Life Attractions

Forgiveness: A Key to Transformation and Growth

Gardens are springing up in neighborhoods and local communities all around.  Locally grown food is soaring in popularity.  Farmers markets have increased over the last few years, as have many other local businesses, such as food coops, green grocers, and book stores.   These are just a few ways in which people are rediscovering the benefits of an economy rooted in the local community and independent business.  These community efforts help us to share more, make it with less, and put people and planet first.  

 

For many, the downfall in the stock market, the loss of jobs and global warming has been a wake-up call.  Change is needed.  The process of change is marked by moving towards what we want, leaving behind what we do not want.  All too often, however, there is a tendency to complain when life brings stress.  But is complaining a solution?  The answer is no.  Research shows that it only prolongs suffering.  Far more powerful is your ability to use your experience to empower yourself, expand and grow. 

 

This the first of three posts that focuses on a key to expansion and growth – the practice of forgiveness.  Forgiveness s like preparing and turning the soil, pulling out old roots for new seeds to take hold. Forgiveness makes the way for new growth.  It has a number of benefits: less stress, better health, more stable relationships, and a hope for a better future.  Research has promoted a better understanding of forgiveness, and has given some practical tools for easily

incorporating it into your life.  These tools will follow.

Transforming Challenges into Opportunities: The Power of Connecting with Your Strengths

Today we are experiencing uncertain times. The structures we thought would support us are no longer working. Has this presented a challenge for you?  Do you feel lost and confused? Do you see many opportunities before you, and feel overwhelmed with the many options?  Do you wish to take action, and find yourself hesitant with the uncertainty?

I would like you to consider the benefits of discovering and honoring your strengths.  Some of the most powerful strengths are those that have identified in Positive Psychology, Character Strengths and Virtues.  You can easily discover your unique strengths by going to the Authentic Happiness website
and taking the VIA Strengths Test.

The excitement, however, from using strengths, however, does not result from simply identifying
them, or seeing the words on a sheet of paper.  In order to really discover their power you need
to be able to take action, use them, and discover how they apply to your life.   

In earlier posts I have shared with you the power of declarations in aligning your intentions, vision,
mission, actions and goals. The most famous declaration is The Declaration of Independence. In the last post, I shared with you Caroline Myss work on The Sacred Contract of America. She believes it is the seeding of global self-esteem. When you understand the work on character strengths, you will see how you can help to contribute to this mission, one moment at a time, right where you are, with the people that are meaningful in your life. Most fascinating about the work on character strengths, is that it emerged from Philadelphia, the birth place of our country. Do you sense the mystical influence?

Here are seven benefits of honoring your strengths. I will be discussing in my upcoming teleseminar and in my posts.

1)  You will discover the hidden power within yourself. Often we look to external forces for our happiness: food, stuff, or money.  Strengths help you gain access to the flow that comes from within.

2)  When you are in your strengths you will find yourself engaged, absorbed, and deeply gratified by serving a higher purpose.

3)  Your unique combination of strengths helps you to focus.  Each person has three to five strengths that they use most frequently, rather than many. When you are aware of them, they will help you  to focus your energy. You can use the same strengths in many situations, at home, at work, and in the community.

4)  Because strengths are related to higher ideals, they help you to bring out the best of yourself, so that you can fulfill your higher potential.  The positive energy helps you to collaborate with others.

5)  When you define your area contribution you will find that you can better appreciate the contributions of others.  This allows for more effective teamwork.

6)  Strengths have the power to transform the negative into the positive.  Have you ever noticed that some people "push your buttons?"  You will see it very differently when you discover their strengths.

7)  Character strengths span the generations. When you find ways to connect with your strengths, you will tap in the power of your lineage and create hope for the future.

Now isn't that attractive? I look forward to hearing from you

Warm Regards,

Dr. Alice

 

Transformation - Change Your Focus, Change Your Life

One of the biggest findings in happiness research is that once our income is beyond poverty level, further increases in money does not lead to increased happiness.  Other ethical principles also are proving to be empirically sound.  Giving makes people happier than self-indulgent pleasures, and the strongest determiner of happiness is showing itself to be meaningful relationships.

A focus on character strengths has many benefits for successful relating.  It helps us to see people in
another way.  By seeing the strengths of others, our view point becomes much more accepting, which in turn leads to positive and more flexible and creative thinking. We become more tolerant of others, while still maintaining our own point of view. As a consequence, we are more able to share and build intellectual, emotional, and physical resources that enhance our life. Individuals can be unique and still one and move to a broader, more inclusive perspective that creates harmony and well being.

Diener, E. & Seligman, M. An Economy of Well Being."  Psychological Science in the Public Interest., July 2004.

