Tell me your thoughts about "The Secret"

[Planogirl]

<sniff!> Awww, thanks JodyLyn. What you said really means a lot to me.

Besides hair grows back fast which shows how unimportant it actually is. The real you is eternal.

 

[lisaviolet]

The real you is eternal.

Well said Planogirl. Things, body things/superficial things, bother me less and less. And the thought that seems to come with it all is that I'm so much more than the body, the looks etc. So much more. It certainly hasn't come clear every single day. And of course I have had days like you had Imzadi. But when it does come, the freeing of these issues, it's such an incredibly peaceful feeling.

Lisa

 

[beckmrk04]

Well said Planogirl. Things, body things/superficial things, bother me less and less. And the thought that seems to come with it all is that I'm so much more than the body, the looks etc. So much more. It certainly hasn't come clear every single day. And of course I have had days like you had Imzadi. But when it does come, the freeing of these issues, it's such an incredibly peaceful feeling.

Lisa

Here's my problem in this arena.

I am overweight. I'm not particularly hung up about it most days, I have always figured that I still have friends, an amazing husband, and a beautiful daughter- I can get around without assistance, etc. I'm not on the verge of death by any means. Some days I'm harder on myself than others.

BUT- it isn't healthy. And my eating habits aren't the best, and I want to change them so that my DD has a healthy mom with healthy attitudes/habits concerning food.

And, I know I'm not honoring my body in the present if I don't care for it properly.

But does anyone have any suggestions on how I can incorporate some of these techniques into aplan for making myself healthier? Weight loss would just be the bonus, for me. What I am really concerned about is being healthy and active. Being able to run around the yard with DD without gasping for air would be good.

If anyone has any thoughts/suggestions, please share!

 

[JodyLynC]

Here's my problem in this arena.

I am overweight. I'm not particularly hung up about it most days, I have always figured that I still have friends, an amazing husband, and a beautiful daughter- I can get around without assistance, etc. I'm not on the verge of death by any means. Some days I'm harder on myself than others.

BUT- it isn't healthy. And my eating habits aren't the best, and I want to change them so that my DD has a healthy mom with healthy attitudes/habits concerning food.

And, I know I'm not honoring my body in the present if I don't care for it properly.

But does anyone have any suggestions on how I can incorporate some of these techniques into aplan for making myself healthier? Weight loss would just be the bonus, for me. What I am really concerned about is being healthy and active. Being able to run around the yard with DD without gasping for air would be good.

If anyone has any thoughts/suggestions, please share!

I was not happy with my body, but I have learned that I need to accept it before I can change. I started writing about the parts of my body that I did like in my gratitude journal. I found out that by focusing on what I did like, I was creating a positive energy around my body. Even though I am overweight, I feel more energized. Now, I can't go out an run a marathon, but I am able to take the stairs more frequently and take longer walks.

Another thing is that I decided not to follow any diets or health plans. Instead I decided that I would simply make healthier choices. I find recipes with pictures of yummy looking salads and make them when I can. I try to keep most unhealthy food out of the house.

Diets and eating plans just seem to make me focus on my weight, which for me produces a negative energy. Having healthier options in the house doesn't take much thought. I'm hungry and want a snack so I reach for something lighter. (I'm also going to start prepackaging my own snacks. I have a bad habit of grabbing a box of something then going to town on it. If I break the items down into smaller packages, I won't keep on eating because it is there.)

I work in front of a desk all day long. There is a little walking area outside the building. 3 to 4 times a day while others are taking their smoke break, I take my health break. I will go outside for 10 to 15 minutes and walk. I breathe in deeply and absorb the energy of the plants, trees, and grass around me. As I breathe out, I send my positive energy back into the nature around me. This is an amazing way to relieve mental and physical stress. And I am getting exercize.

I am also working on my vision board. I found a picture of a real size woman (not too big, not too skinny) whose figure I like. I have cut out just the torso so I can envision it as my preferred body. We'll see if that works.

I hope I have given you some good things to think about.

 

[JodyLynC]

Wow, I love how this thread is going. I wanted to share my experience of The Secret with you guys. I bought the dvd about a year ago.......and never watched it until maybe 4 months ago. I've always tried to live positively but until I watched the movie, I didn't really have a direction. Sounds weird I know. It's been interesting how everyone sees me b/c I am seeing myself differently. Even dh has been asking, why I'm so happy when he gets on the phone with me. Dh has been deployed for the past 11 months, but we like to find something that we can do together and discuss it on the phone, like read a book or watch a movie. I had been telling him about the Secret, and he bought it and watched it. He started telling me about it and I finally sat down and watched it. For over a year since I've had the movie, I had always told myself I didn't have time. Well, after I talked to dh after I he watched the movie, I told myself that I had time and I was going to watch it that following weekend. That weekend, my parents asked to take dd's for the weekend. I sat down, watched it, took notes and started a gratitude journal.

