by MarBeth Dunn | May 25, 2012 | Uncategorized
There’s a lot of buzz these days about living your dream life, manifesting your dreams and turning your dreams into reality. It all sounds great, so seductive really, but is it truly possible? It is, if you know what to do and are willing to do it! In fact, your dreams are just waiting for you to take the necessary steps so they become more than pictures in your head. They are ready to work for you. Are you ready to work for them? And what exactly can you do to get started?
First, tune into your heart, and ask yourself whether you are living YOUR dream. Dreams don’t come true when they are not authentic. 
You can actually FEEL when a dream ignites your passion! People often set their sights on achieving their dreams, only to discover at some point, that the dreams they have been chasing are someone else’s dreams for them. Although these dreams can still be brought to reality, when there is no true passion, it can be challenging to accomplish the end goal. When your dream is YOUR dream, however, there is natural passion and enthusiasm to keep going no matter what. Equally important, your true gifts and talents are lending themselves to your quest, whereas a “false” dream may not be tapping into your greatest strengths. Make sure you are chasing your dream.
Going after your dream can often be a significant emotional undertaking. Therefore, accept and embrace being uncomfortable and define this as your new level of comfort. When you fear failure or success, committing to making your dreams come true can be scary. Yet, if you stop, quit or turn back every time you feel nervous, anxious or otherwise uncomfortable, you’ll diminish your chances of achieving dream success. At such times, adages such as, “Feel the fear and do it anyway”, can be your best friend on your vision quest.
Dreaming and scheming are great, but if you don’t take action, NOTHING will happen. Make sure you continue moving towards your dream, no matter how insignificant the forward step may feel. Taking action is a must! As Theodore Roosevelt once said, “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” Thinking, researching and planning without actually doing, won’t bring you closer to what you want. Make sure follow through with action. Meet your deadlines, make your connections and get those items checked off on your to do list. Procrastination may not prevent you from turning your dreams into reality but it will make the journey longer.
Finally, ENJOY your manifestation process. That moment you realize your dreams have come true will be so much more joyous when you can look back and realize that you didn’t miss out on the beauty, wonder and excitement of traveling the road; not just reaching the pot of gold at the end. You may also discover that the more fully engaged you are in the process, the more opportunities arise. Happiness is all along the journey, so enjoy it. Then, when you realize all your dreams have come true, you will appreciate it all the more since you’ve embraced the process of what it took to make that happen.
May you have sweet dreams!
by MarBeth Dunn | May 18, 2012 | Uncategorized
At some point, it happens to all of us. No one makes it through life without being hurt, betrayed or disappointed so badly that the act of forgiveness seems impossible. If you’ve been there, you know how this feels. There’s something insidiously delightful about hanging on to feelings of bitterness and rage, probably because deep down, you’re hoping this person who is the object of your anger, will feel the same feelings of devastation that you do. However, to quote Nelson Mandela, “Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” Although it may feel as if forgiveness will benefit the very person you feel doesn’t deserve to be forgiven, the act of forgiveness is always, most importantly, for you.
It’s important to understand what forgiveness is, and what it’s not. Forgiveness is not excusing the act or behavior that hurt you, 
nor is it saying that what happened was okay. It’s also not a “get out of jail free” card that implies that the other person shouldn’t be held responsible for what they did. It doesn’t minimize or justify the wrong, and it certainly doesn’t mean, “I’d be okay having a relationship with you” if that’s not the case. Forgiveness is letting go of the feelings that are keeping you from moving forward and are preventing you from being happy in your own life. By not forgiving, it’s tempting to think that you are controlling the situation because you’re choosing to hang onto the destructive feelings that you now have. In reality though, as long as you don’t forgive, you aren’t controlling anything; it’s controlling you. You’ll never experience freedom until you truly can forgive.
So how can you begin the process of forgiving?
First, realize that your rage isn’t affecting the other person one bit. Once you realize that, the first step towards forgiving may become a bit easier. In a highly charged emotional state, fantasies that the person who wronged you is, right this minute, miserable and experiencing all sorts of calamities due to the force of your feelings, are easy to believe. Nothing could be further from the truth. That person is just going about their life, whereas you are the one who is miserable. Raging and hating aren’t hurting the other person but it is hurting you. If you want to make your life happier, take complete responsibility for YOU and let go of your feelings.
Next, find the proverbial silver lining and see what good came from the situation. Although this may be difficult at first, is it possible that you have been released or re-directed in a way that only could have come about as a result of this? If not, what good can you create now from what happened?
Finally, stop telling the story. Neuro-science continues to prove that when we have the same thoughts over and over again, it creates a path in the brain and the stronger the path, the easier it is to “go there”. It’s not going to change anything to keep reliving the situation, and in a time where you most likely need people around you for support, telling the story over and over again can become a wearying event for your supporters. Don’t get stuck in your story or it will become very difficult to craft a new one for the future.
