Tag: The Shift

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Stop, Look, and Listen – Then What?

I am participating in a 28 Day Shift program called The 28 Day Shift To Wealth, by Beca Lewis. It is a wonderful program for me; because I love the daily bite of perception Shifting that keeps me on track for the rest of the day. Five or ten minutes of pushing the “reset switch” on my point of view, and I have a better chance of staying in the proper state of mind for the rest of the day.

More than five or ten minutes, every day, my attention starts to wander. Sundays are my day for hours and hours of Shifting, luxuriating in the Wonder of it all. Hence, the Sunday Morning Sermon. (I digress – my apologies. Back to the point.)

I am currently on Day Ten. Day Ten focuses on Angel Ideas. Day Ten focuses on how to tell the difference between Angel Ideas and thoughts. Here is what I noticed this morning during my reading.
We have a tool that Del and Beca taught us in The Shift – it is called POL. Pause, Observe, Listen. Rather like Stop, Look, and Listen that Dick and Jane taught us as children (well, some of us, anyway! I hear Dick and Jane have been replaced in kindergarten and 1st grade.)

So here’s the deal – what if we walk up the sidewalk to the street crossing and Stop, Look, and Listen? What if we stand there and Stop, Look, and Listen? What if we stay there? How does that work? Yes, we have paid attention. Yes, we have observed. Yes, we have listened for oncoming traffic. Well, once we pause, look both ways, and listen for oncoming traffic, aren’t we supposed to do something with that? As in, cross the street safely? Wasn’t that the purpose of that particular instance of Stop, Look, and Listen?

There is an additional word at the end of POL and Stop, Look, and Listen. ACT. Angel Ideas, and the A in WEALTH, stand for Action. In the assignment, Beca says, “…You are also writing how you feel about each Angel Idea or thought…” That’s the key, I think. The Action required is to observe how you feel about each Angel Idea or thought, which will identify which one it is, and which will Allow you to follow through with the appropriate Action. Or not. The key, for me, is how I feel about that idea or thought.

Which means, I had an idea; I wasn’t sure whether it was an Angel Idea or a thought; I Paused, Observed how I felt about that idea, I Listened for my knee jerk reaction, and realized that it is an Angel Idea, and I took Action by writing about it!

If you are interested in reading The 28 Day Shift to Wealth, go here.

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Why We Miss The Mark Sometimes

“Life isn’t a support-system for art. It’s the other way around.” Stephen King

I am a results oriented person. My preference is to see the outcome of something in order to understand its significance, or my contribution to its significance. I need a reason. I need to see what is commonly called tangible results in order to feel like I am actually doing something at all useful.

There is so much clear, irrefutable evidence today to support the scientific theory of thought based reality, that we must reasonably consider it as the truth of our being. That’s a problem for me. Even though I believe it.

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” Napoleon Hill

One of my earliest mantras, that. And in recent years, I have learned a new one, that speaks to me as nothing ever before;

“What we perceive to be reality magnifies.” Beca Lewis

That’s a problem for me. Even though I believe it and agree with it.

In times of confusion or stress, I often find myself going back to old reading material to give myself a starting point to clarity. I’ve been studying philosophies of life for more than thirty years, so I have a LOT of old, valued reading material. And when it comes to books, I’m kind of a collector – my library accepts deposits, but doesn’t allow withdrawals!

So why is that? Not about the book collecting; I get that! But why do I go back to my old reading material sometimes?

Because, my friend, I am a results oriented person. And when I agree and believe that the world is thought based, there is nothing ‘tangible.’ There is nothing to see, nothing to blame, nothing to heal, and nowhere to turn except to my own reflection for ‘results.’ And that is, sometimes, very often, quite often, usually, difficult to accept.

When I know that what I perceive to be reality magnifies, I know that literally everything around me and everything I am feeling is generated from my own point of view. These are the results. What is going on is the result. Therefore, there is really nothing to heal, nothing to blame, nowhere to turn except to the actual view I am seeing. The view is the result.

Quite a reversal for me, the results oriented person.

Because if everything is the result, then what do I do????

That’s when I go back to the old reading. Look at some of the stuff that is the “dangerous resemblance” of reality just to have something to object to! I read, I love what I’m reading and then all of a sudden I realize, “Hey, that’s not true! It’s close, it’s wonderful, I would love it to be true, but it’s not, because it gives me something outside of myself to do, and that’s not where it’s at!

Turn it around, Turn it around, Turn it around!

So, I am still a results oriented person. My new exercise is giving up self-blame. Because the new illusion that crops up is, if everything is thought based, then I’m responsible for everything.

Ah, a new thing to stroke my results oriented ego! Feels pretty good, feeling that miserable! Or, it feels pretty good, feeling that wonderful! Depends on what the world is looking like today!

So go back to the old reading. “It’s not your fault,” I read. So it must be somebody else’s? No, wait, there is no one else, there is Only One. Oh dear, it must be my fault!

And then, I see it. Again. If only for a flash of a moment. There is no fault. There only Is.

“What we perceive to be reality magnifies.” Beca Lewis

Perceive, not create. Perceive, not believe. Perceive, as in think up, which we do based on what we already know, which is putting a spin on what we see, which is what we believe.

