Transformation Coaching Magazine September 2019 by Transformation Coaching Magazine

INSPIRATION & GROWTH The Flow of Life A Lovable Gruff Don’t Forget the Love 10 Food Rules for Success Weather the Storm The Journey of Self-Transformation You Deserve Your Dream How I Flunked the Science Fair but Saved the World

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COACHING AND BUSINESS TOOLS Solutions Come From a Distance

FEED YOUR SPIRIT You Are Changing The World

PUBLISHERS Natalie Rivera Joeel A. Rivera, M.Ed.

EDITOR Lisa Cedrone

CONTRIBUTORS Owen Waters, Mary Boutieller, Jo Mooy, Gregg Sanderson, Rena Greenberg, Arielle Giordano, Tosin Opeoluwa, Noelle Sterne, Terez Hartmann, Alan Cohen

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You Are Changing The World

Photo Credit: Pixabay/Gerd Altmann

By Owen K Waters Could it be that trendsetters are operating at a higher frequency of consciousness than the trend followers, and that the higher frequency carries with it a greater influence? That’s exactly what David Hawkins discovered when he researched the scale of human consciousness. His book, Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants in Human Behavior, reveals some fascinating properties of human consciousness. In it, he created and calibrated an enormously useful map of human consciousness, one that should rightfully be called “The Hawkins Scale of Consciousness.” Hawkins began practicing psychiatry in 1952, and then discovered the power of kinesiology, the science that obtains answers direct from the subconscious mind of a subject through muscle testing. The subconscious (or unconscious) mind is one segment of your total range of consciousness. The subconscious mind stores memories and emotional issues. It controls the involuntary nervous system, which manages such systems as breathing, digestion, and metabolism. It is also in communication with the universe as a whole. In particular, it is connected to the global, or collective unconscious, mind of humanity.

The subconscious mind is, basically, the ultimate information source, one that is ready to provide information about anything upon demand. With kinesiology, the subjects’ conscious minds are bypassed in order to receive clear answers directly from their subconscious minds. The tests are mechanically very simple. Subjects hold out an arm horizontally to the side while people designated as testers tell the subjects to resist their efforts to push one arm down with each question. If the arm remains strong and stays horizontal, then the answer from the subconscious mind of the subject is affirmative. If the arm yields downwards due to weakness then the answer is negative. If, for example, you tell a test subject to resist while you tell them, “You have a human body” their arm will stay strong. If you change the statement to, “You are a human body” their arm will go weak as this is an incorrect statement. The reason for this is that we, as spirits, merely inhabit our physical bodies. We are not our bodies, even though the ego tends to see us as whom we are in the mirror. The subconscious mind knows that the true answer is, “You have a human body.” John Diamond, M.D., another early researcher in kinesiology, observed cases where the right and left hemispheres of a person’s brain were working together. The left 6

hemisphere of the brain is normally used for analytical thinking and verbal activity, while the right hemisphere is used for intuitive and artistic activities as well as spatial orientation. This explains why it is so hard to drive a car at the same time as carrying on a telephone conversation. In order to pay attention to the road and the activities of other traffic, the driver has to switch from one hemisphere of the brain over to the other side, and then switch back again to continue the conversation. In the rare cases where both hemispheres were working equally together, Diamond discovered that the person now displayed creativity, which he referred to as humankind’s highest functioning. David Hawkins found kinesiology to be a fascinating avenue into the unknown, and he began accessing what he calls attractor fields in the subconscious. Attractor fields are what Carl Jung called archetypes. They are created by the group efforts of millions of minds in the collective unconscious and hold a fascination for people because of their cumulative size. Just when his practice became huge, with 50 therapists and other employees working for him, Hawkins abandoned it all for a life of research. Instead of treating one patient at a time, Hawkins wanted to discover how everyone could be helped by the promise and potential of kinesiology. His research over the years proved conclusively the same thing that the new theoretical physics is beginning to say, that everything in the universe is connected. With kinesiology, he confirmed that whatever question is asked, if there is an answer to that question somewhere in the universe, then that answer will become yours. He also set up a system of calibrating levels of human consciousness. Assigning the numbers one to infinity as the possible range of consciousness, he soon found that he had to use the logarithm of numbers, rather than just plain numbers. This is because the power of consciousness at higher levels is vast compared to its power at lower levels. When you use a base-ten logarithmic system, the number 4 is not twice the number 2. Log 4 is 10,000 (one plus four zeros) versus log 2’s value of just 100 (one plus two zeros). A consciousness level of 300 is not twice 150, it is 10 to the 300th power; a one with 300 zeros after it. Furthermore, Hawkins found that the consciousness level of 200 was critical. A global average of 200 or more is necessary to sustain life on this planet without it sinking into eventual self-destruction. Since the mid-1980s, he reported, the global average reading for humanity climbed above the critical 200 level. This, of course, is yet another discovery confirming the existence of today’s ongoing shift in consciousness. Then, he began to wonder how much people of higher consciousness were compensating for people who live below the 200 level. Consider, for example, that 800 million people in the world are hungry, with many of them living near starvation. The consciousness of despair tests at a level of just 50. Even anger and hatred rate higher in frequency than the deep depression experienced by those who live with no appearance of hope.

So here we are, on Planet Earth, a collective humanity swimming hard through life to keep our collective chins above the 200 level, working towards the day when hunger and hopelessness will be eradicated from our world once and for all. What can you do to help? As you raise your consciousness, you contribute more and more to the spiritual quality of the global mind. Therefore, your greatest service to humanity is, paradoxically, the development of your own consciousness. How exactly can that help the world? Getting back to modern science and its numbering systems, along with today’s liking for summaries that spell out “the bottom line,” here are the test results. One individual at a higher level of consciousness counterbalances many, many individuals who are below the critical level of 200. Below the 200 level are the attractor fields of shame, guilt, apathy, grief, fear, desire, anger, and pride. Right at the critical 200 level comes courage and its ability to empower the self out of the victim-orientation of the lower frequencies. At 300, a person has risen above many emotions of conflict to achieve some non-judgment and to feel optimism. At 300, one person, within the global mind, counterbalances an incredible total of 90,000 people below the 200 level. Such is the power of higher states of consciousness.

At 400, the individual achieves a harmonious attitude, which brings acceptance and forgiveness. Furthermore, they gain an enhanced sense of reason, which brings understanding and meaning to life. This is not a difficult level to achieve. Those who, for example, pursue higher education and professions function at the 400 level, where one person counterbalances an incredible 400,000 people below the 200 level. To reach 500, a person needs to be spiritually conscious. At this level, unconditional love and unconditional forgiveness become alive and well in their reality. Here, one person counterbalances 750,000 people who are below the 200 level. When a person has practiced meditation long and diligently enough to attain bliss consciousness at the 600 level, they are, at that moment, counterbalancing 10 million people below the 200 level. Do you need a more compelling reason to develop your inner faculties? Just look at the wonderful level of service that each advance in consciousness brings into our world. David Hawkins’ work reveals that the power of human consciousness to influence the world doesn’t just increase as you go up the scale. It increases exponentially! That means that your spiritual practices bring more peace and enlightenment to hundreds of thousands of other people around the world!

This wonderful level of service is the direct effect of your consciousness upon a world which has been starved, for so long, of spiritual thought and spiritual energy.

