Have a Little Faith in Yourself - Transforming "I Can't" Into "I CAN" (By Maryanne Pope)

"As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live."

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Have you ever actually heard yourself complaining about how you can't do something?

I have... and it wasn't pretty. But it certainly made for a funny story!

In fact, I created a presentation based on said funny story and delivered it recently at a women's networking event. The talk was well-received (and everybody laughed at the funny part) but I rather surprised myself in the question and answer period afterwards.

My presentation was called, "The Electric Jello Story - Turning I Can't Into I Can... and I Will."

The first part of my talk was a rather sordid tale from my party days about a bachelorette gone awry. I had overindulged in some electric jello shooters and had been sent home from the bar early. But when the girls tried to awaken me from my drunken slumber in the wee hours of the morning (so that I could buzz them up to the apartment) I wanted no part of being woken up, thank you very much.

Nor could I seem to figure out which button to push on the silly intercom to let them in the foyer.

Unfortunately, my repeated wails of "I can't" (in the most whining and pathetic tone imaginable) was recorded on the answering machine. Much to my chagrin, the girls played the tape back to me the next morning.

It was awful. But to this day, I can still hear how dreadful I sounded!

Anyway, in the second part of my presentation, I told the story of the conversation I'd had with my husband the day before he died. I'd said to him: "I am so scared I am going to wake up 20 years from now and still not have finished writing a book."

To which he'd responded: "You're probably right about that... just as long as you know that will have been your choice."

Tough words, yes. But in all fairness, after 12 years of being together, I think the poor guy had run out of patience listening to me whine and complain about not having the time or money to write. For more than a decade, I'd used every excuse in the book as to why I couldn't make my writing a priority.

"I'll show him!" I'd said to myself, after dropping him off at work that night. I promised myself I would wake up early the next morning and do an hour of writing before going into work at my clerical job.

But when the alarm clock went off the next morning, what did I do? I pushed snooze. "I can't get up," I told myself (in a whiny, pathetic voice). "I'm too tired to write."

When I finally hauled my butt out of bed, after pushing the snooze button multiple times, there wasn't any time to write. In fact, there was barely time for me to get to work.

And when I did arrive at work, my whole life changed in an instant. John died that day. And I got the wake-up call of all wake-up calls about the danger of waiting for a tragedy to awaken us to the importance of achieving our dreams.

Two weeks after his death, I started writing what would become my book, A Widow's Awakening. It took me 8 years to get it - and me - where it needed to be. But I did it.

After I finished my presentation at the women's networking event, we had an impromptu Q&A, and the host asked me this question:

"If there was just one word to describe what you think is THE most important thing in terms of transforming "I can't" into "I can," what would it be?"

I thought about this for a moment and then a single word popped into my mind.

"Faith," I heard myself say to the group. "But not faith in the traditional way we often think of faith, as in having faith in some sort of divine guidance or a religious belief."

"I'm talking about faith in one's self." I continued. "I think it is absolutely imperative that we have faith in ourselves and our ability to achieve what it is we really want to achieve. Because if we don't have that, then all the divine help and spiritual guidance in the world can't help us."

Likewise with our mortal supporters.

John believed in my potential as a writer and did everything he could to encourage me to take concrete action towards meeting my goals i.e. get my butt in the chair and WRITE.

But at the end of the day, taking action was my responsibility. That was a very difficult life lesson to learn in the wake of such an immense loss.

If we don't have faith in ourselves that we can - and will - step up to the plate, each and every day, and do the work that needs to be done, then the support and encouragement of our loved ones, as well as any sort of divine guidance we may believe is available to us, won't be of much use.

And for the record, I DO believe there is a tremendous amount of spiritual assistance just waiting in the wings to help guide us... sending us all sorts of signs and signals. We just need to a) pay attention and b) take action. I suspect, however, that those other forces don't require our faith.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Have-a-Little-Faith-in-Yourself---Transforming-I-Cant-Into-I-CAN&id=9947164

How To Join The Escape Club

Ever had a day so stress filled that you simply desire you had your platinum membership card to the Escape Club?

Trust me, been there, finished that. Received the T-shirt as well as Coffee Mug! I have experienced all those days in which I desire all I could do was soar on an plane (skipping the Ticketing Counter & TSA Security) and just headed somewhere where by people didn't know my name. Even better they didn't need anything from me.

