How to Navigate Bad Times

Staying on tract

Most of the techniques and practices I've talked about in this blog are basic and fairly easy.  Some of them may be hard to understand why they are so important, although I've tried to lay that out as plainly as possible, but basically these are simple techniques.

We start the hard part.  This does not involve anything to do with a doctorate from MIT, but it is just as difficult and here is where we separate the men from the boys.  This is where you can clearly excel and certainly step out of the cycle of negativity into abundant success in whatever endeavor you choose:  successful business, successful social relationships, successful love life, successful weight control - anything you want.

What I'm talking about here is stamina, sticking to your dreams and not letting go of them.

Clearly this is much easier to do if your dreams are what really mean something to you;  if you are clearly "following your bliss".  If you are following someone else's dreams, not only will it be hard to focus, but you will always have a terrific uphill battle that you will not win.  It's just that simple - you won't get there.

This is a definite sign (if it's hard to do visualizations on your goals) that your goals aren't really what you want and you are not following your bliss.   When, after you understand how, the visualizations come easy once you practice doing them regularly.  This is one of those "ah-ha" moments....when the visualizations come easy and of course then they start working.

This stamina is going to be hard enough as it is without any hindrances, so let's make this as simple and easy as possible.  By using your affirmations, any videos or audios to enhance that, praying, meditation and constantly thinking and reminding yourself of your goals and the affirmations that you have written out, you can maintain your belief and good feelings through all sorts of ups and downs that will come your way. 

This is where the big difference is made.  This is where you set out the path your life is to follow.  This is how you set your attitude to a positive direction.  This is how you affect your future.

If you succumb to those negative outside influences that are part of the maddening crowd:  Oh you can't accomplish this...thinking one way is going to make things another?.....I don't think so....what sort of nincompoop are you for being so simple-minded?....wake up and smell the coffee - things are the way they are and can't be changed, believe me you will never succeed.  You will be drawn off your focus, your goals and certainly off your target.

But the exact opposite is just as true:  if you believe, "All things are possible through God....I can have and deserve God's prosperous abundance....I have permission from God to enjoy my hard labors and as long as I keep God and Christ utmost in my heart and do not worship two gods (money & God), my perspective will be balanced, my life will be fulfilled and satisfying.

There are way too many divergences that can bring us off tract - on the outside of our awareness and on the inside.  Both need our attention.  This may seem hard, but it is strictly practice. 

Fear is probably the biggest culprit in taking you off target.  And it happens a lot of different ways...fear of action (anything/everything I do could be a terrible mistake), fear of inaction (if I don't do something it could be wrong), fear of thought (everything I think is fearful), fear of thinking period (if I start thinking, it will be fearful so why think or fear of thinking).  Good grief - that just about covers everything except breathing and you start letting fear get a hold on you, then pretty soon you'll have yourself fearing breathing:  "Don't breathe, it might be poisonous!"

Well, that might be the case, but people - if you DON'T breathe, you will definitely die!!  That's sort of a "Duh!" statement, but let's go further...Being frightened all the time of everything is just as inappropriate as not being afraid of anything.

The second divergence to your goals is lack of practice.  This sounds simple, but it is the simple practice of affirmations, prayers/meditations, revision of your list and the almost obsessive concentration of your dreams, goals and desires, that keeps fear from knocking on your door and pretty soon fear is so far away from your home, that it's almost a stranger.  What a fabulous idea!

So practice at saying no to those negative influences, both inside & out, is a must.  And practice your daily positive visualizations, meditations/prayers/affirmations and revision of your list if needed. 

One of my most favorite person in history is Winston Churchill, who fought depression (more about all of his history below which is really fascinating), said: "Never, never, never, never give up!"

Remember that and stay focused and on track.

Further notes follow.

Bad Times - an analysis

Uh-oh....analysis - that's Claire speak for long winded!  OK - I promise not to be too long-winded but this is pertinent, especially in today's economic climate.

Bad Times - it is all perspective.  And before you say, not so oh great mind of not even being on this solar system, much less planet!  Let me say, yes I'm a realist and I understand bad stuff happens to good people AND I understand that bad stuff happens to the most undeserving - as a matter of fact, I think we are all undeserving of bad times, but that's not reality either.

