by MarBeth Dunn | Jun 17, 2012 | Uncategorized
I’ve got a theme going on this week about manifestation and the Law of Attraction. I’ve been in San Diego for the past few days at John Asarraf’s Money2 The Neuroscience of Financial Success seminar… with some wonderful speakers, including Srini Pillay, Mark Waldman, 
George Pratt and Lisa Sasevich. So much wonderful information I can’t wait to put into practice. You may remember John Asarraf from the blockbuster movie The Secret, the about the Law of Attraction. My guest Sunday, June 19th on Joy Strategies radio is the amazing Kristen Howe, the Go Big Coach. Ironically, Kristen’s interviewing me on her Manifest Everything Now training series this Thursday evening!
The “Law of Attraction” is something most of us have heard of, yet may have some uncertainty about how it works or how to use it. Here’s a quick synopsis…
1. Take Inspired Action: One of the misconceptions about the Law of Attraction is that sitting around and thinking about what you want will make it happen. It doesn’t work that way. You must be clear about what you want, and then develop a certain, positive energy around it. Let’s say that you want to go a Mediterranean cruise. You make your intention clear; this is what you want with certainty. Next, you create positive energy around this want, which will open you to possibilities and opportunities that are in alignment with making this happen. Then, act on what seems natural and what feels right. That’s when you’ll notice magic starting to happen, and things start “conspiring” to help you realize your goal. As you stay open to saying “yes” and take action steps that are “inspired”, your ultimate desire begins to manifest itself. This inspired action is the Law of Attraction at work. On the other hand, lack of clarity and a belief that, “it will never happen”, puts out energy that will keep you energetically closed and out of an abundance mindset. When this happens, you may be motivated to work hard to make that cruise happen but it will be difficult because you aren’t attracting anything, you are just chasing it down. When you engage in inspired action, you trust that everything you need will come to you.
2. Get into vibrational alignment: Most everything we want in life is about the FEELING that comes from having that thing, rather than the thing itself. We don’t want the car, we want the feeling that we get when we own and drive it. When you start living “as if”, as if you already have or are doing what you want, you create a vibration that starts attracting what you want and you begin to look for proof that it already exists. This creates an openness and willingness to see things in a new light, and you begin to trust your inner guidance and do things you may not normally do, and notice things you normally wouldn’t. Everything really is energy so what you put out, you’ll get back. Vibrating at a “higher level” or feeling as if what you want already exists, will allow you to attract those very things. If you’ve read anything by Jerry and Esther Hicks, then you are familiar with Abraham. Here is how he puts it: “As you imagine and visualize and verbalize your new story, in time you will believe the new story, and when that happens, the evidence will flow swiftly into your experience. A belief is only a thought you continue to think; and when your beliefs match your desires, then your desires must become your reality.” When your beliefs and desires are in alignment, reality isn’t far behind.
Get happy and everything else will fall into place – One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking they will be happy “when”. When they get the job, partner, car, vacation, house etc, then they will be happy. Studies have shown though, that people aren’t happy because they are successful, they are successful because they are happy! When you are happy, you’re vibrating at a higher level and when that happens, you start attracting more of what you want because you are more of what you want. You are feeling what you want to be feeling, regardless of your current circumstances. It’s this combination of feeling and vibrating that higher level energy that will give you alignment and when you have alignment, you start taking inspired action rather than motivated action. This enables you to start attracting what you want because you are in a constant state of joyfully receiving, which not coincidentally, attracts more of the same.
Staying happy, in alignment and taking inspired action all work together to bring or attract more of what you want in life. When you learn how to do all three simultaneously, things can’t help but change for the better. You can live the life you’ve always wanted to have!
© MarBeth Dunn June, 2012
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)
by MarBeth Dunn | Apr 28, 2012 | Uncategorized
I’ve had great fun with my guest for this week’s very juicy Joy Strategies radio, Deborah Kagan. She’s a Sensual Lifestyle Specialist, educator and the #1 bestselling author of Find Your ME Spot: 52 Ways to Reclaim Your Confidence, Feel Good in Your Own Skin and Live a Turned On Life.
Deborah loves helping people tap into their innate power to make more money, reduce stress and create thriving relationships.
Deborah Kagan
Her clients have experienced 7-figure incomes, stronger health, better sex and greater self-esteem.
Deborah’s message is that when you consciously experience and enjoy all your senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste, you also open your 6th sense of intuition, thereby contributing to a life filled with joy and passion. So feast your eyes on visual candy by surrounding yourself with beauty, smell those yummy aromatherapy oils and candles, the scents of flowers, or the aroma of foods you love, savor every flavor filled bite of your favorite foods, listen to music that stirs your soul and feel the sensations of silk, soft fluffy towels, oils on your skin. You will find yourself enjoying your present moment, feeling more joy, and expanding your intuition.