For years, I have tried to figure out how to be able to manage the stress as well as hustle and bustle of life with my type of lifestyle (you know me trying to change the world). It wasn't until today I was doing one of my daily rituals exactly where I discovered the most brilliant resource for becoming a member of the Escape Club and not worrying about being thrown in jail because I experienced a brilliant idea to jump in the cargo hold of a plane.

One of my daily rituals is to read at least ½ hour every day. I'll admit I am about 70% good at following through on this. Well, after today, I think that's going to bump up pretty high. So I am currently reading the book Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz.

Mr. Maltz was a Plastic Surgeon who had a career in transforming the look of people. During his career he found he was drawn to why plastic surgery was transformational for some and not others. He then started studying personality traits and how they impacted people and their life.

Today I was reading a chapter on "Do It Yourself Tranquilizers."

OK HOLD ON!

Before you get excited about what you may think this chapter is about, this chapter talks about how you can relax yourself in many instances especially in a world of constant external distractions.

The type of external distractions may be distractions you are used to responding to. Prime example? Our Smart Phones. If your smart phone is anything like mine, it either chimes or vibrates every time I get a Facebook message, Tweet, Email or lately I've been getting Amber Alerts on my phone as well. We are not even going to talk about when my phone rings.

With that being said, Mr. Maltz talks about how we are so wired to respond immediately to responding to our external distractions that it forces us to feel like we are constantly in a stressed place, hence the need to become a member of The Escape Club.

One of his remedies?

"Build Yourself A Quiet Room In Your Mind"

Here's an excerpt from that chapter that I think sums up very well why you should have a quiet room.

"Each of us needs a quiet room inside his own mind - a quiet center within him, like the deep of the ocean that is never disturbed, no matter how rough the waves may become upon the surface.
This quiet room within, which is built in imagination, works as a mental and emotional decompression chamber. It depressurizes you from tensions, worry, pressures stresses and strains, refreshes you and enables you to return to your work-a-day world better prepared to cope with it."

Ladies & Gents, I introduce you to your free pass to join the Escape Club. In the chapter he talks about creating a room in your imagination that suits your tastes. It has in it what you love whether it be art or plants or things of that nature. The goal is whenever you get stressed or feel the stress on the rise, you take a few moments, close your eyes and visit your Quiet Room in your mind. As you are climbing the stairs, you are leaving all your problems behind and as you enter the room, no one can bother you there. It is peaceful and quiet place.

All I can say is I tried this method out and it works pretty damn good.

So my suggestion for you today!

1. Create That Quiet Room In Your Mind (Your Taste Your Style)
2. Visit it when you feel like you are about to be stressed or enter a tense situation.
3. Spend just a minute or two there.

For me this is Rock Star because I design the room, it has everything I need and want AND I DON'T HAVE TO PAY A THING FOR IT and that my friends if how you can join the infamous Escape Club, TODAY!

https://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Join-The-Escape-Club&id=7825398

Transforming Negative Emotions Into Positive Feelings and Actions Part 2

Techniques to Release, Overcome and Transform

1.) Observe yourself having the emotion. Just become aware and watch yourself in the process. This de-fuses it and frees you from an emotional strangle-hold and escalation. It takes will and strong desire to do this and becomes easier with practice.

2.) Choose an image, a personal symbol, to place in your mind to stop self as soon as you recognize a negative emotion happening. For example, a stop sign, 10 deep breaths, a Danger sign or whatever means 'stop" to you.

3.) Consciously lift and move your energy from your solar plexus (stomach) area to your heart. The emotional charge is in the stomach and when you relocate your focus to the heart, you calm down and can see what is best. You'll become harmless to yourself and others as your center of love is activated and replaces the negative feeling. A better decision can then be made.

Release the Emotion (A present Feeling or one from the past):

1.) Stomp, pound a pillow, yell, run, cry; release the emotion from the body.

2.) Image a shower of light pouring down on you and washing the painful emotion away.

3.) Pull the plug on the emotion. Image it as a color going down a drain.

4.) Journal, write your feelings down.

5.) Art Therapy. Do a simple technique that releases the emotion by taking a sheet of paper and using crayons, markers or pastels to draw/scribble your feelings on the paper. Get them out on the paper; release them. Turn the paper and see this situation differently. Now, draw. A new perspective can harmonize the emotion you're releasing.