It's amazing what has happened since then. In terms of career wise, I finally the job that I've been wanting since I graduated college. I had been applying with this employer off and on (more on) for the past 7 years. At one point I was even sent a letter that said that I wasn't qualified for an entry level admin position with this employer. Well, I start on monday!!! Dh got his promotion last month. He's also coming home a couple of days earlier than he expected from his deployment. That's the day that I was counting down to so it wasn't a surprise to me

Now I'd like to read a New Earth and some Wayne Dyer books.

I loaned it to two coworkers, one has really into it and we discuss it a lot. The other told me that she "researched" it through wikipedia and didn't believe it in and that it was too simplistic. I started to email her about her "research" but my other coworker was talking about it and we didn't want to deal with the other ones negativity.

I believe that you have to be ready in order to understand the message. I read one of Deepak Chopra's books years ago and thought it was okay. Years later I (accidentally) reread the same book and it spoke to me. I have since discovered Wayne Dyer, Sarah Ban Breathnach, and other amazing authors that are giving me a message that I am now ready to hear.

Eckhart Tolle told Oprah that some people will not be open to his message because they aren't ready to hear it. I can understand that. Some people will be close minded about certain things that go against their upbringing or beliefs. Some people are so afraid of change that they cannot be open to the amazing messages that are out there.

I wouldn't push the one co-worker. Let him/her be a witness to your transformation. That is how I am working with my husband. I don't offer any of my experiences and discoveries. He is watching my transformation. When he comments on it, I tell him briefly what I am reading, watching, studying, doing. He is curious, but not open so I let it be. Maybe one day he will get to the point where he wants to know more. When that happens, I will give him all the information he needs to start him on his own journey.

 

[lisaviolet]

Here's my problem in this arena.

I am overweight. I'm not particularly hung up about it most days, I have always figured that I still have friends, an amazing husband, and a beautiful daughter- I can get around without assistance, etc. I'm not on the verge of death by any means. Some days I'm harder on myself than others.

BUT- it isn't healthy. And my eating habits aren't the best, and I want to change them so that my DD has a healthy mom with healthy attitudes/habits concerning food.

And, I know I'm not honoring my body in the present if I don't care for it properly.

But does anyone have any suggestions on how I can incorporate some of these techniques into aplan for making myself healthier? Weight loss would just be the bonus, for me. What I am really concerned about is being healthy and active. Being able to run around the yard with DD without gasping for air would be good.

If anyone has any thoughts/suggestions, please share!

I'm certainly no expert. Nope.

For me, the release that I noted came because I needed to hash through some "negative" events of my past - abuse - that produced negative body issues. It happened naturally with this hard work and process. It's the reason I go on and off this thread. I don't want to bring it down because I have differing opinions. But I do believe in facing things head on, having first and then releasing negative feelings. Having first being the key for me. It's given me so many gifts. I've experienced loveliness from not simply thinking positive about negative serious issues. I truly believe in positivity. But not at the expense of pushing down anything that needs to be faced. No matter how positive one is it comes up somehow, somewhere.

Okay, shutting up now.

I think you're bang on anyway. You want to strive to be healthy. Me too. I am comfortable where I am right now. Does that mean I don't want more? Nope. I do. But from a very young age I never understood people who lost weight and hated their former self. To me that's the "person" that needs compassion, love and acceptance and then the want to change if that's what wants.

Well you asked so I do do something that I've carried on with for years. In the shower I thank my legs, love my legs, touch my arms say thank you for this and that. Caress my entire body head to toes and thank it. Really focusing on parts that I have been so hard on in my youth. I thought it was the most ridiculous thing at the time all those years ago. I judged it immensely. Yet somehow I did it over and over despite my judgmental attitude with the process. And now I wonder if this has organically produced, part of the success at least, the peacefulness that I feel. I have done it for way over ten years non-stop. Just like brushing one's teeth at this point.

All the best to you,

Lisa

 

[Imzadi]

Waaaa! <sniff!> You gals are the greatest! I have to admit, if a bad haircut is the worst thing that happened that put me in such a funk for 2 days, that the wheels on my bus stopped turning, I have a pretty incredible life at the moment. Thanks for giving me a smack along side my too short, uneven, sides not matching hairdo.

The thing was, I DID manifest what I asked for. I think that was what I was mostly in a funk about. I had just bought a whole bunch of stuff at Kohls' 30% off sale. That money was saved for what is usually my most expensive splurge, a great haircut. I don't go very often. I absolutely adore normal stylist. She's actually one of their top stylists. I got her quite by accident, or "coincidence," and she's worth every penny of the NYC, posh salon price of $150. Since I only go about every 4-5 months, (I had long hair up until last week, ) it really evens out to about the same as someone with shorter hair who goes more often to someone cheaper.

But, I spent the majority of my allotted (frivolous/spurge) money at Kohls instead. So I kept affirming: "I'm not spending $150 on a haircut," and got a cut with a very junior assistant.