Spiritual Dynamics with Owen K. Waters Owen is a cofounder of the Spiritual Dynamics Academy, where a where a free spiritual growth newsletter awaits you at: http://www.SpiritualDynamics.net. He is an international spiritual teacher who has helped hundreds of thousands of spiritual seekers to understand better the nature of their spiritual potential. Owen’s life has been focused upon gaining spiritual insights through extensive research and the development of his inner vision. For the past 12 years, he has written a spiritual metaphysics newsletter which empowers people to discover their own new vistas of inspiration, love and creativity. Spiritual seekers enjoy his writings for their insight and clarity.

The Flow of Life

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Daniel Salcius

The interesting and challenging thing about life is that, like reading a really good mystery novel, we never know what’s going to happen next. By Mary Boutieller As I sit and wait for something to arise, I find myself staring at a decoupage elephant that hangs on my wall. It was one of my first “big” craft projects, completed when I finally had the confidence to just do something without worrying about the outcome. When it was first done, it was bright and vibrant, with subtle yet significant things purposely placed throughout its colorful body. Now as I look at it, it has faded in so many places from hanging in a particularly sunny spot. Oddly though, much like the Velveteen Rabbit, it feels old and wise and loved just the same, as if time has only made it more worthy of being there. Much in life is like that. Maybe it’s a beloved and threadbare shirt that should have been tossed years ago, or an old treasure or a remembered place. Maybe it’s us. We start out shiny and new, full of energy and life and potential and possibility, and then we get a bit older. Maybe we lose some of our external allure, get a little wrinkly. Our outer skin softens and burrows with lines of wisdom and, hopefully, laughter, as our internal world gets deeper, wiser, more real. The expansion and contraction of our lives happens on purpose and doesn’t usually stop, unless we allow it. Rumi wrote about it beautifully when he said, “Your hand opens and clos-

es, and opens and closes. If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralyzed. Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding— the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as a bird’s wings.” Lately, I’ve been feeling this more as I tend to a loved one who is ill. There are times when I feel such sadness and grace and opening, yet there are other times when I want to ignore it all and move about my life as if nothing is happening. It’s a tricky thing, knowing that life moves along no matter what is happening in our individual lives. And like a safety valve that lets off steam so that it doesn’t explode, I find myself looking for ways to let go of some of the self-imposed pressure— walking, yoga, friends, dinner out…ordinary things…so that I might find the necessary balance between two seemingly opposite realities. Life is truly an amazing gift. And the interesting and challenging thing about life is that, like reading a really good mystery novel, we never know what’s going to happen next. Unexpected things, both good and bad (if we were to judge them as such) can occur when we least expect them. And as Rumi seems to allude to, we can take this knowledge and contract fully, living frightened, postagestamp sized lives, or we can allow our breath to take us ever so willingly into

the up and down, in and out, contracting and expanding flow of life. Artist Ann Hamilton said, “Not knowing is a permissive and rigorous willingness to trust, leaving knowing in suspension, trusting in possibility without result, regarding as possible all manner of response.” Scary stuff, not knowing— yet we continue on hoping we know enough to find our way through the not knowing. And as we tend to those who need our care, we gain so much more. We gain resonance and compassion and an understanding of what is truly important in life—that of loving another and being willing to go with them on their journey. We get to face our own fears and questions and inadequacies. And, if we are wise, we tend to ourselves as well. We find others who are willing to help if we would only allow it. We find a depth of experience and wisdom already in place. We allow a friend’s deep and intentional hug, another’s phone call, a simple smile or email or card. We allow love. Alan Cohen said, “The deepest purpose of our life is to rip the mask off of fear to reveal the love it hides.” And as a lighted sign on a fence in my neighborhood announces: “Love is Everything.” What more do we really need to know?

The Yoga of Life with Mary Boutieller Mary Boutieller is a Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance. She has been teaching yoga since 2005. Her work experience includes 22 years as a firefighter/paramedic and 10 years as a Licensed Massage Therapist. Mary’s knowledge and experience give her a well-rounded understanding of anatomy, alignment, health and movement in the body. She is passionate about the benefits of yoga and the ability to heal at all levels through awareness, compassion, and a willingness to explore. She can be reached at: SimplyogaOm@gmail.com.

Photo Credit: Pixabay/Ryan McGuire

A Lovable Gruff

We casually meet many people on our journey. Most come and go, but some are different— leaving an imprint on our path—and a reason to honor their memories. By Jo Mooy He was thin and lanky. His hair may have been black in his youth. It was hard to tell. When I met him, it was a nondescript color streaked with gray. He was never clean-shaven. The stubble of a beard usually looked like he attempted to shave but never quite finished the job. Sometimes he wore cutoff jeans, exposing hairy legs and knobby knees. Most times he was in a pair of grease-stained khaki pants and short-sleeved shirts that never met an iron. His name was Gene. He owned a small car repair shop that belied the pretentious four-word name hand-painted over the door. Like him, the sign had seen better days. When answering the phone he simply said, “automotive” ignoring the other three words and giving power to the one word that summarized his work. The hours under the sign said 8:30 – 5:00 M-F. Apparently that was just a suggestion because some days he’d arrive at 10 and leave by 3:00. The shop was tucked behind a large appliance store facing a major roadway. You had to know it was there or you’d never see it from the road.

The shop was an extension of his persona. He worked behind an old desk as weathered with dents as he was. The only light came in from the front door hanging on two of three hinges. There were no chairs for customers to sit on, though there was a supply of five-yearold “girly magazines” scattered about. There was a three-legged sofa, the fourth propped up with a cinder block, in an opening behind the desk. The sofa had a blanket on it, which in hindsight may have been where he slept. If he did, it explained the scraggly beard and crumpled shirts.

The first rule of business ownership is to be courteous and welcoming to your customers. Not Gene. A customer walking in would begin a long dissertation about what was wrong with his car and what he

wanted Gene to fix. Gene’s standard reply was, “Alright, just leave it. I’ll call you.” Should the customer dare to call, he’d hear, “Did I tell you to call me? No! I said I’d call you when it’s ready.” Another customer might catch him on an “off day.” If Gene didn’t like the vibe he was getting, he’d look at the guy and say, “Get out.” If the customer protested he’d yell louder, “Get out.” Gene’s “automotive” kept our cars running inexpensively and in good condition. For 14 years his tirades never touched us. He always greeted us with a big smile and the words, “Hi Guys!” When telling him about the car issue, he came outside, looked under the hood, talked nicely and said, “Don’t worry, guys. I’ll take care of it.” He graciously never hung up if we called him to check on the status of a repair. I often wondered if he was different with us because we were women. I never asked. A week ago I drove past the shop. It was closed. No cars were in the lot awaiting repairs. Even the sign was gone. Something was not right, so I called his cell. Verizon said the number was no longer in service. I searched the name of the shop. A

legal notice said it had closed. Concern mounting, I Googled his full name. A headline from a year ago appeared on the computer screen. It read “Bradenton Man Dies in Motorcycle Accident.” Tears fell. The short 85-five word article said he was 65. It described his last motorcycle ride ending with: “He was not wearing a helmet.” (Gene didn’t own a helmet.) I looked for an obituary. There wasn’t one for him, but there had been one for his 85-year-old mother who died twelve years earlier. I searched for a memorial service. There wasn’t one of those either. He antagonized so many customers with his gruff ways. I wondered if that’s why there wasn’t one? When the tears eased, I knew Gene needed to be remembered. We did our own memorial for Gene, though he’d been gone a year. We lit candles and incense and placed his name on the altar. “It’s us guys,” we told him, certain he would know who we were. We told “Gene stories” laughing at the memory of the welldressed couple from North Carolina who had arrived at 8:30 a.m. to rent a

U-Haul. They were appalled that Gene had not arrived by opening time. They asked us, “What kind of business does he run?” If they only knew!

