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Quote for the Week: "Destiny is not a matter of chance; but a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for. It is a thing to be achieved." William Jennings Bryant [Editors Note: Please excuse the wide margins on this edition; there is a formatting issue that I cannot seem to correct.] <:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<::<:::>><<:::> Many Possible Futures Lynne Namka, Ed. D. © 1994 Reality is a great universal pharmacy and you are the prescription writer.' Leland Kaiser We are living in the fast lane of change right now. At times it is hard to stay balanced in the middle of the conflict in the world which is bringing about polarization and deep confusion. Our planet is calling for a deep and profound healing. The next few years will be even more challenging. We are in the midst of a spiritual earthquake of a great magnitude. The old ground on which we have been standing is shifting. Old patterns of acting are not solid ground. As the earth changes in shifts of energy, we are being given new ways of understanding and being. Reality shifts daily as you learn to see things differently. That future that you may have mapped out for yourself as a little child is being challenged. We have more data and information than any time in history about the process of change and we are being called upon to make leaps in consciousness to bring about changes in our planet. Leland Kaiser, a designer of the future, talks about the theory of parallel futures. There are all kinds of probable futures that could exist for you and for our world. Probability means that anything can happen. What happens depends on what you do. The menu of many possible futures is there before you with choices limited only by your self-restrictive beliefs. The thing to do is to select the most delicious, juicy probable future and then make it happen! Richard Bach, author of Illusion, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, offers this advice: "You are led through your lifetime by the inner learning creature, the playful spiritual being that is your real self. Don't turn away from possible futures before you are certain that you don't have anything to learn from them. You are always free to change your mind and choose a different future or a different place." Reality at any given moment is what you believe and how you perceive things. We continually define our own personal reality by our thoughts, words and actions. Kaiser uses a powerful metaphor of reality as a prescription waiting to be written for what you want. "Whatever you write, the pharmacy fills. If you write the wrong prescription, you will receive the wrong medicine, and it will not be the fault of the pharmacy!" Becoming the conscious responsible planner of your reality is a way of becoming the person you want to be. You are going to live with yourself for the rest of your life so you might as well become the best possible person you can. What better thing can you do with a lifetime? Life is very much like Let's Make A Deal with your belief systems and daily choices determining whether you get Door Number One, Two or Three! Life is a replay of the famous story of The Lady or the Tiger. What you get is what you believe you are worthy of getting. You draw that particular future that fits with your total overview of how things must be. As long as you remain stuck in the delusional thinking and addictive behavior, you will get the booby prize. If you are not happy with what you are being offered in life right now, then you can change the deal by changing your thoughts, perceptions and beliefs. Knowing What You Want Probably the most important investment of your time is deciding what you want out of life. If you know what you want, then you can work to achieve it. List the goals that you want out of life: ___________________________________________________________ What are you willing to do to get what you want out of life? ___________________________________________________________ What are you wiling to invest in terms of time, money and energy? ___________________________________________________________ What are you willing to risk losing to get the greater gain? _________________________________________________________ What are you willing to let of so a greater value can come in? ___________________________________________________________ What self-critical, self-limiting beliefs about yourself will need to be released to gain that best possible future? _______________________________________________________ What prescription could you write for yourself right now? ___________________________________________________________ Which workshop, group experience or therapy is correct to currently help release your self-limiting beliefs? ___________________________________________________________ What positive people, groups and philosophies can you surround yourself with to help in your transformation? ___________________________________________________________ Long for the best possible worlds for you. Allow yourself to touch into your heart of hearts to know what is really best for you. What do you long for? What do you really want? ___________________________________________________________ Returning to Joy Often we have fallen into the trap of becoming weighed down with the negative messages from others. In doing so, we forget our joy. Watch an infant or toddler who feels safe and secure and experience his sense of wonderment at the world. At some point the no's, criticisms and rules of the world come down upon that little child. Self limitations and fear of taking risks move in. The child begins to believe that he is bad and he shuts down his sense of exuberance and wonderment. In letting go of the negative