It occurred to me after a recent conversation with my brother that as we enter our senior years [according to AARP it’s now age 50] many of us experience some angst over whether or not we are a success in life. Naturally, success means something quite different to each individual and may be altogether different when judged by the culture into which we are born.
During our conversation we agreed that there are great unexplored possibilities between what society may judge as success, and what success means to each of us. We also decided that it was of vital importance to know what living a successful life means to you, otherwise you have no compass to help you stay the course, or to feed your soul when the going gets rough.
Our concept of success or failure can certainly change depending on our circumstances and our level of awareness. During my thirties I criticized myself severely because I wasn’t successful. When I look back, however, I realize this was an unfair indictment of my life. I was a divorced, single mother in survival mode tying to balance making a living, supporting and rearing three children and carving out a career.
After a few more days of mentally walking back through my life, I emailed my brother and announced that I was boldly declaring myself a success. I then listed what I considered solid reasons for this decision: 1) I had taken whatever came into my life and given it everything I had from a positive standpoint, and no matter how anyone else perceived it, it was the best I could do with my level of awareness at that time, and 2) Since it is a human habit to judge ourselves critically, and I was complete with that unhealthy behavior, I decided to cut myself some slack and be better to myself than I had ever been before.
As I clicked on the Send button, my entire body seemed to breathe a huge sigh of relief.
My brother responded with a request for further conversation. After some more soul searching and reflection, we reached agreement on the following: If you are fully living your gifts and talents and seeking to serve life, God, you are a success. I thought later that if many people chose to follow this concise and profound philosophy it could change the world.
I believe that those who courageously approach life in this way and who dare to actively seek Truth and conscious awareness should be candidates for a Cosmic Badge of Courage (C.B.C.). When I thought about how desperately our world needs such souls today, I realized I could count a small number among my friends, associates and family members.
The first one I would nominate for a C.B.C. would be my friend Shayla, whose bodacious pronouncement [paraphrased from memory] always brightens my day and brings a smile: It isn’t my goal to complete this life with my body intact, but to continue pushing the envelope of what is possible and to slide into that unknown with a smile that acknowledges that I felt every bump and bruise, thoroughly enjoyed the ride … and deliberately made a difference.
_______________________________
Copyright 2007 by Fern Stewart Welch
The author's book, THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY -- How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within, is available from Amazon.com, other online booksellers, and through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.
Showing posts with label How to live a better life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label How to live a better life. Show all posts
Monday, February 26, 2007
Sunday, February 18, 2007
With a Tip of the Heart to Oprah---Here's the Rest ... of The Secret
I spent several decades of my life seeking to understand why some people are successful in achieving their heart desires and others are not.
Like millions of others I read all the books, heard numerous speakers and had the information spelled out for me many times by philosophers, visionaries and others. The concepts embraced by many of these individuals have been around since Biblical days and allowed them to achieve amazing goals and realize equally amazing lives.
I began hearing about The Secret a short time ago and was most interested in watching Oprah’s recently aired program covering the process. She and the wonderful team of assembled teachers shared highlights of an ancient and time-tested process [which in this latest incarnation is called The Secret] that has historically helped many people, including me, achieve their heart’s desire.
As I listened once again to the familiar “how-to” steps in The Secret, I realized that while something was missing that I considered a vital part of my success, I also was fully aware of something else. This program in and of itself was a gift to the millions of people watching. It may motivate individuals who desire to get on the path to self empowerment and to realizing more of their full potential as human beings.
I knew exactly what was missing from the presentation because I recently lived an experience that answered a really big, unasked question: If this information has always been available, which it has in one form or another for centuries, and it’s so simple, why aren’t more people realizing their dreams and desires?
The experience I lived answered this question and allowed me to realize my own heart’s desire, which I chronicled in my book “The Heart Knows the Way,” and which I now freely share to help others.
For almost three years I was unsuccessful in achieving my heart’s desire in spite of my in-depth knowledge of the process, my expertise in using directed, affirmative prayer and having the required clarity, focus and deep passion around my goal. Fortunately, I was also committed to never giving up or giving in, which led me to go within and use a technique to release invalid thoughts, life patterns, emotions and feelings, which were energetically held in my body.
I learned that these hidden “directives” residing in my subconscious had robotically pre-determined many of my decisions or lack of decisions, and often sabotaged my desire for life-enhancing actions, which included my heart’s desire.
Only after I had cleared enough of the hidden messages-energy was I free to open to accepting and allowing my heart desire to manifest in my life, which it did. My desire was to achieve a personal connection with God, and to receive the support and guidance necessary to consciously accompany my beloved husband through his lengthy decline and death in a way that was loving, life affirming and spiritually enlightening. It was.
I believe that this information may hold a key for others who seek to create the life they desire, and who may be tempted to give up when what they may need to do is clear any energy they have invested in unnecessary mental-emotional baggage.
In all my years of reading and listening to speakers about the process of fulfilling your heart’s desires, I have never seen or heard any reference to doing this type of energy clearance. I learned this secret by living it.
