The Root Cause Part Three

Powerful Reframes for Deeper Trust

What creates stuckness is mostly your framing. What creates flow and abundance is also mostly your framing.

Here are some ways to keep oneself in the flow of abundance:

"This challenge is an invitation to be more creative. This challenge is an invitation to surrender and trust life. This challenge is an opportunity to sculpt my character. The correct solution is never to overwork myself. If I'm stressing out about this, I'm not trusting life enough. Life always lets me take a break when I really need one. This challenge is a loving gift. This life is the greatest adventure I could ever wish for. This is a reminder to appreciate the little things in life.  I remember to be happy, to connect, and to love this life no matter what happens financially. Let me appreciate this next step. Let me go for a walk and appreciate the beauty in everything I see. The challenge is real, but resisting it and stressing over it is optional and unnecessary."

"How could this challenge actually be fun? How can I be more playful about this challenge? If I had to go through another financial collapse like the one that just happened, could I still trust life?  If I lost everything financially, could I still live an amazing life and be happy each day? What's more important to me than money? Ah, yes... so many things... relationships, caring, being of service, writing, speaking, meditating, running, kissing, cuddling, intimacy, deep conversations, vegan stuff or a good steak, better friends than I had, looking up at the moonlight, walks in nature in the city gardens, traveling, reading, learning, growing, doing weird experiments, massages, and a gazillion other things. This is a powerful reminder not to fritter away  another year of my life resisting what is."

"Resistance is feckless, futile, 'even for the Borg Collective, Star Trek fans.'  Life never threatens me; it only invites me to grow. Life is trying to steer me away from the false path, which includes helping me avoid the mistake of treating money as a power source. Money is   form of of energy but not a power source! My creativity is! I need to spend some time doing the simpler things I love." 

"If I felt totally in  abundance right now, what would I do in this next moment? This is a just a test to see if I can keep my vibe up no matter what. So I'll do my level best because that will sculpt my character in a good way. If I believe I'm doing my best and still fail, I have nothing to regret about it since I couldn't have done any better, knowing what I knew at the time. All I can do is learn and grow from it. "

"Am I approaching this from the right heartset (appreciation, gratitude, compassion, unconditional love)? Do I need to express some self-compassion right now? Could this be an invitation to ask for help? Which path through this challenge do I expect life to reward? Which path do I expect life to punish? Money is just energy and a tool for my growth.Trying to make more money for its own sake  may be a dead end and never work out, but money seems to flow into my life when I feel tremendous grace, ease, and lightness,  when I'm doing something much more interesting than chasing or clinging to money. "

" How would my best self approach this? Which choice would my future self be proud of? Which choice would disappoint my future self? Where's the trap in this decision that I need to avoid? Where's the tempting partial match that I'm smart enough to dodge? Money flees from neediness and clinging to money, instead it flows to where there is energy flow and it loves my playfulness and generosity and sharing. My only real option here is to trust life. Resisting this experience is a waste of energy and cannot possibly help, so how can I accept this challenge instead? How can I embrace it? How can I appreciate it? How can I love it?"

"Thank you, God's Universe... for everything... seriously. Sorry I doubted you. Where's the path down which  I just want to cry? Which door am I most afraid to open next? Where am I playing this game too small?  How can I stretch a bit more? If I knew this was a dream world, what would I do differently? If I knew this was a simulation, what would I do differently?"

"How am I co-creating this? How did my own thoughts and beliefs get me here? Instead of worrying about what people might do, can I trust the humans to behave like human beings? If I can never hide my true intentions and  everyone sees right through me, can I simply pause, drop my shields, and ask life for some guidance here?"

"What synchronicities  are directing me now and where? Now if the synchronicities have dried up, how do I bring them back? Ah, yes, find and follow the path with a heart. Does this path  even  have a heart? Do we have to stick a heart into an empty chest cavity?  The Universe is always and forever 100% on my side. Which path would I follow if I knew the Universe would back me up 100%? What path do I keep thinking about and resisting? What would I rather focus on than money? If I lived in the Star Trek universe and money were obsolete, how would I live my life? How can I step closer to that today? How can I make someone else's life better today? My own? 

What could I create or share that may brighten someone's day? Or my own? How can I turn one of my toughest challenges into an insightful gift for someone else?"

"Now I don't need to make it complicated if it doesn't need to be. What bigger challenge am I avoiding by wallowing in a scarcity one? I'm 'way more powerful than fear. Fake Energy Appearing Real!" 