There are many people we casually meet on the journey. Most

We remembered Gene’s many kindnesses. It was sad to realize we wouldn’t be buying him a case of “longneck” Budweisers this year for Christmas. We prayed for him to be at ease and at peace. This lovable gruff man who kept our cars running, always smiled when we walked in, and gave us a hug when we left him, would not go off into the deep night alone. Even if we were a year late.

come and go. Meeting Gene was different. He was the casual one who became a friend. He touched us with a gentleness he seldom showed to others. The grace he kept under wraps he bestowed upon us easily. When we paid him in cash, his eyes twinkled, and his grin was punctuated with “Alright, guys!” To the surprise of everyone crowded into the shop, he always gave us a goodbye hug. The old oak tree that shaded so many cars now stands alone in the empty “automotive” parking lot. Gene is gone. The shop has closed. But we remember who he was. He was a character. He was unkempt. He was a great mechanic. We love all that he was. In that love Gene will always be treasured.

Conscious Living with Jo Mooy

Jo Mooy has studied with many spiritual traditions over the past 40 years. The wide diversity of this training allows her to develop spiritual seminars and retreats that explore inspirational concepts, give purpose and guidance to students, and present esoteric teachings in an understandable manner. Along with Patricia Cockerill, she has guided the Women’s Meditation Circle since January 2006 where it has been honored for five years in a row as the “Favorite Meditation” group in Sarasota, FL, by Natural Awakenings Magazine. Teaching and using Sound as a retreat healing practice, Jo was certified as a Sound Healer through Jonathan Goldman’s Sound Healing Association. She writes and publishes a monthly internationally distributed e-newsletter called Spiritual Connections and is a staff writer for Spirit of Maat magazine in Sedona. For more information go to http://www.starsoundings.com or email jomooy@gmail.com.

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Fikri Rasyid

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Forget the Love

Operating from the need to be right, love gets

obscured and destructive nonsense happens.

By Gregg Sanderson Nothing interferes with Love so much as the need to be right and to seek agreement, but as Spiritual beings having a human experience, we’re susceptible to it. As students of Spiritual matters, we know enough to overcome it. Don’t we? Still, people who love each other actually argue over which way to mount the toilet paper. They insist their kind of music is “better” or that their team will win the big game. Members of the same family stop speaking to each other because they vote differently. On a larger scale, there are religions that preach Love and Peace, convinced that their way is the way. Then they back it up with torturous inquisition and/or homicidal enforcement. We have two major political parties, and each knows its way is the “right” way. Members believe those in the other party are “misguided”—a euphemism for “stupid.” They discover from peers what to think, and believe only facts that support their position. Whoever shouts the loudest wins. Operating from the need to be right, love gets obscured and destructive nonsense happens. Relationships crumble; friendships end and fanatics get undeserved adulation.

Was there anybody in any war who

wasn’t convinced their cause was the right one? Nobody ever said, “God is on their side.”

Then there are also those of us, myself included, who look at the entire human condition and proclaim, “That’s the way it is.” Not everybody is as lucky as I am to have a friend who reminds me in her own inimitable way, “Yep, it sure is…unless it’s something else.” Which brings us back to the path of Love. Remember Love? It transcends every point of view. Is the tissue issue important as long as it’s there when you need it? Is Rock

b etter than Rap? Maybe that’s why Love created headphones. It was Andrew Carnegie who said, “If two people agree on everything, one of them is unnecessary.” The expression “There’s no love lost…” actually means the exact opposite. Love doesn’t ever get lost. Self-righteousness buries it. We can find it again with a single word–Namaste—that we can paraphrase to mean, “The Love in me greets the Love in you.”

In the heat of righteous disdain a sense of Namaste can restore balance and we

don’t even have to give up our opinions. Isn’t that right?

Happiness is BS with Gregg Sanderson

Gregg Sanderson is author of Spirit With A Smile, The World According To BOB. He is a licensed practitioner in the Centers for Spiritual Living, and a Certified Trainer for Infinite Possibilities. His earlier books were, What Ever Happened To Happily Ever After? and Split Happens—Easing The Pain Of Divorce. His latest project is the New Thought Global Network, where subscribers can enjoy the best in New Thought presentations from anywhere at any time. You can see it at http://www.newthoughtglobal.org.

Photo Credit: Pixabay/fxxu

10 Food Rules for Success

We follow rules in areas of our lives where we are successfulâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; and we need them around food and exercise, too, to stay fit, strong, and at our ideal weight.

By Rena Greenberg “What can I eat?” This is a question I hear often. So many of us want someone else to tell us what foods we can and can’t eat. At first thought, that seems to make life so much easier. The problem is that human nature is such that when we are given rules from outside ourselves our instinct is to rebel. However, this does not mean that we can lose weight and get healthy without an eating plan; obviously, the opposite is true.

MAKE YOUR OWN RULES

For PERMANENT change, you must follow rules. But to get the results you want, you must make your own rules, and these rules need to make sense for you. What foods are you going to eat and what foods aren’t you going to eat? You have rules in other areas of your life where you are successful—you need them around food and exercise, too. In fact, the reason you struggle weight and/or health is not because there is something innately deficient in your life. It’s not because you are an out of control person, weak-willed, or had a more difficult childhood than everybody else (although, please give yourself compassion for all the challenges you have faced).

The reason your weight is not what you want or need it to be for optimal health is because in this area of your life—your weight/ health—you have failed to adopt rules for success. The great news is you have followed rules for success in other areas of your life, so you know how to do it! These are areas where you base your

actions on the results you want—not on transient feelings.

YOU ARE NOT WEAK-WILLED

If you want to understand how fit people stay that way, realize that they are simply doing what you do naturally in areas of your life where you are successful.

The hot basket of bread may look good when it arrives at the table, but if a fit person knows that she is a carbohydrate addict she doesn’t dive in, even if it looks and smells good. Does she have some super inner power that you don’t have? Of course, not! You will learn to do the same once you tune into the reality that it’s not about dieting, it’s about following food and lifestyle rules that work for you, while reprogramming your subconscious. Before you get too down on yourself and call yourself weak for living so long without following food rules, realize that this is most likely because following food rules wasn’t modeled to you. In the same way, people who break social rules do so because treating others with respect failed to be instilled in them as a pattern of behavior.

NOW IS THE TIME

It’s never too late to create rules for yourself. The first step is believing that they are necessary. To do that, take a moment and think about what makes you successful in other areas of your life. Instead of seeing willpower as something that you don’t possess, take a moment to reflect on the amazing amount of strength and courage you

have within. If you can’t see strength and courage inside yourself, take a moment to acknowledge the incredible hardship it is to carry around excess weight and still lead a productive life. Now, let’s turn your strong will into a tool that will allow you to be happy, healthy, and live at your ideal weight. In every area of your life where you are getting the results you want, you have rules. Do you blurt out your every thought? Unlikely! You have rules about the way you treat people and about what you do and don’t say to others. You have rules about how you care for your children and pets, and you follow them—whether you feel like it or not. Create rules with food that will lead you to be successful. Rules are not predicated on whether you feel like adhering to them in any given moment. Rules are rules because they lead to specific outcomes that are desirable.

Always keep your eye on the goal, and do not allow your passing feelings to deter you. Let’s take a look at some good examples of rules to pick from. Think about what makes sense for you and your lifestyle. Remember that, ultimately, you must make your own rules.

