True Happiness

Happiness, to me is an outward expression of an inward emotion. True happiness is letting the joy, fear, hope, and sadness of life flow from the inside outward. It’s raw but its real and that’s what makes it beautiful.

Our spiritual journey does not start with a clean slate. We carry with us a prepackaged set of values and preconceived ideas which, unless confronted and redirected, will soon scuttle our journey, or else turn it into pharisaism, the occupational hazard of religious and spiritual people.

The developmental character of human life has become much better known in the last hundred years, and it has enormous implications for the spiritual journey. Our personal histories are computerized, so to speak, in the bio-computers of our brains and nervous systems. Our memory banks have on file everything that occurred from the womb to the present, especially memories with strong emotional charges.

We may not remember the events of early childhood, but the emotions do. When events occur later in life that resemble those once felt to be harmful, dangerous, or rejecting, the same feelings surface. The human heart is designed for unlimited happiness - for limitless truth and for limitless love - and nothing less can satisfy. We travel down various roads that promise happiness but can't provide it because they are only partial goods. Since the emotional programs from early childhood are already in place, our search for happiness in adult life tends to be programmed by child-like expectations that cannot possibly be realized.

We come now to the heart of the problem of the human condition. Jesus addressed this problem head-on in the gospel. What was his first word when beginning his ministry? "Repent." To repent is not to take on afflictive penances like fasting, vigils, flagellation or whatever else appeals. It means to change the direction in which you are looking for happiness.

Are you Leading your Life with 'Intention?'

By the way, did you ever watch this video clip by Jim Carey?

Let me remind you what 'intention' means... Definition of INTENTION (from Merriam-Webster Dictionary) -

1: a determination to act in a certain way : resolve

2: import, significance

3: what one intends to do or bring about

If you are an intentional leader in life, you will never know your strength as a leader until you have weathered the storms. You will never know what you are made of and how far your roots go down until adversity strikes and you are put through the test.

How are you when the unexpected happens?

When someone attacks your character? 

When you have lost what is most important to you? 

How do you respond? 

How we react is based on how strong our foundation is.

How we respond reflects the very character of who we are.

Character comes in being rooted firmly in who you are and knowing what you can and cannot do. If it is your integrity that has been attacked, are you quick to set the record straight or can you rest, knowing that truth is all that matters? If the unexpected happens, do you accept it with grace, knowing that God is in control or do you fall apart?

Maybe you haven’t thought about the foundation of your life, because you have never had to.  Living as an intentional leader means living everyday using all that has been given to us to the fullest.

It means thinking ahead.

It means being ready for the storms.

It means being strong.

It means knowing who you are.

It is living everyday a life of intention, a life that makes a difference.

When helping others is your life purpose

I hope you and yours have been well. It's been nearly 4 months since I took a leave of absence from writing here on my weekly eMBC Blog due to some very personal reasons including an unexpected death in the family. I realize that we are in an increased time of change... You too may be feeling a lot of movement or experiencing a lot of movement in your relationships, careers and life. As is the nature of change, it brings in exactly the energies necessary for us to move toward the Golden Age of empowerment, but it will require you to LET GO of all things not serving you... your misaligned patterns, behaviors, beliefs, relationships and habits. Don't fight it... instead, surrender so you may move with the waters of change. I promise they will take you exactly where you need to go.

While I was away, I did a lot of introspection on my purpose of doing this, writing blog articles, talking on the internet radio shows; hoping that this will somehow make a difference in the lives of other people either reading or listening in or am I crazy?

When helping others is your life purpose

I BELIEVE THAT EACH PERSON has a personal mission in life—something that you agreed to learn during this lifetime. It could be patience, forgiveness, compassion, balance, self-care, integrity, and so forth. Everyone is working on a soul-growth lesson.

In addition to their personal missions, some individuals agreed to take on “global missions,” which involve helping people, animals, the environment, or a cause other than themselves. Not everyone has a global mission. Some people on Earth are only living for their own personal growth.

