Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Inspirational thoughts

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know this isn't my usual post. But it came my attention this morning and so I thought I would pass it on. Many years ago, when I think it was first sick with Lyme disease, one of the things that helped me out of it was positive thinking. I later learned meditation and that didn't require any visualization or any kind of positive thinking, per se. The positivity just came raining down on me automatically. But prior to that, I think it was Norman Vincent Peal's book, The Power of Positive Thinking that got me started on the mind-body connection. In retrospect, I have to say there is some value in it or was for me, at least. my very deep depression at the time started to lift, and I felt like I was pulling myself up by my own bootstraps by keeping a positive attitude around what was happening to me.


I've been thinking recently about what I feed my mind before I go to sleep. I've been watching episodes of Breaking Bad, True Detective, and other gnarly yet interesting, well-made, incredibly well acted TV series and movies before going to bed. Realizing that I felt extra funky in the morning, I decided to switch to watching Glee! and Friday Night Lights episodes, just to see what might happen. At first my critical mind couldn't find insipid enough words to describe Glee! And I'm really not into football, so why would I be interested in Friday Night Lights? Well, both series turned out to be deeper than I had expected, I often found myself getting teary-eyed especially during episodes of Friday Night Lights. I began to realize I actually needed some emotional release in the "good feelings" department, and desperately needed some inspiration around the enterprise of life itself. So I gorged, as they say, on FML, and ran out of those episodes, and currently on season three of glee. Anyhow, when this email came in this morning I skimmed over it, resonatef with a lot of what it said, and thought I would pass it on. Just a disclaimer here. I'm not advertising for this person, and don't even know who she is.


Dear Bob,

If you're like many others who are drawn to my work, then  more than ever before, you probably want to do something truly worthwhile with your life.

You may already be feeling alive and passionate about where your life is right now, or you may still be yearning for a deeper sense of direction and meaning.

But I'm sure you realize that even as profound as discovering your life's purpose might be, it alone isn't enough.

You need to be able to integrate that purpose into your everyday interactions—with your family and your coworkers, with friends and strangers . . . and with yourself.

And unless you know how to creatively express your purpose in every moment, it can often stay buried within you. And that won't truly benefit you or the rest of the world.

My upcoming advanced course, Living Your Supreme Destiny,explores a whole new toolkit of exercises and practices designed to take you on a deep journey to develop your spiritual, psychological, mythological, and sensory-physical realms.

And today I want to share with you a few powerful techniques I'll be teaching in the course:

3 WAYS TO RELEASE YOUR CREATIVE BARRIERS

In Session Two of Living Your Supreme Destiny, I'll give you a tool to help you release the psychological barriers that are perhaps keeping you stuck in old habits and ways of thinking.

Being able to release your brain from the familiar patterns that keep you operating in the same outmoded way can be like waking up from a dream.

It can allow you to suddenly recognize how day after day, month after month, year after year, you've been running on "automatic."

You may have the same thoughts and problems today that you had a year ago, maybe even five years ago. Talk about stuck!

In recognizing this, you may see that you've not made much progress in releasing yourself from your ordinary destiny.

"Ordinary destiny" is the destiny of chasing the "American Dream" and settling for creature comforts, or the things we're told by society will make us happy and whole.

While occasionally pleasant, ordinary destiny leaves you feeling empty, and haunted by your dreams of a life that you know in your heart is possible (and has nothing to do with where you live, how much money you have, or what kind of car you drive).

When you liberate yourself from your ordinary destiny and embrace instead a life of true creativity and inspiration aligned with your highest purpose, you may feel that you're doing what you've been called to do.

Everything falls into place and synchronicity abounds.

There is clarity to everything, and those around you feel nourished and enriched for knowing you.

One way to clear away the habits of consciousness that keep you stuck—or as I call it, sustain the brain's cataracts, mental and emotional delusions, and disappointments with life—is to restock your mind.
 
There are three practical ways of doing this . . .
 
1. Read something inspirational and beautiful before bed.

What do you read, listen to, or watch before bedtime? Do you watch the news, which is filled with stories of tragedy and violence? Do you read crime thrillers? Do you surf the Internet looking for controversial stories and get upset after reading the comments sections?
 
I would challenge you to pattern your mind with useful, empowering, and inspirational thoughts instead. Read a book about nature, beauty, enlightenment, overcoming, or transcending. Read about success stories and tales of adventure that show the power of the human spirit.
 
By filling your mind with these kinds of thoughts before sleep, you will literally be reprogramming it to different modes of problem solving, and more optimistic and creative channels of consciousness.
 
2. Write down positive memories and relive them in your mind, over and over. 
 
Is there something you've done in the past few years that you're particularly proud of? Maybe you had something occur that surprised and amazed you about yourself and your abilities. 
 
Write these down and remind yourself of your power and creativity.
 
3. Choose your mood. 
 
We have an uncanny ability as human beings to be able to mirror our emotional state of mind with our physical way of being. 
 
Choose a mood you'd like to feel. How will you walk to demonstrate that mood? How will you sit? What will your facial expression be? How will you speak with others?
 
Choose a positive mood and be conscious and mindful to reflect that state of mind through your physical being. In doing so, you'll improve the way you actually feel, create more positive interactions with family, co-workers and friends, and maybe even improve your wellbeing!
 
Now, the three tips I've just given you to help you restock your mind and release your creative barriers will allow you to make real changes in how you think, act, and show up in everyday life.
 
It's how you can step out of the ordinary and into a new world of the extraordinary.
 
And that's just the beginning. There's so much more I'll be sharing with you in the weeks and months to come.
 
To your highest purpose,
 
Jean
 
P.S.  Watch your inbox next week for an email inviting you to a free online seminar on Tuesday, May 6th at 5pm Pacific Time, where I'll reveal "The Keys To Living Your Supreme Destiny."
 
During that seminar, I'll give even more practical advice on how to move closer to your creative gifts and innate talents, so that you can realize your highest purpose!

 This email was sent by: Jean Houston - Evolving Wisdom
369-B Third Street, Suite 302 San Rafael, CA, 94901
© 2014 Jean Houston - Evolving Wisdom - All rights reserved.

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