Create Your Reality

How to Plan and Remain Open to All Possibilities The fine line between planning and going with the flow is something that I struggle with. I am a planner. I am one of those people who plans each day before I go to bed, and at the end of each week, I plan the next. This is my natural temperament, but I also value the necessity of going with the flow. Many times the unplanned path has turned out to present opportunities that I never could have dreamed of, let alone plan for. In Lin McDowell’s blog Planning with Intention, she makes the point that planning and being open to all possibilities are not only NOT mutually exclusive but actually compliment each other. Her point is that if we begin by getting in touch with our inner core and understanding what our intention is we can set goals and make plans while remaining open to all possibilities.

What Is Intuition and How Do You Get in Touch With It? As described by Angela in her book, intuition is the inner voice that helps direct you towards your purpose. By listening to it and following it, you can begin to create a life that is in line with your passion and purpose. Your life flows. You are seemingly in the right place at the right time and opportunities appear to drop into your lap. You cannot be swayed by others. Listening to your intuition allows you to become the leader of your life and connect with your mission and true purpose. Intuition is an innate intelligence that we are all born with, but because our rational society discounts it in favor of reason we are taught to not listen to it; to not trust what it is telling us. As we grow into adults our intuition becomes dimmer and dimmer to the point where most of us are not in touch with it at all. In addition to the rational mind blocking your intuition, fear of being wrong, over analyzing and trying too hard are sure-fire ways to keep your intuition at bay. The good news is you are able to reawaken the connection to your intuition. In her book, The Intuition Principle, Angela points out that one of the hardest parts about getting started reawakening the connection to your intuition is that you don’t recognize its presence. It is not a booming loud voice or a physical force pulling you in one direction or another. It is quiet and subtle. Some people experience intuition as a feeling, others a gut reaction, others will see images or have a dream, others hear an actual voice. As you go through the process of reawakening your connection to your intuition, become familiar with how it communicates with you. One of the best ways to reconnect with your intuition is to meditate. When your mind is calm and quiet it is easier for you to experience your intuition. According to Angela, the benefits of meditation can be gained from only practicing 15-20 minutes a day and she outlines in her book very practical, down-to-earth meditation techniques that anyone can follow. Developing your connection to your intuition is similar to developing any skill. It might seem cumbersome at first, but with practice the intuition within you will more easily come to the surface and your life will begin to flow in a way that is in line with your authentic purpose.

Listen to my conversation with Michael Cupo, author of the book It’s Only Monday In Your Mind Michael wrote the book to share his personal insights into the workings of the mind and how creating a stillness in his mind allowed him to see the conditioned mind patterns that kept him on a quest to seek pleasure and happiness outside of himself. It is his mission to help others understand what conditioned mind patterns are, how they are formed and how creating a still, disciplined mind can lead to peace and happiness.

This is a continuation of my conversation with award winning author Mary Lore. Access part one.

Powerful thoughts is a new concept to me. I am familiar with the notion of positive thinking and have given it a try in many different circumstances. For a while I used positive thinking to try and bring a challenging relationship with a co-worker up to a higher level of communication. Every morning I would spend several minutes repeating a mantra along the lines of “Joanie and I are communicating honestly and fairly....Joanie and I are communicating openly and seeking to understand each other’s points of view...” etc. Some days it worked to put me in an open space of possibility, but most days all it did was bring to mind previous emotionally taxing, negative conversations and interactions. But, I kept at it diligently, completely ignorant to the fact that instead of creating the healthy relationship I wanted, I was solidifying the detrimental one. I didn’t believe what I was saying and my mind helped me out with examples that supported my disbelief. You see I was not paying attention to what Mary Lore calls, my follow-up thoughts. How to Tell the Difference Between Positive and Powerful Thoughts In our conversation about positive thoughts versus powerful ones, Mary points out that one way to tell the difference between the two is to pay attention to your follow-up thoughts after the initial thought. If your follow-up thoughts deflate you, make you feel fearful or unmotivated, the initial thought is not a powerful thought no matter how positive is sounds. However, if your follow-up thoughts uplift, motivate, and energize you, the initial thought is a powerful thought. In my example above if I had shifted my focus from the interaction between Joanie and I and placed it on myself, I would have felt empowered. Thoughts along the lines of “I am being my true, loving authentic self in all my interactions with Joanie and others...” would have uplifted and motivated me to be they type of person I strive to be. Mary points out that what works for one person will not work for another. And what works for years will one day stop working. The trick is to be flexible and creative with your thoughts and always check in with yourself to see how you feel. Are your shoulders tense or relaxed? Are you smiling or frowning? Do you feel light or heavy inside? These are all indications of whether or not you are thinking powerful thoughts versus positive ones.