
There is so much happening in the field of the Here and the Now and you don’t want to miss it.
Live bigger, have courage to tackle a dream, set an objective, and make a commitment. You connect to something bigger when you suit up and show up - you link up to a guiding force that wants you to thrive in life. The older you get, the more you will feel a sense of urgency to reach further.
That feeling of time running out is your friend - it will motivate you to live the life of your dreams, and that will do more to inspire people you care about and influence your world than anything you can do. In addition, you will meet the advancing years with an overriding sense of gratitude that you aren't carrying around a large bag of regrets.
Where are you holding back? Where would you like to expand?
Here is a step by step plan, time tested, and proven by many of the greatest minds, and most successful people the world has known. These are simple steps anyone can do. Don’t make it complex, just get started today:
1. Make a list of all of your passions – the list can be as long as you need. Write them all down in a notebook you can refer to often.
2. List your top three goals or desires that are the most pressing right now. Example: 1) Get a job that empowers me and allows me to be self-sufficient; 2) find a better place to live; 3) do something creative that will pay me enough to quit my day job (become an actor, writer, singer, entrepreneur, inventor, etc.).
3. Pick the top one for now. Example: get a job that makes me feel empowered and self-sufficient. Write it down.
4. What is one action step you can take today? Example: You can make a phone call, talk to someone who is in the job you want to be in, look on Craig’s List, walk into the place you want to work and talk to a manager, sign up for a class, or collect information on putting together a resume, complete an online application without submitting it – you can polish it up after reviewing it with fresh eyes tomorrow or the day after. Reach – you know how that ‘tug’ feels when you stretch yourself. Feel the tug and smile.
5. Remember, it’s not the results – leave those to God, the Universe, however you refer to the ‘something bigger’ in your life. Make the connection to something bigger by taking one action step. That’s the only part you play.
6. Take an action step every day no matter what.
7. Now do this with the second item on your list, then repeat these steps with the third item.
8. When you are finished, go about your normal business in the course of the day. Commit to doing this again tomorrow. Be content if you can only tackle one item on your list of Top Three wishes.
9. Don’t stop. You are building momentum and the resources you need begin to show up in remarkable ways.
10. The results will make a believer out of you and you will want to keep going in the direction of greater levels of success and wellbeing because it will be so much fun. Life stops being a struggle.
Don’t worry – you’re not alone. We all feel the pull of self-doubt and discouragement. You will discover power and strength that will quickly dispel any negative feelings you might have at first.
Taking a new step, uttering a new word is what people fear most.
Fvodor Dostoyevsky
Why is it important to live your life big?
Living bigger isn’t cause for overwhelm, or to even be complicated. The idea of having a larger life is intended to provoke you, interest you, tenderly prod you into a broader vision of what is possible, like a horse whose blinders are removed and it can suddenly see through its peripheral vision. The blinders protected the horse from being spooked or distracted from its job – to win a race.
Complacency contracts, makes life smaller.
We’re sometimes like that, anxious about the unknown and we think it's easier to wear blinders. We become complacent with a misguided sense of satisfaction. Usually it's because we think we’re not strong enough, or capable enough or we believe someone else can do a better job. The tendency is to pull back, not go after what we want, which only serves to mininize our lives.
Face your fears, trust your instincts and go after your deepest dreams without inhibition. You will see what you currently can't imagine as you expand your life beyond your greatest imagination as you use it, exercise it, allow yourself to believe there is more to see.
Just Show Up
It’s what happens when you put yourself in the driver’s seat. You direct your life by participating, showing up, getting involved, getting out there and talking to people.
80% of success is just showing up. Woody Allen
It can be a supreme act of courage to just show up, to be open to the possibility, the opportunity, and the mystery that is always in the present moment. Be eager to charge fearlessly into the unknown.
There is so much happening in the field of the Here and the Now and you don’t want to miss it.
Live bigger, have courage to tackle a dream, set an objective, and make a commitment. You connect to something bigger when you suit up and show up - you link up to a guiding force that wants you to thrive in life. The older you get, the more you will feel a sense of urgency to reach further.
That feeling of time running out is your friend - it will motivate you to live the life of your dreams, and that will do more to inspire people you care about and influence your world than anything you can do. In addition, you will meet the advancing years with an overriding sense of gratitude that you aren't carrying around a large bag of regrets.
Where are you holding back? Where would you like to expand?
