I am a huge fan of Jack Canfield, a well-known “success coach” in America.  His newsletters often offer fascinating insights into how we manage to sabotage (albeit unwillingly)  our efforts to make a success of our selves and our life

This article really struck home for me … I hope you enjoy reading it too.

Is Your Life Working?
by Jack Canfield

Success depends on facing facts.

It depends on realizing what’s making you achieve success, and then realizing what is stifling your success. Sometimes recognizing the things that aren’t working in your life can be painful. You might try to rationalize them, make excuses for them, or hide them. But truly, these things will keep you from the life you want to be living.

Do you want to be active and strong? … Then you have to stop making excuses about your weight and lack of exercise.

Do you want to be in a loving relationship based on friendship and respect? … Then you have to stop rationalizing why your mate is so unsupportive.

These things can be painful to look at because the truth is that you have to do something about them in order to make it work in your life.

You’ll have to say no to the second helping of dinner and the dessert to follow and go through the awkward stage of getting into shape. You’ll have to confront your mate about the areas that need work.

Plain and simple, you will have to do something uncomfortable.

Successful people do not waste time in denial. They face situations head on. They look for the warning signs, they find out why things aren’t working, and they go about fixing them.

You, too, must be willing to recognize bad situations and decide what the appropriate action will be to remedy it. You will have to deal with circumstances that are uncomfortable and challenging in order to achieve your goals.

To make it easier, learn to seek these situations out.

Keep your awareness on the feedback you are getting from life and decide to address the situations immediately.

Commit to finding out why things aren’t working and learn what will fix them. Once you start the process it will be much easier to continue. Once you tackle one thing in your life that isn’t working, you will gain confidence to tackle some of the harder situations. But you must decide to take action.

Trust that making changes to the situation will ultimately bring about the best results.

Sure you might go through a bit of discomfort during the change, but in the end you will triumph! Trust that you won’t make matters worse by owning up to what is not working in your life, and going about fixing them.

If you confront a partner about what you want, you will either get what you want or you will know that you need to leave to get what you want. But you will not get what you want if you do not change your situation!

So are you ready to admit the things that just are not working out?

Relationships, a job you thought would be wonderful, your finances, your diet? Make a list of the things in your life that are working against your success and ask how the situation can be improved. Commit to tackling just one of those issues and be brave.

By facing what is not working, you can only improve your life!

© 2008 Jack Canfield

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The Law of Making Positive Connections: We Attract Who We Are

a message from Dr. Judith Orloff

(posted 29 March, 2008)

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A basic dynamic of energy is that we attract who we are–the more positive energy we give off, the more positive connections we’ll magnetize to us. Ditto for negativity. It works like this: Love attracts love. Grumpiness attracts grumpiness. Passion attracts passion. Rage attracts rage. The explanation? This human form of ours is a subtle energy transmitter. We’re constantly sending out signals which others on similar frequencies pick up on, and gravitate towards–an instinctual call we may not be aware of. Why opportunities do or don’t show up in our lives is a function of this.

A striking phenomenon known by many a therapist is that we often attract waves of patients who mirror our current struggles and joys. It’s as if a communiqué is issued to the universe saying, “I’m here. This is what I’m going through. Come to me.” For example, soon after I sold my first book Second Sight, a series of patientsalso had beloved projects that came through for them. A few years before, as I helplessly watched my father losing control of mind and body from Parkinson’s Disease, I received a burst of anguished calls from new patients whose parents with Parkinson’s were suffering the same harrowing decline. On a lighter note, when the daughter of psychologist-friend got pregnant, my friend’s practice suddenly became a parade of expectant parents.

How can we harness this intriguing alchemy to bring yearned-for positive connections to us? The crux is to strive to energetically embody what we want to attract. For starters, take a look at where you’re at now. This entails nailing down parameters for what being positive does and doesn’t mean in terms of attitude and behavior. Once you’re definitive about this, you can strengthen these traits in yourself, and attract the same. Don’t worry if you’re far from a positive place now. The point of this program is to get you there.

It’s an evolution. Give thought to what you value most in yourself or others. Keep a running list in your journal. Here’s the essence of how I see it.

Positive persons are:

* Committed to developing compassion towards themselves and others, and having an open heart

* Courageous about following their dreams

* Those who seek to be authentic and believe in themselves, even when externals are crumbling

* Aware of their darkside, and are trying to heal it * Willing to learn from mistakes

Positive persons aren’t:

* Perfect, phony, or positive all the time

* Beating themselves to a pulp over shortcomings or a black hole of pessimism

* Constantly mired in fear or tolerant of letting their hearts harden

* Squeaky clean do-gooders who neglect their own well-being.

