Never Answer a Question From Fear

Have you ever heard that there are only two true emotions: fear and Love and all other emotions are derivatives of those two? The closer we are to feeling pure love or joy, the closer you are to being connected directly to our Soul, Spirit, Intuitive side, Higher Self, whatever you decide to call it. And, of course, the corollary is the closer to fear we feel, the more disconnected we are from our Spirit. I think we all agree that we make better decisions when we are connected to our Intuitive side and when we are feeling good.

There is a line from a book series I have read to my daughter. It is such a great line and its wisdom continues to resonate with me months after reading it. “Never answer a question from fear.” Hmmm...what a great way to live your life! How about taking it further and never answer a question or make any decision from negativity (which, of course, comes from fear).

Judith Lasater has what she calls her “Duck Index”. (And, no, I can’t remember how she came up with that name!) Anyway, the Index has a rating that goes from one to ten in reference to how she is feeling (how connected or disconnected she is from her Spirit.) When she is feeling very connected she is a ten. She doesn’t make any big decisions when she is feeling below a seven. She pulls herself up and then considers the issue. If she is a five or below she puts herself in seclusion until she feels better. As I recall, she doesn’t want to affect people by her negative state when she feels so low. Such a powerful idea! When your consciousness is actually taking away from the consciousness of others, you no longer interact. What a fabulous technique for taking care of yourself and the world at the same time.

For your Inspiration

Control

Judith Lasater, an internationally renowned yoga teacher and author, defines control and impatience as, “resisting what is”. We all have that feeling someplace. We like “what is” somewhere in our lives and as change begins to creep in, as it inevitably does, we resist the changes. But, if we are truly connected to our inner selves, and on the path of growth, we need to trust that that change is what we need, it is something good, something we need to learn. One of my clients had a beautiful insight about the gentle changes that were coming into her life as she relaxed her control. She was beginning to understand how her attempting to control the areas of her life had caused her suffering. She hadn’t been allowing the changes the Universe had in store for her. “It is as if the Universe is subtlely righting itself.” I love that thought! How wonderful to view changes in your life in that light.

Beliefs: Do Your Open the Doors to the Possibilities or Keep You Stuck in a Limited World?

What are beliefs anyway? I looked up the definition “something one accepts as true or real; a firmly held opinion or conviction”. I don’t see anywhere in the definition that says a belief has to be true. It is merely a firmly held opinion. They serve us by defining the world in a way our consciousness can comprehend.

They should be fluid, ever changing as we evolve and grow. Our tendency, though, is to keep living life the same as we always have, never changing (at least much) and just assuming what we have is what we should expect. Our beliefs are often outmoded, though, and don’t fit who we are becoming and can, in fact, keep us from becoming what we are ready to become — they hold us back. Our beliefs may come from our family, our culture, our religion, our society, from something someone said to us, or from an experience we had years back that has shaped how we think. The biggest challenge is these beliefs shape the way we see the world and, in effect, what we create in our world and if that belief is not what we want anymore, it continues to create a world that is less than fully satisfying.

Inspiration vs. Motivation

Do you need to motivate yourself to exercise? Eat well? Do your taxes? Clean your house? Find a new job? Get out and date? What if, instead you were inspired to do so? How does that feel?

I like Wayne Dyer’s distinction between inspiration and motivation. He says that motivation comes from a negative impetus; you want to do something so something negative won’t happen. (“I want to exercise so I don’t get fat.”) Inspiration comes from a positive impetus; you want to do something so something positive will happen. (“I want to exercise so I feel energy and vibrancy.”) When we are negatively motivated, it takes will-power to overcome the negative energy to get going. When we are positively inspired, we can’t wait to jump out of bed to do what we want to do.

How else can you think of it? Are you wanting something out of fear or love? Think about it in your own life. Not only does coming from love and inspiration feel better, the Universe will work with you to help you create what you want. When you come from fear, you are inviting whatever you fear into your life.

Living Fully in the Present

“Instead of goals, make the commitment to love joyfully in the moment. Stop dreaming about the future and get back to the only thing you have now. Decide to live fully in the present.” (Wayne Dyer)

I love this quote. It is incredibly inspired and brought to my mind immediately one of the biggest (and understandable) obstacles many people have around manifesting: “How can you be wanting changes in your life, whatever they are, and still be present with your now? Isn’t the very position of wanting a change mean you aren’t being present?” No! In fact, in one of the Universe’ greatest ironies, you can’t manifest until you are perfectly present and seeing your present as perfect.

We aren’t capable of not wanting or desiring something. Desiring goes along with our human consciousness. (If you want to read more on that thought, look here: Is Non-Greed Possible?) Where we run into suffering is wanting something (whether it is something we want to be, do or have) and not feeling we can have it. We feel envy, frustration, and self-pity. These thoughts are merely beliefs that are limiting what we receive. So, our goal is to live fully in the now, to love our life and to know we are open to more.

Inspirational Quote

"I will get rich according to the definiteness of my vision,
the fixity of my purpose,
the steadiness of my faith,
and the depth of my gratitude."
-Wallace Wattled, The Science of Getting Rich

Where are you in this quote? Do you have a strong vision and purpose? How is your faith? Do you feel very grateful? Which one of these do you do well? Which one could be holding you back?

