Overcoming the Fear of Change

March 24, 2010

There is an expression that the only thing to fear to fear itself. Us humans like things that become routine and simple (at least many of us do). We become complacent in our every day world and are happiest when things settle down and simplify. Why fix it if it isn’t broken? Sometimes we stay in relationships past the point when they need changing. They can be with spouses, with friends or with businesses. Today, I’m addressing the latter. It’s often difficult to establish a good working relationship with our business partners – the dentist, doctor, cleaners, tailor, etc. and alot easier to just stay with the same individuals or organizations than to change even when their customer service starts to go south.

But, the divine plan is perfect in all ways. Sometimes we are lead to make changes even when it’s not comfortable. This can happen particularly when it’s in our best interest. Lately, I’ve had a few issues with my dentist’s office not respecting my personal situation. They called and canceled appointments due to problems in their office just before their vacation, cutting me off from end of year/or end of period benefits. I let it go the first time but was in a real pickle the second time.

The situation was such that I had to schedule with a different dentist. The particular work had to be scheduled as I was going to lose my benefits by the end of the month and they were going on vacation. I quickly checked my plan’s on-line provider listing, found a dental office within 3 miles and made an appointment. Wow, how fast it was! Then I wondered why I had been so reticent to change earlier. The next day I went to the new office and the staff was terrific. And, this new office turned out to be less expensive so my out of pocket expense was even less than expected. I was totally satisfied. After leaving the new office, I quietly thanked the universe for guiding me to a quality, reasonably priced and close in dentist that could adequately serve my needs.

Why had I been so afraid to change? Now I feel more open about other changes in my life. Once we start changing in one area and it goes well, we feel free to make changes in other areas. I wonder what will come next? There’s nothing to fear for the universe supports me in all that I say and do!

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Does the Law of Abundance Really Work?

March 1, 2010

What is the Law of Abundance? Does it really work if we apply it in our lives?

The Law of Abundance states that what we give out comes back to us multiplied (much like the Law of Attraction) but it refers to how we deal with money, our time, helping others, tips, – in short ” our finances” whether material, physical, emotional, or spiritual in nature.

For example, if we walk around with a torn wallet, we are sending a message to the universe that we don’t honor ourselves enough to buy a new wallet. “We’re not worth it” or “we can’t afford it”, or “We don’t want to spend the money on ourselves”. No matter how you slice it, it’s not a good idea to carry around a wallet that’s really tattered.

Another example is if we worry about our bills all the time. We are sending a message out that we don’t have enough money, we stress about it and that’s what we get back – more stress and more bills and more stress and more bills.

Perhaps someone asks you to help them at work, wants to borrow a chair at work when you have two or a friend needs to talk… and you don’t have time…

The above examples are called being in Scarcity – the opposite of Abundance. Being in Abundance is believing that you have enough, trusting that the universe is limitedless and that you will be provided for one way or another.

How does this work in practice? Let’s say you’re on a budget for whatever reason and you want to exhibit Abundance – send a donation to a charity anyway. Even a small one. It shows that you get the concept of Abundance – that of sharing what little you have. Help others, put yourself out there, for when the time comes, you may need the help back.

The same goes for tips. There are some things that I feel I need even when times are tough and that’s getting my nails done. I can go longer on hair cuts, but not my nails. However, my nail lady offers to fore go her tip knowing that I’m on the short side. But I won’t have it. I tell her, “Michelle, for you, I always have money”. She does a wonderful job. She cares and I care back. It’s one of those relationships that’s a joy in my life – she makes me feel blessed.

If you follow the Law of Abundance, what can you expect?

We had terrible snows here in the Northern Virginia area and my lower level had considerable damage forcing me to make an insurance claim. Fortunately, I’m covered except for my deductible. Because I’m in the universal flow, am in Abundance, the universe responded to my need. The same week, a client turned up without my doing anything and bought coaching hours, and an unexpected check came in the mail. The total? Exactly enough to cover the insurance deductible! That’s the Law of Abundance at work.

