The son who wasn't in the refrigerator

I promised to tell you the story of the man whose son wasn't in the refrigerator, so here goes.

He was in the Take a Load Off! class, and we were just introducing ourselves.  "What do you do for a living?" I asked.  "Look at me!" he said with a laugh, pointing at a girth that was probably about 100 pounds more than he needed.  "I'm a chef.  And actually, I'm in the refrigerator about every 15 minutes.  That's my problem."

"Tell me about the rest of your life," I invited.

"Well, I have a 9 year old son," he said with a smile.

"Yes?  And what do you like to do together?"

"Well, he likes to go hiking."

"So where do you two go?"

He pointed to his stomach.  "Look at me.  I can't take him anywhere.  I'm too big to hike."

I didn't say anything else, but the energy of his feelings about this must have penetrated, because the next week, he was all smiles.

"I was thinking about what you said," he started, and I smiled because I knew he had done most of the talking.  "And a few days later, I was in the refrigerator for the 10th time that day and all of a sudden, I had an epiphany:  My son wasn't in the refrigerator! So I got the ingredient I needed, and closed the door without eating anything.  Then I went out and bought these."  He pointed to a brand new pair of hiking boots.

"I've walked around the block several times now," he said proudly.  "And my son is walking with me.  We're planning a trip next spring, and I'll be ready."

Sometimes, energy flows best when we focus on what we want, not why we can't have it.

I'll be out of town for a couple of days; more on Wednesday.

Until then, live Fullistically! (TM)

Clearing the way for happiness

Tonight I'll share the true story of another woman in our Take a Load Off! class.  She was carrying around about 25 extra pounds, but that wasn't what was really bothering her.  "I'm a supervisor in a nursing home," she said.  "I love my job, but I hate it when some of my staff don't show up for work and I have to put in a second shift to cover.  I'm no stranger to long hours, but I haven't had dinner with my husband in ages."

"I see.." was all I said.

The next week, she came back with a huge grin on her face.  "What's up with you?" I asked.

"Well, I was thinking about what you said," she started (making me smile because I knew I hadn't said a word; she was just--or finally--listening to herself).  So I went in to my supervisor the next day and said, 'I want a demotion to being a floor nurse.  And since I'm senior staff, I get to choose which shift I'm on.  So I choose first shift.'  And ever since, I've been leaving the home at 4PM every day.  I've had dinner with my husband every night this week, worked on some projects I'd been putting off, and called our kids.  I've never been happier in my life.  And interestingly enough, because of my seniority, the pay cut is minimal.  We'll never miss it."

It was clear that she had taken a huge energetic load off.   Fullistically(TM), there are three ways to break through a stuck energy barrier:  1) do the thing you think you cannot do;  2) make a wish, including one from deep within your heart; or 3) change your perspective, and discover (likely) that what you were looking for is right where you are now.    For those who have difficulty meditating or releasing, Fullistic(TM) shifts are active ways to discover that you are more and can do more than you ever thought possible.

Tomorrow:  the son who wasn't in the refrigerator

A clear vision of happiness

Tonight, I wanted to share with you the energy of happiness.  It makes anything possible.

A real estate agent contacted me about using energy to build his practice.  "I gave myself 6 months to sell my first house," he said.  "Well, now the six months are up, and I've run out of savings.  I need to make a sale fast, or I'll be in serious trouble."

"Well, that's the problem," I said.  "You should have told yourself that you'd sell a house within 60 days."

"Too late for that," he said.  "Now what do I do?"

I could hear the fear in his voice, and knew that his energy was blocked, which meant that there was no possible way for anything he wanted to appear in his experience.  So I asked,

"What would you be doing this weekend if you'd already sold a house?"

"Oh, that's easy," he said.  "He'd be at my brother's house, swimming in his pool with my nephews."

"And that would make you happy?" I asked.

"Sure!  I'd be on my way to establishing a successful practice, and would be able to relax and enjoy myself with people I love."

What I said next surprised him.  "So go."

"Go where?"

"To your brother's house.  To the pool and your nephews."

He laughed.  "Don't be ridiculous!  I have to stay here and try to close some deals."

"If you do that," I warned, "you'll only be preventing those sales, because you're so worried about making them.   Go.  Have fun.  And when you come back, things will be better.  You'll see."

He went, although he didn't want to.  At one point during the weekend, he dove deep into the pool, and said he experienced a few moments of true release and weightlessness under the water.  He came to the surface, breathed deep, and felt restored.  In other words, he released all the tight, negative energy he was holding, and that was holding him.

And when he got home?  There was not one, but two messages on his answering machine from clients ready to sign.

The Fullistic(TM) lesson?  Know what makes you happy.  Think about it.  Welcome it.  Live it as much as you are able.  The energy of all worlds will be yours.