Here is a step by step plan, time tested, and proven by many of the greatest minds, and most successful people the world has known. These are simple steps anyone can do. Don’t make it complex, just get started today:
1. Make a list of all of your passions – the list can be as long as you need. Write them all down in a notebook you can refer to often.
2. List your top three goals or desires that are the most pressing right now. Example: 1) Get a job that empowers me and allows me to be self-sufficient; 2) find a better place to live; 3) do something creative that will pay me enough to quit my day job (become an actor, writer, singer, entrepreneur, inventor, etc.).
3. Pick the top one for now. Example: get a job that makes me feel empowered and self-sufficient. Write it down.
4. What is one action step you can take today? Example: You can make a phone call, talk to someone who is in the job you want to be in, look on Craig’s List, walk into the place you want to work and talk to a manager, sign up for a class, or collect information on putting together a resume, complete an online application without submitting it – you can polish it up after reviewing it with fresh eyes tomorrow or the day after. Reach – you know how that ‘tug’ feels when you stretch yourself. Feel the tug and smile.
5. Remember, it’s not the results – leave those to God, the Universe, however you refer to the ‘something bigger’ in your life. Make the connection to something bigger by taking one action step. That’s the only part you play.
6. Take an action step every day no matter what.
7. Now do this with the second item on your list, then repeat these steps with the third item.
8. When you are finished, go about your normal business in the course of the day. Commit to doing this again tomorrow. Be content if you can only tackle one item on your list of Top Three wishes.
9. Don’t stop. You are building momentum and the resources you need begin to show up in remarkable ways.
10. The results will make a believer out of you and you will want to keep going in the direction of greater levels of success and wellbeing because it will be so much fun. Life stops being a struggle.
Don’t worry – you’re not alone. We all feel the pull of self-doubt and discouragement. You will discover power and strength that will quickly dispel any negative feelings you might have at first.
Taking a new step, uttering a new word is what people fear most.
Fvodor Dostoyevsky
"I'm shy and walking into a room is a feat in itself. If you're shy, you go through those moments." Elizabeth Taylor
Be Fearless
When your passion for a dream makes you take a wholehearted leap and you commit to doing whatever is necessary, you add purpose and meaning to your life. This is not the time to be shy. Even if you are bold and confident most of the time, opportunities have a way of bringing up a combination of excitement and nervousness at the same time. It’s like stage fright; your body is preparing to move out of its established comfort zone into unfamiliar territory. After all, we only have a glimpse of what we want at this point. That is exciting. And it’s also scary.
If it were easy, we would get bored very quickly.
I remember taking an acting class in Los Angeles several years ago. The acting coach walked out on the stage and looked out at all of his students sitting in the auditorium facing him. We came from all walks of life, all ages, and stages. But in the class with this respected, renowned, revered Coach, we were on a level playing field - beginners. An acting class teaches us to get in touch with our feelings, know ourselves better, and touch places we might have hidden, or struggled not to accept. It didn’t matter where we were in life, we all had rich emotions. The acting coach stopped in the center of the stage and said words that hit a cord in me, made me realize how all the times I had allowed myself to feel insecure or introverted were not doing me any favors. What he said was simple, but activated a stronger side of who I really was.
Here’s what he said, standing on the stage, looking at all of our expectant, hopeful and nervous faces:
“Always be the first to volunteer, to raise your hand. Be the first to get on the stage.”
You could hear a pin drop.
Then the next thing he said was, “You don’t know what I’m going to ask you
to do when you get up here, on this stage, but who wants to be first?”
There were several of us who leaped out of our chairs, jostling each other to get on the stage first. There was a lot of laughing, teasing and joking. I took the stairs, some leaped on the stage like gymnasts. When we lined up in front of the audience, our eyes were shining. All we needed was an invitation
not to be shy.
That day is still forged in my memory, like a life's lesson stamped on to replace an old worn out belief. There were several students who remained in their seats, and those of us on stage had a ton of fun, acting out the different scenarios the Coach put us through. I learned a lot about improvisation, the art of peeling back the layers of our fears, getting 'over ourselves' and just being willing to do our best without self-judgment and criticism.
I was learning about self-acceptance and authenticity... and about becoming fearless and
taking risks, because it's the only way to follow your heart and reach your
Dreams.
It takes a lot of peeling back sometimes to get to know ourselves, and to stop being overprotective and afraid of getting damaged. The big question all of us have is, after all, Who Am I?
The biggest thing I learned that day from the Coach was this: If you’re going after your dreams, this is not the time to be shy.
