Is It a Breaking Point or a Turning Point?

There are crossroad moments in life, but there are also moments that have a stronger dynamic than that. These are moments when you face major decisions about giving up or giving out or going forward in life.

"A crisis only becomes a breaking point when we fail to use it as a turning point," wrote Guy Finley. Most of us have had a moment when we faced, or may now face, this truth. Depending on what’s going on, we can feel weakened, either momentarily or for longer; and we may have to dig deep for the courage and self-love to head toward the direction of a balance point. Along with this, it takes an act of courage to reach out to others when we feel weakened so that we can get strong again, as author and motivational speaker Les Brown reminded us. That’s not always easy or comfortable to do, especially if you have self-worth issues about your deservedness or a belief that you have to be perceived as perfect, which means you erroneously believe you must never have or demonstrate feelings other than those of empowerment.

Sometimes, what gets us to feel we’re approaching a breaking point is a series of events that seem to pile up. Sometimes, it's one event. Sometimes, it’s both, which has been my recent experience. Either scenario can make us feel that we're going to break open or break apart. That's why I was especially appreciative to reread Finley's and Brown’s words. I’ve had to reach out to select others lately, in order to stay strong during a particularly challenging time. I’ve had to look at my role in the dynamics and own it, which has been painful but transforming; but doing this empowers me in many ways. What I've been facing can be viewed as a problem (breaking point) or as an impetus (turning point) to do something that's needed to be done for quite a while. In its specific way, my situation is a signal to turn and aim my life in a direction that is more appropriate for me, as though I can hear the words whispered on the wind, "Your life is calling you." Along with the emotions I’ve experienced, I’ve also been able to see the gifts and the hand of Source at work for my and the highest good.

It's somewhat frightening and exhilarating to stand in this place. Like that phrase that refers to leaping and finding you can fly. The encouraging words of support and love that have been coming to me from family and friends, and messages sent by Source in its very special way, help me remember how blessed I am in my life, how much I have to appreciate. And I realize one of the biggest blessings is that I can recognize this.

I haven’t popped right into "positive energy and emotions only" mode as yet, nor will I put that unrealistic demand or burden on myself: There are still things to resolve and healing work to be done. I know that staying in an agitated state won’t fix anything and is potentially damaging to the body, as well as every area of life. Einstein's words come back to me, "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it." I can't keep doing the same things and expect different results; none of us can. And I can tell you that making specific changes has not been received well by one and all, though, support for the needed changes is strong from others; though, that shouldn’t be required in order for any of us to take strength in any choice we make that’s in our best and highest interest. In fact, making specific changes has set other dynamics into motion, as is wont to happen; but I completely trust Source to continue to support me, as well as act for the highest good of all involved.

Why is it that we sometimes feel compelled to wait to make changes until we have to? I'm one who believes everything has a purpose, so there's no judgment in that question. I can think of lots of reasons we might do that. Sometimes the reasons include being a kind, caring person who doesn’t like to give up, which means the person also doesn’t know that necessary endings are natural and, well, necessary, whether that’s a complete ending or ending only what doesn’t work. Sometimes it’s because a co-dependent (toxic) relationship has been formed, whether personal or professional, and any number of fears get in the way, preventing a needed shift from happening. Sometimes it’s because we live from the outside in rather than from the inside out, which puts the quality of our life into the hands of others instead of in our own hands and in partnership with Source. Sometimes it’s to get our attention onto an inner healing that is needed, which of course could result in any or all of the above reasons I listed here. I'm certainly now aware of my reasons, and I'm directing my energy in a way that lets me move forward, however this challenge unfolds.

If you experience a moment, or are in one now, that feels like a breaking point, what might you do to make it your turning point? It’s a good practice, one you’ll appreciate.           

           

Practice makes progress.

© Joyce L. Shafer

What to Say and Believe When the Shift Hits the Fan

Keeping spiritual balance can be challenging or feel nearly impossible when life seems to turn completely upside down. Here’s something that helps.

