Lessons learned on a Sunday

Years ago I read a quote by the inspiring Zig Zigler who said,  “Some of us can learn by other people’s mistakes… The rest of us have to be the other people.” So much of what I teach I have learned as the result of making mistakes, and then course correcting… learning from my own mistakes as it were. Sunday was one of those days.

I wish I could say I’ve got the processes so dialed in that each time I’m faced with a bump in the road I immediately identify it, use my tools and quickly move on. Alas, this is not the case… Even as a teacher I am still a student. This weekend presented two prime examples for exercising my skills, and I failed… Fortunately,  I have an amazing coach AND I am now able to recognize the underlying cause of most events, and so I was able to recover (relatively) quickly.

I’d dedicated this past Sunday to furnishing my new office in Historic Troutdale so that I could have my first client meeting in this space. On Saturday evening my daughter borrowed my car for the night. Mysteriously, the keys to the car, which held the only keys I had to the office, vanished. Truly vanished. She got out of the car, walked into the house, and soon discovered the keys were gone. As she searched I was positive they would show up. Together we came up with story after story about what could have happened. The more stories we created the more frustrating the situation became. Soon my entire Sunday was consumed by fabricated possibilities of what had happened, the frustration of not having them, the worry about having to inform my landlord, the sadness for not being allowed into my office, and the disappointment of potentially not being able to see my client Monday. I sank into despair. Finally, late in the day, when I felt there was nothing left that I could do, I escaped to a movie (Wonder Woman is inspirational, by the way). I gave up on any semblance of productivity for the remainder of the day. Of course there were several useful things I could have done, but I had no energy left in me. I got through the day, and that’s about all.

I do believe we are presented with opportunities to learn and grow, and this was certainly a day filled with ample prospects. So what are the lessons that I learned? As I was speaking with my coach she reminded me of Abraham’s Emotional Guidance Scale. I recognize now that as the day progressed, from beginning with when I learned that my keys had vanished, I actually improved through out the day, even though I didn’t recognize it at the time.  I went from a starting point of somewhere between 16 and 17 on Abraham’s scale of discouragement and anger, and by the end of the day I had made it all the way up to 8, boredom. I simply got tired of talking and thinking about the situation.

During the course of the day, on my way up the scale, I briefly stopped by to blame a few people who could have potentially been at fault; including myself for not getting copies of the office keys right away. I worried about how my new landlords would react. I began to doubt that my office would ever be ready for clients. I was incredibly disappointed that this had even occurred. I felt overwhelmed with all I still needed to accomplish. I certainly felt strong measures of frustration. And I became pessimistic that the outcome would be anything less than painful. Finally, emotionally exhausted, I got bored with the whole situation and I just checked out.

Lesson #1: It’s OKAY!!!

Did I use Sunday to the best of my ability given what I know and the tools I have readily available to me?  Actually, yes, I did the best I could that day.  Was it a stellar example of what I teach? It may appear that the correct answer is “not”; however, there were a lot of other factors at play for me on Sunday, which I have not detailed, as I’m certain is often-times the case for you.  Regardless of where we are in our journey, or how much we may have mastered, we are all still human beings. We have not yet been perfected, and there will be days when the best we can do is to just get through it. At those times simply look yourself in the mirror and say “It’s OKAY!” This allows us to become content in the moment

Lesson #2: Embrace Hope, because this too shall pass

Life is a journey… a process… and nothing ever remains stagnant. I trust that life has a way of working itself out if only we believe. And on those days when believing is difficult, sometimes all we can do is to suspend disbelief so that we are able to reach the 6 level on Abraham’s Scale and grab onto hope. Hope for a better tomorrow is one emotion that will keep us going through the storm, even though we feel that we are being drenched by an unforgiving rain.

Lesson #3: You always have the ability to choose.

And so on Monday, faced with the stark reality that keys had truly vanished, I chose to “LET IT GO”.  I was not willing to waste another day feeling miserable. Perhaps it’s because, at this point in my life, I have so few days feeling defeated, so it’s not comfortable. I used one of my favorite tools, EFT/Tapping, and restored my optimism for my mission. I tapped until I felt whole again. I embraced a positive expectation that my landlord would be understanding, and that all things would work out.

 

Lesson #4:  Allow space for what you choose to manifest.

I was now high enough on the scale to become enthusiastic about accomplishing the tasks at hand. My landlord was amazing. Although he is out of the state  for several weeks, within hours I had a building key in my hand. As a result I met several of the other tenants who will surely become my friends!

 

Lesson #5: Accept the gifts that are given.

I worked with my daughter to engage one of her friends who is a locksmith to open my office and make new keys. Dale arrived with a smile on his face and did the work quickly. He gave me the “mother of my friend “discount, and saved me more than 50% off the standard cost.

Because I am passionate about the work I am doing I shared my work with the locksmith. For years he has been interested in hypnosis to overcome his dislike of vegetables (yes, we can do that).

And, oh, by the way, re-keying the office was on my to-do list anyway.

 

Lesson #6: Recognize that you deserve the very best that Life and Love have to offer.

By the end of the day on Monday, I had once again reached the top rung of the ladder on Abraham’s Scale. I was full of joy and appreciation for all that had occurred to make the day easy. I was able to review the previous 48 hours and recognize the events for what they were.

Because I had been “locked out” of my office I was able to do the finishing work necessary for me to finally accept that this space and career is truly mine, and I deserve to be in this place in my journey.

Abraham’s Emotional Scale is a valuable tool allowing us to do a self-check on our current state and then focusing on getting to the next level… and then the next… and the next, until we reach the state of acceptance, joy, and love.

Once you are back to level remember to Choose… Allow… Accept… Deserve. Keep this mantra close by at all times as a reminder. I invite each of to learn what you need  in order to create the very best that Life and Love have to offer.