* Saccharine pleasers who ignore their darkside and unconsciously act it out at the expense of others.

Never forget: we’re talking about real human beings with pluses and minuses. What sets positive people apart though, is a determination to do their best, and not succumb to what’s negative in themselves or externals. Where some of my patients go wrong is holding idealized expectations, not grasping that everyone–including themselves!–has irritating/challenging/disappointing aspects. Earth to humans: we’re inhabiting the material plane with all its foibles. Even so, you can legitimately hope to personify and attract others fighting their way out of the muck with an open heart and sense of humor. These are my heroes and friends. In contrast, someone “too-perfect” feels like finger nails on the blackboard to me. You don’t want to be anything like those always-smiling, aiming to please, married-women-robots in the horror flick, “The Stepford Wives.” These are the evil twins of the positive person I’m portraying.

This law of attraction will make doors open. But, the root truth of my energy program is that quality of connections, not quantity counts. Understanding this demands that we see beyond our culture’s obsession with popularity. I appreciate how inbred the desire may be. High school can be hell for anyone “unpopular.” I, for one, felt so agonizingly out of it; the “cool” kids hung on the “upper patio” while I snuck cigarettes behind the auditorium with my scraggly hippie friends. Thankfully, as an adult, I realize that popularity is a mixed bag, which doesn’t always deliver happiness. Yes, opportunities may increase. And, of course, it feels good to be liked. But I’ve seen this need turn into addiction.

I’ve worked with actors whose self-esteem is inextricably tied to their public’s adulation, certain suicide for self esteem. Also without exceeding discrimination mass popularity can lead to confusion and defeat. One patient, a drop-dead-gorgeous model, can’t get from the parking garage to my office without a guy coming on to her. This woman has a seeming jackpot of romantic options, but still keeps choosing the most horrifyingly flawed men, a destructive pattern which brought her to see me.

The following exercise isn’t intended to summon the hoards, though it could. If you’re energized by lots of people, it’ll help you attract the right kind. If you like a smaller circle, it’ll enable you to distinguish quality. So, whether you get a high from circulating at parties, or like me, tend to talk to a single person the whole night, one style isn’t preferable. It depends on your disposition. Whatever’s your way, I’ll teach you to magnetize positive circumstances by emulating attributes you resonate with.

Energy doesn’t simply have an on-off switch. Just as a radio emits has a volume control, you can adjust your vibes. You can amp them up with some people, tone them down with others.

Here’s how to boost your positive signals.

1. Identify your best parts and speak from them.

Pinpoint your finest qualities. Perhaps irreverence, sensitivity, compassion, humor–then project them to the world. By speaking up and stepping out of your comfort zone you’re enlarging your energy field. Before meeting new people or going to important events prime yourself. Take a break for an inner pep talk. Think, “I’m not going to focus on my insecurity but on a strength; I’m going to feel and trust the positive energy inside me. I’m going to claim my full power.” Such a selective attention device puts your best parts front and center. Then, perspective shifted, it’s easier to confidently move forward. You can’t overdo this approach. Use it routinely. Making a choice about where you’re coming from focuses your energy.

My patient Dee, a single mother and flight attendant, lost her job. For months she was unemployed with three children to feed, sinking into despair. Dee’s way out was to fire-up her beloved spunky self again, and give it a voice during job interviews. She did this by taking quiet moments each day to focus on that part of her that said, “Go-girl!” She just sat there, eyes closed, inviting that positive energy back in again. Such conjuring spurred Dee to apply for positions in the fashion industry, a gutsy career shift she’d fantasized about, and now made real. Let Dee’s struggle and success guide you.

2. Extend heart energy outward.

Love creates an irresistible charisma, a warm glow that makes us and others happy. You can send it in any situation, a nurturing that won’t drain us. How? Focus on your heart center, and envision something you love. A flock of seagulls. Your son’s smile. A blooming rose. Then, during a conversation, inwardly ask, “Let love flow through me.” Feel it rise from your chest; notice a sense of heat, serenity, a radiance. These vibes move outward. People soften around them, feel safe, want more. So, when standing by your boss start pumping away. Loving energy smoothes the rough edges of any circumstance and facilitates rapport. Try it even if you don’t like someone, but seek to get along better. Our loving heart can melt the feistiest curmudgeons. It conveys the sense of what Buddhists call the “groundless ground,” an ultimate secure place that stabilizes us from the inside out. Others pick up on this primal draw. Without heart, people are energetically wobbly, despite outer confidence. (For instance, a spiritual teacher who talks a good game but doesn’t emit heart energy is an imposter). The kinder we are to ourselves and others, the more love we communicate.

