OVERCOMING PROCRASTINATION

If you are a living, breathing human being…which I can safely bet you are if you are reading this, then you sometimes procrastinate. It is something that we all do. In fact it is in our very nature to push anything unpleasant to the future. If it is in our very nature to do this, then what’s the big deal right? We’ll do it someday. Sounds like reasonable logic, however most often someday never comes. I have never seen a day in the week, month or year marked someday. As Marvin Ashton put it, "procrastination is an unwholesome blend of doubt and delay.” So guess the real question we need to ask ourselves so that we understand the impact of such delay is to take a look at what procrastination is exactly and what in fact we are delaying.

The oxford dictionary defines Procrastination as “The action of delaying or postponing something.” So what exactly are we delaying? We are putting off our goals and dreams for a later time that may never come. The things we want most in this life but are afraid of trying to achieve. So what do we lose when we procrastinate? We can run out of time, lose blessings that we would have had, lose opportunities and lose direction from our Creator. To illustrate how this works, let me tell you a story.

Principles in Action
I recall reading about a man, let’s call him Dan who struggled with addiction. He was an upstanding member of the community with a wife and children. As he gave into his addiction, he began to lose that which mattered most to him. His wife left him, he couldn’t visit with his children, he lost his job and eventually he became homeless. Now that is not the end of this man’s story. Eventually he realized all that he was losing in his life and turned it all around. He sought help for his addiction and went into recovery, obtained a job again and returned to actively being involved in his children’s lives and the community.

He was speaking one day in front of a group of youth and the person introducing asked the audience to look at the man I described above. They were asked if they could tell that the successful, contributing member of the community standing in front of them was once homeless and lost. The person introducing him went on to describe that because of the Creator and his hard work, the man standing in from of them was a changed person and that through these things he moved on from his mistakes to become the successful person he is today. Following the meeting, Dan pulled aside the person who introduced him in private. Dan spoke to him in a soft but stern voice. He said "I wish you would have told them one more thing". The man looked at Dan with a questioning look as Dan described “you told them that  once I turned to my Creator and worked hard to get my life back, things worked out of me. However what you didn’t tell them is that no matter how hard I worked and how much I pleaded with my Creator, I could not get back the things I loved most which I had lost. You see, I turned my life around but my I still did not have my wife and children living with me. The Creator could not restore the blessings I could have had if I had turned my life around earlier.”

I tell you that story because it is true with all of us. When we procrastinate we lose blessings that we could have had. So if procrastination is such a dangerous thing, why on earth would we put ourselves through it? Well there is a mindset that goes a long with procrastination that lulls us into believing it is the best option. This mindset is empowered by a serious of thoughts that our logical mind can hold onto and justify delay. If we are not aware of this procrastination thinking, we will fall prey to it. So let’s look at what are the thoughts that empower procrastination.

The thoughts that empower procrastination are:
    •    It’s too hard
    •    It’s too late
    •    I have no need to...
    •    The task appears impossible
    •    I doubt my worthiness
    •    I’ll wait for roadblocks to be removed
    •    I’ll wait for the problem to go away
    •    I don’t have enough…time, money, ability

As you read that list, did you notice any of the procrastination thinking that you listen to? How are they holding you back from your goals?

Cycle to Creating Results
So now that we really understand the impact of these thoughts, we need to understand how change occurs. Our thoughts not only impact our ability to create change in our lives, it is critical. There is Cycle to Creating Results that exists. If we are not aware of this cycle will will not understand how to create real change in our lives. We will run the risk of missing an essential step towards change and feel frustrated and confused as to why we are not able to effectively reach our goals.

Desire - How it works is that in order for us to change anything in our lives, we must first have a desire to change. For example, we are not going to run a marathon if we have no desire to go running!

Thoughts - Then our thoughts need to support the change we want to make. If we are constantly telling ourselves that we cannot do it, that will become true.

Plan - Next we need to plan how we are going to make the change we want. I remember one time I was training to run a half marathon and I thought I was right on track with my goals, until I looked at the distance I was actually running and compared it with the distance I would need to run to complete the race. They were two very different numbers and it took planning to reach my goal.

Action - The next step is to take action! We will not make change simply by thinking about it or planning it. This seems pretty basic but I can’t tell you how many entrepreneurs I have met over the course of my work as a trainer that have spend years just planning to start their business but not actually starting it!

Be Valiant - The next step is being valiant. That means when we fall down, or forget, or procrastinate (which we will at times), we just get back up and try again.

The most incredible thing about this cycle is that it aligns with the law of momentum. What I mean by that is that more we go through this cycle on a particular goal we have, the more momentum we have towards reaching that goal. Our desires increased as we take action, we realize that we actually can do it and it becomes easier for us to do it!

Straightway to Action
So in order for us to avoid the destruction that is caused by procrastination and move towards the goals and dreams we have, we must take straightway action. Marvin Ashton defines straightway as “straightway is an action word, it means immediately, without delay or hesitation." There is a 5 step process that I have found that is bullet proof when taking straightway action. It is one that will help to move us forward predictably even when the task at hand is one that we are afraid of, don’t want to do or just feel like we don’t have enough resources for. If we follow these steps we will be able to move closer towards what we want to accomplish.

5 Steps to Straightway Action
    1.    Alignment - We need to be following the true principles of our Creator that we know about. This allows us to receive spiritual help in our endeavors. For example if we know that we need to thank the Creator everyday, we better be doing that!
    2.    Self Discipline - Do the small, consistent, daily tasks necessary to accomplish your goal
    3.    Accept Responsibility - Know that it is your responsibility to accomplish what you desire in this life and take the steps necessary to do it!
    4.    Faith - Ask the Creator for help in accomplishing your task & have trust that He can help you
    5.    Be Valiant - Be willing to get back up and try again

When we take straightway action and take small, consistent steps towards our goals we receive a great deal of blessings from the Creator. We are given an added measure of strength, courage, wisdom, help from above, joy and the ability to create lasting and meaningful change. Will will be able to achieve things that we didn’t know were possible as we are lifted and strengthened by our Creator.

