Meet Your Reticular Activator

 “One of the things that everybody in the world is programmed to hear is their own name. If someone says your name, and you’re anywhere nearby, you hear it, even in circumstances that might seem impossible.  Imagine yourself at a big party in a huge room. You are in a little circle of 5 or 6 people, and you’re all talking. You know how it is at parties; it sounds like hens cackling. Everybody’s talking at once.  You can cock your ear and hear the little group next to your group—in fact, all the little groups around you. If you listen, you can hear what they’re saying. But you can’t hear what the group is saying on the other side of the room, until they say your name. If someone brings up your name in a group on the other side of the room, out of all this din, you just pick it right out. Why? Because you’re set for the sound of your own name.  John McLaughlin, from MIND IS YOUR OWN BUSINESS 

Scientists have discovered that all of us have something called a reticular activating system in the back of our brains, in the medulla oblongata. This reticular activating system is a group of net-like cells that filter the information our senses are sending to us all the time.

 Because of this unique part of our make-up, we don’t consciously receive all the information that is available to us in any given moment.  Basically, we only receive information that is valuable to us at any given time about things that can either help us or hurt us.  Almost everything else is withheld until such time as we have a “need to know”.

By any chance, are you aware right this minute of the way your shoes are feeling?  Or should we ask, were you aware of how your shoes were feeling until we mentioned it? 

 That information was there all the time, but you had screened it out until something brought it to your attention.  Of course if something had been wrong with your foot, then the reticular activator would have let you know that your shoe was pinching, you were developing a blister, the floor was on fire, etc.  Otherwise, you are usually very unaware of your own feet most of every day.

Can you imagine if you clearly saw, heard, smelled, tasted and felt everything that was going on around you every minute of the day?  Just through your sense of hearing alone, you would be bombarded with the noises made by passing traffic, buzzing insects, conversations in adjoining rooms, air conditioners, radios, televisions, music, ringing telephones, crying babies, barking dogs  and much more.  You wouldn’t ever be able to concentrate on much of anything.

A young married couple bought their first house, which had a railroad track right behind it. Two trains came by each night, and the whole house would shake. The first night the couple spent in the house, the first train came rumbling past and abruptly woke them. After the train went by, the couple went back to sleep, but then the second train passed, waking them up again. The two didn’t get much sleep that first night. The same thing happened on the second night, but it took a little longer for the couple to wake up when the trains passed. On the third night, they hardly noticed the trains, and by the fourth night, they didn’t even hear them. They slept very soundly. Since the train was not a threat in anyway, their reticular activating systems simply kept the noise from getting through to them.

The following year, however, that same young couple had a baby. On the night they came home from the hospital, they put the baby to bed and then went to sleep themselves. The train came through and they didn’t hear it, but shortly after that, when baby began to wake and made just a little  “Ehh” sound in his crib, what happened? The mother woke right up. Just that little sound woke her, because she was “set” to hear it.

What would happen if just as the train was coming by, making a racket, the baby said “Ehh” at the same time? Could the mother hear the baby? Of course she could. The reticular activating system is so powerful that it can allow her to ignore the noise of the train but hear the baby. It heightens important pieces of information and diminishes the others, acting as a filtering system that protects us from the hordes of incoming information. It’s set by what we believe is important—what we believe might hurt us or help us.

And that’s an important point.  This physical screening system only lets into our conscious awareness what we BELIEVE will help us or hurt us – and we and we alone decide exactly what that is.

When it rains, for example, it simply rains. It doesn’t rain for us. It doesn’t rain against us.  We add our own meanings to whether rain is a good or bad thing. Rain doesn’t fall because we have planted a garden that needs rain to nourish it.  Nor does it ever rain for the purpose of ruining our picnics or our parades – it just rains. Any meaning we apply to what it means when it rains comes from our own belief system – and the good news about that is, that we can change that belief system anytime. What’s true for us is only true because we say so.

We know – it doesn’t seem possible that what’s wrong with our lives could possibly be caused by us, but think about it.  There are two brothers – one likes spinach and one doesn’t.  One night, their Mother says, “I didn’t have time to go to the store today so all we’re having for dinner is spinach.”  One brother is happy, the other isn’t and it has nothing to do with spinach – it has to do with each boys personal likes and dislikes.

On a larger scale, the outcomes of your life depend mostly on your personal preferences -.

There is a long list of jobs, for example, that we personally would not, under any circumstances, enjoy holding – yet there are other people in this world doing those same jobs right now and are perfectly happy doing them.

There are dozens of people that neither one of us would ever choose to marry, yet most of them are happily married to other people and wouldn’t want to marry us either.