Rule #1: What foods do you eat? “I eat clean food, from the earth, in as natural a state as possible, as unprocessed as possible. Example: If I am going to eat bread, it will only be made from whole wheat flour, water, and sea salt.” This rule alone would limit your bread intake due to convenience, and yet you wouldn’t be deprived because you could always go buy a loaf of natural wheat bread at a bakery and keep it in your freezer, having a small slice at a time if you feel that you need bread in your diet/eating regime. Or, “I can eliminate bread all

together because I see it as a trigger food that puts fat on my body.”

Rule #2: Eat with Balance in Mind “If I do eat a carb/starch like a whole grain cracker, I ONLY eat it with a protein food (chicken, fish, meat) and a vegetable so my blood sugar stays balanced. I never just sit and eat a box of crackers plain.”

Rule #3: Enjoy the Healthy Foods You Select “I make sure to have protein and vegetables (fresh) with every meal, with only a small amount of complex carbs (like a whole grain or root vegetable) and healthy fat (such as extra virgin olive oil, or a little cheese or nuts) to make the food taste good.” The key is to enjoy everything that you do eat so you don’t feel deprived or like you are dieting; however, have only JUST enough “fattening food” to make it taste good.

Rule #4: Stick with the Basics “I continuously eat a group of foods that are healthy and appeal to my tastes.” Studies show that the less variety in your food choices, the more likely you are to be at your ideal weight. Know what foods you do and don’t eat and stick to the plan (without ever thinking that you are on a diet).

Rule #5: Get Rid of Trigger Foods “I eliminate the foods that are triggers for me. I know they are triggers because when I eat them, I eat too much in general, or I crave more of that specific food.” Get rid of trigger foods and leave the area when they are being served if possible, especially in the early stages of your weight loss/healthy eating quest.

Rule #6: Don’t Let Yourself Get TOO Hungry Eat healthy treats that aren’t trigger foods when you are physically hungry. You may enjoy almond butter, cheese, avocado with healthy crackers, or other “treats” that don’t create fuel the compulsion to consume too much food. This is what “everything in moderation” means. The more balanced and healthy you are, the easier it is to have small amounts of healthy treats without reaching a “tipping point”— that place where you are overeating or binge eating.

Rule #7: Don’t Starve Yourself Eat only when you are physically hungry and eat just enough to satisfy your physical hunger. Make sure that you aren’t too hungry because when your blood sugar dips, you often can’t think straight enough to make healthy choices.

Rule #8: Plan Ahead Make sure you have plenty of healthy food available at all times. I never leave the house without a healthy snack in my bag. If you go to a restaurant, plan what you are going to order ahead of time. If you’ll be on the go all day, pack enough food with you so you won’t find yourself starving with no good food choices to make. A new mother doesn’t leave the house without a diaper bag. You need to treat yourself like a baby who needs your care.

Rule #9: Honor Your Emotions Let yourself feel your feelings, but don’t let them dictate your behavior. Express them, if that is the wise thing to do, or write them down. Burn them off by taking a walk or going for a swim. NEVER eat just because you are feeling a certain way. Let your emotions pass like the weather.

Rule #10: Stay Focused on Your Goal Have a plan to eat healthy and move your body every day. Not because you have to but because you want to! If ever you feel weak, just think of the alternative to healthy living and know that it’s not an option for you. See and feel yourself as if you’ve already achieved your ideal weight. Practice meditation or selfhypnosis every day and imagine yourself healthy and strong. You can do this!

Photo Credit: Pixabay/Goumbik

Love Life, Live Happy, Live Healthy with Rena Greenberg Rena Greenberg, a Hay House author, can be reached at http://www.EasyWillpower.com. Her weight loss and gastric bypass hypnosis success has been featured in 150-plus news stories including USA Today, Woman’s World, The Doctor’s, CNN, Good Morning America and Nightline. PBS stations nationally aired Rena’s show, “Easy Willpower,” in August 2015. Her wellness program is sponsored in 75 hospitals and 100-plus corporations. She conducts hypnotherapy sessions with people all over the world on Skype.

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Aline de Nadai

Weather the Storm

Accept that you are 100 percent responsible for whatever is happening in your life. By Arielle Giordano Recently, I was talking to a friend, and she told me about her husband’s upsetting behaviors. The focus of our conversation was his faults—and she had plenty of examples that justified her cause for discomfort and distress. While listening to her, I had an “aha moment.” I realized that we are all responsible for our own actions, behavior, and life. And that the only person we need to change is ourselves. Honesty reveals the part we play in a situation. Owning it means you accept that you are 100 percent responsible for whatever is happening in your life. Any issue or problem in your life—own it! There is no blame game in truth. You and your situation will never change—and you will not truly heal—until you see your part. If you are in a relationship and your partner is not acting or loving you the way you

desire, take ownership. Take an honest look and see the part you are playing in the situation. Are you enabling the behavior? Acknowledging the situation and knowing the part you play brings the awareness back to you. When you are being honest with yourself, you own the experience and can see the truth; as a result, you see the situation in a new way. The purpose of life experiences is learning. After a tree goes through a storm, its energy goes into shoring up its roots. The tree knows where to put that energy to strengthen itself, and over time the roots of the tree become storm-proof. It is not about the damage done; it is the weakness exposed and then addressed to make the tree stronger. See from within, and you will access what you deeply know as Truth in any situation. As you stay in that place of observation, your thinking opens and your mind becomes clear. Your perspective broadens. You are now ready to weather the storms of life and become stronger in the process.

Dancing from the Inside Out with Arielle Giordano Arielle Giordano’s new book, Dancing with Your Story from the Inside Out, was released in March 2017. With a Masters of Arts and Masters of Education, Arielle is an author, professional dancer, inspirational speaker, certified Essentrics/Aging Backwards instructor, and workshop facilitator. She enjoys sharing her gifts and talents with an authentic style rich in the grace of dance, psychology, philosophy and the expressive arts. Her career includes: provisional psychologist, guidance counselor and substance-abuse therapist. As a Lead Faculty Area Chairperson and Faculty Member for College of Humanities at the University of Phoenix, she inspired students with her creative gifts. She also writes for Tampa Bay Wellness, We Woman and Transformation Magazine.

The Journey of Self-Transformation

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Mantas Hesthaven

We cannot successfully walk through the door into the future dragging the baggage from the past. By Tosin Opeoluwa I was a girl raised by a single, struggling mum. My mum was, and she is still, hard working, although she has no bills to pay anymore. As a child, I created a world of fantasy, and I would tell friends what I thought my father should be like. But deep within me, I knew who my father was; it wasn’t until after I finished my high school that we became friends. Sometimes we had no food, and mum transferred her aggression toward her children. I never heard the words “I love you” from anyone in my household. No matter how much we worked, we hardly got sincere appreciation. It was a house where housing, clothing, and food were seen as a privilege and not a right. It was a home where I overslept out of teen depression and woke up in fear of being sent to my father. A home where we were taught to respect and not how to love, a home where no one gave hugs or asked questions because they were rude, a home where you were beaten and disgraced in public. I remember how I used to hide the cane my mother used for flogging. I can’t forget the day I was molested and lost my virginity and could not tell my mother out of fear. My mum respected other people’s children, but we were disgraced through insults and maltreatment. However, above all, I remember her sacrifices, and I know now she was the best mum she could be based on her life experience and understanding. I hold nothing against her today. “Maybe I deserved bad treatment,” I thought when I was younger. “I am rude, everything breaks in my hand, I get angry and irritated easily, I hate people, I am always seeking attention, always aggressive, and I am gripped with low self-esteem. If I think I am better than those around me, I am okay. However, my head is bowed when I am around those whom I perceive better than me, and I suddenly become quiet. I am called an introvert, but deep within me I know something is wrong.” When I was around people who did not know me, I would switch to the imaginary me, with imaginary parents. Through the years, I wrote my experiences in a small book where no one would see it. I never knew it was called journaling. When it was time to leave my childhood behind and start my own life, I failed woefully. Then my mum called me in 1998, and she told me she had nothing against my pursuit of higher education. I went home for six years, and I was able to acquire a college of education through my brother’s support. Later, I married, started an etiquette and life coaching business, and then traveled to the United States for my Master’s Degree.