Well, I see in hindsight, that the situation got created all from that one dis-affirmation of lack & scarcity. Since I freelance different jobs, I should have affirmed that I can easily afford my usual stylist and waited. It actually would have been better all around in the Universe, which the part I didn't affirm. I would have gotten a great haircut, she would have made $150, and someone would have gotten $150 of work out of me at a fabulous job, that I really wasn't ever oppose to working. In fact, now that I have the bad cut, job offers are coming in to prove it. So it wasn't like I was ever in lack. Only in my mind.

 

[Imzadi]

I do have a question though....
Like I said I am trying to remain positive and feeling good (btw, I love that song!), my problem is with my kids. They are always mad at something and being negative towards anyone they speak to. How do I get them to open to trying to being more positive??? Sometimes they will try to argue and I swear they enjoy that!

I have said here quite a few times that in my opinion, "positive thinking alone" is not enough. If we could simply think happy, positive thoughts all the time, and that was enough to solve all our problems, we'd have done it already. We wouldn't need so many other skills & tools.

Tony (Anthony) Robbins, who most people think of as the most famous "positive thinking" coach, says the same thing. Actually, he's where I got the belief from. Tony says all the time that, "You can't simply go around thinking, 'There's no weeds, there's no weeds.' The weeds will come & take over your whole garden. You need tools, skills and techniques to change things."

Thought patterns and emotional patterns become habits that people fall into without realizing it. There are about 19 different emotions, but in an average day, most people only experience about 5 of them. That also becomes their comfort zone. Some emotions even become addicting.

You know someone who is angry all the time. No matter what you say, what the situation is, they immediately find some reason to become angry. Someone else is a drama queen or loves to create chaos all around them. It's a nightmare for everyone else who doesn't want to be in such volatile situations all the time, but these people actually feel "alive" when they are in the midst of a crisis.

That's their addiction. They generally don't know how to be in other emotional states where they can feel equally alive, so they keep going back to creating & having dramas. They don't realize they can feel equally alive by winning and accomplishing something meaningful. Or they lack the resources & techniques to do it. (Which is why positive thinking alone is not enough.) But they are pros at destroying and creating havoc.

Sounds, like your kids have fallen into a "negative" pattern. You didn't mention how old your kids are. Nowadays, for kids, being snarky & negative is a cool thing to be. To not care about stuff. Some of the time it is used as a defensive mechanism at school. If another kid knows they care about something & they can break it or ridicule them for it, they have power. So kids learn to shrug & pretend not to care, or to speak negatively about stuff, so they aren't seen as vulnerable. They may also learned to attack first, so they have the upper hand and take power from another. (That is a control drama, discussed as Insight 4 in The Celestine Prophecy.)

The problem is when it becomes a habit to think that way. Thinking positively may be a muscle not used very much by your kids - at the moment.

Thinking "negatively" is not all bad, there are good traits. The good side of arguing is, if your children enjoy arguing, I see potential Debate Club winners in high school, if their arguing/debate skills are honed right. Some members on the DIS would love to have the Debate Forum reopened. The Mods say the problem is, they don't really debate, they annihilate each other.

If your kids are the right age, start teaching them the difference of arguing a topic, as opposed to putting down each other. It's good to raise children to analyse, speak up, have their own formed opinions and not just docilely follow the crowd like sheep.

"Negativity" used as critique and problem-solving is a good resource to have. Walt Disney in creating the Imaginarium think tank, had a room for his team to create all the ideas & dreams possible, and a separate room for critical analysis & problem solving of those ideas. Challenge the kids to problem solve instead of argue. It will be one of the most valuable tools you can teach them. We live in a society of "learned helplessness" where people who are fully capable of doing things, fall into a helpless, victim mindset, and complain or blame, instead of figuring things out.

To get them to think more positively, you first have to interrupt the pattern as they go right into that negative thought pattern or are already in one. Catch them and stop them. I can't stress Pattern Interrupts enough. It's harder to change things when the train is already barrelling down the tracks full speed.

Pattern interrupts happen all the time. We just don't realize it. When a toddler falls but doesn't get hurt, there is a split second where he doesn't know whether to cry or just be surprised. If you grab his attention in that moment and divert it, you stop him from automatically going into unnecessary crying mode. Same with taking a toy or item from a child and diverting his attention before it turns into a screaming fit.

If one of your kids yelled from the other room right now, "Hey, what's all those bubbles coming out of the washing machine?!?" That would be a pattern interrupt as you stop what you are currently doing to focus on that. Same for if you heard the dog got out of the yard. Or if your boss walks in and says, "Where's that blue form for the project?"

Sometimes you see a nosy relative making a bee line toward you at holiday dinner, and you know she's going to start asking personal, inappropriate questions. You interrupt her before she even starts in, by complimenting her on her hat, asking her about everyone else, then make an excuse to talk to a cousin before she asks about you.

You know when your kids or spouse interrupt their own pattern, when they are suddenly all smiles, complimenting you, doing things for you, and you become all suspicious, because they don't normally behave that way. What do they want? What have they done that they are diverting you from, trying to butter you up & put you in a good mood for?