Principles in Action
One time I received a tax form that I needed to fill out. I really don’t like filling out tax forms. I don’t know what it is about tax forms but they kind of freak me out. I worry that I will fill them out wrong or that I will need a ton of information to dig up that I either don’t have or don’t know where to find and so I procrastinate filling it out. I put off filling out this form for months. I even printed it out several times and after carefully shuffling it from place to place to avoid actually completing it, I lost it and needed to reprint it.

Finally the deadline for completing the form was upon me and so I grabbed the paper and reluctantly began filling in the blanks of the form. I picked a time to work on the form everyday until I was completed and followed through on working on it every day. I was surprised to find that once I actually put pen to paper I filled out the form in 5 minutes. That’s right, I sheepishly admit that it literally took me 5 minutes to fill out the form after months of procrastination.

Digging Deep
Where are you procrastinating in your own life? We all have a decision to make when it comes to taking action on the things we want to accomplish in this life. Time will pass in our lives whether we take action on our dreams or not. I remember when Andy was contemplating completing his Masters Degree and although he could have easily procrastinated on this and said he will do it on a “someday” that will never come or he could do it now. He taught me a true principle about procrastination when he said to me “4 years are going to pass whether I work on my masters degree or not”.

So what do you want to accomplish in this life?

What are you willing to do to accomplish it?

Will you let the minutia of life get in the way of your dreams or will you fight everyday for what you most want?

Will you do the disciplined, difficult daily decisions to achieve your dreams? Will you follow through when it’s raining, when you feel like crap, when you just don’t want to?

Will you be valiant? Will you get back up and try again when you don’t have enough…time, money, patience, faith.

Will your life pass before your eyes and allow your dreams to go with it or will you be a warrior and fight for your dreams?

I promise that if you make the decision now to begin to take straightway action towards your goals, you will receive help from above. You will be lifted, strengthened, inspired about the next step to take. You have been put at this place, in this life for a reason. The Creator is aware of you and wants to help you achieve your full potential. You have important to do in this life. Take a step in the direction towards worthy goals and you will be able to achieve more than you thought possible. Take a step towards your potential, your goals and your dreams.

The decision is yours and only yours to make. The time is right now, today, straightway.

LESSONS FROM GRANDMA

My grandmother Millie Massie passed away recently and I had the opportunity to be with her during the last few weeks of her life before she moved on from this life. I have reflected on my grandmother's life and the lessons she has taught me through the way she lived. Today I would like to honour her by sharing those lessons with you.

In the process of seeking for lessons in my grandmother's life, I had the opportunity to interview some of the people who loved her most. These conversations helped the story of her life unfold just a little more.  There was a pattern that emerged, a set of 5 key principles of how to live a joyful life that she embodied and taught me through the way she lived. I will share these principles today.

Before we explore the principles my Grandma taught me, I would like to share who my grandmother is. I say "is" because although her physical body is no longer with me, her spirit very much is. When I asked people to describe my grandma in 2 words, I was surprised to find that many people used similar words to describe her. So who is Millie Massie? She is gentle, a good friend, fun, big hearted, caring, strong, full of life, generous, strong willed, competitive, family oriented, honest, patient and selfless. 

These are the qualities that empowered her to teach us the 5 key principles through the way she lived. These principles have helped to shape me into who I am today. What are the key principles that my grandmother taught and lived? Lets begin with a story. 

Love One Another 
 
I remember walking up the front walkway to my grandma’s house, ringing the doorbell and seeing her beautiful face coming towards me through the window on the porch door. She opened the door and with arms open wide gave me the biggest hug and began to pick up and cuddle my children who scampered into her home. She had a tea party all set up for us because somehow no matter the time of day, there was always a plate of cakes and cookies on a lace table cloth and the smell of freshly brewed tea filled the air. We had barely entered her dining room when she slipped off to a side bedroom and returned with a bag full of children’s kitchen toys. My children quickly emptied the bag onto the floor and soon were bringing us culinary creations as grandma happily played along. There was always however one intruder in our picnic fun. You see this bag of children’s toys was composed of 99% kitchen toys and 1% pretend cockroach. Those odds sound pretty good however it came with a catch. You see, we never knew where that pretend cockroach was or where he would end up. We started to call him Bob the bug and Bob had a propensity for showing up in the most unusual places. Places like Grandma’s tea cup. There was more than a few times when poor grandma had a bit of a jump when Bob took her by surprise. We would all laugh at the game and my daughter Zoe would stay busy searching for the next place to hide Bob.

Why do I tell you that story? I tell you this story because grandma had a way of making whoever she was with feel special. She was fun to be around and her home was a welcome place with laughter and stories and always delicious treats. The first principle my grandmother taught me was to love one another. She lived this principle in everything she did. 

In my family as in all families there has been contentions that has surfaced over the years. Whenever I would visit my grandma her reaction to these family tiffs were always the same. She would say “family is family.” That is how she was. She was the one who would attend the wedding of the estranged family member and call the family member that no one else was talking to. She patiently waited for people and unconditionally loved them. 
Be generous

The second principle my grandmother taught was to be generous. She was generous in time, money, and spirit. Millie was the kind of person who always was collecting something to help someone. She was the family depot to drop off clothes, pop can tabs, soup labels and toilet paper rolls because she knew of someone who could use them. Grandma was constantly donating baking for bake sales and she volunteered countless hours at the Cross Cancer Clinic and the Veterans Home. 

My grandma spent her time looking for ways to make the world around her better for the people she knew and those she didn’t. 

Live life fully

The third principle Millie taught is to live life fully. If Millie wanted something she would make it happen. She travelled the world from Hawaii to Paris and everywhere in between. As a young girl I was inspired by her courage to travel by herself and so I set my sights on journeys of my own. 

Grandma lived life full on. This is a story that reveals just how full of life my grandmother was. You see, her niece Wendy had invited a nice chap to be her date at Joyce’s wedding. During the butterfly song, Wendy passed her unsuspecting date to my grandmother.  He linked arms with Grandma and as she began to spin him around he could not have known what was about to happen. You see, my grandmother is a slight woman and just by looking at her, one cannot accurately assess the shear power that is within her. As she spun this unsuspecting young man around and then released him, she sent this poor boy flying across the dance floor.  He ended up sliding across the floor on his bottom. They all laughed and continued the dance and I'm willing to bet that the poor boy found a new dance partner!

