I recommend making, and listening to, audio recordings of your own voice that are positive and in the present tense, as if the belief or feeling you are wanting to reprogram has already happened. For example: “I am healthy” or “I am worthy and loved.” The function of the mind is to create coherence between your beliefs and your reality. Listening to positive and present tense affirmations helps to create this coherence.
Remember:
The human potential movement has existed for several decades, and in many ways is an alternative name for self-improvement. The urge to improve oneself exists naturally in everyone, unless outside forces like poverty damp it down. But the human potential movement is far more ambitious. It aims to open up a vast area of unexplored potential.
I argue in a new book titled Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential that the true foundation of human potential is infinite. At first that seems like a drastic overreach. Everyone experiences personal limitations that stop far, far short of the infinite. But let me make the case by first turning the whole premise of self-improvement on its head.
The typical way that human potential is approached starts with the limited individual and seeks to lessen these limitations. There’s a school of thought that believes in achieving a 10% increase in happiness, which is seen as a major step. The notion is that happiness is so difficult to understand that any improvement would have to be small. In an area like IQ, the goal is even smaller, because intelligence is accepted among experts to be fixed, budging very little from childhood. A third example is creativity, which would seem to allow for enormous improvement, but finding out what makes creative people creative has proved to be a frustrating and baffling business.
If you had the choice, would you rather be smarter than you are or more aware? Go a step further. If a wizard came to you and said you could be either the smartest person in the world or the most aware, which would you choose?
It’s a symptom of the times, I think, that most people would choose to be smarter. We live in a world based on technology, wealth, and entrepreneurship. You have to be smart to succeed in those areas, and if you feel you are only average in intelligence, you are not likely to expect enormous success. The argument for being more aware is rarely made, yet by far choosing to be more aware is the better choice—and unlike IQ, you can increase your awareness.
I made this the theme of a new book, Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential, so let me encapsulate the argument. Being smart, even very, very smart, doesn’t immunize you from living unconsciously. An unconscious life is driven by habits, fixed beliefs, second-hand opinions, social pressure, peer-group values, and old conditioning. To realize this, and then to escape its grip, requires awareness, not IQ.
Throughout our lifetimes we unconsciously internalize certain agreements that fulfill other people's expectations of us. Maybe your 3rd grade teacher said you weren't good at math. Or you have a recording in your head of your father exalting the achievements of doctors and lawyers, so you thought you had to be one.
As a kid you had a radar system working full-time making sure you fit in, don't color outside the lines, get attention but not too much ... shine but not too bright ... don't embarrass yourself, don't fall down, don't miss the ball ...
By the time you reach your 20's you're shrouded in so many self-imposed rules, expectations from your parents, extended family, society, school, and largely from yourself to the point where you don’t truly know who you are, what you want, or what will make you happy.
These agreements tacitly become the bondage that keeps you from being you. Old agreements are often the cords that keep people tied to jobs, relationships, and ways of being that are unfulfilling.
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Dear Friend, How are you? I hope that you were able to take some time away this summer to rest, reflect, and recharge. My August break abruptly began with a death in my family. It was sudden and heartbreaking, and it stopped everyone and everything in its tracks. Before my August break, people asked me, “Maria, aren’t you worried about losing your momentum on social media, with your Sunday Paper, and with NBC?” “Yes and no,” I replied. “I’m sure I’ll lose some momentum, but I’m certain that what I’ll gain in return will be more meaningful and more profound.”
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133 Hits
Sitting on the couch, I felt it coming. It was late at night and the world was fast asleep. It was slowly making its way to me and I started to feel terrified. “What do I do now?” I asked, addressing no one in particular. And then, it begins: “I can’t do this. I don’t have what it takes!” I was starting to feel overwhelmed and if I didn’t get hold of it, it would lead me down a deep hole the way Alice did when she followed the rabbit. This is just one version of a very real, very human process of going downhill emotionally. I’ve been through many different types of it countless of times before and I doubt it will ever stop happening. The difference is, this time around, I got it under control. I got myself out of it fast—through gratitude. It’s in the genes! But…
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133 Hits
It feels to many people as if we’re living in a Humpty-Dumpty time, when everything has gone smash. A sense of chaos and disorder permeates everything, and as you look around, there’s no longer any consensus about the most basic facts. Reality has become the clash of opposing viewpoints. When the phrase “alternative facts” first hit the media, it was met with jeers. Now it’s the definition of our troubling times. What’s missing isn’t what people usually point to—order, tradition, solid values, and cooperation. Those things depend entirely on the real missing element, which T.S. Eliot poetically called “the still point of the turning world.” For the fact is that chaos isn’t new; disorder has threatened humanity throughout recorded history. The only way for chaos to be defeated is to have a firm foundation, something so solid, immovable, and permanent that we can build upon it. Otherwise, anything we try to build stands on sand.