 I am far more powerful than anyone's else's  judgment and criticism or efforts to reduce the value and importance of what I choose to do. Let me pause and tune into the signal of inspiration. Where does it want to go next? What's my best intention here? Where is the path with a heart?"

Okay, hopefully you get the idea. Framing abundance of courage works this way too.

When you frame scarcity and scarcity-based challenges as threats, you'll likely waste about half of your energy resisting those imagined threats. When you expend energy like that, every other problem and challenge seems twice as hard.

Have you noticed how draining and demotivating even little tasks seem when you're in scarcity mode? Even tasks that take very little time like paying a bill or having to repeat  and redo what you just half finished  seem like big deals when you're resisting scarcity.

 When you release that resistance and replace it with trust, everything else gets easier because you're not longer expending  so much energy on your shields.

The Root Cause: Part 2

Resisting Your Uniqueness

A third form of scarcity stuckness shows up in people who are often very love aligned. There are lots of artists, musicians, and lightworkers in this group. These are often people who are sensitive, kind, caring, artistic, creative, and typically introverted, but they have a hard time paying their bills. They love and trust many parts of life but have a tendency to retreat towards the spiritual and emotional side. They resist the character sculpting ability of the more grounded and authority-driven side of life. They resist being too different from everyone else, and this is the primary source of their stuckness.

Here's how these people often frame their challenges:

"The world doesn't align with my values. I hate borders. How can I have abundance when others don't? (But you being  poor doesn't help them!) I feel guilty making money. Who am I to teach, sing, write, etc? I'm too sensitive. I can only handle so much of the world before I have to withdraw and be alone. I feel safest in my own private space. I love making music/art, but I can't make enough from it to live on. I get glimpses of abundance but they're not  consistent.The world doesn't value what I'm good at. People don't care. I feel sad for the world. How do you deal with judgment/criticism? Everyone should be vegan and pious. I feel so alone sometimes. I feel like I don't belong on this planet.Why am I even here? Nobody wants to hear what I have to say and I'm not even sure I do either. I'm not good enough, my grandma said I did not deserve (such a nice dinner,  to prevail, to win, to succeed, what-ever). Yeah, but I don't have enough money to do that. Can't you do it for less or make it cheaper 'cuz I'm a musician and don't make much money.  I'll donate to charity when I have more money. I have no idea where to find my tribe, maybe they don't exist. Life can be pretty depressing sometimes."

The general nature of this form of stuckness is a resistance to one's own uniqueness, especially to one's unique values. A common pattern among the people in this group is that they're very sensitive to staying aligned with their values, but they feel the world is constantly violating their values too. They may try to engage with the world, but they always end up retreating.

These people value love, peace, and harmony, and they often feel saddened by the way the world is today. This is a form of resistance. They don't trust the world.

Many have dealt with past abuses of some sort. They wouldn't want to hurt anyone, often because they've been hurt badly themselves, and they may still feel a bit wounded inside. It's hard for them to trust life. So they keep their defenses up to some degree. Other people sense this and usually learn to leave them be. But deep down they still want to have a better relationship with the world or at least some subset of the people within it. They just don't know how.

What they are missing is a full embrace of their own uniqueness. The values that make them feel different are actually an incredible power source, but they don't see it that way. They mistakenly think the world is more powerful than they are, when their path to abundance is actually to push back against the world and powerful inject their values into this reality. They need to learn how to step up to the plate and lead themselves, perhaps lead others. They need to accept life's invitation to boldly go and be truly themselves.

The interesting thing is that when they finally get this and they basically say, " okay, I'm just going to be myself and if the world doesn't like it, tough!" And much to their surprise, they discover that when they finally do this, the world not only retreats from its former stance – it actually backs them up with an avalanche of love and support. The world says, "Finally you're being true to yourself. Finally you're stepping up and leading and creating the way you always wanted to. Finally you're seeing me as a teacher and not a bully!"

What these people don't see is just how much genuine appreciation life will lavish upon them when they begin to cultivate a more trusting and positive relationship with Life.

Your own empathy, compassion, and artist's soul will be some of your greatest gifts when you can finally assume your rightful leadership role in the world. 

Bend the world to your values because your values are good, and the world needs them. Trust that life didn't put you in this situation to slink away and hide. Trust that life put you in this situation to open your heart. Now you just have to see through the illusion of fear, so you can take the next step.

The Root Cause: Part 1

The root cause, of scarcity, is a lack of trust.
A lack of trust actually creates stuckness in scarcity situations.