Faith

The fourth principle Millie taught us was to have faith. My grandma knew God and loved him. She knew there was something waiting for her beyond this life. I know that too. I know that my grandmother is no longer in pain. I know that God is real and that he loves her and us. I know that she is with him now and that she is happy. My grandma talked about her faith and what she believed happens when we die.  The faith she had strengthened her throughout her life. I recall seeing my grandma weeks before she passed away. Her body was weak from the sickness she was fighting but her spirit was strong. I laid on the bed beside her and looked into her beautiful blue eyes. She reached out and touched my face. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she knew she was about to pass through the veil soon. I asked her if she was scared and she replied “no. If it must be then it must be.” She had a peaceful look across her face and I kissed her forehead. She had a determination and strength that pulsed within her and kept her going even when it defied medical explanation.   She was surrounded by many of the people she loved right until it was time for her to pass away from this life and move onto the next part of her journey.  

Perseverance 

The fifth principle that Millie lived was perseverance. Millie did not have an easy life but she made the best of it and found joy and love within the best and worst moments. She lost many people she loved over the years. She found love three times but unfortunately they all passed away. I can’t even imagine how difficult it must have been for her to lose her companions. Millie also lost her daughter Jeannette and son Jim. These losses were devastating to her. Yet somehow she managed to leave her heart open to continue to be loving and find joy in her life. Russell M Nelson said that “mourning is the deepest expression of pure love, The only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life.” My grandma lived this principle.

The lessons that Millie taught through her lived life was to (1) Love one another, (2) Be generous, (3) To live life fully, (4) To have faith, and (5) To persevere.  My grandma epitomized these principle.

In this life each of us will lose people that we love. I've pondered how can we grieve peacefully when we  long for more time with the people we love, how can we leave our hearts still open to loving, laughing, and honouring their life and the lessons they taught us? I believe that the path to do this is through remembering them and the lessons they taught us by living those principles. I know that as I continue to honour my grandmothers legacy by loving one another; by being generous with my time, talents and resources; by living fully; by having faith; and by persevering her spirit is carried forward through my life.

When we truly look at the impact of the people we love, we see the law of compounding in action. Their example of how they live their life teaches us how we can live ours and all the people whose lives they have ever touched during their time in this world. My grandmother's example has shown me how to love more, live more and serve more. 

In the last days that my grandmother was with me I asked her what her best advice is.  My grandma thought for a moment and then gently said “be true to yourself and take care of your family.” I will take your advice Grandma and will live the principles that you taught and lived. Until we meet again, know that I love you, I will remember you and that you touched my heart with your life.

SELF DOUBT

Self Doubt

There is something that lies in wait within us that when we allow it to run free, it can tear down our ability to reach our goals. It is so insidious that we barely see it in our lives and yet the effects of it on us can be so great. The difficult thing about it is that no one else can tangibly see it, a doctor cannot remove it, and we cannot look in the mirror and with surety say “there it is”. Yet it is within all of us at some time or another. What am I talking about? I am referring to self doubt. The belief in ourselves and what we can accomplish is one of the most basic and yet critical components to what we are actually able to achieve. However, it is in our very nature to have self doubt. Everyone in this entire world has it to some degree or another. Although it is in our nature to have it, we also have the ability to overcome it. That is what we will talk about today, the 4 steps to overcoming self doubt so that we can be set free to work towards achieving what we desire. 

To understand self doubt we need to understand how exactly it stops us. There is a challenge to overcoming self doubt and if we don’t know it exists, that not only stops us from overcoming it but makes it so we don’t even know it is there. This is the challenge of the self doubt wall. You see when we allow self doubt to enter our mind by entertaining the self doubt thoughts and allowing them to stay, it is as though a wall begins to form in front of us. All the negative thoughts about ourselves like “I can’t do this”, “I’m stupid”, “how could I have screwed up again” accumulate and block our ability to move forward. They keep us stuck in the dangerous place of inaction. When we understand this though we can move forward even thought these negative thoughts that accumulate into a self doubt wall are before us. There is something we can do to overcome the wall of self doubt. This thing will allow us to leap over the wall towards our goals. We can use something called rigor to overcome our self doubt. To be able to use rigor we must first understand what it is. Rigor is the ability to do something even though it is difficult. It is the will within us to move forward even though we don’t want to, we don’t know how, we can’t see how it will work out. It is our willingness to try anyways. In this life rigor is required to jump over the walls of our own self doubt. When we are in action we do not have time to ask if we can do it or not. You see, as Brandon Broadwater says “people will take you as seriously as you take yourself.” How seriously we take ourselves lies within our ability to see over our self doubt to our full potential and our willingness to reach for that potential even when we are not sure how. 

There are times in this journey however when we will be met with uncertainty. We may at times try and fail. We may feel discouraged about our efforts that are not working as quickly as we want them to. We may feel alone in our trying to succeed. We may feel like it’s not worth the effort. In those moments we must understand something. We must understand this principle because that discouragement that we feel can either drag us down to the depths of inactivity or despair or move us forward. It can steal our dreams or empower us to light a force within us that is so great that it can overcome anything put in our path. To underhand this principle I will share with you a quote by Neil A. Maxwell. He said “discouragement is not the absence of adequacy but the absence of courage.” So lets not allow the absence of courage to enter our lives and our dreams. Let’s not delay finding the courage within us to powerfully move forward and take the next step towards what we desire to achieve. There is courage that lies within you. More courage and ability that you can possibly imagine. It is waiting. It is waiting to be set free in the small consistent actions that you will take towards what you desire. So take a step. 

