Fear Archives - Page 3 of 4

Friday Focus – 1/19/18 {The Photographer’s Lens}

Photography is very big in my life. I love capturing the beautiful soul I see during portrait sessions, and particularly love the special family moments, the in between as I like to call it, during family sessions. While I don’t do nearly as many sessions as I used to years ago, I still love it when old clients ask for updated photos.

Earlier this week I was noticing how, as humans, it’s incredibly easy to focus on the minutiae. Our focus tends to be on ONE thing, and when I say ONE thing, it’s hyper focused on that subject and moves on to the next when we feel like we’ve resolved (aka controlled) it in some way or another.

And I thought to myself, what if we zoomed out?

How much of this precious life, this day, this landscape are we missing by zooming in? What if we took a step back (for those of you that are used to primes) and saw the bigger picture? Just how much meaning of the bigger picture does this “one” thing end up having?

Oftentimes we forget. We forget how much grandeur, mystery, beauty, and synchronicity there is to life.

We forget just how much beauty there is everywhere, including our own selves.

Can we zoom out today? And begin to appreciate the bigger picture? What other beautiful mysteries might we be missing?

I hope we find out.

In wellness,

Susan

Photo by Alvaro Araujo Alcalde on Unsplash

You Must Desire Change For Change To Take Place

I admit – I’m a podcast junkie. Wait, I’m an information junkie.

Anytime there’s a car ride somewhere I’m most likely listening to a podcast, expanding my perspective and knowledge on anything from biographies, entrepreneurship, spirituality, yoga, marketing, and so much more. And in my spare time reading on any of the mentioned topics as well!

The other day I was listening to a talk on marketing and they were explaining techniques on how to grab a potential client’s attention in order to get in front of them, especially in this day and age where people’s attention are so limited (or so that is how time is perceived).

While I understood where and how this technique can be useful, in my line of work I realized this particular technique only works if one thing is already present… and that is – the person’s utmost desire to change and whether they have an open mind.

At the end of the day the person themselves must desire the change so much they see all and each of their endeavors & experiments as a step toward the change they seek.

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes it takes persuasion or the right words to instigate the change but the core desire must come from within. That way even if the product or service did not work 100% the outcome is a learning mechanism or viewed as a positive experience due to its other tangential benefits.

Before I close the post I wanted to touch on one of these tangential benefits – serendipity, fate, or how your life can change completely, whatever you want to call it, it’s happened to me many times. Let me explain.

Years ago, I was intrigued and fascinated at how our minds can be so malleable. How in the right circumstance, time, and moment our entire perspective on life can shift. This was the power of NLP and I wanted to learn more.

So I went down the path of reading and listening to all things NLP. However, being the type of person I am I wanted to learn directly from someone who has a greater knowledge and depth around this subject rather than trying to piece meal information together on my own. I needed to learn how it worked and why.

I found someone who I thought would be perfect.

Fast forward some time later, I quickly realized I needed more. It wasn’t enough.

Long story short, I eventually found someone who would then recommend me to their teacher and my mind was BLOWN.

You see, sometimes you need to follow the breadcrumbs. Was I slightly disappointed by the first experience? Sure. But I remember thanking the experience. I remember telling myself that there had to have been a reason and that something later on would confirm this was meant to be.

And I was right. Had I not encountered that first experience I would have never met people who would become good friends in the industry nor would I have gone truly deep enough to incorporate this life changing modality into my own work.

I still continue to immerse myself in the world of NLP. #nerdalert

So there you have it. True desire for change must come from within in order for change to take place. It will be this deep knowing that allows you to know whether or not you’ve made the change or to thank the experience and look for what it is you need.

In wellness,

Susan

Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash

Loving The Contrast

When we’re in the muck… you know, the parts of our lives where we want to ignore, numb, or just wish time would speed up so we can get to the happy bits, is a place I’ve learned to honor and cherish (cherish seems to be a theme this week!).

You see, I call this part of our lives Contrast.