And yes, bad times are bad times....this is not a gloss-over post. 

At the same time, let's get a perspective about these times.  This is not the worst economic situation since the depression...unemployment wasn't as much as it was then and we have programs set up to prevent some of the horrible events of the 30's; foreclosures aren't at such a high rate as the depression; these current economic conditions are most in about 7 to 10 states.  The rest of the country is down a little, but not in a depression.

People, if there is one thing you get out of today's post, it's this:  we are NOT in a depression as bad or even close to The Great Depression of the 30's and if that's what you're hearing everyday, stop it;  you need another source of news or at the least less of that source of news.

We are not in a boom either, we are in a downturn of the economy, and that is not a depression.  If you are in one of those 10 states suffering more than the rest, then yes you are in a more prolonged and deeper downturn than the rest of the country, but 39 states are not in that deeper downturn.

So now we've established that this isn't the worst economic times since the Great Depression, let's move on.

The worst thing that this negative attitude brings about is negative thinking and that multiplies on itself, just the same way as positive thinking.  It's said that fear is the opposite of hope.  Fear can truly paralyze us;  we don't know what to do, where to go, how to feel (other than fear), can't work, can't move, can't think, can't be.  This is exactly what you do not want.

If this is where you are, stop it now.  Stop thinking negatively, start thinking positively, re-read the first 4 thru 6  paragraphs....we are not in the middle of the Great Depression II!!

How to get out of this negative feeling.  I've posted a lot about this, but scroll through the basic category on the left  (or here), to go through some of the techniques to use to get you into that positive state of mind.

Next is practice.  I'm a musician (OK, I'm not Billy Joel nor Vladimir Ashkenazy even though I would love to), but one of the main techniques we learn in playing music, is practice, practice, practice, play.  Meaning that practice makes perfect or close to it. 

The same is true of this whole process of negative vs positive...if you practice negative thoughts, you will have negative outcomes.  If you practice positive thoughts, you will have positive outcomes.

When you first practice this "positive feeling/visualization/meditation" business, you're most likely going to say: "Sure, yeah right - this is going to work, I don't think so!"  Stay with it, it does work.

But, let's take another look instead of dwelling on the doom and gloom....bad times are an opportunity to improve, an opportunity to clean out, even an opportunity to start again.  This keeps your attitude (and therefore your mind) not only in the game but in such a place that you recognize and realize the opportunities that are around in the middle of bad times.

Without this perspective, those emotions such as fear, bitterness, anger depression and all that, will overcome you.  They will paralyze you and overtake you to the point you can not even react, even if you see the opportunity - you will be so frozen with fear or other negative feelings that reacting and doing will not be within your capability.

So the best advice for these times:  remain positive, and be aware of the opportunities around you - opportunities that most likely won't come again in your lifetime.  From this perspective, not only will you beat off the ominous feeling of fear, but you are on your way to surviving and blossoming during these economic times.

Vision Board: Some Aside views

There are a few things I just glanced over in the last number of posts that probably deserve some clarification and definition.

God's participation in all this.  A lot of people think that asking for financial success, freedom, or abundance is not what God wants.  I do not believe that God created us to suffer.  That doesn't mean that we don't have dark times along the way, and it doesn't mean that if you are perfect you will be guaranteed happy times.  But God does want us to accomplish our goals and fulfill our dreams and that only comes through effort, attitude, thinking clearly and belief in Him. 

Do you believe that just because something doesn't come to you instantly that you are not meant to attain it or accomplish that task?  If you do believe that, release that thought from your mind right now. 

Do you believe that we were set on this Earth to only suffer?....to have to endure all the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune without enjoying the fruits of our labors?....to accomplish nothing?  Granted we find horrible acts and events around us daily.  We have experienced or been close to awful events - young people dying too soon, people suffering horribly, and yes this is a part of the world that we live in, but these events can not make us believe that this is supposed to be "normal".  Are we meant to live in this world of doom and gloom all the time?  Do you believe that our whole purpose on this world is to "suffer" through horrible events?