So if the concept of what is right and wrong with our life is based on our own beliefs, how do we change those beliefs if we want to?  Well, first you have to observe them and John recommends this five- step process –

1) Show up. Just be present for life.  Say: “Okay, I’m going to see what life has to offer today.”

2) Pay attention. Look not so much at what is going on inside your mind but at what’s going on around you.  Quit analyzing; just look at the way your life is unfolding and see it the way it really is.

3) Speak your Truth. Say what you believe to be true, because by speaking your own truth, you can examine it and see how true it really is for you.

4) Stay detached from the results. Don’t take anything personally. It’s just “stuff” going on.

 5) Spend 20 minutes a day in meditation, (even if you’ve never done it before or don’t know how to do it). All you have to do is sit quietly and let your mind slow down as much as possible. Repeat this phrase like a mantra: Let go and let God.  Especially let go of your thoughts – that eternal wheel of thought that keeps running around in your head – that monkey-mind that keeps chattering, old, incessant, worn-out thoughts.  Let those old thoughts go and let God give you some new ones.

Isn’t it time to begin to rule your own thoughts, before they begin to rule you?

 

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*MIND IS YOUR OWN BUSINESS is a home study course on 12 DVD’s, originally filmed with a class of 40 students from Unity Church of Palm Harbor, Florida.  It is available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Mind-Is-Your-Own-Business/dp/0982946406/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1309631786&sr=1-2-fkmr2 

MIND IS YOUR OWN BUSINESS  is also referenced in my novel, “Go to ELF!” 

To experience more inspiration from The ELF – go to www.gotoelf.com; of visit our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/GotoELF

You may also subscribe to this blog – just go to the upper right corner of this page and click on Subscribe.  Each new blog will be sent directly to your e-mail in box as it is posted. 

JUST A REMINDER – “Go to ELF!” has gone global!  Readers in the United States, Canada, the UK and Europe may now purchase Lauren’s book, “Go to ELF!”, electronically on Amazon at either the Book Store or the Kindle Store for $8.99 and download  it – not only to a Kindle Reader – but also to your PC, MAC, iPhone, Blackberry, iPad, Android or Windows Phone 7.  The app is FREE. Why not use this convenient link and start enjoying this happy summer read right now. http://www.amazon.com/GO-TO-ELF-ebook/dp/B005J0IMSI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1314500464&sr=1-1

Attitudes Are Caught – Not Taught

This moment is your moment of Co-creation.  So ask yourself seriously, “What am I Co-creating? Fun?  Neat Stuff?  Helpful People?  Love?  Well-being? Compassion?  Kindness? Understanding?  Or am I mis-using my amazing Co-Creative Powers by worrying and fussing about things I don’t like or I fear?  I’ll give you whatever you ask for – (thinking about anything a lot is the same thing as asking for it) – but you choose what that gift will be.  Well……………..?   -  The *ELF – from the Novel “Go to ELF!’ by Lauren McLaughlin 

“Attitudes are caught – not taught.”  That’s a pretty profound thought – not an original one, we admit, but a significant one.

I remember the first time it registered with me that I had “caught” a bad attitude, just like I might have “caught” a bad cold.  I had just returned from having lunch with a group of women I thoroughly enjoyed being with, but instead of feeling good about the experience, I had been put-off by the attitude of the waitress who had served them.  It started the minute we were seated. The waitress said with a sneer and a sigh, “I suppose you all want separate checks”.  Then she didn’t like that most of us ordered only water to drink, and she wasn’t happy when one of us wanted to deviate from what was shown on the menu. When she served our food, she didn’t even put the plates in front of us; she just passed them down the line. Although we tried to jolly her and send her good energy each time she walked away from the table, I left that restaurant feeling cranky myself. I had absolutely caught that negative attitude.  WhenI  returned to my office, a piece of material on my desk caught  my eye. It said, “Attitudes are caught—not taught” and I began to wonder how I had allowed the waitress’s attitude to affect me so acutely.

By contrast to that restaurant experience, My husband and I often go to a restaurant called “First Watch”.  From their top management down, they exude good nature.  If we ever have a poor attitude when we get there, we have a good one by the time we leave.  The restaurant is spotlessly clean and attractive, the decor pleasant, the staff friendly, the food healthy and delicious.  The menu reads: “Thank you for coming in. Separate checks any time you ask—just give us a few extra minutes. Special requests are not a problem—we will honor them if we can. No extra charge if you share or ask for another plate. We never charge an automatic gratuity for any size of party. Kids’ menus are available—just ask.”  And a note on the menu adds, “Gift certificates available.” Well, who wouldn’t want to buy a friend a gift certificate to a restaurant that decides to like you, even before you arrive? 