It was the third trip to the emergency room in four weeks. But instead of being led to where my mother was, as had happened all of the other times over the past several months—including just two days before this event, I was taken into a private room by a nice woman, then immediately followed in by three E.R. staff, who needed to know if my mother had a Do Not Resuscitate order in place. They told me timing was critical; they didn’t believe she could breathe on her own. Mom’s systolic blood pressure was 50, her heart rate was low, and she was unresponsive. I was being asked to make a decision about whether my mother was to continue to live or not, and being given only moments to take this in.

While I dealt with the shock of this information and an emergency team desperate for a decision, Source had other plans. I asked to see my mother; and when she finally heard my voice and said my name, her condition began to improve—slowly, but the numbers were going up, not down. And when medical staff felt they could take her for a CAT Scan (she’d hit her head when she’d lost consciousness), and the room cleared, I got on my knees and asked for guidance, which I received within seconds. I still had the rush of adrenaline, but did feel calmer because I’d been given good guidance from Source.

Once stabilized, Mom was admitted and placed into a room. We talked about a lot of things. That was the last time we were able to have that kind of conversation for several days. She was septic, meaning her blood was infected, which meant her brain was affected, as well. All of this created dementia and she also began to hallucinate, and the hallucinations went on for more than 24 hours. Her agitation was so great they had to give her a potent drug every several hours to calm her down so she could rest. Once things began to settle down, she remained confused and easily agitated for several days. To say the experience was severe on all levels is accurate. 

It became obvious, first to me then to my mother once she felt better, that there was much to get in order. My days became quite busy with so many things to think about and take care of that almost nothing about my life was the same or what I’d call “typical”; and I was exhausted.

Once circumstances became more manageable, I knew I needed to continue on with tasks that needed immediate attention, but also knew my inspiration was way down, as was my energy. But I had time to think again, rather than just be in action-mode, so drew on something I’d heard in an Abraham-Hicks video. Every morning and as often as I thought about it during the day, I made several statements to Source (and continue this practice). You might consider using these now, but especially if or when the shift hits the fan in your own life:

Thank you for loving me.

Thank you for always being with me.

Thank you for always supporting me.

Thank you for inspiring me.

Thank you for always providing what’s needed, and in right timing.

Thank you for guiding and assisting me to be lovingly appropriate and appropriately loving.

The key to feeling even a bit better when times are tough or tense, or both, is to find at least one thought that lifts you up even just a bit so you don’t feel utterly alone or adrift—feelings which can happen when you feel shaken to the core by events. I will tell you that when the experience with my mom was really bad, metaphysics or spiritual practice was the last thing on or in my mind. I carry no guilt or self-criticism about that. Now that I have some time to give the experience reflection, I am giving the metaphysical aspect of manifestation and tangled hierarchy (experiences of individuals overlapping) deeper consideration. And I know I’ll be looking at this entire experience as it relates to me, and I to it, for quite a while.

I also ask you to pay attention, as well, to the fact that even amid all goings-on initially in the E.R., once the room was empty of all energies but mine and Source, I was able to regroup, so-to-speak, was able to calm myself enough to consciously turn to my connection with Source in my mind and heart.

I also reached out to people, and deeply appreciated their support and prayers. Too often, we try to carry our burdens alone. We are stronger when there are many “hands” and hearts helping us to get up and stay up.

Never cause yourself to be without support from others; reach out, and let them assist you in whatever way is appropriate for them—but don’t hesitate to isolate yourself for a while in order to have no “static” interfering with your connection with Source and your self. Don’t judge yourself if you temporarily forget pretty much all the metaphysics or spiritual practice you know when dealing with an emergency or utter exhaustion or frustration; neither be surprised if you do remember what you know while experiencing these, and begin to put it into practice. Find something like the statements I’m using to help you regain your footing, as soon as it feels or becomes appropriate for you to do so. These are good practices, ones you’ll appreciate, especially when you need them the most.           