Why have I come to love Contrast so much? Oh, let me explain the ways… 🙂

Contrast is when we feel something other than at our center, our true, deepest self. When we feel any form of emotion that is other than Love, say, fear, anxiety, anger, depression, etc., this is an opportunity for Transformation.

I’m not saying we just skip all the work and tell ourselves, “I’m now in a place of Love and everything is ok!, no, far from it. But, when we can become aware of the Contrast and truly thank it, we can now do the work to understand where transformation is needed.

It’s much harder to ignore, push away, numb, or be in denial of what we are truly feeling deep down in our state of Contrast. Wait harder? YES. No one tells us that the fastest and easiest way to rise above Contrast is to go through it!

When we come to terms and are willing to do the work, we are entering into a state of deep transformation. We are saying Yes to the deeper part of ourselves that wants to be seen and loved.

Can you name a time when a situation or emotion presented itself over and over again, yet you just pushed it away hoping it wouldn’t come back?

I wish someone had told me in my teens and 20s; unfrotunately, the situation and/or emotion always came back, and now, I thank the Contrast for allowing myself to open up to deep and radical transformation so that I can do the work now.

And on that note, how much better does that feel energetically?! Rather than pushing it away, doesn’t stepping into it provide a much higher vibrational state? A curiosity even?

While there is the nuances of timing, readiness, and willingness that may need consideration, the next time you find yourself in Contrast try looking at it with curiosity… you never know what deep truth is waiting for you.

In wellness,

Susan

Photo by Caleb George on Unsplash

There Is No Order Of Difficulty In Miracles

“There is no order of difficulty in miracles.”

~A Course In Miracles

This post will be short but hopefully it’s importance and truth will impact you nonetheless.

Have you ever felt a miracle? Felt or seen a complete 180 and wondered how did that happen? Perhaps you were witness to a miracles by a family member, friend or co-worker. Or perhaps you know deep down that you’ve experienced a miracle before in your life but have lost faith in miracles appearing in other areas of your life.

A Course In Miracles says there is no order of difficulties in miracles. So how can we believe in miracles but not have faith in one specific area(s) of our lives? Remember, the mind cannot believe in both, it only believes in one.

Which belief is running dominance in your life today? The one of miracles or the one of fear?

Take careful inventory of where you have doubt, worry, and fear in your life. Write it down, burn it, and declare faith in miracles and surrender all outcome. When has doubt, worry, and fear every worked? If you look back in your life wasn’t in complete surrender and blind faith when new doors opened or things magically worked out?

This post may be slightly different than the NLP based posts but the one thought of having a split mind (believing in both fear and miracles, which doesn’t exist by the way) struck me so hard this morning I needed to share and remind – If you’ve ever believed in miracles then you know it to be true in ALL areas of your life.

What miracle are you waiting for?

In miracles,

Susan

Sharing Your Voice

“Yes, but there are hundreds of people already doing this.”

“But aren’t blogs dead now?”

“I don’t know… what does it matter if I share X when it’s been said a hundred times?”

These are all reasons why NOT to share your voice. Actually, let me clarify: these are all reasons your FEAR would have you not share your voice, isn’t it?

I’m sure it’s happened to us all where you read a book, or listened to a podcast, or even heard your friend say something to you that inspired him/her, and suddenly a light goes off inside that sparked an inspiration so deep it got through to the heart of you. Or maybe you saw a movie that tugged at your heart… only to later find out it was a re-make of a book written 15 years ago.

Well, guess what? It’s been said before but it was the energy, the likeness, the word choices, the person that got through to you…

As A Course in Miracles says, everybody is a teacher to someone and that someone is a teacher to someone else.

Let me be the one to remind you today – your voice is unique. The world needs you!

Who are we to dim our light and be so arrogant as to say we shouldn’t share our voice anyway?

When we do it for the higher purpose of spreading the light the answer is easy isn’t it?

So I encourage you, don’t dim your light. Share your voice when needed. It doesn’t have to be in a big or loud way, it can be in your small actions, a gesture, speaking up for someone, being kind… the ways are endless but it starts with you.