The Master Teacher taught us to not buy into other people’s attitudes. His teachings were pretty radical 2000 years ago—and in some ways, they seem just as radical today.  He reminded us that even though we might not be able to control the behaviors of all of the people who cross our path, we are always fully in control of our attitude about them.  In “The Sermon on the Mount” from the book of Matthew, Chapter 5, he said: “You have heard it said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for he makes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love only those who love you, what reward have you?” 

It isn’t hard to cut someone, who is being a little bit nasty, a bit of slack. In the case of the waitress, I admit that I was pretty short on compassion for the woman that day.  After all, I was sitting down, having a good time with people I liked. I had money to spend to eat in a nice restaurant and I wasn’t in any pain – mental, emotional or physical.  The waitress, on the other hand, was having to do hard work to earn her living, navigate pushy, careless crowds, put up with people in all kinds of moods, be in the constant presence of people who were having fun when she wasn’t, and very probably at least her feet hurt, if not other parts of her as well. I felt badly when I later replayed the lunch scene in my mind. It would have been so easy for me to ask her a few questions, commiserate with her a little if she wanted me to, and be genuinely appreciative of her service.  But after the fact, I can only remind myself that next time I will behave differently.” 

Our attitudes change minute by minute, especially when we allow ourselves to  be buffered about by the behavior of others.  Of course sometimes, they adjust positively.  Recently I was standing in a line at the supermarket where a woman a few places ahead of her in line was berating the poor check-out clerk about the poor service she had received at the Deli counter.  The cashier was very polite, very sympathetic and offered to call the manager, but the customer paid her bill and just stormed out muttering about never coming back to that store again.   After watching the woman walk all the way out of the store, the cashier turned to the next customer in line, took a breath, and asked, “Is everything OK with you, Sir?”  “Sure,” he replied pleasantly, “I’m just fine.  I didn’t go to the Deli.”  Because customer #2 didn’t allow the bad experience of customer #1 to affect him, we all chuckled, including the cashier, and satisfaction prevailed in that check-out line.

 If you think maybe you have developed a habit of catching other people’s bad attitudes, why not do a spot-check on yourself?  (Watching the six-o’clock news is a good place to begin your test.) The minute you begin to feel annoyed, or even piqued by what someone else is saying or doing, take an inventory.   Ask yourself, “Whose attitude is making me feel less than good.  Is it really my own, or am I pigging-backing on someone else’s bad attitude?”  And if the answer is that you are reacting to someone else negatively, we offer this, fool-proof affirmation.  Just say, “I am who I am, and I allow others to be who they are!” – and  keep repeating it until you mean it.  From there, if you can muster up a little compassion for that person, that’s good for you too .- “For if you love only those who love you, what reward have you?” “

You can take steps to change your own attitude from worse to better anytime by using very simple tools: 

HUMOR -  “I didn’t go to the Deli”

GRATITUDE – “There but for the grace of God, goes me.” 

UNDERSTANDING -  “You don’t seem to be having a very good day?  What is going on to make you so unhappy?” 

COMPASSION – “I bless this person and whatever is happening that is causing so much unhappiness that it pops right up on the surface, like this.” 

KINDNESS – “What, if anything, can I do to make this person feel better, even for a minute?” 

Remember, your attitudes are contagious, too.  

 

*The ELF is an acronym for The Eternal Life Force, from the novel “Go to ELF!” by Lauren McLaughlin.  To read the first three chapters of “Go to ELF FREE”, go to http://www.unitynow.com

 And also remember to subscribe to our “Go to ELF!” Go to the upper right hand corner of this page and click on “Subscribe” – a copy of this blog will come directly to your e-mail inbox.

The book “Go to ELF!” by Lauren McLaughlin is available on Amazon.com as a perfect paperback or on Kindle for electronic transmission.

What if…………..?

 “Have you ever slept in a room that had a popcorn ceiling? If you looked up at it while lying in bed and just stared at it and stared at it, all of a sudden you could see a little face here and a little something over here and a cat over there. There are no cats or faces in a popcorn ceiling. Your mind is making them up because it has to. It always has to make sense out of everything, so it always tries to make things into something you can believe. We’ve all done it with clouds. If you’re looking up at a bunch of clouds and the person you’re with says, “Oh, look at that dog up there.” You say, “That’s not a dog.  It has too long a tail. I think it’s a cat.” There are no cats and no dogs in the clouds either, even though we claim that it rains cats and dogs. And we’re making up a whole bunch of the rest of our lives in exactly the same way.  John McLaughlin from *MIND IS YOUR OWN BUSINESS. 

In fact, most of the time we are looking at some situation in our lives, taking it in, and then reframing it or “spinning” the facts around it until it becomes acceptable to us. 