Externally, I appeared successful, but internally there was no transformation. I was still dealing with anger, resentment, low self-esteem, shame, and guilt from my painful childhood. I was mad at myself, and my husband was paying the price for that anger. Even though I became “spiritual” and I loved God, I felt my past cheated me from fully expressing love and receiving it in return. I was destroying every good relationship in my life because I did not want to give people a second chance if something went wrong. I always felt, “I have enough hurt in my life.” I avoided having conversations about my issues; I just wanted to be left along because I thought that time heals. But the ticking of the clock didn’t heal my old wounds because they had become thick scars. Then one day I had a moment of clarity, and God told me: “You will know how to heal others when you heal yourself. That is when you will see the fruits of your labors and become a better person.” That Divine message started my journey of transformation. I see many teenagers today struggling for success and significance, living in confusion and identity crisis. They want to be “someone else,” and it has warped their view of reality and what is important in life. In many cases, this has resulted in slanderous tendencies, scandals and infidelities. This has fueled diseases, including constipation, pain, and glaucoma. The stress has resulted in high blood pressure. Troubled kids create troubled schools and communities, and then society continues in the circle of anger and bitterness. Yet, deep within we all want to prosper, we want to be significant, we want to change the world, and we want to travel the world. We want to be wealthy and live in abundance. The good news is that these things are all possible, but they can’t be accomplished by carrying the old baggage of abuse, pain, and past disappointment. We cannot successfully walk through the door into the future dragging the baggage from the past.

THE JOURNEY

Once I received this message, how did I commence my journey into transformational healing? I wrote my vision for success, and took steps to achieve it. The first step was to turn to my understanding of God for help. I became self-aware, and I was able to trace my attitude and personality issues to my childhood. From there, I worked to resolve my issues with forgiveness, including those people who will never say “sorry” back. I started reading books; I went into therapy, I got a coach, found mentors, attended seminars, enrolled in courses and training, nourished my soul, started meditating/praying, exercising, and surrounding

myself with the right people. Then I started talking/sharing and writing about my painful past, all of which helped me to start helping others heal. Where are you today in your transformation journey? Do you need to be more self-aware? It is time to stop saying, “This is just how I am” because this is the root cause of your limitations and the source of negative energy. If your life is negative now or was in the past, you will affect your spouse, children, family, and the community. If your experience and life is positive, it’s going to have a beneficial impact on everyone around you. My questions to you are: What kind of positive transformation would you love to produce in the world? When you leave the Earth, will someone be bold enough to celebrate your accomplishments and positive impact on the world afterward?

I LEAVE YOU WITH THIS STORY:

Dad is sitting watching television when his little boy comes running over. “Daddy, can you play with me?” This father enjoys playing with his son, and plans to give him plenty of time, but not just yet. “Soon, son, soon,” says Dad. “When this program finishes.” Five minutes later the little boy returns. “Daddy, can we play now?” “Soon, son, soon. When this program finishes.” Two minutes later the little boy returns again. “Daddy, is it time to play yet?” Dad realizes he’s not going to get any peace, so he decides to set his son a task that will take some time. He notices a picture of the world on the front page of the newspaper lying in front of him. He tears the picture out then rips it into small pieces. “Now son, I’ve got a game for you. Take the pieces of this picture of the world and put them back together and then we’ll play together.” The little boy eagerly takes the pieces away with him and sets to work. Dad’s relieved he’ll get to see the last half hour of his TV program. But to his amazement, his little boy is back in less than five minutes. “I’ve finished daddy. Can we play now?” The father is stunned when he turns around to see his son holding up the picture of the world, each piece sticky taped into the right position. Dad begins wondering whether he has a child prodigy on his hands. “How did you get it done so quickly?” he asks. “That would’ve taken me a good 20 minutes, and I’m an adult.” “Oh, it was easy daddy. On the back of the world was a picture of a person, so I put the person together and that’s when the world came together.”

Tosin Opeoluwa will be releasing the full story of her experience in her new book The Pen of a Daddlyless Girl in December 2019. She will also be releasing a documentary called “The Journey of Grace” during her Master’s graduation. Tosin is a life purpose and transformation coach. She is a graduate of Information Resources Management from Babcock University Nigeria and a Master’s Student in Human Science at Prairie View A&M University, Texas. Tosin also is an associate member of the Nigeria Institute of Training and Development, Houston Association of Marriage and Family Therapist, and the International Association of Professional Etiquette Consultants. Her certificates include Behavioral Therapy Practitioner, Professional Etiquette Consulting, and Mental Health First Aid. Tosin is a content writer, certified Life Purpose/Transformational Coach, a transformational speaker, and coach with one message “correctitude.” She has over 200 online life-changing articles on blogs and social media pages. You can find her at http://www.tosinopeoluwa.com and http://www.topperformancebuilders.com.

You Deserve Your Dream

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By Noelle Sterne From early ages, many of us have dreamed, fantasized, and painted enchanting pictures on our ceiling of success in our most passionate pursuits. It’s writing for me, fashion design for my cousin, chess master for her son, Yankees’ shortstop for her other son, first cellist in international symphony for my niece. Every Little League kid dreams of Yankee pinstripes and the Hall of Fame. Every musician dreams of rock (or Philharmonic) stardom and millions. Every actor dreams of dramatic discovery, constant lead roles, adulation, and Oscars. Every writer dreams of bestsellers, big money, movie adaptations, appearances on national TV, and induction into the Kindle Million Club. Some of us make it. And most of us don’t. Why? Sure, we must work enough, practice enough, pursue enough, and concentrate enough. But there’s another crucial reason—we must feel we deserve our Dream.

DO YOU FEEL YOU DON’T DESERVE YOUR DREAM?

If you feel you don’t deserve your Dream, no matter how much time and sweat you put in, how many movers and shakers you know, how many “lucky” breaks you have, or how gorgeous (or outrageous) you are, you will torpedo yourself. Louise Hay reminds us, “When we have strong beliefs that we don’t deserve, we have problems doing what we want” (The Power Is Within You, p. 164). Despite countless queries and pitches, I felt undeserving of writing success for a long time. The mounting frustrations forced me, finally, to recognize some of the red lights that kept

me gridlocked. See if and how they apply to you. • Do you feel a vague sense of guilt when you’re doing what you really want to? • When you’ve just settled down to create, do you suddenly remember you absolutely must go get the car washed or clean out the refrigerator? • When you’ve marked out the whole afternoon for your project, do you suddenly feel nausea, headaches, dizziness? Admit these signs of nondeserving. Your shifty unconscious has just dispatched the guilt gestapo to subvert your creativity and stifle your Dream. Unfortunately, our culture keeps this squad on active duty, especially for women. Mothers are notorious for taking the raggedy heel of the bread, serving everyone else the perfect wedges of pie, and scraping the dregs for their plate. Wives are notorious for putting off their Dreams until their husbands have established their careers, children have grown, elderly parents have been cared for, and church has served its last supper. As if these societal expectations aren’t enough to keep us trussed for life, many of us stay tied up for fear or guilt of bettering our parents. So, we deliberately sabotage our successes.

