FoxFyre Hypnosis & EFT

My Vision 4 My Life

2011-02-17T07:59:00.000-08:00

I was going back through a stack of my notes the other day when I
came upon the following:

My vision 4 my life.

Right under that I had a box with the words "paradigm shift"
inside, and under that the following:

I am the Creator of the Game of My Life. I can Redefine Myself. I
Can Change. Change Happens.

I got to thinking about how these few comments shifted the way I
looked at my life. Let me share my thinking…

I am the Creator of the Game of My Life. Wow! What a shift in
awareness this brought.

I have always been very serious about life and life experiences. I
saw life as an all or nothing process. You either had it or you
didn't, and for some reason I didn't.

* I had little abundance, or passion.

* I contributed little to others and had denied my feelings of joy
in the adventure of life.

* I was compassionate, but I was afraid to share this for fear of
being hurt in some way.

* My generosity to others was limited by a fear of being used.

* Since I had been told as a child that I couldn't win, I accepted
failure.

* My commitment to myself was simply to survive and live with as
much integrity as I could given the above.

How serious can you get! I mean, there was little joy or
celebration in this life. Just getting through it every day was
hard work, especially without much humor.

So visioning my life as a Game began to change everything. I had
forgotten about this until I came upon this paper. How brilliant
was that shift?

As a game, life becomes less difficult and more childlike almost
immediately, and much more manageable.

Just bringing a smile to your face can begin to change your day
even when you don't feel like smiling. Smiling at a stranger as
you walk through the mall or saying a kind hello to a stranger
passing by will not only change your day, but it can help create a
better day for those around you. And it's absolutely free! How
awesome is that?

Try it. Set your intention to smile sincerely to everyone you come
into contact with and to say hi to everyone with whom you have eye
contact for 1 day. You'll see… And what a difference you'll make…
to yourself and to those around you.

It's your game, it's your life.

Have fun!

Enjoy yourself.

Play happy with those around you.

Life IS a Game and Everyone is a Winner.

So recognize that what you focus on today will be your future
tomorrow.

Open your life up to new exciting opportunities.

And if you don't think you can do it, or you don't deserve to be
happy, or you're too deep into the pain, or you just need a checkup,
give yourself a chance to make those changes in your life that you've
been dreaming of.

You can contact me directly for assistance . Send me an email and
I will respond as quickly as I can.

Blessings and Peace,

Sharon

www.EastHillHypnosis.com
www.ChangeYourLifeNowCoaching.com
sharon@EastHillHypnosis.com
850-725-6400.

Your Comfort Zone

2011-02-17T07:50:00.001-08:00

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." Neal Donald Walsch

Let me tell you about a friend who is going through a tough time. He had an accident while on the job and he has been going through rehab and trying to get himself back on his feet. His doctor just gave him a partial release creating a financial problem for him as the firm has reduced his benefits by a like amount but are not putting him back on his job in a reduced status. His reaction to this is to sequester himself at home, start looking to see what he can sell, and close himself off from others.

Now most of us wouldn't take such an extreme step, we would just kick our butts out the door and find a part time job, even if it was delivering pizza. So I got to thinking about what is going on with him and why this extreme reaction. The answer I came up with is FEAR! Now if I were to ask him why he is so afraid, he would tell me he's not afraid, he's just taking care of business.

Which led me to another question: what do we do when we are fearful, but we aren't aware of the fear because we've masked it in our notions of what is appropriate behaviors for ourselves. When I was younger, I thought that I was fearless too. But today I look back and realize that I had just hidden my fears from myself. I was afraid others wouldn't like me anyway, so I tended to avoid situations that called for closeness and trust. By not putting myself in these situations, I was able to keep myself from becoming aware of my issues, or to learn from them and heal them.

So I'd like to ask you a question. What do you do to keep yourself from becoming aware of your fears (the ANTS - Automatic Negative ThoughtS - in your head)? How do you mask your issues and keep yourself from healing? And is this truly what you desire for yourself?

A few days ago I made a commitment to attend a meeting and meet new people. When the time came to attend the meeting, I was full of excuses not to go. I told myself that I really didn't feel good, I was tired and grumpy, and - oh, there it is, they really won't like me anyway! Well, I went and had a wonderful time, got to know 3 delightful women, and came home feeling refreshed and affirmed.

When you locate your fear and understand where it comes from, you can choose to respond to the fear or to your personal life choices. You can start getting on with your own life on your own terms. And this is really what it's about, isn't it?

So it's your life, it's your game. If you are brave enough to venture out of your comfort zone and explore new ways of living, you are indeed a brave and intrepid soul. Just remember, that what you focus on today will be your future tomorrow, so choose your focus carefully and allow yourself to open to the new exciting opportunities that are always available to you.

What you focus on today will be your future tomorrow. Choose your focus carefully!

Open your life up to new exciting opportunities. Begin your life again NOW!

And if you don't think you can do it, or you don't deserve to be happy, or you're too deep into the pain, or you just need a checkup, give yourself a chance to make those changes in your life that you've been dreaming of.

You can contact me directly for assistance. Send me an email at sharon@ChangeYourLifeNowCoaching.com and I will respond as quickly as I can.

Blessings and Peace, Sharon

PS: Get your copy of the ebook, Introduction to Energy Work, at http://www.ChangeYourLifeNowCoaching.com. You can also visit me at http://www.EastHillHypnosis.com, or call 850-725-6400. I look forward to getting to know you.

copyright 2010 by Sharon Routledge, MA CH

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sharon_Routledge

The 5Ds to Quit Smoking

2011-02-17T07:49:00.001-08:00

Have you been trying to quit smoking? Finding it difficult to let go of the habit? Have you been thinking you can't quit because you are deeply addicted to Nicotine? Have you considered using dangerous drugs such as Chantix to help you quit?

Quitting or changing any habit is actually a very simple process. And no matter what anyone has told you, smoking is a habit. The difficulty you are having is because of rituals and habituated behaviors.

Briefly, your subconscious has learned that when x happens, then y (smoking) occurs. And now you are running a program in your subconscious that says when x (and x can be anything from a cup of coffee or a beer, to a major life changing event) happens, then the smoking behavior follows. It's as simple as that. You have hypnotized your subconscious into believing something is true and necessary.

But is it really so? Is it necessary to have a cigarette every time you have a cup of coffee or a beer? Is it really?

Is smoking the only way to think through life changing events in your life? Is it really?

If you have decided that cigarettes are not necessary for you, you are already almost there. If you have quit smoking for even a short time, you've already proven that you can. So how can you get from this point of being almost there to the final "I Quit". The following is an easy to follow process that just may work for you. It worked for me and for many others I've helped over the years.

To prepare yourself for the process, be sure to make smoking conscious, by that I mean become aware by changing your rituals. Make sure that you're not just reaching for a cigarette. Keep your cigarettes out of reach and don't smoke in the house or car. This will force you to become aware of every time you want to smoke.

The First D: Delay

Anytime you think you want to smoke, check the time. Then give yourself 10 - 30 minutes to be smoke free. I told myself that I could have a cigarette in 10 minutes if I still wanted it. Then I went on about my day. Often, I would check my watch to discover that 30 minutes or more had passed. At this point I would choose to either smoke the cigarette if I really wanted to, or put it off for another 10 minutes. After a while, I wouldn't smoke if I was watching a movie. I'd delay until after the movie was over. The same if I was watching a good show on TV. And so on. It's really easy, and you do it every day anyway, whenever you find yourself in no smoking zones.

The Second D: Distract

The fits right in with the First D. When you delay your cigarette, you then distract yourself from smoking by doing something you desire, such as watching tv, or the rest of the movie, or reading a good book, or even exercising. You could even set a goal for yourself to walk around the block whenever you want to smoke instead of smoking. Distraction is the process when you teach your subconscious that there are other ways of handling stress, or socializing, and so on. Try to find something that you enjoy and will enhance your life.

The Third D: Deep Breathing

Instead of smoking, you may decide to take a deep breath and allow the oxygen to fill your lungs and go to your brain rather than the nicotine. Just breathe deeply and comfortably, and imagine that you can feel the oxygen as it moves through your lungs, into your blood stream, into the cells of your body and up into your brain. You can imagine the cells feeling rejuvenated and alive with all this oxygen. Take about 30 seconds and do this every time you desire to smoke.

The Fourth D: Drink Filtered Water

When you begin to put off smoking, your body immediately begins to detox itself. It is very important to help your body all you can with this detoxing process. Drinking lots of filtered water will help your body flush away the toxins and will make releasing cigarettes from your life much easier. Flushing your system and getting rid of those toxins will make your final goal much easier. And remember to filter the water. You want to detox your body, not put more chemicals into your system.

The Fifth D: De-hypnotize

This is where the tire meets the road. You have hypnotized yourself for years that smoking was what you needed to do, and that you couldn't quit because you were "hooked" and "addicted". Now, if you are serious about quitting, you need to De-hypnotize yourself.