Tomorrow:  Making Fullistic(TM) choices

Take a Load Off

I once taught a weight loss course called "Take a Load Off!" that used the mind/body connection to help people lose more weight by gaining more happiness.  Over the next few nights, I'll tell you a couple of stories from the class.  Feel free to ask questions about your own weight loss if you'd like.

Take a Load Off! worked on a very simple premise:  the more happiness you gain, the more weight you'll lose.  And the "weight" might not be in pounds or kilos.  Sometimes it was the weight of an old limiting belief or the weight of a fear that was holding someone back.  People hate to lose anything, but they love to get more.

So together, we explored ways of bringing more and more happiness into life.  And one woman said she wanted to lose about 30 pounds so she could feel good in a bathing suit again.  As she told the class this, she was eating a large bag of chips.  So I said, "The bathing suit really won't bring you happiness."

"Oh, yes it will," she insisted.

"No, it won't,"  I said.  "But eating the chips does."

"Don't be ridiculous!" she said.  "Eating chips doesn't bring me happiness."

"Of course they do," I said.  "Why eat them if they don't?"

She crunched into another chip.  "Go on."

"Let's make this easier.  You want to eat the chips right now because that's what you're doing.  It's just plain silly to say that you don't want to do something as you're doing it.  Stop arguing with your reality.    Right now, you don't care if the chips aren't a diet food; to you, at this moment, they're a good food, or they're doing something good for you.  Maybe they're keeping you awake with their crunch.  Maybe they just taste good.  Maybe you need the calories or the salt or the fat.   Maybe they're a reward for a bad day.  Maybe you just feel like being a 'bad' girl.  It doesn't matter.  Somehow, some way, they're making you happy.  Can we agree on this?"

She nodded.

"So if you want to eat them because they make you happy in some way, then eat them.  But instead of saying that you're unhappy doing something that's making you happy, say instead, 'Eventually, I'd like to lose enough weight to wear my old bathing suits.  But right now, I'm happy enjoying these chips."

"What's your point?" she asked.

"The point is that resistance causes you stress.  Stress releases cortisol.  Cortisol makes your body store fat.  So you'll actually do more for your metabolism if you eat the chips mindfully, enjoying the taste, texture or even the feeling of being a 'bad girl.'  Just relax, be happy, and enjoy.  No guilt; no self-recrimination; no lying to yourself or us."

"But they're still no good for me," she said.

"Well, there are obviously better, more nutritious foods," I said, "but if this is what you need right now, choose it, own your choice, and then make the decision work for you.   Maybe this will prompt you to eat a few more vegetables or fruits later.  Or it will give you enough energy to clean your house or walk your dog a little longer.  Who knows?

"But this I can promise you," I said:  "As the saying goes, 'what you resist, persists.'  So stop resisting.  Without the resistance, you'll have much more control over what happens next."

She took a deep breath, sighed, and picked up the bag.  "Good," she said.  "Tonight, I'm eating these.  And tomorrow, I'll decide if fitting into that bathing suit will really make me happy."

"Good!" I said.  "And get ready, because you might find that something else holds the key to your happiness.

In the end, she resonated more with the choices she was making than with particular foods.  She started looking for other things she enjoyed doing, and you guessed it: her energy increased and she lost weight.

Tomorrow:  A clear vision of happiness

Fullistic Work

Last night, I mentioned that I'd share a story about energy and work.  When our energetic bodies align, amazing things can happen.  For those of you new to the subject of energy bodies, you have 7 total of ascending vibration.  You are most familiar with your physical body, which is the most dense of the bunch.  It is surrounded by your etheric body, which carries information into the physical form.   Next is your astral or emotional body, which helps you experience emotions before you feel them physically.  The mental body is where thoughts first form after the causal body shares its knowledge from your higher self.  Your highest  bodies are your spiritual body, which helps connect your physical body to spirit, and your spirit body, the universal creating power.  Another way of putting this is that God or source wants to express itself through and as you, and the energy bodies allow that to happen when we don't block the flow of energy.

How do you know when the energy of these bodies align?  In my experience, it's when you feel good (e.g., peaceful and comfortable) and things work out perfectly.  And that's what happened to Maria.*  (*name changed for privacy)

She was looking for a job, and came to see me to hear more about mine.  I wasn't interviewing her; just sharing ideas about what the work entailed and how she might get into the field if she wanted.  I expected her to be eager and excited; instead, she seemed completely lackluster, and was dressed more for a beach than an office.  When I asked her what interested her in my field, she said, "Oh, well, our daughter is going to college and we could use a little extra money."  Clearly, it was not for her.

Our discussion was brief, and as she went to leave, I offered her my business card, and she did the same.  When she handed me hers, I was stunned:  it was the most beautiful card I had ever seen.  It was colorful, clever, graphically exceptional, memorable.  "Where did you get this card?" I asked.  She smiled:  "I designed it."

I pointed to the portfolio she was carrying.  "What else do you design?"

She brightened up and took on a whole new glow.  "Rugs!" She said enthusiastically.  "Want to see them?"

