The Gift of Growing Pains

By Lasara Firefox Allen

A Seed Cracks Open

Think of a field of grass. Each blade is tender and tiny, fragile. Yet each one pushed its way through heavy, dense earth to reach for the sun. Some grew out from under rocks, curving through crevasses to finally find the light. Some even pushed through a heavy ground cover of fallen bark and tree limbs paid down by a harsh winter.
But each blade succeeds. Each one finds its way through hardship and struggle, into a new season.
A seed cracks. A shoot sprouts. The shoot reaches toward a light that’s not even visible. The shoot doesn’t stop at the hardship of mud, or stones, or pouring rain.
Slowly, hills turn from brown to green as shoot after shoot of brilliant, verdant grass pushes through the topsoil and finds the sought-for light.
A redwood lives for hundreds to thousands of years. Sequoias not only survive the ravages of fire, but rely upon that fire to create a healthy ecosystem. Yet when you walk through a redwood forest, you can see the scars left behind by fire after fire. You may see a tree with its whole core burnt and rotten, disintegrated, just a shell left behind–yet the tree still grows!
When the fire is burning, the long-term picture is not where your focus generally gravitates. But when you gaze into your past, you can often see the good that came of a challenging or painful experience.
Even in the times where something wonderful did not come of a difficult situation, you still have the choice in how to respond.
Growth is not always a graceful process. We know this. In teenage years the body grows out of control; gangly arms and legs knock into tables and chairs, and muscles burn with the searing pain of a growth-spurt.
Grace enters when you can recognize the fact that painful moments do pass, and that in their wake some good is often revealed. Pain is unavoidable, but as the saying goes, suffering is optional.
So feel the fire and know that it’s clearing out the underbrush. Feel your skin stretch as you reach toward the sun. Feel your muscles ache with exertion as they grow stronger. Feel it all, and do these things that may ache, knowing the reward of growth will be great.

Crack Your Eggs

Lately I’ve been through some experiences that’ll make up the basis for something we’ll come up with later this year. 

You might regard it as the long-anticipated sequel to our ‘Revolutioniz’ products, although this will be of a much greater significance and potentially much greater impact. 

Obviously, we’ll keep you posted on that one…

For now, I wanted to let you in on one particular aspect of which we tend to highly underestimate the power and potential to radically turn things around in an your life in an instant. 

It was during my recent experiences that I fully realized the extreme impact of this on my state of being… almost in an instant.

At the same time, if I tell you what it is right upfront, it’ll probably sound extremely simplistic… 

That in turn would bring up the risk that you might not read this article, let alone take up the importance of what I’m trying to get across here.

So before I let you in on this well-kept ‘secret’, let me build up the tension just a bit…

What dawned to me during my recent experiences in an even stronger way than it did before, is that we are NOT our bodies. 

We’ve talked about how we create illusionary ‘solidity’ in our brain in previous articles on this blog, and about the vibrational nature of sub-atomic particles (the so-called ‘building blocks of solidity) in our free e-book on The Nature of Your Own Power.

Just like all things ‘physical’ are illusionary, so are our bodies.

Thus, we are not our bodies; we are consciousness having an experience through an illusionary ‘space suit’ that we think is ‘us’. 

This ‘space suit’ is just a vehicle that allows ‘us’ to experience this tiny frequency range that we can perceive with our bodies’ five senses… which we call ‘the world’.

It’s not who we are really… It’s only what we think we are. 

But when we buy that lie, then we merely live in the reality of the ‘body’… the illusionary ‘space suit’… And so we lose the connection to what we truly are:

Consciousness… and thus infinite possibility. 

Life as ‘a struggle’ is part of the ‘reality’ of the ‘body’… the tiny bandwidth within infinite possibility that we’re able to perceive. 

But it doesn’t have to be a struggle if we can break through the vibrational concrete that enslaves us to the will of the ‘body’ and the physical’ program in which it interacts. 

This will only create a denser vibrational state that further disconnects us from a conscious connection with what we really are:

Consciousness… and thus infinite possibility.

The more you think you are your body, the more you think limited possibility. And the more you think limited possibility, the more you are NOT in full consciousness, but in an energetic density that comes from depression and worry.

And we say:

“I feel so tight and heavy”…

Depression and worry are both expressions of fear, and they lock you up even more into a sense of limited options and choice… limited possibility.

Our ‘human energy fields’ (our ‘bodies’, which exist on multiple ‘subtle levels’ as well) constantly reflect our mental and emotional states in their vibrational state. 

This vibrational state in turn triggers mental and emotional states. 

Seen from the limited perspective of the ‘five sense world’ (the ‘space suit’ perspective), these are all chemical reactions, with a significant role played by hormones and other chemical substances. 