One of the most amusing examples of a great “spin” around a dismal reality, takes me back to the 1980’s and my days in the Real Estate business.  Another Associate and I were holding an open house in downtown St. Petersburg, FL, in a very old, very outdated rooming house that was available for sale.  It had about six dingy rooms to be rented out in the main house and a series of small rooms in a back building that resembled a very smarmy motel.  My colleague, who was new to the business, was showing the customer the property while I stood by to answer any questions.  They entered one of the small rooms in the back building that had a tiny kitchen area which featured a rusty hot plate.  I had to bite back a smile when she heard my colleague say brightly – “And this unit features ‘counter-top’ cooking.”  

The best imaginers in the world are children. They can make something out of nothing and have you believing it’s really there. Perhaps my favorite story of a child’s “mind-magic, comes from my colleague, Reverend John Considine in Detroit.  His little daughter, Tamsin, drew a picture of a woman without any arms.  Her mother was examining the picture as Tamsin explained, quite matter-of-factly that the woman had no arms.  “I can see that,” her Mother said. “Where are her arms?”  Tamsin held up her pencil and said confidently, “They’re still in here.”  

Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”  

Whether we realize it or not, we’re using our imagination all the time. Another colleague of ours mine that her own children could proudly boast having achieved MSU degrees.  That’s short for “Make Stuff Up.”  

Like all tools, our imaginations can be used to create good things or bad ones.  Worrying, fretting, fearing what might happen tomorrow, would all come under poor uses of an otherwise wonderful attribute.  If we make up terrible outcomes in our minds, we draw those very outcomes right to us.  Job lamented, “My worst fear has come upon me.”  But if we make up really good outcomes in our minds, we draw those right to us, also.  

Day dreaming, mind grazing, imagining “What if….?” fall under good uses for the imagination.  Here’s how “What if….? works.  You start your mind off with one good “What if….?”  question and then it will take off on its own , creating hundreds more. So it is crucial that you start your thoughts going in the right direction right from the start. The fact that ”thoughts think” – that they have little minds of their own, is one of my husband John’s signature teachings, which is why he calls his DVD series, “MIND IS YOUR OWN BUSINESS.”  You can be in charge of your own thought processes but you have to be AWAKE to do it.   

I invite you to “assume the position” to begin playing “What if…?”   So – what is the position?  Have you ever noticed that when you want to solve a problem or think through a situation you instinctively place two or three fingers of your predominant hand on your brow and  just rest them there, sometimes also resting your elbow on the table for support?  Try it and you’ll recognize it.   Often you get lost in that position for a few moments, don’t you?  That’s because you have moved inside your head to consult your third-eye, which lies right behind your forehead.  It is with that internal eye, the eye that sees without seeing, that you create your future.   

Now ”assume the position”, (you can close your eyes or keep them open once you know how to play the game), and let’s try playing “What if….?” the right way - 

Ask yourself: 

What if …I had all the money I would ever need in my bank account right now? 

What if …I felt 20 years younger? 

What if …I never got sick? 

What if …dying is painless? 

What if …someone invited me to travel with them to all sorts of great places – and paid my way? 

What if …my present car disappeared overnight and replaced itself with a new one that I would just love?  

What if my…..(spouse, parents, children, siblings, friends, bosses, and everyone I interact with)…all treated me with gentle kindness, respect and quality service?  

What if…all wars around the world ended on the same day?  

(Keep going on your own until the natural rush of “What if…?” questions rolls to a natural stop.)  

Remember, whatever positive thoughts you are holding in mind this week – real or imagined - if uninterrupted by negative thoughts, will begin to manifest sometime in January – perhaps even sooner.  So nothing could be more important than to imagine what you want, believe you can have it, and then wait to collect it.

Which is the path of least resistance?

“I’d like to talk to you about making difficult choices. As the energy on earth speeds up, you will have more opportunities than ever before to choose between one path and another. You can’t make a wrong choice, because each path leads to an experience and you came to planet earth for the purpose of experiencing. But if you want to have the best time you can have while you are here, consider first the path of least resistance. It is always resistance that causes your pain.” – The ELF*

Hmmmm…isn’t that interesting? The ELF is very clear to point out that we get to make all our own choices. The Universe simply presents us with opportunities and we choose the ones we like best. So, why choose the path of least resistance? Isn’t that the lazy way out? Not necessarily, because contrary to popular opinion, the path of least resistance isn’t always the easiest path. For example, to someone who hasn’t really thought it through, an easy way out of immediate personal poverty might be robbing a bank or shop-lifting or purse-snatching or holding down three jobs to make ends meet. But none of those paths are without serious obstacles down the road and so they are definitely not paths of least resistance. Three of them will put you in jail and the third one will make you feel like you are in jail. Cooperating with the Law of Attraction would be a less resistant path because, when practiced consistently, it always works.