Tune in this Sunday evening on Joy Strategies Radio for more about sensuality from Deborah Kagan. You’ll learn:
- Why the 6 Sensual Profiles are your gateway to ‘go big’ in life
- Why you are hard-wired for PLEASURE and how tapping into it magnetizes men, money and more energy
- Why a woman’s power lies below her neck
- What the difference is between sensuality and sex
- How to avoid living a life of feeling powerless, small and boring
When: Sunday, April 29th
Time: 9PM EST; 6PM PST
Where: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/consciousnessunlimited/2012/04/30/joy-strategies-with-marbeth-dunn (http://bit.ly/JhKfIy)
by MarBeth Dunn | Apr 14, 2012 | Uncategorized
I was especially touched by my special guest on this Sunday’s Joy Strategies radio show. Cassandra Perkins is a bright, happy fifteen year old high school freshman with a mighty presence and poise far beyond her years. You wouldn’t know by meeting her that just a few short years ago, she was so victimized by bullying, that she retreated from public education to be schooled at
Cassandra Perkins
home. But the bullying didn’t stop there. It pursued her over the internet, where she was cyber-bullied by her old classmates. The once strong, confident girl became contracted and dark. She felt powerless against the barrage of viciousness. Many young teens would have given up at that point, and retreated into victim hood, but Cassandra Perkins had an epiphany. She realized she could forgive the girls who had originally bullied her and go back to school. She contacted the girl who had cornered her in the locker room and told her she forgave her. Cassi took control of the situation, faced her fears and came back exponentially stronger.
Cassi understood that her experience was a huge gift, an opportunity for growth that she could share with others. “Without this experience, I would not be the person I am today,” says Cassi. Today, Cassandra Perkins is a spokesmodel for BYOU (Be Your Own You). She works closely with girls her own age and younger to instill self confidence and self appreciation.
Cassandra Perkins works closely with several non-profit organizations that coordinate community youth outreach, suicide prevention, and cyber safety awareness, and has co-authored several books . She has recently been nominated 2012 as “Woman of the Year” candidate for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and she needs your help to win. Please join her in supporting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society be making a donation to her fundraising campaign. Every dollar she raises counts as one vote and the candidate who gets the most votes is named as the Man or Woman of the year for her chapter. Click here to donate for this worthy cause: http://t.co/DQ829Njw
We all suffer adversity and often feel we have no way out. We can feel small, contracted and diminished by circumstances, yet, we always have options how we can face them. Cassandra Perkins chose to use adversity as an opportunity to grow into her grandest, most magnificent Self. She could have stayed small, victimized, and unhappy, afraid to be authentic. Many people do. Yet Cassi chose another way.
Albert Einstein said, “we can’t solve a problem with the same consciousness that created it.” By forgiving the people who had threatened her, Cassie shifted her perception, and realized that the girls who bullied her were projecting on her the hurt, and victimization they were unable to deal with in themselves. She understood, and with understanding comes compassion.
When we realize that we are bigger than our fears, we can expand into our bigger Selves and become beacons for others in similar situations. Thank you Cassi for being a beacon to others, and an example of who we can be when we face our darkest fears.
Listen to Joy Strategies Radio Sunday night to hear my interview with Cassandra Perkins: http://bit.ly/IAUNXm
Be my facebook friend: https://www.facebook.com/marbethdunn
by MarBeth Dunn | Apr 1, 2012 | Uncategorized
Shawne Duperon
My focus this week is on forgiveness. My special guest tonight on Joy Strategies radio, 6 time EMMY award winner, Shawne Duperon, is producing a movie called “Project Forgive”,(www.projectforgive.com) inspired by her friend Gary Weinstein, who found peace through forgiving the drunken driver who killed his wife and two sons, his whole family. In fact, Gary Weinstein has reached out to Wellinger, asked to speak to his children, to help them heal. Stories like Gary’s are inspirational. They give us hope by showing us another way, a path of grace through the unforgivable.
Gary’s story brought to mind something I read last year about a woman, Mary Johnson, who forgave Oshea Israel, the man who killed her only son. When you look at their picture, Mary and Oshea could be mother and son, yet he is the man who shot her son, Laramiun Lamont Byrd, multiple times and left him outside North Memorial Hospital in 1993.
Mary Johnson and Oshea Israel
Mary Johnson lived with bitterness and hatred for over ten years said, “He was an animal to me and I felt he was where he needed to be. He needed to be caged.”