I am a results oriented person. I like the opportunity to stand back and enjoy the result of what I have done, either myself or as a team member.

So the only thing I can do is stand back and look at my world, recognize that it is all in my head, and enjoy it. And keep practicing.

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
…. [Dumbledore] “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

And if it means occasionally looking at the old “dangerous resemblance,” well then, so be it!

PS – some of these terms new to you? Visit perceptionu.com for information on how to join us at The Shift!

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Turning Things To Thoughts

I have often grappled with the concept of misperception. I always feel like I’ve done something wrong! In the Spiritual sense, I guess I have, but I don’t like to do “wrong,” so it’s an uncomfortable place for me to be.

This morning, I found a different way to look at the idea of person, place and thing. It isn’t comfortable, but it’s less uncomfortable than walking around feeling like my old view of “sinner.”

We see things as person, place, and thing in the human view because that’s the way we can understand it. Remember Bruce Almighty? He had a heckuva time keeping up with that omnipresent thing!

Well, here’s how I framed it so my human point of view could understand it a little better.

Example – take the quality of Order. I give up the old habit of disorder, and Choose Order. Which reflects itself through me as being orderly, neat, clear in my choice of words and communication, whatever. Perhaps it’s another person who has the habit of disorder that shows me my old habit of disorder.

As I focus on Order, that “person” starts to be more orderly, because that “person” is only displaying what I think of him or her, and I think of him or her as Order.

Perhaps that person does NOT start reflecting Order to me. That person gets angry and leaves.

Either way, my point of view starts to reflect Order rather than disorder.

Am I happy that the “person” started to show Order? Yes, thrilled!

Did I make that “person” clean up his or her act? Absolutely not.

Am I unhappy that the “person” got angry and left? Yes, I’m sure I am, because I Love that person (doesn’t matter whether I know them or not, in my Spiritual sense, I know only Love.)

However, I must let them go, if that’s what they choose to do. The quality of Order is natural and habitual and Loving in my Life. And I know that I am not alone as a result of them leaving. The only thing that left was the perception of disorder.

Made it a little easier to understand the perception/misperception concept, and the idea of detaching from the outcome.

Hope it helps you, too!

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Are You Conscious?

We live in a contradictory world. At least it seems that way. For every action, there’s a reaction. For every deed, there’s a consequence. Even if you choose not to act at all, there’s a consequence to that. You’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. Sound like familiar comments, experiences or thoughts?

Let me use a specific example. In my profession, accounting, I deal in income and taxes. Here’s the question I get; “How do I maximize my income and minimize my taxes?” It’s the taxation version of “I want to have my cake and eat it, too.”

It’s also a way to subconsciously choose to base my income on what the government says I should have. Did you ever think of it that way? Because if you earn money based on what your tax liabilities are, you are earning based on what it will cost you, not what you can joyfully earn.

I have different questions for you.

Are you doing what you choose to do, or are you choosing to do what somebody else chose for you to do? Are you conscious of the difference?

Are you conscious of the reaction, consequence, result of whatever you are doing?

Are you consciously living your life?

Most of us are pretty much NOT. Because the world moves very fast, we are busy with daily tasks, while worrying about the next thing we’re supposed to do. Our lives are filled up with a tight schedule of “to dos.” And in order to keep up with the schedule, we run through our days on a sort of auto-pilot, and measure our lives at the end of the day by how many things we crossed off our lists. We even tend to spend our vacations that way! Rest as hard and fast as you can! Hello?

But are we conscious of what we are doing?

I’ve got a little secret for you. An accounting secret.

If you are conscious of what you are doing in business, you already are maximizing your income and minimizing your taxes. Because you are conscious of the taxes related to your income. Because you know if you “do” something, you will either benefit from a tax deduction, or not. Because if you are conscious, you know what the tax laws are, or ask someone who does know, and act on that premise. And, with that knowledge, you can choose to focus on earning, not cost. And, you will have enough to pay those taxes when they come due!

Conscious. Conscious choice. Intentional action.

You are conscious of what you are doing.

I’m conducting a five week class called “Intent” starting next Thursday night, January 12, 8 PM Eastern Standard.

It is NOT about taxes. Yes, I know I’m busy right now with taxes, but this is more important than that.

This class is what helps me to stay focused on doing my job, whatever it is.

This class is about becoming aware of what you love in life, and then consciously choosing to focus on your own actions instead of reactions and consequences. This class is about establishing direction and action consciously.

Taking this class helped me become conscious of what I was doing, so I consciously chose to learn how to share it with others. And now I consciously share it which helps me to stay conscious of what I am choosing to do.

Can you tell that becoming “conscious” is a key to this class, and really, really important to me?

Go here to learn more and register.

It’s a very small class. Only five people in the class, for five weeks. It starts next Thursday. And it only comes around once a year.

So go now and register.

In the meantime – consciously do what you do!

The one with the clearest Intent prevails.

P.S. – we talk about God in this class. Not religion, but we talk about spiritual awareness. If that really turns you off or makes you uncomfortable, please don’t register.