January 15, 2008

Attention Please   "Learn to become still, and to take your attention away from what you don't want, and all the emotional charge around it, and place the attention on what you wish to experience...Energy flows where attention goes."  Michael Bernard Beckwith   That's worth repeating, "Energy flows where attention goes."  What you focus on expands.  You have experienced this.  Remember the last time you bought a car or were thinking of the car you wanted.  Everywhere you turned on the roads or highway you saw the car you wanted whiz by.  Co-incidence or not?  Your attention was on that car and suddenly everyone in the Universe owned the same car.    The same applies to life.  What you focus on is what you attract into your life.   Have you ever been drawn into a group of complainers?  They moan and groan about the weather, the traffic, their illnesses, the high cost of something or other, the amount of work they have to do, how they have to do everything themselves because no one is pitching in, how they can never save any money, and how the world is against them.  The list is endless. And, before you know it, you find yourself in the middle of the group, complaining with the best of them. The emotional charge around all this negativity has you fired up also.  Guess what you'll be attracting into your life?  Everywhere you turn you will find something to be negative about.   You do have a choice in where you place your attention and I challenge you to keep it on the positive.   Focus on health, not sickness; solutions instead of problems; today, and not the past regrets of yesterday; abundance rather than lack; joy, not sorrow; success verses failure; and wealth, not poverty.  Remove yourself from the naysayers.  Fire yourself up with positive energy and use it to create the action steps and the attitudes that will get you what you want in your life.   Tough to do, you say?  Try these tips to hone in your attention. 1.      Become aware of where you are placing your attention. 2.      If it is on the negative and you want to dwell there, then give yourself permission to dwell for only a few minutes.  Do your complaining and moaning and get it out of your system. 3.      Then refocus and switch to problem-solving mode, action mode, and attitude check mode. 4.      Make it a game that on this specific day you will speak, think, and act positive. Your attention is to be focused on all the good you want to experience.  Let it rub off on your co-workers and family.  At the end of the day, notice how you feel.  I bet you're energized. 5.      Remove yourself from the naysayers.  Do not give them any space in your world.   Where are you placing your attention?  Pay attention. Energy, be it negative or positive, will follow.  It's your choice.        "It's OK to notice what you don't want, because it gives you contrast to say, 'This is what I do want.'  But the fact is, the more you talk about what you don't want, or talk about how bad it is, read about that all the time, and then say how terrible it is - well, you're creating more of that."             Jack Canfield   "We can always choose to perceive things differently.  You can focus on what's wrong in your life, or you can focus on what's right."             Marianne Williamson   "Energy is the essence of life.  Every day you decide how you're going to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach that goal, and by maintaining focus."             Oprah Winfrey   "Everything that you are against works against you.  Everything that you are against can be restated in a way that puts you in support of something.  When you are able to state what you are for rather than what you are against, you are focusing on the potential for positive change.  Once that is in place, you will find whatever you are focusing on expanding."             Wayne Dyer        It has been a week of moaning and groaning for me.  I admit I've given my rants more than a few minutes a day.  I did say it was tough, didn't I?  I've had too much on my plate, too little time, several setbacks and disappointments, and just that overall feeling that something has to give.  As the new week approaches I'm turning my attention to what it is I do want rather than bemoaning what is not working well.  Action steps will get me there.  Forward on!   I spoke last week to a group of eighth grade girls at our local middle school about self-esteem and confidence.  I remember all too well being that age and struggling with fitting in with my peers.  So it was fun sharing with them the insights I've gained over the years through my experiences, my studies, and my coaching.    Self-esteem, confidence, abundance, positive thinking, and the law of attraction - they're all intertwined.  Moreover, weave them into your action steps and ride the energy.   Have a fantastic week and attention please on what you want in life.   Stephanie   P.S.  Coaching can help you jump start your year of abundance.  Interested? E-mail me.         We grow by "word-of-email" so please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone whom you think might benefit from and enjoy it. Thanks so much! Contact Us: stephanie@7steps2abalancedlife.com