Here’s to being a little more brave and vulnerable, and trusting you have something to offer. Because trust me, you have an impact.

In wellness,

Susan

Are You Giving Away Your Power?

Are you? Are you aware of how often you give away your very own power? Are you aware that your power is limitless and no matter how empty you feel, you can feel on top of the world in an instant?

When we aren’t conscious about it, we give away our power in so. many. ways.

Case in point:

Someone is rude to you and you feel offended. I mean, how could they?!
You’re trying to make a coffee order and the server treats you halfheartedly while smiling enthusiastically at someone else. Really?
The customer service rep doesn’t seem to respect your situation. I can’t even…
Your boss/client says something in passing and you can’t seem to stop thinking about what they said. What’s wrong with me? Am I a failure?
It’s a month into your new diet and the scale doesn’t seem to agree. Why do I feel like a loser?
A beautiful, young woman seems to have everything going for her while you happen to be in your rumpy old work out clothes. Don’t go there, don’t go there…

While these may not all apply to you, the point of the examples above was to reflect the ways in which we give away our power so easily. To others, to objects, and yes, even that small anxious voice in our very own heads.

The first step in harnessing our own power is simple yet requires training and discipline.

It’s self realization.

Have you actually tried to count the ways you give away your power in a single day. I bet you’d be surprised at what comes up 😉

Try it! Set an alarm each hour and track the moments of the past 60 minutes in which you felt annoyed, depressed, stressed, or worried. At the end of the day, you may notice an overarching theme or two… or three.

You see, most of the “why’s” in which we give away our power stems from old beliefs or anchored fears. What do I mean by that? Here are a few examples:

I’m never good enough
People don’t respect me
What if I don’t make it?
I’m not loveable
I’m emotionally weak
I appear to be too powerful
People don’t listen to me
I get sick too easily
People always seem to leave me
I’m “fat” or I’m “too skinny”

This list can go on forever… that’s how smart and powerful our minds are. If we aren’t careful we can be chasing this wild rabbit for YEARS.

I can’t tell you enough how many people begin to expand their own awareness once they realize what their overarching themes are.

Once you realize what old beliefs and anchored fears are holding you back you begin to step OUT of the story and IN to your own power.

For the most deeply rooted fears and limiting beliefs there are several techniques that can be used to help offset the years of patterned behavior which I hope to write about soon. But for now, try the 24 hour journal. Get to know your self in a way that will change your life forever.

In wellness,

Susan

Do You Believe in Miracles?

Have you ever experienced a miracle? Something that completely changed your life in an instant?

What I’ve seen over and over again (and I love witnessing this in my own life as well) is that once you believe in miracles you naturally begin to live in the present moment. The surrendering has already begun. The magic is already happening.

There comes a moment when you can’t seem to handle the fear, worry, stress, dilemma (whatever is causing suffering for you) and you almost, in defeat, let it go.

That’s the beautiful part.

Suddenly you sense a lightness. And you realize it was never in your control anyway. It was never yours to begin with. How funny is that?

Our minds are powerful. And unfortunately (or fortunately) you can’t believe in two things. You can’t believe in fear AND believe that miracles can occur. You must choose one or the other, and for as long as you are trapped in your own fear, there can’t possibly be a way to witness a miracle.

That’s when you allow the down to be down. Don’t resist, just let it be. Because the sooner you relinquish control, the sooner you come to realize control isn’t the answer.

Life can be funny, but what I’ve come to realize as truth, is that it’s all perspective and beliefs at the end of the day.

What lens are you wearing today?

What driving belief is charting the course of your past, today, and subsequent future?

Choose wisely my friends. Be conscious and spend some time with your inner most wisest self.

In wellness,

Susan

When You’re Stuck In Fear

Oftentimes when working with clients we come across a situation, and it could be the most mundane situation, and yet the mind can’t seem to loosen it’s grip on it.

Whether it’s from a traumatizing experience, or perhaps the client is already in a stressful situation, or maybe it’s hitting a very sensitive part of the client’s soul – a part of them that needs X to feel secure and safe.