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169 Hits
I’m so excited, as this is one of my favorite times of the year. It’s when I get to share with you one of the best free resources that I have ever created to teach you all about Oracle Cards—it’s my free 3-part online Workshop Series called “Navigate Your Destiny with Oracle Cards!” I’ll tell you the story of how Oracle Cards saved my life and I’ll show you how you can use them to bring new energy into your life too. You’ll discover the powerful practice of tapping into the magic of your intuition while connecting with the infinite wisdom of the Universe to create your wildest dreams.
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73 Hits
Every day, we’re bombarded by horrible stories in the news and on social media. From natural disasters and terrible acts of violence to climate change, international conflicts, and more. No wonder so many people feel hopeless and depressed! But it’s important to remember that for every problem we face as a society, there are many brilliant people around the world working on solutions. And some of these solutions are so incredible, they give me a great deal of hope for the future. It’s a matter of how to be optimistic that’s the hard part.
Here are 6 reasons to be optimistic about the future.
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108 Hits
“If light is in your heart, you will find your way home.” — Rumi This week, I’ve been thinking about the fragility of life. I’ve been thinking about how hard it is for so many of us to keep at it day after day. This morning, as my family mourns its own loss, I sit here praying for the families in El Paso, TX, who are mourning their own terrible losses after yet another senseless mass shooting—the deadliest one so far this year. The pain they must be feeling is unimaginable. The news is devastating, but it’s also frustrating. Earlier this week, after a shooting in Gilroy, CA, killed three people, including a 6-year-old boy, I found myself saying, “America, we are better than this. If now is not the time to act, when is?” I can’t believe I find myself repeating those words just a few days later. Life is fragile and it is heartbreaking. It turns upside down in a minute. That is why we must hold those we love close, and be gentle with those around us.
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156 Hits
One wave after another, tiny or tremendous, they just keep coming. This is Life. What do you name the waves? Wave after wave. They just move through. They just “Go.” And they come and they go … and go and go and go. They never stop. There is always an opportunity for another. If this one passed you by and there wasn’t really a chance to “hold on” to anything before you noticed it flowing right on through your life, no to worry, there will be another.
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177 Hits
Whenever we suffer over what we aren't able to do, create, or work through, where is our attention in these moments? It's riveted on our own thought-produced reality that's telling us we're stuck! Maybe you can recognize some of these heavy-hearted inner voices that come with being victimized by such dark thoughts. In one-way or another, they say... "I'll never get out of this mess." “I’m too stupid to learn these things.” “I must have done something terrible to deserve this.” "It's too late!" “There’s no point in going any farther.” "This is hopeless."
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230 Hits
If you hate your job, leave it. Simple, but not always easy. Life is too short to waste doing a job that you hate. Every minute that you waste is time you can never get back. Nothing is worth your life, happiness and freedom. Acknowledging how much you hate your job is the first step. It takes courage. Next, feel the pain of what it’s costing you to spend time doing what you hate. Don’t distract yourself, feel it.
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503 Hits
What’s changing? The Practice: Why? The fifth of my personal Top 5 practices (all tied for first place) is open out, by which I mean relaxing into a growing sense of connection, even oneness, with all things. “Opening out” can sound kind of airy-fairy or flakey, but I mean it in very down-to-earth ways; check out these JOTs about it: accept it, accept them as they are, and let it go. Here, I’m focusing on relaxing and opening into the fact that things keep changing, and not fighting it.
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181 Hits
Where are you living right now? Are you enjoying your life line? Or are you alive but living in your flat line. It’s so important to look inward for the answers and to be present to find out the lessons because in those uncomfortable moments it is where you find your strengths, your purpose, and your growth. I hope you join me next month at the Global Gathering where I am teaching a Master Mind on The Undiscovered Country: Owning Your Unlimited Potential. Watch my video blog to learn more.
