What Are You Dismissing?

by Joe Vitale -

Let your guard down and let life in.

I had lunch with a dear friend the other day. While I enjoyed the company and the food, I left feeling a little depressed. When I thought about it, I realized my friend was brilliant at dismissing every book, concept, guru, self-help method, or healing approach he had read or heard about.

He was not directly negative or purposely critical. He sincerely wanted something that would work in his life. But he was unconsciously dismissing everything that came his way. At one point I told him about a guru I had studied over two decades ago. I told him that people said, "My guru was obviously enlightened. He radiated it."

My friend cut in saying, "I'm sure there are people who saw that guru and didn't think he was any smarter than a paper bag."

Well, my friend is right. But my friend is also unhappy. I think there's a lesson here. When we dismiss people and ideas because the entire world doesn't agree with them, we get to be right. But we also get to stay empty inside. By dismissing what could work, we dismiss our own growth. We dismiss what's possible.

It doesn't matter if the book you read and love is loved by anyone else. It doesn't matter if the teacher you admire is admired by anyone else. It doesn't matter if the healing method that worked for you doesn't work for everyone else.

What matters is you. Your happiness. Your health. Your healing. Your well-being. Truth is, no method works for everyone. No teacher is right for everyone. No book is going to inspire everyone. It all comes from within. You are the first and final authority on your life. Rather than dismissing what is possible so you can be right, what can you accept so you can grow?

Dismissing is often a way to deflect the messages. It's a self-defense mechanism. If you dismiss the book, idea, or method offered to you, you get to be right --- and stay right where you're at.

Every successful person I know has accepted new tools into their lives over the years, spent thousands of dollars on personal growth and self-study, and never regretted any of it.

The key is not dismissing, but digesting.

For example, Nerissa and I had dinner with friends recently. One friend was complaining about her job. From her perspective, there was no way out of the misery she felt at her place of work. Bad boss. Bad hours. Bad pay. You name it, it was bad.

Later we were joined by other friends. As "chance" would have it, one of the new friends had connections where our complaining friend worked. He gave our unhappy friend a name, and said he could help her resolve her issues. He went on to say that this connection was a supervisor, head of many departments, and could probably resolve whatever was wrong.

I was stunned. So was Nerissa. We were seeing magic happen right before our eyes. But what did our unhappy friend do with her new lead and new hope? She dismissed it. She didn't write down the name or the number, or show any signs that something wonderful had just occurred.

Do you see how this works?

Sometimes we can self-sabotage the things we say we want. We simply dismiss the good. Let me end this with another example: Yesterday I received a letter in the mail about a new audioprogram about dissolving illusions. I read the piece but dismissed it. I figured it was simply stuff I had already heard before and probably even recorded elsewhere myself.

Then today I got another mailing, this time from a different source, but selling the exact same audioprogram. I read it over closely. I thought, "This is interesting, but I bet there's little new in it." I then placed the mailing aside.

An hour or so later, as I was reviewing this very article you're reading right now, I suddenly realized that I was doing the very thing I am warning you not to do: I was dismissing an opportunity to learn.

I dug out the mailing, filled out the order form, and dropped it in the mail. The audios are on the way. The point is not that you buy everything that comes your way, but that you don't dismiss everything that comes your way. Sometimes a dismissal is a mask. It's your self-sabotage at work, keeping you where you're at. To grow, you must allow.

Again, you are the final authority on your life. Tune in to yourself and do what's right for you. And as you do this, be alert to those times when you may be dismissing the next gift to come your way. Let your guard down and let life in.

mysuccessfilledlife.com

True Spiritual Guidance

by Mashubi Rochell -

What is spiritual guidance? How can I find my own source of inner guidance? How do I know when my intuition is true? When do I listen to the spiritual guidance of other people? These are the kinds of questions that emerge when we begin to seek to develop our inner spiritual guidance.

Inner wisdom is an inborn and natural gift, given to us by God in order to facilitate the connection between our soul and our embodied self. Often our intuition is operating in our lives on a daily basis, without our even knowing it!

The practice of regular prayer or meditation can help us to re-connect with your own inner source of spiritual guidance. Additionally, it can be helpful to access the wisdom of spiritual teachers or spiritual guides who can help us to re-connect with our own source of inner wisdom.

This is not always as simple a process as it may seem, for spiritual guidance can be distorted by inner blockages or pain that we carry. It takes a while to develop the capacity for discernment.

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How to Recognize Spiritual Guidance

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One of my spiritual mentors used to say that inner wisdom and intuition speaks quietly, with the voice of Love and warmth, and will repeat itself as often as necessary. Inner wisdom often comes with a feeling of "rightness" and a feeling of love, warmth, comfort and even joy.

We all contain within us a spark of God's light and love in our hearts, that is able to perceive divine love and truth. In today's secular world, many times this part of us gets covered over by social conditioning.

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How to Develop Discernment

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When you are reading or listening to spiritual guidance offered by a channel, spiritual guide or teacher, always, notice how it feels to you. How do you feel in your body and your emotions? The presence of God's love and Light has a certain vibration that can be felt.

Inner guidance that encourages you to harm others, or yourself, or that encourages you to focus hatred or negativity towards other people is a distortion and is not clear spiritual guidance, because is it not aligned with God's love.

Guidance is intended to help you to open your own source of inner wisdom. Some language and concepts that are used to share inner guidance may be unfamiliar to you, or may differ from your own experiences or spiritual beliefs. That's OK, the important thing is to receive what information or energy is helpful for you, and to let go of what is not helpful.

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How To Connect With Your Guidance

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It is very important that you never accept blindly what any minister, priest, rabbi, spiritual healer, channel or any other spiritual guide says.