I promised at the beginning of this discussion of self doubt to share with your the 4 steps to overcoming self doubt. I am a woman of my word. The four steps to overcoming self doubt when you follow them will allow you to overcome discouragement and the wall of self doubt. It will light the courage that lies within you and help you to find the rigor you need to succeed. It will allow your creator to work with you and help you along your path. So here they are:

4 Steps to Overcoming Self Doubt

1. Alignment to Higher Law Principles
2. Manage your state of mind
3. Serve those around you
4. Stay in growth 

Now that we know what the 4 Steps to Overcoming Self Doubt are let’s pull them apart a little so we can truly underhand them. Alignment to Higher Laws really means following the Higher Law Principles you know are true. So for example if you know that it is a true principle to start your day by talking to your Creator and saying thank you, alignment means that you do it. 

Manage your state of mind means doing what it takes to not entertain negative thoughts about yourself that leads to self doubt. An example of this might be that when you notice a negative thought, don’t beat yourself up about it, just ask a question that helps you feel good. An example of this might be “what do I do well?” or “what am I grateful for?” Shifting our focus allows us to shift our thoughts, feelings and actions.

Serving those around us is critical to overcoming self doubt because when we are in the service of others, we get a breather from our own problems. We don’t have time for self doubt when we are engaged in the act of lifting another.

Staying in growth means allowing yourself to try and sometimes fail. Making it okay for your to learn lessons and discover what you can do even when you are not sure how to do it at first. It is only through trial and error that we can grow. Give yourself space to fall down. Just get back up, brush yourself off and know that you are in the incredible act of becoming more. 

Principles in action

I once took on the task of organizing an event that I had never done before. I was flying in an international speaker and had two other well known speakers to an event that I was the sole organizer for. The only issue was that I had no idea how to do it. I had never organized an event like that before. I was a stay at home mom most of the time and was working part time in my business. In the space between dropping off my daughter at preschool and picking her up again less that 2 hours later was my only time to work on this daunting project. I recall thinking so many times “I can’t do this” and “what if no one comes.” Sometimes the hardest thing I would accomplish in my tiny blocks of work was to overcome these thoughts of self doubt. To make matters worse,  I was having a really hard time accomplishing the task. About two weeks before the event I had a grand total of 14 people registered for my auditorium sized room. I was panicked. How would I possibly be able to pull off this event when I was already proving that I couldn’t do it? My self doubt became louder. I eventually got to a point of no return. A point when I realized that I couldn’t do it on my own but that maybe the Creator knew how I could do it and could help me. I began to use the 4 steps to overcoming self doubt that I leaned at the Master Your Power Within event and things began to shift. How did I use these steps? I made sure that before I called anyone I talked to my Creator first and gave up my self doubt, insecurity and fears. I managed my state by getting up out of my chair and doing my move (something I learned at the Master Your Power Within event to drastically change my state of mind). I focused on how I could truly serve the person I was talking to and asked the Creator for help to do so. I stayed in growth by being willing to fail and fall down and realizing that although it was not comfortable, it is an important part of growth. 

Doing these 4 steps changed everything and allowed me to go from having 12 people registered for the event to a place where the event was completely packed within a 2 week period. What changed? I changed. Even though I didn’t know how to do it, even though I was scared and unsure, even though I had self doubts I did it anyways. I took the next step, did the next right thing, got up when I fell flat on my face. You see we cannot be paralyzed by the walls of doubt when we are busy in action. Momentum disempowers self doubt. 

Let’s Make Sure We’ve Got it

• Self doubt can stop us from getting started towards our goals
• When we entertain self doubt it acts like a barrier in front of us
• We can use rigor to overcome self doubt by taking action even when we don’t know how it will work out
• 4 Steps to Overcoming Self Doubt
  1. Alignment to Higher Law Principles
  2. Manage your state of mind
  3. Serve those around you
  4. Stay in growth 

Digging Deep

Now that we have uncovered some of the truths about self doubt, you have a decision to make, will you apply what you know unto yourself? Will you take a look within yourself to find the areas of self doubt that are blocking you from reaching your full potential? What if the very thing you don’t feel like you can do is the very thing that the Creator is waiting for you do to, needs you to do? Will you put off your destiny for later or will you move forward courageously right now? You can start by asking yourself the following questions.

• what is one thing you feel like you need to do but worry that you might fail at?
  1. Alignment to Higher Law Principles - ask the Creator for help daily with the task you want to do
  2. Manage your state of mind - set a time everyday to work on the task you want to do and before you start the task get up and move your body (walk outside, deep breath, do jumping jacks, anything to get you moving)
  3. Serve those around you - ask the Creator “who can I serve today” and take action to help that person (helping those around you cheerfully will give you increased capacity and energy)
  4. Stay in growth - when you fail, just get back up and try again fast

I know you are reading this for a reason. There is something that you have been inspired to do or a goal that you desire. It is waiting for you and the increased capacity and potential that it will bring to your life. Don’t delay for an unknown someday. There is no day on the calendar marked someday. The time is now, today, straightway without delay. This is your moment so take it. 

Connie

5 Steps to Spiritual Knowledge

As we talked about earlier, we are often told a great deal of myths about who we are and our purpose in this life. We can become lost in a guilt ridden perfectionist vision of who we should be. Such things can leave us feeling not enough, guilty and can most dangerously prevent us from seeing our true potential and divine nature. In this world of immense  pressure, it is of great importance that we know who we are, where we came from and where we are going. To not understand these things will cause us to be lost in worldly expectations and the trivial matters. To understand them empowers us and frees us to take the critical and small steps towards personal and spiritual mastery in this life. 

Pam’s story

In my work as a Master Coach, I have the privilege of talking with women from around the world about this subject in many different forms. It’s curious to me how many women struggle with this. One young lady I worked with, lets call her Pam wanted to do many things in this life but she felt trapped. She was well educated and a successful real estate investor however she wanted more. She had been tricked into thinking that her that her biology was her destiny. You see, Pam had a developmental disability that made it difficult for her to walk so she walked with a severe limp. Her disability began to become her identity and although she had accomplished some great things in this life, she could not see her full potential. She did not believe that she was capable of being loved in an intimate relationship and felt left alone by her Creator. This belief about her potential is something that not only Pam faced but we all face in this life. We all bump up against the ceilings of what we believe we are capable and we think that those ceilings are real and that there is nothing we can do about them. They appear real and when we believe them, they become real. With our beliefs we form our destiny. For Pam she was trapped with her beliefs about her potential and these beliefs were causing her to miss out on everything that she wanted in this life. 

