“I don’t feel safe,” Jenny said. “I’m worried about not only myself, but my family, too.” After the recent gas explosion in San Bruno, California, Jenny’s sister called her to share that their aunt and uncle’s home had been part of those destroyed by the fire.  Tears ran down her cheeks as we began tapping on the trauma.

She felt vulnerable.  We tapped on the situation and the feelings of vulnerability for some time, and nothing I said made any difference.

Then she began to share another trauma where she felt very vulnerable.  On 9/10/01, she was in New York.  She and her friend had visited the Twin Towers, and it was raining.  The visibility was awful.  They decided to return the next morning, 9/11.

Somehow they overslept.  As they were leaving their hotel to head over to the Twin Towers, they heard about the airplanes flying into the Towers.  This was the reason for an even deeper sense of vulnerability.

And then another, even larger, trauma surfaced.  One that happened 15 years ago.  One that she hadn’t thought about in quite some time.  And this was the one that initiated her strong feelings of vulnerability.

As we continued to talk (and tap) through her memories, Jenny began to feel more and more like she could relax and begin to trust again.  The tapping began to soften the intense feelings of vulnerability.

She began to realize that she had been protected during each situation she relayed.  In every one of these shocking events in her life, she realized that she – and her loved ones – had been protected.

I shared with her that I, too, used to feel very vulnerable in my home.  Growing up, I never felt completely safe.  I would jump from my bed to a throw rug in my bedroom because I sometimes imagined the wood floors were water filled with alligators ready to get me, and I would run as fast as I could up the steps from our basement because I imagined lions were chasing me.  And I frequently wondered whether people outside were watching me through the windows of our home.

In 2001, before 9/11, I trained with Doreen Virtue, Ph.D., as an Angel Therapy Practitioner.  What I learned with Doreen was that we can ask the angels to protect us.  We can ask them to stand guard at our doors and windows.  We can ask them to ride on the bumpers of our cars and protect us as we drive.  We can ask them to fly along with an airplane and guide the pilots’ hands, and protect the airplane.

When I learned this, I began to feel safe in my skin.  I also began to realize how many times I had been protected.  And as I noticed close calls being nothing more than that, I began to thank the angels for guiding and protecting me.

Jenny decided right then and there to begin to use this tool to help her feel safer.

This act of asking the angels for guidance and protection is good not only for yourself, but you can also ask for the protection of your loved ones.  You can ask them to protect your business, your bank accounts, your computers, and your clients.  Asking for, and allowing them, to offer their love and light of protection is a beautiful thing.

The one thing Doreen emphasized over and over was this:  you must ask for help from them.   You cannot expect them to do these things all of the time without your participation.

So, today, ask your angels for help.  Ask them to help guide you.  Ask them to protect you.  Ask them to protect your loved ones.  And watch what happens.  Notice how you feel.  Notice if you feel calmer and more provided for.  Notice if you have more clarity of thought.

I am certain you will.

Office

Years ago, when I began my practice, I found myself in a challenging situation.  I needed clients.  They were trickling in, but I didn’t have the level of clientelle I wanted.  So I began to do the usual marketing things: I gave talks, handed out flyers, advertised, told people what I did for a living, and so on.  But what I didn’t do (at least not right away) was to envision my practice filled with clients.

That was too big a step.

Ever hear the saying “You’ve got to walk before you can run”?  Well, this was a prime example of that.  Until I had a few more clients coming in my door, I couldn’t envision my practice filled.

So, I decided to begin where I was.  I started envisioning one more client per week.  When that happened, I began to envision two more clients per week.  And so on.  It worked.

I’m going to share some of the easy-peasy visualizations that I learned (and that worked for me) so that you, too, can bring to you more of the wonderful clients you are meant to serve.

Visual #1

This one I learned from Sanaya Roman (www.OrinDaBen.com):  Imagine you have a search light on top of your shop (practice, office, etc.).  Turn the light on, and imagine that search light going out into the world.  Imagine your clients (ideal clients now, not just any client) seeing it and finding you.  (You do NOT have to visualize HOW they find you, only that they find you.)  They will find you.

Visual #2

This one I learned from my beloved mentor, Wray Shelton:  Imagine you have a red carpet coming up to your front door.  Lay out the red carpet for your client.  Light up your red carpet.  See them coming to you, walking up that carpet..  (Again, they will, and again, you don’t have to visualize how they come to you.)

