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Going With The Flow On A Blustery Prescott Weekend

Going With The Flow On A Blustery Prescott Weekend

Prescott, AZ is a delightful mountain community that looks more mid-west than western. It has beautiful Victorian homes, museums, outdoor art shows, galleries, scenery and hiking trails. Jeff and I frequently drive the hour or so to enjoy all of that and the cooler climate.

A few months ago, I went to a meeting and won a door prize of a one-night stay in a hotel in Prescott. Woo-hoo! The certificate was due to expire soon, so we decided to take advantage of it during the cool days of April. I thought we’d have great weather and made plans accordingly. Boy, was I wrong.

Our first day, we hiked alongside one of their lakes in chilly temperatures and a whistling wind. A cold front decided that was the day to begin moving through the state. Fortunately, the sky was clear and Jeff was able to photograph a turtle sunning on a log, ducks and a heron.

The next day, the sky was overcast and it was blustery and cold again. We decided to do some exploring, and drove around to places we hadn’t seen before. Because of the weather, we ate our picnic lunch in the car. Then we did some shopping and came home.

The visit didn’t go as I’d planned. I’d hoped we’d be able to hike both days, but the climate had other ideas. As a result, we were able to see and do things we wouldn’t have if the weather had been nice. Sometimes, when life throws a curve, it works out just fine if you’re willing to let go of your preconceived ideas and go with the flow.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Discover The Opportunity In The Midst Of Challenge

Discover The Opportunity In The Midst Of Challenge

When you label a situation as “bad,” it tends to live up to your expectations. However, if you can change that attitude to one of looking for the best, it tends to work out for your benefit. Learn a powerful strategy that instructs your mind to seek for the opportunity in your challenges.



Copyright 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Rewrite Your Life’s Script

Rewrite Your Life’s Script

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”
~ Shakespeare

You are the writer, actor, director and producer of the play of your life. You often react automatically to the situations in your play. These responses are habits that were often formed during childhood. But you ultimately decide whether you’re going to continue in this rut or choose a new path.

Many times, because of your reaction to a situation, other people apply labels to you that you agree with and maintain. Whenever you retain a label that others’ have plastered you with, you let them define who you are and how you’ll act. You give them the power to assign a role for you to play. One that doesn’t reflect the authentic you.

It only takes a single powerful event at a key moment to make an impression that lasts a lifetime. A gifted, young pianist hits a wrong key during a recital, and her father berates her with, “You’re a failure as a musician.” From that moment on, her fingers fumble on the keys when she plays. She accepts the criticism and it becomes her identity.

A label makes sure that you know your lines and your part when the situation calls for it. You know what’s expected of you, and you do what’s expected, whether it’s good for you or not. If you’re really attached to the label, your subconscious will reject any opinion that conflicts with what you believe about yourself.

For instance, a person could believe that they’re not an artist because “I can’t draw a straight line.” But they have a great eye for design and composition. They won’t believe anyone who recognizes their talent because it goes against their long-held belief. They’ll continue to play the role of frustrated artist until they eliminate their label.

What roles have you accepted that are no longer valid or serving you? They may be so engrained, you aren’t even be aware of them. Consider where you feel frustrated, bad about yourself, or when you belittle yourself. These are great areas to start to peel off your labels and rewrite your roles. Decide how you want your play to change and begin producing a new one.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Change Your Labels And Change Your Life, Part 2

Change Your Labels And Change Your Life, Part 2

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Ned identified with being “obnoxious.” He hid a sensitive nature under a brash and aggressive act. Even when he could see the advantages of being calmer, he refused to change his ways because he was tied to his label. It provided him with a sense of power, belonging and security. And, because of it, he offended and alienated people he liked.

There’s usually a lot of emotional energy applied when you label yourself. Shame, anger, sadness, fear, insecurity and frustration can all play a role.

If you call yourself a “nervous” person, then whenever your heart jumps will feed into that belief. You might avoid any exciting experiences for fear of the repercussions. Your world will become smaller and you’ll have less opportunity to grow. Instead, to begin to open up to a greater potential, you could simply recognize your increased heart rate as a normal response to an unexpected event.

Labels come from beliefs, attitudes or actions that have been performed over and over until they have become habits. The good news is that those same beliefs, attitudes and behaviors can be changed. Start by recognizing the labels you’ve given yourself. Notice how you feel about them and about changing them.

If you’re really uncomfortable about letting them go, it indicates how invested you are in them. They may have become excuses so you’re not expected to excel or change. You may feel they keep you safe. Reappraise your labels to discern if they’re serving you now, or preventing you from expressing more of who you are.