And the place to begin is to become aware of your language. Your subconscious is very literal and words will often mean things you're not aware of. For example, become aware of the word "try" and when you use it. "Try" is one of those failure words that will keep you "hooked". You might think about it like this: when you try to do something, you will most likely fail because you haven't done it. Just "try" to breath. Breathing is an either you do or you don't kind of thing. Same with tying your shoe laces. Do you say to yourself, I think I'll try to tie my shoelaces? or do you say, I'm going to tie my shoelaces. See the difference? So don't "try" to quit smoking, just "quit smoking".

Another word that gets us in trouble is "should". When we use this word, we are going into parental mode and telling ourselves what we should do. This implies that we don't have a choice, not if we're good people, and it can make us uncomfortable at best.

So, becoming aware of the language you use around cigarettes and changing that language to give yourself the choice will be a winning tactic every time.

You might want to say to yourself, "I can choose to have a cigarette now, or I can choose to have a cigarette in 30 minutes".

This type of language will begin to change or de-hypnotize the way you think about yourself as a non-smoker. A smoker doesn't have any choice about smoking. They smoke because they are addicted. A non-smoker has the choice to have a cigarette or not. So make it easy on yourself and give yourself the choice.

Through a lot of supportive self-talk such as "I can and will do this", "I have a choice in this matter", "I am a non-smoker", you can change your mind and change your life. Remember, this process can take as long or as short a time as you want. It is your life and your health. Choose to create the life of your dreams.

Recognize that what you focus on today will be your future tomorrow.

Open your life up to new exciting opportunities. Begin your life again NOW!

And if you don't think you can do it, or you don't deserve to be happy, or you're too deep into the pain, or you just need a checkup, give yourself a chance to make those changes in your life that you've been dreaming of.

You can contact me directly for assistance. Send me an email and I will respond as quickly as I can.

Blessings and Peace,
Sharon

PS: Get your copy of the ebook, Introduction to Energy Work, at http://www.ChangeYourLifeNowCoaching.com. You can also visit me at http://www.EastHillHypnosis.com, email me at sharon@ChangeYourLifeNowCoaching.com or call 850-725-6400. I look forward to getting to know you.

copyright 2010 by Sharon Routledge, MA CH

Basics of a happy life: pt 3

2010-12-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

Life is moving pretty quickly these days. Sometimes it feels like its hard to keep up. The hours in the day fly by and before too long the week is gone and then the month is over. Do you feel this quickness in your life?

With time moving so quickly, it becomes very important to be clear about our priorities and what we choose to accomplish. It's so easy to lose our way in all the bits and pieces, the flotsam and jetsam of our lives and never really get to what is important.

I've known people who quietly live lives filled with joy and deep pleasure no matter what life throws at them. There are also some rather well known people who appear to live this way also. Some that I might mention are Will Smith, Actor; Eli Wiesel, holocaust survivor and author; Mohandas Gandhi, Indian Leader; Mother Theresa, and many more as well as unknown and unsung heroes and heroines. You may know some. They may live next door to you or perhaps they are members of a club you belong to.

Wherever you run into them, there is one thing that shines from the moment you meet them. They are Authentic. They know who they are and they live their lives from this space. In fact, one could almost say that they create the space they live in. And they are UNFORGETTABLE.

I have experienced a smile while walking down the street that was so genuine and authentic that it stayed with me for years. I have met people casually who brighten up the space they are in, their smiles and laughter infectious. These are people who are authentic in that moment.

Authenticity isn't a gift that someone hands out, and a few people get it but most of us don't. Being authentic isn't about doing what is expected of us and being good people.

Being authentic is about reconnecting, in each moment of our days, with that inner child we once were, and living through the eyes of the child, so to speak.

If you are blessed with a 3 year old in your life, spend an afternoon at the park or the zoo or anywhere that's unusual. Sit with your 3 year old in the grass or by the beach or in the forest and join in with 3 year old discoveries. Become that 3 year old within yourself and really begin to see the world as if you were seeing it for the first time. Listen to the questions the child asks, and ask more of those kinds of questions yourself. Don't try to answer the questions, but ask more of your own. Get out of your adult mind and into your child mind. See an insect again for the first time. Be amazed by the colors in the sunset. Feel the breeze in your hair again for the first time.

Children only know how to live authentically, in the moment. And this is the Gift they bring to the adults around them, a reminder of what it is like to be fresh and new in a fascinating world filled with possibilities. This is their gift to you. And so often it is wasted and discarded because we are too busy being Grown Ups.

So if you can, take some time in the next few weeks and spend it with your favorite 3 year old. Get down into your own 3ness and enjoy seeing the world for the first time once again.

I would love to hear from you and share these experiences with you. If you feel inclined to share, please email me at sharon@ChangeYourLifeNowCoaching.com.

Have a great and wonderful time rediscovering your authentic self, and the whorl again for the first time.

Blessings and Peace,

Sharon

PS: You can get a complimentary 20 minute consultation by emailing me at sharon @ChangeYourLifeNowCoaching.com. Just note that you are interested in the consultation and I'll get right back with you.

PPS: Feel free to continue this conversation. Email me your thoughts and experiences. I look forward to sharing with you personally.

www.ChangeYourLifeNowCoaching.com
sharon@ChangeYourLifeNowCoaching.com

Basics of a happy life: pt 2

2010-12-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

I hope life is going well and your attitude is positive and upbeat. Are you looking forward to what's coming with enthusiasm and joy? Are you excited about possibilities? If you have areas of your life that are uncomfortable or where you feel stuck and unhappy with yourself, taking an honest look at those stuck places can be very helpful.

Today I want to focus on part 2 of the basics of a happy life: Awareness. According to Socrates, an ancient Greek philosopher, "the unexamined life is not worth living". This is what awareness is all about - Self-Reflection. It takes a brave person to really look at her life and evaluate it for improvements.

When we are living our life every day and getting through the day the best we can, we often don't know where those areas are that are not functioning properly. We tend to avoid going into the pain.

*We talk around the situation, focusing on ideas or behaviors that are misleading, that misdirect us away from what the real issue is. This is known as a Red Herring, and we all have plenty of these. Trying to locate and eliminate these can be a difficult process by ourselves, because we are invested in maintaining the status quo.

*We project the cause for our situation onto other people or circumstances. This is the blame game. We say it really isn't our fault, we are not responsible for the way "it" is. The blame for how we got to this place is *my mother didn't love me*, or *my father left me (abandonment)*, or *I was raped or beaten or suffered other physical abuse*, or *my teachers were mean to me* or *I was bullied when I was in school*, or any number of other life experiences we may have had that had an impact on us.

*We distract ourselves from our feelings in any number of ways. One of the most powerful distractions in our lives today is the television. We invest our resources in bigger and more powerful pieces of equipment, and spend our leisure time in front of the big screen. We put televisions in every room of our house so we don't have to miss anything if we bathe or potty or cook. We also distract ourselves with behaviors such as smoking, overeating, chewing our nails, or any other myriad activities we can't do without. These behaviors and activities relieve our feelings of anxiety, insecurity and fear.

But are we stuck with these behaviors? So many of them are subconscious and we just do them.

For example, if you are a smoker or have ever smoked, you know how unconscious the habit can be if you allow it. A smoker just finds themselves reaching for a cigarette and smoking often without any awareness of what they are doing. An overeater finds the refrigerator calling at inappropriate times and they may find themselves standing there trying to find something to make them feel better.

Perhaps you play the blame game. You may find yourself talking again and again about a situation in your past that is responsible for so much of your problems today. It might go like this:

"When I was a kid, I'd try to talk to my mom about stuff but she was always so angry that I just learned to keep it to myself. That's why I don't like anger and get uncomfortable when people are angry or upset, even for good reasons. And I never share my deep inner thoughts. So I can't get close to people, even though I want to. I just can't trust them." (The Blame Game)

Or it might be this way:

"I know I should quit smoking and I'd like to, but whenever I try I just can't get past the first few days. It seems like all I can think about is smoking and everyone says I get real crabby. Besides, if I quit smoking, I'll just start eating a lot. I've seem my friends get real fat after quitting cigarettes." (Distraction and Avoidance)

Or you might hear:

"You know, I'd really like to have a wonderful relationship but I find that when I start getting close to someone, I feel like I'm being smothered. It's like they want to own me and want me to be a certain way, rather than leaving me the room to be myself." (The Red Herring)

In the example of the Red Herring, the issue of personal boundaries and being authentic is projected onto the other person, who can't win.

So how does one become aware of these kinds of internal activities? And how can we avoid these pitfalls to a successful life?

First, we become aware; we give ourselves the Gift of Personal Responsibility. When we are ready to be aware and take responsibility, we free ourselves to become truly who we are.

Second, when we are aware of our choices and we own those choices, we are in a position to change them. If we don't empower ourselves with self knowledge, we can't make the changes necessary to create the life we all want for ourselves.

Third, the more shackles of unconscious living we break free of, the more we come into our own power. The more powerful we are in ourselves, the less our need to control and manipulate others.

And finally, I want to add that when we take full responsibility for our lives in each moment of each day, we begin to live powerfully in the Present Moment, rather than the past or the future. And this is where we were meant to live, in this Powerful Now!

Blessings and Peace,

Sharon

PS: Just a reminder… you can get a complimentary 20 minute consultation by emailing me at sharon @ChangeYourLifeNowCoaching.com. Just note that you are interested in the consultation and I'll get right back with you.