Resisting This Reality

A common pattern among people who feel stuck in scarcity is a resistance to accepting what they're currently getting from life. They resist financial pressure, debt, and the scarcity experience in general. They resist their own feelings (like the feeling that it's time to quit doing soul-less work) and lean too much on external authorities. They resist following a unique path, mistakenly believe that they need to validate their heart-based paths with money, success, or fame to justify pursuing what they enjoy, as if they have something to prove.

This last one can be especially challenging for creative types like artists and musicians and folks whose creative drive is thwarted, whereby the need for validation leads to stuckness and  releasing this need restores the flow.

When life is resisted, the deflector shields go up, and so much energy that could be used for creativity and growth gets diverted into resisting some aspect of one's present reality.

Regarding financial scarcity alone, here are some of the words and phrases folks use to describe this mindset: stuck, trapped in a hole in a pit, an abyss, in debt up to my eyeballs, sick of it burnt out, bogged down, buried, trapped in a scarcity bubble, tired, exhausted, drained if energy, not enough, worried, pressured, unhealthy, stressful.

These imply a threatening situation and the natural response to a threat is to resist.

I  used similar terns  when I navigated through some tough financial  straits. Then my mindset shifted. Ever since then  I no longer perceive scarcity as a threat.

Resisting Your Feelings

Others perceive scarcity a bit differently, using emotional terms like these: bored, impatient, inconsistent, plateau'd out, uncertain of a better plans, self-sabotage, procrastination, hard to advance, not worth it, know what I need to do but not doing it,  it's hard to maintain,  going through the motions, barely trying, repeated dissatisfaction where something greater is possible, need a different direction, alternatives seem risky, other people think I'm doing fine but something is missing, need more discipline.

What's the pattern here? In this case scarcity isn't perceived so much as a direct threat. It's more of a low level annoying hum in the background that keeps nagging at you.

The people who get stuck in this type of scarcity are often those you might describe as being "stuck in their heads." They're often very practical and grounded people, but what's missing is the fire and passion that adds depth and sparkle to their days. This group is heavily populated with software developers, lawyers, accountants, business persons and other people who do lots of very objective work.

They're often well-paid, and therein lies the trap. They get attached to maintaining their income streams even as their work feels increasingly soulless over time. This isn't to say that all people in these career paths feel stuck; many enjoy their work just fine. But when you are stuck in this type of scarcity, a high income can be worse than a low one, making it harder for many people to transition to something more heart aligned.

They think they've built something that needs to be defending, even though their current castle and keep isn't making them happy.   They have overvalued the objective.

A path out of this form of stuckness is actually through recreation and agenda-free exploration, learning, and growth. It's a way to bypass the deflector shield of this group.

Energy Vampires, Part Four

There are several types of Energy Vampires. Here are specifics on the most prevalent energy vampires. All psychic energy vampires are energy vampires but the converse isn't true.

6. The Drama Queen or King

They thrive on creating problems and exhausting, overcomplicated dramas due to dark underlying emptiness in their lives. 
They love seeking out crises because it gives them a reason to feel victimized...
Thus feel special and be in need for love...
With an exaggerated sense of self-importance and avoidance from life’s real issues, different from the self-entitled jerk. 

The negative emotions that they feed off are addictive
so they constantly are trying to create ever-increasing need for them.
Hint: Don't ever ask them how they are doing! 

As they can't draw energy from tranquility, to protected yourself
you stay calm, take a few deep breaths, refuse to take sides or be involved. Pay attention to the patterns in their behavior and the triggers that make you want to get involved or get sucked into complying as it seems easiest or you'vr been falsely shared into it.
Set  kind, but firm limits. Refuse to indulge in banter; they're trying to negotiate or manipulate you. Create distance and cut them out of your life if possible.

7. The Would-Be Perfectionist

Skeptical, annoying wannabe perfectionist, undermines or questions every activity or person. Basically expects you to justify why you  did/didn't just  say or do whatever it was and to justify  your very existence, seeks to critique your every step mid-stride and  to micromanage you.

To Protect Yourself ...don't try to prove them the contrary. It is potentially a losing battle because they think are always right, even if historically they get everything just wrong.

8. The Judgemental Vampire

They love to pick on other people. They prey on your perceived insecurities to bolster their egos by making you feel small, pathetic or ashamed. The way they treat others is merely a reflection of how they treat themselves due to their severely low self-worth.

To protect yourself, remember that true self-worth must come from within. Refuse to take personally what's being said, refuse to  indulge them or to banter with them as it encourages them and then it just escalates when you go on defensive. Tgey see it as a win, so you'll lose. Keep a balanced head, and try being sweet to them. (That really throws them off balance!) Reduce, or cut off, contact, if possible.

