Week 10 (2019) … some thoughts on working hard vs struggling

A few years ago I watched The Secret and thought it was a load of rubbish.  It seemed to suggest that all one needed to do was to sit around thinking and wanting something (usually stuff) and it would land in your lap. I’m no doubt being harsh and judgmental about the premise of the program but it went against the values that I was brought up with – you need to work hard to get ahead.  You need to earn success.

I’ve lead a pretty charmed life.  Every twist and turn has allowed me to gain from previous experiences and use them in the next.  And I’m so grateful for that.  But somewhere along the roads traveled, I’ve picked up struggle.  I’m defining struggle as hard work plus frustration plus lack of confidence plus lack of faith in a successful outcome.  Not a good place to be.  And it’s taken some time to realize that struggle is not mandatory.  It is something that I chose.  And I hadn’t realized how much of that particular cement I’d been carrying around.

Over the past few weeks I’ve developed more confidence in myself and more faith in the future, not to mention some optimism and curiosity.  I still believe in the value of hard work.  I just choose not to struggle.

BTW – I still think that the movie version of The Secret is a load of rubbish.  It focuses on only the first of the four habits – a burning desire – and ignores the others: an action plan, positive thoughts, and an alliance.

Week 9 (2019) and thoughts on fairness

Earlier this week I was driving around town (and listening to my movie trailer soundtrack) and I noticed that a truck ahead of me had this printed on the back:

Life isn’t fair … get over it

What an odd thing to have on your business vehicle.  It wasn’t scrawled on — it was professionally painted.  And the truck belonged to a business that I recognized as being one of the largest in the country.

And while I agree that life isn’t always fair,  it’s the ‘get over it’ that truly stumps me as a business motto (or as any type of motto).  Why would anyone embrace that type of cynicism?  That accepting the status quo of any unfair situation is ok?  Is it to absolve yourself of any responsibility of making even the smallest attempt at achieving fairness?

Even days later, I’m still curious about why it’s on the back of the truck.  If the company truly believes it, I feel sorry for them.  Or perhaps it’s part of a marketing campaign – which would be really sad.

Week 8 (2019) and some progress …

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve noticed some changes — one in particular was surprising.

I experienced a financial setback.  Not a huge one, but one that not long ago would have me in a massive pout, waking up in the middle of the night worrying, and also reaching for the chardonnay.  But this time, I didn’t react with much emotion at all – just acceptance and some curiosity about where this was going to lead me next.  It is the curiosity that surprises me because it implies faith in a positive outcome and confidence in my ability to find a solution.  It’s a huge step forward.

This past week I accepted the challenge that Mark issued on not watching TV/netflix/other distractions. Not only am I getting more done; I’m also sleeping better. And I realized that watching TV triggers a snacking/drinking behaviour.  So, it’s had the unexpected benefit of helping with achieving a healthier lifestyle.  Subby working mysteriously?

Have a great week!

Week 7 (2019) and love again …

Little pearls from scroll II are still jumping out at me.

I love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I love the rain for it cleanses my spirit.

I love the light for it shows me the way; yet I love the darkness for it shows me the stars.

I welcome happiness for it enlarges my heart; yet I endure sadness for it opens my soul.

I acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I welcome obstacles for they are my challenge.

To love these things means that I need to be aware of them and to do that, I need to be in the present.  And no matter what happens during my day, I can be grateful for it.  One of my promises on the law of giving and receiving is to be a grateful receiver of the gifts that surround me and certainly discovering the positives in any situation is a gift.

Have a great week!

Week 6 (2019) and love and opinions …

I always like starting a new scroll and even though I’ve read this one before, I’m finding something new.

And most of all I will love myself. For when I do I will zealously inspect all things which enter my body, my mind, my soul, and my heart.

This quote, in particular, spoke to me this week.  I’m still having issues with ‘no opinions’.  I’m much more aware of how opinionated I am and at least that’s a step forward.  But I’m also much more aware of the noise of opinions all around me — news, social media, even friends and family.  Such an over-reliance on opinion over fact (hmmm, in my opinion!)  It’s making me more careful about what I’m allowing into my mind so that I can better protect my subby and allow it to thrive.  I have a better understanding of what my job is as guardian of the gate.

And as a by-product, I’m feeling happier.

Enjoy your week!