People, this just isn't true.  God wants to keep everything in perspective.  Hoarding your money is not Godly nor has it ever been.  But are we to say that the successful and prosperous Kingdom of Israel was evil?  It is just as much abnormal for things to go perfectly all the time as it is for things to go horribly all the time?  We will always have dark times and they will always lead to times of light. 

Granted there is an unfoldment that must take place for us to experience this joy of fulfillment and to have our heart's desire, but to say that He, our Father, does not want to have a fulfilled and prosperous life, is just incorrect....even in the passage following the rich man entering heaven compared to a camel going through a needle, there is a whole paragraph talking about how all things are possible through God.

And as far as hearing what is in our hearts...God does want to fulfill our heart's desires, and tells us so.  This is the follow up to the Ask, Seek, Knock passages.

This is so comforting - and all we have to do is believe.  That's where these exercises and techniques help us.  They certainly aren't cheating, unless you consider turning off the TV & Radio so you can pray and/or meditate better qualifies as "cheating".  These are simple techniques that we can learn to use that will give us a step up.

So think of this whole exercise as practice of becoming the person that God wants us to become and that He knows that we can become by believing in Him.  Not only is He willing to show us the way, he's also willing to be our main support;  he's also going to figure out how it's going to be done and will let us know in His own time.  In the meantime, we believe, are patient and have faith.

Here's a very comforting and uplifting parting thought for this post from Matthew 5 (right after the Beatitudes!)

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Vision Place: What's next

Yep, you guessed it - I couldn't get this follow up to my initial Vision Place post with just one post - what sort of blogger do you take me for any way?!!!  Excuse me - if nothing, I'm verbose!!!!

So to the subject

What's next...OK  - you got your vision place - you've got your super-charged-up "Ideal Day" and you're on track and you're beginning to feel good (aren't you....if not, check that list!)

So what's next....

Step into Mister Peabody's Time Machine, Sherman, and I will show you!!! 

Go through and read your narrative of your perfect day.  After that, close your eyes and do some serious meditation where you visit your perfect day.  Feel the feelings you wrote about, taste, feel, touch, sense what all is in that ideal day.  Spend some time visualizing that perfect day and experiencing how it will make you feel.

People, this is about as powerful as it can get.  If you can do this on a consistent basis, you have a lot of the battle won.  No matter what horrible things come in your path, go to your perfect day to get that bad feeling(s) out of your system fast.

This can be an immediate jump start for when you feel that you are stymied or just not progressing;  for when the mean reds jump up and attack you all on one day; for just when you need that extra umph; or when you know you're overcome with bad feelings and not sure how to get them out of your system.  This is that secret weapon you have against all this.

Don't forget to bring God on this trip with you.  He can help you with your visualizations, but you must "be still, and listen" to get his responses.  All of this meditations and stillness can come in as terrific support during that time when you most need it.

Vision Place: Some simple how to's

OK - yesterday I tried to define this Vision Place, and the best description or definition I can give you is that if your visualizations, meditations, prayers and work you are doing is either not coming as quickly as you liked or it is extremely difficult, this is a sure sign you're trying to put a square stick in a round hole!  IOW, go back to your wish list.  Please make sure that your wish list is only filled with those things that are important to you and are what makes you feel good.

Good feelings is the reading you're looking for.  That's the measure-o-meter that will tell you you're on the right track.

OK - having done that here are some ideas for your "Vision Place"

1. Sit down and write down at the top of your paper the target date of your ideal day.
2. Now start writing about your ideal day......how do you start (hopefully by your affirmations, meditations, etc.,), what do you do next - remember this is your ideal day, so if getting up and going to your hum-drum job is what you are doing now, but you do not like it, put down what you do like - the job you want to go to.  Where/what do you do for lunch?....how is your afternoon spent?....what do you accomplish on your ideal day?....who do you spend time with?....how do you spend that time?....how do you feel about being with that(those) person(s)?.....what mood are you in?....what do you like about this day?....what inspires you?....you get the idea.
3. Make sure all of this is in the present tense.
4. Be sure and make this inspiring....make it so that it means something to you.  If sitting at a near-by pond on a perfect day inspires you early in the morning for meditation....go for it;  if listening to classical music while you are working inspires you...that's your deal!  Make it inspiring.
5. Make this REAL.  This isn't a dream, you're going to believe this and make it real.  You can taste, touch, feel, sense everything about this day, cause that's what you're going to do next.
6. Make your day powerful.  You are empowered and can create anything - that is very powerful, so make your ideal day very empowered.

