MARIANNE EWASYN

Limits Are Lies

LIMITS ARE LIES: SIMPLE STEPS TO UNLOCKING YOUR HIGHEST POWER

Marianne Ewasyn

Imagine being in a windowless room. It’s a room you and those you trust have made comfortable. It’s decorated with an ambiance reminiscent of your family and friends. You feel at ease here. You feel knowledgeable. The walls are art and mirrors and shelves. You know every bit of this room. It’s tangible. It’s real. You can close your eyes and see every inch of it.

Now imagine hearing a large crash. You turn to see a huge hole in one of your walls. You step over the wall decorations thrown to the floor and look past the hole to what is beyond. You see for the first time, green trees and warm sunshine and a beauty so vibrant and different from your room. You hear sounds you’ve never heard before. There are birds you never knew existed. Now, step back into your room. Look around at the walls that still stand. Do you want to ‘really’ see what’s on the other side of those walls? You now know there’s more. There’s infinitely more. Do you want to explore it? Do you want to go beyond what you know and discover brand-new worlds?

We all want to explore. But leaving the comfort and rhythm of our four walls can be so scary. I have been blessed to learn how to do that, and I want to share my story with you.

My brother James was born with Down Syndrome. He was not able to live an independent life. He always had to have somebody looking after him to some degree, but he was so content and grateful to be alive. James taught me so much about happiness because even though he could feel pain, fear, and anger, and societal obstacles often challenged him, he found a deep well of gratitude and joy that he accessed and shared with everyone. He never lived in a windowless room. He only saw the infinite possibility.

I worked for over 40 years in investment firms with top investment advisors. What I learned from James I saw again in the world of financial success. But not in the way you may think. Some people with the greatest wealth suffered from a gilded windowless room. But the ones who were similar to my brother in embracing the concept of infinite access, were the ones who made success seem not only effortless but also embraced the ebb and flow with inspiring grace. When there were stock market downturns or crashes, I saw those who fell apart along with their portfolios, and I saw those who were parallel to James – seeing the bigger picture; the infinite possibility. They knew what those charts meant, but they tapped into a deep well of gratitude and joy until the storm passed.

I want to show you what James and working with influential wealth managers and our clients taught me about success and joy, and our adventure into unlocking our highest power.

Believe in Santa Claus.

James believed in Santa Claus his whole life. He believed in Santa Claus because he believed the universe was friendly, supportive, and generous. Wealthy people with investments believe the same about money. You’ve heard them say they don’t work for money - money works for them. To those of us who have toiled 9-5, that sounds a little like believing in Santa Claus. But it’s true. The foundation of finding our power is believing the universe has the power to grant us. Albert Einstein is known to have said, “God does not play dice with the universe.” What he said with that was that if we see the universe as unfriendly, we will create technology and societies that focus on safety and resource guarding. "But if we decide that the universe is a friendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries, and our natural resources to create tools and models for understanding that universe. Because power and safety will come through understanding its workings and its motives." Believe in Santa Claus.

Envision the goal or dream.

The most powerful tool you have is seeing yourself where you want to be. Many of us fall into the trap of believing we can’t get to where we want to go until we figure out the “how”. How will I afford it? Don’t I need a degree? That’s not pragmatism. That’s doubt. And when you make room for doubt, you leave no room for success. Once you see yourself in your success, the worry over “how” fades. Envision your life ‘three years from now’ using powerful tools. You can use vision boards by cutting out pictures and putting them on a board. Or use apps to do the same thing. You can also journal as yourself in the future, and describe your ‘ideal day’ on paper, like it’s already happening. Spend every day mentally visiting your dream vision. I immerse myself in my vision daily, to help me stay in the vibration of joy and “being present” in my dream life – a life I absolutely love!

Gratitude.

Practice gratitude daily by creating gratitude lists and sharing them with loved ones. Reflect on what you’re thankful for and exchange written or verbal lists with someone special. This habit strengthens your connection with each other and gives you an opportunity to celebrate your successes together. Gratitude lists remind us of the existing bliss and abundance we often overlook in our pursuit of more. They shift our view of our lives from scarcity to abundance. As a daily habit, I often find my gratitude list helps me think of my actions as ways to add to that list not only for myself but for others. I find myself endeavoring to create a moment to brighten someone else’s day and be part of their gratitude. Embrace the transformative practice of gratitude and be immersed in your present success.

Journaling.

