There’s a revolution going on.

I used to think way too much. I would continually ask myself questions over and over again and ponder deeply in a confused miasma of circular thinking. I was addicted to it. My wife would tease me, “Be careful — your head might explode!”

The mind is designed to generate thought, but sometimes we get into mental ruts of endless constant analysis where you never solve anything or reach a point of completion.

Mind Your Head

I’ve found that the more you observe your mind — the more it tends to quiet down.

At first, you want to try and control it, but you can’t make the mind shut up. At a certain point, something shifts, and you realize you don’t have to be in control.

All that mind stuff was just an attempt to control what can’t be controlled.

Go ahead, relax - things take care of themselves quite nicely on their own.

Pendulum Power

Watch a pendulum swing from right to left. Can you see the inherent power at the center point of each swing?

Inside the stillness of the mind is the source of thought. This is consciousness itself. It’s what the universe is made of.

Like the pendulum, the infinite power of the mind rests in the stillness or gap between each thought.

This power disengages itself when we think too much.

And the juicy mind-blowing fun-filled fact of the day is that consciousness is aware of itself!

What Kind of Energy Does a Thought Create?

I know, I said I was thinking less, but lately I’ve been thinking about the subtle energy around each thought I think. I’ve noticed that the actual content of the thought isn’t as important as the energy that’s contained around the thought.

Imagine how thought energies from let’s say, a Robin Williams differ from Rush Limbaugh’s thought energies? I wonder how it manifests in their bodies.

Our cells constantly observe our thoughts and are being changed by them.

We actually change our biology through our subtle thought energies, feelings, and intentions.

Sub Mind Effect

Neuroscience has established that 95% of our behavior is under the control of the subconscious mind.

So, most of us walk around on autopilot.

Our fate is actually controlled by the underlying programming and conditioned tendencies from our families, society and culture.

It’s nothing about what we want to do and everything about what we’ve been conditioned to do, believe, feel, doubt, judge, and decide.

Stop Banging Your Head Against the Wall

Learning to meditate was the most transforming thing I’ve ever done in my life. I never dreamed how simply quieting the mind would have such a profound impact on my life.

You begin to recognize what can be changed and what can’t be changed. With this awareness, you make better choices. You stop banging your head against the wall.

Bonus: When you get all that turbulent mind stuff out of the way – you can evaluate infinite number of variables and figure out the most resourceful thing to do in each moment.

A World Waking Up

In my coaching work, I help clients wake up to new perspectives about themselves and their worlds.

They see new vistas and become open to higher and subtler levels of transformation.

They become aware of the possibility of a beautiful and inspired life, one with more meaning and purpose.

When you see the subtle origins of what’s going on in your mind, you begin to appreciate not just the subtly of yourself but also of the infinite creativity that lives within.

It whispers to you daily. Are you listening?

]]> http://www.affirmationpower.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=671 http://www.affirmationpower.com/blog/?p=661 http://www.affirmationpower.com/blog/?p=661#comments Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:37:44 +0000 Ken LaDeroute http://www.affirmationpower.com/blog/?p=661 Ask any neuroscientist - our brains generate electricity. Changes in the brain’s electrical impulses can be consciously self-generated. This is called operant conditioning.

When we choose to alter our thinking, we alter cortical rhythms as well as the brain’s structure. In essence, we become our attention.

If you want to do or have something different, you have to start thinking or vibrating differently. You have to be vibrating at the frequency of what you want to attract.

Since energy follows attention, and like attracts like, what kind of energy are you attracting?

Practice Conscious Appreciation

One way to ramp up your magnetic attraction vibration is to practice conscious appreciation.

• Think of 3 things that you can appreciate right now.
• Think of 3 things you can appreciate or value about yourself right now.
• Think of 3 things that may not be going your way – now appreciate them, right now.

Searching our minds for things that we can appreciate is a fabulous state changer.

Sympathetic Vibration

Along with music and personal development, audio engineering has always been my abiding passion.

In audio parlance, being ‘out of phase’ is two or more signals whose phase relationship with each other is incongruent. The resulting sound is weak and hollow.

Sometimes I think our hearts and minds are out of alignment or ‘out of phase.’

When our hearts and minds are vibrating congruently with love and compassion we create a magnetic field that abundance simply can’t resist!