This whole process may sound like folly, but this gets you into those good feelings....those good feelings are going to keep you in that faith and belief mode that is going to further you down the path toward accomplishing your dreams and fulfilling your life goals.

I know you know this, but I'll just briefly say that if your list is made up of things you think others' want for you, it won't work;  if your list is made up of negative things you want to happen to someone who has been negative to you, it won't work;  if your list is made up of things that are negative to you - for whatever reason (you feel you don't deserve any better, you're not worthy, etc.), it won't work.    Remember, this is your list!

Enjoy this process and if your list is made of the things you want, this should be easy as pie, and very much fun for you.

Have fun!

Vision Place: Back to life

Now that we're over the wonderful Easter holiday, we can get back to life.  And thank heavens we have a champion with us now - to the end of the age.  Good grief - is that comforting or what!

OK - back to life.

In our last episode, I left off with What do You Want which is not so much a list of things that would please your mother, spouse or whatever...as it is VERY important that this is YOUR list not anything else.

The reason this is so important is that this is what you will be working from.  If this is something other than what you want, you will be working against yourself..."Oh this sounded good and nice so I think I'll include it cause it makes me look good....or...gee that's sounds like that would be an easy thing for me to want, I'll wish for this....or.....this is the hand I've been dealt so this is what I'm stuck with the rest of my life!"

NONE of this cuts it with your subconscious and you will eventually run into a block that you can not work through.

Phooey on the rest of the world (for this particular moment) and this is your purview, no one else's.

OK, now that we've got that straight, let's progress.

What we're trying to do here is create a whole Vision Place.  A place where you feel you are really in it.  This place fits you so well that you know you are there.  This is very hard to describe, because while you're out here in the real world hearing from the nattering nabobs of negativity, you're supposed to have this rosy and Pollyanna-like attitude!  Yeah right!  Let's get real.

OK then - let's get real.

That's where these tools of affirmations, meditations, prayers, list-making, list-affirmations, Vision-Place creation and creating those feelings of positive and affirming outcomes, all come into play.  This is what gets you through the mean reds - through the nattering nabobs of negativity and onto not only feeling

This is also the same thing that Christ talks about over and over....Ask, Believe and Receive.  Time and time again, all Jesus asked was if the petitioner believes, and always when they did, the miracle was completed. 

Jesus didn't ask us to figure out how the miracle was going to work, or how He was going to make it work, or to analyze what he did, or when it was going to work.  He asked us to believe - that's all.  We don't have to know how our desires are to be accomplished, we just have to believe, and God will figure out the rest.  In His time, our dreams do come true - all of them.

All we have to do is ask and believe....that's what this whole process is about...practicing that method of believing.  For as evil as we are, if our children ask from us, do we not give them all that we can, then how much will God give us?  For God is our Father, and only wishes to fulfill our dreams and goals.

So all we have to do is create this place where we believe so strongly that nothing can dissuade us from our dreams.  What kind of magical place is this?  How can we possibly create this?

It comes with practice and with faith.

• Practice it over and over and the more you do, the easier it becomes and more successful the outcome
• Faith in your beliefs, in God's timing and will to accomplish what you have asked for.

The practice allows us to remember and the faith allows us to believe that no matter what God is always working for us and is always working on our "project."

There are some concrete steps to take, which will follow in the next post(s) (sorry I usually can't get this out in one post), but if you get nothing else out of today's post, get this:

If your Vision Place, or visions, or dream list meditations, prayers and visualizations are coming slowly or are hard or do not come at all, revisit your list.  Your Vision Place should be something that you love to do.  Let's not talk about whether you think it's what someone else wants for you (no matter how well-thinking), or whether you think it's frivolous or not "good enough" or any of that other malarkey that the mean reds can think up in your noggin to keep you from discovering your true dreams.