The universe has a way of letting us know when we are doing the right thing at the right time and for the right reason – we get feedback – if we pay attention to our messages. Comments are always welcome.

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Help Comes When You Need It – But How to Ask?

January 16, 2010

Life is full of challenges. If it were easy, we wouldn’t appreciate what we had. Sometimes we have to ask for help. We may want help, but do we actually ask for it? There’s actually a right way to ask for divine help. Here’s my approach.

First, one must be connected to the source. This is very much like plugging the TV into the wall. Although the access to channels is remote once turned on, the actual flow of electricity requires that the unit be plugged into the wall recepticle. And so it is with us. Our bodies, which contain our divine essence or soul, must be connected to our source. We do that by slowing down, get out of our left brain which allows us into our right brain or intuitive, creative side. Once in this quiet mind set, we open our channel to the divine essence.

“Slow down to hear one’s self go by”.

Second, allow yourself to be open to the communication. If you don’t believe you can, you won’t! More on this meditative state and the connection in another post.

Next, ask for what you are looking for. What problem do you want to solve? You don’t necessarily need to know the answer. The universe will provide the solution for you.

Here’s several recent examples that occured in my life:

I decided that I needed additional income, as coaching wasn’t bringing in the sum I had been used to working in corporate America. Because I wanted to continue to assist people with intuitive life coaching and pastoral counseling, according to what I now believe is my life mission, a full-time position was out of the question. What I put out to the universe during a meditation was, “I need additional income. Help me find a way to obtain it so that I can continue to assist people as well as complete and promote my forthcoming book”.

Within a few days, I received a request to do part-time consulting work. The timing looks like it will work out so that I can complete the most demanding aspects of the book production and then be available as a sub-contractor. The final results are TBD, but it would seem that the universe answered my request for help. Please note, I didn’t “do”  anything, other than ask and this opportunity came to me in an email.

The other request for help had to do with my book cover. Things with my current designer got a bit hairy one day, causing me great consternation. At one point I thought I might need to have someone else redo my cover. I thought it would be at great expense. I went on the internet searching for graphic artists who do book covers and found a site advertising very reasonable-priced ones. The next day I contacted the graphic artist and she offered to take a look at my file. She blew me away when she offered to fix it, if required, at no charge. The only possible answer is that universe sent me someone that would understand the expense already outlaid and would be kind enough to help me – possibly to get additional business in the future, but help nonetheless. I was floored. This is a backup plan, but she’s an angel for sure.

These are two good examples of how the universe delivers answers when we are connected, in good faith.

Comments as well as the sharing of your experiences are welcome.

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Life Lessons – Being Heard?

December 4, 2009

We all have life lessons. If we were perfect, we wouldn’t be here. We’re on the earth to learn and move forward toward perfection. So, until then, there’s lots of stuff to be dealt with. Every once in awhile, this stuff pops up and we wonder where it came from. When we sit back and think about it, usually it refers back to a life lesson.

What was the situation? I decided to join a women’s social group and to show my support, I opted to attend a Sat. afternoon organizational meeting. Often, I have client coaching sessions, so to give up a rare free Sat. was a real show of interest. However, once there, I didn’t feel particularly good about the interactions or the outcome. After spending close to two hours with the other women in attendance, my ideas were either not included, shot down or somehow worked around. To make matters worse, the dates selected for the events, were already taken for me. I couldn’t even attend the events I was supposedly helping to plan.

What did I learn from this? I went home a bit frustrated and then sat down to think about it. I realized I hadn’t been heard, nor was I being included (since I couldn’t attend the programs). Something felt very familiar. It reminded me of childhood – I grew up as a baby boomer with parents who expected me to be “seen and not heard”. My opinion wasn’t important. I realized I was in a situation that touched on a life lesson from long ago – whereas in youth I couldn’t choose to stay or leave, now I had a choice. I decided this was not the right group for me. The energy just wasn’t right. I’ve not been able to attend any of there events.