Here’s another example: Even though eating every day at a fast-food restaurant or living only on ice cream with chocolate sauce might seem “convenient”, those choices don’t represent the path of least resistance if you’re also seeking a healthy life style. Learning what is both good for your body and tastes good to you as well, would be taking the path of least resistance because in the long run, it will take you toward your goal faster.

Here’s the hidden secret behind choosing the path of least resistance: The path that will make you feel best – for the longest period of time – is the path of least resistance. The path of least resistance is not always about speed and ease – it is instead about achieving desired results.

In this Holiday season, you will be inundated with choices. So let’s look at a few possible ones and see if you can readily identify the path of least resistance. 1) You need to choose a gift for a gift exchange for someone you see every day at work. Should you: a) Grab the first thing you see for the right price at the drug store or the grocery store and be done with it? b) Stop and think about that person’s likes and dislikes and take a little extra time to find a gift he or she will enjoy all year? Which one is the REAL path of least resistance? Which one will make you feel best over the longest period of time?

2) You accept an invitation to have a Holiday lunch with one friend, and then you receive another invitation from someone to do something you like better in the same time slot. Should you: a) Abandon the first friend and go with the second? b) Just forfeit your opportunity to be with the person you like best because you had made a prior commitment to someone else? c) Shift your original commitment only if you can find a way to spend time over the Holiday with both friends in a way that pleases both you and them? Which choice is the REAL path of least resistance? Which one will make you feel best over the longest period of time?

3) Your son wants an iPod for Christmas. Should you: a) Just go to the nearest store that sells electronic gadgets and buy him one, no matter if it stretches your budget and you will be financially squeezed next month? b) Give him a check or a gift card for what you can afford and bless him in his effort to achieve his goal? c) Engage the help of a techy-type friend who can really help you shop for the best product at the best price? Which choice is the REAL path of least resistance? Which one will make you feel best over the longest period of time?

4) You see a panhandler on the street and you are faced with the choice of sharing some of your wealth with him, or not. Should you: a) Keep your money because there is a possibility that if you give it to the scruffy looking man, he will use it for some unworthy purpose? b) Give because you can and it feels good to be able to share your good with someone less fortunate who comes across your path? Which one is the REAL path of least resistance? Which one makes you feel best over the longest period of time? Check out this possibility…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DXL9vIUbWg

Choosing the path of least resistance is always easier when you keep in mind the three rules for a happy life that The ELF teaches us: 1) You are never alone. The ELF is always with you – everywhere and always. 2) The answer to any question you may ask is already written on your heart. 3) You came to planet earth to have fun.  It’s as easy as 1-2-3. 1) and 2) will always point you toward the REAL path of least resistance and 3) guarantees you will enjoy your trip. ________________________________________ *The ELF is an acronym for The Eternal Life Force, from the novel “Go to ELF!” by Lauren McLaughlin. To read the first three chapters of “Go to ELF FREE”, go to http://www.unitynow.com

You may subscribe to this blog by simply going to the upper right hand corner of this page and click on Subscribe The book “Go to ELF!” by Lauren McLaughlin is available on Amazon.com as a perfect paperback or on Kindle for electronic transmission.

Be Happy First – Then “Go Lucky”

Nothing outside you can hurt you. Your entire experience is created inside you, either consciously or  unconsciously. It is usually that which you create unconsciously that causes most of your problems. You say, “I would never have done that to myself.” Consciously, you never would have done that to yourself. So it behooves you to become aware of all the stuff that’s in you, and the very best way to tell what’s inside is to look outside and see what’s going on. You have lots of conflict in your life? There’s conflict inside you. You have lots of peace and love? There’s peace and love inside you.”  Reverend John McLaughlin from the DVD series, “MIND IS YOUR OWN BUSINESS”.

And if you have lots of joy – it is joy that is inside you.  Can we redesign our insides to make our outsides work better?  You bet.  As long we remember that we can’t jump instantly from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other in one easy step.  Sadness to joy, for example, has to be accomplished in incremental, consistent steps, starting with baby steps.  No matter how sad, mad, resentful, unforgiving, condemning or ill you may be feeling right this minute, there is always one first step you can take toward “happy”.  

Maybe that first step is just stopping your activity long enough to remember something or someone who once made you laugh.  Maybe it is taking time to remember when you made someone else laugh.  You might try listening to music that sooths your soul, or take a walk in the woods, or work with a hobby or an avocation that you love, or eat something delicious. There is always at least one small, simple, cost-free step you can take toward “happy”.  And once you’ve taken that one step – from your new tiny shift in consciousness – you will find a next step and a next and a next. 