9. The Rageaholic 

They dump their anger on you and spread toxic energy everywhere in their surrounding area. To protect yourself, avoid them, if possible.

10. The Innocent 

They aren't malicious. They are the helpless types of people who may genuinely need help, much like a child or a good friend you want to help but who come to rely on you too much. It’s good that you help those you care about but it’s more important that you encourage them to be self-sufficient. Playing the role of the constant “rock” or support will eventually erode away your energy with little or no energy to support yourself.

To Protect Yourself... 

Love yourself. Gently remind them that you need your own time to yourself and  to do other things. Encourage them to develop their  own inner strength, fortitude and resilience.

If you’re a highly empathetic and caring person, it’s possible that you actively attract energy vampires into your life. If you’re a highly compassionate person who doesn’t know how to set boundaries it very likely that you’re surrounded by energy vampires right now.
They are attracted to you because they unconsciously desire to resolve a deeper problem within their psyches by sharing or spreading the pain and they perceive YOU as their solution to all that.

   

Learn to be a starfish thrower

If you ever feel small and think that your life is just average, here's a simple story to remind us that each one of us has the power to make a difference in life. 

Once upon a time, there was a man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions. 

Off in the distance, the man noticed a small boy approaching.  As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea.  The boy came closer still and the man called out “Good Morning!  May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

The young boy paused, looked up, and replied: “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves. When the sun gets high, they will die unless I throw them back into the water.”

The old man replied: “but there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”

The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said "it made a difference to that one!”

Never let them talk you out of making a difference in Life, no matter how large or small the result may seem. 

Energy Vampires Part 3.5: Know who you are dealing with

"We are all connected; To each other, biologically. To the earth, chemically. To the rest of the universe atomically."
- Neil deGrasse Tyson

Where an energy drain is involuntary and subconscious, Parasite may be a better term than "energy vampire" depending on which one it is of these five kinds of folks. You must deal with them appropriately or you will eventually be subject to a psychic attack.

1. The Paranoid

Betrayal is their main issue.  They do not trust anyone and expect all others to eventually betray them.They will even assist in setting up others for this betrayal in order to prove themselves right. Aggression, as a physical behavior and as energy projection to everyone, is the most common response to the world. They constantly pick fights and must win at any cost. Never argue with this kind of person. Refrain from making eye contact with them. Lower and soften your voice when you speak to them, and change the topic to something pleasant.

2. The Ethereal jerk

Existential terror is their predominant issue. The result is both withdrawal, fear of abandonment and responding with aggression.

3. The Insecure jerk

They usually were abandoned at some time in their life, and fear it will happen again.They feign helplessness. They insist you do things for them which they could do for themselves and they expect you to take care of their every need. Give-and-take circumstances are unknown to them. All they can do is take. They may engage you in long, boring conversations and speak with you softly.They are compulsive and susceptible to addictions of all kinds. Never stand directly in front of these persons. Do not make eye contact, if possible. Encourage them with words, but do not offer to do things for them. 

4. The Passive-Aggressive jerk

Invasion and being controlled is their chief concern. They imprison themselves and project loneliness, desperation, and resentment toward everyone they contact. 
It is impossible for them to express anger. In a conversation, they will request your advice. Unfortunately, all of your suggestions are wrong and so you are of no real help to them. These people ask for but reject whatever is offered to them. Their classic response to your advice is, "yeah, but..." 

5. The dance clubber

Their main issue is authenticity. Their outer world is perfect but the inner world is denied, with no core essence.They are denying their true self, keeping up the appearance of being perfect. They never complain. They want to be and they are perfect and everything is beautiful. Usually they are in charge of running things. They may have high-paying jobs, a good reputation, a perfect spouse and family, and look in perfect health. Others envy their lifestyle. People come to them with their problems.

Energy Vampires, Part Three

As you read through this, you’ll think of at least one person who took the most vulnerable parts of you. Some of you may even think of a handful of emotional terrorists, who helped themselves to your very own sense of self-worth as if trail mix on a nature walk.

You are NOT trail mix.

You are a majestic, creature who should be safe under the Endangered Species Act. There’s no one like you. Protect yourself and all of that inner magic with a mixture of knowledge, self-love, and awareness.

What is an emotional terrorist?

