An Anchor? Or a Dead Weight?

Today’s blog entry feels like it’s going to be a metaphor-filled one.  Not a bad thing — I just can’t let go of the nautical visual.

When it comes to living life on your terms, my personal perspective is that having an anchoring belief can serve you really well.  After all, the business of living life really can feel like being on a storm-tossed sea at times.  And knowing that you’ve got a solid anchor keeping you safe — keeping you from drifting too far out — can be reassuring to say the least.  That being said, I’m getting curious about the difference between an anchor and a dead weight.  Both are heavy, both will keep you from drifting, both will prevent you from venturing too far.  The former, however, feels like it serves in some way; the latter, feels like it holds you back, right?  So this has me asking:  are your anchoring thoughts really anchoring?  Or are they holding you back, stopping you from moving forward?

I guess what I’m realizing is that an anchor can actually be both.  Given it’s weight, an anchor can absolutely hold you back, keep you from moving to calmer seas as it were.  In light of this, the important thing isn’t the anchor so much (at least not in this moment); the important thing is being certain that the sea you’re anchored in is actually the sea that you want to be in.  If it’s not — if you’re floating along in a sea of negativity and lack — then it may be time to cut your ties with the anchor that has you stuck.  In the context of life, such an anchor is most likely a limiting belief, a paralyzing thought.  Letting go of this thought or belief is what will allow you to move to another sea altogether — a calmer, bluer, clearer sea.  And once you’ve found a new sea, you can anchor yourself with a new thought.

So I guess this leaves me asking the following questions, both of you and of myself:  what sea are you anchored in?  How’s that working for you?  And if it’s not working the way you want, how willing are  you to release the anchor-turned-dead-weight and find a new anchor?  What I know for sure is that sometimes, you’ve got to let go of  an old anchor before you can sail a new sea.

The Amazing Power of Mantras

I discovered the amazing power of mantras a number of years ago.  Nevertheless, I continue to be amazed by how effectively things can change when one uses a mantra or two.

For those who don’t know, a mantra is a simple phrase that is repeated, with a view to bringing something about, usually a change.  Definitively, the use of mantras typically arises out of some eastern religions, such as Hinduism, and mantras in this context have a prayerful quality.  As I understand it, when one uses a mantra, one is striving to change one’s focus in order to experience something new.

My first really powerful experience of mantra use happened almost a decade ago, when my son (who was just over 3 at the time) had been dealing with asthma for several years.  His diagnosis seemed to come out of nowhere for me, and it troubled me that he had to take puffers and inhalers virtually non-stop.  Then I came across Louise Hay’s book, “You Can Heal Your Life”, a resource designed specifically to support people in effectively changing physical ailments, using mantras as a tool.  What I learned from her book was that childhood asthma arises when a child feels unwanted, unloved.  After dealing with my astonishment and associated mommy-guilt in considering this possibility, I started articulating the corresponding mantra several times each day.  Within a short time frame, my son’s asthma disappeared.  Now, at the age of 10 1/2, he only deals with asthmatic symptoms when he has a nasty cold — once every couple of years, in other words.  Mind-boggling and astonishing, that was my first powerful experience of using a mantra.

Then, yesterday I got hit out of the blue with what felt like a sinus infection.  Let me tell you, it HURT!  I’m not a fan of taking pharmaceuticals, if I can help it.  If I have no recourse, I’ll do it; but I’d rather explore alternatives if I can.  So, I did two things yesterday.  I took a friend up on her offer to send me some healing Reiki energy, and I sought out my Louise Hay book.  Her book stated that sinus problems arise when one is feeling at odds with someone else, someone close.  I couldn’t put my finger on who that might be, but I looked at the mantra anyway which read, “I declare peace and harmony indwell and surround me at all times.  All is well.”  Well, I puttered through my day, and felt the pain getting worse and worse.  Finally, in the late evening I gave in and took a tylenol tablet.  Then I settled down and started reciting the mantra, knowing that the acetaminophen’s effectiveness would only last for 6 hours max.  I went to bed, and awoke around 3 a.m. — the sinus pain was gone, and has stayed GONE ever since.  That’s right, I’m sitting here typing with only the slightest bit of a headache, and no sinus pain whatsoever.  Was it the Reiki?   The mantras?  Both?  My sense is that it was both in combination.   And while the pharmaceutical took the edge off, what I know for sure is that it didn’t get rid of it.

Bottom-line for me is this:  when you can affirm a change verbally with a view to bringing that change into your reality, anyway you look at it, it’s a good thing.  Mantras are a good thing.  That’s all I’ve got to say.

Don’t Just Stand There…

…bust a move…actually, bust a pattern.  It seems as though this is my theme for the week.  Pattern-busting.  And it’s an interesting paradox of challenge and ease all at the same time.  Which, as a person who subscribes to the basic premise that life is meant to be lived with ease, poses some interesting opportunites right off the hop

I know as well as anyone else that you cannot do what you’ve always done and expect to get different results.  It’s just  not a reasonable expectation.  If you want something to be different, you’ve got to take a different approach.  I also know that the if you want to break a pattern you’ve simply got to make up your mind to do so.  I believe this with all my heart: decide to do things differently, and you will do things differently.