Within seconds, what lay before me were floor coverings that belonged in high-end homes and museums.  They were symphonies in wool; vibrant, compelling, rich.   I looked her straight in the eye.  "What are you doing talking to me?  Go create and sell your rugs!"

"Oh!  You're right!" she said excitedly.  "I guess I just needed to hear someone say it."  And with that, she packed up her portfolio and practically ran out the door.

The end of the story is glorious.  She went home and started selling rugs out of her home.   Before long, she had a showroom in an international design mart.  She recently got a commission to create a rug for a celebrity, and installed one in a governor's mansion.  

She's not on her way--she's already there.  And that's the "magic" of Fullistic(TM) alignment.  It's when you experience your Great-FULL-ness; when energy pours through you without blockages of doubt, despair or indifference.

What do you keep zipped up?  What love are you hiding?

Tomorrow:  Taking a load off

(TM) is the designation for Trademark.  All rights reserved.

Love will make it happen

The energies of love are very powerful, and bring things together in wonder-FULL ways.

Friends of ours recently lost their son to an unexpected medical event.  He was deeply beloved by all who had the good fortune to know him.  The loss was horrific not only for his wife, children, parents and grandmother, but for the entire community.

Now living 300 miles away, I wished I could do more for the family than simply send a tribute and prayers.  I asked about them continually to anyone I thought might know them, and felt them in my heart often.   When we received an invitation to a party we thought they might attend, I was elated.  But in the end, a blizzard made travel impossible, so we never made the trip.

Then, this past Friday, I was having lunch with a colleague and client at a place I don't normally dine.  As I walked outside the restaurant, I came face-to-face with the son of friends who are very, very close to the family who had lost their son.  He is a fine folk musician, and was in town to perform on a major national radio show.  I was elated to hear of his success, and told him I hoped to be able to get last minute tickets to the show.  He shook his head sadly and said he thought the show was sold out, but would text me if he discovered otherwise.

Since I don't believe in coincidence, I knew there was a reason we had connected.  So the next morning, even before receiving his text, my husband went to work to try to find us tickets.  The theatre's website did show that it was sold out, so my husband called the box office.  Victory!  Minutes later, the text came in: not only were there a few tickets left, but his parents were in town along with two other couples we knew and loved.  And you guessed it: one of them was the couple who lost their son.

After what was a fabulous show, we found his parents to congratulate them.  And within minutes, they were joined by the two other couples, who were very surprised to see us.  As I wrapped my arms around the mother of the man who had died, we whispered to each other simultaneously, "you don't know how often I've thought of you."

The rest of the evening was filled with both tears and laughter, but most of all, love.  Lots and lots and lots of love.

In the son's text to me, he said, "It was a one-in-a-million chance that I'd run into you."  But that's exactly the way that the energy of love works.  The feeling is a magnet with a pull so powerful it can overcome any obstacles.

Tomorrow:  the first in a series of stories about what love can do for careers, weight loss and more.

Hi Again

It's been over a year since I started this blog, and you may wonder where I've been.  I could say that I have been busy, but I was busy when I first started it, so that really isn't the reason.  I could say that I wasn't motivated, but that really isn't the reason, either.

To be completely honest, the reason I wasn't blogging was simply because I used the time I would blog to do things like watch TV, do some work-related Email, check Facebook or surf the Internet aimlessly.  In other words: silly, mind-numbing stuff.

But at the start of this year, I decided it was time to wake up.  So I took a snowy day over new year's weekend and made myself a vision board.  If you've never seen or created one of these, they're a collage of pictures, words and graphics that you either cut from magazines or find on the Internet.  The content is whatever makes you feel good--things you'd like to do, be or have.  Mine contains things like my ideal weight, places I'd like to visit, experiences with my family and friends and some images that I know will help me let go of what I no longer need.

I took my vision board, printed it out, framed it, and hung it in the bathroom.  I also made it my screen-saver.  Some people say it's better to simply slide it under the bed or archive it and forget about it, but I really enjoy looking at it several times a day.

When I do, I allow myself to experience the feelings that those images and words stir.  Although none are true in my physical world right now, I don't see them as wishes and don't crush them with doubt.

Instead, I welcome the feelings and the happiness I feel at "having" those things in that moment.  Since our bodies don't know the difference between a thought and an actual experience, for that moment, I not only have the feelings; I have the health, happiness and freedom of the actual experience.

And as I do, I know I'm raising my vibrational field, which changes my outer experience.  So since I did this, I'm not only back at this blog; I've gained two new clients with very little effort; had a stranger in Starbucks pay for my coffee (and I'll be paying that forward); lost 2 pounds and have plans to see one of our daughters next week.  In other words, I look; I feel; I live.  It feels great!

Have you ever made a vision board?  If you don't have the time or are not visual, then try putting on your favorite music as you get dressed in the morning or go to work.  Let it stir your soul and your cells as well as your thinking.

And if you get a chance, let me know what you get as a result.