I ‘Preciate Ya!

A common expression in the North Carolina mountain town where I live is, “preciate It”. Or, “I ‘preciate ya”. When I first moved here from Canada, I thought, “what a lovely thing to say!”

Appreciation is a gift you can give to anyone you encounter. You can also inwardly give appreciation to groups gathered at a public event or church service,

Being in a constant state of appreciation is good for you and good for the world.

• When you radiate appreciation, abundance is drawn to you.
• When you radiate success, success is drawn to you.
• When you radiate love, you’ll get more of it.

Breathing in Appreciation

Imagine a hole at the center of your chest. Visualize yourself breathing in appreciation for all. Feel it expand like you are blowing up a balloon. With each inhalation, see the balloon of appreciation growing larger.  Allow your spiritual heart to expand. Do this for 2 or 3 minutes. You can do this exercise anytime or anywhere you like.

You can also imagine breathing in appreciation for something that you love, like a friend, spouse, hobby or place. When you do, that love will grow stronger in your life.

2 - 4 - 6 - 8  Who do You Appreciate?

I recently attended a music concert and the band started playing an old tune that I completely forgot about. It was written and recorded by Bo Diddly, called: “Who do You love.”

So who do you love? What kind of person are you attracted to? Let’s get specific here. Get out a piece of paper and write down the exact qualities of a person that attracts you. Awareness is power and writing it down brings it into manifestation. How about writing a 250 word statement about exactly who you would like to attract.

Here’s my short list:
I’m attracted to people who are comfortable in their own skin. I’m also attracted to open, compassionate and easy-going people. I love people who are spontaneous, fun and witty. I’m attracted to successful people.

What frequency do these people vibrate to? What is the quality or frequency of their voice? What makes your vibration different or similar to theirs? What do you suppose these people think about?

Appreciation Affirmations

The persistent use of positive daily affirmations is a great tool to help you remember to be appreciative.

I appreciate my life and everyone in it
I love and appreciate myself
I appreciate my surroundings
I appreciate the differences I find in people
I appreciate my lessons in life

If you forget to consciously appreciate, why not buy our “Soul Affirmation – Music for Better Outcomes” CD. Just listen and allow these positive daily affirmations to affect your sub-conscious mind.

I’m Thinking of Good Vibrations

How can you not be in the moment when you are in a state of conscious appreciation?

There is always something to appreciate. Take a few minutes everyday and cultivate a synchronous appreciation vibration in your brain and in your heart.

Re-calibrate your vibration to: love, peace, gratitude and success. That’s exactly what you’ll get in return.

Such parenting I know is happening. More parents have also been coming into my purview that really are being “positive and firm” in their approach, which is evidenced over and over again as the most effective parenting approach. It only happens through reviewing your automatic parenting style, assessing what works and what doesn’t and then consciously seeking to parent in a fashion that supports your child’s unique development - now this is awakening parental awareness.

Awakening Parental Awareness

So the three incidents I refer to happened in the supermarket, bookstore and coffee shop. I felt as if the universe was giving me a message. One I didn’t ignore. Dad at the supermarket threatened his son with spanking, and said it was “gonna hurt” with his fist raised. Grandma in the bookstore looked at her energetic grandson and said, “What is wrong with you?” as if his exuberance needed to be squelched. And the finale was the coffee shop where mom used 4-letter words as adjectives, verbs and nouns when speaking to her sensitive teenager. He looked mortified.

So where does this leave us? I believe each of us on a regular basis need to step-back and take a review of our:

Words - Words have the power to propel a child’s best life or discourage his or her dreams. Be careful in your words. Not perfect but thoughtful. And kids fully accept apologies as well as most can extend a level of forgiveness and compassion for you. “Mommy has had a tough day at work, and needs a few minutes” is perfectly acceptable upon coming home.

Actions - Do your words and actions match? My mother always used to say, “do as I say, not as I do” and as a kid this never made sense to me. It still doesn’t. A parents words and actions are ideally in alignment so that children truly can learn how to become authentic and trust that it is not only okay, but supported in this world.

Feelings - Feelings really are indicators. If you are feeling incredibly frustrated, unsupported or angry with your spouse or kids - it might be a time for you to take a “time out.” Really. Your feelings matter and as you take better care of your own emotional well being such gains naturally spill into your parenting style.