This is where categorizing can help because you can use it to decide what to do to change. Identify what beliefs, attitudes, actions and behaviors need to be adjusted to eliminate the label. Start with one small change that you can commit to doing. When you get that one accomplished and stable, choose another change and work on it.

By releasing the labels you limit yourself with, you’ll be opening up the possibility for growth and expansion for yourself. Your horizons will be wider, and you’ll feel better about yourself. All you need to do is believe in yourself and your potential.

Affirmation

I know that I’m more than the labels I’ve given myself. They’re only beliefs that I’ve allowed to become habits. The Universe believes so much more about me, and wants to give me greater good than I’ve accepted. I now assess the labels attached to me, and open my mind to understand why they got established. Divine Guidance directs me to the steps I need to change, and helps me to commit to living up to my potential.

Copyright 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Change Your Labels And Change Your Life, Part 1

Change Your Labels And Change Your Life, Part 1

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Labeling things in your life allows you to distinguish between them. You can tell an apple from an orange, Joe from Mary, a tree from a flower. You categorize the details of your life to put them into perspective. When you want a blue car, you don’t choose a yellow bike.

It’s especially helpful for being able to identify what you might be feeling. Emotions are signals that let you know if you’re on the right track, or if something is wrong. An abused spouse feels confused between what she perceives in her relationship and what her partner tells her is happening. This is a red flag she needs to heed.

Being able to identify anger or sadness allows you to deal with its cause. It might be that someone violated your boundaries, you might have lost someone close to you, or it’s time to leave that job before you explode and get fired. Being able to categorize what you’re feeling is valuable and appropriate, and allows you to seek ways to take care of your well being.

However, there’s a darker side to this. If you begin to label yourself, especially in a negative way, you put yourself in a box and make yourself smaller. Everything outside of that box is then out of your reach. For instance, someone who procrastinates would view themselves through that filter and would live according to all that label implies.

They won’t be able to get things done in a timely fashion, because that would conflict with what they believe about themselves. They might pass up opportunities, because they’re not confident they’ll get things done on time. Or they might fail to get a project done by the deadline, and lose out on a promotion.

Labeling yourself means that you’ve carved out a certain way of acting and responding. It may have started out to help you handle a difficult situation. But those reactions may not serve you now, but you find yourself still using them. The subconscious will use your label to restrict your actions and make sure that you don’t do anything that would contradict it.

Copyright 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Identify With Your Good

Identify With Your Good

by Linda-Ann Stewart

I once heard someone say, “If you’re not successful, then you’re really working hard at not being successful.” Success, health, happiness, harmonious relationships, creativity are natural states. The Universe always pours all that you need for good into your life.

If you’re not experiencing what you desire, your mind is actively restricting it. The way you feel towards your life, the beliefs based on those feelings, flow forth in statements that limit the expression of your natural resource of good.

“I am a failure,” “I’m sick,” “I can’t do it,” “I don’t belong here.” These are feelings that you have based on past experiences. However, when you identify with these statements, you’re telling the Universe that this is what you continue to want. Whatever you identify with becomes your self-image. Your experience of life has to be consistent with your image of yourself.

A person who wants to be a success, but feels that they can’t do anything right, will sabotage achieving their desires. When you want something better in your life, and it conflicts with your self-image, you undermine your ability to have it.

Whatever you focus on, that’s what you’re telling your Mind that you want. Watch your words. You are literally instructing the Universe what to give you. The silent messages you say to yourself about yourself, the things you say to others, these reinforce the outdated picture you have of yourself.

As a child, you may have been told that you wouldn’t amount to anything. That was a lie. You are an expression of the Universe, and the Universe has all the power within It to create galaxies. The lie was to keep you from remembering that you have the power within you.

One of my clients was a beautiful woman, inside and out. When she was young, her mother convinced her that she was ugly and no one would ever love her. My client changed her self-image when she realized the untruth of that statement, and she began to attract people who valued and appreciated her.

Many times people will fight to hold onto their old self-concept, even when they want something better. Jerry was an artist whose sculptures were critically acclaimed. However, he wasn’t making much money from them, and wanted to be more prosperous. He identified with being a “starving artist,” and was disdainful of those artists who were financially successful.

Because he refused to release his anger at other creatives, and continued to visualize himself as poor, he never realized the wealth that the Universe was urging on him. You can’t have more good without opening the floodgates within, and discharging self-limitations.

What are you identifying with? How do you see yourself? Do you believe that you’re a person who deserves good? What ideas are you acting on that counter what you desire? Notice the “I am” statements you make. They will show you what your self-image is. You can change those declarations by simply stating the opposite every time you catch yourself thinking something negative.