Yet today, Johnson said, “He’s like my son.” They’re now raising funds for a support group Johnson founded called From Death to Life,and are working together to promote healing between families of victims and perpetrators.
This miracle of forgiveness occurred 5 years ago, when Johnson went to visit Israel in prison, because, she said, God nudged her. She said, “That was one of the most profound events of my life. It was life-changing.”
She said the visit brought her to her knees. She said, “When I stood up, I began to feel something in my feet. And it just began to move all the way up my body and it just went and I knew, I knew that all the anger, all the hatred, all the animosity I had for him, I knew it was over with. It was gone.”
Johnson and Israel hope to bring other families of violence together for forgiveness. They also dream of building a grief center in north Minneapolis.
These stories put our “stuff” into perspective, don’t they? If people can find peace through forgiving the very people who killed their only children, can’t we find it in our hearts to forgive those who have hurt us or offended us in other ways? Forgiveness is not about the offender. It’s a gift for us, a way to create miracles of peace and joy. We can release the anger, hatred, pain and the bitterness. Sometimes it takes a little willingness to see things differently, for by releasing the other person, we are releasing ourselves.
Click here to listen to my interview April 1, 2012 with Shawne Duperon on Joy Strategies Radio!
by MarBeth Dunn | Mar 24, 2012 | Uncategorized
Tonight I saw a light-hearted, yet philosophical. movie about inner truth, forgiveness and authenticity. In A Thousand Words,
Eddie Murphy plays a glib, superficial book agent, whose life becomes inexplicably entwined with a mysterious tree that appears full grown in his yard. When Murphy realizes that the tree loses a leaf for every word he speaks or writes, he stops talking, aware that when the final leaf falls, he and the tree will die. Murphy learns to communicate from his heart, on a deeper level, and is finally freed by forgiveness.
If life is a movie, I want my movie to be happy and joyful! What about you? If your inner thoughts are creating your reality, projecting your story on your very own big screen, everyone of the 70,000, plus or minus thoughts you are thinking on a daily basis has relevance. What if you could always live in a place of pure awareness, and just notice your thoughts, without judging or suppressing them? What if you could automatically observe your thoughts with neutrality without engaging in any drama they might generate? Life could only get better, right?
But isn’t it nigh on impossible to notice every one of your 70,000 thoughts? And, if you could, wouldn’t you be so focused on your thoughts, life would pass you by? That’s where your feelings and emotions come into play. Your feelings and emotions are as correlated with your thoughts, as the tree in the Eddie Murphy movie was with him. They can serve as indicators when your thoughts are disrupting your peace. Anything that occurs in your life is an event. How you react to it is a result of your thoughts. If an event occurs and you feel angry, it’s not the event that is creating the anger. The event is neutral. It’s your thoughts about the it that are disturbing your peace. For example, you might be standing in line when someone brushes in front of you without a word. Do you feel angry, belligerent, victimized, or do you just shrug it off philosophically? It’s your thoughts that govern your reaction.
So what to do when you’re reacting to a situation? Choose different thoughts. Take a deep breath (or three) and remind yourself that any event in itself is neutral. Suspend your judgment. How you think about it is your choice. You have the opportunity every moment to choose another way of seeing it! Look at the situation from your heart (not your head) and ask, “How can I see this in a different way?” Listen for the answer. It may not come immediately. You may hear it in a song on a radio, read it in a book, or in words someone says. Your openness to see it differently will create a space for a shift in perception to occur. The end result: more peace and joy!
by MarBeth Dunn | Mar 3, 2012 | Uncategorized
What: MarBeth Dunn, The Joy Strategist, interviews Harrison Klein, Transformational Luminary
Where: http://bit.ly/x5eqXP
When: Sunday 9 PM EST (6 PM PST)
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Are you stuck? Do you feel regret or sadness over past hurts or losses?
Join me on my new Joy Strategies Radio show to learn some simple ways to create a joy filled life. Click Here Sunday evening to listen to my premiere broadcast of Joy Strategies with my special guest, world famous Transformational luminary, Harrison Klein!
The very hurts and losses you’ve been carrying with you can open the door to a new and empowered you. When you are willing to see them through new eyes, things will start to shift. You will begin to release the blocks to the awareness of Love and Joy.
Are you are ready to move forward and re-ignite your beautiful spark? Join me Sunday night to learn the tools and formulas to move you forward quickly, easily, comfortably and painlessly to joy and fulfillment!
Harrison will show how to:
- Harness conscious and subconscious programming to powerfully create from the Quantum Field
- How to instantly connect to the Unified Field of the Universe to radically change your life right now.