PPS: Feel free to continue this conversation. Email me your thoughts and experiences. I look forward to sharing with you personally.

Basics of a Happy Life: pt 1

2010-12-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

I hope this day finds you happy and living life fully. It's so difficult these days to stay positive and live in that happy place. I was thinking about this the other day and 3 areas of focus popped into my head (well, more than 3 actually, but thee 3 were at the center of my thoughts):

*Attitude or Perceptions
*Awareness of our Perceptions
*Authentic Perceptions

I wanted to share these thoughts with you, and I hope that you will share your thoughts with me. If you are so inclined, please send me an email to sharon@ChangeYourLifeNowCoaching.com

I was sitting and thinking the other day about what it means to live a good life. I know the specifics are going to be different for each person, but there are some basics that are necessary. So I asked myself if I could boil these basics down to the most fundamental aspects, what would they be?

Firstly is Attitude and Perception! The attitude you take when you look at your life, when you think about your life experiences, is extremely important. If your attitude is negative and full of "why me's", then your perception are going to follow along and see problems and bad stuff wherever you go and whatever you're doing.

We've all known somebody who has a wonderful opportunity to take a cruise, go on a fabulous vacation, spend the holidays skiing… And when he or she comes back, all he has experienced is negative. Instead of eating delicious food they focus on the price, the calories, the fats. Instead of gorgeous scenery, they talk about how cold (or hot) it was and that it was so uncomfortable and didn't feel like they had the right clothes. And everything was so expensive. And the hotel rooms were not all that. And so on…

These people had the same opportunity to experience a great time as the person who returns raving about all the aspects of the journey.

So what makes the difference in the experience from one of I'd do that again, to one of I'd never go on that ship again? Attitude and Perception.

Your attitude and the way you perceive the world is a choice. And a choice gives us the option of shifting our perceptions and attitudes.

Let me tell you a story about a woman that I used to know. She loved birds, the big ones that talk. She had several at home, but when she came into some money, she decided that she was going to become a bird breeder. She made contact with a woman who had many baby birds and she chose about 6 or 8 that she would take. At first, she couldn't say enough good things about this woman and she spent many days playing with the birds she had chosen. But soon I noticed a change in her attitude. The woman wasn't on the up and up. She had agreed to keep the birds until they were more grown up and my friend had moved, but now she wanted her to pay the balance on the birds and take them home. Then she wanted to charge her to keep the birds at her shop. She became more and more angry and spiteful about this woman.

Now here's what was really happening. This woman was a business woman and she had a number of birds taking up space in her shop that were ready to go home. Other birds needed the space and she needed full payment for all the birds which she hadn't received. What she finally did was figure up what had been paid, released a couple of birds to her that had been covered by the cost and set about selling the rest.

My friend was incensed that she had taken the big, more expensive birds away from her and she was angry at being told she had to get the other birds out of the shop. This woman had gone from being a wonderful new friend to an enemy that was trying to rip her off in a matter of a few weeks.

My friend had a perception of life experiences and an internal belief system that was very destructive to her life and well being. Based on an internal dialogue that she had about how everyone else was in some manner trying to take something from her, every situation and opportunity that came up in her life was filtered through this expectation.

So what are the expectations and beliefs you have in your life?

*Are they affirming to your experiences?
*Do you find yourself feeling more joy when you share your experiences with others?
*Are you excited by what life has to offer you?

OR

*Do you find yourself finding fault with yourself and others?
*Do you blame others for any problems or difficulties that are in your life?
*Are you overcome by feelings of failure and defeat when you consider the possibilities of tomorrow?

Yes! Attitudes and unconscious beliefs sway the way you understand your life and your life experiences. They control the possibilities that you allow into your life. For many of us, these attitudes and beliefs were received from our parents, teachers and other adults we looked up to. They are based in our early childhood experiences filtered through our 2 or 3 or 4 year old eyes. And while there are many wonderful attitudes and awarenesses that a child brings into our life, making adult decisions about how to live our lives shouldn't be one of them.

Blessings and Peace,

Sharon

PS: Just a reminder… you can get a complimentary 20 minute consultation by emailing me at sharon @ChangeYourLifeNowCoaching.com. Just note that you are interested in the consultation and I'll get right back with you.

www.ChangeYourLifeNowCoaching.com
www.EastHillHypnosis.com

Quit Smoking in 6 Months: part 3

2010-12-08T13:51:00.000-08:00

Having set your intention to stop smoking or change another habit, and setting up your affirmations, writing them out and saying them daily, it’s time to take the final step.

Step 3: Action

When you have set your intention, and written your daily affirmations, the final step is to take action by visualizing your life to be the way you want it. Be very specific. Imagine yourself going through your daily activities as you choose to be, not shackled to your habit.
Visualize your life as you want it to be. Believe in yourself and imagine yourself free, living comfortably and effortlessly with your changes. Imagine how it feels, smells, tastes. Bring all your senses and creativity into this part of the process.

Have an eye to eye discussion with yourself every morning in the bathroom mirror. It might go something like this:

“Good morning, (your name). It’s going to be a great day today. I’m so grateful for the
opportunities that today will bring, opportunities to get closer to my goals, especially my
goal of being free. I’m so blessed that you, my subconscious, is helping me and working
with me to achieve my goals. Thank you. I love you.”

Say whatever feels right to you, just remember to keep it positive, upbeat, and throw in some humor, gratitude and love.
You might want to make up a little jingle to some tune you already know, like happy birthday, and sing it as you go through your day. How about a little chant such as “I live my life free to choose” that you can say over and over rhythmically. As above, stay positive and upbeat.
If you are artistic by nature, do some art projects around the changes – make a collage, or paint a picture of yourself free of the habit, or any other art project you enjoy.

You might invent a new drink or salad that tastes wonderful.

Have fun with this part and engage all your senses.

Remember, HAVE FUN! Laugh with yourself! Enjoy your success!

When you have succeeded in achieving one of your daily intentions easily and effortlessly, celebrate! Tell people about your accomplishment and do something fun.

The more you enjoy the process, laugh with yourself as you look in the mirror, share the humorous situations that come up with family and friends, the easier and quicker the changes will come about.

How Long Does This Take?

How long each step takes depends entirely on you, your willingness to visualize and work with your affirmations, and to do the mirror exercises.

The more creative and imaginative you are, the less time it will take to get your desired change into the subconscious.
If you follow this process YOU WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

By changing your thoughts on a deep level, you can affect every aspect of your life and make deep changes. The secret is to be creative, imaginative, have fun and follow through. And if you find you need some help, contact someone you trust to help you through the process.

For additional information and to learn more about me and what I have to offer, visit my websites at:

www.ChangeYourLifeNowCoaching.com
www.EastHillHypnosis.com

You can email me at sharon@EastHillHypnosis.com I look forward to hearing from you.

Quit Smoking In 6 Months: part 2

2010-12-08T13:48:00.000-08:00

When I decided that I had smoked long enough and it was time to quit, I set my long-term intention (see the first article in the series) as well as daily short-term goals.

If you have been using tobacco products for some time, you know how hard it is to quit. You throw away your cigarettes or other tobacco product, and start out determined to change your life. Not too far into the process, you find the desire to indulge increasing. You tell yourself, “no, I’m not going to smoke”. You try hard to keep your will power strong, but usually, in the end, you give in. It’s just too challenging and the rewards too nebulous for your will power to be successful.

I want to congratulate you for quitting for however short a time you were successful! And you were successful! Even if only for an hour, or for a day or even years. When you succumbed and picked the habit back up, it’s not because you failed. You picked it up again because you were trying to get your needs met. The trick here is to change the response to certain triggers in your environment or your mind that bring you back to smoking (or any other habit).

Following is the process I used to quit smoking. You can use this process for just about any habit you want to change, or any change you want to bring into your life. My long-term intention was to be smoke free.

Step 1: Set your intention.

The first thing I did was focus on all the things about smoking I didn’t like. I was tired of spending so much money on something that was smelly, dirty and unhealthy; I didn’t like smelling like an ashtray; my health was beginning to suffer; I was short of breath; and it was getting more expensive every day. Writing these down and getting really focused on what I didn’t want helped me shift into what I did want.
Connecting to what I did want and setting the timeframe to accomplish it was the next step. I firmly put in mind the results I wanted to achieve and set my intention to be tobacco free within 6 months.

Next I set daily goals. I took it in small steps. I wrote down daily my intentions and goals in the form of affirmation and repeated them throughout the day.

There is something about putting pen to paper and getting our thoughts and feelings out that works deep down in our subconscious. It almost seems, at times, that the act of working things through in writing allows us to reprogram our subconscious, especially if we are doing it over and over. So, to set an intention, write out what the overall goal is you want to achieve, then look at how you can accomplish this goal on a daily basis.

Step 2: Affirm your intention at least twice a day.

I decided that there were three basic things I would do every day to make myself more conscious of smoking. First, I wouldn’t smoke in my car. Second, I wouldn’t smoke in my house. And third, whenever I thought I wanted a cigarette, I would put it off for at least 10 minutes, then half an hour, then an hour, and so on, while getting involved in something I enjoyed. Whenever we shift our focus of attention, our mind has to follow along. It can’t focus on more than one or two things at a time. By shifting from smoking to something I liked, I was able to put off smoking eventually for long periods of time. I just forgot to have that cigarette 10 minutes later.

