The Clarity of Your Thoughts

I recently read something that had such a profound impact on me that I just had to share it with you. So many times we're racing in so many different directions that our minds have gotten used to thinking this way as well. You start thinking about one thing and before you know it, your mind is wandering and you're thinking about something else or ego has stepped in and convinced you that your thought or desire is beyond your reach so you change your course. I never really paid much attention to this other than knowing the craziness of it all certainly didn't feel right.

Well, the other day I was reading a chapter from "A Happy Pocket Full of Money" by David Cameron Gikandi (also our recommended book of the month at Design For Your Success Now) and came across this statement that at first glance made sense, you know on that intellectual level but I didn't necessary feel a strong connection with it. But as I read further, my mind wouldn't let go of it. It was as if my mind was trying to say "Pay attention, you really need to hear this and understand what it means!" The statement simply said, "The clarity of your thoughts and desires determines your success." But it was what Gikandi offered up next to explain how powerful this concept is that truly captured my attention and allowed me to embrace this on a much deeper, meaningful level. He writes:

"Changing your mind all the time "confuses" the universe. Imagine walking into a travel agency and saying "I wish to travel." Then you look at the agent blankly. He or she would be ready to make your reservation, but they cannot until you tell them where you wish to go. Imagine you now say, "Well, I'd like to go to Moscow and Timbuktu, at the same time." Again, the travel agent cannot fulfill that request. Now imagine you say, "OK, then book me to Moscow. No wait, Timbuktu. No wait. Moscow. No wait; I am not sure if I can afford it. No, I can. No maybe I don't wish to go there and travel at all." This is how many people think all day."

I suddenly saw how my thought patterns were in essence, confusing my results and hindering my success. It's no wonder sometimes I felt like I was living in chaos and being pulled in twenty different directions. Imagine the traffic jam you create in the universe when you are not clear in your thoughts and constantly changing what you want. If I just took the time to stop and get clear on my thoughts and desires and then stay focused on them, the journey would be a lot more peaceful and I can truly see the connection that has with success now. When you can align your thoughts and desires with God's purpose, it just starts to flow and when you can continue to stay in that flow, the success just seems to come naturally. The struggles fade away and your dreams and desires become your reality. I'm just now starting to see that transform into my life and it truly is amazing. Take the time to get clear on your deepest desires, stay focused and believe in them and you'll find those very desires becoming your reality as well. God will provide when you know clearly want your desires are, you make those desires known to Him and are ready to receive His abundance. Proverbs 16:3, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."

A Tale of Two Birds

It's funny, sometimes the best lessons in life are found in the most unexpected places. I recently was sitting at the pool when I noticed some birds poking around and looking for any stray crumbs or dropped food. One bird in particular caught my eye because he had found the big prize, a complete french fry! He tried repeatedly to pick it up, would take a few steps only to drop it. Another bird was very aware of the situation and was following him like a hawk ready to swoop in and take full advantage of the situation. The first bird just continued on his way, oblivious to this other bird following so closely behind. He simply focused on the task in front of him, trying to pick up the fry and fly to place where he could eat it in peace. He didn't seem rushed or fearful; he just was being in the moment. Finally, the second bird made his move, swooped in and grabbed the fry right out from under him. I was so caught up in their interaction that I actually sat up and yelled "wait" as the second bird made his move, as if trying to warn the first bird to grab and run. But I learned that is not nature's way; it's our way or rather the ego's way.

What happened next really taught me a valuable lesson. The first bird did not react in any way to what I perceived as an obvious injustice. He just simply moved on. He didn't get stuck, not even for a moment, in the emotion of what had just happened. He continued his journey, continuing to look for another stray fry. It was at that moment that I realized how many times I've allowed myself to get stuck in a moment because of anger, jealousy or any number of emotions that our ego brings forth. To truly be in spirit and focused on purpose, you need to go beyond the roadblocks our emotions can present. We just need to do what that little bird did, accept what is and simply move on. Those two birds will forever be imprinted on my mind and I'm thankful to have been given such a vivid example to help me understand that true success comes when we learn to just "be".