Those who have global missions are known as lightworkers. This is a name I am using that encompasses similar terms such as Indigo, Crystal, and Earth Angel. You know you are a lightworker if you feel compelled to help others, and deeply care about the world. You attract people who need help, and you are sensitive to the needs of those around you. In fact, you sometimes feel that you are a bit too sensitive, as you absorb energies from others’ moods.

As a lightworker, you have always felt a sense of purpose, as if there is something important that you are destined to do in this lifetime. You may not know what this destiny entails, but you can feel it. All lightworkers do.

There is even a sense of time urgency associated with this, like an alarm clock ringing in the pit of your gut, urging you to go, go, go and make a positive difference in the world. These feelings are universal among lightworkers.

The great news is that, as a lightworker, you have been making a positive difference your entire life. You radiate healing energy that soothes others and brings peace wherever you go. That’s because your main global purpose is to love, which is something you do naturally. You care about people; and you wish that everyone could be happy, healthy, and well provided for. You are a giver.

So, the form that your mission takes is secondary as long as you extend Divine love. In other words, when you think about a career as a spiritual healer or teacher, the type of work you do isn’t important. Whether you teach or practice Reiki, Angel Therapy, medium-ship, or some other modality... if it’s done from a place of loving service, everything else is details.

With that in mind, there is a practical consideration when deciding on or forming a long-term relationship with your chosen field. Please make sure it is an area that truly excites and interests you. It is not smart to select one just because you have seen another person gain material success by that avenue.

Whatever type field you choose, please be certain that you love it. I have watched people create career goals with their heads, using business plans and projections, only to meet with one obstacle after another because their hearts weren’t in the work. And while planning and projecting can be helpful and prudent starting points for new business ventures, make sure that you are leading with your heart.

In spiritually based careers, your feelings and intuition are your road map. Your head is second in charge, as the employee of your heart.

So what topic—even if it seems illogical—really excites you? Let’s ask your higher self:

Take a moment to relax in a quiet place, either lying down or sitting. Close your eyes if possible, and give yourself full permission to dream about your ideal career. Then notice what images, thoughts, and feelings come to you:

§     Are you working alone, with a co-worker, or with several co-workers?

§     Do you operate from home, out of a healing center, or where?

§     What type of clients or students are you involved with?

§     How do you feel about this work?

As you allow yourself to imagine your ideal career, notice how warm and fulfilled you feel. These feelings are the ultimate paycheck, the greatest reward. And as you feel satisfied, your material benefits are drawn to you by the universal Divine Energy.

Your dream of having a full-time career as a ______ (fill in the blank) is much more than a dream. It’s a sign. If you continually imagine yourself having a meaningful career that supports you and your family financially, emotionally, and spiritually, then this is a sign that your life purpose involves this type of work.

Lightworkers are, by definition, sensitive. They are receptive to the energies in any room they walk into. They are attuned to other people’s moods and feelings and to environmental factors such as chemicals, pollution, or noise. They are conscious of the presence of angels.

And they are also sensitive to other people’s opinions. This sensitivity is both a gift and a lifesaving instinct. You see, your overall personality remains fairly constant throughout lifetimes. Once a lightworker, always a lightworker. Remember: Doesn't matter what field you have chosen... You already are a spiritual teacher and healer. You were born one, and you have been practicing your art for lifetimes.

Quantum Physics of Belief – Fear Based Decision Making

Since the beginning of the year, I was writing about quantum physics and business research to explore the correlation between the science of consciousness and patterns in the business world, to suggest innovative ways of using this wisdom to lead and succeed in a business environment that is constantly evolving at a rapid pace. Once we reach a greater understanding of how we are actualizing the world, we’ll do a lot of things differently. One of the big ones will be controlling how we let information from the external world influences our emotions.

[BTW, did you listen to my radio talk on Quantum Physics of Belief – Emotions couple of weeks ago? It was a huge success and attracted a lot of listeners preferring to download the show. If you haven’t already, please access the archive at #BlogTalkRadio and we are going to refer to some of the concepts that I discussed in that presentation.]