  

Practice makes progress.

© Joyce Shafer

What You Want and Want to Feel Is Just One Thought Away

We want spirituality or metaphysics to be easier: they are. It’s just that we’re so practiced at doing life the hard way. But, “easier” is really just one right thought away.

Any “off” feelings I have (feelings that don’t feel good) are clear indicators to me that I’m practicing resistance. The intensity of the feeling(s) indicates how much resistance I’m practicing. Once my awareness is on this, I can pay attention to what my resistance is (what I’m practicing), and that I can stop doing it.

We tend to think that our better practice, if we do it right, is supposed to stop any and all contrasts (triggers for our resistance) from ever happening again. No. And, you’ll feel and do a lot better if you understand that your practice is to help you be better at thinking your thoughts, rather than your thoughts thinking you, before, during, and after a contrast.

One big contrast is the idea that we’re supposed to be spiritual or metaphysical superstars. The result of this is that not only are we trying to figure out what our practice is and how to do it, but we carry guilt and self-condemnation for not already being a “superstar” or for not becoming one after a very short time of minimal, sporadic practice.

It’s time to toss away these feelings and start using contrasts and resistance for our benefit. Contrasts and resistance are like checking yourself in the mirror. You can choose to love and appreciate what you see, choose to loathe and criticize it, or choose to improve. Sometimes the best choice at the moment is to feel a bit better, which may be as simple as releasing resistance about whatever currently has your attention. You can assist yourself if you begin to think of resistance as an opportunity to practice how to let it go. The more you practice this, the better and faster you get at it.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a lot of practice chewing on one or more negative thoughts the same way a dog chews on a bone. These days I’m paying a great deal more attention when I do this. I catch myself doing this and ask, “What do I really want to create more of, really want to feel?” If I don’t want more of what I’m thinking about or feeling, I need to let those thoughts go (be willing to let those thoughts go) and find a general good feeling I prefer, and step into it. And, do this as many times as it takes.

Here’s how to release resistance AND move into better thoughts and feelings: Let go of negative specifics. By “negative specifics” I mean rehashing the past, negatively anticipating the future, and complaining or criticizing. Each of these leads you into more or stronger resistance, as well as “digs the hole you’re in deeper.” You want to go general. General means to say something to your self like, “It’s beautiful outside today” or “I love moments when I feel really good, really in flow.” Maybe recall a time when the Universe gave you an awesome surprise or affirmation.

When you go general, your intention should be to tap into a good feeling and hold that vibration, without thinking any specific thoughts. Be deliberate about this practice, especially when you feel any feeling you’d label as undesired. Return to this feeling as often as you need or want to. This practice creates desired shifts because it releases you from resistance, which blocks desired outcomes and feelings.

Our tendency is to practice being in the frequency vibration of what we perceive as a problem rather than be in the frequency vibration of a, or the, solution. No solution can come to us, either as an inspired idea or an experience, as long as we wallow in thoughts and emotions about how we don’t like a particular contrast. That’s like tuning the radio to a Heavy Metal station and expecting to hear classical music. If you want to feel and be a particular way, you have to align your frequency vibration – your energy radio dial – to the station you prefer.

Here’s the “simple, but not necessarily easy” aspect of this: Any better feeling is truly always just one right thought away. The reason it’s not easier is because we’re so practiced at doing the opposite. It’s not easier, because our ego-aspect is attached to being right, to feeling secure only when it knows the how, what, when, and who solution rather than trusting the solution or desired experience will arrive, if we just let go of resistance vibrations. Trust in Source or the Universe is also just one right thought away.

One right thought is worthiness. You are worthy, but you may not allow yourself to feel it, because of all the opposite thoughts you practice. It’s the same for abundance, serenity, joy, and any other wonderful feeling you enjoy or desire to enjoy. They are all only one thought away.