Stillness Speaks

It seems like the message of "being still and silent" keeps showing up in my life so obviously it is a message I need to hear. It's been the primary message in the two books I'm reading right now and the focus of the last two homilies at church. Clearly, God is working on me and wants me to understand and practice the act of being still and silent. It is the one practice that truly allows you to connect to that inner spirit and be present and open to divine guidance. It is a place free of stress and anxiety. Being silent and still allows you to disengage from the constraints of time and space and just simply "be". I'm learning to discover that it is in that place of just "being" that the true essence of who we are can be found and heard.

In being completely still and silent, we disconnect from the endless mind chatter that seems to rule our thoughts every minute of the day and connect with the divine presence that is in each and every one of us. We can go searching everywhere outside for answers but the real answers lie within and we need to recognize that the inner-reflection and space we make to be silent will allow those answers to be heard. The answers don't lie in the past or in the future, they lie right here, right now in the present moment. When we go outside the present moment to seek the answer, we immediately disconnect from that divine presence and allow external thoughts and forces to guide us and it is in that moment that stress and anxiety enter into the process of finding the answer. God just "is"; He is not bounded by a past or a future, He just "is" as stated in Exodus, 3:14, "I AM THAT I AM" and we're reminded again in Revelation 22:13, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." God is purely present and for us to connect with Him, we need to be purely present as well. The act of being purely present lies in the stillness of our hearts and minds as we are reminded again in Psalm 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God." To know God is to be still and listen.

God knows the desires of our heart and is eagerly waiting to lead us to them. "For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also" – Luke 12:34. Our ego will not lead us to that treasure, we have to tap into our inner spirit and that happens when we become still and silent. I am awed by the realization of this and know it is a message worth spreading!

A new view on the “problems” in our life

I just finished the chapter in Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now" that really stretched my thinking and radically shifted my concept of what a "problem" really is. Tolle initially makes a statement that "all problems are the illusions of the mind" which immediately took me aback and actually made me a little angry. My first thoughts where "Why would anyone want to create problems in their life?", "They are anything but an illusion!" and "Aren't problems a natural course of living and it is our role to learn how effectively find a solution"? But as I read further, I really began to understand where he was coming from in making this statement and it really shifted how I view problems now.

Problems simply exist when we are unwilling to take action. We live in indecision and as such are not living in the "NOW". What really helped me best understand this was his analogy about being in a life or death emergency situation. If you've ever been in that situation, you'll understand the concept that you're mind didn't have time to process it as "a problem". Your adrenalin is pumping and you are completely present in that moment. You are not weighing your options, you are taking immediate action. You not allowing past conditioning of your mind to play into your actions at that moment. You are totally aware and present and tapping into your intuitive response to that situation. For example, if a loved one was in a car crash and you had to quickly get them out of that vehicle, you would not sit there and postpone taking action to evaluate your options. You'd be fully present in that moment and immediately do whatever it takes to get that person out of the car. You'd trust that inner voice with complete faith and take immediate action based on its' guidance. I then understand what Tolle was referring to when he said problems exist when we're not willing to take action. "Problems really are just situations that need to be dealt with or accepted", as he puts it. When we add the element of time to that situation, our mind takes that situation and creates it into what we perceive to be "a problem". It means we have decided to not take action on that situation now and allow that situation to survive and take on an identity within our lives. And once we do this, we take on the burdens that come with carrying problems around – guilt, resentment, fear, anxiety just to name a few. I can now see the truth in his statement, "When we you are full of problems, there is no room for anything new to enter, no room for a solution."

While it will take me awhile to fully grasp this concept and consistently apply it in my life, I feel he's provided the seeds that will help nurture that process. I will forever be more aware and present anytime I perceive a problem to exist and try to separate it from the element of time by taking action on it right away.

Change the way you look at things

Wayne Dyer, who is the author of this month's Design For Your Success NOW book recommendation, "This Shift" often says "Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change". The first time I read this statement, it was instantly committed to memory. I remember thinking how odd that was. Typically I have to read something over and over again before it even begins to connect with my memory but my connection to this phrase was so strong that it was immediately memorized and available for instant recall. This phrase so completely resonated with me and as time goes by, I now understand why. Mindset has probably been one of my biggest challenges in starting and growing my business. It's amazing how much we can stand in the way of our own success! You'd think finding clients and figuring out all the paperwork would be the biggest challenge but for me, it was changing a mindset that questioned my abilities to be a designer and run my own business. Rather than focusing on what I needed to do to be successful, I was focused on what I lacked to be successful. I think God knew that phrase would play an important role in changing my mindset and serve as a powerful resource for me when I felt compelled to follow the negative self-talk. And that phrase has done just that. When I feel overwhelmed, stressed or as Wayne Dyer puts it, "moving away from source" I now hear that phrase being whispered ever so quietly in the background of my mind. It's as if God is saying, "Here is the answer but you have to quiet yourself to hear it". And when I do make that choice to quiet myself and listen, that phrase is ever so powerful in changing the situation and allowing me to focus on the good and opportunities before me.