One of Reverend John’s favorite sayings is: “Be Happy, go Lucky.” And he’s very quick to point out the saying isn’t “Be Lucky, go Happy.”  Happiness comes first.  Then lucky, along with a lot of other pleasant conditions, can manifest without obstruction. 

Wherever you are in consciousness, you can always do one or more things to raise your “happiness” quotient.  Here are 7 suggestions – and December is an ideal time to practice at least some of them, because if you can end this year on a high note, you will go a long way toward setting the stage for a happier year to come.  

1)   Make a list of ten things that make you happy – Ex: walks in the woods, listening to your favorite CD, going to a movie, eating a butterscotch sundae, playing or watching your favorite sport, hanging out with a friend or friends, playing with your pet, etc. And then schedule time to do all 10 of them at least once before December 31st. (We know – you’re busy, but never too busy to be happy.) 

2)   Make a list of 50 people, places or things for which you are grateful.  Consistent gratitude begets consistent joy.  Speaker/Author Louise Hay says “You just can’t be grateful and unhappy at the same time.”

3)   Do something for yourself that spells “luxury”.  Take a nice long, hot bubble bath or a 20 minute shower, eat a double fudge brownie, take a trip to your  favorite art museum, take an afternoon nap, noodle on a musical instrument, watch a favorite Christmas movie, dine in a restaurant that has table cloths, etc. (To tell the Universe that luxury is your first choice, buy at least one lottery ticket and expect to win!) 

4)   Do something for yourself that you find relaxing. Take a walk on the beach, a trip to a spa, have a massage, enjoy a time of meditation, take a nap, spend an uninterrupted hour with a really good book. 

5)   Perform a Random Act of Kindness.  Nothing makes you feel more joy than creating a joyful experience for someone else.

6)   Sing.  Whether you sing well or not  – it just doesn’t matter; sing in the shower, sing in the car, sing in the woods – or sing in the choir – but make a joyful noise and keep making it until you shift into a happier space.  

7)      Let your soul express – write, talk, paint, or be like this fellow – dance as if no one is watching and then don’t care whether they watch, or not!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlZ8DXRnM-0  

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*MIND IS YOUR OWN BUSINESS is a home study course on 12 DVD’s, originally filmed with a class of 40 students from Unity Church of Palm Harbor, Florida.  It is available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Mind-Is-Your-Own-Business/dp/0982946406/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1309631786&sr=1-2-fkmr2

MIND IS YOUR OWN BUSINESS  is also referenced in Lauren’s book, “Go to ELF!”

To experience more inspiration from The ELF – subscribe to our Go to ELF blog at http://gotoelf.wordpress.com .  (If you click on “e-mail subscribe” in the right had corner of this page,  each new Go to ELF blog with then go directly to your inbox.)

JUST A REMINDER – “Go to ELF!” has gone global!  Readers in the United States, Canada, the UK and Europe may now purchase Lauren’s book, “Go to ELF!”, electronically on Amazon at either the Book Store or the Kindle Store for $8.99 and download  it – not only to a Kindle Reader – but also to your PC, MAC, iPhone, Blackberry, iPad, Android or Windows Phone 7.  The app is FREE. Why not use this convenient link and start enjoying this happy summer read right now. http://www.amazon.com/GO-TO-ELF-ebook/dp/B005J0IMSI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1314500464&sr=1-1

There Is Hope For The Hopeless

“Weathering storms successfully, physical, mental or emotional, takes some skill and if you will allow me to help you, I will show you how to ride out any and all of the upsets in your life – not in the midst of the turbulence, but rather in the calmness of the eye itself. In your heart, you know what drew the chaos, and as you connect with me, you will begin to consciously “see” the benefit that lies within the chaos. Anytime you’re ready. “The ELF – from the book “Go to ELF!’ by Lauren McLaughlin.

The key line in this quote from The ELF, The Eternal Life Force, is “In your heart, you know what drew the chaos.” It’s really hard, at least when you first begin to work with the Law of Attraction, to imagine that we literally draw into our life experience, people and events that we know we never wanted to be there.  Certainly we never asked the Universe to send us illnesses, or the death of loved ones, or accidents that are costly and painful, or people who are just “pains in the neck.” Who would do a thing like that?

No one would– on purpose.  However, we all do it subconsciously by holding onto our hidden fears, resentments and old hurts – because the Law of Attraction is infallible and if we think about something long enough (good or bad), we’re going to experience it.  “My worst fear has come upon me” Job said in the old Testament and so do our old fears come upon us if we persist in holding thoughts about people (even types of people) and things we don’t want.  The Truth is – whatever thoughts we hold in mind consistently – will manifest.