Visual #3

Another Sanaya Roman visual:  Imagine your heart filled with the Light of the Divine.  Now, see that light going out from your heart to the hearts of your new (even current, and old) clients, connecting the two of you.  See them coming to you, hear them picking up the phone and calling you and making appointments with you.  Feel the connection with them.

If you will do any of these visuals (whichever feels the most comfortable to you) or even all of them, you will begin to see your client list increase.  And not just with any clients, but with your ideal clients, with clients you are Divinely meant to serve.

Let me know how it works for you!

3 Biggest Mistakes Spiritual Entrepreneurs Make

“The economy has really hit me hard,” Marilyn told me. “I just don’t know what I’m going to do.  I work so hard, but I don’t seem to be getting where I want to go.”

As we worked together in releasing her fears, I realized that the challenge she is struggling with is the same thing many spiritual, heart-centered entrepreneurs are struggling with.   And then I thought about the number of spiritual entrepreneurs who have not only survived this economic experience, but they have thrived.

Spiritual entrepreneurs have been called to bring forth their gifts to the world, but get caught up in the challenge of just “how” to do it.  In addition, they have some very clear challenges that many other business owners and entrepreneurs do not have, which hinders them significantly.

And yet, some have completely thrived in this economy, creating six- and seven-figure incomes.  (And I personally know of several who have created 8-figure incomes!)  In my mind, that completely diffuses the power of the “It’s the economy” reason.

So, what’s the difference?

As I pondered these two opposite ends of the spectrum, I realized that there weren’t many distinctions at all.  Just three, as a matter of fact.  But the differences are significant.

1) Trust. The spiritual entrepreneurs who have thrived have trusted themselves, trusted their intuition, and trusted the Divine to show them the way.  They have followed – and acted upon – their intuitive “hits.”  They realized that they were being led by Spirit to their right path and they trusted this.  I want to emphasize here that they acted upon their hits.  They followed their guidance.  They trusted.

I work with a number of entrepreneurs who receive guidance, but they don’t act upon it. They just don’t realize how important it is for them to follow what they receive.  One of their biggest challenges is trusting themselves.

2) Belief. The spiritual entrepreneurs who have done exceedingly well believe that it’s ok for them to make money doing spiritual work.  This is a toughie for many spiritual people in business:  there is a deep belief that many have that says something like “If I’m offering a spiritual work, I shouldn’t charge money (or much money).”  This belief must be challenged and released if you are going to allow yourself to receive abundance from your work.

It’s old, it’s deep, and it’s powerful, but it can be released. Spiritual entrepreneurs deserve to experience abundance in their lives, just like any other entrepreneur.  As Abraham of Abraham-Hicks says, “You can’t make someone well by getting sick and giving them your wellness.  And you cannot make someone rich by being poor.  The Law of Attraction simply does not work that way.”

3) Deserving. The spiritual entrepreneurs I know who are doing very well have done this one very uncomfortable thing: they’ve invested in themselves.  They’ve invested in a coach and in trainings to help them move through their blocks, and to organize their work into a marketable form.   Everyone I know who has done this has seen an incredible return on their investment.

Can you be successful as a spiritual entrepreneur without doing the three things?  I doubt it very seriously.  If you don’t trust your intuition enough to act upon the guidance, and if you don’t believe you can charge a fair price for your work, your energy, your expertise and for the transformations your clients experience, and if you don’t invest in yourself (read that: believe in yourself enough to invest), then you are leaving money on the table, and will continue to struggle to build your business and to pay your bills.

And what’s spiritual about that?

When you believe in yourself and take action, you then create things you never dreamed possible.  And a successful, abundant business  and lifestyle is just one of them.

Your Action Steps:

1)  Look to see where you are:

a)  Not trusting and not acting upon your guidance,

b)  Not believing you are worthy of decent remuneration (read: exchange of energy) for your gifts, for the transformation you offer, for the healing for which you are the catalyst, and

c)  Not believing you deserve more and are willing to take the risk to invest in yourself and your business.

2)  Decide right now to make different choices.  Trust yourself and your guidance – take action.  Believe you are worthy of fair compensation and ask for it.  And choose right now to invest in yourself in some quality training.  Why?  Because you are worth it, and your business is worth it.

3)  Have fun with it! 

Recently, I’ve been feeling a change bubbling up inside me.  (Ever get those?  Of course you do!)  Well, this one has been nosing its way into my awareness for some time, like a dog noses your hand to get your attention.  I wasn’t sure what this change would look like, so I just let it continue to speak to me over the course of several months.  I sat in the “not knowing,” which at times is pretty uncomfortable.