I learned it, and Elizabeth Taylor learned it. The good news is, it gets easier.
You start to make eye contact when you would prefer to look down at your shoes.
You tell yourself a story of how amazing you look when you straighten your shoulders and walk into a crowded room, and refuse to believe the little voice inside that says you should have worn the other dress and that you probably have lipstick on your teeth when you smile.
You hope that when you clamor on a stage to be first, you don’t appear rude.
You hope that just in case you really are good, well, maybe even great, that someone won’t be there to ‘put you in your place.’
You just go for it, because just beyond - on the other side of shyness - is the
answer to the question: “Who Am I?”
When your passion for a dream makes you take a wholehearted leap and you commit to doing whatever is necessary, you add purpose and meaning to your life. This is not the time to be shy. Even if you are bold and confident most of the time, opportunities have a way of bringing up a combination of excitement and nervousness at the same time. It’s like stage fright; your body is preparing to move out of its established comfort zone into unfamiliar territory. After all, we only have a glimpse of what we want at this point. That is exciting. And it’s also scary.
If it were easy, we would get bored very quickly.
I remember taking an acting class in Los Angeles several years ago. The acting coach walked out on the stage and looked out at all of his students sitting in the auditorium facing him. We came from all walks of life, all ages, and stages. But in the class with this respected, renowned, revered Coach, we were on a level playing field - beginners. An acting class teaches us to get in touch with our feelings, know ourselves better, and touch places we might have hidden, or struggled not to accept. It didn’t matter where we were in life, we all had rich emotions. The acting coach stopped in the center of the stage and said words that hit a cord in me, made me realize how all the times I had allowed myself to feel insecure or introverted were not doing me any favors. What he said was simple, but activated a stronger side of who I really was.
Here’s what he said, standing on the stage, looking at all of our expectant, hopeful and nervous faces:
“Always be the first to volunteer, to raise your hand. Be the first to get on the stage.”
You could hear a pin drop.
Then the next thing he said was, “You don’t know what I’m going to ask you
to do when you get up here, on this stage, but who wants to be first?”
There were several of us who leaped out of our chairs, jostling each other to get on the stage first. There was a lot of laughing, teasing and joking. I took the stairs, some leaped on the stage like gymnasts. When we lined up in front of the audience, our eyes were shining. All we needed was an invitation
not to be shy.
That day is still forged in my memory, like a life's lesson stamped on to replace an old worn out belief. There were several students who remained in their seats, and those of us on stage had a ton of fun, acting out the different scenarios the Coach put us through. I learned a lot about improvisation, the art of peeling back the layers of our fears, getting 'over ourselves' and just being willing to do our best without self-judgment and criticism.
I was learning about self-acceptance and authenticity... and about becoming fearless and
taking risks, because it's the only way to follow your heart and reach your
Dreams.
It takes a lot of peeling back sometimes to get to know ourselves, and to stop being overprotective and afraid of getting damaged. The big question all of us have is, after all, Who Am I?
The biggest thing I learned that day from the Coach was this: If you’re going after your dreams, this is not the time to be shy.
I learned it, and Elizabeth Taylor learned it. The good news is, it gets easier.
You start to make eye contact when you would prefer to look down at your shoes.
You tell yourself a story of how amazing you look when you straighten your shoulders and walk into a crowded room, and refuse to believe the little voice inside that says you should have worn the other dress and that you probably have lipstick on your teeth when you smile.
You hope that when you clamor on a stage to be first, you don’t appear rude.
You hope that just in case you really are good, well, maybe even great, that someone won’t be there to ‘put you in your place.’
You just go for it, because just beyond - on the other side of shyness - is the
answer to the question: “Who Am I?”
We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams. ~Albert Einstein
Experience a Breakthrough to Your Inner Artist
When you deliberately do something to feel Love every day, your Dreams will move toward you in recognition of your open, welcoming arms. Faith in a guidance system that is beyond your understanding is essential in defining, seeking and capturing the desire of your heart.
First trust that this desire you have to pursue a talent or a recurrent dream that shows up in your imagination comes from an inner Divine Source. Keeping yourself peaceful, and trusting with the anticipation of certainty welcomes this Divine assistance.
Your job is to do something every day. Take an action step. If you’re a writer, write daily. If you are a performer – dancer, singer, actor, artist, practice your craft daily. You have 24 hours in a day – focus for ten minutes, 30 minutes, or whatever time you can offer your Dream.