- Discover who you are and what you are meant to do on this planet
- Expand and contract time at will
- Create a new blueprint for your life
- Open up your vibrational system
- Neutralize unwanted bodily conditions
- End self-sabotage, sharpen logic, and make better decisions
- Dissolve stress and quicken your mind
- And more!
Harrison Klein is a sought-after speaker, coach and “Underground Master” who has been called “The World’s Leading Transformational Luminary.” He’s the owner of The Masters Gathering, Women Power and Purpose, True Millionaire Stories, 100MX3 and ProAbundance LLC ─ five Internet companies specializing in transformation and awakening processes, and he’s the principal partner of IAMGroup, LLC. A developer of popular products on the leading edge of the spiritual, metaphysical and coaching industry, he speaks at and produces events for many personal growth, wealth and development companies and communities.
A teacher, marketing director and entrepreneur since 1992, Harrison has developed multiple applications and teaching techniques designed to stimulate intellectual and cellular integration, internalization and transcendence. He comes from a traditional background of labor-intensive jobs, including teaching at the local university and coaching others to achieve their personal and professional goals. His unique ability to help others is drawn from his own experience with pain, depression, spiritual confusion and mental illness. That journey led him to the rapid discovery of real and practical tools that elevated him to a new level of personal fulfillment and success. Today he dedicates his life to spreading the message of continuous unfoldment of unconditional love through consciousness elevation, and he lives that purpose wholly.
What people are saying about Harrison Klein…
“Your coaching around the Universal Laws and how and why they work forever changed our lives. We increased our home income by 80%!! Thank you so much.”
─ Katie and Eric Teag
“I followed your 60-day Quantum Leap formula and I kid you not: We applied for three more houses and received approval on all three of them within 48 hours of joining you! The house we chose had four other applicants fighting for it and they miraculously gave it to us! It’s a $1.3 million home, and we didn’t pay even close to that much.”
─ Matthew M.
“I don’t quite understand how it’s happening, but since we started our coaching sessions 25 days ago, I’ve lost an average of 1.5 lbs every two days! I didn’t even diet or exercise. The only thing I’ve done differently is our coaching sessions. This is a new life for me. I am so grateful I found you!”
─ Jeanne Morin
by MarBeth Dunn | Nov 25, 2011 | Uncategorized
How to survive and thrive this season
Do you dread the holidays? The time of year filled with laughter, joy and lots of good food can be tortuous to those who have experienced loss. Memories well up, followed by sadness, depression, anger and emptiness. Being around lighthearted celebration can be excruciating. I’ve lost loved ones, and I know how sad the holidays can be without them. Yet I have learned to view things from a grander perspective, and in that process I have grown and blossomed. I know things can shift for you, as well! Let this year be different. Don’t be victimized your thoughts and emotions. You are a powerful being who can make a different choice!
1. Recognize that you are bigger than any thoughts or feelings you are experiencing.
When you are feeling grief or sadness, don’t resist the feeling. Allow yourself to feel it. Where does it show up in your body? Does it make you feel contracted, small or diminished? Acknowledge it. Notice how it makes you feel, but don’t judge it in any way. In this way, you move away from emotionality into a state of neutrality. You begin to recognize that you are not the emotion. Now declare, “I am bigger than this!” Remember a time when you felt happy and joyful. Expand into the sense of love, joy and well being and feel the feeling.
2. Realize that everything you experience is an opportunity for personal growth.
The feeling of hopelessness comes from being trapped in the illusion that you can’t change your circumstances. What if you realized that everything occurring to you is part of your specific curriculum in the school of life? No one said school was easy! Rather than getting caught up in a cycle of counterproductive thoughts and emotions, look at the situation more objectively, and wonder out loud, “What can I learn from this?”or “How can I handle this differently?”
3. Remember that you have a choice, every instant, to see things differently.
Nothing is set in stone. As your thoughts and perceptions begin to change, your life will shift accordingly. When you realize that people show up in your life as your teachers and students, and that your time with them is a gift, the appropriate response is love, appreciation and gratitude for your time together! I believe that we are surrounded by unseen helpers in the form of Spirit, angels and guides. Ask them to help you see things from a different perspective, and notice how your perceptions expand and shift. In fact, the very realization that you have a choice in how you view your circumstances creates a space for thoughts and feelings to shift.
4. Give of yourself this holiday season
Give of yourself this holiday season and notice how giving makes you feel. Since giving and receiving are the same, when you give from a place of love and service, you will receive in kind. Just try it and notice what shows up in your life.
I would love to hear from you. Please let me know how these strategies work for you!
With love and blessings,