This all changed two weeks ago when I had a call with my new business coach, Pamela Bruner, an EFTer, a success coach trained by Jack Canfield, and a former harpist with numerous recordings to her credit.

Well, actually, the story begins much further back…

In 2000, my life turned upside down.  It ceased to exist as I knew it.  My Dark Night of the Soul had begun.

Through the next two and a half years, I desperately looked for healing from the emotional wounds I carried.  And, though I trained in half a dozen healing modalities, and I meditated, and prayed, and gardened and journaled, nothing kept me from going back down into that deep, dark hole of pain.

Until EFT. In one day, my pain, anger, shame, guilt, betrayal, and horror was gone.  Immediately, I went into share-this-with-the-world mode.  And others began to experience amazing healings, as well.  I ultimately became an expert in helping other heal their traumas.

During this time, my intuitive side developed, stronger and stronger and stronger.  I could feel my clients’ energies, their pain, their releases – even their thoughts – before they did.  It was an incredible marriage.

In 2006, my husband and I moved to Florida, where I entered several years of self-imposed quiet.  I entered the seminary and after two years, was ordained.  I realized I wanted to re-create my practice, but differently this time, with a much more spiritual bent, with a strong law of attraction component.  (Not that it hadn’t always been deeply spiritual; it had, but now the gloves were off!)

Through the course of re-creating my work, new (and some old) clients began to show up.  And as we worked together, they had amazing breakthroughs.  And I began to notice some similarities in the work we were doing:  every one of them (with perhaps the exception of one who already had strongly developed her intuition) was working on developing her trust in her own intuition – her own deep connection to the Divine, as she gained distinctions about what her Divine whispers felt and sounded like.

But while it occurred to me that this might be where I was to go with my work, I also argued with it inside my head.  “People want their lives, their loves, their work to be what they want!  Just help them think better thoughts and feel better feelings, and they can create what they want!”and “That other work might be seen as too airy fairy!  I need to do more practical work!”

And still, I would feel the pull.  The Divine Whispers came out of that.  They are whispers to me from the Divine for those of you who feel connected to their messages. And I began to see others in the coaching community whose work was taking on a decidedly spiritual, yes, even airy fairy, woowoo quality.  And I loved it.  I resonated with their work so deeply.

Finally, I could take no more.  During Pamela’s and my first talk together, I was like a volcano erupting, with months of pressure building up from the inside.

I knew the direction my work was calling me.  And all I could think of was “all this work I’ve already done putting what I have together.  AAGGGHHH!!!”   And yet, within a few days after our call (and after tapping, of course), I felt calmer, more serene, more trusting of this shift.  Signs had long been popping up everywhere, validating this change, and now I was ready to hear.

I share all of this with you because you are a dear community and you signed up for “Think It Into Being.”  Well, we are going to continue down that pathway, but with an even more evident spiritual conversation.  The old signature system I promised has been scrapped for now.  Rather, it will be morphed into a new home-study signature system, wherein we delve deeply into learning how to recognize the signs from the Universe, how we distinguish them from our egos, and how to discover your own unique ways of receiving information from the Divine, all the while laughing and learning together.

Each step we take together on this journey is sacred and beautiful.  To release that which is no longer a fit and to embrace that which is is what each of us are called to do as we move through life.

I feel blessed to walk with each of you. I know that there is a good number of you whom I know well.  You have let me into your world, and I am profoundly grateful.

Thank you.

“Do you know how hard it is to hold onto a vision when so many people and situations are telling me I can’t do this?” Alana asked. “I find myself getting caught up in the reality of what I see and hear, and then, before I know it, I’ve lost touch with my dream.  I just don’t know what to do about that.”

I could relate to what Alana was saying.  How many times had I gotten sidetracked or dropped a dream because I just lost faith that I could create it?

It is my opinion that when we really want something, our biggest enemy is ourselves.  Our biggest challenge is learning how to simply shut up the thoughts (I call them “inner conversations”) that seem to run rampant in our heads.  And then, once they’re quieted, we are far more able to hold onto that vision.

But here’s the question: How do you quiet that inner conversation?  How do you shift your focus from the fearfulness that that conversation brings, and hold the vision of what you want?

The number one way to do this, as always, is tapping.  Here’s why.   Tapping softens the power of your negative feelings.  And when the intensity is soften, the inner conversation gets quieted.