Pleasant pattern interrupts are if the same boss walks in and gives you a $5 raise because that blue form saved the day! Someone gives you a compliment, when you were having a bad day. Someone gives you a gift. Publisher's Clearing House is standing at your door with a check.

Catastrophic pattern interrupts are debilitating illness, divorce, being fired.

Use a positive pattern interrupt to stop the negative pattern. Then Challenge them to think differently. Make it a game. Make it fun for them to out think each other in fun positive ways. Part of arguing is the feeling of winning & topping each other. Make it a game to catch themselves or each other (without shaming,) when they have a negative thought, and to turn it around by coming up with 3 positive thoughts, or 3 things that would solve their problem. They will barely come up with one at first, but the point is to teach them there is more out there than what they are currently thinking.

Expect resistance at first. But persist. Remember, this is an under used muscle. Their brains are not going to want to get off the couch to do this. They'd rather go back to their well used, comfortable patterns. As you challenge your kids, it will help you too, to flex that positive, problem solving muscle. You have to lead them and then to stay up with them.

Have a prize or reward that they will want at the end of a day, for the one with the most positive ideas. Make it a valuable game for them to play. It doesn't have to be money. Maybe they get to pick dessert, or to have their favorite meal on Friday nite. Soon it will become a way of life, to think that way.

 

[Disneynutbsv]

I have said here quite a few times that in my opinion, "positive thinking alone" is not enough. If we could simply think happy, positive thoughts all the time, and that was enough to solve all our problems, we'd have done it already. We wouldn't need so many other skills & tools.

Tony (Anthony) Robbins, who most people think of as the most famous "positive thinking" coach, says the same thing. Actually, he's where I got the belief from. (I will be staffing Tony's NJ/NY Unleash the Power Within event next weekend. This is my 12th year staffing his live events, around the country, on & off. So you guys/gals are probably going to read a lot of examples & processes in the next several days from me, as I'm back in the Tony mindset for a while.

Tony says all the time that, "You can't simply go around thinking, 'There's no weeds, there's no weeds.' The weeds will come & take over your whole garden. You need tools, skills and techniques to change things."

Thought patterns and emotional patterns become habits that people fall into without realizing it. There are about 19 different emotions, but in an average day, most people only experience about 5 of them. That also becomes their comfort zone. Some emotions even become addicting.

You know someone who is angry all the time. No matter what you say, what the situation is, they immediately find some reason to become angry. Someone else is a drama queen or loves to create chaos all around them. It's a nightmare for everyone else who doesn't want to be in such volatile situations all the time, but these people actually feel "alive" when they are in the midst of a crisis.

That's their addiction. They generally don't know how to be in other emotional states where they can feel equally alive, so they keep going back to creating & having dramas. They don't realize they can feel equally alive by winning and accomplishing something meaningful. Or they lack the resources & techniques to do it. (Which is why positive thinking alone is not enough.) But they are pros at destroying and creating havoc.

Sounds, like your kids have fallen into a "negative" pattern. You didn't mention how old your kids are. Nowadays, for kids, being snarky & negative is a cool thing to be. To not care about stuff. Some of the time it is used as a defensive mechanism at school. If another kid knows they care about something & they can break it or ridicule them for it, they have power. So kids learn to shrug & pretend not to care, or to speak negatively about stuff, so they aren't seen as vulnerable. They may also learned to attack first, so they have the upper hand and take power from another. (That is a control drama, discussed as Insight 4 in The Celestine Prophecy.)

The problem is when it becomes a habit to think that way. Thinking positively may be a muscle not used very much by your kids - at the moment.

Thinking "negatively" is not all bad, there are good traits. The good side of arguing is, if your children enjoy arguing, I see potential Debate Club winners in high school, if their arguing/debate skills are honed right. Some members on the DIS would love to have the Debate Forum reopened. The Mods say the problem is, they don't really debate, they annihilate each other.

If your kids are the right age, start teaching them the difference of arguing a topic, as opposed to putting down each other. It's good to raise children to analyse, speak up, have their own formed opinions and not just docilely follow the crowd like sheep.

"Negativity" used as critique and problem-solving is a good resource to have. Walt Disney in creating the Imaginarium think tank, had a room for his team to create all the ideas & dreams possible, and a separate room for critical analysis & problem solving of those ideas. Challenge the kids to problem solve instead of argue. It will be one of the most valuable tools you can teach them. We live in a society of "learned helplessness" where people who are fully capable of doing things, fall into a helpless, victim mindset, and complain or blame, instead of figuring things out.

To get them to think more positively, you first have to interrupt the pattern as they go right into that negative thought pattern or are already in one. Catch them and stop them. I can't stress Pattern Interrupts enough. It's harder to change things when the train is already barrelling down the tracks full speed.

Pattern interrupts happen all the time. We just don't realize it. When a toddler falls but doesn't get hurt, there is a split second where he doesn't know whether to cry or just be surprised. If you grab his attention in that moment and divert it, you stop him from automatically going into unnecessary crying mode. Same with taking a toy or item from a child and diverting his attention before it turns into a screaming fit.