Maybe like me, you too have experienced this as Truth, from time to time. However, it does have to be the right thought, that is, the right thought for YOU – the thought that gets you over the bump or hump and into your better-feeling energy vibration. The right thought is the one that results in you feeling in alignment and or in appreciation. Sometimes you may have to sift through a lot of thoughts to find The One that does it for you. Sometimes, especially with practice, you can find the right thought quite quickly, if you follow the path of going general to release resistance.

But just as I said about the superstar idea causing you to feel bad about yourself, you are not to stress or strain about finding the right thought either. I’m going to repeat this because it is important: Go general and create a shift simply by remembering a moment that felt really good, when you felt a way you loved feeling, and hold that vibration without practicing specific thoughts. Allow knowing that you have the power to choose your thoughts and the knowledge of what a right thought can do for you, to help you feel empowered, no matter what contrast appears.

What you want and want to feel is there for you as soon as you match your vibration to it. You can match your vibration to what you desire as soon as you cease practice of any resistance vibrations, which often are about your focus on the perceived absence of what you desire. It’s a good practice, one you’ll appreciate.             

Practice makes progress.

© Joyce Shafer

How to Make Your Life Problem-Free

A problem-free life: don’t we all like the sound of that! There is a very real way to achieve this, but likely not the way you’re thinking.

For a while now, people with the intention to motivate others (or themselves) have said the Chinese word for crisis – weiji – also means opportunity. Come to find out, that’s not precisely accurate (sorry, folks). However, the well-intentioned premise is still just as valuable to us, whether or not the meaning of the word we were told is accurate or not.

You see, what the premise delivers to us like a special gift is that each moment presents us with the choice as to whether we will perceive and act from the mindset that something is a problem or an opportunity. The actual event or moment is neither; it’s just an event or moment. It’s all about what WE think, speak, and do at and after that moment of choice.

Now, maybe we need to pacify the ego-aspect a bit, because when a problem shows up or smacks us hard, it doesn’t feel authentic to call it an opportunity. We aren’t always able to rapidly move out of feelings or emotions that come up at such times. It’s too big of a leap for many of us, which, by the way, knowing and owning up to this fact is more authentic than trying to fake being okay and calling something we’re not happy about an opportunity when we’re still grappling or struggling with what we feel. An example of such authenticity comes from a friend of mine who asked her three and a half-year-old niece how she was doing. The child answered, “I lost my sunshine,” and told her aunt what had happened to cause this. My friend replied, “Well, maybe you’ll find your sunshine again later this afternoon.” The child responded with an emphatic "No, not today... tomorrow!"

There may be times when a problem happens and “opportunity” does feel like the word we could work with, but maybe “challenge” or some other word fits the bill better. That’s okay, too. The thing to consider as important here is to choose a word better than “problem” (or any of its first cousins), which tends to bog us down, and makes our energy vibration not one we really want matched by Law of Attraction.

I don’t know about you, but the word “problem” has a lot of not-so-happy connotations attached to it for me. I cringe a bit when anyone says, “There’s a problem,” because to me, that’s telling me I should expect struggle, anxiety, stress, and possibly some other things I’m not eager to experience, whether about the situation or from the person and their attitude about it. I also need to get over myself about this.

We tell ourselves we want a problem-free life, which doesn’t really serve us. Do you really, really know anyone, anywhere on the planet, who has a genuinely problem-free life? I was thinking about this and got the mental image of life resembling an obstacle course we’ve chosen to practice on for strength training of our emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects. Each obstacle is there to challenge us to use what we’ve learned so far and to learn even more, not to defeat us. And we aren’t given just one chance to run the course, we run it as long as we’re alive. It’s never about doing the course perfectly, but about strength, skills, wisdom, enlightenment, and empowerment practice and building.