Gary Craig, the creator of EFT, has a powerful visual example of this in his trainings.  He asks several members of his audience to come up and stand on each side of him (say 3 on each side).  Then, he instructs one side to yell negative things in his ear “You’re an idiot!”  “You can’t do anything right!”  “What were you thinking!” and so on.  They stood close to him.

He instructed the other side to say nice things, but to whisper them. “Go, Gary!”  “You can do it!”  “That was awesome, Gary!” and so on.  He had them stand much further back behind him.

Then, he asked everyone to let loose.  The negative screamers were all anyone could hear.  And, as he began to tap, the screamers began to get quieter and quieter, and the people who were whispering positive things began to get louder and louder.  The negative ones became a whisper and they moved to the back, while the positive ones grew to a volume of shouting and they moved forward.

This visual was so powerful because it so beautifully represents what happens when we tap.  The negative screaming in our own heads become whispers, and the positive whispers become what we hear the loudest.

I, personally, have experienced this over and over and over again in my life.  And I have seen it happen in the lives of my clients, my family, my friends, and my colleagues.

Are there other ways to hold the vision?  Absolutely.  But if you want to clear those negative conversations out – and do it fast – this is the best way to do it it.

(We’ll talk about some of the other action steps in a future article.)  So, for this week…

Your Action Steps

1)  Become present to your own inner yellers and whisperers. Become aware of what they are saying.

2)  Begin to tap on those nasty little comments.  Even a little tapping every day on just one conversation makes a big difference over the course of a week or a month..

3)  Watch to see how your life begins to take shape as you tap through some of the disempowering thoughts and beliefs.  (Because it will!)

4)  Watch to see how much easier it is to hold your vision of what you want in your life once you have this tool in place.

5)  Be patient.  This sometimes takes time.

6)  Have fun with it!  Enjoy it.  Life is meant to be fun.

Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and give the author name credit.

Copyright 2010 – Rev. Anne Presuel. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

By Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero

Copywriting Strategist

Yesterday my hubby came home at 4:30pm and I was passed out on the bed, hooked up to my iPod, with an eye mask enjoying a late afternoon snooze.

“I thought you were working!” he said.

“But I was!” I replied.

As a creative person I can tell you sometimes a complete disconnect is the only way to stoke those innovative fires. A nap can be the best thing you do to increase your creativity and productivity. Sounds crazy, I know.

But I’m not alone here. Winston Churchill was a napper. So were Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, Leonardo Da Vinci, John Rockefeller, Gene Autry, and Thomas Edison, to name a few. Those are some powerhouse names. I say if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me.

Let’s say it’s 2:45 pm and you’re staring at your computer screen with a laundry list of TO DO items. Your mental energy just isn’t locked in, and your mind is jello. How productive do you think you’re going to be? Even if you buckle down and focus, whatever you turn out isn’t likely to be your top-shelf best. Time to recharge with a power nap.

For me, whenever I close my eyes in the afternoon away from email, the phone, the fax, the Internet, Facebook . . .let’s just call them “THE DISTRACTIONS” . . . my mind is finally able to put together marketing campaigns, clever copy, and ideas with COMPLETE FOCUS. In fact, the less I try to come up with a solution and relax my brain, the easier it seems to come.

Sometimes it just requires a nap to reboot creativity.

A NASA study showed a 26-minute nap can boost performance by 34%. The fact is most people are naturally tired in the afternoon anyway (about 8 hours after waking). Our biological clocks are built that way. Research is very clear that naps reduce stress, increase productivity, perk up patience, and improve brain function. That’s a lot of bang for your buck. I know I wouldn’t get nearly as much done without them personally.

So how do you incorporate naps into your workday?

RULE NUMBER ONE: Let go of the guilt. You are NOT being lazy. You are doing your mind (and your work) a great service by coming back to it refreshed with new ideas.

RULE NUMBER TWO: Decide how long you’ll nap for and set an alarm. There are great restorative benefits in a 5 minute nap but the longer your nap is, the more revived you’ll feel. (Note that napping over 60 minutes isn’t recommended because your body could go into deeper sleep cycles and make it harder to sleep later.)

RULE NUMBER THREE: Explore a method of relaxing that works for you. I recommend investing in Wendi Friesen’s “Power Nap” CDs and downloading them on your iPod. She walks you through a deep nap at 5, 10, 20, and 30 minute intervals. She’s my preferred napping coach. www.wendi.com/html/power_nap.html

RULE NUMBER FOUR: Be sure to turn off phones and other distractions that could interrupt your time for you. Life can carry on without you for 30 minutes (or whatever time you decide to rest for).

