In today's world, we're really quite blessed to have so many tools to bring us back to our 'real selves'. In other words, the best of who we are and have always been. No matter what our religious beliefs, or our spiritual following, we all know somewhere deep inside that we are expressions of some Higher Being. And the only reason we struggle in our human form is because we forget that we are (those expressions)! Nowadays, there are milions of books, DVDs, tapes, seminars, webinars, etc. that teach us how to 'remember' and get back to living the lives we intended to live before we were born. And the purpose of all these tools is to grow, both personally and spiritually.
As a personal coach, I often find that people who come to me for help are asking this very question: "How do I keep my dreams alive?". More often than not, these very same people are completely unable to tell me WHAT their dreams are. They only know that they're not happy and don't feel fulfilled. It doesn't matter if they've already achieved financial success, have loving families and great relationships. In almost every case, they just don't 'feel' happy; and they haven't the first clue as to why that is. It's actually a very common query and I'd bet there are tons of people in the world who feel the very same way. Why else would so many personal development tools be available (and quite successfully sold!)? Fact is, the personal development industry is among the largest in the world right now, and it's showing no signs of diminishing. People want help. People want to be happy. People want to live their dreams.
And, sadly, most of them just don't know how.
Here's what I've learned, and share with my clients, on a daily basis:
First ~ Take some time TODAY, maybe 15 or 20 minutes; find a nice, quiet place where you WILL NOT BE DISTURBED (this is a real challenge for some people, especially if they have kids. But, it is ESSENTIAL if things are going to change!) Once you're settled comfortably in your quiet space, write down all the things you can think of that you want. It does not matter if you think you can have them or not. Just write down all the things that you believe will make you happy. Don't try to 'edit' your mind. Don't be logical about it. Just pretend you're 10 years old and you just found a magick lamp with no limit on your wishes. That ought to put you in the right mode, yes?
Second ~ If, after 15 or 20 minutes, you aren't done yet, that's okay. Stop writing and just leave the paper (or journal, or whatever you're writing on) and go on about your business. It's not important at this point that you believe you'll ever have any of those things. What's most important is that you just DO IT. (Do you suppose this is what Nike was trying to tell us?!)
Third ~ Before you go to bed, take out that piece of paper and read your top 10 things. Just read them and put the paper down. Now, lie in your bed in a comfortable position and ask yourself 'why do I want those things? How will I feel when I hve them? What would be different about who I am and how my life is if I had them all right now?"
If you will really think about these questions, especially as you're drifting off to sleep, a few magical things will happen. One is that your subconscious mind is going to really open up to you. In other words, you're likely going to have dreams about these things you want. Second is, and this is pretty important here, as you sleep you will likely NOT have any resistance whatsoever to the idea of actually HAVING those things. Why is this important?
Fourth ~ Resistance is the number two reason we don't have what we want (number one reason being we don't KNOW what we want!). We hear lots of folks talking about the power of positive thinking and how we must eliminate negative thoughts entirely. But that's not really all that realistic if we've spent the majority of our lives battling outside influences. What's more likely to be a successful tool for you is to FEEL how you might feel if you had all the things you say you want. This isn't rocket science. It's really quite simple. The more we use our imaginations to see, feel and even pretend that we have what we want, the more we vibrate at that 'happy' level. The more we raise this vibration, the less we resist. The less we resist, the more we are able to see people, things, circumstances, etc. that will show up (and they really do just 'show up'!) to provide those things we want.
Fifth ~ When you wake up tomorrow, before you do anything, take a few moments to just BREATHE. Say a few silent thank-you's for all your blessings, no matter how 'small' they may seem. When you get out of bed, keep these thoughts of gratitude in the forefront of your mind. I guarantee that if you will do this every day, your life will change dramatically. Why? Because the more grateful we are for what we have, the more we shall have to be grateful for! Simple, but true. As you go about your day, watch for things that please you. Nice cars or houses or clothes or people. Just keep your eyes open for pleasant things. When your day is done, repeat the first exercise; either add to the list or just have a look at it. You might like to prioritize it a bit. Just take the time to 'see what you want'. That 15 minutes is going to change your world faster than you can even imagine.
Sixth ~ Now that you've got your little groove going, when you lie in bed each night and work your way down your list, any time you feel thoughts of resistance like "it'll never happen" or "how could I possibly have that?", just take a deep breath and let the thought go. Remind yourself that you ARE a powerful creator and that your connection to Source is real. There is NOTHING you can't be, do or have. NOTHING! Just keep saying it. You may not believe it at first, but as you go along, you're going to see things pop up to affirm what you're thinking about. It only takes a bit of practice and a bit of awareness. In other words, PAY ATTENTION!