Your Vision Place is a place/task/situation that you relish; you enjoy; you treasure and most of all you look forward to being in every day.

That's your Vision Place.

What do you want?

Goodness gracious - how easy is this?  This is the first thing you do when you make up your list.  So this should be easy - right?

How many times have you thought this and knew exactly what it was.

Or maybe you didn't.  What you thought was:  "Gee, I'd like to be doing anything but what I'm doing now!"  Which doesn't really lead us to what you really want.

Well, making up your list, means making the list comprise of what YOU want.

This does not mean making a list of thing that would be apppropriate by someone else's standards.

This does not include making a list of things that would please someone else.

This does not include making a list of things that you think would be appropriate.

This list is only and exclusively what YOU want.  What are YOUR dreams.  What is it that makes you happy.  What is it that gives you joy.  What do you do that is most pleasing and gives you greatest joy and gives you the greatest satisfaction.  What do you do that brings you peace.

Now this could be something that someone else might look at and think - gee that won't make you any money.  And it could be something that makes you think that to yourself.  It does not matter.  What is very important here is what makes you happy.

This can be said many ways.  Joseph Campbell defined it as "Follow your bliss".  This is what is the basis of the Law of Attraction from "The Secret".  This is the words from Christ in Matthew ask, believe and receive.  Christ doesn't ask you to ask for what you do not want, or what you think others want for you.  He asks you to ask for what YOU want.

This can be hard if you are not used to determining on your own what you want, but it is essential.

This process is easy.  You do not need to have the brains of Einstein, Hawking or Warren Buffet to do this.  But there are some rules you have to have to make this work.  You must be focused on your goals/dreams/wishes/desires.  That focus must make you feel good;  it is those good feelings that will help transform you into next level of prosperity.  If those feelings are centered on goals/dreams/wishes/desires that aren't your own (no matter if they belong to some one else, or they aren't what you really want), then focusing on that false list will not bring you good feelings.

If you feel you are floundering and feeling that you aren't making progress....look carefully at your wish list. 

• Are you sure these things are what you really want?
• Is this list something that you made up to please someone else?
• Is this list something you made up cause you think it will be easier?
• Is this list something you made up cause you don't think your wishes are worthy, or probable enough or good enough or strong enough to be accomplished?

Let all of that go.  The important thing here is to make this list the way you want it.  Make sure the entries are what you want.

Have I said that enough?...what you want?....sorry.  Trying to be adament!!!  Get to work now redoing that list or refining it!

And this is a fun process so.....

Enjoy!

Good Friday

So here we are at the end of Lent - well, almost, and it's Good Friday.  The day Jesus died on the cross. 

Jesus dying on the cross completes a cycle starting with the exodus of the Jews from Egypt - kinda of a long story, but it's the biggest one of all mankind.....God, Sin, Christ, Love.....that's the synopsis!!!  With the death of Jesus came the resurrection of Christ and God of Love. 

But another interesting perspective is one of the time - the conditions and situations as it was on that day - the trial, the Passion, the death.  All on Good Friday.

During the time of Jesus's life in Palestine, there were many religious sects, and Jesus's group was considered just another religious sect.  Jesus did make a substantial mark, which brought him to the attention of the authorities, both the Jewish and Romans, who were both disturbed by his increasing popularity and unwillingness to bow to their authority.

The solution for the authorities was death - a particularly horrific, torturous death to stop any sort of insurrection to the authorities. This is what had always worked in the past.  Judea was a trouble-making spot in the Roman Empire and Herod had been sent to "clean it up" and no better way than through terror and torture and death.

So Jesus is sentenced to death and dies - no longer a leader - no longer available to his supporters, or so the authorities thought.

But from the followers point of view, this has to be a terribly scary time to put it mildly.  Peter has denied Jesus, Judas has betrayed him, Jesus dies and there's no hope.  The movement is doomed.  The Jewish and Roman authorities have retained their stranglehold on the people and their threat for any future religious sects.