I remember one distinct moment when I began to see the blocks to who Pam believed she was begin to fall away to create space for a bigger more divine version of herself. We were talking after she had attended a Master Your Power Within Event and she was telling me about her fears and her beliefs about who she is. I looked at her for a moment and although she was describing who she thought she was I saw her in a completely different light. I could see the strength within her for having powerfully navigating this world with a condition that made it more difficult for her to get around, a saw the kindness and love within her by how much she cared for other people and was willing to help her, and I saw her potential that she was capable of doing whatever she wanted in this life. I asked her “is it possible that you are more that you think you are.” She looked up at me and I could see a glimmer of hope entering her eyes as she responded “what do you mean?” I answered “what if your limitations do not define you? What if there really is a loving Creator who knows and loves you? What if you have a divine destiny that is beyond what you can imagine? What if you can be loved deeply? What would it mean for you if these things could be true?” She looked up at me with tears forming in the corners of her eyes and for the first time I could see the beginnings of understanding of who she really is. She asked me “how can I know if these things are true?” I turned towards her to face her squarely and asked “Don’t you already know the answer to that question?” She paused for a moment and remember the things she learned at Master Your Power Within event said “Yes I know what I need to do to know for myself.” You see Pam knew that she could receive her own answers about her potential by going to her Creator and asking and she knew how to get an answer. She knew the 5 steps to gaining spiritual knowledge. Now she was truly set free. She could begin the process of redefining who she is and what she is capable in the most powerful way, through the eyes of her Creator. 

So what did Pam need to understand to begin to see her full potential? She needed to understand that her capacity is not defined by her physical body, that she has a divine potential and that her past is not your future, your biography is not your destiny. 

My father died when I was 16 years old and his death left me feeling lost, confused, and angry. At that point in my life I did not have a relationship with the Creator and I thought if there really is a God, why would he take my dad? I felt angry and alone for many years. Until I learned some key principles that helped me begin to ask questions that brought me to understand the character of the Creator and his love for me. The lack of knowledge of these key principles for most of my life left me feeling lost and adrift, especially when tough times hit…which inevitably they always do in this life. Once I understood them I felt empowered and excited about my potential. These key principles have been condensed into a powerful and easy process called the 5 Steps to spiritual knowledge. 

Just because you have been the person you are up until this point in your life does not mean this is where you need to stay.  What if you could let go of some of the beliefs and ideas that are holding you back from living your full potential?  What if there is a part within you that is capable of much more than you can even comprehend?  What if there is a loving Creator just waiting for you to turn to him to strengthen you and lift you up in all your are facing in this life…the difficult times, the joy and the uncertainty?  What if the things you want in this life most of all are possible for you to achieve if you take a step forward in trust and are willing to learn and apply what you learn? What if there really is more beyond this life and a purpose to it all?

What if those things are true? How would it change you? I know that all these things are true.  I know that because I have seen them in my own life and in the lives of the incredible people around me. I know because I have learned how to ask the Creator if they are true and understand how to receive an answer.

I believe that you are reading this for a reason and that you are being called to live up to even more of your potential.  So strap in, hold on tight because life truly is never going to be the same. 

There is a Creator of this world and He created each of us.  Each one of us is one of his spirit children and he looks out for us and helps us as we ask and are willing to receive his help.  He knows what is going on for us at all times and is mindful of us.  He is a loving parent.  Just as a loving parent would not swoop in and fix everything for their children, so too the creator cannot just fix everything for us.  He brought us here so we could learn, grow, progress and increase our capacity to love and be more like him.  He gave us the most incredible gift he could have possibly given us and that gift is the gift of agency.  Agency means that he respects our ability to choose between right and wrong, between what is good for us and what is not.  He loves us so much that he is willing to allow us to choose our destiny and level of happiness. 

Wow agency sounds like an awesome gift doesn’t it?  I thought so too at first.  It really is the best gift anyone could give but it does not come without a cost.  What am I talking about? I don’t know about you but sometimes I don’t always make the best decisions. Each choice we make either brings us closer to our Creator or further away from him and from our divine potential. In order for us to make choices that bring us closer to him we need to educate our desires. What I mean is that we need to understand what our Creator desires for us and also understand what desires we have that will empower our divine potential. How do we do that? Through questions. 

If there really is a loving Creator and if he really is mindful and aware of you right now and everything you are going through, your hopes, your worries, your joys and frustrations? Is it possible that he can see the bigger picture of your life in the moments when you feel lost in the day to day minutia or trapped in the overwhelming circumstances of this life? If these things are true how could we possibly tap into the wisdom of our Creator and receive direct inspiration about what we need to do in our life at this very moment to have more peace and feel more joy? What if we start by asking the Creator? Sounds simple right? Sounds a little too easy? Well it is…and it isn’t all at the same time. Sometimes the most difficult thing we can do is humble ourself enough to recognize that we don’t know it all and that we need help. Sometimes the farthest distance we can travel is to our knees in prayer. When we go to our Creator in humility and believe we will receive an answer, something incredible happens. We receive answers in the Creator’s time and that seed of belief grows into a knowing. We often don’t start out believing but even a small desire to believe is enough to start.

At the start of this discussion I told you that I would share with you the 5 keys to building belief  I know that some of these steps might sound like something you have heard before and you could be tempted to blow them off as trite but I promise you they are not. If you choose to take them into your heart and give them a chance to work within you, I promise your understanding of who you are and your relationship with the divine will grow and you will begin to unlock the ultimate potential that lies within you.

These 5 steps to spiritual knowledge are:

1. desire to believe & be humble
2. believe that you will receive an answer about if he really exists or if he loves you
3. Ask your Creator yes or no questions 
4. Pay attention to how you feel - a sense of peace is the Creator’s way of saying yes to you
5. Be patient and grateful when you receive answers

In the future I will go into the specifics of how the Creator answers our questions but for now you just need to know that he will and that your answers may come in the form of a word, a thought or a feeling. Pay particular attention to how you feel. If you ask a yes or no question to the Creator and following asking your question you feel a sense of peace, that is how the Creator answers yes to you. For now that is enough for you to get powerful answers about who you are.

