Change Your Luck - Change Your Life!

 Wow! Someone once called Michael Jordan "lucky!" To me, that is truly incomprehensible. However, he chose to address the comment with a classy statement of truth. He simply agreed and said, "Yes, and the more I train, the "luckier" I get!" He is known for crediting the number of shots missed and games lost as the keys to his success. He kept on going. He had the determination and the dedication needed for high performance in his sport. Michael Jordan is a great role model for all of us as we seek to continue to grow, change, and improve our lives whether our goal is high level performance enhancement or to take better care of our bodies. It doesn't matter if your goal is related to your health, your career, your finances, your relationships, or pursuing your passion. When it comes to "luck" - success leaves clues.

Here's what I call the ABC's of what it takes to Change Your Luck and Change Your Life!

A - Affirm Your Intention

I like to use the word intention as opposed to just talking about goals. The reason for that is, for me anyway, the word intention helps me to tap into the energy behind the goal. For example, if someone comes to me for help to lose weight - that is the goal, but the intention is quite different. The intention is related to what the person most wants to experience as a result of making positive changes. The intention behind the goal to lose weight is very personal and varies, but generally includes such things as wanting to feel better in their own skin, to have more energy, to lessen the associated health risks that come with excess weight, to be able to be more active and to enjoy time spent with family, etc. Essentially, the "big picture" intention is that the person just wants to feel better and to feel more in control. An empowering intention is always stated in the present and captures the essence of what is most important. Coaching can definitely help you get clear about your deepest intentions.

B - Build the Habits You Need to Succeed

If you want to achieve anything in life, you will need to take action and take it consistently. One of the best ways to take consistent action is by establishing good routines and habits. Just like smoking is an unhealthy habit, exercise is a healthy habit. A habit is something that you have done over and over again so many times that it becomes familiar and somewhat automatic. A deeply ingrained habit is like a program that is the default setting in a computer. That's great if it's a good habit, but troublesome if it's a bad habit. The good news about habits is: If you can make it; you can break it! Habits can be changed. You can rid yourself of habits that no longer serve you and create new habits that will take you in the direction that you want to go!  It's simple, but not always easy. That's where coaching and hypnotherapy can be especially powerful tools for change.

C - Cultivate Confidence

In order to succeed, you need to have confidence in your ability to achieve your goals. This means, you must possess the confidence that you have what it takes to do what you know you need to do and perhaps most importantly, to keep going when the going gets rough. You have to be resilient and have a sense that what it is you want to achieve is not only achievable, but also is available specifically to YOU! That is really important. The belief that you can't do what needs to be done or can't have what you want will lead you to abandon your goals in the beginning stages as soon as something goes wrong. That's when you have the propensity to look at challenges as evidence that "it wasn't meant to be" or "it wasn't meant for me." As Marisa Peer, a well-known hypnotherapist always says, "You make your beliefs, and then your beliefs make YOU!" Confidence is an indispensable ingredient in the success formula. Even if you don't possess that quality now, confidence can be cultivated!

As the month of March draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the areas of my life that I have changed and need to change. Spring is a great time to renew and refresh your energy and your life. The idea to write about luck came to me for a variety of reasons, including the saying about "the luck of the Irish" and as you may notice from the photo, I am Irish ;) But the main reason I thought of it is that I have needed to implement the steps above so many times in my life. One of the most amazing examples was years ago when I wanted to increase my business. I really needed to shift my mindset and as "luck" would have it, I listened to a fellow hypnotherapist, Wendi Friesen, discussing the topic of luck and leading the group through a hypnosis session to improve our luck. It was pretty amazing. Shortly after the session, I had the idea to call the health and wellness reporter at one of the major news networks in Cleveland to ask if they would be interested in doing a story on hypnosis. Well, they were and they did! In fact, the story was over 6 minutes long! I was also featured on other TV shows, radio, and newspaper. How's that for "Lucky?"

Had I not affirmed my intention, built the habits needed to succeed, and cultivated confidence in who I am and what I do, none of that would have happened. I had a holistic approach that enhanced the energy/vibration that I radiated, shifted my mindset, and inspired the actions needed to meet my goal. If I can do it, so can you.

Yes, YOU CAN and I can help.

Blessings!

