Vibrating at the Speed of Thoughts

So I’m reading a new book.  Not sure where it came from.  A used book store, I’m guessing.  It’s called “Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting,” by Lynn Grabhorn.  Ms. Grabhorn has a dry wit which keeps the words flowing. However, I’ve only just started the book. 

It’s clearly (and with props) based on the work of Jerry and Esther Hicks.  The Hicks, I believe, were the very first to bring attention to the masses of the Law of Attraction.

Lynn begins her book by talking about the key factor in this process: Your Feelings.  Our thoughts create our feelings, but our emotions are the mechanism for the attraction. What we put out, exude (or our vibration, as Lynn calls it) is what attracts the people and situations to our lives.

Thoughts are where it begins and ends.  Once the emotion takes hold, it’s very hard to make it stop. I’ve watched myself on a streak of “bad luck” when my feelings have taken a dive.  Awareness is good, but it may well be too late.  Thoughts are much easier to control.

Awareness of your emotions can sometimes lead you back to the thought.  I’ve been practicing, lately, working on the thoughts to keep them from exploding into emotion.  I’m using my Favorite Things. Whenever I’m feeling a little low, or more likely, when something happens that upsets me, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don’t feel so bad.

Technically, what happens is that I truly do feel better and cut off the destructive path of the out of control feelings.  I am calmer and exude less of that static.  This keeps my emotions and the situation from getting out of hand.

It only takes a moment’s awareness and perhaps 30 seconds (maybe as much as a minute if it’s really bad) of thinking over my list:  sunny days, soft breezes, a cup of tea, Roger Howarth, Johnny Depp, having all day to write, weekend mornings, a great film, a cool drink of water . . .  you need to make your own list so they can get you vibrating at a higher level!

A Brighter Day

In SARK’s recent newsletter, she talked about how taking good care of yourself is more than just deep tissue massages and healthy foods.  The heart of taking good care is in speaking kindly to yourself. I believe that if most of us took a moment to listen to the chatter in our heads, we’d find an endless stream of criticisms and corrections.

Esther and Jerry Hicks have a process they call “segment intending” where you stop and decide what you’re after with each segment of your day.  I’m borrowing that concept by segmenting my day and then asking how I’m doing.  Eckhart Tolle suggested the question.  If the thoughts or feelings I find are not to my liking, I rattle off a few of my favorite things:  a summer breeze, watching a great film, listening to Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, crackling fires, a perfect cup of tea.  I’m calling it Segment Check-ins.

I try to set these segments up ahead of time, based on how my day unfolds.  Like, when I’m putting on my jewelry in the morning and when I’m taking it off at night, just before I get ready to drive, when I get into work and settle in, before lunch, etc.  I just take a breath and notice how I’m doing. 

In this way I’m practicing present moment awareness.  I’m also filing my head with good thoughts and improving my mood. 

Sometimes it’s just a matter of slowing down a bit, taking a breath.  I give myself permission to toss out any thoughts that I can’t do anything about right now.  Either there’s an action I need to take now, or there isn’t.  If there’s something I need to do later, I just put it aside.  As Eckhart Tolle says:  there’s nothing you can’t handle right now. When I narrow it down to just those things I can do right now, I feel calmer.  If I can do it now, I do. If not, I dance around in my faves and lighten my day.

From Zero to Sixty

Sometimes it seems like everyone is scolding me for something or other.  Of course, my head is doing the same thing. But how do you change the soundtrack?

I’ve been struggling with this.  How can I, for instance feel like I do in summer, when it is so obviously not?  It was looking like I’d have to lie to myself.

But I forgot: you don’t have to go from 0 to 60 in one breath.  Sometimes it’s enough to just rev up the engine a little.

Whenever I’m feeling low I simply remember my favorite things and then I don’t feel so bad.  Perhaps a list of some of my favorite things might help to have on hand: Summer breezes through my hair, getting into bed with clean sheets, new, colorful office supplies, any America song, finding the right answer, a few hours stretching out in front of me to write, or having nowhere to go.

So, when I find myself churning over some silly thing I can’t do anything about at the moment, I’m going to center myself.  Just a moment’s awareness will do. Then I can find something, anything at all that feels better than whatever nonsense or scolding is cluttering up my mind.  Maybe about the movie I’m going to be watching that evening.  If I’m having a hard time, I might try that the sun is shining or that my heart is pumping blood and I’m alive.  Usually there’s something I can go to.  Even a drink of cool water. 

I’ve come to see (though I knew before) with the help of Paulette Terrels, that it’s such a waste of time and energy to listen to those scolding voices. It does me no good to chew on the lousy weather or a tedious project I have to do, that it’s only Tuesday . . .   When all I have to do is think about Harry Potter and I’m back on track.  From there it’s not hard to find something better and better and then I’m cruising along at a comfortable 45.  Much easier to get to 60 from there!