If one of your kids yelled from the other room right now, "Hey, what's all those bubbles coming out of the washing machine?!?" That would be a pattern interrupt as you stop what you are currently doing to focus on that. Same for if you heard the dog got out of the yard. Or if your boss walks in and says, "Where's that blue form for the project?"

Sometimes you see a nosy relative making a bee line toward you at holiday dinner, and you know she's going to start asking personal, inappropriate questions. You interrupt her before she even starts in, by complimenting her on her hat, asking her about everyone else, then make an excuse to talk to a cousin before she asks about you.

You know when your kids or spouse interrupt their own pattern, when they are suddenly all smiles, complimenting you, doing things for you, and you become all suspicious, because they don't normally behave that way. What do they want? What have they done that they are diverting you from, trying to butter you up & put you in a good mood for?

Pleasant pattern interrupts are if the same boss walks in and gives you a $5 raise because that blue form saved the day! Someone gives you a compliment, when you were having a bad day. Someone gives you a gift. Publisher's Clearing House is standing at your door with a check.

Catastrophic pattern interrupts are debilitating illness, divorce, being fired.

Use a positive pattern interrupt to stop the negative pattern. Then Challenge them to think differently. Make it a game. Make it fun for them to out think each other in fun positive ways. Part of arguing is the feeling of winning & topping each other. Make it a game to catch themselves or each other (without shaming,) when they have a negative thought, and to turn it around by coming up with 3 positive thoughts, or 3 things that would solve their problem. They will barely come up with one at first, but the point is to teach them there is more out there than what they are currently thinking.

When I'm in the Tony Robbins staff room at an event, I have long since learned, not to say anything negative, whiny or complaining, unless I'm prepared to have someone in listening distance, in a supportive way, interrupt my pattern & challenge my thinking. In the early days, (and even now,) sometimes it feels better to have a whiny, victimy, hissy fit. But it doesn't accomplish anything. Wrong crowd. Sometimes, they will even let me have my hissy fit, THEN I have to come up with 3-5 ideas to solve the problem. If I can't come up with any, they and 3 other people, who have now come in on the fun challenge, will easily rattle off ideas, or start brainstorming & working off each others ideas. Whereas, I was more committed to expending energy on a hissy fit. For us, it's about making each other aware when we have a less than empowering moment and we have choices of how to proceed. We supportively hold each other accountable to a higher standard.

It also makes us see, okay, we had a hissy fit, when we could just as easily have come up with 3-5 ideas. It's about deciding which muscle we want to flex.

Expect resistance at first. But persist. Remember, this is an under used muscle. Their brains are not going to want to get off the couch to do this. They'd rather go back to their well used, comfortable patterns. As you challenge your kids, it will help you too, to flex that positive, problem solving muscle. You have to lead them and then to stay up with them.

Have a prize or reward that they will want at the end of a day, for the one with the most positive ideas. Make it a valuable game for them to play. It doesn't have to be money. Maybe they get to pick dessert, or to have their favorite meal on Friday nite. Soon it will become a way of life, to think that way.

Wow! Thanks for all the insight! I am copying and pasting this entire post so that I can keep and re-read, I truly appreciate you taking the time to answer

P.S. rotfl, apparently this post reached its max of smilies, I had to take one away before it would post it!

 

[beckmrk04]

Imzadi- I'm glad you're back! I need your little pep talks now and again. This past week I have found myself in a very negative pattern. It was like I had lost everything I have learned and didn't know how to get it back. I was aggravated at work, and it spilled over into my life outside of work. I was perpetually irritated. And worse- I *knew* I was irritable, and I was irritated for being irritable. I found myself crabbing with coworkers about this and that, which made it worse. UGH!

But, it's a new day, new week. I'm feeling re-energized and re-positivized (that is so a word ). And IMO- expensive hair cuts are SO worth it. But, I guess you know that! I can't imagine paying $150, but I don't live in NYC either. I pay $40 + tip, and around here that is kind of high. But, I love my stylist and I love my haircuts. Some things are just worth it. Me included.

Jody- I think we have similar ideas about our bodies. I, too, have accepted my body. I really never have been one to "hate" my body. It is what it is. It is certainly what I have manifested, through my actions (or INactions) of being a couch potato, eating too much junk food, drinking soda all day. I have no illusions about *why* my body is fat. And, long ago- when I was in high school, really- Istarted looking in the mirror and listing ALL the things my body can do. My body gets me where I need to go. My body can walk for miles. My body is attractive to my husband. My body grew a beautiful little girl! My body can pick that little girl up to hold her, and kiss and hug her. (See how that helps? It has never changed the fact that I am overweight, but I don't *hate* my body like some people do).

But, I'd like to manifest a healthier body, one that can run around the yard with my little girl without gasping for breath; a body that can take a long hike without feeling awful; a body that can handle a day in DISNEY WORLD effortlessly (or, well- close to it! ).