Principles in Action

As I mentioned when I was 16 years old I was devastated by the death of my father. I could not understand how a loving God would take my dad and so I got angry…real angry. I wanted nothing to do with God or religion. Then I went to a course called Master Your Power Within that began to open my mind to the possibility of there being something bigger going on in the universe and the possibility that there is a Creator that is aware of me. I wanted to believe this was true but my heart was still very hurt so I was wary to allow myself to believe. Then one day I needed to know. I went into the woods in the shady evergreen forest of the Rocky Mountains in Canada and began walking on a snowy path towards an answer to a question that would change my life forever. I recall talking in my mind to the Creator (if there was one) and saying that I was angry about my dad and that I couldn’t understand why that would happen to me. Then as my heart softened I asked a life altering question using the 5 steps to spiritual knowledge. I asked if there really is a Creator. The moment I asked it my heart and stomach were filled with a feeling of peace and I knew that was the way the Creator was answering “yes, I am here.” That day and that question has stayed with me as one of my fundamental and treasured things that I know. I can now with sure confidence say that I know there is a Creator who is aware of and loves me. 

Digging Deep

You may know that already but for me is was a game changer. Wherever you are at in your understanding of the Creator and yourself, I know that there is always room to learn and to understand more. After all, as Brandon Broadwater says “if we are not growing, we are dying.” So what questions do you have in your mind about who you are, your purpose in this life, or who the Creator is? What if you could find the answers you are looking for and that the answers to life’s greatest mysteries are just a question away? If you have a desire to learn and a willingness to wait for your answer and a humility in your heart, you will receive the answers you desire. I encourage you to ponder the following questions so you understand how gaining greater knowledge of the divine will help you right now in your life. 

1. What would it mean for you if you could have answers to the questions that are in your heart about your purpose in this life?
2. What is a question that you have that you could ask the Creator?
3. How would knowing the answer to this question empower you?
4. What if these things are true and you don’t take action on them?

Let’s Make Sure We’ve Got it

• There is a loving Creator who is aware of you and what is happening in your life right now
• When we understand who the Creator really is, we understand who we are and our divine potential
• We are spirit children of our Creator 
• We can receive answers to our questions by following the 5 steps to spiritual knowledge 
• 1. desire to believe 
  2. Be humble
  3. Ask yes or no questions to know there really is a Creator
  4. Pay attention to how you feel - a sense of peace is the Creator’s way of saying yes to you
  5. Be patient and grateful when you receive answers

I know that as your seek to understand who you are and your potential in this life you will be empowered beyond what you can possibly imagine. I believe you are reading this for a reason and that there is a message your Creator is trying to give to you. Are your ears open to this message or are they shut in doubt and disbelief. Will you choose to ask the questions that you have to gain even more of an understanding of your purpose in this life or will this message you have received today get lost in the shadows of busyness? You have a choice to make now. You can take action and seek a deeper relationship with your Creator now or you can dismiss this message as an interesting little article. What will you do? I promise that if you take this message in with faith and take action on it, you will receive the answers you are looking for. You will feel empowered with growing closer to a loving Creator and you will be more clear on your divine path in this life. I know these things are true and I am excited for you to discover them for yourself. 

UNDERSTANDING WHO YOU ARE

When I first began to learn about Higher Laws it made me question all that I thought I knew.  If Higher Laws were real, which as I tried them out I came to know that they are, that must mean something bigger is going on in this life.  If something bigger is going on in this life, that must mean someone has a plan for us. Quite possibly even a plan for me.  As I wrestled with this idea I came face to face with years of believing this life is nothing more than the right now and that there is nothing really special about me.  It made me question what I thought I knew about who I am. 

In this life we can be told so many things about who we are. We get these messages from all around us, our parents, our friends, the people who don’t like us, the people we do like, the media. There is a constant barrage about what everyone else thinks we are and who we ‘should’ be. As teenagers we wrestle with the complexity of the battle within trying to match up our independence with the expectations of others. Although this battle is still alive and well within us as grown ups, it often goes under the radar. We try to ignore the criticism of our spouse or the negative comment of another parent from school but really they eat away at us just a little bit. As women we are given so many messages about who we need to be. We are told that we need to be smart but not nerdy smart, sexy but not sleazy, fun but not irresponsible. We feel we need to be superwoman…our clothes not only perfectly matching but also clean (if you have little babies you know how hard this one can be), our house spotless, the perfectly manicured lawn with an abundant flower and vegetable garden, our hair combed and perfect by the time we walk out the door and our makeup done to face the day. We are told we need to the the perfect wife, never nagging our husbands, the perfect mother, never being frustrated with our kids and always being the model of love and patience. We are told that we need to have it all figured out…our finances in order, our kids in every activity they can possibly do, be experts at cooking, cleaning, and even sex. The pressure of all the shoulds “shoulding” all over us is a weight that can drag us down into despair and a feeling of being not good enough. But what if all those expectations that we and others put on us are not true? What if they are not only not necessary but are the very things that would prevent us from being who we truly are and becoming who we are meant be? What if we don’t have to be perfect? What if we just need to be perfectly striving towards improvement and our potential? What if we have a divine heritage, purpose and destiny? 

Myths of who we believe we are 

I once spoke to a woman I admire who has been in this earth for much longer than I have and she shared one regret that she had in this life. One thing that if she knew when she was younger it would have saved her a great deal of heartache. When she told me I thought "wow that's so true!!” She told me that her one regret is that she noticed that wherever she was at in life she cheated herself into believing she was not enough...not skinny enough, not brave enough, not pretty enough. However when she had the benefit of looking back through the wise lenses of time, she saw that in fact she was enough.

