Joyous Life Works- April 29, 2008

Hello! Hello!,

This has been such a great week...very busy, with lots of opportunities to practice what I'm preaching!

I've long been intrigued with Law of Attraction stuff, but there's always been something that just didn't fit right for me, so I'd taste it and put it aside as "not for me." When my Sufi teacher began to offer a class on "Manifestation" and another of my favorite teachers offered something similar, I thought it might deserve another look. To my surprise, I found a key that has helped me weave the strands together in a way that works so well for me, I can barely contain my enthusiasm!

This week's article, The Banquet Buffet Table, comes from the process I found myself using to find the above-mentioned key that opened doors for me. It was in the continual asking, "what is it I DO want?" that I realized how important the sacred is to me in all that I want. As I see that what I want is to turn my heart towards the Divine in EVERYTHING, that the "Law of Attraction" clicked into beautiful order for me! Now, I can see and feel how it works for me and truly delight in it!

Within the next week, my "I Feel Fabulous!" e-course will be available online. It's a 6 week course via email that will help you gain clarity and make choices that will help you to say unabashedly, "I feel fabulous!"

Peace and blessings and joy,

You have been invited to a most elegant banquet. Every imaginable - and even unimaginable - dish is available for you. Your favorites, those you don't care for, those that give you hives, those that give you real pleasure, those you've never tried or even seen. All there for the tasting or the feasting upon. And all replenished frequently.

Life is like that banquet table...full of every imaginable and unimaginable event and circumstance. Full of all kinds of situations and possibilities for feelings, emotions, choices, actions. Just look around you to get a sense of the smorgasbord of life - maybe it's color or people or office supplies or animals. As I'm writing this, I can quickly pick out at least seven shades of yellow - without even turning my head! What surrounds you? What do you choose to focus on or put on your plate?

For as he thinks in his heart, so he is (Proverbs 23:7)
Most of us have heard a version of this proverb, basically what we focus on we become or draw to us. Unfortunately many of us just don't realize where we are placing our focus and so are unaware that our unconscious focus is undermining us. I did not realize that although I was attempting to "think positively" that many of my positive thoughts were followed by a subtle "not for you" thought. My picture of the banquet table was that I was brought to see the table, but then the doors closed just in front of me. And then I was bummed, focused on how discouraging that felt, clueless that I was focusing, and thus attracting, more disappointment and discouragement!

What was that?
So, one of the first steps to really enjoying this life is to become aware of what you are focusing on. Pay attention to your thoughts. Periodically check in with yourself - what was that thought? When you catch yourself thinking something that is not uplifting or that is not supporting you in being who you want to be, stop for a moment and shift your thought to what you are wanting to be, do, or have. Negative thoughts can take a variety of forms - here are just a few samples: "the house is such a mess" "my boss is such a (fill in the blank)" "how hard is it to put the toilet seat down?" "I've gotten so flabby!" "our country is in real trouble." Are you already aware of some of your own?

Learning a new dance
Sometimes finding the more positive thought doesn't seem so easy...I can switch to what I want, for example, "I want my home to give me a sense of peace and order when I walk in" - and I notice that immediately I think "oh, right. Like that's going to happen...it hasn't happened yet..." - and I'm already back to focusing on what I don't want. So, obviously it takes some practice. It's as though we've been doing the "don't want" or "it won't work" dance so long, we have to learn a whole new series of dance steps! When you catch yourself thinking of what you don't want, just bring your focus back to what you do want - with tenderness as you learn these new steps.

So, go ahead, put down that platter of thoughts that makes you feel bloated and out of sorts and go for the delicious, "I feel fabulous!" ones.

Talk Back: I love to hear from you, and I read every email personally, even when I can't reply to all of them. Send your thoughts to shawn@joyouslifeworks.com. And if you prefer not to be quoted in a future article, just let me know.

Please feel free to pass it on or to reprint this article on your Web site or in your own e-zine. I ask is that you forward the newsletter in its entirety and/or that you include the following paragraph and copyright line with live link if you reprint the article.

This article originally appeared in the Joyous Life e-zine and is reprinted with permission from the author. Shawn Murphey is owner of Joyous LifeWorks.

For more information, visit Joyous LifeWorks.

Newcomer's Speaking Circle
Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 - 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm - Click here for more details

Spring Cleaning for the Heart and Soul
Saturday, May 17th, 2008 - Click here for more details

Contact me, or phone me at 916-369-2077, for more information on either event or to register.

Attraction in Action - Learning to put the Law of Attraction into practice! Please contact me if you want to overcome the inner obstacles keeping you from attracting the life you deserve.