I like your idea of heading outside for breaks. I get two 10 minute breaks during the day, but I rarely use either. I am going to start this week.

I also think I am going to find a body for my vision board.

Since my husband is home in the evening, most nights we have been walking about a mile. It's a start! I have also been combing through my (many) cookbooks and looking for healthy meal ideas. We rely on fast food and convenience food too much, and I have wanted to change that, so I am going to take action! I have decided to start planning 2 weeks of meals at a time.

 

[Imzadi]

It's PBS-TV pledge drive season here in the NJ/NY area. Wayne Dyer's The Power of Intention is on right now on NJN-TV. Usually WNET, Channel 13, here in NYC, has their pledge drive within weeks of each other. Dyer's shows & Suze Orman's shows air a few times during the drives. It would be a good time to tape them to have to watch over & over, along with the rest of your growing library.


OMG, Wayne Dyer just cracked a joke:
He said, "If you call my cellphone, this is the message you will receive, 'Hi, you have reached Wayne Dyer. My intention is to feel good. If you have called for any other reason than to do that, you have definitely dialed the wrong number. You should call Dr. Phil instead.'"

 

[JodyLynC]

I am so, so incredibly happy that I found my church!!

I posted last Sunday that I attended meditation and services at the Columbus Center for Spiritual Learning. It was wonderful!! I went back again today. I love it so!!!

We started out with a 20 minute lead meditation. The theme was celebrating the wonderful day, being grateful for the sun, the sky, the earth; feeling a oneness with those around us, human and nature. It was lovely and filled me with such gratitude!!

There is a 10 minute break then the actual services start. The opening prayer was one of gratitude. Then we have a few minutes of introduction where everyone gets up and walks around the room and introduces themselves. (I try to open my heart, give a geniune smile, and pour complete love into my introduction. I am amazed by the warmth and love that pours back into me.) Today, a guest singer played her guitar and sang a song she had written about watching two clouds cross the sky and being at one with the sky, the wind, the earth. Reverend Molly then spoke. Her theme was being; being whole, being connected, being present, etc. In doing so, we see and understand the messages that the Universe sends us.

After Reverend Molly's message the children who have been in their own services return and tell us what they learned. Today, they made an imprint of their hands and discussed how alike, but how different each person's hand was. They talked about how important it is to be yourself and enjoy your differences, and that in some ways we are all the same. I wished I had brought my girls along!!

Reverend Molly then led us into the closing prayer in which she had us focus on an intention for a few moments. We then released our intention into the universe. She closed with these words. "Wherever you are in your spiritual journey, we are here to support and love you." I didn't cry then not yet. I greeted her on the way out. She hugged me warmly then clasped my hands. I began to cry and told her "Thank you. I have been looking so long for a place." I wanted to say more, but I was crying in earnest. She nodded, squeezed my hands tighter and said "Tears are good." Neither of us needed to say more. She knew what I meant. I knew what she meant. (I am crying again as I write this.)

I am so filled with love and gratitude right now!! I am so grateful to you all out there on this thread! I feel like I am on the right path now. I feel so good right now!! I never thought I would ever go to church again or find a place where I could be myself spiritually. Now I have two places: my spiritual center and this thread!!

 

[JodyLynC]

It's PBS-TV pledge drive season here in the NJ/NY area. Wayne Dyer's The Power of Intention is on right now on NJN-TV. Usually WNET, Channel 13, here in NYC, has their pledge drive within weeks of each other. Dyer's shows & Suze Orman's shows air a few times during the drives. It would be a good time to tape them to have to watch over & over, along with the rest of your growing library.


OMG, Wayne Dyer just cracked a joke:
He said, "If you call my cellphone, this is the message you will receive, 'Hi, you have reached Wayne Dyer. My intention is to feel good. If you have called for any other reason than to do that, you have definitely dialed the wrong number. You should call Dr. Phil instead.'"

Our PBS station is showing those two shows as well this weekend. I've seen both before, and have them on tape. I love that joke!!

I just signed up to see Wayne Dyer in October. He is going to be in Michigan. Our spiritual center has a group going up together on a bus. I'm so excited!!

 

[Imzadi]

Wow! JodyLyn, just WOW!!!
I am soooo happy for you. I am all teary-eyed for you. There have been a few times where I felt I had come home (on a spiritual level,) and the people around me knew me, accepted me and welcomed me home. There was nothing to say, and yes, a lot of crying, at the release & recognition of being HOME!


I'd love to see Wayne Dyer in person.

 

[Planogirl]

Work is causing me grief too even though I'm teaching myself to deal with it. I realize that only I can allow them to make me feel bad but it's a tough thing to control. A little at a time...

I'm gradually visualizing the next job. I'm working on what it is I expect and then I'll go into actually preparing for that job. I liked the idea of cleaning out my desk at my current job, preparing a new wardrobe and so on. I'm just slow.

Imzadi, I'm glad you're back too!!! You add so much to this thread. But then others do too. It's a nice place.