As I became more consciously aware of my habit, I quit the automatic lighting up. The more clear I became about my goals, the longer I was able to go without smoking.

Every morning, I wrote out my affirmations and set my intentions for the day. I said them aloud several times to allow my mind to hear and see them. I used as many of my senses as I could. Soon I was comfortable not smoking in my car or my house. And there were times it was just too inconvenient to get up and go outside.

I had reminders on my fridge, bathroom mirror, the dashboard of my car. A reminder might be one of your intentions, or the final goal. Mine was, “I am smoke free.

Look for Part 3 of the series, How To Quit Smoking In Six Months.
Copyright 2010

Quit Smoking in 6 Months - pt 1

2010-08-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

Intentions: Your Commitment to Change

Making deep and lasting change in your life takes commitment. We have all made those New Year Resolutions only to stop following them in a few short days or weeks. We may find ourselves sneaking that cigarette or candy bar, or skipping the gym (always with a good reason) or discovering that we ‘can’t afford to put that money away in our savings’. Then we begin to feel like a failure. Why are we bothering to try to make a change anyway? We know we can’t succeed.

So our failure reinforces those beliefs that tell us we can’t accomplish our goals anyway, so why bother trying. We go through this agony year after year, and each year we think this is the year we are going to be successful.

Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results is the definition of insanity! So there you are, trying again to make changes in your life and those old negative beliefs that you’re just a failure are reinforced over and over. How can you break this cycle?

You’ll need to put in some work and step outside your comfort zone. What happens when you are trying to make change in your life? You get uncomfortable and your internal system desires to return to the status quo, what it’s used to. So you subconsciously begin to sabotage your efforts. Excuses pop up and pretty soon your on way to failure.

How can you change this cycle? Before you begin with a change of any sort, you must lay the groundwork. Let me share with you the 3 basic steps I used to quit smoking in 6 months.

1. Setting your intentions: take the time to decide what you are going to accomplish and write it down. Be specific! Here’s what I wrote: I intend to be smoke free in six months. I intend to enjoy my breathing and feel wonderful oxygen going through my body. Within 6
months I will be free of tobacco in any form.

2. Doing your affirmations every day: after setting your intentions clearly and specifically, you will need to affirm your intention daily. There are several ways to do this such as writing them in a journal and reading them daily, maybe even twice a day; putting them on
your bathroom mirror or on the refrigerator, or in this case, on your ashtrays and cigarette packs, to remind yourself throughout the day that you are a nonsmoker. A daily affirmation might be: today I choose to be very aware of every time I reach for a cigarette. I can choose to smoke or not. I am free of the smoking habit.

3. Reprograming your subconscious: hypnosis works quite well to reprogram the subconscious and help you accomplish your goal. Other techniques you might try include making up a little jingle and singing it to your favorite tune, or devising a short chant that reinforces your choices. Singing your jingle or chanting your chant throughout the day will help convince your subconscious that you’re serious about this
change.

When you set an intention, you’re stating to yourself and to your subconscious that this is what you want in your life. You set a purpose that directs your thoughts towards your goal.

I took aim at my habit. My intention was focused on eliminating cigarettes and I thought 6 months was a good timeframe. Intention works like the arrow in archery. Out of all the possibilities in your life, you choose one thing or aspect to focus on. Using your intention, you
aim at the target or goal you have in mind. When you let the arrow fly, after focusing and aiming at your goal, you will be successful.

Try it out and let me know how it works for you. Also look for the next article which takes up where this one leaves off. There are 2 more processes to go to Stop Smoking In 6 Months.

By changing your thoughts on a deep level, you can affect every aspect of your life and make deep changes. The secret is to be creative, imaginative, have fun and follow through. And if you find you need some help, contact someone you trust to help you through the process.

If you would like to learn more about me and how I might help you with your particular issues, send me an email at:

Sharon@ChangeYourLifeNowCoaching.com or check me out at
http://www.ChangeYourLifeNowCoaching.com

I will be happy to discuss your particular situation and recommend an appropriate path to help you Change Your Life Now. Energy Work is an excellent set of tools you can work with to obtain quick and deep relief. You will learn how to establish a personal energy practice to keep yourself clear and fully functioning which will leave you feeling energized, happy and healthy, perhaps for the first time in years. You will find it much easier to make those decisions you are facing today and to Change Your Life Now.

This is YOUR LIFE!

YOU are WORTH THE INVESTMENT!

Give Yourself the Gift of YOU!

To find out how I can help you with your particular issues, contact me now. We can work together in person, by phone and with Skype. Distance is not an issue with energy work.

There is no charge to learn more, and you have everything to gain when you take back control of your life now.

Blessings and Peace,
Sharon Routledge, MA CH

www.ChangeYourLifeNowCoaching.com
Sharon@ChangeYourLifeNowCoaching.com

The Possibilities of Intention

2010-08-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

Intentions: Your Commitment to Change

“Making deep and lasting change in your life takes commitment.

You’ll need to put in some work and step outside your comfort zone.

And when the going gets tough, you’ll need to keep going…

There are basically 3 steps you can take that will make a big difference in sustaining your commitment. These are:

1. Setting your intentions

2. Doing your affirmations every day.

3. Reprograming your subconscious.

When you set an intention, you’re stating to yourself and to the Universe (God, Buddha, however you understand the Divine Presence) that this is what you want in your life. You set a purpose or plan that directs your thoughts in a certain direction.

You could say that you take aim, as with a bow and arrow.

Your intention is like picking up the arrow, putting it in the bow, and focusing your attention on the target.

You become focused and aware of your goal in a new way.

Firing the arrow is the actions you take to achieve your goal.

Your intention works like the arrow. Out of all the possibilities in your life, you choose one thing or aspect to focus on. Using your intention, you aim at the target or goal you have in mind.

How To Quit Smoking In 6 Months

When I decided that I had smoked long enough and it was time to quit, I set my long-term intention as well as daily short-term goals.

My long-term intention was to be smoke free.

I was tired of spending so much money on something that was smelly, dirty and unhealthy. So I firmly put in mind the results I wanted to achieve and set my intention firmly to be smoke free within 6 months.

The next step was to set daily goals. I took it in small steps. Some people can jump to the main event and accomplish it without breaking a sweat, but I’m not one of them. The following is the process I used to quit smoking in 6 months.

1. Get your intention in writing.

In six months I will be smoke free.

There is something about putting pen to paper and getting our thoughts and feelings out that works deep down in our subconscious. It almost seems, at times, that the act of working things through in writing allows us to reprogram our subconscious, especially if we are doing it over and over. So, to set an intention, write out what the overall goal is you want to achieve, then look at how you can accomplish this goal on a daily basis.

2. Set Your Daily Intentions

1. I would not smoke in my car.

2. I would not smoke in my house.

3. When I thought I wanted a cigarette,I would put it off for 10 minutes,

slowly extending the time until I could comfortably put it off for an hour or more.

This forced me to become consciously aware of my habit.

Every morning, I set out my intentions for the day by writing them down. I said them aloud several times to allow my mind to hear and see them. I used as many of my senses as I could. Soon I was comfortable not smoking in my car or my house. And there were times it was just too inconvenient to get up and go outside.

3. Affirm What You Want.

The above intentions set out what I didn’t want, not what I did want. This third step moves from the negative to the positive. I began affirming what I wanted for myself when I quit smoking. Here’s a few examples that worked for me:

1. I choose to live free from compulsions of any sort.

2. I love having choices in my life. I can choose to be free from smoke.

3. I’m a beautiful, talented woman and I choose to stay beautiful and talented. I am free from all destructive habits.

4. My life is mine to live as I see fit! I love being smoke free! My skin and teeth are beautiful and my lungs enjoy breathing deeply of healthy air. My body loves the oxygen and I grow healthier every day.

5. I love being able to run and play (basketball, soccer, any game you like), breathing easily and comfortably. Healthy oxygen fills my lungs and goes throughout my body and brain. I feel great when I exercise.

4. Affirm Your New Reality as Smoke-Free.

Once you reach the point where you are smoking less than 5 cigarettes a day, you can change your affirmations once again. They might go like this:

1. I’m free from smoke and healthy. My body loves exercise and healthy food. I’ve never felt so good.

2. I love the fact that I have choices in my life and I live my life free from smoke.

3. I feel better than I’ve ever felt in my life. It’s great to exercise and eat healthy meals.

4. Food tastes great and I’m getting healthier every day.

Please note that you are now affirming what your life IS LIKE WITHOUT cigarettes.

This process can be applied to any change you want to bring into your life.

You can change any habit by setting your long-term intentions, daily intentions and affirmations. You can put them up where you can see them every day.

And if you want to step up this process a bit, look into your eyes in a mirror as you say your affirmations aloud.

Get it down into your subconscious.

Tell yourself that you’re not lying or kidding around.

You’re serious about these changes.

5. Visualize Your Life As You Want It To Be.

Believe in yourself and imagine yourself free,

living comfortably and effortlessly with your changes .

