“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. ~Anais Nin~

The runaway train of life finally slowed down long enough for me to jump off and process what’s happened since I began writing my book last fall. Ignoring my ego’s badgering to catch up on the details of my life, I took this week off and became “Mom” again seeing my son off to school as he began Kindergarten last Monday. Intellectually I was ready but emotionally I was a wreck crying every time I saw a cute baby or toddler boy. As usual my little guy resisted the change yet by the end of his first day he beamed with joy and confidence.

It made me realize that instinctively we all can feel change and often resist it. The same goes for life which is like a giant wave flowing with constantly changing energy moving faster than ever before. You can either jump in and “go with the flow” or you can resist life by clinging to the past. (Hint: It’s much more fulfilling to jump in!)

Fear is a major source of resistance designed by your ego to keep you confined what’s safe and known - your past. When you react to fear or let it direct your life, you begin to weave a web of false reality around you. The more you give into fear, the stickier the web becomes holding you back from what you truly want. And, when you give into fear over and over you become stuck and unable to move forward or recognize the difference between fear and reality.

Fear can be relentless. It can fill your mind with limiting beliefs that become like broken records and cloud your thinking. The web of fear can extend past your mind sending messages to your brain and on to your body manifesting in a physical web of physical tension, pain and illness. Fear can eat away at your nervous system eventually taking away your ability to relax and feel safe.

Fear is tricky. How does it know to turn up the volume when you’re taking a risk? One of the biggest risks you can take is to pursue your dreams or greatest desire. Fear can sense that you’re not only reaching beyond the known but that you’re pursuing what you really want leaving you twice as vulnerable. Your ego sends fear to your rescue fighting against your efforts in an attempt to bring you back to what’s safe and familiar. This dynamic is what keeps so many people stuck in their lives to the point they may even forget about or give up on their dreams.

The bottom line is that fear is a toxin polluting your mind, body and spirit, stifling your expression and damaging your physical well-being. These last few weeks, I’ve stepped out of what’s safe and known to me by speaking publicly about my book and putting it out for review. Just when I thought I moved past my fear (by writing the book) I was yanked back into my web after reading what the critics had to say. Even though nearly everyone that reads Chameleon Butterfly Dragonfly loves it, I allowed the criticism to get me down. What I experienced mentally and physically from giving into fear was shocking to me (and I do this for a living people!). I felt like I was hit in the stomach and knocked over the head. Because I know how to recover from fear, I was able to pull myself out of it and gain insight into just how damaging fear can be.

So here you are with the great wave of life flowing and inviting you to jump in and Live Beyond Fear. Here’s Three Important Things to Know Before Jumping:

1. Don’t Resist Fear. You’ve probably heard the saying, “What you resist persists”? This is definitely the case with fear. Fear is an instinctive reaction to growth and change and in the right circumstances signals our brain to protect us from “real” harm. If you resist or push fear away, it will push back with a vengeance.
2. Don’t React to Fear. Reacting to fear in any way will feed it and build an even stickier web. If you ignore or bury fear it will resurface at some point and most likely when it’s most inconvenient.
3. Don’t Judge Fear. Fear is committed to protecting you so if you judge it as wrong it will feel more threatened and pull out all the stops to hold you back and keep you safe.

Now You’re Ready to Cultivate Living Beyond Fear. Follow these five steps:

1. Observe Fear.
2. Feel Fear.
3. Detach with Love.
4. Movement and Expression.
5. Committed Action.

1. Observe Fear. First recognize that fear is NOT real no matter how real it seems. Reach within or ask for the assistance of someone you trust to help you see where you stop and fear begins. Observe fear by detecting its voice (Fear can disguise itself as your voice or the voice of an authority figure). Begin to hear fear as the broken record it is and recognize that it really is trying to keep you safe. As you begin to see fear and experience it separate from you, space will open up and allow you to breathe easier and see things more clearly.
2. Feel Fear. Fear is usually associated with some form of past physical or emotional pain. Instead of feeling and processing the pain, fear protects us from “going there”. Feeling your fear is actually progress! The more you say yes to fear and welcome it, the grip of the web lessens. You’ve heard the saying, “There’s nothing to fear but fear itself.” If you peel back the complicated web of fear to just fear, it not only lessens fear’s grip but also the drama in your life. Here’s an example of peeling back fear by following a chain of fear-based thoughts, “What if I lose my job?” “What if I lose my money?” “What if I lose everything?” Allow your mind to following the chain of thoughts until there’s nothing left but fear itself. Acknowledge fear by saying, “I’m just afraid” and feel the fear, emotions and where it exists in your body. Then breathe deeply and let the fear go as you breathe out. See if you can continue to feel and let go of fear without snapping back to the web of complicated thoughts and drama.
3. Detach with Love. As you begin to see fear separate from you and feel it for what it is, a space will open up. It is crucial that you fill this space with love first before moving on. The only way to truly Live Beyond Fear is to detach from fear with love. It means recognizing you are not your fears and also loving that part of yourself from which the fear originated in the first place. It could be childhood, a recent let down, a self saboteur or victim habit, low self esteem or insecurity - it’s not as important to know the source of your past hurt as it is to embrace “all of you - past, present and future” with love, compassion and kindness. Nothing dissolves the tangled and sticky web of fear more than love.
4. Movement and Expression. With a new foundation of love you can begin to Live Beyond Fear with movement and expression. As you move your body and express yourself, you’ll break away any remnants of a physical web that may have attached itself to your body. Stretching, yoga, dance, free movement, exercise and deep conscious breathing will continue to lessen the grip of the web and make new space to Live Beyond Fear. Allow your movement to come from love and expression (not an attempt to rid yourself of fear). As you breathe feel your breath move through out your body allowing it to cleanse, clear and open the areas that feel closed, painful, tight, or stuck.  Express yourself and get out of the house or office, mingle, network, share ideas, do something creative, take a risk - get your energy moving!
5. Expansion and Commitment. As you move and express yourself, you’ll actually feel yourself expanding and your energy growing. You’ll begin to attract new people and new experiences. Further direct this new surge of energy by choosing a purpose or commitment. Ask yourself, “What do I want my life to be about when I get out of bed in the morning?” “What’s the one thing I really want to achieve?” “Is there a purpose or project I’m passionate about?” By expanding yourself and choosing what you’re committed to, you’ll have something bigger than fear awaiting you every day. Whatever you do stay committed and continue to take action trusting that you’re now weaving a new web of expression, joy and fulfillment to weave.

If you have any questions or need support in Living Beyond Fear, feel free to contact me to explore how one on one coaching may support you (cindy@bringUtolife.com or 858 692-8538). Or sign up as a member and receive a FREE e-book and the Your Guide to Thrive monthly e-guide.

There’s one big thing standing in your way of having what you want and that’s your “But”. You’ve probably spent countless hours worrying about your other “Butt” and whether it’s too big, fat, flat, flabby, saggy and so on - as if changing your “Butt” will change your life! No need to fret, just remove a “t” and get rid of your “But” so the Law of Attraction can kick in and dramatically transform your life.

Unlike your “Butt”, you probably haven’t noticed how big this “But” really is. Because of the way your tricky subconscious mind works just when you’re about to create what you want, WHAM and rrrrrrreeeeeekkkkkkkkk, your “But” brings everything to a screeching halt. Think about it for a moment and honestly consider how often you really do wedge your “But” in between you and what you want.

• I want to lose weight “But” I don’t have time to work out.
• I want to start a business “But” it’s not the right time.
• I want to move my life forward “But” I don’t know where to start.
• I want to find the love of my life “But” I need to get into shape first.
• I want to move to a better place to live “But” the market isn’t good.
• I want to change my life “But” I need to get clear on what I want first.
• I want to save money “But” I can hardly pay my bills.
• I want to make more money “But” maybe I’m too greedy.
• I’d like to change careers “But” I’m too old.
• I want to take a dance class “But” I’m too uncoordinated.

The list goes on and gets even more intricate believe me, I had a one of the biggest “Buts” on the planet. I first became aware of my “But” when I started Bring U to Life. It was such a big vision that I found myself thinking, “I want to create this business “But” I am too old now. Why didn’t I start it three years prior?” Then, it hit me. I remembered being 25 years old and thinking, “I want to start my own business “But” I’m too young.” I realized that neither of these thoughts were real only manufactured by my subconscious trying to steal my life away from me again! That was it for me and I set out to get rid of my “But” forever.

So why does your “But” get in the way of having what you want? It has to do with the Law of Attraction. In order to get the Law of attraction working for you, you have to send a clear and consistent message to the Universe. Our desires and what we want are clearly communicated to the Universe until our subconscious mind confuses things by counteracting our pure creative thoughts with a “But” thought which puts what we want on hold or cancels it out completely. Doing this often literally turns you into a “But” brain. Seriously, think about something you really want right now and see how long it takes for the “But” to come up. It’s like clockwork. Unless you get rid of this nasty habit you’ll spin your creative wheels, waste precious time and energy and never get the Law of Attraction working for you.