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478 Hits
Entering the fenced area that holds our fruit trees; I saw a red colored coyote running. This vision was in my mind’s eye. Moments later, for the first time here, I heard a coyote call from one of the peaks near our new Arizona home. This is one of the pieces that needed to fall into place before I could settle down and write. We have been living in our home almost a week, and I have not done much contact with social media, or writing. The ideas for my blog were simmering. I needed to get settled enough to feel the pull of the words and peace. So taking in a deep breath, with a candle lit, I am diving into my place of wellness. I have been thinking of my clients that struggle with staying aware of their ability to enjoy life; simply by monitoring their own reactions. From an outside perspective this is an easy observation to make. From the perspective of a person experiencing pain, frustration, or other emotions; it is not so easy. Other clients are committed to making a deeper connection to their guides, God, Angels, or the Universe. They desire a strong connection to a higher power. This group wants to experience the inspiration, peace and feeling of confidence that comes with this connection. In our world people are seeking proof or hard evidence that God, or a lost loved one is able to be experienced in this realm.
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106 Hits
If you’ve ever attended my Energy Codes® coursework, watched a video of mine or heard me on an interview, you’ve probably heard me mention, “building circuits” more than a few times. I speak about circuits and building circuits frequently for this reason: the amount of energetic circuits we create in our body is the key to living an expansive and magnificent life. But what are circuits exactly, and why do we need to build them? Building Circuitry from the Authentic Self When we come into this world, we are born with a certain amount of circuitry in place that affects our experience of this world. Based on our unique circuitry present when we are born, we begin to develop a particular, and often times limited, way of interacting with everything and everyone around us. Our innate responses to life and others – whether it be parents, teachers, bosses or friends - are all based upon the circuitry established in our system from an early age. It’s as if the specific set of circuitry present in our system determines how we see and react to the world, which then reinforces those same beliefs and experiences, thereby strengthening the existing circuitry.
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387 Hits
What would make a difference inside you? I’ve hiked a lot and have often had to depend on what was in my pack. Inner strengths are the supplies you’ve got in your pack as you make your way down the twisting and often hard road of life. They include a positive mood, common sense, integrity, inner peace, determination, and a warm heart. Researchers have identified other strengths as well, such as self-compassion, secure attachment, emotional intelligence, learned optimism, the relaxation response, self-esteem, distress tolerance, self-regulation, resilience, and executive functions. I’m using the word strength broadly to include positive feelings such as calm, contentment, and caring, as well as skills, useful perspectives and inclinations, and embodied qualities such as vitality or relaxation. Unlike fleeting mental states, inner strengths are stable traits, an enduring source of well-being, wise and effective action, and contributions to others.
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233 Hits
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style.” — Maya Angelou My friend Clay wrote me the other day to tell me about a book he’s reading. It’s called Seven Ages of Paris, and in it, the French writer Colette is quoted as having said the following just before she died in 1954: “What a beautiful life I’ve had. It’s a pity I didn’t notice it sooner.” That quote landed on me like a thud. I hope you’ll stop and absorb it, too. Make a silent vow to not be Colette, like I did. Now, to be honest, I’ve been in Colette’s heels before. When I was younger, I was constantly running through life as I juggled work, my children, my parents and all the other obligations coming my way. My to-do list was pages’ long, and it was all of my own making. I wasn’t noticing anything along the way because I was just trying to get everything done and start all over again. Thank God I came to my senses.
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296 Hits
My family is in the final stages of relocating to Arizona from Alaska. We will be in sunny Arizona 10 months of the year, and enjoying Alaska’s cool summers two months of the year. We frequently use air travel into and out of Alaska . This time I wanted to experience a longer journey out, maybe even savor the experience of leaving Alaska. Entering or exiting the 49th state has two unique options during the summer months. We can drive the Alaska highway system into Canada and then into the lower 48 states, or use the ferry system. Both are about 4 or 5 days of continues travel. A friend graciously accompanied me on the ferry. We drove my car, that was packed full of photographs and other treasures, onto the ferry just before midnight on Monday. Both of us had sleeping bags, food and Dramamine. Our sleeping arrangements included chaise lounges, minus the cushions and sleeping bags. We felt lucky to score two of the lounges. It took us a short amount of time to find where we wanted to camp for 4 and a half days.
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151 Hits
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