6.) We release emotions with intention to be rid of them, not to fuel the fire for more. Be sure to release with the desire to be free of them.

Transforming Negative Emotions:

1.) Change your energy field. Close your eyes and imagine the emotion as energy around you. What does it look like, what color, shape, form etc. does it take? Now allow it to change and smooth out, becoming transformed, harmonized, peaceful. What does it look and feel like now?

2.) Change your perspective on the situation. Re-frame it in a way that's positive/productive for you. Ask yourself, how this situation can help you. What is good about it? How are you growing from it? A positive attitude about something can help resolve it for you, even if it's a difficult situation. A new mindset can change everything.

3.) Ask self what the lesson you are learning from this situation is. Knowing the lesson helps transform the negative feeling and take on the mastery of the lesson you are in the process of learning.

4.) Put a new and positive picture in your mind about the situation that is causing the hurtful emotion. Instead of dwelling on the painful scenario or the trauma incident or being yelled at or treated disrespectfully, replace it with one of yourself healed, happy, successful, determined to move on etc. Whatever feels great and counters the old feeling. Keep the new picture in place whenever the old feeling comes up. The mind and body respond quickly to pictures, so this will shift you fast.

5.) Inner Listening. Get very quiet and go into the silence within. Allow your inner guide to bring you new insights, wisdom and solutions for healing and transformation.

6.) Forgiveness means letting go. It doesn't condone bad behavior, but lets the pain go. You and others have the right to make mistakes and grow. Forgive self if needed and forgive others. This doesn't mean that you will choose to stay connected with anyone who harms you. It means you let go of the painful movie, get the lesson and move forward. You stop the images and negative emotions from their endless control over you. Restore your self- esteem if you've acted poorly and wish the other person well if they have. To clean yourself completely, do a systematic of forgiveness for everyone in your life. You will be rejuvenated. Forgive; let go and say goodbye to these emotions.

7.) Change a gripe to a goal. If you regularly complain and feel negatively about something or someone, set a goal for yourself and be determined to accomplish it. For example, if you are jealous of someone who has a degree in art; stop it and find a way to get one for yourself. If you are short of money and angry at others who have it, stop it and chart your path, make a plan to increase your income. Things happen first in the mind, so begin to visualize yourself having what you want already now. Feel the joy of it and for 5 minutes several times a day, sit quietly and feel the emotions you would have if it were yours now. Soon you begin to believe you have it. In the Biology of belief, Bruce Lipton offers scientific proof that we get what we believe.

8.) Thoughts and emotions are intimately connected in fact, inseparable. One leads to the other. What repetitive thoughts do you have that are hurting you? Are you taking charge of your negative thoughts and transforming them? Think the opposite of your negative thought as soon as you catch yourself having it. Correct yourself on a daily basis; over and over. Repetition of the new corrected thought forges a new brain pathway and pattern. Strong intention and follow through is necessary.

Don't let your mind wander all day without direction or self-monitoring. You can change your mind at any moment into a more positive state. Letting your thoughts run wild will take away your peace. Take charge of yourself and choose thoughts that will help you.

9.) What belief about yourself do you want to change? Finances, relationships, self-concept, accomplishment of a specific goal; health, personal qualities etc. Beliefs that limit and cause pain keep your emotions at a painful level, and only you can change that.

Taking Positive New Action

1) Set clear boundaries. You decide what you will and won't accept from people and act on it.

2) Practice assertive communication with others. Tell them how you feel without blame or judgment; just how you feel. Stand up for self if needed.

3) Be creative. Create something positive from your experience.

For example, women who have been abused have set up women's shelters around the country. People who grew up hungry have started programs to feed poor children.

All of these techniques work. Practice and practice and you will see yourself and your life become fulfilled and beautiful. Be very patient with yourself, as this is hard work and takes a lot of self- control, intention and discipline. It's a progressive unfolding of the highest part of self. Over time we blossom!

Steps in Review:

1.) Stop and control self.

2.) Release the emotion

3.) Transform the emotion

4.) Take positive new action

5.) Replace negative emotional reactions with spiritual actions and personal spiritual qualities.