You might want to make up a little jingle to some tune you already know, like happy birthday, and sing it as you go through your day.

If you are artistic by nature, do some art projects around the changes – make a collage, or paint a picture of yourself free of the habit, or any other art project you enjoy.

You might invent a new drink or salad that tastes wonderful.

Have fun with this part and engage all your senses.

Remember, have fun! Laugh with yourself! Enjoy your success!

When you have succeeded in achieving one of your daily intentions easily and effortlessly, celebrate! Tell people about your accomplishment and do something fun.

The more you enjoy the process, laugh with yourself as you look in the mirror, share the humorous situations that come up with family and friends, the easier and quicker the changes will come about.

6. How Long Does This Take?

How long each step takes depends entirely on you, your willingness to visualize and work with your affirmations, and to do the mirror exercises.

The more creative and imaginative you are, the less time it will take to get your desired change into the subconscious.

If you follow this process YOU WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

By changing your thoughts on a deep level, you can affect every aspect of your life and make deep changes. The secret is to be creative, imaginative, have fun and follow through. And if you find you need some help, contact someone you trust to help you through the process.

Please feel free to post your comments or questions below. I will respond to you as quickly as possible. If you’d prefer a personal response, or you’d like to order an hypnosis procedure designed specifically for you, please email me at foxfyrehypnosis@zoho.com and include your specifics and questions, or call me directly at 850.642.6400.

2010-05-24T22:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some videos for Chakra meditations. I think these are quite good.

2010-05-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

This is a phenomenal video dedicated to the waters of the earth. When you play this video, please set your intention towards the Gulf Oil Spill. The drum here is the Mother of all Drums, 7'long with crystals set within. For more information about this and other activities surrounding cleansing and caring for our water, here is an url that will get you started.

http://www.goldeneagleceremonies.com/songs/water.html

Here's the video...

This Envy/Jealousy thing...

2010-05-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

The following is a response to a friend who was concerned about her feelings about others who were successful and "more than she was". I wanted to comment about how important it is to recognize and deal with these feelings in an ongoing manner. We all have these feelings, there is always someone else in whose presence we feel small and insignificant, somehow inadequate. How we choose to deal with these feelings determines, in many ways, the directions our lives take. For example, I've always avoided those situations. When I met, or had the potential to meet, people that I thought were "better" than me, somehow, or "bigger" than me, I chose to avoid them. What a loss in my life. Many of those people would have been happy to teach and mentor me if I would have allowed it. So I want to share what I've learned and what I've done to begin opening myself up to new people and experiences. I hope you find some good information here for you too.

* * * * * * * * *

Excerpts from her posting:

Also I have noticed that i find it very easy to feel compassionate towards others who are vulnerable, weak, suffering in some way or experiencing self doubt but I sometimes find it very difficult to feel empathy towards people who feel really good in themselves, who are in their flow and being the best that they are in this moment. Often I find myself wanting to challenge them - either directly or in my own mind. It really pisses me off more when someone else appears to have found all the answers and the key to their life because I'm still looking for mine. HOWEVER this is not always the case as there are some people I've met recently who are living their soul passion and I just feel complete LOVE and RESPECT for - so I think that other things are coming into play. I am wondering about karma today too.>

My response:

Your posting really moved me, in large part because of the honesty and openness you offer us. Thank you for your trust. And I also want to add, that this is INCREDIBLE NEWS for you. You are giving yourself the GIFT of self-knowledge that will open the doors to personal change and growth. How awesome is that!!!! So regardless of any of your emotions, and they are all legitimate, also allow yourself to CELEBRATE the openness and honesty that you have cultivated in yourself. WOW!!! This is just MAGNIFICENT for you!

I really want to comment on this envy/jealousy thing because we all have it, I know I do. I also know that until I can shift those negative feelings I will not be able to achieve my goals. Some of the things I have been working with include INTENTION, setting a very clear intention of my goal to eliminate those nasties from my psyche (stating it and writing it out is recommended. This is the foundation of the work, so take your time and be sure you cover exactly what you want to achieve, because you will achieve it); GRATITUDE, gratitude that someone else is showing me the possibilities in life; FORGIVENESS, forgiving myself for not being all I think I should be and forgiving them for being more than I think I am; BLESSINGS, sending blessings to the person I'm feeling negative about and sending blessings to myself; GREETING their higher self (Namaste) allowing a deeper connection even when we are just passing by; and of course doing what I can to eliminate those feelings from my life.

You'd be surprised to find how much just shifting your perceptions can alter how you feel. It's kinda like smiling at yourself in the mirror when you are having a really bad day. It lifts your spirits in a way nothing else can. Of course, we often forget to do that. I know I do. But it does work.

And finally, clearing, clearing, clearing. I focus on clearing my chakras and other energy centers, especially the first 3 when it comes to deeply embedded emotions like these. Often, as you all know, these are longstanding from childhood and beyond. And we carry them in our belly. So focusing on that magnet deep in the earth and giving ourselves permission, over and over again, and then feeling those nasty emotions leaving does so much to improve how we feel about ourselves. I like to do this sitting and imagine that the magnet is pulling directly out of my belly, not down through my legs. (More information can be found at www.energeticnlp.com if you are interested in learning about this process)

Permission to release is a really big part of this. You may want to change something consciously, but you may be holding onto it subconsciously. So if you have a technique that can bring these into accord, use that before you begin. I use EFT when I'm feeling that split. And there have been times when I've just repeated over and over for 10 - 15 minutes, I give permission, I give permission, forcing compliance between conscious and subconscious. This is perhaps the most difficult because we live so much of our time in our consciousness that we forget what a powerful force the subconscious is. To be successful in personal change and development, we MUST GET COMPLIANCE between those parts of ourselves.

Anyway, I hope this is helpful.

Namaste, everyone... (for those who may not know what this means: the Goddess within me greets the God/Goddess within you, or love from my higher self to yours. This is a Sanskrit term and widely used in India.)

2010-04-21T19:23:00.000-07:00

Did you ever wonder how you could use more of your brain? I sure have.

I mean, if you're only using 10%, seems like there must be a way to do some truly great things with all that gray mattersitting inside your head, right?

Well, I've found out that self hypnosis is one way to tap into the power of your brain and use it for something really important -
-- something life-changing!

And I'm hooking you up with 20 of the best teachers who will show you how to bring about some pretty big changes in your life.

I never realized just how many ways self hypnosis can help. And I'm excited, because not only will I be able to take these classes, but I'm also able to share them with YOU!

For example, did you realize you can use hypnosis for things like

* Managing pain
* weight Loss
* Reducing Fear
* Improving Study Skills
* Increasing Self-Confidence
* Clearing Cluttter
* Managing Diabetes
* Improving Sports Performance
* Attracting Abundance
* Supercharging the Law of Attraction
* and much, much more.

I don't know about you, but the clearing clutter and managing diabetes really surprised me!

Well, now you can discover how to use this skill to unlock the incredible power of your mind during the 10-day online Hypnosis World Summit.

Registration is absolutely FREE, and you'll get access to all 20 hypnosis audio training sessions.

Go ahead and get registered right now so you'll find out when the classes YOU need are running.

http://www.hypnosisworldsummit.com/cmd.php?af=1176688

I'll be there, so be sure to let me know what your like best
about the calls you attend.

Thanks,
Sharon

PS Remember, this self hypnosis audio series is absolutely FREE,
but you can't hear a single life-changing class until you register!

http://www.hypnosisworldsummit.com/cmd.php?af=1176688

There Are Changes In The Air

2010-04-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

There are changes in the air - changes relating to our relationship with ourselves. It is imperative that we dive down deep within ourselves to discover who we really are and why we are here. Did we come here to accomplish something? to change attitudes? to explore the new realities?

Yes, there are changes in the air - and we are being called to a New Reality within ourselves, within our DNA, within our deep consciousness, beyond and behind and above and below our egos and the ego directed actions that have fueled our lives for the last two millennium.

Yes, there are changes in the air - changes in the way we think and perceive the world. We are learning to let go of our desire to control and hide our emotions. We are learning to feel our way into the New Paradigm of the coming Aquarian Reality. We are learning that we are not required to DO ANYTHING, but we are learning to BE ALL THAT WE CAN BE. This is a profound shift in perspective.

Yes, there are changes in the air - we are all responding to these changes, whether in love and joy, or fear and anxiety. Do we want to continue allowing our fears to dictate our realities? Or are we ready to move into the Truth of Love and Joy? This is a decision we are each called on to make.

Yes, there are changes in the air - we can see and feel these changes by the social disruptions we are experiencing across the globe. But perhaps they are most evident to us in the political disruptions that are occurring in the US. How do we choose to live in the future? In a world based in fear, hate and separation? Or in a reality based in love, caring and communion?

Yes, there are changes in the air - and we are wise to look towards these changes and prepare ourselves. We have been given, by so many sources, the tools that we need to bridge the past and the future. It is up to each of us to decide, for our free will is sacrosanct and will not be trespassed upon for any reason.

Yes, there are changes in the air - and we stand at the crossroads. Do we take the right hand path that we know and perhaps feel comfortable with? Or do we take the left hand path that opens into a future that we can only glimpse right now in our dreams? Do we have the courage to take this less trampled path?