However, the chemical reaction is merely the ‘physical’ expression of what’s happening at the ‘subtle’ levels that we can’t observe with the five senses… avibrational reaction.

As such, we mistake the effect for the cause. 

But meanwhile, we end up in a vicious cycle in which your denser mental and emotional state impact your perspective of possibility, which gets denser and denser… which in turn adversely influences your mental and emotional state… which in turn impacts your perspective of possibility, etc.

It’s a vicious cycle… or rather, a downward spiral.

(We explain this in more detail in our e-book on the Nature of Your Own Power)

But the good news is this:

You can break this cycle… almost in an instant.

How?

Well, how about this:

LAUGH!

I know this may sound ridiculous at first, but think about it:

Try to be serious (tight and heavy) when you’re laughing or someone else is…

You can’t.

I’ll tell you what:

You can look at the ‘struggle of life’… and you can laugh, or you can cry. It’s just a matter of choice.

“Are you insane?!”, you ask… 

Yes, I am!

But it works.

Look, part of the new thing we’ll come up with later this year is about breaking through the vibrational concrete that’s keeping you small, tight and dense… be it due to physical, mental, emotional or even ‘essential’ and ‘spiritual’ factors. 

I call this process ‘cracking your egg’.

You can do this by applying specific methods that we’ll explain to you in fine detail. 

In my own use of these methods, I have learnt to apply my own ‘being conscious’ to switch to two perspectives at the same time:

(1) The ‘participant’

(2) The ‘observer’

The ‘participant’ is the part of you that’s actually living the ‘illusionary’ experience through your ‘body’. This is the part of you that really undergoes the ‘struggle’, like the character in the ‘movie’.

And then there’s the ‘observer’. The ‘observer’ is the part of you that’s able to step back just a bit, and watch the ‘movie’ with the other part of you ‘participating’ in it. 

This is the part of you that realizes that all is well, because you’re really infinite consciousness going through an illusionary experience that only seems real. It realizes that it’s okay to be in ‘negative’ emotional states, because that enables you to identify your problems, and then get rid of them.

(After all, think about it: you can only get rid of a problem (be it emotional, mental, ‘physical’, ‘essential’, and/or ‘spiritual’ when you can consciously identify it. If you don’t know about it, you can’t get rid of it.)

Once you’ve clearly identified the true causes of your problems, then all you need are some tools to get rid of them.

And that’s what the ‘observer’ part of you can do. Because the ‘observer’ can see the bigger picture beyond the illusionary realm of the five senses and ‘negative’ emotional states that are mere ‘chemical’ reactions.

As such, it can also see the real hoot it all is in ‘reality’.

I’ve been through processes breaking through my own walls of vibrational concrete in which I was using some tools to ‘clean up some crap’ so to speak… I was crying an ocean… or rather, the ‘participant’ part of me was. 

Meanwhile, the ‘observer’ part of me was cleaning up all the mess… And in some weird way, visual images just popped up in my mind of how I really got rid of the problems.

To me personally, those images were so extremely funny that while I was crying, I also felt an uncontrollable urge to laugh out loud.

I just cracked myself up…

The ‘participant’ part of me tried to hamper that, because it thought this was all very serious, and it wanted pity. 

However, the urge to laugh was simply too strong… So I had to let it out.

The moment I did, the laughter burst the bubble of pomposity. It took just a few seconds to clear out all the crap.

That feeling was amazing!

And this is not just during these ‘egg-cracking’-activities. I’ve had days that I simply felt depressed, and then watched something that I thought was funny, and all the tension just broke.

It’s the same when you manage to make other people laugh at the moment they were actually crying a river.

It’s just a fact:

You can’t be tight and heavy when you’re laughing. Laughter breaks up the density and frees the energy to flow.

It has even been shown in medical trials that laughing has a wonderful healing effect on your body.

Now, I’m not saying we should all laugh uncontrollably 24 hours a day. But Iam saying that most people don’t laugh enough by far. And then there are people who hardly laugh at all. 

There’s this English comedian called Ken Dodd who put it like this:

“We’re all born with a chuckle muscle, and if you exercise it every day, it’ll keep you young and frisky all your life. But if you don’t, it dries up and drops off.”

Now think about it:

How many times are we told we mustn’t laugh? For crying out loud, even as kids and throughout school we’re often told not to laugh.

So let’s lighten up, wouldn’t you say? 

After all, we’re infinite consciousness… all possibility having an experience in this ‘reality’. We can make it a ‘fun’ experience if we want, if only we celebrate who we are and express the joy of that. 

So laugh, my friend! Take the time to read or watch stuff you think is funny. Try the participant/observer method I described. Do whatever it takes. 