BEGINNING TO REVERSE

To reverse any of these Dream-crushing thoughts and actions, you don’t need 30 years of therapy. Only realize you have the power to change, first by recognition and then by refusal. Recognize you’re letting those Dream crushers govern you. And refuse to let in the self-denial and guilt gang, no matter how much they’re

pounding on the door and menacing at the windows. Have you boldly asked yourself what you really do want, what your Dream is? Elizabeth Gilbert, in her irresistible spiritual chick lit odyssey Eat Pray Love, had such an epiphany. When she finally dared to ask herself what she really wanted, her answers ranged from a new linen shirt to living in Italy. And she went after both and many more. You don’t have to go on a shopping fling, travel to faraway locales, or even leave your house. Instead, practice deserving with relatively small things. Choose the better piece of toast, take the neater piece of cake, get tickets to the playoffs, order a mile-high pastrami sandwich and don’t share it, give yourself a daily bottle of imported beer, buy that slightly-tootight pair of jeans (not your grandmother’s overalls). You’ll soon graduate to giving yourself the time, energy, and focus to pursue your Dream.

DARE TO DESERVE

If you’re questioning your deservingness, no need. Your desire to pursue your passion tells you that you unequivocally deserve your Dream. Otherwise you wouldn’t desire it at all. Dare to believe that all things are working for good in your life, toward your Dream. Give your Dream the energy it deserves. Following your Dream may mean giving up certain things, very cherished things that you may have hung onto often for years. Like what? Give up thinking about your face (wrinkled), your feet (bony), your stomach (too big), your house (unclean), your garage (a disaster area), your desk (piled high), your finances (lacking), your work (chronically behind), your mate (chronically annoying), your future (scarily unknown).

Give up trying to preserve an often worse enemy than all these: your status quo. The old comfort zone is a fleece we pull around us, with momentarily soothing snacks and silly distractions that don’t feed or challenge. We sink into them and don’t want to admit we come up empty. If you’re honest, though, you know that your Dream won’t let you stay in superficial fatal contentment. It prods you with that annoying feeling of dissatisfaction, despite the huge sugar intake or movie marathon. It pokes you with that hovering guilt that you should be doing something else. It threatens depression because you’re not honoring it. It jabs you with what should be welcome darts of discomfort so you don’t stay in that sluggish zone. Know that your Dreams and deepest desires aren’t flighty, stupid, or ridiculous. They are God-given, even implanted in you. Their strength and persistence alone show how intrinsic they are to your very being. Creativity counselor and spiritual teacher Julia Cameron reminds us, “Our creative dreams and yearnings come from a divine source” (The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, p. 3). And you know you’ll continue to be restless, unhappy underneath every other good thing, and always on the edge of grumpy, unless you take steps to let your Dream dip its toe into the water and start splashing.

GET TO DESERVINGNESS

How do we rise above all those negative thoughts that pull down our Dreams and feel like spilled glue oozing through our minds? The principles are ancient and lately rediscovered. Abraham, the collective consciousness channeled by Esther Hicks, advises: “If you want your fortunes to

shift, you have to begin telling a different story” (Money and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Health, Wealth and Happiness, p. 72). Our old stories, and the different, better ones we create, are so powerful because of four principles. These are “mental conditioning laws” explained by metaphysical teacher U. S. Andersen, and reiterated by many more recent spiritual teachers (Success Cybernetics: Practical Applications of Human Cybernetics, pp. 29-31):

1. We are what we concentrate on. If we concentrate on guilt, lost opportunities, and failure, we engender feelings of extreme negativity. If we concentrate on success, we find that feelings of achievement begin to infuse us. We gain a glimmer of hope, a sliver of excitement, a glimpse (can it be!) that what we yearn for really can happen.

2. What we concentrate on grows. We’ve all had this experience. You wake up grouchy. You snap at your spouse and slap down the dog’s bowl. Then on your way to the second cup of coffee, you hit your head on the kitchen cabinet door, curse, and step on the dog’s tail. The dog yowls, waking the baby, and your spouse yells at you. And you haven’t even gotten dressed for work. You’ve been concentrating on grumpiness. Result? You’ve produced this tumble of matchless experiences first thing in the morning. Equally negative mindsets— of despair, feeling it’s too late, giving up—produce the succession of events, choices, reactions that send our Dreams down the mineshaft. And have left us with flinty handfuls of shale instead of flowers.

3. What we concentrate on becomes real. Our marvelous human mind believes what we tell it, whether it’s in the world we see or the world of our minds(!) What we tell our minds we come to believe. When we repeat to ourselves that we’re failures, can never finish anything, or will never get what we want, we believe these messages. By our very concentration, we attract them into our experience and they become real to us. This leads to the next principle . . .

4. We always find what we concentrate on. A well-known axiom declares that things don’t just happen to us; they happen justly. “Justly” means that things happen just as we believe them. Haven’t our dire self-fulfilling prophecies come about, to our disappointment, dismay, or heartbreak? “I never could . . . ,” “I was afraid that . . . ,” “I knew that . . . .” But when we “know” and keep daydreaming about our success, what it looks like, feels like, and leads to, it begins to show up. As Andersen also points out, these four mental laws always work, whether we consciously apply them or not. “The greatest danger in your life lies in dwelling on failure. The greatest reward lies in thinking success” (p. 31). You may think that reversing negative concentrations takes too much concentration. And determination. And discipline. Yes . . . and not necessarily. Start using these very principles to reverse your thoughts. If you tell yourself it’s hard, of course it will be. If you tell yourself that reversal and replacement of those tentacled thoughts are easy, then . . . . Abraham helps: “All you have to do is identify what you want, and then practice the feeling-place of what it will feel like when that happens.

There is nothing you cannot be or do or have. You are blessed Beings; you have come forth into this physical environment to create. There is nothing holding you back, other than your own contradictory thought. . . . You are powerful Creators and right on schedule. . . . Just practice that and watch what happens.” (Workshop, North Los Angeles, CA, No. 544, March 22, 2003) If you need a little help to reach this mind- and feeling-state, envision a spring shower. You stand there, face skyward, arms open, the gentle drops blessing you. Each drop is a positive thought, touching your face gently, effortlessly. Are you straining? Condemning yourself for not feeling the rain? Trying? Not likely. All you have to do is stand there, enjoy, take it in and accept. So, like a soft spring shower, imagine your Dream, visualize it, and gently let these words refresh you.

AFFIRMATIONS FOR DESERVINGNESS • I deserve to do what I’ve always wanted.

• No one stands in my way. • I don’t stand in my way. • I was born to deserve what I’ve always wanted. • I have enough time, money, energy, interest, cooperation from everyone around me to do what I’ve always wanted. • Doing what I’ve always wanted to do is my natural state. • Doing what I’ve always wanted to do harms no one. • Doing what I’ve always wanted to do makes me feel good and keeps me healthy. • Doing what I’ve always wanted to do blesses me and everyone I meet. • Doing what I’ve always wanted to do feels wonderful!

way, nothing can stand between you and your Dream. You realize the essential truth: you’re “a divine being, blessed with miraculous gifts” that allow you “to rise above any challenge and live your dreams” (Unity Daily Word, April 6, 2010, p. 53).