So – what do we do about that?  Fearful thoughts do pop up – fear of getting old, fear of getting hurt, fear of losing our money, fear of losing other people – they’re always lurking somewhere under the surface where we can’t see them.  They’re like vermin, roaming around in our mental darkness.  And even if we don’t do it all the time, most of us still cling to old hurtful memories that re-surface now and then as well.

Can we ever wipe our mental slate clean so that we don’t keep recreating our old dramas? The most useful tool we’ve found for releasing those hidden negative thoughts and fears is the ancient Hawaiian Spiritual practice called Ho’oponopono.  We call it Ho’op for short and if used consistently, it can literally degausse all of your old mental tapes – and a few new ones too.

Although this practice has been around for thousands of years, it has most recently, come into vogue through the work of a contemporary Hawaiian psychologist named Dr. Hew Len.  Here are the basics of Ho’oponopono, as described by Dr. Len in his own voice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL972JihAmg . 

This fascinating Spiritual practice really does work, although it is a bit hard to understand how; and Dr. Hew Len proved it by working for a number of years in a hospital for the criminally insane in Hawaii .  The patients in the facility where he conducted his experiment with Ho-oponopono were so deranged as to be frighteningly dangerous and the hospital could not keep staff to take care of them.  Most medical employees would quit after the first day or two, in fear for their lives.

So Dr. Hew Len saw this situation as the perfect testing ground for Ho’oponopono.  He never physically saw a patient in the whole time he was there.  Instead, he went into his office each day, took out the patient files and then went into his internal data bank where information was stored that said he believed that these people could be criminally insane.  And day after day, he took out each single patient file. He addressed his personal belief that said that patient was ill, first telling his belief that he loved it and that he was sorry he had created such a belief. He apologized to it and added that he was grateful for that patient’s perfect wholeness.  Then he moved on to the next patient file, repeating the same process.

And as soon as he successfully erased his own internal belief in their illness – the patients began to heal.  Eventually every patient was dismissed and the facility closed.

Basically, Ho’oponopono invokes the theory that if something or someone in your personal environment is ill or mean or sad or hurtful, it can only be there because you believe it to be so.  Therefore  – if you want to be rid of it – to get it out of your life experience forever – you must absolutely treat your own internal, negative belief first. 

Let’s say that someone cheats you.  Instead of blaming that person, you work on your internal data that has convinced you that you can be cheated.  You say to that data – 

I love you (You are my belief. I created you, you’re part of me and so I love you.)

I am sorry (that I created you).  Please forgive me (for creating you.)

Thank You (for returning now to your own Divine perfection.)

Then whenever the person who has cheated you comes to your mind, you set any outer picture of that person aside mentally and instead – you go into the subconscious level of your mind where the belief is stored that says you can be cheated and you say to that belief:  

“I love you.

I am sorry.

Please forgive me.

Thank you.”

Dr. Hew Len’s amazing success story is told in the book Zero Limits by Dr. Joe Vitale and Dr. Hew Len.  Here is Joe Vitale explaining the process as he practices it – constantly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMl-UvbWdN4&feature=related 

As Joe says – ho’oponopono is simple, uncomplicated, cost free and it works.  You don’t really need to know how or why it works unless you really want to. You just need to try it and see if it works for you.

This week, as your Holiday celebrations begin, is probably the ideal time to practice Ho’oponopono – on anyone you encounter that irritates you, upsets you, or interferes with your joy in any way.  Just look at that person and then look away.  Mentally move inside to your personal data base where information about that person is stored and say to it: 

I love you. 

I am sorry.

Please forgive me. 

Thank you. 

The ELF is an acronym for The Eternal Life Force, from the novel “Go to ELF!” by Lauren McLaughlin.  To read the first three chapters of “Go to ELF FREE”, go to http://www.unitynow.com 

 And also remember to subscribe to our “Go to ELF!” Blog at  the upper right hand corner of this page…

The book “Go to ELF!” by Lauren McLaughlin is available on Amazon.com as a perfect paperback or on Kindle for electronic transmission.

I don’t care why you want what you want – honestly.

“Jesus made the statement, ‘Do not justify yourself before men.’ When you are justifying, you’re wasting your time. If you’re justifying to a friend, your friend doesn’t need it. If you’re justifying to an enemy, they won’t believe it anyway. So all justification is useless and unnecessary.”  John McLaughlin, *MIND IS YOUR OWN BUSINESS.

My husband, John,  goes on to explain that our tendency to justify isn’t caused because other people require it, it’s because we require it.  At some level of our consciousness, we don’t feel comfortable just asking for what we want or doing what we want to do.  Unless we can come up with some justification for our desires and actions, we think we don’t really deserve even the simplest things.  It’s a habit that starts young and just keeps on growing.   