In other words, activate the part of your brain you want to focus on by taking control of how you spend your time – and the energy and attention you place on your thoughts. Choose the thoughts you think, the images you have in your mind, and the habits you enforce daily.
If you want more financial security and independence, first tune in and discover the talent, the skills you have and how it all connects to your greatest desire. Do something daily to develop your connection to yourself. You will feel Love more often, and that is Key to a happy, fulfilling Life.
Daily Attention and Intention will bring you fulfillment and empowerment and the success you seek will come through an inner place of security, confidence and a peaceful state of well being. That must come first in order for your reality to be a reflection of who you are in your Spirit – on the inside.
Take steps daily by practicing what you love, but don’t judge your work, or yourself. Simply do your best by carving out time that is strictly dedicated to developing greater expertise and ability. Your path will become self-defining, you will have inspired thoughts and ideas through the natural pathways of direction and guidance. Just keep focusing on what you love to do every day.
Keep it simple.
Julia Cameron says in her bestselling book The Artists Way, ” Set small, gentle goals and achieve them.”
Remember – (1) do something every day toward your dream (Every Day)! (2) Keep your goals small and achievable; (3) Do the work toward achieving your dream but don’t judge the work you do and don't judge yourself. You will improve, and gain mastery. Success naturally follows.
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
- Antoine Saint-Exupéry
Your Power of Visualization
When going after something you deeply desire – you must identify with the Source of it. It can be anything - more money, a career that brings you satisfaction, fulfillment and self-sufficiency, or a mutually compatible relationship, to win the game, get the gig, ace the audition – whatever your dream is - get a sense that it is part of something bigger than you are.
So often, people identify with the limited, finite Self, instead of with their greater, higher being that is the real self – the 'All That I Am-Self.' Ask yourself, 'where is this thought/desire/dream coming from, and is it congruent to my deepest, truest nature?'
The sooner you can accept that you are greater than you think you are, you will stop the wishing, and wanting, and begin to connect with your true purpose. First, align yourself with higher thinking.
How?
Take a deep breath, detach and become the witness. Observe yourself thinking of what you want. You are creating a space where you have less connection to your deepest desires, and you allow for that place inside of you that is the Source of the desire. You make an open space for the unfolding of intuition, guidance and synchronicity or coincidence.
For example, when you catch yourself putting yourself down, or feeling distressed because you didn’t get the phone call you hoped would be life changing, or the job interview didn’t go well, or you feel stuck and don’t know the right path to take to your greatest dreams, replace the negative thoughts with the reminder that everything works together for your good and that something wonderful is occurring because you are wonderful and deserve the best, most abundantly joyous life possible.
This automatically produces new mind pictures in your mental imaging, which accompanies thought - through your natural process of Visualization
This is where imagination comes in. You are making mind pictures all the time. Now choose to replace the negative thoughts that accompany the negative pictures by replacing the entire scene – fill in the space of your imagination with what you want to happen and see yourself happily achieving that which you most desire.
It’s just a matter of making new choices – and exercising your imagination in a new way. Use this natural power within for your benefit and your greatest good. You will be an instrument of healing for the entire world.
When going after something you deeply desire – you must identify with the Source of it. It can be anything - more money, a career that brings you satisfaction, fulfillment and self-sufficiency, or a mutually compatible relationship, to win the game, get the gig, ace the audition – whatever your dream is - get a sense that it is part of something bigger than you are.
So often, people identify with the limited, finite Self, instead of with their greater, higher being that is the real self – the 'All That I Am-Self.' Ask yourself, 'where is this thought/desire/dream coming from, and is it congruent to my deepest, truest nature?'
The sooner you can accept that you are greater than you think you are, you will stop the wishing, and wanting, and begin to connect with your true purpose. First, align yourself with higher thinking.
How?
Take a deep breath, detach and become the witness. Observe yourself thinking of what you want. You are creating a space where you have less connection to your deepest desires, and you allow for that place inside of you that is the Source of the desire. You make an open space for the unfolding of intuition, guidance and synchronicity or coincidence.
For example, when you catch yourself putting yourself down, or feeling distressed because you didn’t get the phone call you hoped would be life changing, or the job interview didn’t go well, or you feel stuck and don’t know the right path to take to your greatest dreams, replace the negative thoughts with the reminder that everything works together for your good and that something wonderful is occurring because you are wonderful and deserve the best, most abundantly joyous life possible.