Change your life by taking control of your emotions instead of being taken over by them and held in their grip.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Transforming-Negative-Emotions-Into-Positive-Feelings-and-Actions-Part-2&id=9700902

Transforming Negative Emotions Into Positive Feelings and Actions Part 1

Overview and Benefits

We spend a lot of time in pain from negative emotions such as anger, fear, hurt, worry, sadness, disappointment and jealousy etc. No one enjoys this, but it doesn't have to be this way. We can learn many ways to overcome and transform negative feeling and experiences. One of the greatest achievements and most important accomplishments we can have in life is to take control of our inner space; our emotions, thoughts, perceptions and attitudes. All are in the realm of personal choice if we know how to heal them. We're immersed in our own emotional energy every day whether it's positive or negative. We can learn to choose how we will feel and free ourselves from the unpleasant state of being taken over by emotions and acting in ways that don't help us while we're in their grip. Emotions are a form of energy and each one produces a particular frequency either high or low. For example, feelings of peace, generosity and good will are high; feelings of judgment, self- doubt and rage are low. These frequencies sit within our energy field, and our habitual moods and feelings magnetically attract more of the same to us. They also go out into the world and negatively or positively affect others through our inter-penetrating energy fields. We are all connected energetically in the quantum field of energy that underlies all of life. Our emotions affect others as well as ourselves. They also produce harmful or beneficial chemical reactions and physical changes in the body affecting our health, which was researched and documented by Dr. Candace Pert in her book "Molecules of Emotion."

Negative emotions are so powerful that they must be countered by an equally powerful intention and decision to transform them and be peaceful. With a strong intention to change and lots of practice, we will feel so much better!

Benefits of taking control of our Emotions:

1.) We stop lashing out at others which can ruin relationships and destroy trust.

2.) We attract more positive events and experiences into our lives magnetically.

3.) It is much smoother for us to accomplish our goals when we carry positive energy.

4.) Our health improves.

5.) Our relationships improve.

6.) Our self-esteem improves and we feel good about ourselves.

7.) We become much more successful personally and professionally. People back away from a negative energy field because it feels unpleasant, even unsafe to them.

8.) We stop wasting time going over and over the hurts, slights, disappointments, resentments, pain and fears we have.

9.) We let go of burdens and feel much more optimistic about life.

We feel we are much more in control of our destiny and stop being victims.

By releasing and transforming our painful emotions, we keep our energy system clean and feel fresh to start each new day. Systematically, we can also release pain from the past that has accumulated over years and weighed us down. In the next 3 parts of this article, I will show you many ways to release and transform your emotions and your life. It is in your hands. The law of cause and effect states that what you send out comes back to you. Choose to send peace, harmony, good will, confidence, strength, kindness, respect and generosity. Emotions, thoughts, attitudes and the way we choose to perceive situations matter. Elevating self is highly rewarding in multiple ways!

I will present you with ways to observe, stop, release, transform and replace painful emotions in Part 2.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Transforming-Negative-Emotions-Into-Positive-Feelings-and-Actions-Part-1&id=9700605

Realizing Your Dreams With The Power of Intention

It's time to change the way we think and speak about our dreams. Transforming a conversation, just like manifesting a dream, begins by setting an intention. Your intentions will assist you in taking greater control of your life.

A working definition for intention is: "to have in mind a purpose or plan, to direct the mind, to aim". Lacking intention, we sometimes stray without meaning or direction. But with it, all the forces of the universe can align to make even the most impossible, possible. My intention is to transform the conversation around dreams from fear and doubt, to hope and possibility, followed by action and results.

Some might say this is not the right time to dream. But it's always a good time to dream and believe and want better for your life. Without our dreams, all we have is our present reality. While our present reality is what's in front of us, the greater challenge is our attitude around "reality" and being "realistic" and what being realistic has cost us. Often that's our passion and joy, our hopes and dreams.

Setting intention allows us to be in the moment of reality by making a conscious choice to shift thinking to what we want. Given the unknowns and sometimes craziness of life, there's never been a more important time to dream and setting your intention is the first step. When should you set an intention? You could set an intention every day. Your intention could be to work less and make more, or to find a new career that you are passionate about. It could be to get healthy and physically fit, or to spend more quality time with loved ones or alone.