And this leads me to something I heard Abraham-Hicks say – something that sent a rocket off in my awareness about “The Path of Least Resistance”. I’ll get to what Abraham said in a moment. First, I want to offer that the phrase is a really catchy one that tends to resonate with most of us. But, in my thoughts, it doesn’t only mean the “obstacle course” of life is mostly clear and therefore easier, but also that WE are clear or mostly clear of resistance, as well. (Food for thought: Abraham says the path of least resistance isn’t always easy.)

Back to what Abraham said. Abraham explained that the Source within us is ALWAYS focused on the path of least resistance. If you’ll pause right now and think about that, it makes perfect sense. Source never stresses or strains – because IT KNOWS the paths of least resistance and follows them. However, we each have the right to choose the thoughts we think. And here’s the rocket-launcher statement (for me, at least): “When you choose a thought that doesn’t feel good, you have not chosen the path of least resistance.” I add this: at the very least, when you can’t honestly in a moment choose a thought that makes you feel good, choose one that doesn’t make you feel worse, until you’re able to choose one that makes you feel better or really good. In my opinion, that is the clearest, most concise statement about how we self-sabotage how we feel, what we experience, and outcomes we create that I’ve ever come across. It’s so darn simple and all-encompassing!

The Source within us is always with us, ready to provide the path of least resistance all of the time, every time. We choose a thought that doesn’t feel good, and – wham! – we throw an obstacle onto the course or a boulder into the stream that blocks the flow. No wonder Abraham keeps “beating the drum” about our choosing to feel good and to match the vibration of what we desire.

And, it might help you to consider it easier to match a vibration, if you choose a thought that makes you feel good then quickly lock into the feeling and let go of the thought. The feeling is more important than the thought that got you there. In fact, feeling the feeling will help you stay in the feeling. Thoughts have a way of becoming like the engine on a train that starts chugging forward slowly then builds momentum. Next thing you know, you’re mind is following that train of thought down one or more tracks you hadn’t intended to travel. That thought train becomes an obstacle to holding a feeling that makes you feel good.

Obstacles on the life course are there for us, from us, even if our ego-aspect doesn’t agree with or understand this. Every contrast (another word for “problem” that might feel better to us), causes us to desire something different and better and aim at it; at least, that’s what contrasts are meant to inspire in us. Therefore, we can no more put a halt to contrasts, problems, obstacles – call them what you will – from showing up than we can halt the tide. But we can learn from them. We can learn how to find a place of harmony within us about this fact. And as with the tide, we can learn to look for the gifts that are carried onto the shore by the waves, as well as how the waves can cleanse the sand.

Am I saying we just have to accept “problems”, whatever we decide to call them, and just live with that? Yes and no. Yes, because life is dynamic so stuff is going to happen. No, because when you choose more thoughts that do not create resistance in you, life begins to feel different in a good way. You create less to feel resistant about. When something does happen that feels challenging, you’re better positioned to choose what you think, say, and do about it, which affects everything that follows the pivot-point moment of the event.

So, yes, you can make your life problem-free with an attitude adjustment, by exchanging the word “problem” with one that works better for you energy-wise, and by deliberately choosing to feel good or at least not worse as often as you possibly can, in order to travel the path of least resistance. It’s a good practice, one you’ll appreciate.           

Practice makes progress.

© Joyce Shafer

Life Is Not Supposed to Be All About Problems

Do you wake every day, move through your day, and go to bed with problems on your mind? Maybe you’d like to do something about that right now.

What can you do that’s quick? Reframe the problem or your perceptions about it to make a difference, even if just a small shift at first.

I listened to an interview with Marcia Wieder and she said something like, “Life is not meant to be just about addressing problems.” How often you might feel that your days are all about problems! Maybe thinking that way has become a habit.

Marcia’s statement brought my thoughts back several years, to a call with my Life Coach. He listened to me for a while and asked, “Have you ever noticed how many times you use the word ‘problem’?” He had me there, and I was glad he brought it to my attention. Someone in my life consistently says, “We have a problem.” I’d become so accustomed to hearing it that I didn’t even realize I was using the word so often (and experiencing all that goes with it).