Manifesting Story: My New Yoga Mat

I have needed a new yoga mat for some time now. The one I have is worn and, well, looks worn. Shopping for yoga mats is not my favorite activity. Styles are constantly changing and surfaces are so different, it is hard to know just what will work for you. Since there is no yoga mat store, all ordering is done online which means returning what doesn’t work and starting the process again. So, now you know why I have needed a new mat for some time – pure procrastination.

In comes Woyopracmo (World Yoga Practice Month). This website was started by a fellow yogini to encourage those who signed up to practice yoga daily for the month of January. Several of us also donated prizes to be given away in a random drawing of those who did complete the entire month.

Have you figured out what I won yet? You guessed it! A yoga mat. But not just any yoga mat, The Black Mat. Apparently it is the crème de la crème of yoga mats. (I admit, I had not heard of it. Even my husband, who does not practice yoga, exclaimed, “It’s THE BLACK MAT!” with such reverence, I had to be impressed.) Here’s what is so fabulous, the mat is perfect. It is amazing. I have never had a yoga mat like this one before. I didn’t know yoga mats could be this fabulous! The invoice said it cost $75. I would never have spent that much money on a mat. Yet again, the Universe provided me with more than I would have provided for myself. Thank you!

Letting in the Good

I have discovered a new step for me in receiving, accepting it in. I know, “duh”, but there it is. I am a doer. I can out-do the best of the best, and I am in the process of recovering from that syndrome! My big “aha” of the year is that all my doing doesn’t leave space for things to come in. I am like a hamster in a wheel, things are always going for me. Interestingly, I love what I do. I am truly inspired by my life, my marriage, my parenting, my work. It is all so good and so wonderful, I didn’t think the “doing” was harming me. Hmmm…”harming” is too strong of a word. Certainly doing things that inspire me doesn’t harm me, though, when done too much, with no space between the thoughts, it doesn’t leave room for the new, wonderful things to come in.

Surrender has been my focus for this year so far. Surrendering to the moment, to the control, to the flow of my life. In my yoga practice, I have focused on forward folds and restorative poses, all about surrender. In my breathing practice I have focused on exhalation, the surrender and letting go portion of the breath. I often struggled with my exhale, never fully letting it go completely. For the past week, my exhale has felt glorious. Now, I realize that it is time to do inhalation, bringing in the something new. I am ready to accept something new.

I have been reading a new book: Relax into Wealth by Alan Cohen. He has some good quotes for me that I would love to share with you:

“If what you are doing isn’t working, doing more of it will not work any better. Creative visualization requires far less effort than exasperated action, and sets you up to win. So quite spinning your wheels, shrug off the day’s difficulties, and take a set in the theater of your goals. Then you will be unbeatable.” (Alan Cohen)

“The game of success is less about getting good things to happen, and more about letting good things happen.” (Alan Cohen)

“I am fully and wholeheartedly willing to receive ____________ now.” (Alan Cohen)
“Leap, and the net will appear.” (Julia Cameron)

“The antidote to fear is not to push hard against it or buck your way through it. The answer is to tap into a deeper knowing than the level that fear is speaking from. That deep place always exists inside you; your role is to relax into it.” (Alan Cohen)

Everyone Wins

Here is a quote I came across today and wanted to share:

“When you manage to stay connected to your Energy stream, you always win.
And you know what, somebody else doesn't have to lose for you to win.
There is always enough.”
Abraham-Hicks

Let’s take the thought one step further, not only does no one else lose, everyone else gains when you are feeling inspired (e.g., connected to your energy stream). I often hear of people feeling selfish, working on finding their inspiration. It takes time from their family, time from their priorities, and, goodness, should I be focused on the hope of a dream? When you are inspired, everyone wins, everyone. You will be a kinder, more compassionate spouse, sibling, friend, employee, world citizen. "Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." (Howard Thurman)

Manifesting Story: Ants

I just have to share this manifesting story. It is definitely negative – what you don’t want to d – and amusing all at the same time. My husband, Ron, doesn’t like ants. I certainly don’t enjoy them, but his dislike plays with the edge of fear. Two years ago we realized the hill in our back yard had a lot of ants on it. Last year the ants were much closer to our house and he began to get nervous. In the summer, he saw them on our deck. Then, we were reading a book to our daughter. A character in the book left a donut out on the floor and the next day ants were swarming around it. Ron got visually disturbed by it (I think the term is “grossed out”!) Anyway, the next day we had about 200 ants just inside the door of our deck, swarming our breakfast table. Hmmmm...connection? He did see how he had manifested it and we haven’t had an infestation since!

Just. Feel. Good.

"If you had one goal, and that was to feel good, you would never again need to hear another word from anyone. You would live successfully and happily and in a way of fulfilling your life’s purpose ever after." ~ Abraham-Hicks

Hands In The Clay

"There are no happier people on this planet than those who decide
that they want something, define what they want, get hold of the
feeling of it even before its manifestation, and then joyously watch
the unfolding as piece by piece by piece it begins to unfold.
That’s the feeling of your hands in the clay." - Abraham-Hicks

Manifesting: Feel Gratitude and Love

Manifesting: Feel Gratitude and Love Enjoy this brief 6 minute meditation for bringing the feeling of love into your heart.