This automatically produces new mind pictures in your mental imaging, which accompanies thought - through your natural process of Visualization
This is where imagination comes in. You are making mind pictures all the time. Now choose to replace the negative thoughts that accompany the negative pictures by replacing the entire scene – fill in the space of your imagination with what you want to happen and see yourself happily achieving that which you most desire.
It’s just a matter of making new choices – and exercising your imagination in a new way. Use this natural power within for your benefit and your greatest good. You will be an instrument of healing for the entire world.
The True Nature of Failure
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."~ Michael Jordan
See Failure As Your Friend
In Jonah Lehrer’s recent book, IMAGINE, he says, “Every creative journey begins with a problem. It starts with a feeling of frustration…the act of being stumped.” His research revealed that being stumped often leads to giving up, but it is often the point at which we have what scientists call the “insight experience.”
Lehrer shares this from his research: “It’s often only at this point, after we’ve stopped searching for the answer, that the answer arrives.”
Failure Prepares the Way to Your Success
Failure is a feeling of frustration and disappointment which often leads to hopelessness and the desire to give up, when in reality, it is a necessary and natural part of success. It is when you most want to give up - quit, feel let down when things don't go your way, someone doesn't give you positive feedback you expected, or things don't happen according to your time frame or expectations - that a misguided idea that something must not be working replaces your initial enthusiasm to pursue a course of action. Teach yourself keep going, and to transcend the dismal thoughts of failure and use these moments as preparation for the insight percolating just beneath the surface, ready to rise like bubbles of clarity and perception into your awareness. Take a hot bath, walk in nature, get your mind completely off judging or evaluating yourself as having failed. When you return to your dream building, trust that you will be ready for new insight and a glimpse into a perspective you hadn't previously considered.
See failure for what it really is: Rich soil which has prepared for something artistic, a stepping stone to something even more wonderful than you imagined. Your own personal creation of a life filled with your greatest dreams. It can happen if you keep moving past the stumped or confused stage. Invite fresh ideas and new information, then follow the threads as they appear, one step at a time - all the way to the finish line.
What you are will show in what you do
Thomas Edison
NOTICE meaningful COINCIDENCES
In Jonah Lehrer’s recent book, IMAGINE, he says, “Every creative journey begins with a problem. It starts with a feeling of frustration…the act of being stumped.” His research revealed that being stumped often leads to giving up, but it is often the point at which we have what scientists call the “insight experience.”
Lehrer shares this from his research: “It’s often only at this point, after we’ve stopped searching for the answer, that the answer arrives.”
Failure Prepares the Way to Your Success
Failure is a feeling of frustration and disappointment which often leads to hopelessness and the desire to give up, when in reality, it is a necessary and natural part of success. It is when you most want to give up - quit, feel let down when things don't go your way, someone doesn't give you positive feedback you expected, or things don't happen according to your time frame or expectations - that a misguided idea that something must not be working replaces your initial enthusiasm to pursue a course of action. Teach yourself keep going, and to transcend the dismal thoughts of failure and use these moments as preparation for the insight percolating just beneath the surface, ready to rise like bubbles of clarity and perception into your awareness. Take a hot bath, walk in nature, get your mind completely off judging or evaluating yourself as having failed. When you return to your dream building, trust that you will be ready for new insight and a glimpse into a perspective you hadn't previously considered.
See failure for what it really is: Rich soil which has prepared for something artistic, a stepping stone to something even more wonderful than you imagined. Your own personal creation of a life filled with your greatest dreams. It can happen if you keep moving past the stumped or confused stage. Invite fresh ideas and new information, then follow the threads as they appear, one step at a time - all the way to the finish line.
What you are will show in what you do
Thomas Edison
NOTICE meaningful COINCIDENCES
Synchronicity is an ever present reality for those who have eyes to see.
Carl Jung (1875 - 1961)
A client I'll call Donna loves butterflies and believes it represents the changes she is making in counseling, It's like the caterpillar reaching the finale of its endless struggle and beginning to experiment with its astonishing discovery - wings. As Donna left our appointment, a butterfly flew in front of her car and stayed directly in front of her for two miles to the intersection before she turned onto a busy road. The point is, she noticed. Coincidence? Psychologist, Carl Jung, called moments such as these 'synchronicity,' an underlying pattern of meaningful coincidences which occur to guide and direct your life.
These events are natural, and as we notice 'signs' we strengthen our awareness and see them more frequently. It's like driving along and viewing the landscape as it unfolds around use. The environment hasn't suddenly appeared as we travel a certain road, we are just noticing with focused awareness.