Yes, there are changes in the air - it is time to set your intentions to become all that you desire, to clean your inner house of fear, hate, anxiety, stress... This is, after all, Our Future. We chose to be here at this time to experience this reality, and to put our own unique stamp on it.

Yes, there are changes in the air - and we are no longer alone trying to figure it all out. We have others now that guide us, open doors for us, show us a new Dynamic of Being that will be appropriate in this New Beginning. Many of the old masters words and actions are returning with new understandings. And there are many new masters awakening and coming forth. It is an exciting time to be alive and involved in the changes.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. You are a wonderful, unique individual and the world needs you now.

Please enjoy this offering from YouTube based on Eckart Tolle's teachings.

A Beetle's Ditty

2010-04-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a cute way to lift the Blues from your life. A delightful rendering of the Beetle's Classic, All You Need Is Love. Enjoy...

Learn about EFT

2009-08-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a great video from Gary Craig's website, www.emofree.com. Check out this video and his website for more information on this incredible life-altering process.

2009-04-04T10:19:00.000-07:00

Perception and Hypnosis

Once upon a time, when I was a child, I was having a disagreement with my mother. I think I was about 4 or 5 yrs old. I don't remember what the fight was about, but most likely it was about my doing something I didn't want to do because she told me to. I was really the independent one when I was little. About the only thing I remember about this incident is my mother saying to me in a very forceful, loud way, "you can't win. I'm the only one who is going to win in this family."

Now if you were to ask my mother about this, she wouldn't remember it. She was not trying to do anything except get a recalcitrant child to behave. But what I heard went deep into my subconscious and there it stayed. Periodically it would replay when it looked like I was on the verge of winning or becoming successful. It would rise up in further "discussions" with my mother and I would simply give up and not argue. Instead of speaking my truth to her, I shut her out and shut my truth down. After all, what difference did it make if I was just a loser.

Did I hear what my mother said? I heard that I was a loser, that I couldn't win. I heard that the one person whom I looked to as my refuge considered me a loser. I heard that it was hopeless, regardless of the situation, I couldn't win. There was nothing I could do because I didn't deserve to win. I wasn't good enough. And on and on... over the years my subconscious embellished it as I went about proving this belief, unwittingly written on my wall, as true.

Now I was an extremely bright, very talented child. I was musically oriented and artistically inclined. I was excellent with math and science, and fascinated by genetics, psychology, literature... I painted and danced, I played the violin, the cello, and the piano. I designed faux stained glass windows. I was extremely creative. But it only went so far. Once I began to feel successful I would quit. And when I finished high school, I went to work, not to college, not into the arts, not into further studies. I went to work. Why? Because my subconscious heard something once upon a time that became a solid belief that functioned at a deep inner level to designate what was safe for me to do. And being a winner was not safe. So I self-sabotaged.

Why am I telling you about this? Certainly not because my experience was unique. Quite the opposite. My experience IS the norm. This is how our internal, subconscious beliefs are formed. And these beliefs then inform our lives. Was my mother at fault? Only in so far as her comment was not well thought through. Do all parents make comments like this? Probably. I have never met anyone who claimed to have a perfect childhood. There are always some issues, whether mild or severe, that are brought into adulthood and lie underneath all of our experiences. Sometimes these beliefs hinder us, sometimes they seem to goad us into trying harder and harder.

We all have these beliefs. Gary Craig, the founder of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), uses the metaphor of a blank wall. The child comes into this life a blank slate and parents, society, friends, culture, movies, games, teachers, everyone the child comes into contact with, has the power to write on those walls. Of course, the people who are closest to us and with us the most, our parents, teachers, families and friends, have the most impact. And as these beliefs become embedded, we lose any awareness that they are there. But even if we don't know about them, that doesn't mean that they have no impact on us. Quite the opposite. Some of those beliefs are so deeply engrained on our walls that it becomes difficult for us to even be aware that the writing is there, let alone to try to erase it. I think of it like a fish trying to understand its life in the fish bowl. Without any experience of "outside" the bowl, he has nothing to compare it with, and so we might imagine that the fish thinks everything he sees is part of his fishbowl. We'll come back to this metaphor again.

So one day I'm working away and the words flash across my mind, "why are trying to do this? You know you can't win." And for the first time I really "hear" this thought. I might then ask myself, "where did this come from?" and I may hear the answer, "mom said so". Ah, now I know that something isn't right in my psyche. At this point I have a choice: I can forget it and refuse to deal with this particular inner dialogue, or I can choose to take it out and start asking questions. And it is this choice that almost always is the trigger for self-development and self-exploration. Psychologically, this is considered cognitive dissonance. I know that I'm intelligent, I know that I have many talents and aptitudes, and I know that I "should" be successful. But I'm not. I can't win. What's up with that?

Well, now that I've allowed this awareness into my conscious mind, I have more choices to make. I can choose to rationalize and justify my situation, ie, my mom should know. She knows me better than I know myself. Whatever she says must be right. After all, I've never won before, why do I think this time is any different? As I justify and blame, I dig my rut even deeper, because now my consciousness is cooperating with my subconscious beliefs.

Another choice I might make would be to start asking some questions about this belief, questions like why is this so? is this true? I could choose to ask my mother about it and see if my perceptions are indeed correct. Did she mean that I couldn't win anything? or just that particular argument?

Another choice I might have would be to simply acknowledge the thought and say to myself, "but I know that isn't true" and get on with life. Not too many people can manage this one.

There are many ways, probably as many ways as there are people, to handle this type of internal dialogue. But the truth is that usually these dialogues become self-fulfilling prophecies. Because I believe it to be true, I create those situations in my life that will confirm that it is true. Each experience justifies the belief. For most people, the self-fulfilling prophecy just keeps on going and going and going and.... they can't find a way out of it by themselves.

Supposing that I am now aware of this dissonance, and supposing that this dissonance makes me uncomfortable enough to want to bring about a change in my life, I have a number of different approaches I can take to this problem.

I can go see my MD and talk with him about how I can't make sense of anything. His choices are fairly simple - he can refer me to a psychiatrist who will most likely put me on some kind of meds to take the edge off, and will then proceed to have weekly meetings with me so we can discuss the problem and work it through;
I may choose to see a psychologist who will have weekly meetings so we can discuss the problem and work it through;
I can find some psychological self-help books that may or may not provide good answers for me;
I can find a certified, experienced hypnotherapist, who can guide me through the process of locating the issue, resolving the issue and forgiving those involved.

The first three choices are very good choices and I would find some relief through each process. However, these processes take a lot of time and money. The last process, however, is usually quickly accomplished, usually within 4-6 sessions depending on the individual's commitment to change.

A good hypnotist can help find a way through the maze of core beliefs that have been written on our walls. We can go in and erase those walls, turn the fire hose on them and wipe them clean.

2009-01-12T10:01:00.000-08:00

Meditation for Healthy Cells

Here is a meditation that I put together to help folks focus on developing a healthy body. We cannot keep giving our bodies negative thought energy and expect it to be healthy and wonderful. If you want to be healthy, you must be aware of your conscious thoughts and change them. This may seem like a never ending process, as when we change one negative thought, another one emerges from our subconscious. And that's OK. That's Wonderful. It tells us that we are indeed having an impact on our bodies and minds. So give this a try, become aware of what you tell yourself, and change that negative thought for a positive one of love and gratitude. Our bodies and cells do so much for us each day and we need to be aware and loving in return. Happy trancing, folks...

Meditation for Healthy Cells

Lie back in a comfortable chair (not the bed, you'll just go to sleep) and let the stress and tension leave your body. There are several ways to do this.

**You can tighten each muscle group, hold it for a few seconds and really feel the constrictions, then release the muscles and allow deep relaxation to move through the muscles.

**You can breathe deeply, all the way into your abdomen. Deep breaths that resonate throughout your whole torso. As you breathe in, visualize ease and peace entering your body; as you exhale, visualize all the stress and tension leaving. You might use colors here - your favorite, most relaxing color on the inbreath, and perhaps a dark gray, or murky color on the outbreath. You can also imagine smells or sounds. Whatever is easiest for you. Breathe slowly, counting to 4 as you breathe in, 4 as you hold the breath, and 4 as you exhale, 4 as you hold the emptiness, and then repeat. As you begin this process you will probably count fairly quickly, but as you practice you will find that you can go more slowly, and this will help you relax more deeply (the more stressed you are, the more difficult it is to get control of the breath. But keep working at it, it will come).

As your body relaxes, begin to thank your cells for everything they do each day. Thank them for their willingness to seek absolute health. Then begin to thank all the different systems, the lymphatic system, the musculature system, the endocrine system, the hormonal system, the digestive and eliminating systems (extremely important systems), and don't forget the circulatory system with special focus on heart and blood, and all the other systems that are essential to maintaining a healthy body. Focus on the ability of each cell to communicate with the others in its own community.

When you are done, again thank your body for being the vibrant, healthy being that it is. Let your gratitude for the wonderous experience of this body and this life fill you up until you feel as if you will burst with it. Then release it into the World, that deep gratitude expanding to everything around you, your personal energies, your wealth, your home, your family, then on out, into your community, and so on.

