Bob is very set in his ways… but that doesn’t mean he can’t be trained…a little!

I failed to train him as a puppy in a real way early on because I was pretty unconscious.  He arrived to save me from a whole lot of bad stuff that was happening at the time.  While his wellbeing was always on my mind, the idea of him being able to sit and roll over and do the things that trained dogs do sort of fell by the wayside.

When I got better, he got more trained.  Still not perfect… but he’s trainable. And the more awake I am in life, the more he is able to feel my energy consistently paying attention to something that needs an adjustment…  and he will ultimately do what I hope for him!

Sometimes you have to do a whole lot to challenge what you are used to experiencing.

I mean, a whole lot.

If you are used to missing oppotunities, thinking you’ll come up short, worrying about the same things, having a story on “repeat” in your life… that requires challenge.  More than that… it requires showing up for the day and being persistent in what you need.

While I’m not an advocate of stressing out, there are times when you have to summon the extra energy of whatever forces can make a big change.  It doesn’t have to be stressful, but it does require some real commitment.  And if you are ready to commit… you shouldn’t waste another second! 

When I am in danger of falling into a pattern of the past now, rather than thinking too much, I now DO.

This is where some pretty intensive housecleaning begins.

If you hear that I’m cleaning my house like mad, chances are I’m in the midst of a big leap forward.

Lately, my housecleaning has gone far beyond the house.

I was telling several clients in a row to “brainwash” themselves with their desires for good outcomes where they’ve been bad in the past.  It sounds nuts, but its my way of describing the kind of all-out immersion in brighter beliefs that will take you to a new place.

I realized my own mind needed some housecleaning.  

I noticed my own persistent worry- for very good reason- about people I know who were destroyong their lives with their decisions needed to be gone.  I have literally trained myself to stay away.  I don’t support destruction, but I am no longer being a party to it, even peripherally.   Everyone around me is making decisions to move forward.

In fact, in a rerun of Mad Men last night when Don Draper was confronted with his brother from his past life who wanted to take him down a very painful memory lane his response was ” My life moves in one direction— forward.”  While he’s certainly not a role model charter for happiness, this struck a chord in a big way.

Do you have ideas or habits that are keeping you from that forward motion? You have a chance to change them, now.

Our bodies needed a little polishing, too.  

I’ve been getting lots of questions about our bodies and how they affect our lives energetically. I’m certainly not a doctor and make no scientific claims, but I do know that I personally do better in every way when I feel energized and alive an well rested and well-hydrated.

What is it about drinking loads of water that is so life-altering? I don’t know, but if you drink even a little more- even a cup or two if you don’t drink much- you might be surprised at the outcome.

More vibrant focus makes a big difference.

Forcing myself to focus doesn’t do much good.  Focusing vibrantly… beacause I’ve created a colorful point of focus on my desk like my bright orange mug or a handful of flowers… that’s much easier for me to accomplish.

You can try music, aromatherapy, yoga, breathing… but you need to focus much more to make a change while you are wide awake in body and mind.

What are the actual core beliefs you wat to challenge?

THIS amazing article on cognitive behavioral psychology lists tons of core beliefs that could be screwing you even your best efforts to move forward in a new direction.  Whether its “I am unloveable” or “I have to be in control to be okay…” or hundreds of others, if you are running around with this program in your mental computer, you’ll find a way to prove what you believe to be true… even if the belief makes no sense.  You can see the whole offered list of limiting core beliefs here… and I wanted to share the coolest summation:

“These core beliefs and/or resulting thought patterns are not true; they are merely thoughts resulting from a combination of childhood experiences, environmental factors, and your innate temperament. Some people believe these ideas so strongly that they cannot see the untruths in such extreme lines of thoughts. Because core beliefs are often born in childhood, they may reflect messages that were overly or implicitly communicated by family members. It can be helpful to determine where your core beliefs materialized, but it is not necessary. While maladaptive thoughts patterns and core beliefs may be difficult to challenge, many techniques exist that allow change to be possible. Recognizing such beliefs can be an excellent first step.

Want to change these beliefs? 

THIS article pretty much sums up the psychology of changing beliefs.  Its quite amazing.

Its funny how it echoes my sentiment of immersing yourself in the new way, the new idea… the most positive form of brainwashing yourself (!)  in happiness, goodness, strength and the opposite of anything that has been tripping you up.  It may take effort and single-mindedness, but its well worth it!

Life is too good to sabotage the greatness you are given…especially if you are the only thing standing in the way!

xoxo Dana

P.S. : If you want to clear obstacles and limitations… clearing clutter with feng shui magic helps IMMENSELY!  The Catalyst Camp FREE 3-Video intro series is coming to revolutionize your clutter clearing this season… and you can sign on HERE to be the first to get it when it arrives!  Make space to flourish without those old stories in the way!!!

 

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