You Begin To Trust
As you learn to trust yourself more, you will second guess yourself less. You even begin to uproot old patterns of thinking and behavior that might have kept you stuck in an endless rut of not knowing how to take the next step forward. Your life becomes richer, more bountiful, more interesting, curious and creative. Like the passing landscape when driving your car, your perception has shifted because you focus on the surrounding beauty instead of the compelling thoughts in your head. You might have even sabotaged your greatest desires, prevented yourself from meeting truly interesting and positive people by avoiding taking risks and allowing yourself to grow, unfold and, like the butterfly, emerge from your self-imposed cocoon of endlessly thinking.
Denial only works so long, then one day it stops working for you. You have to deal with the shaky relationship, or the passive approach to living. You feel a sense of urgency to discover something fresh about yourself and your ability to find personal satisfaction, or simplicity, or peace and harmony. Everybody has a dream, and yours will one day push you to re-examine the way you think. At some point you have to face yourself, your choices and decisions and begin to trust yourself. At some point you will be invited by these internal urgings to take a risk and do something new, vastly new and different. And this is when the biggest response you can give, the greatest gift you will ever give to yourself, is to take a leap of faith.
You Can Invite Coincidence with a Leap of Faith
And that’s where coincidence comes in to greet you. Detach from the current patterns of thinking and reacting, so something new can emerge and guide you further into the unknown. You discover your personal power. This might be quite a dramatic shift for you if your belief system is that you feel victimized or are dependent, insecure, even unworthy, of your own ability to manage your life better than anyone else can do it for you. It’s like letting go of any blame you had for your parents and realizing that now, as an adult, you are your own self-parent, and you can do a much better job of meeting your needs. You begin to own your right to be human and engage fully in the process of living a life filled with purpose and meaning.
Focus - and DISCOVER
If you want a new career, or if you're ready to go after a dream you've had for years, if you want to attract the right relationship,have more money, a special house - focus on it and you will invite guidance in the form of coincidences, many of them quite miraculous. Miracles really are natural, and when they don't occur, somebody is still sleeping.
Allow yourself to be interested in something bigger, and be curious about whatever you find endlessly fascinating. Take the class, make the phone call, just be sure to take an action step forward - today. Begin now. Whatever you focus on will bring you everything you need, as long as you stay persistent and committed.
When we're interested in something, everything around us appears to refer to it..."
Paul Coehlo
These events are natural, and as we notice 'signs' we strengthen our awareness and see them more frequently. It's like driving along and viewing the landscape as it unfolds around use. The environment hasn't suddenly appeared as we travel a certain road, we are just noticing with focused awareness.
You Begin To Trust
As you learn to trust yourself more, you will second guess yourself less. You even begin to uproot old patterns of thinking and behavior that might have kept you stuck in an endless rut of not knowing how to take the next step forward. Your life becomes richer, more bountiful, more interesting, curious and creative. Like the passing landscape when driving your car, your perception has shifted because you focus on the surrounding beauty instead of the compelling thoughts in your head. You might have even sabotaged your greatest desires, prevented yourself from meeting truly interesting and positive people by avoiding taking risks and allowing yourself to grow, unfold and, like the butterfly, emerge from your self-imposed cocoon of endlessly thinking.
Denial only works so long, then one day it stops working for you. You have to deal with the shaky relationship, or the passive approach to living. You feel a sense of urgency to discover something fresh about yourself and your ability to find personal satisfaction, or simplicity, or peace and harmony. Everybody has a dream, and yours will one day push you to re-examine the way you think. At some point you have to face yourself, your choices and decisions and begin to trust yourself. At some point you will be invited by these internal urgings to take a risk and do something new, vastly new and different. And this is when the biggest response you can give, the greatest gift you will ever give to yourself, is to take a leap of faith.
You Can Invite Coincidence with a Leap of Faith
And that’s where coincidence comes in to greet you. Detach from the current patterns of thinking and reacting, so something new can emerge and guide you further into the unknown. You discover your personal power. This might be quite a dramatic shift for you if your belief system is that you feel victimized or are dependent, insecure, even unworthy, of your own ability to manage your life better than anyone else can do it for you. It’s like letting go of any blame you had for your parents and realizing that now, as an adult, you are your own self-parent, and you can do a much better job of meeting your needs. You begin to own your right to be human and engage fully in the process of living a life filled with purpose and meaning.