The next step-
I let go of being sorry and looked for other groups and venues were the energy was more welcoming.

Once I made the decision that I only wanted to be in groups that wanted me and with people that wanted to listen to what I had to offer, lots of new people began to come into my life. In just a few short weeks, there have been several new people that I’ve met and interacted with that are genuinely interested, ask questions and remember what I tell them. Wow, what a difference! I might have this life lesson under my belt.

Does it feel familiar to you? Feel free to share your experiences.

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The Universe Has Perfect Timing

November 22, 2009

There’s a saying that there’s no loose ends in the universe.  Everything happens for a reason. It’s all a perfect puzzle. How does it all come together? Ever wonder how you plan a lunch date with a friend and both get to the restaurant at exactly the same time – perhaps even pulling into parking spaces next to each other? It’s happened to me. Here are some examples that happened to me over this one weekend.

Events come together perfectly – Over the last two weeks, I’ve had a series of important tasks that all needed to be finished by this weekend – by Nov. 21 to be exact. I worked fevorishly to get them all done, sometimes wondering if I had the ability to do it, then gaining confidence that I could do it and finally seeing the home stretch knowing that I would be able to do it. I also knew that I was doing what I was guided to do –  that right action was happening – I was following my life’s purpose and these activities were part of the master plan. One by one things fell into place. Thurs. Nov. 20 was an eventful day indeed – I finished one task by 5pm, another by 1AM and then took a breather to get the rest of my monthly newsletter complete by 5pm the next day. All was done by Nov. 21 as required.

And then I realized that although I was packed to go out of town on Saturday Nov. 22, it occured to me how perfectly the timing turned out. I completed these tasks and then got a “gift” of a weekend away. How wonderful! I was able to enjoy a lovely fall weekend in the fresh air, with some spiritually-minded people and had the chance to shamelessly promote my forthcoming book. Even a couple of offers to hold a book signing.  Almost too good to be true.

Perfect arrival – I arrived at the hotel on Sat. suitcase and other bags in hand, thinking, “it would be great if someone would come along to open the door for me”.  At that moment, a hand opened the door and totally took me by surprise. It was the friend I was meeting! There he was at the door, holding it open for me, as if on queue. There’s no way we could have planned it.

Perfect drive – And to top off such a wonderful weekend after completion of tasks, with a total sense of accomplishment, I realized the Universe had perfect timing in one more way. My car – in the shop being repaired from the deer collision (see prior post) – wasn’t ready on Friday as promised. Although I didn’t want to drive a rental car 80 miles each way, preferring the familiarity and comfort of my own car, it wasn’t ready. I had a premonition Friday morning so when the shop called to tell me of the delay I was disappointed but not surprised. Then it dawned on me – the miles were included on the rental program that the insurance company was covering – and not on my own car. Sure, I had to pay for the gas, but wear and tear on my car was saved.

There are no loose ends. The Universe has perfect timing! It’s awesome!

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Guided to be a publisher

November 4, 2009

Over the last few days, the universe has been guiding me on how to publish my book, The Circle of Life – A Journey Through Grief to Understanding. There are so many options to consider when publishing a book. Of course, I tried to get a standard contract but when one appeared, it wasn’t particularly attractive. Several local author’s told me to “CREATE YOUR OWN PUBLISHING COMPANY!” while others recommended just about every method possible. But the loudest voices in my head were the ones to CREATE for myself. I kept mulling the figures, the issues, the circumstances over in my head until I was surely in to the classic analysis paralysis.

So what happened?  The universe set me straight. A couple nights ago, I was driving along the road near my home, deep in thought, when my car was rocked and there was a loud thud on my driver’s door. As I turned to my left to see what caused the impact, I saw the face of a deer directly in my side window. Luckily, I was only going about 30 mph, but the deer hit the car directly. How badly was it hurt, I wondered? Pulling around the next bend, I turned around to search for the deer hoping not to see him (or her). At first, I didn’t see anything, but when I made another turn to come around again full circle I saw the deer in the same spot where it had been impacted by my car, still alive and sitting up.