So, finally, marshal the courage to dare your dream. By daring, you’ll be opening yourself to accepting and receiving the love, abundance, care, comfort, security, order, healing, and reassurance you’re entitled to. When you open yourself this

job is to keep thinking about

You do deserve your Dream. You deserve everything

you’ve ever wanted, imagined, and longed for. Your Dream is natural, God-inspired,

springing from your highest Self. Your main, effortless

your Dream, going towards it with the right activities, and

accepting your deservingness.

Trust Your Life Now with Noelle Sterne, Ph.D. Noelle Sterne is an author, editor, academician, writing coach, mentor, and spiritual counselor. She has published over 600 pieces in print and online venues, including Author Magazine, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Children’s Book Insider, Fiction Southeast, Funds for Writers, Inspire Me Today, Rate Your Story, Romance Writers Report, Transformation Magazine, Unity Magazine, Women in Higher Education, Women on Writing, The Writer, and Writer’s Digest. Noelle’s invited blogs on Author Magazine’s “Authors’ Blog” on writing, creativity, and spirituality can be found at http://www.authormagazineonline.wordpress.com/. A spiritually-oriented chapter appears in Transform Your Life (Transformation Services, 2014). A story was published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Touched by an Angel (2014), and another in a Tiny Buddha collection (HarperOne, 2015). One of Noelle’s stories appears in the forthcoming Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Forgiveness Fix. With a Ph.D. from Columbia University, for 30 years Noelle has assisted doctoral candidates to complete their dissertations (finally). Based on her practice, her handbook for graduate students helps them overcome largely ignored but equally important nonacademic difficulties in their writing: Challenge in Writing Your Dissertation: Coping with the Emotional, Interpersonal, and Spiritual Struggles (Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2015). In Noelle’s book Trust Your Life: Forgive Yourself and Go After Your Dreams (Unity Books, 2011), she draws examples from her academic consulting and other aspects of life to help readers release regrets, relabel their past, and reach their lifelong yearnings. Her webinar about the book can be seen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95EeqllONIQ. Deserving her next Dream, Noelle is completing her second novel. Her website: http://www.trustyourlifenow.com.

Solutions Come From a Distance

There are ways to be of service to humanity, to feed the flames of hope and possibility, AND to continue to allow your fire of well-being and joy. By Terez Hartmann First, let me preface with this: This story does indeed have a VERY happy ending, and it is my hope that it speaks to the part of YOU who is open to the possibility that there is always a path for both YOU and EVERY human being on this Earth to THRIVE—no matter how things may appear at any moment in time.

BETTE MIDLER INSPIRES SOME BIG QUESTIONS When I was little, I remember listening to a song performed by the fabulous Bette Midler that contained all of the earmarks of positivity: a beautiful vocal performance by the Divine Miss M, skipping children and smiling faces in the music video, and idealistic sentiments being expressed. Yet the lyrical hook, “God is watching us from a distance…” had given me mixed feelings every time I heard it. Did it mean that God/Source/ Universe didn’t care and that S/He or It was completely “hands off” letting us just deal and suffer through it all? How could the Divine just stand back and let war happen? How could a loving Being/ Force allow things that were clearly unfair and out of balance transpire? How could Benevolence let horrific, crazy sh%t happen to good people, innocent children, or animals?! Even though I have always believed in God/a Source of Good in my own unique form and fashion, I found myself absolutely outraged and wanting to do everything I could to protect the innocent. So I vowed that when I became an adult, this would become a central focus of my life. And so, I found myself fighting, protecting, and defending; isn’t this what good people do, and wasn’t this the ONLY way to make the world a better place? Problem. Though my inner crusader was getting to use her voice in

spades, the HSP (“Highly Sensitive Person”) part of me was getting torn apart. I would literally feel sick any time I witnessed horrific images or behaviors of abuse—and these images and feelings would stay with me, resulting in nightmares and making it harder and harder to feel safe in the world. In any case, I persevered, and I would not rest until I felt like the world was in a better state, that war really could end, that everyone could feel safe, that every animal was allowed to live a full and happy life, that every natural space was saved, and that every human being was treated equally! So, as I forged ahead, continually pushing against the “bad guys,” I became so mired in the problems of the world and in my own life—which resulted in becoming physically and mentally exhausted—that, indeed, my spirit was NOT able to rest, AND I no longer had the time, energy, or resources to do very much more than simply survive. Whether I liked it or not, I simply HAD to step away to attend to my own well-being if I was to ever be able to offer something of value to anyone else ever again.

THE CRAZED CRUSADER CAVES TO CLARITY When everything else shut down and I was forced to sort through my OWN stuff, I started to discover something that I had not really felt since before my “crusader” career began: stillness. Rather than resist the quiet, and reenlist the “crazed crusader” part of me, I stood my ground and decided to make friends with calm. As my body responded with increasing energy and happiness, ideas started to flow. I discovered books and insights that rekindled my flame of knowing that there IS meaning and purpose to all things. I took my first crosscountry trip and purchased my first pair of hiking boots, which I used to explore the red rock terrain of Sedona, AZ. I became

especially drawn to Zen teachings and philosophy and started to cultivate presence and savor NOW. And, I remembered the power and light I had within me, and I would let it flow and express in new, beautiful, life-giving ways. Though I had a (very) basic understanding of what I thought Law of Attraction was that I gleamed from the esoteric teachings I was exposed to as a child (growing up with a metaphysical minister), I was compelled to delve deeper to REALLY get it, and during that process, I discovered “allowing” (thanks to http://www.Abraham-Hicks.com), and the true relationship between thoughts, beliefs, actions, and attitudes, and what showed up in my life. And viewing my life, “From a Distance,” I realized that the intense focus I had dedicated to injustice, suffering, and to delving into extreme detail of the bad things that could happen in this scary world, I had managed to attract all manner of things and experiences JUST like that in my OWN personal life. Perhaps it was time for a change?

FROM CRUSADER TO CONSCIOUS CONTRIBUTOR Twenty years after starting the journey of ever-expanding clarity and consciousness, I am still a human being who cares with all her heart. Just like you, when I see or hear about tragic and frustrating events in the world, I also pray, intend, and ask for things to be better—and take conscious action. But rather than the old “barefoot, uphill, in the snow” approach I had once taken to helping the world, I discovered that there ARE other ways to be of service to humanity, to feed the flames of hope and possibility, AND to continue to allow my fire of well-being and joy… …It involved taking advice from the song I heard in 1990 that was all about viewing life, “From a Distance.” Here are some of the ideas that

I discovered that have helped me to find solutions where there were once only insurmountable problems:

1. You can’t see it when you’re IN it. If you were somehow able to stand inside a painting in the center of a single drop of color, and this was the ONLY information you had about where you were, would you be able to know you were standing in a massive field of flowers or epic landscape that was created by the hand of a master?

2. Like it or not, every living, breathing thing has her/his/its own path and Point of Attraction, and things that can seem like tragedies may actually be catalysts for powerful, personal transformation and global evolution. Even though we would NEVER deliberately choose awful experiences— especially for someone or something we care for—every living, breathing being has things to discover, journeys to take, and a time when we will each be called “home.” Many people—children included—who manifest extreme experiences, are humans who want to truly know and discover their power, and many of these people have been among the greatest leaders and teachers since the dawn of the human experience. Even some of the most tragic events in our history have simultaneously summoned enormous waves of kindness and compassion, resulting in major changes in

our families, communities, systems, and global consciousness. Do also remember that just because someone else had a certain type of experience, YOU don’t have to follow in that person’s footsteps! YOU have YOUR own unique Point of Attraction too, so you could be the same age, live in the same neighborhood, etc., and experience COMPLETELY different results. But keep this mind: Just like the childhood version of me discovered, the more focus, time, and attention you give to something you don’t like or want, the more you can, unknowingly, attract it into your life.