In our conventional way of looking at the world, we would say that reading news is simply getting ourselves informed about what is happening or likely to happen. Most people still believe what is happening out there in the world is largely out of our control and happening to us. They see the news as a source to tell them what could potentially hit next. Based on what we are now learning about our beliefs and emotions playing an active role in creating our world, we can no longer hold such a view.

Physics research presents undeniable evidence that we are actualizing our world, not just through our actions, but also directly through our thoughts and emotions. From the previous articles in this Quantum Physics of Belief series we know that conditions in the physical world are being directly influenced by the contents of our beliefs and emotions. We have plenty of evidence showing that events and conditions in the external world will conform to our beliefs, with the beliefs coming first, followed by the experience.

We also see the impact of group energy, or consciousness, on the creation of experience in the realm of business. Business research shows that organizations manifest experiences consistent with their belief systems. One example is that belief in abundance, as demonstrated by win-win negotiation tactics, results in higher profitability. Even in a conventional manner of looking at the economy, we know that the level of fear in a society largely determines its future economic conditions.

Once we accept the research and acknowledge the cause effect relationship, we can clearly see the detrimental impact of fear. Fear influences our beliefs and emotions, which in turn negatively influence conditions in the external world. In other words, our personal fear is contributing to unfavorable conditions in the external world. Refusing to feel the fear is not denying the conditions in the world, but rather it is choosing to change them.

Once we realize that belief and emotions precede, or cause, experience, the solution is easier to see. We will simply choose not to subject ourselves to the influx of fear. We may see a headline that conjures up fear, but we’ll quickly move on to another article or change the channel. We’ll know that nothing constructive is achieved by exposing ourselves to fear.

It’s interesting to note that once we walk away from the fear in our news sources, the content of the news will change. Reporters only report on what people will read, so when fear is no longer attractive, they’ll move on. Let’s help them move on sooner.

Fear is one of the most basic of human instincts. It is fear that allowed humanoids to survive during primitive times, and it is still the basis of survival today. Without fear, you would not take the time to look both ways before crossing the street. However, too much constraining fear in the organizational context can produce a gridlock of activities among the people that prevent the establishment of trust.

The absence of unnecessary fear is a huge benefit for any organization. Some fear is good for the self preservation of individuals and organizations, but keeping it at the lowest possible level is liberating and will bring out the best in people.

On a personal level; Fear based decisions can be anything – some of them are big ones, some of them are not as big, sometimes we don’t even realize we make them.

I lived a life based on fear for a long time. I still probably do sometimes, but I have committed to reduce the amount of my fear based decisions to an absolute minimum.

Can I stop doing it altogether? Yes, it is possible. Is it hard? Maybe not, all I have to do is just decide, right? Does it take lots of courage and trust? Absolutely!

Here are some of the things that I did in the last few years to eliminate fear based decisions from my life. I stopped working on a business that had big potential, but wasn’t really aligned with my purpose.

It was tough because I did enjoy that business so I couldn’t say that I was staying in it completely out of fear. But after thinking about it for a while I realized that it was not my purpose and it wasn’t something I saw myself doing and enjoying long term. So I had to let it go. That decision took lots of courage and trust because it also cut down a large part of my income but I don’t regret.

I let go of relationships that were no longer based on love and just drained my energy. I let go of fear to play small and now dream as big as I feel like dreaming. I let go of the need to please certain people.

So, how do we stop making decisions predominantly based on fear? How do you reduce the amount of fear based decisions in your life as much as possible?

1. Find your “Whys”. Why do you want to stop making decision based on fear? Even if they are small ones. Even if you hardly notice doing it. Why do you want to stop? What are your “whys”?

Most likely one of your “whys” is a desire to live a more authentic life. Or maybe a desire to spread the vibe of love and acceptance? Or maybe your “why” is your desire to have that inner knowing that you are being true to yourself?