Always receive spiritual guidance through your own inner "truth meter". Your heart knows what truth is, what love is, and what light is. Ask yourself what about this feels true? What do I resonate with? What does not feel true for me?

We are taught from an early age to override our natural inner wisdom, so if you have difficulty connecting with your own inner truth, make a commitment to sit quietly for 15 minutes in meditation each day.

You can use any meditation technique that works for you, or you can simply sit quietly placing your hand on your heart, and focus attention on your breath and on being in the present moment.

Whenever the mind strays, or wanders into obsessive thinking, simply notice this, and bring your attention back to your breath, and to the present moment. Free yourself from judgment, as the mind tends to be very active and you will find yourself bringing yourself back to your breath many, many times.

A meditation practice like this can truly transform your life and your consciousness. It is simple and profound, and will reconnect you with your own spiritual guidance.

The goal of any form of true spiritual guidance that comes from another to you, is to help you reconnect with God and with your own Spirit.

worldblessings.com

Recipe for Miracles

by Lynn Robinson -

"Live each day as if you expect a miracle. You are your miracle! Your power tools are imagination, thinking and desires, and your precision instruments are intuition and illumination. Imagine God’s glory pouring through you and make it bold enough to pay dividends." --Edna Lister

Every day I speak with clients who are scared and worried about their lives. It could be the loss of a job, a change in a relationship, a health challenge or a crisis with a child. Often they feel like there is no way out, no hope on the horizon. Their worry makes them focus on a pessimistic future. “What will happen if…” Or, “I worry that if X happens then Y will happen and then it will be even worse".

I love to cook. The other day I was thinking that cooking is a lot like life. If you put in a bunch of bad ingredients (negative thinking) and don’t pay much attention to cooking times (prolonged worry) you’re going to end up with an unappetizing result.

It’s human nature to worry at least a little. However, in order for positive change to occur, you need to shift your thinking and change your ingredients! Here’s my recipe for miracles:

Keep Your Focus on the Positive - When life is challenging it’s all too easy to think about how bad things are. You might even imagine and spend time dwelling upon on how these bad times could get worse and how your life will become REALLY difficult. It’s important to understand that your thoughts, beliefs, and emotions have power. The fear, panic and anxiety you feel is often the result of the habitual thoughts you’re thinking.

What can you do to turn these around? Begin to think about what you would like to happen. Esther Hicks has a great sentence completion exercise that I love, “Wouldn’t it be great if…” You fill in the blank with whatever your heart desires. Grab a pad of paper and complete as many of those sentences as you can think of..

Examples:

Wouldn’t it be great if…

“A wonderful, fun job came my way".

“I could make a living doing X".

“I found a terrific apartment closer to my job".

It will take some focus and practice to break the habit of habitual worrying, but the dividends will be huge. Because of your new openness, your intuition will be able to deliver some brilliant new ideas. You’ll also be receptive to synchronicities and coincidences that will open up possibilities and new directions.

Use the Power of Your Mind - What’s the outcome that you want? Don’t try to figure out HOW it’s going to happen. That’s for the Universe to resolve. It’s part of expecting miracles. An element of faithful expectation is involved. Picture the desired outcome that you want. Imagine and feel it as vividly as you can. Spend time each day visualizing what your life will look like when this imagined situation is created.

Surrender - When you’re in the midst of a difficult situation it’s extremely hard to imagine a way out. Many of the spiritual traditions recommend releasing or surrendering the problem to Infinite Intelligence. You are asking the Power that grows the trees, creates the sky and makes the sun rise and set each day to create a miracle for you.

Sit in a quiet place and close your eyes. Briefly envision your current situation. Use whatever words fit your belief system about God to ask for help. An example is: “I ask for your Divine wisdom and guidance in this situation. I invite and welcome Your help to create a perfect outcome for all involved. I release this to You, in faith, with the knowledge that all is well".

Invite Miracles - Much has been written about the power of gratitude. When you’re feeling thankful you open up to the energy that invites miracles. For example, you’re out of work and you’re scared you won’t be able to pay the mortgage this month. Each morning when you wake up and before you go to bed at night, close your eyes, go within and affirm “Thank you for the mortgage payment.” Or, simply, “I am open and receptive to money flowing into my life. I know that abundance is my true nature. Thank you.” When you’re scared and worried, make a conscious decision to open your heart and mind to whatever it is that you want. Anticipate and say “thank you” as if you already have it.

Dwell on Optimistic Expectation - Have you ever been around someone who is a complainer or fear monger? It’s draining! “The gas prices are awful.” “The economy is going down the tubes.” If you find yourself thinking things like this, shift your focus. What you say to yourself is often a self-fulfilling prophecy. It may take some work to change your habitual thoughts but it’s worth the effort. Try saying things like, “Let me be open to new possibilities.” “Things have a way of working out for me.” “The economy may be bad, but I’m open and receptive to new avenues of income".

Pay Attention to Your Intuition - Your intuition is your inner compass. It points you in the right direction. If you’re feeling down, scared and worried, that’s your intuition inviting you to shift your focus. It’s telling you to choose thoughts and actions that will make you feel better. If listening to your intuition feels difficult, or if you’re out of practice, try this: each day choose one thing you commit to doing that makes you feel better. It could be as simple as changing an habitual negative thought, taking a walk, hanging out with positive people, not watching the news. Intuition guides you toward miracles and lets you know which direction will produce the success you seek. It communicates through images, words, dreams, feelings and physical sensations.

Miracles happen every day. You can create them in your life. Let your thoughts be open to possibilities. God wants you to succeed. He is constantly sending messages to encourage your receptivity to His miracles. Your life can take a turn for the better in a moment. It can happen to you.

lynnrobinson.com