Have you ever looked at your childhood diary? It’s a lot of emotions! We were so transparent as children - at least we were in that little book. Remember how writing in that diary was like talking to a secret friend? We could feel and think anything without judgment. And even the act of using a pen and paper had a magical feeling to it. It connected our brain and our inner thoughts to that paper. And there was magic in pressing that little lock, feeling like our very being was safe between those covers. As we get older, often the simple weight of a full day’s schedule gets us out of the habit of talking to that secret friend. But journalling brings us that same childhood power and inner connection. Not only does it gift us with documenting our successes and challenges, but journalling also keeps us present in our journey and allows our very powerful and wise inner selves to talk to us in the conscious world. Your intuition will often surprise you as you journal. Listen to your inner voice as you do this. Connect to yourself with daily journaling.

Find your spiritual groove.

Some may have religion as the basis of their spiritual practice, but a growing number of people don’t follow organized religion. Either way, you have access to your true spiritual nature. What I mean by ‘finding a spiritual groove’ is finding a way to listen to your higher self that works for you. Some use yoga or other forms of exercise without a TV or music to distract them. They tune into their body’s wisdom as they do it. Meditation is another form of listening to your most powerful inner self. Understand that you are a spiritual being having a human experience. The reality is the higher self. Your journey is shedding the experience you were told to have by society, through external pressures, and having your unique spiritual journey. Even your goals will change as you shed the unimportant milestones you thought were part of living and find the goals that are integral to feeling truly alive. Your spiritual journey is what will bust open that first hole in the windowless walls. You have a wise wrecking ball inside of you and your connection to the highest version of you is going to create your first window. Get past your five senses, trust, and find your eternal self. Tap into the infinite intelligence you already possess.

Be kind.

This one seems so obvious now. But how many of our days do we forget to be kind? It’s the ultimate indicator that we are out of alignment: not wanting to be kind. And we all fall into this trap so often. When was the last time your brain was waging an imaginary fight while you grocery shopped? And someone else was waging an imaginary fight, and you both collided at the checkout. Who was first? How often is our reaction to take that fight in our head and let it catapult us into claiming our space in anger – our coveted space next to the cashier’s conveyor belt? Or, to hastily wave them forward? Don’t be ashamed. We’ve all been that person on a stressful day. But how many days are turned around with a simple kind word? So many. So be kind. And there are so many fun ways to reconnect with your kindness. Paying it Forward at drive-thrus or toll booths, and practicing random acts of kindness are easily accomplished. You can also volunteer for your favorite organization, such as local museums or film festivals for the added perk of escaping your norm and enjoying a mini-vacation. All these actions will lift you from a low to a high vibration and you’ll feel more connected to others. And you’ll also be more connected to yourself. I was in a toxic relationship years ago and it was the kindness of my friends who busted open the first window for me. They helped me get out of that relationship when I didn’t see a way through. Your kindness in friendship is not only a connectionit can save a life.

This too, shall pass. The stock market can plummet regularly. It often skyrockets, too. Financially wise people take the ups and downs of the market with a simple, well-educated shrug. They may adjust, but they don’t panic. James was sometimes bullied and met many obstacles. And his wisdom was shrugging it off. He never kept the toxicity inside. He only took in joy and love. The good and bad times – all will pass. This presence of mind makes us better decision-makers and happier responders. When we were children, we had this sort of malleability of presence. We could bounce back easily. But as adults, we lose it. Having James as a brother brought many gifts, but a really powerful gift was how he lived each moment being so present. He didn’t dwell. He always knew there was a loving, joyful moment in his near future, and he lived to meet that next joyful moment, and the one after that. How do we return to that presence of mind we had as children? There’s a beautiful practice I facilitate called TranscenDance™. It’s a conscious dance to inspirational music. Joyful movement can get us out of our heads, out of worry for the future, or regrets from the past, and help us be in the here and now. Play music! Connect with your body, mind, and spirit daily and move energy through you to release all that tension from living outside of the now.

Your life is limitless.

If you see a limit in your life, eliminate it. Your thoughts are powerful and thinking about that limit is holding you back. Every one of these seven steps are minute-to-minute reminders that this moment you are in has limitless possibilities that you can tap into right now. When you use them all together, you’ll discover that your goal was not the salary, the title, or the status symbol you thought you needed. The life you’re trying to manifest is already around you. And your highest self has already busted down the walls. You’re free the moment you realize those walls were never there. You never needed a window or a door. You just had to look with your highest self. Limits are lies.