Focus - and DISCOVER
If you want a new career, or if you're ready to go after a dream you've had for years, if you want to attract the right relationship,have more money, a special house - focus on it and you will invite guidance in the form of coincidences, many of them quite miraculous. Miracles really are natural, and when they don't occur, somebody is still sleeping.
Allow yourself to be interested in something bigger, and be curious about whatever you find endlessly fascinating. Take the class, make the phone call, just be sure to take an action step forward - today. Begin now. Whatever you focus on will bring you everything you need, as long as you stay persistent and committed.
When we're interested in something, everything around us appears to refer to it..."
Paul Coehlo
BLOOM WHERE YOU'RE PLANTED
Why You Must Stay Present to Reach Your Dreams
Your selective attention mechanism – your unconscious mind – processes a massive amount of information. Harvard and Yale studies report the unconscious can process between 10 Million and 40 Billion bits per second, while the conscious mind only processes 7 to 15 bits per second.
The unconscious has to reduce all that data to the miniscule amount the conscious mind can hold.
If you have an intention, such as a dream you are hoping to make real, your valuable resources just beneath the surface will bring your attention to what it is you want. It’s the way our minds filter all the information we get in order to provide us with the nuts and bolts of our daily existence. We’re guided to notice what interests us the most; in other words, it is our intention that determines what will come in to our lives.
In a similar way, it is like buying a yellow Toyota and suddenly noticing yellow Toyotas wherever you go.
This is why it is so important to stay present and grateful to where you are now and to what your life is like. You can upgrade your life by directing your intention to new choices and preferences. You have new maturity and understanding, along with more information, that is yours to claim today.
The proof, the evidence, will be here for you according to the strength of your new understanding. You may have to exercise this muscle if it’s weak, with daily practice.
Here’s one of the tools you can use. There are other tools we’ll go into in later videos and articles, but this is a valuable leap in the direction of reaching your greatest dreams: Write down your goals in your own handwriting. Write a single statement many times - write it over and over. Read it often, especially just as you are about to fall asleep, and when you first wake up in the morning. This is your life, take it seriously and practice.
Does this mean you don’t have to move, change your job, leave the spouse? Practice gratitude for what you have. Focus on strengthening your talents and Divine gifts by noticing and appreciating what is working. All of your uncertainties, frustrations or confusion about how to get out of feeling stuck will fall away as the gentle rain of your new understanding will wash away old worn out patterns of thinking without awareness, and fertilize the rich new soil you prepared with the fruits of your intention.
Plant your intention and allow for the work to be done by the part of you that works in your behalf below the surface - while you live your life with great respect and self-regard. You must be present – in the moment - to be ready and available so you can act on the steps that will come your way. It’s the way the Law of Attraction operates. This is your time to bloom.
Your selective attention mechanism – your unconscious mind – processes a massive amount of information. Harvard and Yale studies report the unconscious can process between 10 Million and 40 Billion bits per second, while the conscious mind only processes 7 to 15 bits per second.
The unconscious has to reduce all that data to the miniscule amount the conscious mind can hold.
If you have an intention, such as a dream you are hoping to make real, your valuable resources just beneath the surface will bring your attention to what it is you want. It’s the way our minds filter all the information we get in order to provide us with the nuts and bolts of our daily existence. We’re guided to notice what interests us the most; in other words, it is our intention that determines what will come in to our lives.
In a similar way, it is like buying a yellow Toyota and suddenly noticing yellow Toyotas wherever you go.
This is why it is so important to stay present and grateful to where you are now and to what your life is like. You can upgrade your life by directing your intention to new choices and preferences. You have new maturity and understanding, along with more information, that is yours to claim today.
The proof, the evidence, will be here for you according to the strength of your new understanding. You may have to exercise this muscle if it’s weak, with daily practice.
Here’s one of the tools you can use. There are other tools we’ll go into in later videos and articles, but this is a valuable leap in the direction of reaching your greatest dreams: Write down your goals in your own handwriting. Write a single statement many times - write it over and over. Read it often, especially just as you are about to fall asleep, and when you first wake up in the morning. This is your life, take it seriously and practice.
Does this mean you don’t have to move, change your job, leave the spouse? Practice gratitude for what you have. Focus on strengthening your talents and Divine gifts by noticing and appreciating what is working. All of your uncertainties, frustrations or confusion about how to get out of feeling stuck will fall away as the gentle rain of your new understanding will wash away old worn out patterns of thinking without awareness, and fertilize the rich new soil you prepared with the fruits of your intention.