A situation can be depressing or fearful… or ridiculous and funny. It’s just a point of observation, depending on how you look at it (from the ‘participant’ perspective or ‘observer’ perspective).

And the best thing is this:

Laughter is infectious. And when one person laughs, it’s like permission has been granted to others to laugh as well. And I mean even the ones who are afraid to loosen their corsets and let themselves go.

Step out of the density of the ‘body space suit’ (participant) now and then… And see things from the ‘observer’ perspective. ‘Out there’ can be so much fun, I tell you! There’s so much joy at just ‘being’.

And others will follow… They won’t be able to help it.

4 Relaxation Tips for Administration Professionals

By Holly Allender

Your Day, Your Way

The moment you arrive at work, you’re expected to be ready to help everyone with their projects and last-minute emergencies. At times, your day slips away from you, leaving you drained, stressed out and a To-Do list a mile long. With the following tips, you can reclaim your day and feel more relaxed as the chaos that is your job continues around you.
1. Organize, Organize, Organize
Either at the end of the day or at the start of the day, take a few moments to organize yourself. Straighten your desk. Put away papers and files that aren’t needed for today (or the next few days). Next list the top three things you need to do. As the day allows, work on those three items. Don’t worry about the rest, you’ll get to it in time. Believe it or not, if you’re organized, you’re more relaxed. It’s a way for you to get in control. You know where things are located and what you need to get done for the next few hours or the entire day.
2. Stretch
Sitting in front of a computer, answering phones and so on can be stressful on your body. As is standing on your feet all day. Give your body and mind a break by stretching. Simple yoga postures, like spinal twists and forward bends, can rejuvenate tired muscles and your shoulders to relax (a place many of us carry our stress). Within five minutes, you will feel more at ease and ready to jump back into the race. Of course, you can choose how quickly you run in that race.
3. Reward Yourself
It takes a lot of work to do what you do. At times, you do the work of five or more people, and you don’t get the recognition you deserve. So reward yourself! After you finish a large project, do something for yourself – even if it is going outside for five minutes to walk in the sunshine (or rain, if you enjoy that!). Give yourself the recognition that you deserve! You will feel great after you do, and you will shine in the workplace.
4. Breathe and Let it Go
There are times, I know, that your job is overwhelming. Projects can pile up, deadlines loom overhead, people are frustrated with you and then another big project is dropped on your lap. It happens. How you choose to react is another thing. When the day becomes overwhelming, take a few moments and breathe instead of turning into a drama queen/king. Been there, done that. I never got as much accomplished as I did when I was centered and relaxed.
Close your eyes, sit up tall in your chair and place your hands on your lap. Place your feet flat on the floor. Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of four, hold for a count of four and exhale for a count of four. Repeat this slow deep breathing for a few minutes. In the meantime, drop your shoulders. Imagine the problems and stress flowing out of your feet and into the earth. After two to five minutes, you’ll feel centered and grounded

Why Your Date Suddenly Disappeared

By Melody LeeDisappearing on men is simply easier than telling each one exactly why I don’t intend to see them again. Quite bluntly, I probably didn’t think the person deserved an explanation. The guy usually said or did something that was a “deal-breaker” in my book. For example, one date told me “The word ‘no’ just isn’t sexy” after I politely refused to reveal my sexual fantasy. Another guy texted me “You seemed so distant last time we saw each other, and you were wearing way too many clothes.” I received this the day after we had a pleasant date in which we connected without being intimate. Both statements were red flags that proved these guys did not have respect for me; thus, I felt no obligation to inform them of my disinterest in a future meeting.
However, not all reasons for my disappearances are this obvious or easy. Yes, some guys don’t deserve a proper break-up because they were so completely disrespectful, but other guys were actually gentleman with a lot to offer a woman! This is another reason to disappear instead of officially breaking things off: I don’t feel a spark now, but I may want to revisit this guy when I hit a dry spell. Quite the selfish approach, but that’s the truth, and just another dating survival strategy. If I disappear on this “nice” guy, I can probably reappear sometime with a grand excuse like work, school, or family issues… And this good guy will most likely believe my explanation, comfort me, and let me back into his life. If I had engaged him in a formal separation, then it would be more difficult to grovel back. Basically, when one disappears, there is a mystery that lends itself to an excuse story in which feelings do not get hurt… as much.
So, from my woman’s perspective, I disappear on the guys that are total jerks or I’m just not that into (but see potential in). Likewise, I believe men disappear for the same two reasons: they were completely turned off by something I said/did or they were not that into me (but think they can ignore me for a while and return when they get lonely). I have experienced both: one guy disappeared on me because I idiotically told him on the third date “I broke up with my ex after he said he didn’t see a future with me.” Another guy I could sense was not into me on the first date because he avoided eye contact, and said he had to leave early to avoid traffic, yet he continued to text me randomly every week until finally disappearing. He could probably tell I was a good woman with similar interests to him but was just not thrilled enough to pursue me.
The fact of the matter remains that when you are truly into someone, you will make sure he or she knows you are still interested and will make time for you no matter how busy one’s schedule may be. My mother told me, on the third date, my dad drove an hour in the rain on his Moped to eat her crappy homemade enchiladas. They’ve been married over 30 years now.
I can say from experience that people vanish because they don’t value you or they are just not that into you. So, my advice to men and women alike is: do not give someone the option of reappearing; but, if you must let a man or woman resurface into your life, it should be for a legitimate reason and make him or her work for it! A text or call isn’t enough to make up for doubting one’s feelings for you. You are a prize! Demand more because you are worth more—especially considering that when the chemistry is there, neither of you desire to leave in the first place. Dating should not be a game of hide-and-go-seek. Dating should be a fun game of checkers in which the rules are simple, and you each make a thoughtful move toward the other