RULE NUMBER FIVE:  Block out light and sound. The fewer distractions that can pull you back into the thinking world, the better. As I mentioned, I use a hypnosis recording on my iPod usually. Otherwise, I grab foam earplugs. My favorite light-zilching mask is made by Bucky. (Be sure to get the “Shades” and NOT the “40 Blinks” eye mask. http://bucky.com/ )

Listen, naps aren’t anything new. Many cultures have siesta time built into the day. And not just our Latin friends – many European towns close shop at midday for lunch and some afternoon rest. Practically every other animal on the planet naps (except for maybe sharks but who wants to be like them anyway?)

So, you may think they’re being lazy but science is confirming more and more that ignoring our natural biorhythms and by forcing ourselves awake reduces our effectiveness. I say, go forth and nap. Return and be creative!

Happy snoozing!

Award-winning marketer, world-renowned copywriter and creator of “The She Factor®”, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero of Red Hot Copy (http://www.RedHotCopy.com) has a reputation as the top female copywriter in the info-marketing industry. She has written award-winning home study courses, conducts a world-famous virtual copywriting training, holds live workshops, and is authoring the original book, The She Factor based on her own She Factor Marketing System. Lorrie is dedicated to teaching the world it is possible to shift from the hype-filled sales to a more modern version…marketing written with authenticity, trust, and rapport.

Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and give the author name credit.

Copyright 2010 – Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

“Jerk!” I said, annoyed. “I can’t believe he just pulled out in front of you like that!”

Francisco (my husband), said nothing, but his hands tightened on the wheel.  As we passed the other driver, I glared at him, wondering from what planet he just came.  Reckless drivers or thoughtless drivers are a bit of a pet peeve of mine – particularly after my sister died in a car accident in 2004.

As soon as I got some of my satisfaction glaring at the other driver, I knew I had to clean it up.  I got my tell-tale warning tightening in my gut. “Uh-oh,” I thought. “I just created more of the same.”

Sure enough, less than 20 minutes later, another car did the exact same thing.  This time, however, I told myself I wasn’t going to react.

I began to tap and made a conscious choice to think kinder thoughts toward this driver. “Well, maybe he didn’t see us.  Maybe he was just distracted by someone in the car.  Maybe his mind was completely elsewhere.”

(For those of you who work with me, you know that this is what the re-framing process looks like as we tap on an issue we’re triggered about.)

As you all well know, life happens and we react.  We get triggered.  We get annoyed.  We get frustrated.  We get ticked off.  We get angry.  And when we do, because of the intensity of our reaction, we then are creating not only our current moments, but also our future experiences, from that place.

This is why creating happy thoughts, happy feelings, happy experiences is so important.

But how do we get from triggered to happy?  It’s not usually a one-step process, is it?  (It isn’t for me, at least.)

First, recognize that your annoyance or irritation is because you are triggered.  This means you have some blocked energy.

Second, realize that if you are triggered, it is because you have an inner conversation about whatever you’re triggered by.  For example, my inner conversation about the other driver was “He was being thoughtless and careless and could have caused an accident by his actions.” Can you hear the fear in that?  When we’re triggered – even if we’re angry – there’s fear underneath the trigger, underneath the anger.

Third, make a conscious choice to shift the energy, to release the anger and fear.  Doing this will keep you from creating more of the same in your life.  And there are lots of ways to do this.  In my opinion, one of the most effective ways is tapping.  In the above example, I tapped on this thought: “Even though I think he was being thoughtless and careless and could have caused an accident by his actions, he didn’t.  We are okay.  We are fine.” I just took what I thought before and added a peaceful part to it.  (By the way, it’s not necessarily important to tap to a thought; it’s more important to tap on a negative feeling .)

But if you’re not tapping on it, or if you’re not in a place where you can tap on it, what can you do?  Find a way to feel better.  Think a better thought.  Just saying the statement above is a better-feeling thought, isn’t it?  And following that up with other reasons why the person might have acted the way they did, in this case, he might have been distracted, he might not have seen us, he might have thought he had more room, etc., also diffuses the energy of the trigger.

Find some way to feel better.

Last, decide you’re going to pay attention to how your feelings and your words are creating your experiences.  Once you really get this, you will absolutely decide that thinking better thoughts and feeling happier feelings is profoundly important and you’ll begin to create them consistently.  Because you’ll truly get how your words and your feelings are affecting your experiences in your life.

And that is worth paying attention to.

Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and give the author name credit.

Copyright 2010 – Rev. Anne Presuel. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.