Eventually, the feelings behind the old ideas will transform, because you’re telling them the truth about yourself. Imagine that you have achieved what you want. Now imagine how you’d act, what you’d say to yourself, how you’d dress, what kind of people you’d associate with. What else would be changed in your life?

By aligning your words and ideas with that of a successful person, you can then begin to identify with the good the Universe has been pouring into your life. The floodgates will open, and your life will be overflowing with the goodness that is your natural state.

Copyright 2000, 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

BlogTalkRadio Interview – Reduce Stress By Developing A Positive Mindset

BlogTalkRadio Interview – Reduce Stress By Developing A Positive Mindset

I was honored to be interviewed by my friend and colleague Cathy Severson from Retirement Life Matters for her first BlogTalkRadio Show. We had a great time doing it.

Stress is a fact of life. Some stress is beneficial, but too much can be harmful. Much of the excess stress that people experience isn’t due to a situation, but how they interpret it. Changing what a person tells themselves about the experience to something more positive reduces the stress. When they’re able to develop a more positive outlook about life in general, their health and well being actually improves.

Listen to internet radio with Retirement Life Matters on Blog Talk Radio
The Principle of Appreciation, Part 2

The Principle of Appreciation, Part 2

by Linda-Ann Stewart

If criticism diminishes life-force, then why doesn’t it work when you criticize something you don’t want in your life? For example, if you condemn the fact that you have so little money, why don’t you get to experience the opposite, more money?

Because you’re contracting the very energy of money. You’re decreasing the value of that which you want. Where your emotional attention goes, energy flows. So you’re creating more of the same lack by focusing on and condemning that area. You’re making your lack grow.

To create more of what you want, appreciate what you have. Even if you only have a penny, praise that penny. I get excited when I find pennies on the ground, in parking lots, on the floor of a store. When I turn the attitude around, and think, “So what, it’s only a cent,” I discover that they don’t appear for me. My overall prosperity also suffers.

Because of my appreciation of the smallest of coins, I’ve found not only pennies, but nickels, dimes, quarters, and one, five and twenty dollar bills.

The principle is the same no matter what you desire in your life. For relationships, give thanks for your relationship with yourself. If you want better health, find something that’s good about your body, like your immune system.

To find a better job, give thanks for something beneficial in your present job. Find something that you value in your situation. By discovering something of worth, you allow it to appreciate.

Because Cricket took the time to improve her self-image, she gained the confidence to become a marketing director. No matter how miniscule the thing is that you praise, keep your attention on it.

Don’t waste your valuable energy on being critical of that area. Condemning it will only bring you more of what you don’t want. By appreciating what you have now, you allow it to expand and blossom into what you really want in your life.

Copyright 2000, 2012 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

Compassion For The Less Fortunate Promotes Success And Happiness

Compassion For The Less Fortunate Promotes Success And Happiness

Some positive thinking philosophies tell you to avoid charitable works and those who are poverty stricken. The theory is that you might get sucked into their consciousness, and lose your empowered viewpoint. That you could become sympathetic and then part of the problem. Or that you wouldn’t hold the “needy” as powerful enough to heal their wounds or overcome their problems. Somehow, leaving them to their own devices is supposed to empower them to “pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.”

However, I’ve observed people who follow this idea tend to become judgmental and contemptuous about those who are less fortunate. This doesn’t fulfill the spirit of the ideal. Instead, it creates a callousness that negatively impacts their character and undermines the positive attitude that they mean to cultivate. It tends to breed a sense of arrogance and superiority.

Insulating yourself from others’ suffering may mean that you don’t get the opportunity to develop compassion. In a recent study, those who are in the lower socio-economic classes are more responsive to suffering and more compassionate than those in the more affluent class.

The UC Berkeley researchers conjecture that the upper classes aren’t “coldhearted,” it’s just that they haven’t had to deal with the challenges the lower classes have. Therefore, their theory is that the upper classes don’t recognize the distress expressed by people.

Becoming aware of when others are experiencing distress, suffering and anxiety is the first step to becoming more compassionate. With compassion, you can be aware of others’ emotions without getting drawn into the problem. You can then choose a response that can best support and empower the sufferer.

Emotional Intelligence, which has been called more important than I.Q., is the ability to perceive and label yours and others’ emotions. It’s said that this skill is necessary for you to fulfill your full potential in your personal and professional life. So it’s even good for your success in life to be more aware of how other people are feeling.

Compassion opens the heart, reduces stress, promotes success and encourages happiness. Being concerned about the well being of others improves your own.

Inspired by the article: Lower Classes Quicker to Show Compassion in the Face of Suffering

~ Linda-Ann Stewart