Thoughts - Our thoughts truly create our worlds. So being mindful of how we think about our kids is essential. In other words, don’t label them even in your mind (i.e. the smart one, the quiet one, the bad math student, the slow one). Focus upon your child’s unique and positive qualities (i.e. excellent painter, mechanically skilled, gifted singer) as well as thinking positive thoughts about him or her will be a priceless gift. It may not be easy as your 2 year old is crayoning the wall to see his or her artistic talent  — but try, just a little bit.

Words, actions, feelings and thoughts that convey similar encouraging messages are at the heart of positive parenting. It is parenting with a deepened awareness as you raise these highly intelligent children. And because I am so darn passionate about this topic I will share with you some ways to awaken your parenting awareness.

Keys to Awareness

Awareness is a journey not a destination. So wherever you are on your path of developing your awareness there are tools and teachers to help you. And since awareness is personal, I will share with you some key experiences that have worked for myself as well as others:

Get a Teacher - Find someone that you really resonate with about deepening your awareness or refining your parenting approach. It’s a small plug but please forgive me. I teach a workshop called the “Tao of Parenting” that teaches parents how to deepen their awareness as well as develop parenting techniques for the highly creative, intelligent and sensitive child. I am honored to be a witness to such courageous parents as they hone their conscious parenting style.

Commit to It - Decide that parenting with a little more awareness or mindfulness is something you really want to do and do right. Once you make the mental and emotional dedication to it - it just happens without resistance and so much easier. Think also about committing to something to support your decision. One thing that helped me was attending a regularly weekly meditation class from a qualified teacher.

Learn - Pick up books, information or connect with those similar to you that are on a path of parenting as well as raising your consciousness for the good of you as well as your child or children. Two books I enjoy are: How to See Yourself as You Really Are by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Present Moment Awareness by Shannon Duncan.

Show Up - I believe showing up is over 50% of the key. So many of us have good intentions, worthy aims and great ideas but when push comes to shove we don’t go to that class, forget nurturing ourselves or place a priority on spending focused quality time with our child. I encourage each of you to show-up fully for yourself, your dreams and your child.

Slow Down - I once had a friend say to me, “slow down to go fast” and I got it. It’s the proverbial turtle and hare story, the turtle won by going slower. Faster only gets you to your destination quicker, it still may not be the right destination. By learning to go slower, become mindful and pay attention — you actually arrive exactly where you wanted to be as a parent faster and with more awareness.

So each of these may sound simple. Usually the practice is harder. But I encourage you wherever you are on this great path and mystery we call life to delve deeper into developing your own awareness for the benefit of yourself as well as others. You may decide to do more journal writing, group meditation classes, listening to lectures, taking more slow contemplative walks or solely being more present. I salute your willingness to explore and go deeper. It really is in the day-to-day steps that great strides are made - this much I know is true.

Maureen Healy (BA, MBA, MA) is the Founder of Growing Happy Kids, a worldwide organization dedicated to bringing out the best in children. Her expertise is fostering children’s emotional health as well as guiding parents to do the same! More information: www.growinghappykids.com

When I start thinking, thoughts seem to morph from one thought to another. “I need to mow the lawn” and suddenly the color green flashes before me. Now I’m thinking of “money” which leads to thoughts of retirement. Then I think, “who will care for me?” transforms to, “I wonder what it will be like to die alone?”

As I continue to contemplate the mind and its effects on who I am, I notice that many of its functions seem to be more deleterious than actually helpful to my overall wellbeing.

I’ve observed that my compulsive thinking habits certainly keep me out of the present moment. When my mind is racing from idea to idea and past to future how can I partake in a conscious state of allowing each moment to be just as it is?

How Do I Un-Enlighten My Mind?

Since we are already enlightened, and all we have to do is wake up to it, I ask myself the question, “How do I un-enlighten my mind?”

Holding on to old beliefs or fixed opinions un-enlightens my mind. These hardened thought forms keep our minds closed and unreceptive to new ways of thinking.

So when you hear yourself uttering a fixed opinion, stop. Remind yourself: “Energy flows where attention goes.” You can’t afford the luxury of a closed mind.

Mind: Friend or Foe?