The object of this meditation is to let your body know that each individual cell is valued and loved. I've spent most of my life taking my body for granted, but this does not create health. Loving yourself, loving each cell of your body, is extremely important. You cannot go through life telling yourself your ugly or fat or too short or too tall, not acceptable in any way, and expect your body to stay healthy and happy. So try this meditation in conjunction with the cleansing process and you will be amazed at the difference you will find in your sense of health and wellbeing.

If you are ill or have physical issues to contend with, do not allow these to get in the way. DO NOT PUT ANY ENERGY AT ALL INTO WHAT YOU DON'T WANT. I dare say that there is already enough energy going to these issues throughout each day. Just focus on the beauty and joy of being in your body AS IF IT WERE IN PERFECT HEALTH AND ALIGNMENT. If you do this every day for at least 5-10 minutes, and preferably 2x a day, you will begin to feel a distinct difference in just a few weeks. Another easy tip to change your health: say a prayer over your water and energize it for the health and wellbeing of your body. After all, your body is about 70-80% water. If you are unaware of the wonderful properties of water, please check out Dr. Emoto's website -

http://www.masaru-emoto.net/english/e_ome_home.html .

You can do this for your food by saying grace, not just before eating, but also while preparing the food, asking that it be energized for optimum health and wellbeing of your body, mind and spirit.

Ok, I'd better stop here. I can just keep going on and on and on and on.....

Here is a video on cleansing...
www.cleansedforlife.com

If you are interested in learning more, please check out my website:

www.sroutledge.isagenix.com

And feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

2009-01-10T10:21:00.000-08:00

Anything Can Be!

While taking a shower this morning, I found Shel Silverstein's poem running through my head. This poem is my favorite of all time. I believe it's from his book, WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS, but it could be from another. I don't remember anymore. I just remember this poem. I used to read it to my kids all the time. Anyway, I wanted to share it with everyone. So here it is:

Listen to the musn'ts child,
Listen to the don'ts.
Listen to the shouldn'ts,
the impossibles, the won'ts.
Listen to the never haves
then listen close to me.
ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN, CHILD
ANYTHING CAN BE.

On that note, I hope everyone has a wonderful year. And remember, Anything Can Be!

WHAT IS HYPNOSIS?

2009-01-07T14:24:00.000-08:00

Hypnosis is a naturally occurring state that everyone experiences every day. It is simply a state of being very focused on something.

When you are watching a great movie and you really get into it, you are in a heightened state of focus. When you read a good book and lose yourself in the plot, you are in a heightened state of focus When your kids play a video game and they are so engrossed they don't hear you tell them to come for dinner, they are in a heightened state of focus.

In other words, when you focus so intently on something that the "real" world fades into the background and you're not aware of it anymore, you could be said to be in a trance or hypnosis. This is a state of high suggestibility. Whatever you focus on goes directly into your subconscious.

This is a naturally occurring mental state similar to hypnosis that we all move in and out of at various times during the day. Some of these times might include:
*meditation and prayer
*reading a good book
*watching a good movie
*playing video games
*exercising intently/in the Zone
*participating in sports
*highway driving
*listening to a good speaker
*getting lost in thoughts
*laughing with our friends
*and many more.

We easily and comfortably shift in and out of the hypnotic-like state whenever we do something we truly enjoy, we focus closely on a task, or we move into "the zone". A good tennis player, it can be said, is in a state of self-hypnosis when she focuses closely on her game, her opponent, and the ball. The same can be said for the basketball player standing at the free throw line. He needs to narrow his focus to the ball and the basket. And when he does this, he is in a state of self-hypnosis.

In fact, some people say that "all hypnosis is self-hypnosis".

Can I be hypnotized? Everyone is born with a natural talent for hypnosis. The process of focusing is an innate ability. It is one of the traits of being human. Watch young children as they are learning and playing. They focus so clearly on what they are doing that often times the rest of the world disappears. They can go into their own minds and imagine the world exactly as they want it to be, and be completely unaware of their surroundings. Ever wonder why they can't hear you when you call?

There are some things, however, that block our natural ability. As we grow up, we develop certain ideas and beliefs from our parents, teachers, friends, culture... These beliefs may or may not be true, but if we believe them, they are true for us. Before the 1400's, people believed the world was flat. They made decisions based on that belief. Because they feared that they would sail off the ends of the earth, they didn't explore the world as they might have until someone was ready to challenge that belief.

We have personal beliefs that function the same way. One belief might be that you cannot be hypnotized, and if you believed that, you are right. It would be very difficult to hypnotize you until we worked through the fears and erroneous thoughts about what hypnosis is. But that doesn't change the fact that the potential for hypnosis and all the wonderful benefits of being in the hypnotic state lies still within you. It is simply a matter of tapping into your talents.

You may also have tried hypnosis before and been told by the person trying to hypnotize you, that you can't be hypnotized. When someone tells you this, it indicates that they are not very competent as a hypnotist, not that you can't be hypnotized. Everyone has the potential for hypnosis; there may be unconscious blocks or an unwillingness to allow the relaxation. Some people are so used to being stressed and tense that when they begin to relax they feel threatened and uncomfortable. This can successfully block the process.

Once again, hypnosis-like states are natural to everyone, and each person can choose to allow hypnosis to happen or not. If someone is resistant to hypnosis, it usually indicates that they do not have a clear understanding of hypnosis, or they don't trust the hypnotist, or they are uncomfortable with the situation... there are as many reasons as there are people. We've all had experiences that make us reluctant to try something as different as hypnosis. But that doesn't matter because we can always learn and change. That's what hypnosis is all about, after all... the ability to change and grow.

What does Hypnosis feel like? Have you ever meditated? Been deeply relaxed? Of course you have. And this is exactly what it feels like. It is very similar to that deep feeling of relaxation you get as you are drifting off to sleep. When your body relaxes deeply, it can feel like you are floating on a cloud. You might get a pleasant tingle sensation in your body which is simply a result of the relaxation as your muscles release their stress. Your blood pressure drops and you feel like you are just drifting along. It is the same feeling you get when you are slowly waking in the morning, and your mind is drifting on pleasant images, and your body is so calm and relaxed.

Many people get the same benefits through prayer. When we are focused on love and appreciation, when we allow the love from our Creator to flow through us, we can experience tranquility and healing.

In our modern world, it can be very challenging to find tranquility and peace. Hypnosis, and eventually self-hypnosis, is an excellent way to take yourself out of the hustle and stress. And it has an added benefit: you can make changes in the problem areas in your life while you relax and release the stress. It is life enhancing and for some it can be life saving.

TRY THIS EXERCISE: Take a deep breath, a really deep breath, all the way down into your abdominal cavity. Breath slowly in to a count of 4, then hold the breath for another count of 4, then slowly release the breath to a count 4. Count as slowly as you are comfortable with your breath. Visualize the stress leaving your body as you exhale, and imagine tranquility entering your body with each breath you take in. Do this for 5 breaths, allowing yourself to relax more deeply with each breath. You have taken the first step towards self-hypnosis. And doesn't it feel GREAT?

The hypnotist made me do it! We are all aware of the fun and merriment evoked by stage hypnotists. It's all good fun, but it seems like they are able to "make" people do things that they wouldn't normally do. Nobody wants to be made a fool of in front of a huge audience, Right? Well, not really. Many people really enjoy having a good excuse to act "the fool" and entertain others. It's fun, and they like being the center of attention.

The stage hypnotist is an expert at spotting those people who are highly suggestible (easily hypnotized) and want to be the center of attention. Being able to pretend that they are not in control, they can do silly things and entertain others without being held responsible, and this makes some folks very happy.

An example might be a post hypnotic suggestion. While in hypnosis, the hypnotist tells the volunteer that when he hears the word, "yesterday", he will have an irresistible urge to waddle across the stage and quack like a duck. After bringing everyone out of hypnosis, the word "yesterday" is worked into the stage patter and all of sudden our volunteer jumps up and starts waddling like a duck, quacking over and over, while he struts around the stage. Our volunteer is having a great time.

However, the volunteer will not continue to do this when he is no longer on the stage, as it would not be appropriate. The post hypnotic suggestion is NOT stronger than the volunteer's good sense.

There is a down side to stage hypnosis. Many people come away thinking that all hypnosis is stage hypnosis. This couldn't be further from the truth.

When you go to see a reputable hypnotist, you will discover that she wants the best for you, not to make a fool of you. The well-trained hypnotist will be looking for ways to help you help yourself. Properly used in a therapeutic setting, the post hypnotic suggestion can carry a big impact on the process. Instead of grabbing a cigarette, for example, the client may find herself grabbing a tooth pick, or taking a walk. What an awesome change!

Will I give up my self control? Some folks have a concern that when they are "asleep" the hypnotist can make them do things they wouldn't want to do. They are concerned about being taken advantage of.

First of all, let's get rid of the notion that being in hypnosis is like "being asleep". Nothing is further from the truth. Just as if you were focused on a great book or movie, you are awake and alert.