I'll give you an example: The last 'job' I had was working for a trade publication. I thought it might be a fun job as it was related to the horse industry (and I'm a huge horse lover!) As it turned out, not only was this job NOT fun, it was very stressful and the pay was terrible. In fact, it didn't take long to figure out that I was actually going into debt working there. It didn't pay the bills and didn't allow me to have a second job because of the amount of hours I was working. Most of the people I worked with were very negative people and the stress levels in every office were sky-high. In short, I hated my job but didn't have time to find another one. This scenario went on for almost two years, with me getting more and more stressed out and unhappy by the minute.
One day, out of the blue, I woke up and my entire body was throbbing in pain. Every single joint was swollen and stiff. I could barely turn my head in either direction, my back was completely out of alignment and I was physically unable to walk! Just like that, with no previous signs of any sort of disorder, my body just gave out. I was terrified. Having always been quite athletic and very diligent about exercising and eating well, I couldn't see how or why this was happening. So, I went first to a doctor (of Western Medicine, as they're now called). Next I went to an acupuncturist. Next a series of different chiropractors and various other alternative medicine practitioners. I got many different 'diagnoses' from fibromyalgia to rheumatoid arthritis, and lots of other things in between. And, I was absolutely certain that none of them were diagnosing correctly.
I stayed home from work for a week, just lying in bed alternately crying and sleeping. I prayed, I begged, I screamed at God, I wanted to die. And then...out of the blue, a very dear friend of mine called. I'd just been sobbing from the excruciating pain and was trying to get up to use the bathroom when the phone rang.
The moment she heard my voice, she knew something was terribly wrong. I'm a pretty 'perky' gal, and have always been the 'glass half full' type, so it was obvious that I wasn't 'myself' at that moment. When I shared my story with her, she paused for a few moments and said, 'What do you WANT?' I thought that was a pretty odd question to ask right then, but it certainly got my attention. I said, "I want to be well." And she said, "then stop lying there feeling sorry for yourself and JUST BE WELL." HUH???
It didn't take long to realize what she was saying. As long-time students of personal development, we both knew the power of pretending. We knew that we literally create our worlds with the thoughts we think. We also had experienced many life changes using these principles. In short, every thought I was thinking was creating what I was living. I got off the phone, got out of bed and made my way to the shower. It was time for me to really rethink what I was creating and figure out how to change my thoughts in order to change the physical manifestations I was experiencing. Easier said than done? Not at all.
The following weeks were spent in quiet meditation. When I wasn't sleeping I was writing and imagining and FEELING what it felt like to be the healthy, active person I'd always been. The only 'drug' I took during all that time was Ibuprofen, when I was struggling most. Other than that, I used deep breathing exercises and music. I also watched a lot of funny movies. Laughing out loud is an amazing drug!
Now that I am well again, I can see exactly how I got to where I got. All that stress and all the financial worrying had taken away my dreams. I'd forgotten how powerful I really am and I gave away my spirit to people who had no appreciation for it. I made silly choices and then I fought to correct them. All in all, I'd simply forgotten who I was. The moment I took that back, everything began to right itself again. How? Because I completely immersed myself in my dreams. I refused to allow anyone to tell me I was being stupid about my methods. And I BELIEVED that I was going to return to wellness.
So, if you think that you 'can't ' anything, you are absolutely correct. On the other hand, if you think you CAN, you're right again! The keys to keeping your dreams alive are to figure out what those dreams are and then stay focused on them. Never allow anyone to tell you that you can't have what you want. In fact, just keep those kind of people out of your dreams. You don't need to share them with everyone, you know? Dream big. Be the tenacious child that you are inside. And always, always BELEIVE that you can have whatever you want. It is the faith in yourself and in God (or whatever you call it) that will show you the way back to your dreams. It may take a little practice, but aren't your dreams worth a little practice? If God arrived in your living room tonight and said, 'okay. you can have every single thing you want now and forever BUT you have to learn a second language first. Once you've done that, I'll always give you everything you ask for.' What would you do? If it were me, I'd be in my car, dashing to the nearest Barnes and Noble to buy some language tapes! The point is, God HAS promised us everything we want. All we have to do is remember that we CAN. The rest is merely semantics. I know. I've lived it.
Camille Olivia Strate is an author, coach and travel consultant who takes great pleasure in helping folks live their best! She's a true-blue critter keeper, preferring to spend as much time as possible with her animals and those others that need her help. Another of her passions is assisting people in returning to their 'true selves' by way of empowerment coaching. She believes strongly in 'paying it forward' and lives by the motto, 'do what you love and the money will follow'. Her latest book, "Whispers" is now available in eBook format. Hardcopy to follow soon! Visit her personal site at http://www.joyzachoice.com |