Can you even remember at what age you began to feel a need to justify your desires and actions?  Probably somewhere around four or five when the people who were in authority and had all the food, began asking you to explain your behaviors.  

John recalls a time when his two little boys, maybe 3 and 5 at the time, were making a horrendous noise in their room, playing some sort of made-up game in which the primary activity was shouting at each other.  “What is the meaning of all this?” he asked, storming into their room and shouting back in his best “mad-Dad“ voice – and then he says he had to strangle a laugh because they looked at him as if he was speaking another language.  There was NO “meaning” to what they were doing – they were just “being” and having a really good time at it.  

It’s really a shame that we lost that ability to just “be”.  It worked when we were children, but now, if an adult just goes after what he or she wants, we call him or her rude or self-centered or thoughtless or inconsiderate, because they didn’t run their choices by all the rest of us first.  How sad it is that we feel we have to justify wanting anything at all, when we live in a world of such enormous abundance.  

For some, justification rises to ridiculous levels as I discovered when, about ten years ago, I AWAKENED to find myself explaining to a waitress why she needed another napkin.  ”How low can I go?” I thought. “Certainly I deserve a clean napkin without justifying my desire for it and this waitress really doesn’t care a bit why I want a new napkin.” Sometimes, it’s the little wake-up calls that serve to nudge us back onto the same self-deserving, self-confident track on which we were born.  

It’s a real test of the level of your self-esteem to see if you can function, even for a short period of time, just doing what you want to do without justifying it.  And that is exactly what we’re going to suggest you do this week.  One week, seven days – no explanations, spins, defense motions, justifications or excuses – about anything.  Do you think you can - just do it?

Here’s how to start.  Say “I am going…”, then name where you are going and stop right there – no explanation required (even to yourself).”  “I am going to the grocery store.”  “I am going to the movies.”  “I am going to the bank.”  “I am going on vacation.”  I am going Bugee Jumping.”  “I am going sky-diving.”  “I am going zip-lining.”  “I am taking belly dancing lessons.”   “I’m running away from home.”  

How does that feel? 

Now try, “I want….”, then name it and stop right there – no explanation required (even to yourself). “I want a double hot-fudge sundae with whipped cream, nuts and a cherry.”  “I want a Caesar Salad.”   “I want to go to the Dollar Store.”  “I want a Dior gown.”  “I want to go to Disney World.”  “I want to go to Paris.”  “I want to go dumpster-diving.”  “I want to join a nudist colony.” 

How does that feel? 

 People who know you, and some who don’t, will look at you expectantly.  They will be certain that you will go on to add explanations for your desires and actions, such as: “I shouldn’t really indulge in this ice cream sundae, but today is a special occasion.”  Or – “I’m choosing a salad because it is healthy, and I’m on a six month commitment to take better care of myself.” They’re going to want you to explain what has come over you that you want to go Bungee Jumping or explain what you are going to do in the nudist colony.  Don’t let “people” cause you to justify anything you really want to have or do. “Do not justify yourself before men” – or women.  You are your own justification – whatever it is you want is yours by birthright.  “It is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.”

Ditching the “need” to justify yourself is a huge leap into your own Spiritual AWAKENING.  Take baby steps, but keep taking them until you explain what you want or what you are doing ONLY when you want to – never because you feel you have to.

 

 

 

*MIND IS YOUR OWN BUSINESS is a home study course on 12 DVD’s, originally filmed with a class of 40 students from Unity Church of Palm Harbor, Florida.  It is available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Mind-Is-Your-Own-Business/dp/0982946406/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1309631786&sr=1-2-fkmr2

 

MIND IS YOUR OWN BUSINESS  is also referenced in Lauren’s book, “Go to ELF!”

 

To experience more inspiration from The ELF – go to www.gotoelf.com;

and subscribe to our Go to ELF blog at http://gotoelf.wordpress.com .  (If you click on “e-mail subscribe” in the right had corner, each new Go to ELF blog with then go directly to your inbox.)

 

JUST A REMINDER – “Go to ELF!” has gone global!  Readers in the United States, Canada, the UK and Europe may now purchase Lauren’s book, “Go to ELF!”, electronically on Amazon at either the Book Store or the Kindle Store for $8.99 and download  it – not only to a Kindle Reader – but also to your PC, MAC, iPhone, Blackberry, iPad, Android or Windows Phone 7.  The app is FREE. Why not use this convenient link and start enjoying this happy summer read right now. http://www.amazon.com/GO-TO-ELF-ebook/dp/B005J0IMSI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1314500464&sr=1-1