Since our thoughts shape our future, being mindful of the conversations we have with ourselves can help us discover our purpose; and more importantly – who we are.

In my work as a coach, I help clients envision and target your ideal life. Going for your best life requires that you let go of unconscious mind stuff that may be sabotaging your success. After all, why waste valuable energy and attention on thoughts that don’t serve you?

Are old ways of thinking preventing you from achieving the success in the life you see for yourself? Maybe it’s time for some new thinking.

New Mind: New Life

If you are in a constant state of struggle with yourself and unable to be fully present for more than a few moments, perhaps you are compulsively addicted to self-seeking habitual thought patterns.

Since struggling is how the small self maintains its existence, you may be reluctant to stop struggling for fear of losing the old definition of who you think you are.

At first, it’s a bit disconcerting to be boundless, but when you cease to identify with the limited self, a deeper dimension suddenly reveals itself to you and you begin to see the futility of resistance.

When you no longer seek yourself in the past and future, you are more able to embrace and accept each moment just as it is.

Let It Be

I love the song, “Let it Be” by the Beatles.

Without the boundaries of the mind, allow and accept each moment just as it is. Rather than limit yourself to the small self – why not embrace the wholeness and all-inclusiveness of life.

Do you have the courage to allow the enormous power of life to flow through you?

Whispering words of wisdom, let it be.

Less Mind On Purpose

So this morning I woke up thinking, “What would it be like to spend a whole day thinking less?”

In my meditation, I let go of all beliefs about myself and the world around me. I went a step further and let go of doubt, fear and worry. After asking myself what was left, I let go of blame, addictions, judgments, view points and memories. I also let go of any future thoughts like planning, career or fun.

As I continued to observe what was left on the playing field of my mind, I realized that what remained was quite nice. A simple joy came over me. I felt light and unburdened. I was actually enjoying peace of mind.

This practice made me aware of the enormous power of the mind and how we identify with it.

Less Mind: More Being

In the simplicity of each moment you discover that you are free. There is a sense that all is well and that’s where love lives.

You are not bounded or restricted by your limited mind. You widen your circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and all of nature in its wholeness.

You let go of everything your mind has created and you awaken to who you truly are.

“The important thing is not to think much but to love much; do, then, whatever most arouses you to love.” ~ St. Teresa of Avila

Someone asked me, “What are you afraid of?” I stopped in my tracks. Being homeless and living under a bridge ranked high up there. But as I thought deeper, and after writing my fears down in my journal, I realized that I was afraid of success.

All I could think about was the future. What if I became so successful that I didn’t have time to meditate, write music or play the guitar? Am I ready for the rigors of speaking engagements, workshops and travel?

With awareness, I began to see that this fear was blocking my progress, and I was looking at my life through the lens of this limiting belief.

What’s Holding You Back?

Beliefs are merely repeated thoughts about how you see yourself and the world around you. We protect our beliefs and hold them close to us until they become hardened and crystallized. But they can prevent us from living the life we see for ourselves.

I was surprised to find limiting beliefs lodged in my psyche. After all, I had been a meditator for many years and I thought I had cleaned out all that old rubbish.

What Do You Do Best?

As I thought deeper, I asked myself the question, “Why do I show up the world?” It became apparent that I am here to serve. This is who I think I am. And in order to efficiently serve, I must remain focused on what I do best.

I seek to help others uncover their Divinity aspect. When we are aligned with our truth, we live on purpose. And living on purpose propels our collective evolution.

Think Different

Research has shown that we think 80,000 thoughts a day! 79,000 of them are the same thoughts we had yesterday. How can we create new realities with the same old thinking?

I have created a new belief – the encouraging belief that I can easily overcome and release all limiting beliefs and move forward in the life I see for myself.

You can too.

The first step is awareness. If you catch yourself thinking thoughts that no longer serve you, all you need is to do is wake up to the reality that it’s time for some new thinking.

Are you worth it?

If you’re having trouble moving past old ways of thinking, hire a coach. A coach can offer objectivity and support you through your self-discovery. A coach can help you define who you think you are. A coach can help you discover your Divinity aspect.

I realize that if I focus on what I do best, I’ll have plenty of time to do all things I enjoy. And in that process, I’ll make a valuable contribution to the world.