This is so true isn’t it? I recall thinking to myself as a teenager "I'm so fat!" And yet as I look back at pictures during that time I was quite slim. In fact I was more slim than I have been since then and likely ever will be again. So why is it that we can rob ourselves of the joy within the now? What if right now at this very moment we are enough? What if the trials, struggles and experiences we are going through at this junction in time are exactly what we need to learn the lessons we need to learn? What if these lessons and who we are now are what is required to become who we truly are meant to be? What if we are enough...smart enough, pretty enough, skinny enough, brave enough? What if when we accept that we are enough that allows the door to opportunity to open and reveal our ultimate potential and allows us to strive to be even better with a full acceptance and love for who we are now? 

Principles in action

I remember when I was in sixth grade and puberty hit with all the changes in my body and emotions that come along with it. I was awkward and insecure and searching for acceptance outside myself. Unfortunately a bully in my class noticed this and picked up on the one thing about my body that I was most self conscious of and of course he pointed it out…not just to me but to anyone within earshot. I was mortified. Not only was I a girl, but I was a young girl in puberty who was insecure and searching to understand and find acceptance about who I was. I began to take on the unkind words of the bully and soon when I looked into the mirror, all I could see was that one insecurity staring back at me. I couldn’t see anything else and I began to take on the identity of someone who is ugly. I secretly used every technique I could to physically change my appearance in hopes that would help me to feel loved and accepted.

Many years later as an adult I was talking with a friend of mine who casually talked about having the same issue that I had experienced as a teen. However, there was something different about the way she talked about it. For her it was just a normal part of growing up and becoming a woman and was no big deal. I looked at her with disbelief that she would talk about what I had previously thought was such a shameful thing. Then the realization hit me that it was not just me that was dealing with that body change, that this was a pretty common issue many women faced but just didn’t talk about. I realized that it didn’t define who I am and that I could be beautiful even though I was not perfect and that the haunting teasings of bullies in the past did not have to stay with me. 

Why do I tell you that story? I tell it to you because we all have skeletons on our closet about who we have been told we are. Maybe it is an unkind teacher, a parent who said an unkind thing in anger about us, a sister or brother who lashed out at us or a bully at school. Maybe it was a feeling of unworthiness from the barrage of media images about who we are supposed to be. However those beliefs about who we are came to be, I want you to know that you no longer need to believe them. That they are not true. That you are so much more. That you have a divine destiny and purpose that is greater than what you can possibly imagine. You get to choose who you are from here on out!

Let’s Make Sure We’ve Got It

• We are told many things about who we are from our family, media, friends, bullies and even ourselves
• We can chose to accept or not accept those things we are told we are
• We all have a divine destiny and purpose

Digging Deep

In the next few minutes I will lead you through a process that has freed me from the painful meanings and definitions of other people. I invite you to go through this process yourself. Find a peaceful spot, a place where you can ponder and reflect without the droning distractions that keep us locked into past definitions of who we are. By the way, although this process may only take a short period of time if we will engage with it with a full heart and the power of being present, the results of your work today with wherever you are in life will resonate well into the future and open you to your true potential. This will be critical for us to truly discover our divine purpose. Are you ready? Have you found that peaceful spot? If so, grab a pen and paper and let’s begin.  

1. What have you been told about who you are? 
2. What have you believed in the past about who you are and what your purpose is? 
3. What if you could let go of negative beliefs about yourself?
4. What if there is some important reason you are here and a very important role that you play in this life? 
5. What is one thing that you have forgotten that is beautiful?
6. What is one part of you that you love? 

Now that you have pondered you have the seed of transformation. Here comes the real work. In order for true transformation to occur we must take what we know into our daily lives. As Stephen Covey says “to know and to not do is really to not know at all.” Now we will take a look at some simple ways we can take what you know about who you are into your daily life. Here are a few questions to help you do that.

1. What is one thing you can do to remind yourself of the one part of yourself that is beautiful and that you love about yourself?
2. What will you do everyday to remind yourself about this so you never forget again? 

Now that you have begun this process of taking what you know into your daily life and have a plan of how to do it, you are ready for the next step to move forward towards your true potential. In my next blog I will dive into who you really are and your divine purpose in this life. I wish I had more time to explore it now but as with all things, I know it is with patience that the lessons can sink in. At this point though I hope you have a sense of how important you really are and that you do not need to accept negative messages about yourself that have been offered to you and that only you can decide to see your divine worth. As you do this you will begin to unlock your potential and see yourself as you really are. Then and only then are you capable of what the Creator has destined you to be. I know that these things are true and I’m excited for you to discover them for yourself.

WHAT ARE HIGHER LAWS?

Have you ever had the feeling like there is more going on in this life than what appears to be,  a sense that there really is a higher power in whatever context you believe that to be?  I’ve had this feeling all my life.  It is this feeling that took me on a  journey in search for answers to my big questions of why am I here and what am I supposed to be doing.  My search took me to the far away land of Indonesia, to spiritual books, churches and even to sweat lodges.  I found some evidence that I could not deny and some truth and yet I did not have a complete picture of what this life is really about.  That is until I learned one principle that made all the puzzle pieces fit together, that answered my big questions and pointed me in the direction of understanding the plan that the universe has for me and how I could work within that plan to create the life I longed for and live my purpose.  So what was that principle I learned that created this earth shattering collaboration with the universe? 

It's a Pendulum Thing

The principle that helped me to become a partner with the creator was learning and understanding the principle of Higher Laws.  What are Higher Laws you might be asking?  Sound kind of flaky?  Well it’s not.  Higher Laws are very real and tangible.  Simply put, higher Laws are principles that create results that work upon a paradox.They are a set of laws outlined by the Creator that when we align to a Higher Law, we get an alternate result.  It’s a pendulum thing.  When you take a long necklace with a pendulum on the bottom and swing it, you take an action on one side by drawing up the pendulum and then release it.  And what happens next?  It swings right?  The action that you take on the one hand creates an alternate response as the pendulum swings up the other side. It’s kind of counter intuitive. If you want the pendulum to go to the left shouldn’t you just be able to push the pendulum to the left?  You can but it’s not sustainable because the moment you let go, it’s going to swing to the right. To go in the direction we want to go, we need to take an action in what seems to be the completely opposite direction. That’s how the universe set up higher laws.  There is an opposite to all things.  To create the results we want we must do the action that is in alignment to the Higher Law that corresponds with the result we want.  