3. Regularly Meditate

Happiness can be increased by meditating. Cutting edge brain research confirms that we all have a certain mood set point, a range of feelings we usually inhabit. But with regular meditation, It’s been shown that we can alter our habitual moods towards the positive. Use this method. When feelings surface during meditation, monitor them. Focus on what’s uplifting, not the swirl of negative emotions. As you’ve done before, use the breath to center yourself. This inner turnabout transmutes pessimism to something higher. Subsequently, your vibes change; others will respond.

4. Commit to Emotional Housecleaning

A fact I’ll keep trumpeting: healing negativity prevents toxic build up in your energy field. Consistently chipping away at the negative makes room for more light in your being. Self-awareness is our greatest ally against fear and its bullying cohorts. When these brutes appear, it allows you to say, “I know you. Now scram!” Psychotherapy, introspection, meditation, journaling, and/or talking with friends all further healing. As negativity remits, your energy becomes more alluring and positive connections will gravitate to you.

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(written for the Stairway of Life March/April ‘08 newsletter – Spring Equinox/New Beginnings)

Healing in all kinds of ways …

Healing is such a personal experience, both as giver and receiver. My first personal experience of Egyptian healing happened when my son and I flew out to a tiny piece of paradise along the Red Sea coastline, in Nuweiba. We felt so at peace, completely at one with nature. I also strongly felt as if I’d “come home”, which probably was not surprising at all since I had been fascinated by Egyptian mythology since childhood. I had no idea, at that point, how much the holiday was to give me a new beginning, a totally new way of life unfolding before me …

When we returned home I felt as if a little piece of me, previously hidden from view, had been uncovered. A common belief amongst healers is that if you are seeking to train in some form of healing modality, such as reiki, then you will be drawn to particular teachers. Your instincts guide you to the right teacher for you, at the right time. I had repeatedly been drawn to Egyptian healing but was unable to decide between two teachers nearby, although I really liked the depth to Reyad Sekh Em which seemed to be very different to other forms of Sekhem.

After a few months, I stumbled across a fascinating angel article written by Angela McGerr. Browsing through Angela’s website I came across a familiar name – Harmony Healing. The Reyad Sekh Em teacher was Angela’s sister. Feeling sure that the angels had given me a firm sign, and the first time I’d ever really given any thought to direct contact with the angels, I emailed Jo and booked myself on a course.

Reyad Sekh Em is an Egyptian healing system which was developed by Joanna Bristow-Watkins of Harmony Healing; when I arrived at Jo’s house for my Level I course, I discovered that there was only one other student. She looked so familiar yet I knew I had never met her before. She felt exactly the same.

The day passed by in a blur, so much to learn and absorb for someone so new to the idea of healing. I had no mystical abilities, saw no lights or colours, felt no real sensations apart from what I suspected was pins and needles. My brain seriously hurt by the end of the day, had I made a big mistake to sign up for Levels I and II together? Another two days at this pace would surely kill me? Why was I so empty, why could I not see energies in full technicolour – or at least feel them? Talk about wanting to run before I could walk, in my new way of life as a complementary therapist!

Reyad Sekh Em is, as far as I know, quite unique in that it offers a fast-track way to develop your abilities. It takes lots of practice after the course, you have a heck of a lot of theory and practice to cram in and can expect an occasional rocky ride as you develop spiritually, but it attracts a certain type of personality to the healing system. Maybe we are all part of Melchisadec’s Order from previous lives which would help to explain the sense of belonging with fellow Reyad Sekh Em practitioners?

Day 2 was a powerful day, with many healing shifts, emotional and enlightening experiences for me. Not least because we held a group meditation in the glorious sunshine, harnessing the powerful 8-8-8 energies (8 August 2006). However, I was sad to find that my fellow learner was unable to make the last day … so we were to conduct a distance healing on her.

My confidence being somewhat lacking, day 3 was an amazing day. Many more earth-shattering experiences to add to my collection (I couldn’t make notes quickly enough) and I realised during our distance-healing session that I had indeed recognised my fellow learner – she was my mother from an Atlantean life. This was a heck of a shock to me, I had never given much thought of past lives before now although any books or articles on Atlantis always seemed to beckon me. An immensely powerful, moving day, I was shocked to my core … little realising that the past three days were to colour my life in a whole new spectrum and change it irreversibly.