In my ezine article this week, I talk about paying attention to what your self-talk is saying and if what you hear yourself repeating is not supportive and moving you forward in confidence than it's time to "change the way the you look at things". It's the old adage of the glass half full or half empty. We all know this adage well but we often get trapped in a mindset with the glass half empty and don't even realize it. Your thoughts do indeed become your words become your actions! Pay attention to those words or phrases that you randomly repeat in your head because they are creating your mindset. When you approach something that makes you feel anxious or fearful, what thoughts or words immediately come to your mind? Are those thoughts centered on a real threat or are they based on perceived negative outcome? When we're under pressure or not feeling confident, our thoughts and eventually our talk will start with the words "I can't". Replace the words "I can't" with "How can I make this happen" and you will immediately change the way you look at things and the things you look at WILL change as a result.

The next time you find yourself in a situation that is less than desirable, practice "changing the way you look at things". Find the opportunity that exists in that situation because it is always there. I'm not saying there will not be struggles but what I am saying is that when those struggles do arise, whether real or perceived, they will not define you and you will have the confidence and strength to move through them and not let them stand in the way of your success!

The silence between the notes

"It's the silence between the notes that makes the music" – Zen proverb

I'm reading The Design For Your Success NOW book recommendation for this month, "The Shift" by Wayne Dyer, right along with you all. Dyer references this ancient Zen proverb at the very beginning of the book and it really captured my attention. I had to first think about what that proverb really means and then recognized as almost a big "aha" moment the beauty and truth that is contained in such few words. Dyer comments that without the silence to interrupt the sounds, we would have no music. I never thought of music in this light and how that translates to everything we do in life. We need those silent moments to create the music in our lives as well. That music is the purest reflection of our passion. Without those silent moments, our passion cannot be fully expressed. As Dyer writes, "Without the silence to interrupt the sounds – it would be only one long, continuous tone." How many times in our life do we feel like our passion is getting buried and before we know it, our days evolve into one continuous tone of monotony and frustration? We are more or less just going through the motions. Are we talking the time to create that silence and letting that speak to us so we can then create the music? So many times, God will speak to us in those silent moments but we have to be willing to create that silence in our lives and then be open to His guidance and direction. I truly believe that our biggest inspirations and answers come to us not when we're looking for them but when we surrender to being open and letting them flow into our lives. With that openness, we see things in a different light and rather than pushing for something to happen or come to us, we allow it to. There is a big distinction in that that is very powerful and fulfilling. There is as much potential for greatness in the silence as there is in the notes. Embrace that silence and allow it to connect the notes that ultimately will create the fullest expression of your passion which will be music to those around you.

A Cat’s Tale

I was just listening to a talk by motivational speaker Wayne Dyer where he was explaining how our thoughts and our imaginations create our success and happiness. He shared a wonderful parable that really spoke to how success and happiness naturally follow us when we start imagining the life we feel called to live and move confidently towards that. The story begins:

There was a little kitten and an alley cat. They're out in the alley and the little kitten is chasing his tail round and round. The old alley cat comes up to him and says, "What are you doing?" The little kitten replies, "I've just returned from cat philosophy school and I learned two things; that the most important thing in a world for a cat is happiness and that it's located in my tail. And what I'm doing is chasing and chasing my tail and as soon as I get a hold of it, I will have a lock on eternal happiness."

The old alley cat looks at him and says, "You know, I didn't have the same benefits you did. I have been out in the alley always scratching for my food for thirteen years but it's funny, I've learned the same thing you did in school. I've learned that happiness is the most important thing in the world for a cat and indeed that it is located in my tail. "But", he said, "the only difference between you and I is that I've found that if I go about my business and live my life the way I want to, it follows after me where ever I go".

 

How true! We need to stop chasing after success and happiness and realize that when we focus on the life we feel called to lead, they will indeed follow.