 

[Imzadi]

Backtracking a little. This thread moves fast! Sometimes someone jogs a reminder, "Oh, yeah, I wanted to say something about that post.

One question I have -and maybe this just went over my head and someone here can help me understand- Mr Tolle doesn't seem to favor visualing things.

I'm glad Becky was able to define what Tolle really meant. I also wanted to point out, that just like with this thread, cut & piece different techniques that work for you, and discard the parts of the "advice" that don't. Everyone's on a separate journey.

When I used to go take classes at the holistic learning center here, I took one class on meditation & chanting. They had us sit with our legs crossed, close our eyes, empty our minds and hum or intone the word/sound Om or Aum. It is a mystical or sacred syllable in the Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religions. It is THE most important sound in Hinduism. It is believed to be the basic sound of the world and to contain all other sounds. It is a mantra or prayer in itself. If repeated with the correct intonation, it can resonate throughout the body so that the sound penetrates to the centre of one's being.

I didn't know at the time how much of a visual person I am. In fact, I am hyper-visual, I'm talking Steven Spielberg hyper-visual. Now if you give me a Speilberg film, with super special effects, teaching me I am connected to other beings & powers in the Universe, I'm there! Oh, wait... he already made films like that: E.T. & Close Encounters.

But I sat in the room full of people Omming and after 20 minutes, I was like -->

. Meanwhile, people sitting next to me would feel so peaceful, calm, centered, open & connected to the Universe & God. This technique may work for millions of people and various religions, it just doesn't resonate with me. And no, doing it longer didn't help.

Instead, sit me on a mountain top, in silence, at these places I keep being drawn to over & over, where I can SEE the grandeur of the Grand Canyon, Sedona, AZ, or Monument Valley, AZ, and I am as peaceful and as connected to God as any of those people Omming. For me, I see the sun & shadows dancing & moving on God's creation and I am awed. When I hear the quiet wind blowing through the forests and canyons, I hear the whisper of God in the trees. When I see a hawk circling & soaring high above, I am witnessing one of God's miracles.

Instead of an "emptying of the mind meditation," I do Julia Cameron's "Morning pages" exercise. She refers to it as "Brain drain." In the act of busily writing our thoughts, whines and complaints down to get them out of us, (emptying us,) the positive ideas, creative impulses, intuitions & thoughts & feelings spring forward. We didn't even know we were thinking them. They come forth and crystalize into wholeness. After 3 full pages of quick, stream of conciousness writing, there is a freedom & feeling of centeredness & peace.

Piece together what works for YOU.

Hi all! I'm now on page 10 and just wanted to say that you all
Inspire me!

I can't wait till you get up to my story about being a cake decorator. I'm sure sure it was inspired by you gals on the cake decorating thread. I love seeing the cakes you gals do.

And IMO- expensive hair cuts are SO worth it. But, I guess you know that! I can't imagine paying $150, but I don't live in NYC either. I pay $40 + tip, and around here that is kind of high. But, I love my stylist and I love my haircuts. Some things are just worth it. Me included.

<sigh!> I wish I could find a great $40 stylist. My cousin, used to cut my hair. Then he had a mid-life crisis after his wife left him, and my last haircut with him looked as bad as the cut I have now.

 

[Imzadi]

Here's my problem in this arena.

And my eating habits aren't the best, and I want to change them so that my DD has a healthy mom with healthy attitudes/habits concerning food.

And, I know I'm not honoring my body in the present if I don't care for it properly.

But does anyone have any suggestions on how I can incorporate some of these techniques into a plan for making myself healthier? Weight loss would just be the bonus, for me. What I am really concerned about is being healthy and active. Being able to run around the yard with DD without gasping for air would be good.

If anyone has any thoughts/suggestions, please share!

But, I'd like to manifest a healthier body, one that can run around the yard with my little girl without gasping for breath; a body that can take a long hike without feeling awful; a body that can handle a day in DISNEY WORLD effortlessly (or, well- close to it! ).

I like your idea of heading outside for breaks. I get two 10 minute breaks during the day, but I rarely use either. I am going to start this week.

I also think I am going to find a body for my vision board.

Since my husband is home in the evening, most nights we have been walking about a mile. It's a start! I have also been combing through my (many) cookbooks and looking for healthy meal ideas. We rely on fast food and convenience food too much, and I have wanted to change that, so I am going to take action! I have decided to start planning 2 weeks of meals at a time.

Becky, I think it's great you've started moving! You might look at Bob Greene's books. He's Oprah's personal trainer. He often says, if you're not committed, don't even bother opening the book, until you are, because you just won't stick to it. You have to be willing to invest the time & make some changes.

He and Tony Robbins (separately,) say you have to find a compelling reason to do this, and it can't be for simply losing weight. That really isn't compelling enough.

Tony also says you can't really think in the long term. Most people stop because it takes too long, the results are small or slow, so people lose their momentum. Make doable short term goals & wins that you can celebrate easily. Like losing 5lbs in 3 weeks vs. losing 25 lbs in 6 months. You still want to have the 25lb. goal, but have smaller, more manageable goals.