Plant your intention and allow for the work to be done by the part of you that works in your behalf below the surface - while you live your life with great respect and self-regard. You must be present – in the moment - to be ready and available so you can act on the steps that will come your way. It’s the way the Law of Attraction operates. This is your time to bloom.
Follow-up Articles for these Videos coming soon
Cick here to edit.
MORE Videos on separate page titled "Video Take-Aways"
MAKE YOUR SECRET DREAMS YOUR NEW REALITY
Hello friends! I've been trained in the field of Psychotherapy with a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology and postgraduate work in Life Coaching at the California Institute for Human Science in Encinitas, and numerous courses, seminars and work with my own clients.
SIMPLIFY
Most importantly, my life has been devoted to self-discovery and I have synthesized much of the information available today from ancient texts through leaders in personal growth and discovery. I have poured through huge amounts of information with great passion from the early 1900s through the current time on myriad websites and volumes of books, and CDs. Through my own personal Life Experience, and with indepth work with hundreds of clients, both in private practice and in clinical nonprofit settings, I have put together the information for you, so you don't have to do the kind of research I've been doing for decades..
Dreams Come True
With luck, maybe you won't have to go through the trials and learn from the challenges I have. My goal is to make this journey to joy and more productive living as simple as possible for you. Most of all, I want you to see results that will surprise, delight and astound you. I want you to be as excited as I am about Life and the possibilities available to each of us on a daily basis. In my private practice, I see many women and men, children and teenagers in the Palm Springs and San Diego areas of Southern California and there is no reason to limit any of you to the benefits of counseling with me just because you don’t live in my areas. I specialize in the dreams we had before Life took us off in other directions – you know those dreams – the ones that are still with you, nagging you to do more, be more. I’ll teach you day by day, step by step, how to bring those dreams out of secret and make them come true.
There’s just SO much to tell you about.
You can learn about me in the post “About Me.” And in turn, I hope to hear from you and learn about you, your needs, your fears, whatever it is that you believe makes you stuck – and together we’ll learn a new paradigm for thinking that will astonish you as your life shifts and you notice your Secret Dreams begin to nod in your direction. If you are drawn to reading this, you’re ready to work with me. Let’s begin by opening that door. We'll get started by examining the state of mind I call STUCK. Go to the button on the top that says "more" for articles and blogs, beginning with: Why It Is Important To Raise Your Self-Esteem.
Hello friends! I've been trained in the field of Psychotherapy with a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology and postgraduate work in Life Coaching at the California Institute for Human Science in Encinitas, and numerous courses, seminars and work with my own clients.
SIMPLIFY
Most importantly, my life has been devoted to self-discovery and I have synthesized much of the information available today from ancient texts through leaders in personal growth and discovery. I have poured through huge amounts of information with great passion from the early 1900s through the current time on myriad websites and volumes of books, and CDs. Through my own personal Life Experience, and with indepth work with hundreds of clients, both in private practice and in clinical nonprofit settings, I have put together the information for you, so you don't have to do the kind of research I've been doing for decades..
Dreams Come True
With luck, maybe you won't have to go through the trials and learn from the challenges I have. My goal is to make this journey to joy and more productive living as simple as possible for you. Most of all, I want you to see results that will surprise, delight and astound you. I want you to be as excited as I am about Life and the possibilities available to each of us on a daily basis. In my private practice, I see many women and men, children and teenagers in the Palm Springs and San Diego areas of Southern California and there is no reason to limit any of you to the benefits of counseling with me just because you don’t live in my areas. I specialize in the dreams we had before Life took us off in other directions – you know those dreams – the ones that are still with you, nagging you to do more, be more. I’ll teach you day by day, step by step, how to bring those dreams out of secret and make them come true.
There’s just SO much to tell you about.
You can learn about me in the post “About Me.” And in turn, I hope to hear from you and learn about you, your needs, your fears, whatever it is that you believe makes you stuck – and together we’ll learn a new paradigm for thinking that will astonish you as your life shifts and you notice your Secret Dreams begin to nod in your direction. If you are drawn to reading this, you’re ready to work with me. Let’s begin by opening that door. We'll get started by examining the state of mind I call STUCK. Go to the button on the top that says "more" for articles and blogs, beginning with: Why It Is Important To Raise Your Self-Esteem.
Open the door to your new life today.