Here’s three simple steps you can take to get rid of your “But”:

1. Become aware of your “But” through observation. Notice how many times “But” thoughts come up and how many times the word “But” comes out of your mouth.
2. Determine how big your “But” really is. Write all of your “Buts” down with what you want first and then the “But” after that. If you have “Buts” that are so big you really believe they’re true, you’ll need to get rid of them by replacing them with something else. Rewrite the statement of what you want and stop where you would have written “But” and instead write “And I am”. Follow “And I am” with a powerful creative statement. For example, if what you wrote is something like “I want to take better care of myself “But” I really don’t have them time.” Rewrite it something like this “I want to take better care of myself “And I am” exercising and eating healthy every day because I love myself and caring for my body is the foundation for everything else I want to create.” Do this as many times for as many “Buts” you have in you.
3. Remove the word “But” from your vocabulary. It really has little value and your everyday language is part of sending a consistent message to the Universe about what you want.

So go for it, get rid of your “But” and dramatically transform your life by getting the Law of Attraction working for you.

PS- Post your “But” and your “And I am” statement here for extra clearing energy.

I’ve been receiving TUT’s Notes from the Universe for a few months now (referred by Carolyn K, whose U story was featured recently - thanks Carolyn!). They are written and produced by Mike Dooley one of the people in “The Secret”. Mike has a light yet profound approach to connecting people to the power of the Universe and the daily emails are truly an inspiration.

Here’s the “Note from the Universe” I received today that truly hit home for me and opened up my understanding of one of the most common issues that I experience and also comes up like clock work among my clients:

A main “Criteria of Consciousness” for the human experience, cindy, is never having all you want. For as one dream comes true, another swiftly takes its place. Not having all you want is one of life’s constants.

And learning to be happy while not yet having all you want (which, as you can see, is constant), is the first “Criteria of Joy.” Nail it, and for the rest of your life people will be asking what it is about you.

Desire, cindy, is a beautiful thing.

The Universe

This is truly profound and I am personally experiencing this as we move closer to selling our dream home in Maui. This is the first time in my life that I’ve had to say good bye to a dream. The human constant in me could think things like, “I can’t say goodbye, I haven’t had enough time here yet” or “What if I never have another dream home equal to this again?”. As TUT points out above, that human side of you can be so constant (and down right crazy) that it can tell you that having more than you’ve ever dream of still isn’t enough. Thank goodness, the spiritual side of me has a different angle on what’s occurring.

It wasn’t always my dream to have a home in Maui, sometimes the most amazing dreams in our lives choose us. And now I realize that letting go of this dream is the door that will open to reveal the next dream. Letting go of what has truly been more than I ever could dream of on my own without knowing what’s next is exciting but also more of a test of my faith than ever. As we all move through the emotions of this, finding happiness is now emerging and knowing it will lead me to joy is comforting. The Universe has many gifts for us and the more we let go, the more room there is for the unknown joys in life to show up.

Is there anything you’ve been holding on to? Are you also faced with letting go of something that’s better than what you could ever have imagined but also know is not serving you any more? Are you caught by the human constant of never having enough or trying to find happiness knowing you are in between dreams?

To receive TUT’s daily emails click here.

Have you heard the buzz about September 11th? As the September 11th eclipse approaches, there will be incredible energy to support you in recreating yourself and your life - but don’t wait until then. Begin now. You may have been given nudges lately by experiencing health issues or being faced with fears or potentially life altering choices. It’s not a time to give into fear, it’s a time to stand and fight for what you want and what you know you deserve. It’s a time for things to become clear for you. Such as what serves you in life and what doesn’t. This clarity provides you the ability to leave old ways of being and old experiences behind you. It’s an optimum time to shed those once vicious cycles. If you haven’t already begin to notice a sort of dual reality. In the same situation you can see a peaceful outcome or one filled with drama and anxiety. Know that you have always had the choice to create what you want and now you are being fully supported by the Universe.

Create a title for the new you and your new life and put it at the top of a clean piece of paper or page in your journal. Have fun with this, the sky’s the limit (Examples: My Pinch Myself Life, Everything I’ve Always Wanted and More, Beyond Abundance). Imagine you’re packing for this new life as if it were a trip (because you actually are beginning a new journey). Draw a line down the middle of the page just below your title. Now put everything you’re leaving behind on the left side of the page and everything you’re taking including new experiences on the right. Daydream, journal, and talk about what you want right now and be specific. On September 11th and on into the future, allow yourself to gracefully move into this rich new reality.

Read more about the September 11th Eclipse

http://www.starpriestess.com/cosmic_time.html#feature