They’re really a savage breed of human, who sometimes lures you in with trust and kindness. They get you to open up and share your energy with them – without any chance of truly sharing in return. They manipulate your fears, insecurities, or even your past traumatic experiences for their own emotional gain. It’s a special breed of narcissist who seems to devour emotional stability for sport.

They leave you feeling empty, drained, or even insecure or victimized. All the while, they may  seem okay– they may even seem empowered.

If you’ve encountered an emotional terrorist, ya know exactly what I’m referring to. It takes a while to recover and rebuild after they’ve done a number on you. It’s important to learn how to protect yourself from these terrorists, psychic vampires,  to avoid attacks in the future.

Just as bush dwelling villagers have learned to protect themselves from predatory beasts, so must you protect yourselves from becoming prey. 

Knowledge is Power

Just recognizing them for what they are and that others like them exist is the first step in protecting yourself. It could have been a friendship or a romantic relationship, but chances are this predator lured you into a trap using trust. I'm not saying to never trust or love again by any means at all; however, I am saying to be cautious when opening up and sharing your energy with others.

Your true, personal energy is so sacred. It’s so precious. Learn to save it and protect it. We look for others for validation and our own worth that we may forget we have everything we need to fiercely love ourselves nestled deeply inside. It’s there, but it can take time to find it. The more power you give yourself, the less power others can take from you.

Practice Self-Love & Mindfulness

The more you love yourself, the less you’ll need that love from others. When you shower yourself with all of the love and attention that you deserve, you’ll find that you rely on others much less often to fill those needs. Practicing mindfulness will help you to keep your own emotions in check and recognize when your vibrations are low or pulled in places you don’t want them to go.

Self-Love and Mindfulness become Knights in shining armor, protecting you from any unwarranted emotional attack. Instead of someone appealing to your fears and insecurities, you’ll only be noticing those who appeal to the traits you’re looking for.

Recognize Your Own Accomplishments

In relationships or friendships, truly take note of what you do well and what you need to work on. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes, and we all have amazing and beautiful strengths. Take an inventory of areas of you that you’re proud of and you know are rock-solid. Give yourself an internal high-five for every single one of these.

Now, also note everything in relationships that you know needs work.  Are you easily made jealous? Do you have unrealistic expectations? Are you a good listener? Are you a user? Have you become a taker? Really ask yourself the tough questions and where you need work.

Many of us enter relationships at a time when we should really be focusing on our own healing instead. Many of us have wounds, unhealed, from past hurts, relationships, or even our childhood. When we enter into a deep relationship and make ourselves vulnerable before those wounds have healed, they’re much more likely to rip back open, fester, or even cause an entirely new injury.

Set Boundaries

Sometimes, we’re forced to deal with toxic people whether we want to or not. It’s vital to set boundaries and avoid falling into their traps. Once they know they can get to you, a narcissist, a vampire, or an emotional terrorist will seek to  trigger you. Set boundaries for yourself and you’ll be protected like the magical, endangered creature you know you are.

What kind of boundaries should you set? That’s entirely up to you; however, at the very least it’s important to stop engaging them in  banter,  the very bad  behavior that triggers their  emotional “feeding session.” They consider negativity and toxic behavior a badge of courage, learned from their own old-world ethnic family. Do not engage in an argument with them. This can be so difficult as the narcissist will often times become even more scornful when you do not seem triggered by their jabs. You must rise above it. And them.

What’s Next?

Remember, knowledge is power. The more you know about yourself, the less power you’re giving to anyone else to affect your own, personal world. Taking the time to identify the emotional terrorists and psychic vampires in your life, build your own self-worth and love, assess your own strengths and weaknesses, and set healthy firm boundaries – you’ll be in a position to not only protect yourself from ever being hurt again so deeply, you’ll also be able to help others rise above the pain.

You’ll start to see how others are so innocently trading their own self-worth for what they think is love, being led astray by the narcissists, psychic vampires and emotional terrorists. 

Can't Buy Me Love

The Beatles weren't the first to say it. But they might have been the first to sing that money can't buy you love. 
It can't buy you time, either. Or health. It can, of course, allow you to afford things or develop situations which create an illusion of all the above. 
Honest, healthy relationships can be priceless. And they are equally available to us all. 
Only you know about the good reason you have to reach for what's in your heart right now. 
So USE your deepest wisdom, highest compassion and your strongest faith and you can achieve the thing that money just can't buy.

Energy Vampires, Part Two

We communicate through more different ways than just words and gestures. Energetic vibration is another channel of communication: thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes which can influence  our lives and others' emotional states. Our relationships are always an exchange of energy. There are positive and negative energy vibrations. The positive energy vibrations spread optimism and brighten one's light wherever a person is. The more you surround yourself with positive people, the more you will attract them and these are the people you gravitate towards.