What did I do?  Not wanting anyone else to get hurt, and hopefully wanting to help the deer, I drove another block to the local fire station to report the incident to the police. Inside the fire station a very nice fireman calmed me down, as I was visibly shaken – I felt bad for the deer – then we began to chat while waiting for the police to arrive. After about 30 min. I realized that the police hadn’t responded to the call made by Max, the fireman. Max and I were involved in a spiritual discussion about near death experiences and other interesting happenings of firemen. He then offered to check out my car to determine is there was any damage (not much – just the front bumper was scraped and bented a bit) and informed me how lucky I was not to have been hurt.

What was the result?  Although Max called the police again, this time a different dispatcher informed him that a deer hitting a car wasn’t a reportable incident (for my insurance company) and if the police found the deer they’d put it down. Oh no!  So Max agreed to go with one of his fireman buddies to check out the deer and see if he could help it (perhaps call the animal control). I left the station and was pleased to not find the deer – at least not in the road when I did another drive around. So the deer didn’t die in the road, and was only bruised by the impact (one can hope).

How was I guided? what does all this mean? people impact deer all the time. why was this incident so special? I was about to leave the house at 7:45 pm dressed to go out for the evening to a favorite dance place I hadn’t been to in a long time since my legs were bothering me. As I was leaving my bedroom, something pulled me back to my computer to search for a logo for my newed named publishing company (I went to the court house yesterday to file for my company name). I didn’t leave the house until 8:15 pm as a result (having created my new logo with an on-line service. I’ve been driving for over 30 years and have never hit a deer. But my timing was so perfect this night that I hit one. WHY?

Perhaps the universe was telling me that my decision to go out was not a good one. My legs were not up to dancing (hence I turned around and went home after the fire station). I got some nice conversation with Max anyway (one of the reasons I wanted to go out in the first place). What’s the probability of that? And, perhaps the other reason is that deciding on which publishing option is….

not a life or death decision. the deer might live or die.. I wasn’t killed.. but I could have been… so could have the deer. but deciding on this option or that, this number of copies or this paper or that website is not life or death…. the precision with which all this occured reminded me once again that nothing in the universe happens by change…. there are no loose ends…. it is all perfect. I also found out that I was totally covered by my insurance company for the damage to the car… again I got the message… it was all perfectly arranged..

I knew at this point the message was clear. The answers to all my questions would come as I needed them. I got into bed knowing this.

This morning everything fell into place. I called my editor, we talked and one by one each decision seemed to be made. Today everything seems so much easier and alot less expensive than I thought. The universe is coming through for me.

 Just listen to your messages and the answers will be there also.

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Hello world!

September 11, 2009

How do you know if Right Action is Happening?

What is Right Action and how do you know if it is happening in your life? when events fall into place like dominoes you know that you are doing the right thing at the right time.

What’s an example?

Let’s say you’re searching for a new career position. In one case, you send in a resume and don’t get a response. You can assume it wasn’t the right position for you. You try again with another company and are asked in for an interview. However, after repeated follow-up they don’t respond. Again, it wasn’t the right position otherwise, they’d be after you. Don’t bang you’re head against the wall. Now let’s say you go to a job fair, are interviewed by several people are called back for another interview and are then offered a position, it’s most likely the right thing. This assumes it was in an area that you liked in the first place.

After 12 years of working for the federal government I decided to leave. In sending an email out to a number of contacts, I received a response from one within 15 minutes. This company invited me to interview on a Sat., a follow up interview came right away and I knew if I didn’t say anything stupid, I’d get the job. Events fell into place like dominoes. That’s an example of right action.

When you’re on the right path doing the right thing, right action happens. You know it because events fall into place easily. If it didn’t work out, it wasn’t the right thing.

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