What I’m realizing is the importance of the “with all my heart” piece; if you (or I) really want to break a pattern and replace it with a new one, we have to decide that’s what we want, and moreover we have to commit to it fiercely so that when the default patterns get set to do what they’ve always done, our commitment will over-ride the patterning.  In other words, a wishy-washy decision won’t cut it.  It has to be one that is rooted in fierce commitment.

So, what patterns are you looking to change?  Doesn’t matter if they’re big or little, hugely life-altering or moderately life-enhancing.  Whatever the pattern is, how committed are you to changing it?  If your answer is anything less than 100%, you’ve got some explainin’ to do, my friend.  Actually, forget the explainin’ and start explorin’.  What’s stopping  you from being 100% committed?  What fears to do you need to address?  What issues do you need to resolve?  What’s it going to take for you to fully commit to busting whatever pattern you’ve identified as a block to the life you want?

Here’s the other thing I’m playing with.  What if I actually don’t have to figure all that stuff out in order to be 100% committed?  What if I can trick my brain into believing that I’m 100% committed?  I think there’s a way.  It’s called:  using affirmations.  In other words, if I create an affirmation that I recite repeatedly, to the effect that “I am 100% committed to changing x”, my subconscious will believe it.  And then I’ll be able to bust my pattern without wasting time.

Bottom-line:  I am 100% committed to busting patterns that don’t serve me, in a most expedient way.  Starting now.  Will you join me?

Are You Sure That’s What You Want?

I recently acquired a meditation/manifestation CD from a friend.  Truthfully, I’m loving it.  I find that having a person’s voice guide me through a meditation works well for me.  Being the novice meditator that I am, I’m less likely to get distracted when I can follow something specific.

Anyway, right at the outset of the CD, listeners are invited to contemplate what it is they’re wanting in their life.  “What would your ideal situation be?” is the question I am asked, and I know the answer beyond a shadow of a doubt.  The next question is this…wait for it…”If you could have your ideal right now, would you take it?”  At first this question stumped me.  Why the heck are you asking me that?  Of course, I’d take it!  And then I realized that this is really the ultimate question!  Because if your answer is anything other than a resounding, unequivocal “yes”, then it doesn’t matter what the heck you’re trying to bring into your life, it just won’t show up!

So many people I know say that they’re after something specific: wealth, joy, happiness, companionship, peace, balance.  In fact, I’m willing to wager that there’s something you’re striving for right now, some dream that you’d tell me about if I asked.   And yet I have my suspicions that in your heart-of-hearts, although you say they want “x”, if it were given to you right here and now, you actually wouldn’t take it.  Why not?  Well,  I can only guess.  And my guess is that underneath the desire, behind the curtain of longing, there’s an awareness that having this “x” show up would mean that life would be different from what’s familiar.

I can just hear the collective, “Well, duh!”  And I’ve got to say, I’m not trying to be faecitious here.  Instead, I’m pointing to the fact that at a subconscious level, we all love the familiar.  Even when the familiar isn’t exactly enjoyable, it’s predictable and erego comfortable.  To have it change, even for the better, means having to adjust how you  are in the world.  It means having to find a new orientation.  And for some people, that’s just too much work.

So ask yourself, whatever it is you’re aiming for right now, are you willing to adjust your orientation to the world around you in order to have it?  Are you willing to change in whatever way is necessary?  Are you willing to let some people go, be with new people, perhaps change your location?  Because when you’re asked whether or not you’d take your dream on a platter right now, what you’re really being asked is “are you willing to shift your life in accordance with that dream?”  If your answer is yes, great!  And if your answer is anything else, it’s time to stop and get really clear on what you are willing to do.  Bottom-line: until you are willing to say a resounding, crystal-clear yes to your dream, it won’t show up.  I guarantee it.

Need a New Perspective?

Yesterday I wrote about how being on one side of the fence versus the other can really alter your perspective.  Still lovin’ the ideas that get conjured up from that understanding.  Today I feel compelled to write about finding new perspectives.  Because while new perspectives can be useful, you’ve got to know how to get them in order to be able to benefit.

In a nutshell, finding a new perspective is all about mixing things up.  When you’re feeling stuck, bored, unimaginative, or in any way “lack-lustre”, a new perspective – a new way to view things – is really helpful.  Here are a few ways to find one that serves:

-indulge in a pyjama day.  That’s right, get out of your everyday work clothes, and relax — if not in pj’s then in something different from your usual attire.  What you wear can definitely influence your thinking.

-find a new location or position.  If you always sit facing a wall, switch it up and face the window.  If you always work in your office, go work in the boardroom.  If the weather allows, work outdoors.  A change of scenery is sure to kickstart new ideas and insights.

-find a new group of people – or no people at all.  If you’re always surrounded by the same people, you’ll always have the same energy influencing your perspective.  So go visit another department, work in solitude, or migrate to a coffee shop.  New energies can really serve new perspectives.

-change your routine.  If you follow a set agenda everyday, mix it up a little.  Eat lunch earlier, start your day later, begin with a workout, incorporate some dreaming time.

-music.  As in “play some”.  And if music in the background is part of your environment, then play some different music.  It’s a well-known fact that different genres of music affect mental processes differently.  Generally listen to jazz? Try some classical Beethoven.  Big fan of rock?  Try a little bit of country.  Better yet, put in a kids cd and let yourself be a kid again.  A child’s perspective is a great thing!

Bottom-line:  a shift in perspective really does serve everyone well.  Try it.  See what happens.  And let me know.  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Change?

What change are you craving?  How might you BE this change?