 

Week 5 (2019) and surrender and opportunities

Once you’re prepared, truly prepared to carry on for as long as it takes, you’ll quickly find, as all the movers and shakers have before you, that it doesn’t take long at all. Surrender to the path, and go

…. Mike Dooley, Notes from the Universe

I’ve included this quote this week because it really spoke to me and helped me get over the hump.  Just surrender and let go and trust.

So, a couple of things are happening this week  aka manifesting!

I attended a business workshop this week.  I’ve been in the process of growing my business for a couple of years now and initially didn’t think that the speaker could add anything new.  But I decided to let go of my ego and go in with a beginner’s mind (both from my DMP) and quickly saw ways to achieve one of my DMP goals within the time frame.

Another of my DMP goals is to give more talks on my specialist area.  A colleague contacted me about a conference that she was attending and speaking at and later she mentioned that they were still looking for speakers.  Initially, I only considered attending until …. hand slap across forehead …  I realized that this is what I’m looking for!

Lessons learned this week:  sacrifice ego, keep and beginner’s mind, and pay attention to what the Universe is offering!

Have a great week!

Week 4 (2019 ) and more on resistance …

One of the things that I noticed this week is how easy it’s becoming to do the things listed on my chore/service card.  It seems strangely automatic – I have some spare time and it gets done, almost without me thinking about it.

And I really wish the same thing was happening with the activities I list on my POA card – the activities that I put on the list to move my business forward.  It’s now the end of the week and I still haven’t finished it.  There is so much resistance.  I could probably spend a lot of time trying to figure out the why behind this resistance (spoiler: it’s fear) but thinking about the why doesn’t get it done.

What will get through the resistance? I’m going to put the activity in my DMP.  I’m hoping that reading it 3x/day (with enthusiasm!) will get me over this.  I’ll let you know next week.

Have a great week!

Week 3 (2019) – DMP’s and methods

I’ve been writing and revising my DMP for about a year now.  Anytime that it starts to feel a bit false, or at least not entirely true, I know that it’s time to think a bit more about what I really want.  And many times, it’s been hard to be enthusiastic about it when reading it aloud.  And with the lack of enthusiasm comes the inevitable resistance and difficulty in maintaining the habit and keeping the promise that I made to myself.

It was only when reading the last couple of Haanel chapters for the second time around that I finally realized why.  When I was reading my DMP, I was constantly thinking of the ‘how’ – focusing on the method instead of visualizing what I want and trusting the subby/universe/etc to provide the ‘how’.

It is remarkably freeing to let subby do it’s job.  And so much easier to read my DMP with enthusiasm and in fact start living my life with enthusiasm.

Have a great week!

Week 2 (2019) and sacrifice

This week I’ve been thinking a bit about sacrifice, especially as it pertains to my evolving DMP and the message about forming good habits in scroll I.  One of the ongoing questions over the past two weeks has been “What are you willing to do to meet your goals?”  Most of the time this means “What are you willing to give up or change?”

The sacrifice needs to be something meaningful ie something that is holding me back from achieving my goals and becoming the person I aspire to be.  And there are a few things for me to choose from.

But the one thing that is really causing a problem is distraction – especially with using netflicks, etc to distract me from the discomfort of actively engaging in the things that will move me forward (and out of my comfort zone).  However, if I say that I will commit to removing these distractions, I will immediately turn on feelings of deprivation, resentment and resistance.  So how to move forward?

In my experience as a health coach, I use the concept of crowding out instead of eliminate. It invokes the focus on adding in positive activities instead of eliminating bad ones.  It seems that this is only a question of semantics but it’s an attitude tweak that seems to work.

So my commitment this week is to focus on reading more books, especially those that focus on aspects of my business and goals.

 

Week 1 (2019) The Journey Continues …

 

I’m so excited about this start of a new MasterKeys journey!  I completed last year’s journey and it made a huge difference to my life.  Actually, let me rephrase — I didn’t complete my journey.  My journey will always be ongoing.  However, I successfully completed the 6 month MasterKeys course of study.

And I’m starting again.  Why? Because my journey is ongoing – there are many layers of blueprint to peel back.

I know what’s coming and many of the exercises will be easier this time around.  But, I also know there will be resistance – something that I really struggled with last year.  The difference?  I know that I can overcome it.

So …. deep breath and let’s go!