I remind myself that I am in essence joy. After all, we were created in joy. Across all cultures of the world, we laugh, dance and sing.

So as long as every moment is spent in the awareness of joy, my future will take care of itself.

They tell me how unhappy they are in their current jobs or lives but they are unwilling to invest the necessary time to write about their passions, meditate or reflect on exactly what will bring them the fulfilling life they desire.

They prefer to go about their daily lives on autopilot, thinking the same old thoughts, and living unhappy lives.

Go For the Gold: Learn To Meditate

I have found that the practice of meditation has been instrumental in helping clear away non-essential mind chatter and old conditioned beliefs from my interior mental landscape.

When I get rid of the mind rubbish, I gain valuable flashes of insight into the feelings I want to feel and the vision I have for my ideal life.

It’s like standing at the center of the cyclone, when the world is going crazy all around you, you stand at the center, in peace. From this unruffled vantage point, it’s easier to gain perspective.

Mind: Servant or Master?

Like a bee flying from flower to flower, the mind is always buzzing in different directions. It also has its routines, patterns and opinions and its preferred ways of thinking.

Learning to bring the mind to a one-pointed focus brings clarity to your inner world. And with practice, you bring great focus into everything you do.

By watching your thoughts as they land on the runway of your mind, you can see with increased awareness the kinds of thoughts that create and direct your life.

To Get the Nectar, Go Deep

Before meditation, set an intention. “I intend to quiet my mind, to be intensely present, to experience wholeness, and to gain insight into my life.”

Turn off the radio, computer and TV. Find a quiet place and comfortably sit with your spine erect. Let go of everything you know about the world and yourself. Scan the body for tension and breathe it away.

Be the silent witness; observe what is going on in your mind. At first, focus on the breath or mantra (word or phrase) and allow this one-pointed focus to replace the stream of thought. Resist fighting or trying to force your thoughts away.

Simply observe them and watch them fly away — like a bird in the sky. Or, imagine them drifting away like floating leaves on a river. After a while, you can let go of the mantra or breath-focus and simply enjoy deep inner silence.

Sit for as long as you like. In conclusion, be thankful.

A Taste of Honey

I have come to understand that I am not the mind. I can choose the thoughts I think and I can make conscious decisions that shape my future and life. I have become the master of my mind and in turn, my life.

We are the creative force of our lives, and through our conscious decisions rather than our conditions, we can truly live the best life we can imagine for ourselves.

If you let the bee of your mind fly wherever it wants to, are you denying yourself the opportunity of intentionally creating the ridiculously happy life you desire?

The other day my innovations coach asked me, “Out of all your varied interests, which bring you the most joy?” I had to stop and think. In fact I pondered on this for several weeks. I wrote extensively in my journal and I meditated about it.

Helping others grow, teaching meditation, writing inspiring songs, and playing in a band bring me the most joy.

Getting clear about the things you love is the first step toward fulfillment. Spending time reflecting on what really makes you happy is the most important work you can do to get in touch with your Destiny DNA.

You already know your destiny – it resides in your cells. There is no need to seek; you just have to wake up to it.

I Know it by Heart

At first, when I learn a new song, I’m tied to the chart. But after repeated performances, I soon know it by heart. Knowing by heart is how to gain perfect mastery of your Destiny DNA.

Thinking is a marvelous tool, but overrated. Before long computers will do our thinking for us.

The mind is our servant but often, we allow the mind to be the master.

Thinking without awareness is compulsive thinking. It keeps us out of the present moment.

It’s All About Awareness

Why fight against life’s current when you can surf the waves of your Destiny DNA.

To my knowledge, science has not yet discovered a center in the brain that corresponds to awareness. In meditation you become aware of what mind is and what it is not.

Close your eyes and ask yourself the question, “What will I think of next”?

In this no-mind state – that is awareness.

Easy Answer Source: You

I love the Nike slogan, ‘Just Do It.’ I’ve been doing just that lately.

• Taxes - Just Do It.
• Exercise – Just Do It.
• Get up early – Just Do It.

Another fine idea: First Thought – Best Thought

Over thinking leads to analysis paralysis, I prefer to let my inner compass guide me.

Without non-essential mental construct, life glides by effortlessly. In timeless awareness I am better able to access the infinite reservoir of inspiration, imagination and intuition.