How to set your intentions? It does not have to be hard. At oneword365.com, individuals set their intentions by focusing on a single word. Others use journals to capture ideas and write action plans for their goals. My son purchases a desk calendar each year to add his weekly goals for propelling his comedic acting career. Many of my friends use walking apps or their watch to reach daily fitness goals. Others partner with people, like friends or coaches, to encourage and hold themselves accountable for their goals. There is no one way to set and manage your intentions. The best advice I can offer - besides setting your intention - is to do what works best for your lifestyle and personality, and then ACT!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Realizing-Your-Dreams-With-The-Power-of-Intention&id=9870424

10 Ways to Find Sources of Inspiration

Have you ever wondered how you can raise your spirits and be inspired - a level higher than you currently are? Fear not; nothing is lost. You have many places to find sources of inspiration and it usually comes from little and simple stuff. Read on to find out what I mean.

Here are 10 sources where you can get daily doses of inspiration:

1) Transforming your monotonous work into a good playing game

You divide up your work into parts and pace yourself all day to complete a part you have scheduled for the day. If you make it, you reward yourself by helping yourself to a bar of dark chocolate or a mug of Star Bucks coffee. If you don't make it, you miss your reward and work doubly harder the next day to make your day and eventually give yourself the opportunity to reward yourself. This game plan will work wonders, and you will be surprised at how much you achieve and feel inspired per day.

2) Viewing and staring at a rainbow

It's weekend time and it has rained for some time. Now there is a brightly colored rainbow in the sky. You nudge your spouse to go out in the grassy fields, sit down and watch the rainbow and admire. You snuggle each other and keep your eyes on the rainbow and be inspired!!

3) Cooking for your sibling or one of your in-laws

You choose a day to cook the favorite dish of your sibling or one of your in-laws. You make them happy because they relish it and feel satiated. You are happy in turn and feel inspired.

4) Helping a colleague at work

A newbie colleague is having difficulty with her tasks. You help her by giving her a few tips on how to get started. Her growing confidence inspires you.

5) Helping a child or an old man to cross the street

You see a child or an old man on your side of the street taking a long time to make the first step to cross the street. You help them, grabbing by the hand to the other side of the street. You have done a heroic act and you are bound to feel inspired.

6) Buying something lovely for your favorite child, or spouse

You are passing by a toy shop on your way and you remember your favorite child. So you stop and get inside and buy a nice toy. Or, you are passing by your spouse's favorite perfume shop. You shop a perfume for him/her. In other words, stop and buy something for the favorite people in your life and show them that you care and you eventually become inspired.

7) Being a little philanthropic

Out of your busy schedule, you find some time to donate to a cause you believe in. Being in philanthropic mood itself inspires you in the middle of your routine work.

8) Dancing to music beats with or without a partner

You have had an exhausting day. Put on some music in your music player and invite your partner to dance with you. If no one is around, dance yourself to the music beats. You will get back the mojo of life and be immensely spirited.

9) Pondering on Quotable quotes

Great people in history who have passed away or are fortunately still living have contributed to the world great quotes quoted by them. Mull over those quotes because they are inspirational and have a lot to teach you and stretch your mind.

10) Switching to Inspired Mode from Stressed Mode

In times of low spirits and stress, free your mind from thoughts, distract yourself, do something you love and then come back to your problem. You are in a better position to handle it and are more inspired to have it solved in an elegant way.

Summing up, those are my 10 sources of inspiration that you can take advantage of on a daily basis. There is no better way to go through life other than feeling inspired majority of our precious time on this beautiful planet.

http://ezinearticles.com/?10-Ways-to-Find-Sources-of-Inspiration&id=9462896

Mental Blocks and Metaphors

"Key metaphors help determine what and how we perceive, and how we think about our perceptions". M. H. Abrams

Perceptions are created from life experiences, and they can be your greatest source of encouragement, or create your biggest mental block. Working as a therapist and life coach I spend a lot of time delving into the perceptions of those people I work with by using interpretive images such as metaphors. Why? Metaphors tell a story or provide a visual cue to help us see alternative ways of looking at personal challenges.

Creative and powerful, metaphors have a uniquely meaningful influence, bringing together clarity and attention to your specific situation. Some refer to this experience as an "aha moment". One of the most transforming, is the key metaphor that stems from the optical viewer known as a kaleidoscope. Described as a "key" metaphor because it offers up ever-changing images and constantly shifting perspectives that everyone can relate to. Speaker Rosabeth Moss Kanter illustrates the kaleidoscope metaphor as a window to the world, in that you look at a set of elements, and with intention reassemble those floating bits and pieces into how you perceive yourself, and your world. All of which make up your life. The smallest shift having the potential to create a new awareness, as was the case in the story of my friend's daughter Kate.