Their opposites are the folks who seem to drain the energy of you simply by their very presence.They are emotional terrorists, the energy vampires. Some are apparent and obvious, overbearing and obnoxious. They complain, criticize, blame, and argue as though it were a mark of sophistication, a badge of cultural honor or ethnic pride. They undermine every effort with negativity and pessimism. Others are more subtle and artful, maybe even superficially friendly and charming. They pretend to help, perhaps outwardly act supportive, loving, intelligent and gifted, yet something about them eats away at your insides all the same. 

Their life issues may be challenging and so you may want to help them get back on their feet; then years pass as you eventually wear yourself out when they won’t take responsibility for their own lives. The most malignant ones can make you believe you're unworthy and unlovable even as you try to please or appease them. They can make you feel bad about yourself, poking at the tender areas of your self-worth.These emotional terrorists, the energy vampires, come in different styles and  types; yet all of them seek to absorb your energy and your light in order to survive or to satisfy their own egos. On a subtle energy level they try to suck the life force out of you even if you are already drained by circumstances, ailments or life challenges. On a moral level, it is your duty to yourself and to your other loved ones to avoid them, even to walk away.

Energy Vampires

The term energy vampire is a metaphor used to refer to negative people, who intentionally or not, absorb your positive vibrations and leave you feeling stressed, frustrated or worried with no reason.

Why refer these negative people as vampires?
First, like vampires, they are incapable of generating positive energy. Hence they feed off the energy of others.

Second, vampires convert living beings into their kind because they feel lonely living in solitude. Similarly, negative people tend to drag people down into negativity as their Misery loves company.

Energy vampires prey on others because they are in pain. As a result of the pain or insecurity they feel inside, they are addicted to preying on the vitality of others as an attempt to heal their inner suffering. They believe that they must take everything they can get from others...that giving anything will deprive them of essential resources.

They have the sense that the whole world revolves around them. They lack empathy, sensitivity, and emotional maturity. They are almost incapable of seeing things from another person’s perspective.

Life can only originate inside oneself. However, energy vampires have consciously and subconsciously fallen for the false premise that draining others’ energy is easier than generating their own. 

They think it empowers them, but others’ energy is never enough. It never fills them up or sustains them, it never brings them back to life.  Stealing it from anyone else  dis-empowers them every time. They become the undead, addicted to a false sense of power.

They never find lasting peace, yet don’t know how to quit robbing others of life and choose a better path. While it’s easy to feel resentful towards energy vampires, it important to remember that they haven’t developed the capacity to deal with their own issues yet. 

However you aren't responsible for resolving their issues. They are. It’s vital that you learn how to “draw the line” and set boundaries around these types of people. They never find lasting peace, yet don’t know how to quit robbing others of life and choose a better path.

What you believe to be possible will always come to pass

Dare to dream! If you did not have the capability to make your wildest wishes come true, your mind would not have the capacity to conjure such ideas in the first place. There is no limitation on what you can potentially achieve, except for the limitation you choose to impose on your own imagination. What you believe to be possible will always come to pass - to the extent that you deem it possible. It really is as simple as that.”
--- Anthon St. Maarten

One must have the courage to make the choice to face the challenge, take the chance and change the life.

“There are only two kinds of people who can drain your energy: those you love, and those you fear. In both instances it is you who let them in. They did not force their way into your aura, or pry their way into your reality experience.” Anthon St. Maarten

Never consciously engage in conversations with people who drain thy energy,  the so called emotional or energy vampires.

They simply suck out your chi, life force. This leaves you mentally or  emotionally exhausted, irritated, stressed out, never eager but certainly anxious, threatened, overwhelmed or depressed... even feeling almost guilty for having negative thoughts about them. 

It's easy to avoid them... when you know them. However, danger lurks around the corner when it's the people you don't know very well or people you used to know but you've lost contact with in the meantime. Or, the people you ordinarily can't escape from... like your friends and relatives and their families.

Life is precious and can be unpredictably short-lived. Yet many of us find ourselves lifeless and lethargic upon arising, or at day's end, wondering whether we could be living much better lives. In order to correct for this it'll be important to define the people, objects and situations in your life,  identify the thriving ones and effectively deal with the ones that rob you of your energy.

   

First Attempt In Learning

Fear of failure can motivate us to perform far beyond our preconceived limitations. Here are suggestions on how to overcome the fear of failure in order to achieve success.