Have I confused you enough?  Let me give you an example. 

One example of how a principle works is that people who are constantly looking for love and taking their own temperature to know if they are happy will not be happy. People who are looking outside themselves and trying to serve others out of pure love are happy. It’s a pendulum thing, we cannot find happiness through an inward search for happiness. Finding happiness requires us to do the opposite by looking outward to serve those around us. As Mahatma Gaundi so eloquently put it, “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” 

Higher Laws are Steadfast

I have sometimes struggled with truly understanding what higher laws are and how they affect me. Stephen Covey explains that “the fundamental idea is that there are principles that govern human effectiveness - natural laws in the human dimension that are just as real, just as unchanging and arguably ‘there’ as laws such as gravity are in the physical dimension.” 

Brandon Broadwater helped me to understand higher laws best when he relayed a story told by Frank Koch in the Proceedings, a Navel Institute magazine. 

"Two battleships assigned to the training squadron had been at sea on maneuvers in heavy weather for several days. I was serving on the lead battleship and was on watch on the bridge as night fell. The visibility was poor with patchy fog, so the captain remained on the bridge keeping an eye on all activities. 

Shortly after dark, the lookout on the wing of the bridge reported, “Light, bearing on the starboard bow."

“Is it steady or moving astern?” the captain called out.

Lookout replied, “steady, captain”, which meant we were on a dangerous collision course with that ship. 

The captain then called to the signalman “signal that ship: we are on a collision course, advise you change course 20 degrees."

Back came a signal “advisable for you to change course 20 degrees."

The captain said “send, I’m a captain, change course 20 degrees."

“I’m a seaman second class. You had better change course 20 degrees” came the reply.

By that time, the captain was furious. He spat out, “send, I’m a battleship. Change course 20 degrees."

Back came a flashing light, “I’m a lighthouse."

We changed course. 

What does that story teach us about higher laws? Higher laws are like lighthouses. They are unmoving principles like gravity. We cannot change them because they are not in style or convenient or even socially preferred. As Cecil B. DeMille said “It is impossible for us to break the law. We can only break ourselves against the law.” Brandon Broadwater explains that “the reality of such principles or natural laws becomes obvious to anyone who thinks deeply and examines the cycles of social history. These principles surface time and time again, and the degree to which people in a society recognize and live in harmony with them moves them toward either survival and stability or disintegration and destruction.” So I guess the question we need to know is; in our own lives are we moving towards stability, peace and even prosperity, or towards destruction, even if that destruction is a slow disconnection with the people we love. 

Principles in Action

There was a time in my life when I desperately wanted financial results.  I recall one day doing the budget with my husband Andy. I kept looking from our bank account to our budget hoping that if I looked at it just one more time I would see something different.  Tears began to well up in my eyes as I took in what I saw.  Our bank account was not only reading a negative amount, it was reading a very negative amount. I looked over at Andy and he must of saw the look of despair, hopelessness and panic in my eyes as he wrapped his arms around me and said “it’s going to be okay Con, we’ll figure this out.”  I felt a small bit of relief in his words but had no idea how we would ever figure it out. 

Fast forward a couple days and we are on a coaching call with our mentor Brandon Broadwater.  He had asked for an update about how things were going and as he listened intently to my fears and anxiety about our financial situation, he asked “so you want to make more money each month?” “yes” I responded. A glimmer of hope entered my mind and I thought “okay finally Brandon will help us to get somewhere.” Then Brandon asked me a question that cut to my very core and helped me begin to understand Higher Law principles. He asked “so how is your relationship?”  “My relationship?” I gasped. “What does my relationship have anything to do with making more money?” Again Brandon asked with piercing truth “you want to make more money right?” “yes” I responded again now losing a little patience and grace. “Your relationship has absolutely everything to do with your financial situation.” 

In that moment as the truth of that statement sunk into my very core I realized that I had a lot to learn about how to get results in my life.  It is incredible how once Andy and I began to improve the connection in our relationship, other tangible things like money fell into place.  We started to work together more on financial planning, we were more supportive of each other’s ideas and solutions, we became a team.  I know that might not sound like much but for us it made all the difference.  We went from being in conflict over money to being a team that worked towards creating a better future, which included more financial security.  What was the result? We went from being $1200 in the hole every month to having enough money for our living expenses, savings and paying off debt.  We paid debt off faster than we ever had before and at the time paid off 80 percent of our $100,000 debt in a couple of years.  The best part was that we were happy together and that our capacity to love one another and work together no matter the circumstance increased.  We saw Higher Laws in action as we created a healthier relationship which resulted in healthier finances. 

Let’s Make Sure We’ve Got it

• Higher Laws are just as real as physical laws such as gravity
• higher Laws are principles that create results that work upon a paradox
• We cannot change Higher Laws, we can just break ourselves against the laws when we choose to not follow them
• Following Higher Laws creates the results and blessings we desire in this life

Digging Deep

Whether Higher Law principles are new for you are not, here are some ideas that will help you to dig deep in your own life and apply the principles to get the results you want even more of. You can choose to ask yourself these questions, or not but I promise you that those people who dig deep and apply what they are learning are the ones who will get results. 

1. If Higher Laws principles are new to you, how can you educate yourself about them? 
2. If you know about Higher Law principles, what is the next Higher Law you need to align to & what is one step you can take towards aligning within the next 24 hours?

I’m humbled and grateful to be on this journey with you. I know that as you apply the Higher Law principles that you learn, you will experience more results in your life. They may not come in your timeline, but they will come. It is a pendulum thing and a predictable law like gravity is; if we align to our Creator’s laws, we will get the attached result or blessing to that law. After all, we cannot build the spiritual muscles of the soul by sitting on the couch of mediocrity. I promise that learning about Higher Law principle is one of the most important things we can do in this life. It is when we understand Higher Laws that we strengthen our spiritual muscles and can create the life we desire.  There are a few places that you can learn about Higher Laws. You will find pieces of truth in many places, however one of the place I have found the most truth is through the Higher Laws company by attending the Master Your Power Within event. What an adventure life becomes when our spiritual eyes are opened and we can see things as they really are.  

Much love,

Connie