Forgiveness, if you are brave enough to execute it, also has very real benefits. People who forgive have less anxiety and stress, lower blood pressure, lower alcohol and substance abuse and improved sleep quality. In addition to these physical benefits, people who forgive also tend to have healthier relationships in general, have happier lives and are able to fully enjoy the present, since they are not stuck in the past.
Forgiveness is really about letting go; letting go of the hope, dreams and plans you had, which may not be possible any longer as a result of the betrayal or hurt you experienced. Nature abhors a vacuum though, and letting go will create space for new, good things to start showing up. Don’t miss what could be and the chance to have new, happy experiences. Nothing could be sadder than these passing you by because you can’t let go. Forgive and let good come to you.
My Special Guest on Joy Strategies Radio…
Farhana Dhalla 
Speaking of forgiveness, Farhana Dhalla is the go to person for being able to let go and shift perspectives. As the author of the internationally recognized book “Thank You for Leaving Me” and an Enlightened Divorce Coach, her work has aided people in transmuting the pain of divorce into a spiritually transformative experience. She synthesizes the teachings from many masters into practical applications making spirituality a moment to moment practice. As a single mother to three children she understands first hand the challenges of BEING the work and shares her failures and her learnings freely. Her deep wisdom coupled with her natural effervescence make her a sought after speaker and teacher.
Farhana Dhalla was a sought after trainer in the corporate world and as a Master Trainer with Dale Carnegie, she worked with Top Fortune 500 companies in developing their leadership teams. Eleven years ago she left the corporate world and a lucrative career to start her own consulting company. She jokingly says she used to be able to do it all… that is until her Super Mom cape got caught in the van door. Now she has abandoned the cape in favour of ‘what is supposed to happen, will happen’ and has found that the freedom of flow has given her far more than she imagined.
What: Joy Strategies Radio
Guest: Farhana Dhalla
When: Sunday night May 20th, 2012
6:00 PM PST, 9:00 PM EST
Where: Consciousness Unlimited blogtalkradio
Click here to listen in Sunday night (or to catch the archived show)
by MarBeth Dunn | May 4, 2012 | Uncategorized
If you’re noticing that your life is dull, and you feel like it’s on auto pilot, you may be living from your head, rather than your heart. It’s not your fault… Chances are you were raised to believe life had to fit into a logical paradigm, an x + y= z, cause equals effect world. And, from a logical standpoint, it’s true.
On the other hand, if you want a life filled with joy, operating from your rational mind just won’t cut it. Joy is accessed from 
your heart space. I’m not talking about the physical organ that pumps life through your body, rather the energetic area around your heart. It’s been shown that the magnetic field of the heart is 5,000 times more powerful than that of your brain. (and we thought the brain was running the show!)
The heart space is the spiritual control tower for the amazing creation that is you. When you are still, and allowing your awareness to rest in this sacred space, miracles can happen, especially when you give your heart full rein. Your life will begin to shift and you will be in closer alignment with Source. This, as you may imagine, can lead you down a very different path than you originally might have taken, but one with infinitely more joy.
Take for example, my guest on this Sunday’s Joy Strategies Radio (9PM EST, 6PM PST), Deborah Poneman, founder of Yes to Success Seminars and pioneer in the New Thought movement, and host of the telesummit series New Transformation Strategies. Our topic is “Flowing in the River of Grace.”
Debra Poneman studied at the feet of the great master, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and taught meditation to hundreds of people, before launching her internationally known Yes to Success Seminar Company. Based on the teachings of Emmett Fox and
Debra Poneman
Napoleon Hill, her seminars were taught in dozens of US cities and in seven countries around the world. Among her students were Deepak Chopra, (who attended several of her seminars before publishing his first book), Marci Shimoff (best selling author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and Happy for No Reason), and Janet Atwood, best selling author of The Passion Test.
Then, at the peak of her career in 1988 with a book deal in hand, an infomercial running in thirty-two markets, and negotiations underway for her own national TV talk show, Debra gave it all up when she realized she had a greater passion. She followed her heart and disappeared from the public eye for, 25 years!
Now Debra is back to share her story, and to once again share the reality of how true and lasting success, joy and happiness can be lived by every one of us.
When: Sunday, May 6th
Time: 9PM EST; 6PM PST
Where: Click Here (http://bit.ly/IPsnFm)
You can actually FEEL when a dream ignites your passion! People often set their sights on achieving their dreams, only to discover at some point, that the dreams they have been chasing are someone else’s dreams for them. Although these dreams can still be brought to reality, when there is no true passion, it can be challenging to accomplish the end goal. When your dream is YOUR dream, however, there is natural passion and enthusiasm to keep going no matter what. Equally important, your true gifts and talents are lending themselves to your quest, whereas a “false” dream may not be tapping into your greatest strengths. Make sure you are chasing your dream.