What happens to your energy when you say or think, “I have a problem” or even “There’s a problem”? Do your thoughts immediately go to or open to possible solutions? Not really, huh? You focus on the fact there’s a problem or that a problem is perceived. How can you reframe this?

Here’s an example from my past. The due date for a monthly bill loomed. Expected funds hadn’t arrived. I reclaimed units of Truth and calmed myself. Unexpected funds came to me, which meant I could mail the check and have extra left over. Except… I verified the deposit had cleared and saw a lower online balance from my check register, caused by an annual automated charge. The company had always emailed a notice a few weeks early so I could plan for it. They hadn’t this time.

At first I was disappointed. Then I recognized how I’d been “looked after” from a higher level than physical reality. It was an Instant Reframe Moment, because I could have stayed in the mental-emotional place that believed I had less than I could have had, or life was unfair, or any number of negative perceptions. Instead, I chose to acknowledge I’d been “looked after” at that time, as I had before, and would be again.

Being in problem mode and in a negative perception state can become a bad habit, without you even realizing it. It can make you not only anticipate problems but also amplify severity of situations that arise—through your thoughts about them—beyond what they really represent or present. This can cause you to ignore what shows up to assist you or to not see what shows up for what it is.

A friend of mine had this habit mixed in with the perception that everything had to be “larger than life” to have real value. One Saturday we spoke on the phone about a “problem” she had. My intuition said to suggest she go to a metaphysical bookstore and let a book find her. She agreed to do this. We spoke a few hours later and she insisted she’d found nothing. My inner knowing said otherwise. She finally said, “I did find a book, but it’s just a small one.” I asked which one. “Life was never meant to be a struggle,” she answered. Oh boy. The physical book could fit inside a shirt pocket and not show. Her skewed perceptions about a “little” book caused her to miss the big message for her in the title, alone.

Our perceptions can cause us to wear blinders so that we look in only one direction, usually a negative or limiting one. A habit of labeling events and feelings according to these perceptions closes us off from seeing things differently.

Stuff happens—and for reasons we don’t always understand; but here are four questions to ask when you want to check whether your perceptions about events or situations are working for you:
• What else might be going on? (Negative perceptions limit “visibility”!)
• Is there any value to me at the inner or outer levels; and if not apparent now, what about in the future? (There’s always inner-level value; and hindsight often shows a “brilliance” orchestrated the events—if we allow ourselves to see this.)
• In what way does this event ask me to be creative? (This could be at the inner, outer, or both levels.)
• Do situations (or I) change quicker if I get tense or if I allow serenity in? (You know this one is a no-brainer. If you’re a prickly cactus energy-wise, nothing comes close to you. Smooth your “surface,” and whatever IT is gives you a big hug.)

If your perception about a “problem” is that it’s an opportunity to be creative, or to learn and grow, is it still a problem of the same magnitude? If you reframe it this way, does it still have the same emotional charge for you?

Marcia asked listeners to consider what their relationship is with their personal power. You are an infinite soul, a creative consciousness engaging a physical experience; not just a problem solver or someone who just has problems. Practice being a creative and a creative solver; and use your reframing skills to allow you to experience events from a more positive or productive perspective. There are likely some matters in your life right now you could apply this approach to. Maybe start with some of the simpler ones.

Dustin Hoffman, as Mr. Magorium, in Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, says to his assistant: “Life is an occasion. Rise to it.” That’s what “problems” are, actually: Occasions we have the opportunity to rise to, whatever that means for us as individuals, and in ways appropriate and authentic for us (not based on the opinions of others).

Will you choose to rise to or through your personal power or sink into negative thinking today?

Practice makes progress.
© Joyce Shafer

You are welcome to use this article in your newsletter or on your blog/website as long as you use my complete bio with it.