cultural conditioning that has been pounded into us, we can learn to reclaim that joyful fate which is so rightfully ours. Now is the time to let go of those beliefs and inhibitions which shut down our joy. The negative emotions and dysfunction in society are always with us. Freedom is feeling your joy and expressing who you truly are. When you give up your illusions, you will understand that joy is our natural state. In doing so we are fulfilling a special mission as we seek to learn about ourselves not only to make our own lives happier but to do a small part in changing the world. We are choosing to do it differently this time. We are doing it differently than any other time in history. We certainly are doing it differently than our parents did. We can learn to keep our mind as positive as possible to deal with the constant speed bumps of life. Martin Seligman's psychological research describes "the profound power of optimism" in bringing changes to behavior and attitudes. The medical research consistently points to the role of positive emotions in healing. Optimism is an antidote to the negative emotions and thoughts that can lodge in your everyday existence when the person you love does not reciprocate. But the hope must be well directed. If it is false hope based on denial of the problems, then it is unfounded. Optimistic hope dictates that you have the ability to learn to make things meaningful and harmonious for yourself. Breaking the negative mind set is a challenge of which you are worthy. If you do not have the self confidence to achieve this by yourself, surround yourself with positive people who can teach you the tools of living your own power. The time has come to stop being people stupid. Or to stop being career stupid. Or romantic love stupid. Or religion, guru or spiritual teacher stupid. There is much negative energy abounding in the world and there will always be those who want to take away your power. Discernment is necessary in choosing those with whom you place your trust. Stop hanging out with unhappy, negative people who only serve to pull you down! The opportunities for self change are ripe, just for the picking at this time. The tools, techniques, treatments and self-help groups are available like no other time before. Put yourself around people of positive energy who can believe in you while you develop the ability to believe in yourself. Choose only those people and groups who are comfortable enough with their own process of growth that they are willing to empower you. Associate with individuals who are sincere in working through their own issues and who work to make changes in our environment. Choose compassionate people who understand that you are doing the best that you can with your present resources. Find people who believe in you and your ability to change. We now have the opportunity to cultivate the inner mindfulness that brings harmony into our lives. Often we have tried to have loving relationships with others. Developing appropriate skills and learning how to get along with others has been a major emphasis of the mental health field. Now the challenge is to first have a successful relationship with your self. All loving relationships begin within. Having a loving, right relationship with your own inner being will carry over into your relationships with others. The many possible futures theory reminds us that we can become who we choose to be. Acting as if you have all the wisdom that you need is an art form that you can skillfully create. Act as if and make it happen. Act as if you have the ability to move from what you are carving out in this present reality to that which you want to become. Your life is the most important creation that you will ever make. You have all the knowledge within you to choose the best possible future. How artfully can you act on this? This is the heart of it--to act artfully on what you already know. With positive action and letting go of limiting belief systems, the old gray future ain't what she used to be! We no longer need to live out the present in terms of the fears of the past. We no longer need to define the future in terms of the past. Every single thing we do makes a difference. Every single thing! Our choices today define who we will be tomorrow. We are being asked to grow and stretch our beliefs more than any time in history. We are being asked to be totally and absolutely responsible for our actions. We can tap into our Inner Wisdom and live consciously. Conscious living can become an art form. We can write our individual prescription of wholeness and raised consciousness and in doing so we co-write a healthy prescription for our planet. <:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<::<:::>><<:::>><<:::>><<:::> Peace and blessings, Lynne Namka Questions regarding the content of this newsletter, comments or written contributions can be directed to inspirationcontact@yahoo.com. Please remember that I cannot provide you with any advice of a personal nature. But help is out there somewhere! Do reach out and get a qualified professional to help you sort through your issues. Issues regarding getting on or off this mailing list? Contact Web Valence by clicking on the commands at the end of this newsletter. Please do not contact Lynne Namka via reply email. If you get knocked off this newsletter by accident, go back to www.AngriesOut.com and scroll down to Lynnes Free Newsletter and ask to subscribe once more. Our own life is the instrument with which we experiment with truth.' -- Thich Nhat Hanh I dont know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: The only ones among you who will be truly happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.' -- Albert Schweitzer |
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