As we all heal at our own pace, so we all uncover our learning experiences at different levels. Reyad Sekh Em proved to be such a powerful healing force that although it is a very gentle form of healing, it goes much deeper than most healing modalities. As the months progressed, I grew more and more sick. No amount of time spent chasing healing, complementary therapies or swallowing mainstream medication was helping. Eventually I had to give up working in the City which meant a whole new way of living, a whole new way of thinking, reliant entirely on my beloved.

Yet I had been healing all along. Reyad Sekh Em had given me exactly what I needed; the energy to remove all that was toxic from my life and start afresh. A beautiful energy bestowed upon me as the greatest gift I could ever have received, a chance to remove binding chains from my soul.

I have yet to find anyone who has had such amazing life-changing experiences through receiving Reyad Sekh Em. I never seem to be able to do things by halves!! This Egyptian healing is a beautiful, soft, encompassing all five elements and angelic energies, gently working with you to address and change what needs to be changed within you – to realise and release a wonderful, sparkly you.

Now that I feel so much better with my life, with myself, I find that my gift is greatly enhanced by my experiences over the past eighteen months. I am still shy to admit any form of psychic abilities … and yet I see energies move in ripples; I am adept at sensing blockages and helping to drain away negative energies from my clients. This happens even moreso during distance healings, where I am able to focus without distraction rather than my ego eyeing up a client’s beautiful necklace on the couch when they are present in person although the healing experience is no less because of this! My ego is a magpie, I am sure of it!

My confidence is growing, that in itself is one of the most prized gifts. Recently I attended an “etheric encodement” workshop as a ‘guinea-pig’ for those in training; to my surprise I picked up on so many etheric devices on other ‘guinea-pigs’ that I practically levitated home! Instead of using Egyptian healing rods, I use my hands (mentally and physically) along with the five elements to remove these ‘objects’ that have served their purpose in us.

My experiences show me that healing will come and find you all in shapes and sizes. The trick is to be guided by instinct to the one that fits you best for only then may it help you find your way to new beginnings.

With love and blessings,

Callie

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I often drift over to Simple Truths when needing a gentle spur into action … one of my favourite movies is The Power of Attitude.

I hope you enjoy it too!

Wishing you all a beautiful week x

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The short definition of a health walk is:

“a purposeful, brisk walk undertaken on a regular basis”

and it can include any walk which is specifically designed and carried out for the purpose of improving an individual’s health.

It is the relative intensity of the walk for the individual and the regularity of participation that can really have an impact on heart health.With regard to cardiovascular health, the walk should be purposeful and ‘brisk’ (in other words more than just a stroll).

Organised walks (brisk or not) can have a health impact on individuals by providing an opportunity to socialise (good social networks enhance health) and a distraction from everyday stresses (stress contributes to poor health).

Health is one of the four main themes on which Natural England* is currently campaigning and the work of WHI is an integral part of this campaign.
Growing medical evidence shows that access to the natural environment improves health and wellbeing, prevents disease and helps people recover from illness. Experiencing nature in the outdoors can help tackle childhood obesity, coronary heart disease, stress and mental health problems. Adults who become more active halve their risk of dying early from heart disease. People using the natural environment keep active longer.

Natural England believes that, among other things, programmes providing regular healthy walks could be greatly expanded and will be supporting WHI in this work.

Through Natural England, the Department of Health is working with WHI in developing a Physical Activity Care Pathway pilot. The “pathway” is a means by which frontline health professionals can identify sedentary patients who would benefit – in terms of physical health – from increased levels of physical activity.

This pathway has been designed to help facilitate the promotion of physical activity across primary care. The pathway is a tool for GPs and other professionals to use with patients who would benefit from a more active lifestyle and should result in signposting to local health walks and green exercise schemes in addition to opportunities for local indoor activities.

Growing awareness of the benefits and sustainability of healthy walking means that GPs should be challenged to extend the range of options for these patients beyond the indoor-based or gym-based exercise that may not appeal to some patients.

For further information or to discover your nearest Natural England health walk visit Walking the way to Health

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Survey results

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I recently received an email from a medium, who kindly forwarded me their website … it’s a very interesting site, with some intriguing cloud formations which appear to foretell disasters and medical emergencies, as well as other messages from Spirit.

Please take a look at Spirit Journey for yourself …

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