Two Ways Solutions Are Not Always Obvious

There are two ways (or maybe “times” is a better word) a best solution might not be obvious: Before—when we need one and After—once one is in effect.

Way 1—Before

(This is taken from “The Prisoner in the Dark Cave.”)

A man sentenced to death is placed in a dark cave. He’s told there is a way out and if he finds it, he’s free. The only light source is a hole above him where food and water are to be lowered to him for thirty days; but after thirty days, this will cease.

The man sees the hole where the light comes in as his only way out—because it’s obvious. For days he stacks every rock he can find, believing if he can get the pile high enough, he can climb up and lift himself out. The ending is that this tactic doesn’t work (he runs out of rocks) and he dies. He’d focused so much on the “obvious,” he never explored where he was. Granted, it was dark in the cave, but had he felt along the wall, he would have found a tunnel that led to freedom. The “obvious” way led to his death.

Standing in a state of indecision can feel very much like standing in darkness. We want to take an action and we want it to be a right action—not just any action. But maybe we take any action only to discover we wish we hadn’t. We may take the most obvious action because it’s so uncomfortable to feel unsure or we believe we must, right then. (Others frown on being unsure, don’t they? Aren’t you supposed to always know exactly what to do about every single thing?) Ultimately, it’s the difference between a response and a reaction.

Notice in the story, the man was given a clue about the way out: he had to find it, which meant there was something he needed to look for. Yet, he didn’t look beyond what appeared obvious to him.

If you think about decisions and choices you’ve made, sometimes the obvious was the right way and sometimes it wasn’t. The obvious can seem to be the easy way out of a situation, so we don’t take even just a little time to search and research, in case there’s another or better way.

Maybe you’re in a situation at this time, looking for a solution. Set aside some time to allow yourself to consider what you’ve just read. Allow head and heart alignment to “speak” to you so you respond appropriately rather than react now and pay later.


Way 2—After

The solution came to you and you took action, or maybe the solution seemed to organically appear in your life, and what was making you crazy or worried before is now improving. But, are you acting as though things are improved or as though they’re still in their former state?

Think about that for a moment: A situation improves or is improving, but you’re still acting as though it’s still “wounded.”

Here’s a good example most people will be able to use as a parallel. Let’s say your child (or your dog) has some need to heal and you have to take certain precautions with Jack or Jill, or Jackpot—for a certain period of time.

Let’s say the desired healing and improvement happens and Jack or Jill or Jackpot is ready to begin to resume a normal active life. Will you, as caregiver, still feel cautious, or will you be as ready and raring to let s/he or it get back into action, even if gradually—because the situation is better than it was?

It’s understandable if you treat solutions and improvements as though nothing’s changed if you’ve had to cope with or manage a challenge for a period of time. We see it most typically in a person who loses weight but isn’t able to relate to their new size, only the ghost image of what was.

You know the 3-step method for manifestation: Create a rich image of what it is you desire, feel it as though it’s yours, let go of thinking about it and go do something else.

Maybe the key to releasing the past once a desired improvement is happening is to
*Create a rich image of What Is—that which is improved or improving;
*Feel how much you genuinely appreciate it and how joyful, fun, or fulfilling it is; and
*Give yourself permission to allow the improvement is present, and allow it to expand, trusting that you always know how to look after your best interests with integrity (rather than flipping your thoughts back to What Was).

Notice today whether an obvious solution or path is really the best one or if you should do some research (have you received any clues?).
Notice today whether you’re treating improvements (or healing) as though it hasn’t happened, then flip that thought/emotional process.

You are what you practice.
© 2010, Joyce Shafer

You can reprint this article as long as you use my complete bio.

Joyce Shafer is the You Are More! Empowerment Coach and author of I Don’t Want to be Your Guru, but I Have Something to Say, as well as six more books/ebooks, most easily found online at Lulu.com (jls1422@yahoo.com). Check out the terrific freebies and articles (and more) found in her free weekly online newsletter at http://stateofappreciation.webs.com