3. You are TRULY helpful when you can show up with clarity. If you needed help, would you rather put your life in the hands of a stressed, scattered, exhausted, crazed person, or someone who is caring, calm, and clear? ‘Nuff said!

4. BE an example of what you would like to see and create in the world. I strongly believe that anger and hate cannot be transformed by fighting back with more anger and hate, nor can problems be solved by fixating exclusively on what is wrong. If you want to bring peace, equality, and compassion to the world, cultivate peace within yourself AND promote PEACE through your words, thoughts, and actions. Respect yourself AND treat others with an EQUAL amount of respect. Extend KINDNESS and COMPASSION to your sweet self, AND put kindness and compassion into ACTION in the world.

THE BOTTOM LINE: SOLUTIONS COME FROM A DISTANCE It’s amazing to think that I could have ever missed the beauty, genius, and leading-edge nature of the song, “From A Distance,” composed by Julie Gold for Bette Midler, but, ironically, it took looking at my own life from a distance to be able to have the eyes to see and the ears to hear the profound wisdom carried in this true work of heart. As coaches, mentors, and leaders in our community, many people are looking to us for inspiration and guidance during these challenging times. Rather than simply react, yell louder, and add to the problems of the world by railing against what is “wrong,” I’d like to challenge you to see the world “From a Distance,” to shine a light on the good that is still SO very prevalent in YOUR world and THE world, and to be a visionary voice for possibility and new paths that promote well-being for ALL. However you choose to respond to the climate of the moment, dear friends, know that whether “From a Distance” or walking side-by-side, it is my intention to see you shine and thrive!

“From a distance we are instruments Marching in a common band Playing songs of hope Playing songs of peace They are the songs of every man” –Julie Gold & Bette Midler “From a Distance”

ALLOWING YOUR SUCCESS with Terez “Firewoman” Hartmann

Terez “Firewoman” Hartmann,“Your catalyst for all things Fab-YOU-lous,” is the author of Allowing Your Success!, a proud contributing author of Transform Your Life! book one and two, a professional Keynote Speaker/Workshop Facilitator, Singer-Songwriter/Recording Artist, “Allowing Adventures!” & “Savor Vacation” Facilitator, and true Renaissance Woman, and Visionary. She keeps her fire lit by embracing and promoting a lifestyle of “Allowing,” and by using creative expression to elevate and ignite the human spirit, a passion that she shares with her husband, soul-mate and creative partner of over 15 years, John Victor Hartmann. Together they share “Allowing TRUE LOVE” workshops and experiences designed to help others attract, allow, and maintain extraordinary relationships, and create custom jingles and voice-overs in their studio, THE Creativity Express. Visit: http://www.TerezFirewoman.com

How I Flunked the Science Fair but Saved the World

All that appears lost will be restored as we recognize that we can never lose ourselves. By Alan Cohen In the ninth grade I did a project for the city science fair. It was about photosynthesis. I set up a little lab in my bedroom with colored lights on African Violets. I had no idea what I was doing and I learned nothing. I would rather have been playing baseball. When the big event came, I displayed my experiment in the sprawling exhibition hall, next to kids who actually knew what they were doing. Science teachers milled around the hall, inspecting the projects and quizzing the students. A teacher approached me, and the conversation came around to genetics. “If you cut

the tail off of a rat, will its children have short tails or long ones?” The answer was obviously “long ones.” But since my mind was with the Yankees more than hypothetical mice, I answered, “short.” The teacher nodded briefly, said nothing, and moved on. I didn’t win the science fair. Fast-forward many decades. I’ve moved on from the Yankees to A Course in Miracles and other spiritual studies. The Course Workbook repeats one lesson more than any other: I am as God created me. One morning I wake up and a stunning realization gobsmacks me like a hundred-mile-anhour fastball: The baby mice have

long tails because the external changes to their parents cannot alter the genetic blueprint passed along to them. The parents’ innate wholeness is their legacy to their children. What is imbedded deep within the parent is not affected by external manipulation. Our spiritual nature ensures that we are whole and perfect. We are created in the image and likeness of God. What goes on in the external world cannot change who we are or affect our true nature. No matter what happens to our body, personality, relationships, career, finances, or worldly politics, external events cannot affect who we are at our core. Our divinity remains intact.

I learned about a healing method in which, when a child is born, the parents save the placenta and freeze it. If, later on in life, the child contracts a disease, the parents take some of the placenta and infuse it into the child’s body. The placenta contains the original code for the child’s wholeness or, we might say, innocence. When a threat or denial of innocence attacks the body, its strongest response is to return to innocence. The title of Marianne Williamson’s book Return to Love captures this principle. When the world assails our well-being, we will not prevail by pushing harder, working more furiously, or attempting to manipulate external circumstances. Instead, we must drop into the place deep inside of us that has never been touched, changed, or damaged by the world. At our core we remain who we always have been and always will be. I am as God created me.

The only thing we need to fix are our thoughts that define us as less than we are, limited, broken, ugly, unforgiven, and unsavable. The Course tells us that it is not what we need to be saved from that is important. It is what we need to be saved for.

If I am as God created me, so are you, and so is everyone. We don't need to fix or improve ourselves. You cannot improve upon perfection.

In the movie Bedazzled (2000 version), nerd Eliot has an industrialstrength crush on the gorgeous but unattainable Alison. The devil comes along and offers to help Eliot woo Alison in exchange for his soul. Eliot agrees. What the devil doesn’t tell Eliot is that every scenario in which he gets the girl will leave him disappointed and suffering. Finally Eliot ends up in jail, awaiting the devil to take her due. When he tells his cellmate about

Our destiny is to come home to our original innocence. All that appears lost will be restored as we recognize that we can never lose ourselves. There is no loss in heaven.

his predicament, the fellow (who is an angel) tells Eliot, “No devil can take your soul. It’s not yours to give away. Your soul belongs to God.”

What God created cannot be damaged, compromised, or lost. The God in you is God forever. Many of us regret decisions we have made. We believe we have sinned, offended God, and set in motion karma that will hurt us and others. A Course in Miracles tells us that none of this is true. It declares, “. . . all that you believe must come from sin will never happen.” The world in which sin seems real, the Course explains, is illusion. The world of forgiveness, love, and wellness, is reality. The title of a book based on the teachings of spiritual master H.W.L. Poonja, known as Papaji, captures this liberating principle in three simple words: “nothing ever happened.” After the science fair I went home and studied about the mice and their tales. I realized that my answer to the teacher was dead wrong. Even if a parent has been damaged, the child is born whole. Now, many years later, the lesson has sunken in. I flunked the fair but learned how to redeem the world. You can lose your tail, but not your soul.

Get Real with Alan Cohen

Alan Cohen is the bestselling author of A Course in Miracles Made Easy. Join Alan and musician Karen Drucker in Hawaii, December 1-6, for an extraordinary retreat, “A Course in Miracles: the Easy Path.” For more information about this program, Alan’s Holistic Life Coach Training beginning January 1, his books and videos, free daily inspirational quotes, online courses, and weekly radio show, visit http://www.alancohen.com.