My Friends Daughter: Story of the Seen and Unseen

As the door opened, my friend was struck by the tears streaming down her daughter's face.

Stumbling to speak through her tears, my friend's daughter said "It's not fair, it's not my fault, it's just not fair"! Curious my friend stopped what she was doing to listen. She wanted to know more about what had made her daughter so upset.

"What's not fair Kate?" my friend asked.

Justifying her tears, my friend's daughter said "Because I'm the tallest in my class I always get put last in line. Just once I would like to be first, it's not my fault. I didn't ask to be tall, it's just not fair".

Calmly my friend replied. "Kate do you remember the lesson of the Kaleidoscope?"

"That sometimes you need to go exploring to find a solution" replied Kate.

Okay then, said my friend," let's go exploring. Why don't we begin by lining up just you as you would do in school ". Kate looked at her mother and did as she requested. Now standing behind her, my friend using her best militant voice yelled out "about-face" and Kate found herself first in line, right where she wanted to be.

Excited Kate said "Oh mommy, if all I want is to be first in line, I just need to turn around"!

By prompting Kate to think about the lesson of the Kaleidoscope along with intentional instruction from my friend, Kate was able to see her situation in a new and different way. Whether or not you agree with the concept that problems are created when you stop seeking solutions is not important. What is helpful is the realization that challenges cannot be transformed into opportunities when an obstacle you are facing consumes all your attention.

Take-away: Even though what you see may not be up to you or me, the way it is viewed is up to you.

Making Your Kaleidoscope

While I don't believe you need any practical excuse for owning a kaleidoscope other than for the sheer enjoyment, so don't forget to find the fun in exploring creative solutions!

Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Mental-Blocks-and-Metaphors&id=9328226

Power of Creative Visualization

Creative visualization is the process of generating visual mental imagery, with eyes open or closed. These images can be for the purpose of inspecting or transforming and then understanding the associated feelings with that image to experience a more beneficial emotion, which can help deal with pain, loss, etc.

Too complex? Let me simplify it.

Creative visualization, means creating an image or a scene or imagining something in your mind, with eyes open or closed. That image or scene or imagination, is then used to replace any pain or cope with any loss, by attaching positive feelings to it. But creative visualization is not simply about dealing with pain or loss. It also helps boost self-esteem, improve moods, fighting anxiety etc.

Our mind has the ability to imagine some really fascinating things. These things do not need to be real or even make sense. If it is imaginable, our mind will imagine it. The power of creative visualization lies in its ability to affect our psychological, physiological and social behaviour.

The brain is capable of creating two kinds of images. Let us look at them in detail:

1. Visual Imagery

This form of creative visualization is where an image can be seen, voices can be heard and at times you may even feel the effects. Most creative visualization involves visual imagery.

Many times when we imagine a beach or some form of water, we see in our minds a beautiful shore, the sound of the ocean and if you are quite the imaginative one, you even feel the sand beneath your feet!

2. Non-Visual Imagery

This is when there is no picture formation in the mind. But all other senses together help one imagine. So when a trained musician tunes his instruments or tries to remember a music piece, it is non-visual imagery which comes into play. He can hear the sound or feel the strings of the instrument and judge if everything is in tune or not.

Creative visualization has an extremely strong impact on people. The way we think, react, behave, etc. can be modified with the help of creative visualization. Let us now look at the benefits of creative visualization.

First of all, the benefits of creative visualization are felt in all spheres of life. It is widely used in treatments and other situations where these kinds of creative visualizations come in handy.

• Therapeutic Benefits

In case of various psychological disorders, a person is subject to creative visualization. If a person is suffering from anxiety disorder, they are asked to visualize serene, calm and soothing scenes. The sounds of the sea are played and they are asked to calm down, imagining a sea shore. This helps them calm down, without using any medication.

When a person is going through physical pain, they are asked to visualize painless and pleasant things, while the other medication takes effect. This is done because when in pain, constant attention to the pain makes it seem worse than it actually is.

• Forgetting Fear

Very often people get cold feet at the very last minute. This is natural, but it becomes a hindrance to their performance. Be it on stage, in an exam hall or anywhere. To handle such a situation, one can visualize post victory scenes. This helps us to get over last minute jitters and give our best.