I wrote about this time-tested process in two recently published magazine articles, for which I also synthesized these ancient truths and the energy clearance method into two condensed lists of ten steps each. Since others may need to do this energy work in order to be successful, I have made the lists available on my website.
Simply click on my name on the left side of this column, which links to my website, and scroll down to the lists, or go to http://www.fernstewartwelch.com/.
—Clear Now and Create the Life You Desire.
—Ten Proven Steps to Fulfillment of Your Heart’s Desire.
_______________________________
Copyright 2007 by Fern Stewart Welch
The author's book, THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY -- How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within, is available from Amazon.com, other online booksellers, and through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.
Like millions of others I read all the books, heard numerous speakers and had the information spelled out for me many times by philosophers, visionaries and others. The concepts embraced by many of these individuals have been around since Biblical days and allowed them to achieve amazing goals and realize equally amazing lives.
I began hearing about The Secret a short time ago and was most interested in watching Oprah’s recently aired program covering the process. She and the wonderful team of assembled teachers shared highlights of an ancient and time-tested process [which in this latest incarnation is called The Secret] that has historically helped many people, including me, achieve their heart’s desire.
As I listened once again to the familiar “how-to” steps in The Secret, I realized that while something was missing that I considered a vital part of my success, I also was fully aware of something else. This program in and of itself was a gift to the millions of people watching. It may motivate individuals who desire to get on the path to self empowerment and to realizing more of their full potential as human beings.
I knew exactly what was missing from the presentation because I recently lived an experience that answered a really big, unasked question: If this information has always been available, which it has in one form or another for centuries, and it’s so simple, why aren’t more people realizing their dreams and desires?
The experience I lived answered this question and allowed me to realize my own heart’s desire, which I chronicled in my book “The Heart Knows the Way,” and which I now freely share to help others.
For almost three years I was unsuccessful in achieving my heart’s desire in spite of my in-depth knowledge of the process, my expertise in using directed, affirmative prayer and having the required clarity, focus and deep passion around my goal. Fortunately, I was also committed to never giving up or giving in, which led me to go within and use a technique to release invalid thoughts, life patterns, emotions and feelings, which were energetically held in my body.
I learned that these hidden “directives” residing in my subconscious had robotically pre-determined many of my decisions or lack of decisions, and often sabotaged my desire for life-enhancing actions, which included my heart’s desire.
Only after I had cleared enough of the hidden messages-energy was I free to open to accepting and allowing my heart desire to manifest in my life, which it did. My desire was to achieve a personal connection with God, and to receive the support and guidance necessary to consciously accompany my beloved husband through his lengthy decline and death in a way that was loving, life affirming and spiritually enlightening. It was.
I believe that this information may hold a key for others who seek to create the life they desire, and who may be tempted to give up when what they may need to do is clear any energy they have invested in unnecessary mental-emotional baggage.
In all my years of reading and listening to speakers about the process of fulfilling your heart’s desires, I have never seen or heard any reference to doing this type of energy clearance. I learned this secret by living it.
I wrote about this time-tested process in two recently published magazine articles, for which I also synthesized these ancient truths and the energy clearance method into two condensed lists of ten steps each. Since others may need to do this energy work in order to be successful, I have made the lists available on my website.
Simply click on my name on the left side of this column, which links to my website, and scroll down to the lists, or go to http://www.fernstewartwelch.com/.
—Clear Now and Create the Life You Desire.
—Ten Proven Steps to Fulfillment of Your Heart’s Desire.
_______________________________
Copyright 2007 by Fern Stewart Welch
The author's book, THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY -- How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within, is available from Amazon.com, other online booksellers, and through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Fear as a Form of Crowd Control
When I was very young I wondered if being quiet in church was because adults thought God was afraid of humans speaking up. Later I decided the adults were fearful that God’s attention would be drawn to them and then some sort of terrible and long-overdue retribution would be meted out because everybody was guilty of something at some time.
As I matured I realized that people are afraid of a lot of things, not the least of which is the eternal and sublime energy that is called by many names including God. We are also fearful of anyone that is different in speech, looks or actions. We are afraid of life, death and everything in between. We are afraid of who we are so we spend our lives locked within a façade so that we won’t be rejected by others who are doing the same thing.
We spend our lives unaware and fearful of the incredible life force that is within us and focus instead on the external, which is filled with the non-fulfilling and crazy-making “reality” of a fear-based society.
The awareness of and ability to manipulate through fear has been utilized as a form of crowd control from the dawn of recorded history. It has evolved to a highly developed art form thanks to religion, politics and advertising.
Fear is based on a feeling of separation, and we have been living in an illusion that furthers that sense of separateness at the core of our being. The illusion is that we are separate from that which is called God, and that illusion is so powerful and overwhelming that all other fears known to man just build upon it like a house of cards.
Science and quantum physics have already proven that there is no separateness. Whether we like it or not, we are one with everything and everyone on this planet and in the entire universe. We can deny it, but it doesn’t change the fact. The eternal and sublime energy, no matter what it is called, is within each of us. It always has been and always will be.