The World Needs You to Be Happy

What keeps you up until late at night and excites you first thing every morning?

How can you design your life so that you’re doing more of the things that excite rather than drain you?

Can you afford not to take the time to reflect upon and target your Destiny DNA?

I design my life so that I’m doing the things that excite me, rather than doing the things that drain me. I don’t let mind get in the way.

Being master of your mind and destiny is the greatest freedom to your best life.

I need you to be happy. The world needs you to be happy. Happy people doing what they love help fulfill God’s evolutionary intention for nature.

Soul is a word that’s showing up all over the place now.  Recently I even saw an advertisement for the soul of a car!  It’s a word that gets tossed around a lot, yet when I ask an audience to define soul, there is often a deafening silence.

Soul is essence.  Essence is like water—when you add water to a seed, it brings that seed to life.  In the ancient scholarly languages, the words for soul and spirit translate to mean breath.  Breath is our life-force.  Without it we can’t survive.  Our soul is our life-breath.  Without soul, there is no meaningful life.

Soul is the source of your intuition, wisdom, and creativity.  It has an intelligence, and it has a mission or a purpose.  Your soul mission is why you’re here, your reason for being, your calling.  It’s the passion and fuel that drives your life.  It’s not something that you make up or decide.  You are born with it, and it remains essentially the same throughout your life.  Your understanding of it may evolve, and how you express and live it may change, but the essence remains the same.  And because it is who you were born to be, it also represents your greatest potential.  Discovering your soul mission and letting it guide your life unleashes your potential and sets you on a course for achieving it.

John is an account executive in a large advertising agency in NY.  His soul mission is “I recharge human hearts.”  He is brilliant at his job, yet the driving force for who he is in that job and in his life is his soul mission.  He is incredibly well-respected and loved, not just because of his expertise and skill, but because of the “recharging” energy he brings to everyone with whom he works.  Outside of work, he is also a gourmet cook, and he loves “recharging” people with a fabulous meal.

Patti is a top executive with a major global marketing firm and is also deeply involved in efforts to eradicate world hunger, playing a significant role in the UN World Food Programme.  In addition, she is a wife and the mother of three supercharged teenage boys.  So on any given day, Patti might be leading a high-profile strategic planning session, jetting off to Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum, or being a soccer mom.  Patti’s soul mission is: “I connect.”  She claims that becoming aware of her soul mission and the fact that she has a larger purpose has called her to a much higher consciousness on many levels, influencing her decisions on everything from where she shops and what she buys (supporting fair trade and green brands) to who she votes for to how she greets strangers.  She says that knowing her soul mission has given her the confidence to carry on and not give up in the face of big challenges.  Her soul mission has provided her with clarity of who she really is.

Patti is a master at connecting people with one another for maximum results.  She recognizes that if she remains anchored in her soul mission, she will have the greatest impact in her company and in the world.  Both Patti and John claim that when they remain focused on living their soul missions, they find the energy they need for their fast-paced lives.  Patti says, “Since doing my soul mission work, I’ve learned that I have to go ‘in’ and get centered and focused before I can go ‘out’ into the world.  I have to balance it.  If I go in and never come out, I get stuck.  At the same time, if I go out before getting centered and purposeful, I waiver.  So I have to go in and tap into my soul mission first.  And then I’m ready for the world.”

One of the greatest things about discovering your soul mission is the realization that you can live it all the time.  It’s not dependent upon a particular job, relationship, or situation.  My soul mission is:  “I liberate and empower.”  I live that mission in obvious ways—writing, speaking, leading workshops and trainings, and coaching—but also in conversation with a friend or how I interact with people.  Earlier in my life I was a professional singer and voice teacher.  In teaching singers, I liberated their voices and empowered them through strong and dependable vocal technique to succeed in the extremely competitive worlds of opera and musical theater.  When you let go and follow your intuitive sense of who you really are and what you are meant to be doing, living soul mission comes naturally.