Hope: The Stirrings of Consciousness

One large source of shift, may result from the stirrings of consciousness. James O'Dea shares that It is becoming increasingly apparent that once people see the damage being done to the whole, they can no longer pursue the self interest of the parts. For example, the overall well being of the community as a whole must take precedence before the financial gain of any one part. No longer can companies pollute at the expense of the community. Similarly, a child cannot grow into a responsible adult without support from a caring family and community.  The deeper patterns and connections must be addressed.

The book, "A New Earth," by Eckart Tolle has become a common household work since its endorsement by Oprah this spring. Why?  Perhaps it results from the stirrings of consciousness. Often, there is the belief that change needs to come from strong leadership or a power outside ourselves.  But, this may only perpetuate the battle.  Is it possible that a more long-term solution may result from an increased awareness within ourselves? Is it possible that ordinary people can make a difference in their lives by taking small constructive actions, one moment at a time?

This solution gives us more power and choice.  We can choose to look at what we have and the strengths that exist within ourselves and our communities.  This type of examination gives us an opportunity to rethink and release old patterns and grow anew.  Later, we are able to look back at the situation, and determine what has been accomplished and gained.  Withstanding and recovering from adversity may be a matter of perspective.

Tolle, Eckart  A New Earth:  Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. New York:  Plume books, 2005.

 

Adversity: Dispair or Stimulus for Growth?

It is often believed adversity leads to depression and despair.  But what about stimulating growth? There is very long tradition of viewing suffering as offering the possibilities for positive change, such as in the work of Maslow (1998).  This is not to say, that growth will be an inevitable result, but that personal distress and growth often co-exist. Critical life crises can offer possibilities for change.

Barbara Marx Hubbard (2003), adopts an evolutionary perspective to give a deeper meaning to adverse events. Indeed, she argues that large scale disaster and adversity often precedes quantum change. She argues that change does not always occur step by step.  Instead, significant change can occur in leaps. When this happens, whole new systems emerge. For example, once there was no life, then life appeared.  These leaps are preceded by crises. 

She calls these crises "evolutionary drivers." They are vital stimulants that trigger astounding "design innovations" that bring forth new capacities. From an evolutionary perspective, problems and crises are "necessary to overcome the inertia of the status quo and fulfill the primary tendency of evolution to move toward greater complexity, consciousness, and freedom."  She further argues that all leaps move towards greater wholeness. For example, we no longer can think of Planet Earth just in terms of different countries. The planet now is integrating in to one complete system.

The new system that prevails is the one that best allows beneficial cooperation.  It is the system in which the self-interest of the separate parts is served better through cooperation rather than separation. Therefore,
approaches that promote conscious choice for the benefit of the whole will bring more positive outcomes, as opposed to approaches that leave things to chance or to self-centered gain.

Barbara Marx Hubbard believes that we are currently undergoing a quantum leap. She says: "The power we have inherited to radically affect the material world will either destroy us or evolve us. We cannot continue even one more generation of over populating, polluting, being at war and using weapons of mass destruction." We are at the threshold of a major step in evolution or devolution."

Hubbard, Barbara Marx.  Writings from Gateway to Conscious Evolution, 2003. Website: www.evolve.org.

 

Maslow, A.  Toward a Psychology of Being, Third Ed. NY: Wiley, 1998.

Beyond Denial: The Transformation Challenge

As we look into our world, we can no longer live in denial. When we face this moment in time, we feel challenged in every way. The air is challenged, the oceans are challenged, the economy is challenged.   The masterpieces of our life our challenged in every way. And yet, James O'Dea  President of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, says we "were born for such a time as this." -- "Decipher the hour. This moment in evolutionary time calls you to be a witness.  You are called whether you are young or old.  Otherwise, you would not be here at this time." He has summarized the situation quite well.
 
We are experiencing an awakened consciousness. People see the need for transformation are ready for transformation at all levels from individual to the collective. This transformation is more than good ideas. It also affects our heart,  --  mind, body, and spirit, and no singular form of transformation works for all. How it works has its own mystery. It can be a subtle shift that creates a new perspective, an earth shattering experience that breaks us out of denial, or it can be conscious stirring that precipitates a great leap of faith. 
 
More than anything, this transformation recognizes that our own truth has great depth. Today, our own truth can reflect contemporary scientific investigations as well as the spiritual wisdom of the ages. Consciousness can flow from separate individual thoughts to global connections and a much broader receptivity.  This blog explores these truths and the hidden attractors behind them.  All can help to create the transformation needed in our lives.  

James O'Dea.  www.Shiftinaction.com  "You were born for such a times as this." with music by Garry Malkin.