Will we be able to open our minds and accept the fact that all the energy, power, wisdom, love, peace and goodness there is now, ever was or ever will be is centered in us right now? Can we grow past the illusion that has kept us mired in conflict and fear—and evolve into the consciously aware spiritual human beings we were born to be?
A lot of earlier myths and superstitions have long since been put to rest, including that the earth was flat. It is time for humanity to open its collective mind and heart and accept that we have the opportunity to direct the energy of the universe that individualizes as each one of us. It is time to accept our true destiny and become co-creators with this incredible power and create peace, love and cooperation on earth. The clock is ticking.
_______________________________
Copyright 2007 by Fern Stewart Welch
The author's book, THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY -- How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within, is available from Amazon.com, other online booksellers, and through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.
As I matured I realized that people are afraid of a lot of things, not the least of which is the eternal and sublime energy that is called by many names including God. We are also fearful of anyone that is different in speech, looks or actions. We are afraid of life, death and everything in between. We are afraid of who we are so we spend our lives locked within a façade so that we won’t be rejected by others who are doing the same thing.
We spend our lives unaware and fearful of the incredible life force that is within us and focus instead on the external, which is filled with the non-fulfilling and crazy-making “reality” of a fear-based society.
The awareness of and ability to manipulate through fear has been utilized as a form of crowd control from the dawn of recorded history. It has evolved to a highly developed art form thanks to religion, politics and advertising.
Fear is based on a feeling of separation, and we have been living in an illusion that furthers that sense of separateness at the core of our being. The illusion is that we are separate from that which is called God, and that illusion is so powerful and overwhelming that all other fears known to man just build upon it like a house of cards.
Science and quantum physics have already proven that there is no separateness. Whether we like it or not, we are one with everything and everyone on this planet and in the entire universe. We can deny it, but it doesn’t change the fact. The eternal and sublime energy, no matter what it is called, is within each of us. It always has been and always will be.
Will we be able to open our minds and accept the fact that all the energy, power, wisdom, love, peace and goodness there is now, ever was or ever will be is centered in us right now? Can we grow past the illusion that has kept us mired in conflict and fear—and evolve into the consciously aware spiritual human beings we were born to be?
A lot of earlier myths and superstitions have long since been put to rest, including that the earth was flat. It is time for humanity to open its collective mind and heart and accept that we have the opportunity to direct the energy of the universe that individualizes as each one of us. It is time to accept our true destiny and become co-creators with this incredible power and create peace, love and cooperation on earth. The clock is ticking.
_______________________________
Copyright 2007 by Fern Stewart Welch
The author's book, THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY -- How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within, is available from Amazon.com, other online booksellers, and through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Something Worth Thinking About!
I am reading a fascinating book titled Which Side of Your Brain Am I Talking To?—in which the author Boyé Lafayette De Mente says it has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that there are basic differences in the functioning of the left and right sides of the brain. Which side of the brain is engaged at specific times depends on the first language one learns as a child, the culture in which one is reared and sexual gender.
The author, a recognized international cultural expert, concludes that these factors predetermine whether a person’s subsequent mind-set will be to either approach life from a logical and rational viewpoint (left-brain) or a purely emotional one (right-brain), and only later, hopefully, will the person be able to come around or be brought to a rational position.
This may not be news to some of you, but I was stunned to learn that the majority of people in the world do not use the same thinking processes that we do in our Western culture. The first thing I thought of was the obvious impact this has on international relations, and the fact that our nation experiences such tremendous challenges around the world with the way in which every act or inaction is perceived.
I have known for some time that in Western culture the way in which we learn to understand ourselves, others and the world around us is by a logical approach of comparing, categorizing and using a linear method of understanding situations and events in terms of cause and effect. The challenge is when we compare – we get into judging ourselves and others – and when we judge this separates us, which keeps us in fear, with no hope of closeness or understanding.
I remember in childhood comparing myself to my friends and always coming up holding the short end of the stick. In each instance it resulted in a damaging blow to my tender sense of self, lowered my self esteem and caused me to draw within. As I matured I realized that there would always be someone who was better looking, smarter, richer and more successful. I knew that intellectually, but thinking habits of a lifetime are difficult to overcome. Now at least I am aware of this shared cultural tendency, which can prevent us from fulfilling our dreams and destiny as individuals and as a nation.
The United States is the greatest power in the world, but instead of being thought of as the benevolent protector of the weak and downtrodden, which is our philosophical intention – not always fully realized – we are perceived by many as a power-hungry bully.
I have to think that somewhere in Washington’s diplomatic corps there is awareness of the vital importance of cultural differences in all aspects, including thinking processes. I have to think this to keep hope in my heart.
For myself, while I haven’t been able to break free from the judging aspect of my inherited thought process, I am getting better. Now, when I see an intellectually aware, confident, successful human being, especially a bestselling author, like Boyé De Mente, I simply think—Thanks for showing me the way.
_______________________________
Copyright 2007 by Fern Stewart Welch
The author's book, THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY -- How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within, is available from Amazon.com, other online booksellers, and through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.
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