So how do you discover your soul mission?  You can start by breathing into your soul and remembering a time when you were incredibly happy, totally consumed by what you were doing, completely lost in the moment.  Perhaps it was when you were a child, or maybe it was last week.  Perhaps it was for an hour, maybe for a year.  Step back in your memory to that time and breathe it in.  Then drop below the activity itself to observe what was happening inside of you.  What were the sensations in your body?  What was the authentic part of you showing up?  Who were you getting to be?  What was being excited and fed within you?  Maybe you were being creative, or helping someone, teaching something, or fixing something.  Whatever it was, what was the essence of what was going on?  In recognizing that essence, you’re starting to touch your soul mission.

Another powerful question is:  If this were the last year of your life, who would it be important for you to be, what would it be important for you to do?  What do you want to be remembered for?

In workshops and coaching I use a number of visualizations to help the client tap into the soul intuitively—to look beneath the mask they wear to meet the world every day.  The entire process is one of intuitively discovering who you are at your essence—discovering the driving passion or fuel for your life.

As you discover your soul mission, it is important to condense it into a statement that is six words or less.  Too long a statement waters down the energy and impact.  You are looking for the fewest words with the greatest punch—a statement that calls you forth to your most expansive self and to your greatest potential, not just for the immediate future, but for your lifetime.

Living soul mission is not something that you do “instead of” something else—it’s something that you do “through” everything.  Living your soul mission doesn’t necessarily mean you have to change career paths, relationships, religious affiliation, or communities.  John and Patti both discovered their soul missions well into their careers and through living it, found new fulfillment and success in their work.  They also realized that in many ways they had been living their soul missions all along; the new awareness of it just heightened its effectiveness and impact in their lives.  Their careers became the vehicles for living their life purpose.  The more you focus on your soul mission as the primary consideration for everything you do, the more it informs your life, and the more every part of your life begins to be a reflection of your true essence.

Michelangelo said, “The greatest danger for most of us is not that we aim too high and we miss it, but that we aim too low and we make it.”  We each play a dynamic role in the ongoing creation of our world and our future.  Engaging the soul and living your soul mission means aiming high—“going for the gold.”  Discover your soul mission and let it guide you, and you will have a great foundation upon which to build an extraordinary life.

Alan Seale, PCC, MSC is an inspirational speaker and a leadership and transformation coach. He is the author of Soul Mission * Life Vision, Intuitive Living, and The Manifestation Wheel.   http://www.alanseale.com

Originally published in “Choice: The Magazine of Professional Coaching.”

Throughout this process, I’ve discovered that enlightenment is about subtraction. Removing impressions, ego, desires, negative thinking, judgements, etc., in order to allow the True Self to shine through.

Meditation and Daily Positive Affirmations

Meditation and affirmations has helped me heal and forgive myself. This process has changed my life so completely, I wanted to share this understanding with others. By marrying my musical abilities along with the great power of affirmative statements called affirmations, I decided that I would create a new genre of music called affirmation music. I thought that if I could create singing affirmations, mantras with repetitive verses sung over world rhythms and improvisational passages, they would affect the mind subliminally, and help re-write deep unconscious negative patterns, thereby freeing the mind and allowing communion with one’s Higher Self.

My Affirmations for the Soul Affirmation Music Project

I choose to help people see themselves for whom they truly are.

I seek to help people tap into their eternal nature and become anchored and secure within their Higher Selves.

I help people remove negative mental memories and conditioning, so they may adopt a life of pure intention.

I help people lighten their load, simplify their lives, and find true meaning by tapping into their inherent potentiality

I teach others to meditate

Vision

The power of thought processes, the act of thinking, and the effects upon the human organism in connection with health and illness is well-documented. The belief is part of our folklore: clichés such as “healthy body, healthy mind” and “dying of a broken heart” express the mind-body connection.

I envision that the Soul Affirmation music CD will serve mental health, pastoral counseling, alternative healing arts communities, corporations, and the public at large, seeking to improve spiritual growth, morale, performance and productivity.

Journey

This album was a struggle. Three years, a lot of money and hard work went into creating these 10 simple songs. I spent countless hours recording, editing, writing, mixing and arranging. When money got tight, I could think of a million reasons why I shouldn’t continue on with the project. There were many moments when I wanted to throw in the towel.

On the other hand, I love all aspects of writing and creating music, especially affirmation music. With these affirmation lyrics, I went to great lengths to ensure that each word was exactly what I intended.

I hope you enjoy the music, the musicians, the production and more importantly, the message and intent behind the music.