Create a list of all the good, compelling reasons and rewards for living a healthier, more active lifestyle. Really see yourself and feel how it would be to be running around WDW laughing with DD & DH.

Also, just as important, perhaps more so, also write a list of what it will cost you if you don't change. What experiences will you lose out on? How will it affect what you can & can't do? How it will affect your relationships with your family? How much money will you lose? What job opportunities will you miss? What if you get sick because of your health and DD ends up having to take care of you? What if you walk her to school or are in the mall with her & she doesn't want to be seen with you, in front of her friends.

I know that sounds incredibly harsh & shallow. My point is: Will that motivate you more? Most people don't make changes until they've had a heart attack and the fear of another one becomes the motivating factor. Let's find more productive examples that you can use to motivate you and that can stay in the "What if?" category in your mind.

After you go through the good & bad reasons, I was thinking you might want to do a whole vision board on WHY you want to be healthy, including healthy activities. The things that motivate us the most are the ones that move us emotionally. Pick pictures or activities that you can attach strong positive feelings to.

Like, seeing you & DD playing & laughing together in the back yard. Maybe riding her around the neighborhood on a bicycle, with her in a booster seat in the back. You & DH taking romantic walks, where you get to talk to each other and use it for connecting rather than "health walks." Maybe taking vacations where you can go hiking together and feel you've both accomplished something together. Getting a tandem bicycle where you can talk & ride together with DD. Other activities like swimming & boating together, etc.

Also, don't change too many things at once. You'll overwhelm yourself and that's a sure way to failure. I know that Bob Greene doesn't even have people change their diet at all for, like, the first two weeks. He just wants you to move your body more.

I remember reading Susan Powder's book years ago. Her weight loss plan tanked as it relied on too many carbs for fillers. But she outlined how she first got moving, and it really motivated me back then.

She talked about how she was very heavy. She had a kid, so she couldn't just leave her to go off & exercise. But she was determined. So she sat her child under a tree in the yard. And she would walk as far as the edge of the yard, puffing the whole time, before her kid would start crawling away from the tree, and she'd have to walk back & sit her back under the tree. She did this back & forth, to the edge of the yard, for 15 minutes the first day. She was thrilled! She never left her yard, but she moved for 15 minutes.

The next day, she did it again, only she was able to get down as far as the sidewalk, before she had to go back & place her child back under the tree. After a few days, she was able to walk a feet faster and further on the sidewalk each day.

Finally, after a few weeks, she strapped her child into the stroller and walked to the end of the street, then back. Then it was around the corner & back. After several weeks, she made it around the whole block. She realized, she had never seen the other side of the block in her neighborhood, on foot before!

She set, small doable goals. They were ones she could celebrate and create benchmarks from, for the next goal. No fancy, triathlon goals.

I also saw a 20/20 episode the other nite. They showed a study that says overweight people sit 2 1/2 hours longer each day, than thinner people. Whether it was at a desk job or at home. So this one company decided to MAKE their employees have to move while working, as an experiment.

They set up laptop computers on top of treadmills. People had to work standing up and WALKING while typing their reports, checking emails, etc. It wasn't fast power walking. In fact it had to be slow enough so they could do their work. It was often a slow, day-dreamy type of walk. Women, even were able to do it in heels. It took some getting used to at first to type & walk at the same time, but they all caught on.

If there weren't enough treadmills available, people were asked to talk on their phones while walking around the office. Kind of the way we hate to see people now, walking, glued to cellphone earpieces. The point was to get people moving, instead of staying sedentary.

A few workers even set up their home office so they can walk & type. One woman placed the leaf of her dining room table over the side arms of her tread mill and fixed it on, and placed her laptop on it. It left plenty of room to still walk.

The results were: in a matter of a few months, everyone lost weight, from 10 - 25 lbs. All, from simply SLOW walking.

 

[Disneynutbsv]

<sigh!> I wish I could find a great $40 stylist. My cousin, who trained at Vidal Sassoon, used to cut my hair. Then he had a mid-life crisis after his wife left him, and my last haircut with him looked as bad as the cut I have now.

Just wanted to tell you that I'm a great $21 stylist I own my own salon and $21 is the going rate in my area! Come see me anytime

 

[Disneynutbsv]

I can't wait till you get up to my story about being a cake decorator. I'm sure sure it was inspired by you gals on the cake decorating thread. I love seeing the cakes you gals do.

When I decorate cakes I feel like its my "Therapy", I just enjoy it so! I've had a lot of peace lately, which may sound odd because my kids have had an abundance of friends over, but....I love it when their friends come over. Seeing them so happy and enjoying themselves, I Just love it, now its not "peaceful", but I feel good knowing that they are happy. Right now I have 3 sleeping boys in the living room so it is peaceful .

 

[beckmrk04]

Disneynutbsv- I like to decorate cakes too! I find it very soothing. However, I havea tendency to eat too much of my creations.