What are your “whys”?

2. Make unconscious conscious. It is proven that up to 95% of our daily activity is based on the subconscious programming we have downloaded from the past. Most of the decisions we make on a daily basis, we don’t even question. We make them based on that programming.

The result? Lots of fear without us even realizing we have it.

How do you stop living on autopilot? Become Self Aware. Learn being fully present in every moment. Then you’ll be able to consciously make a choice and notice yourself making fear based decision right away.

3. Love and accept yourself.  Only with true love and acceptance can you let go of the part of you that is overtaken by fear.

Accept yourself with all of your imperfection. Accept your worries, doubts. Accept the fact that you were making those fear based decisions.

Accept even the fact that you might continue making them no matter how hard you try to stop. It may sound counterintuitive when I said that, but, trust me, what you resist, persists. Instead of fighting the defeatist behavior, try accepting and face the facts.

4. Find your True Self; find your purpose and passions. Too often we live our lives based on the limitations and standards others imposed on us.

What do you truly want in life? What is your purpose? What are your passions? Amazingly, once we discover our purpose and what we truly are passionate about, making love based decisions and letting go of those that are based on fear becomes so much easier.

5.  Jump, the net will appear. It takes courage to leave a job that is paying your bills and commit to doing what you love. It sometimes takes courage to leave relationships that no longer make you happy.

It takes courage and lots of faith to commit to making decisions not based on fear. Take that courage. 

I think if you follow all of the steps listed above, finding the courage will be easy. I almost dare to say it will happen automatically. At least that is what happened to me.

You may be wondering at this point as to what we should be based on when making decisions, if not on fear; and how can we make decisions based on ‘love’ in a business environment? Typically, most business organizations have 3 types of statements; mission, vision and values that serve as governing tools to help guide the organization in creating the future for their business. The organization's vision is all about where we are headed, what is possible, and all about that potential. The mission is what we will do to get there and what it takes to make that vision come true. Furthermore, if your goal is to create the future of your organization - the lofty goals of your vision statement - then you will want to ensure your work reflects the values you want to see in your business; meaning that your decision making is values based.

Values are deeply held views of what we find worthwhile. They come from many sources: parents, religion, schools, peers, people we admire, and culture. Many go back to childhood. There are others we learn as adults. As with all mental models, there’s a distinction between our “espoused” values, which we profess to believe in, and our “values in action” which actually guide our behaviors. These latter values are coded into our brains at such a fundamental level that we can’t easily see them. We rarely bring them to the surface or question them. That’s why they can create dissonance for us.  Talking about our values can help us to understand our motivation behind our actions. Values can be Positive or Potentially Limiting. For example, honesty, trust and accountability are positive values, whereas blame, revenge and manipulation are potentially limiting.

Positive values are known as virtues. These are the values that emanate from the soul. Potentially limiting values emanate from the conscious or subconscious fear-based beliefs of the ego.

The behaviors associated with potentially limiting values support the ego in meeting its needs. Blame is seen by the ego as a way of avoiding humiliation. Revenge is seen by the ego as a way of getting even. Manipulation is seen by the ego as way of maneuvering to get its needs met.

Personal mastery involves letting go of the ego’s limiting values, and replacing them with the values (virtues) of the soul. In order to let go of your limiting values you must learn how to manage, master or eliminate your fear-based beliefs. When we uncover our values they allow us to transcend the belief structures of our parental and cultural conditioning, so we can become more fully who we are, and live a more authentic life.

Leaders with well-developed emotional self-awareness are more effective intuitive decision makers. In complex situations, intuitive decision makers process large amounts of sometimes unstructured and ambiguous data, and they choose a course of action based on a "gut feeling" or a "sense" of what's best. This type of decision making is becoming more important for managers as the rate of change and the levels of uncertainty and complexity in their competitive environments increase. Managers who are highly emotionally self-aware are better able to read their "gut feelings" and use them to guide decisions.

Live with love, live with purpose, passion, and values!