Even though the hypnotist has contact with your deep subconscious, your conscious mind always remains awake and vigilant, like an overseer of your experience. You are always in control of what you say or do. All hypnosis is really self hypnosis, with the trained hypnotist acting as the guide to help you resolve your issues. The client is ALWAYS IN CHARGE, the hypnotist simply guides and shows the way to the issue's resolution.

An example might be someone who wants to quit smoking. At least that's what they say to family and friends. But if they truly enjoy smoking and are not ready to give it up, no amount of coercion will make them stop. A hypnotist can make suggestions and work on the deep seated reasons for smoking, but if the smoker wants to smoke, she will.

What about secrets, you ask. Will I be forced while hypnotized to tell my deepest, darkest secrets? Of course not. Hypnosis is not a truth serum, it can't make you say or do anything you don't want to do regardless of the bad movies out of Hollywood. Most of the time, the client will simply not respond to the hypnotist if she doesn't want to share.

However, what I've found is that most people truly desire to cooperate and release the issue that brought them in. So as long as the client understands why the hypnotist is asking certain questions, she is usually more than happy to cooperate. But if signals get crossed, the client can and will become unresponsive. Hypnosis is a cooperative venture, after all, not something that someone "does" to someone else. To work together as a team requires trust and cooperation from both participants.

How does hypnosis work? When you are relaxed and in a focused state, a trained hypnotist can bypass the conscious mind and talk directly to the subconscious. This is where deep, lasting work can be achieved, for the unconscious is where almost all of our thoughts, actions and beliefs originate. So, for example, if you want to quit smoking, the hypnotist will make suggestions directly to the subconscious, letting the subconscious know what is needed and why. This information comes from the pre-hypnotic discussions between the client and the hypnotist. The client will have agreed on the goals and the language used will be a reflection of the client's words.

Back to our smoker: if the reason for desiring to quit is because she is pregnant and she is thinking of the health and wellbeing of her baby, this is a very powerful motivation. The hypnotist will include this in discussions with the subconscious and will endeavor to change the motivations arising from this part of the client's consciousness. Often, after these types of experiences, the subconscious will totally shut down any desire or need for a smoke, since the reasons for quitting far outweigh the reasons for continuing.

But why doesn't this happen without hypnosis? It does. However some people need a bit more help than others. Some people have a strong will, but even they may find that they are always struggling with the issue. Whereas someone who has sought help through hypnosis, may not have any lasting issues to struggle with. Their concerns and desires have been eliminated. With a well-trained hypnotist, the client can deal with these issues once and be done with them.

So how does this work? The hypnotist relaxes the client into a deep state of hypnosis or trance, and with the help of the client's conscious mind, suggestions are planted deep into the subconscious. The subconscious evaluates the worth of these suggestions and the reasons they are made, and accepts them. The behavior that flows from the subconscious to the conscious mind is now altered, and the behavior can be easily changed. Our smoker no longer feels the need or desire to smoke. This may take several sessions to reinforce the changes in the subconscious, but once accomplished, it is done.

What can hypnosis help me with? Hypnosis can help with just about anything you need help with, depending on the training of the hypnotist. Hypnosis is excellent at changing limiting beliefs such as fears. These might include fear of flying; fear of spiders, snakes, etc.; fear of public speaking; fear of heights; fear of water; and many more fears that can be crippling for an individual.

Life requires that we face our fears everyday, and for most of us it isn't a problem. But for that businessman who has to fly for his company, a fear of flying can be catastrophic. And the woman who is afraid to leave her house, will not be able to live a normal life. If a promotion depends on public speaking, it could be tragic for the executive who is afraid to be on a stage. Too many of us live with fear every day and we keep silent about it for fear of ridicule. Why should we live this way, when there is relief in just a few sessions?

So what else besides fears can hypnosis help with?

As we have already mentioned, behavioral issues such as smoking. It c an also be used for:
**Weight Loss
**Study Habits
**Test Anxiety
**Sport Enhancement
**Bed Wetting
**Nail Biting
**Reading Anxiety
**Stress Relief
**Headache Relief
**Dental Phobias
Some hypnotists work with doctors to provide their clients with relief for chronic pain. Others focus on natural birthing without pain or drugs, and dental phobias. These providers have received special training in these areas, so be sure to ask your doctor about pain free dentistry, childbirth, chronic pain relief or other medical concerns.

And finally, hypnosis can be used for help with anger and rage issues.

Can hypnosis help my golf game? Anything that requires focused attention can benefit from hypnosis training. Just imagine how much better you could be if you learned how to focus in on a task, and then allowed yourself to follow through. In any sport, once you have trained your body to do the work, the next step is letting go. By that I mean allowing your conscious mind to get out of the way. This is wonderful for the student who has studied and now must pass a test, and for the athlete who has trained her body and now must get out of her way and allow it to do the job right.

When the golfer is preparing for the putt, when the basketball player prepares for the free throw, when the soccer goalie sees the game coming to him, these are the times when we need to be able to turn off the self-sabotaging talk in our minds and just let our instincts and training take over.

Is this difficult to do? For some, most definitely. Have you ever done something and just have it flow? ...like "being in the zone"? Another time you might try to do the exact same thing, but it gets fumbled. No zone there.

Through hypnosis you can learn to shut off the inner chatter and get with the NOW moment. This makes all the difference when it comes to success, whether in the sports arena, academic fields or the business world. Often we are our own worst enemies.

For the individual in sales, or running a business, being able to get your inner chatter out of the way will allow you to do what instinctively you know is needed. This is a boon beyond imagining.

Hypnosis can give you the edge over the competition. When its one on one, and the outcome is entirely up to you, you need to be able to focus on the task at hand and see it through. Whether a free throw or a run down the soccer field, a tough sales call or a meeting with the banker, preparing for the SAT or taking a history test, it is important to be on target and focused. Through hypnosis and other techniques, you can learn to quiet the chattering mind and allow your physical and mental training to shine. THE STAR WITHIN YOU CAN SHINE AT IT'S BRIGHTEST.

What are some of the benefits of Hypnosis? Every day we face stress, in our jobs, with road rage, finances... Stress doesn't just disappear because we ignore it. Stress tends to build up in our bodies and create more stress with physical and emotional ailments.

One of the greatest gifts that hypnosis offers is the ability to take mini vacations. By learning and using self-hypnosis every day, you can learn to relax and release the stresses that we experience. 15 minutes set aside once or twice a day just for some deep relaxation, can do more for your health and well-being than just about anything else you can do. Just like petting your dog or cat, taking a few minutes to yourself and letting go of the stress in your muscles and mind can be very healthy.

For the budding young genius who is stressed with those exams several times a year, learning to relax while studying and before the test can be a huge boon both for success in school as well as personal and emotional well-being.

Self hypnosis allows you to take charge of your life in a new way. Sleep better, retain what you learn, feel more comfortable with yourself, take the edge off the stress of living in our modern world. There are many benefits to hypnosis, but perhaps none so powerful as for our young people who can learn to take control of stress BEFORE it becomes established in their bodies. School issues can carry over into the future and keep our children from being all they can be. Our children deserve the BEST, so give them the tools they need to build a more successful, powerful life for themselves and their future families. HELP THEM BE THE BEST OF THE BEST FOR ALL OUR TOMORROWS!

What should I look for in a hypnotist? One of the first things to look for is a hypnotherapist who is certified. This means that they have completed a training program that has been certified by one or more of the major hypnosis organizations, such as the National Guild of Hypnotists, American Board of Hypnotherapy, International Association of Counselors and Therapists, among others.

It is important to make sure that the person you choose to see has appropriate credentials and has been appropriately trained. Don't be afraid to ask where she was trained and what organizations she belongs to. You can look these organizations up on the internet and verify the requirements to join.

While there is a requirement for certification through one of these boards, an excellent therapist may not necessarily have a college degree. A good hypnotherapist does not pretend to be a psychologist or psychiatrist although a psychologist or psychiatrist may also use hypnosis. The hypnotist should understand her limitations and be willing to work with your therapist or medical doctor, if necessary, to achieve the benefits you seek.

Many hypnotists work with medical doctors and dentists on many issues. Chronic pain, childbirth, anesthesia, fear of the dentist, are just a few. Some hypnotists train specifically for the medical arena.

The hypnotist's qualifications for the work you are seeking is the #1 priority when selecting a hypnotist. Some hypnotists have large offices and wellness centers, while others have home offices. Again, this has little bearing on the hypnotist's qualifications. Their training, certification and experience are what tell the story about their qualifications to be of assistance to you. And remember, the work you do with a hypnotist remains absolutely confidential.

Current Research Findings about hypnosis:

According to: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
*As of December 2004, there are more than 5,000 clinical research studies having to do with hypnosis and its benefits currently being conducted worldwide.
*As of December 15, 2004 results from more than 3,000 clinical research studies are available showing positive benefits from hypnosis.

In an ongoing pilot study being done by the University of Florida counseling psychologist, Paul Schauble, preliminary results show hypnotized patients with hypertension are more easily able to make lifestyle improvements that can lower blood pressure.

18 separate studies found that patients who received cognitive behavioral therapy plus hypnosis for disorders such as obesity, insomnia, anxiety and hypertension showed greater improvements than 70 percent of the patients who received psychotherapy alone.