Mary Ellen 

 

Fool's Gold: A Goal as a Hole That You Dig

We are indeed a goal-driven society. From education, to career, to money, and all forms of success, goals are touted as the be-all and end-all on the road to achievement. Not only must goals be formulated, they must be written down succinctly and be SMART: specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timed. (There are different ways of teaching the acronym. This is the one I have taught and followed myself.)  Goals must also be periodically reviewed for progress and re-evaluation. In pursuit of our goals, we must remember that there is no failure, only feedback. And on and on goes the "coach speak" with regard to getting anywhere in life. The motivational strategies are research-based and proven to be effective. So...the message is, "Keep on keepin' on..."

But wait...!!! I have followed these formulas to the letter. I have done all I can with regard to pursuit of my goals. I am motivated. I am determined. In fact, in many cases, I have achieved the goals. Sometimes my success has been greater than I expected. My ego is stoked. My ego has been stroked. I am happy. At least for now...

Then Boom, Crash, Zap, Poof...That happiness is gone! Now what?

Back it up...

Goal setting is indeed a powerful process in climbing the ladder of success, but as it has been said, you need to be aware of where you choose to place that ladder. Otherwise, you will get to the top and simply find yourself trying to maintain your excitement and your balance on the highest rung with perhaps nowhere to go but down. That's why we all need to dig deeper to uncover our highest intentions. Otherwise, what seems like climbing the ladder of success becomes tantamount to digging ourselves into a proverbial hole. The more we try, the more we spin our wheels, the more we find ourselves stuck. It is at that point that we may become deeply embedded in the false belief that life is not fair and that all of the positive things we have read, heard, and been taught must be the ramblings of the chosen few who can afford to preach such rubbish from the comfort of their ivory towers. Lest we lose heart, be assured, there IS another way.

Many of our goals are likened to fool's gold. We dig, and we dig, and we dig our heels in further until we at last have that glistening lump of gold that we thought was a gem in our worn and blistered hands. We paid the price. Here's the prize. Oops. Not so fast. The shiny object is indeed worthless and our efforts are for naught. We only wanted the real thing. Not a cheap imitation.

Here's where we can claim the true power of manifesting our heart's desire. In order to manifest your heart's desire, you must KNOW what it is! In order to know what it is, you must be open to receiving this information. In order to be open, you must soften your stance. In order to soften your stance, you need to be present. In order to be present, you must cultivate a degree of inner peace. In order to cultivate inner peace, you must be willing to align your personality with your soul. In order to align your personality with your soul, you simply have to know and trust that it is the highest part of you that always seeks to manifest the highest good of all concerned, including you. In order to know and trust your soul, you need to choose to connect with the Great Power of the Universe that is Your Source of Being. And that brings us to the "Good News." You are already connected to Your Source.  Your Source is Pure Love and all that is Go(o)d. You are a Spark of the Divine. Therefore, there is only One Power, One Way, One Intention, and that Intention is to BE the Love that you are and seek to express that Love in all that you do in an ever-evolving upward spiral. Just choose Love and your goals, whatever they may be, will be backed by the Power of the Universe for your Best and Highest Good - all the time - Guaranteed!

So, behind all of the glitz and glamour of the image of climbing the ladder of success, you may find a multitude of haggard laborers digging deeper and deeper holes that lead them nowhere but into greater darkness and isolation. That is the aftermath of the goals of fear: Fear of failure, fear of lack, fear of being unworthy, fear of _________________________(fill in the blank). Even if you manage to reach the goal through the sweat of your brow, that same brow is soon furrowed as you ponder your next move. Surely, the next goal will be "it."

The lesson here is simply this: Beware of a goal that stems from fear no matter how noble it may appear. A goal motivated by fear will weaken and disappoint you every time. It is the ultimate fool's goal that leaves you exhausted and discouraged. You truly have a choice in this matter - no matter how far you have come or how far you feel you have left to go. You can now choose to have access to the fuel behind any goal you may set, whether it be a wellness goal such as weight loss, a career goal, a financial goal, etc. The form that your goals take will be as individualized as your journey itself. Ultimately, it is not the goal that matters. It is what fuels the goal that determines your destination as well as the quality of your experience along the way. And that, my friend, is all you really need to know. The power of your intention is the power behind your goal and you have the power to choose. 

Start now - Tap into the Ultimate Power of the Universe. 
Begin in Love.
End in Love. 
And just watch how that one decision changes everything in between.

Namaste.
It makes me smile to hold this vision for us all. Go in Peace, and Love, and Joy.

As always, I trust that these words will find their way to the right people, at the perfect time, and have the intended impact on the lives and hearts of my readers for the best and Highest Good.

With Blessings, Love and Light,
Nurture U