Failure is a part of the learning process. People in general fail to see setbacks or temporary failures as a part of the learning curve we must learn if we are to achieve success. The inability to get things right the first time we try them out is almost natural, very few people do get things right the first time they try. This doesn’t mean they cannot accomplish any significant thing in life; failing sometimes indicate that there is a learning curve we must master before we’re assured of success. For every failure we encounter, there is a lesson to be learned. Strive to apply the lessons learned on your next attempt. As we learn from our failures, the steeper the learning curve becomes and the more accelerated we move towards achieving success in our endeavors.

Failure is just a phase. Failure is not a single cataclysmic event. A failure carries no degree of permanence. So whenever you experience setbacks in any area of life, think of it as just a phase that will soon pave way for better conditions. See failure as an inclement weather condition, so cheer up, sunny days are just ahead.

Be passionate at what you do. It is often said that motivation is what you need to get any process started, while passion is the energy that fuels you to keep going, and to be persistent despite all odds such as experiencing failures. Whatever you are passionate about, you have a strong drive to make it a success. For example, most inventions were borne out of the desire to make an inventors’ dream a reality. These inventors did not allow the failures they experienced along the way to dissuade them from working towards the actualization of their objectives. Motivation and passion helped them overcome their failures, they can help you too.

Failure does not define you. As long as we are humans we are bound to fail sometimes. This does not mean that we are intrinsically flawed nor does this mean a vicious cycle of failure has begun in our lives. We do not become failures as a person; in fact very successful people often have to deal with certain failures in their lives too. It is how you respond to these little setbacks that will determine how well you overcome failures. Why become depressed due to little failures when you have a chance to revel in the feeling that comes with achieving success?

Focus on the present.  It does a lot good to focus on the reality of the present and be optimistic about the future as well. This helps to prevent our mind from developing negative thoughts about the future. Our minds will be focused on the realities of our present circumstances and will be confident of the future too. If things are well at the moment, we are optimistic that they will be in the future too.T

Think of fear in a positive light. Fear of failure is what prevents us from moving out of our comfort zone and comfort zones are where all dreams go to die. The truth about life is that we feel uncomfortable whenever doing something for the very first time – we become scared of failing. This uncomfortable feeling is a good sign; it is a sign that we are actually making deliberate efforts to change our lives positively. It is in this moment of becoming that success often come our way.

Do not let fear stop you. Research has suggested that we were born with just two fears as a child, fear of falling and fear of loud noises. All other forms of fear were acquired and developed as we grow up to control our behaviors and to keep us safe from dangers. Any negative fear can be eliminated. You can unlearn them and teach yourself that fear of failure does not affect your behavior.

Look in to the future.  Picture yourself without the limiting effects of the fear of failure. If you are assured of success in any endeavor you start out, what is the most important thing you would like to accomplish? Whatever it is, begin today by going to work on it confident that in few years from now when you look back on the processes you started today, you’ll experience a sense of accomplishment.

The reality of life is that we are all susceptible to fear but  fear of failure can motivate us to perform far beyond our preconceived limitations, achieve more of our goals, and strive toward greatness.

Jus' do so...

Instead of letting things slip and continue to weigh you down, get them done and let your actions energize you. The avoidance of effort is just as difficult as effort itself yet avoidance accomplishes nothing positive. Success is not always easy, yet it is for the most part simple. The way to accomplishment is not hidden. It is in plain view. You can see what must be done. Stop fretting. Quit worrying. Don't complain. You know what you need to do. So do it.

A Zensational Morning Prayer

 

We can turn to the sages and wisdom-keepers of our ancestral past to help jog our individual and collective memory on how to to give ourselves the space (and permission) to simply  be alive and attentive to the cosmic dance that is unfolding around us. I trust this prayer is helpful for you  too. 

All we need is the morning. 
As long as there is sunrise, 
then there is the possibility 
that we can face all of our misfortunes, 
celebrate all our blessings, 
and live all our endeavors as human beings. 

Spirituality is something that has become 
necessary in these troubled times. 
Yet it is inherently superfluous. 
We need it to remind ourselves, 
to bolster ourselves, 
to integrate ourselves, 
to fulfill ourselves.

If we could simply acknowledge 
the mystery of night 
and the glory of morning, 
we would need neither civilization nor spirituality. 
At its simplest, life begins with dawn. 
That is blessing enough. 
All else becomes fullness immeasurable. 