So what happens to all that Jesus had preached?...is it valid?....is it to be followed?  What about ask?...seek?...knock?...believe?  What about the miracles?  What about this God of Love that Jesus preached about?  Is He gone?

The depression and rejection from the disciplines and all of Jesus's followers must have been over-whelming.  They had given everything to this man:  their lives, love and soul to Jesus, and now he was gone;  he was dead.  This was the end.

I can not help but be awed by the strength and courage of this group of people.  They had no idea what was coming and all they could see was no hope and possible annihilation, and the real truth is that at this time, if the crucifixion of the leader didn't quell the movement, then the major followers were also crucified, so many of the disciples such as John, Peter, Paul, Matthew were most likely consumed with the fear that they were next on the cross.  And although this was a terrifyingly horrifying way to die, the major loss would be their presence and leadership.

We remember Mary going to the tomb on Sunday morning, and the re-appearance of the resurrected Christ to his disciples and followers, but today, this sad day, Jesus has gone.

What would our life today be like w/o Christ?....without the life, teachings and example of Christ?  It's impossible to imagine, but this is exactly what the disciples and followers of Christ experience on the first Good Friday.

Here's to the third day.....Easter!  Isn't it wonderful we know we have this to look forward to.

The end of Lent

If you're like me, you probably haven't been as good at keeping your lent vows as you would have liked, but you have made some progress.

That's OK - fortunately we don't have to be perfect - we just have to try.  And even in the trying, we have help and lots of resources to get us and keep us in the right frame of mind.

Jesus did some of his most complete work in the Beatitudes & Sermon on the Mount.  The problem lies in that they seem to conflict - on one hand Jesus says blessed are all that are in trouble, downtrodden and poor and on the other hand he lays down rules and regs that are impossible to meet or follow.  

So here lies the rules and regs which are impossible, and yet we're forgiven for everything.  How can we reconcile this?  Actually we can't, and we're not really meant to.  God certainly doesn't want us to worry about it (the lilies of the field and all that), and yet it is vital that we give it all we have.

I think it can best be summed up by this wonderful passage in Romans: 

For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.  But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.  For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.  Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

I love this scripture, cause even in the more classical translations Paul totally expresses the frustration with the dichotomy and duality in all our characters.

God has repeatedly said that he will help in this endeavor - he wants us to succeed, even though it may appear that we can't or there's no chance.  As a matter of fact he wants to give us His kingdom.   And God doesn't even request that we know the total plan.  We don't have to.  He knows it, and in His timing will reveal everything.  Actually, this is a pretty great way of doing this. 

I call this process unfoldment.  It is an unfoldment of our own nature, character, capability and accomplishments.  If we do not even try, we will not only unfold, we will never know the true capability of what we can be.  As unfoldment implies, we do not necessarily know all that will be "unfolded" or revealed until we make the effort to try and unfold ourselves.

And then here comes Jesus.  He teaches us how to do this unfolding, sets a marvelous example, and just about the time we're at our rope's end (remember the Beatitudes), he dies on the cross so that we have a paved way to God.

The process I talk about here on this blog is about our unfoldment.  It hopefully will inspire you to take that risk to take that leap of faith.  This is the only way to unfold and experience life the way God and Jesus Christ meant for us to.

This weekend is the most important sacred weekend in the Christian faith.  It's a time to not only rejoice, but to renew our courage and stamina.  Even though our times may be tough today with the economy in constant turmoil, this is exactly the time to take that risk.  Start your own company.  Start your new career.  Start your new life.

A quickie affirmations list

OK - I've talked a lot lately about specifics....but here are some overall great mantras/affirmations:

1. I am a powerful creator
2. I can do, have, be anything I want.
3. All I have to do is choose those positive thoughts that make me feel good.
4. I focus on what I want, appreciate and am thankful for.
5. My good feelings will guide me to release all negativity from my mind.
6. Positive thoughts will bring more positive thoughts and people into my dreams into physical reality.

These are really great and cover the whole nine yards.  If you want a little more in depth, click the link below, but all you really need to know is that these are great and work!