Regardless of how hard the grip is we have to remind ourselves that our brain is programmed to behave this way thanks to how smart we are and the years of repetitive Miracle Combo’ing we do.

What is the Miracle Combo? MC is when you behave in such a way that actively engages the thought with a rush of feeling & emotion throughout the body while repeating this action until it begins to groove a new path in your neural network. It’s the Miracle Combo I’ve seen work over and over again whether you use it to define a new, positive neural pathway or hard-wire a negative pathway.

But back to fear. We need to realize fear is nothing but:

a familiar state we innately have within us
a state that needs to be acknowledged, not pushed away
a state that is trying to protect us

When we objectively look at what is causing us fear, it is typically not even in present RIGHT NOW. It is typically a future state our minds wander to and gets stuck with repetitive thinking.

Fear becomes bigger in our minds because it suddenly becomes the pure focus of our attention. Remember that phrase, “what you focus on grows”? Well, it’s true. So in order for this not to get any bigger than it actually is you need to acknowledge the fearful state and accept it. Instead, what most people do is try to control the fear, not think about the fear, or fix the problem.

Thankfully there are several NLP techniques and coaching frameworks (a hyper focused awareness session is one of my favorites for calming the mind and inducing beta/theta states) to help each individual person identify what works best for them when it comes to their unique fear. For one person it may be simple as shifting their unconscious attention by way of bilateral stimulation, or perhaps it’s tapping the meridians as a way to release stuck energy, or using self hypnosis to speak to the unconscious mind.

If you’re stuck in a fearful state just know there is a way to peace. Let this be a reminder to you that your LIGHT is much bigger than any fearful thought. That your fear is nothing but a small part of you that wants to seek and be in Love. That this fear doesn’t define who you actually are.

You are light. You are divine. You are whole. You are always held by something so much greater than we can possibly imagine.

With love,

Susan.

Finding Your Voice When Presented With Too Many Options

Are you ever presented with too many options? Where every choice seems like the right choice? Or maybe two choices seem like they can go in either direction and you’re actually OK with one or the other?

What’s a person to do?

The easiest way to make a decision comes down to one question: Are you doing x out of Fear or LOVE? What tugs at the depth of your heart just a little more?

It’s much too easy in these times to get caught up in a story, the past, the future, technology, other people, and the 100 million other things on your to do list. When I’ve put off making a choice because I’m in analysis mode (left brain), and not in feeling mode (right brain), this simple question always brings me back to center when it’s crunch time, Fear or Love?

For me, choosing LOVE makes it very clear in finding my truest voice. I drop into what’s real and what *was* the facade naturally fades away… pretty quickly too! Other questions that help bring clarity when it comes down to making an important decision?

⚘ Who am I overly considering in my choices?
⚘ What feels lighter and brighter?
⚘ What is serving Love?
⚘ How can I serve the most amount of people?

All that said, what truly matters is making the one, small step. It’s the only way you’ll get more data to make the next small step.

I’m curious, how do you find your voice amidst the storm and voices in your head?

In Love,
Susan

Powerful Questions Pt. 4

Oftentimes I feel scared. Really scared. And then I realize feeling scared means that I’m taking risks. And risks are so much better than the alternative – staying small, wouldn’t you agree?

With that said Day 4 of POWERFUL QUESTIONS are all around Fear. If I said Risks (Day 3) were one of my favorite topics then Fear has got to be a good second. So here we go:

? What fears are controlling you today?
? Are they the same fears from the past or are they new?
? How do these fears hold you back?

So much of the juiciest parts of our lives happen when we take action to overcome our fears, but first we need to identify what they are. With mindfulness, NLP, and other techniques, you can break through the fear to live the life you’ve been only thinking about! How amazing is that? Oftentimes what controls us are only the pictures and projections that go on in our HEADS. Yup, not even reality 😉

As hard as it may be, take some time to get comfortable with your fears! After all, they aren’t going anywhere until we bring them to the light… ❤