At dawn, kneel down and give thanks 
for this wonderful event. 
We may think mornings are so common 
they are unworthy of veneration, 
but do you realize most places in the cosmos 
do not have mornings?
This daily event is our supreme goodness. 

Greet the dawn.
That is your miracle to witness. 
That is the ultimate beauty. 
That is sacredness. 
That is your gift from heaven. 
That is your omen of prophesy. 
That is knowledge that life is not futile. 
That is enlightenment. 
That is your meaning in life.
That is your directive. 
That is your comfort. 
That is the solemnity of duty. 
That is inspiration for compassion. 
That is the light of the ultimate.”

-Deng Ming-Dao

When was the last time you rose early to watch the sun come up? 

Greeting the day with a quiet mind and clear intention is a powerful way to start your day and receive new perspective on any challenge you face.

Your thoughts are real things, create them wisely

If you find yourself in a situation where you want new results in your life (i.e. something other than what you’re currently experiencing), then the first step is to examine your dominant thoughts to see if they’re the right seeds to grow the results you want. The odds are probably better than 95% that if you’re not making progress, then you’re probably thinking the wrong thoughts and need to replace them with new ones. For example, you won’t become a nonsmoker by thinking thoughts like, “Quitting smoking is hard.”

A key concept to understand here is that shifting your thoughts is a conscious and deliberate activity. You don’t just say to yourself, “Ok, I’ll think about my new results. Sounds good, next….” You have to be a lot more proactive than that. You have to set aside an hour or so to be totally alone, sit down with pen and paper, figure out the correct thoughts/seeds you need to be thinking, and then consciously recite those new thoughts with feeling over and over again until they become dominant over the old thoughts. If you’re going to make a big shift in your results, then this is something you’ll need to do every single day.

You might find doing the above exercise hard at first. When you start thinking new thoughts, the most common initial reaction is that you’ll feel a great deal of doubt about them. So if you start thinking about running your own business, your initial images probably won’t seem too attractive. Then you find yourself thinking about quitting your job, the negative reaction you’ll get from coworkers, the office politics you have to deal with on a daily basis, and you suddenly realize you’re back to thinking the wrong thoughts again. That’s normal. But use your imagination to push past the doubt and keep working on it. See that new reality working out beautifully, even if you have no idea how it could possibly work in the real world. In fact don't even dwell on how to bring it about.

It’s going to be sloppy in the beginning, but it will get easier over time. After about 2-3 weeks of this, you’ll start to actually believe in those new thoughts. And that’s when you’ll feel the urge to start taking action. But in the beginning, you’ll still be too full of doubt to act. That’s fine — it’s important to reach the point of belief first. So just be patient with yourself, and let your imagination guide you. Einstein wrote  “Imagination is more important than knowledge."

   

Another Day in Paradise

it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you

                                                     Faith

My faith is strong. I believe that with God all things are possible.

I have comfortable moments in life when it seems so easy to have faith and to be trusting of my world. I may feel more challenged or doubting, however, when efforts and outcomes do not seem to be as smooth-running and predictable.

Yet even when I do not personally see a desired, completed result, I am faithfully aware of God's presence and power. I know that in my guidance, planning, and actions, I am never alone. God is here, with and within me. I remember, acknowledge, and feel this holy presence. My faith in God never wavers. God is present. God is all-knowing. My faith is strong: I believe that with God all things are possible.

"For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."--Matthew 17:20

Snoop Dog explains off-side in hockey

https://youtu.be/pTjopR15Jq0

Moiré from Mr. Moore

Fear and Surprise

We age by our emotional reactions to events

We age not by passage of time but by our emotional reactions to events.

One's body is equipped to maintain health, heal, cure itself of infection and disease, and remain youthful.

Drugs, surgery, and various therapies either stimulate the body's own defense mechanism when  it is deficient and it needs help or to tone it down when it is excessive. 

This elán, vital life force, or adaptation energy, manifests itself in several ways. One way is to adopt one easily recognizable characteristic that all the rapid healers have  in common, a positive sense of purpose. These folks are optimistic, cheerful, positive thinkers who have someone or something  to live for or to stay well for.

When we instead unconsciously expect to get old at a certain age, we set up a negative goal image to accomplish or we may unwittingly do the very things necessary to bring it all about. We all  have seven basic needs: love, security, creative expression, recognition, new experiences, self-esteem, expectation and engagement (or the need for more life).

If you will place yourself in the sort of goal-situation where more life is needed you will receive more life. You establish this need by looking forward to the future with joy and anticipation, expecting to enjoy tomorrow.