Meditation Techniques

There are many different meditation methods available. So which is
the best meditation method for you?

In the same way that not everyone wants the same thing from their
car, not everyone wants the same thing from their chosen meditation
method. Personally, I'll choose a different method according to the
results I'm looking for at that particular time.

This means that there isn't a meditation method that is definitely
right for everyone. Some or all of the reason could be down to
personal choice. If you've not meditated before, try a few of these
popular meditation methods to discover which one is best for you.

1: Breathing meditation. At its simplest, this just involves
focusing on your breathing. It's an easy technique to learn and
because it's perfectly natural for you to breathe, you can perform
this meditation at any time, with no preparation and no special
equipment.

2: Walking meditation. Again, this is easy and requires no more
than a few spare minutes and somewhere to walk. Simply pay
attention to your surroundings as you walk - you'll be surprised
just how much you notice that you've "never seen before", even
(maybe especially) if the walk is one you regularly take.

3: Binaural Beats meditation. Probably the simplest way to drop
into a super-deep meditative state with near enough no effort on
your part beyond setting aside some time and pressing "play" on
your iPod or CD player. I've personally been using this method for
a number of years and have had very positive results.

4: Guided meditation. This can be done either live with someone
guiding you through the process or by listening to a pre-recorded
guided meditation. You can choose the type of meditation you want
for this. It can help you to heal your body, take you into a state
of deep relaxation, help you connect with your higher
consciousness, or whatever else you choose.

Whichever meditation method you choose, do your best to make it a
regular habit. You'll notice a positive change for the better
regardless of which meditation method you ultimately choose.

Being wealthy is a good thing

It will make your life easier and allow to 
do many of the things you want. 

But believe it or not some people feel that making 
or having lots of money is not a good thing... that it's bad.  

That money is the root of all evil. 

I completely disagree and feel that you should enjoy 
tremendous wealth for as long as you can. 

Now I know you may feel that it's difficult to 
make money, especially when everybody's talking about a 
recession and how times are tough... it's easy to believe 
that it's tough to make money... 

Next thing you know you start to regularly think about 
how tough it is to make money... and you continue to 
re-enforce the belief that it's tough to make money. 

That's when things start to go from bad to worse... 

Because you'll attract what you strongly believe. 

Negative or limiting beliefs about money have no purpose... 
they don't let you get ahead or live the life you want and 
they certainly won't let you become wealthy. 

Instead, they'll drive you right to the poor house or worse... 

You need to eliminate or change any negative beliefs about money 
even if times are tough or if there's a recession. 

The truth is that in recessions people still make money. 
People still find jobs in recessions. 
Businesses do grow. 
New businesses form during tough times. 

I've seen it and experienced it. 

I started my career as a journalist during a recession. 
I launched another business during a recession, that business 
continues to thrive. 

I don't allow myself to believe that it's difficult 
to make money or that wealth is the root of all evil. 

Those beliefs don't work for me and they don't work for you. 
They don't allow you to succeed. 

So what do you do? 

Change them. 
Get rid of them. 

How? 

Catch yourself thinking. 
When you have a thought that supports those beliefs change them. 
Create a belief that says something like... 

Another way is to create affirmations that counter those beliefs. 
You could say something like... it's easy to make money. 
I know what to do to make millions. 
I'm doing the right things to make millions. 

Focus on what you want regardless of what you see in the news and 
things will get easier.

The Motivation Movie

This is one of my all time favorite Chinese Proverbs: 

"Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up." 

This week's Motivational Monday video is a fantastic example of the extraordinary success we can achieve if we choose to get up after taking a fall. http://www.mattmorris.com/blog/2011/04/motivational-monday-36/