• Morale Booster

Every once in a while, our morale goes down. We feel low and not motivated enough to get things done. Through creative visualization we can convince our mind to imagine all the glory and prizes that await us at the end of the activity. This helps us get up and at least start.

The same visualization also helps us complete tasks once we start them.

• Mood booster

Naturally, if we are becoming more confident, relieving stress and experiencing more joy then our mood is going to be positive as well. When we day dream of all those things that make us happy, we automatically put into motion, the process of forgetting our problems.

Stages of Creative Visualization

1. Image Generation

Here the image comes into being. We begin imagining and forming a mental image, sometimes from memory, sometimes from fantasy and sometimes from both.

2. Image Maintenance

Here we try to keep the image alive. Our mind is prone to forgetting easily. So, this step is all about maintaining and keeping the image alive in our minds, long enough to actually see it as real.

3. Image Inspection

Now, our mind may be forgetful, but it has a great attention for detail. So the next step involves a thorough inspection of the image to make it seem as real as possible. This involves comparing the image to other mental images and our real experiences. 

(Yeah... the mind actually does all that. And here we thought only we multitask!)

4. Image Transformation

This is the last and most important step. Making it real. The image which was only part of the mind, is now experienced by the mind and body alike. The effects of the imagery, be it soothing, calming, relieving, etc. are all felt and enjoyed in the last step.

Creative visualization is much more difficult than we give our mind credit for. It can often be a draining experience, physically and emotionally. But when we do it, when we achieve creative visualization, we are often left with a sense of deep calm and serenity. Problems seem to solve themselves and we are left feeling relaxed.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Power-of-Creative-Visualization&id=9338979

Turn Yourself Into The Person Of Your Dreams

It's really amazing how we don't think about the hard work actors do while watching a movie. We enjoy those 2 hours so much, that we forget who the actors really are. You know, while watching Bruce Almighty we say, "Did you see Bruce pull the moon closer to the Earth?" We rarely say, "Look at what Jim Carrey just did." During those 2 hours, the actors become who they need to be in order to deliver the message and produce the results they desire. The more work they put into transforming themselves into the character they're playing, the better results and critique they get.

An actor's goal is to become a master at portraying different characters; and just like actors, there are times we dream of being different- not a different person, but a BETTER person; the kind of person we imagine ourselves to be everyday we go to bed at night. Some of us want to lose weight, some of us want more money and some of us just want to build amazing relationships; but it's hard to reach those goals and results if the person taking those actions isn't coming from a confident, definite, and persistent place. Have you noticed that whenever you begin your journey towards any goal, if your heart or confidence isn't fully invested in that goal, you end up getting bored, quitting or failing?

Why does this happen? It happens because our body is a cybernetic mechanism - it brings us 'back on course' when we break our comfort zone, just like a plane automatically comes back on course after hitting turbulence. This is the reason so many people quit: they do something for a while, they start seeing results, they get comfortable and then they get stuck. Losing weight, increasing our income and being an amazing husband/wife can only manifest if we make our desired result our comfort zone! In other words, make yourself feel uncomfortable until you get there. You've got to change your approach towards achieving that goal; and to change that we've got to change our self image.

If we picture ourselves as a fat person, we will diet for a while, get comfortable and without knowing, our cybernetic mechanism will bring us right back to where we were. We cry, we get angry and eventually we give up! We need to treat the source. If our self-image doesn't change, we will never find the confidence, desire and persistence to succeed and manifest those results.

There is one amazing exercise you can do in order to help you manifest those results in a faster and better way: You need to write a script of you. Not your situation, not a story of your past... just YOU. Who would you like to be? Begin jotting down ideas of the person you would like to be, and read it over and over. Allow yourself to totally relax and feel like you are already that person; you will see results manifest in no time.

Now why did I bring up actors? Well, actors imagine themselves to be someone else all the time; in fact they're pros at it! So if actors are studying the character they are trying to play in a movie, we should study the person we are aspiring to be in our own movie! Study your dream, really think about every aspect of who you want to be, and then begin creating a plan and taking action to manifest each of those qualities. Break down those comfort zones and allow your cybernetic mechanism to acquire and new optimal state of being. Make success your norm instead of failure, and you'll be on your way to creating bigger and better fantasies.

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