Luck of the Draw?

Hello I’m Peter Winslow, a life coach in private practice. In my practice as a life coach I often encounter people eager to maintain that “luck” is the most powerful indicator for personal outcomes regarding an individual’s health and wellness.

It’s all due, they say, to the environment into which we’re born into. It’s the luck of winning or losing the genetic lottery; the fortune of whom we meet and who comes into our lives on a personal level; the grace of which tax bracket we fall into; on and on it goes.

Still others will tell me there's no such thing as luck—yet they’ll agree it sure feels like an apt descriptor of the conditions and situations they find themselves in.

As for outcomes, it is readily apparent that people look to the future from the perspective of their previous experiences and current circumstances. When being unhappy, the future is dim and `challenging; when joyous and elated, triumph is all but carved in stone.

The difference is found in our own personal biases which determine how we feel about whatever actually occurs. Knowing this, it becomes obvious that we tend to attract what we expect and therefore focus on. The upshot here? The days to come will be great for those who create greatness within themselves.

As such, nothing happens to you, until it happens through you. You are the filter through which your current experiences pass from perception into reality. The wise have often written that we always stand at a fork in the road; we choose our path and can only experience the result of that choice.

Which path will you choose?

 –Peter Winslow

Part 3: Can My Thoughts Really Affect My Health?

I’m life coach Peter Winslow. Throughout my years in practice I’ve worked with many people who believe that what they think about has little if anything to do with their physical health. If you agree, buckle your seat belt because you’re about to discover a whole new reality.

Consider this: thoughts in the mind create changes in the body, many of which we can easily observe. For instance, if you see or hear something that you find embarrassing, you might "blush" and your face turn red. That's a good example of a chemical change that happens in the body in response to your thoughts.

Our thoughts produce physical reactions, many with predictable results. Sexual thoughts can create responses in the anatomy that are easy to observe; creepy thoughts will make your skin crawl and your hair stand on end. Scary and stressful thoughts cause us to secrete catecholamines, the stress hormones including cortisol and adrenalin that must be burned off regularly to prevent ongoing tissue damage.

Conditions like hypertension, stroke, ulcerative colitis, heart disease and many other health challenges are clearly impacted by mental stress, establishing the fact that there's a link between our thoughts and the internal chemical reactions that affect how we feel and how we heal. This is called the "mind-body connection."

Every day we feel our bodies respond to our thoughts and subconscious beliefs. Unfortunately, attitudes like anger, jealousy, resentment and guilt are stressors that can create grave consequences for our health and well-being. These emotions deplete a lot of the energy we need to maintain healthy immune function.

Emotional stress is a problem which worsens the pain and symptoms of chronic illness. Now researchers are discovering that we can reverse chronic illnesses through changing our beliefs and behaviors, which are the central factor in our own health outcomes. The good news is that your body is designed to heal itself naturally and keep you healthy. Your job is to get your mind on board to help it succeed.

-Peter Winslow, Life Coach, Counselor and Trainer

A Powerful Secret

I’m life coach and success catalyst Peter Winslow here to share a powerful secret with you to help you achieve your goals more quickly and effortlessly. The secret: align your goals with your intentions.

Many of my life coaching clients will ask, “What is the difference between a goal and an intention?” 

Answer: an intention is an inner state of being identified by the “feelings” that drive us. Feelings are the way we "tune in" to the world.

Intentions identify how we live—be it with happiness, courage, loyalty, joy, compassion or whatever personal values are most important to us. Our intentions are internal motivators, the inner guideposts and ideals we feel good about and naturally follow.

Goals are a different thing all together. They are the specific and measurable objectives we consciously choose to direct our lives toward.

You birth a magical combination when aligning your goals with your intentions. Goals set by intentions are practically unstoppable, and there is no need for pushing, driving, or forcing yourself to achieve your goal because it feels completely natural to you.

When you think of a goal, you think of what is going to be achieved down the road and what actions you must take to get there.  A more effective approach is to "feel" your way to success, which occurs when you align your goals with your intentions. Your goal feels like it is already a part of you; you feel what it is like to already have it. That’s the “electromagnetism” that brings your goal to you.

Now your intention is present in every action step you take.  As you align your feelings and intentions with your goals, they are much more quickly fulfilled.

 –Peter Winslow

Part Two: Can My Thoughts Really Affect My Health?

I’m life coach Peter Winslow. When I look back to my days with Ankylosing Spondylitis, I realize that deep and heavy emotional stress was constantly with me, which weakened my immune system and made my body more susceptible to chronic illness.

By releasing the deep-seated toxic emotions and buried stress I carried, I helped my body do what it is originally designed to do—repair itself.

Only now, years after recovering from the symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis, do I truly understand the role that toxic, stressful emotions play in creating and sustaining chronic conditions.
You might think the daily challenges of your life are stressful, but how you respond to those challenges is what counts. What we refer to as “distress” is the type of stress universally recognized as a primary cause of illness.

Distress is often an emotional response that affects the body. As the body becomes so stressed that it begins to break down, the immune system can no longer repair the damage.
This is because under stress, the cells in your body don't take in proper amounts of oxygen, water or nutrients. They don't release wastes and toxins, and they don't communicate to other cells with messages intended to help keep your body healthy.

However, stop fomenting the distress and you assist your cells to move out of their defensive mode and into normal growth mode. Your immune system then works to rid you of illnesses and protect your from creating new ones.

Your body is designed as a perfect healing machine, but only when it is not forced into the defensive position brought on by mental and emotional stress. How to stop that defensiveness is something you really should know about.

–Peter Winslow

Part One - Can My Thoughts Really Affect My Health?

I’m Peter Winslow. As a life coach I’ve worked with all types of people seeking solutions, but here’s an example of one who really surprised me. I was completely taken aback when she claimed, "I know exactly why I got cancer!"

She went on to explain how she realized that the stressful issues in her marriage had compromised her health and helped to create her illness.

My surprise came from the fact that this particular woman describes herself as an atheist, and  strongly believes that illness happens strictly at random.

As for the notion that "our thoughts influence our reality" she still considers it to be a steaming load of excrement, although now she is beginning to examine her own internal biases.

She's not alone; many people believe their thoughts and feelings have absolutely nothing to do  with their health, how they feel, or their healing outcomes.

When I suggested to her that we all can learn to think in a way that helps us be healthier, she  responded with vehement anger that I certainly don't know what it's like to be ill.

Well, I do in fact know exactly what it's like.

When I look back to my days with Ankylosing Spondylitis, I remember the anger, resentment, guilt, depression and other suppressed emotions I held. I didn't really understand what caused these feelings at the time because I was in the midst of living them, and coping with the constant, chronic pain of a cruel and punishing autoimmune disorder.

If someone had told me then that I was in any way responsible for my own condition, they wouldn't have wanted to stick around for my reply. But there is a wonderful silver lining to the story. If you’d like to know what it is, stick around for the next segment.

–Peter Winslow

Can Your Body Heal Itself? Section 4

I’m life coach and counselor Peter Winslow. As a life coach I’m often asked by my clients about stress and how it dominates the mind-body connection.

Doctors know that stress is a major cause of illness and dis-ease, and that alleviating the mental stress that causes health issues will often restore optimal bodily function. Medical practitioners typically prescribe invasive medication as treatment, but there are many alternative options which are free of harmful side-effects.

For instance, moderate movement exercises balance the mind and body by settling the brain chemistry brought on by stressful emotions. There are a variety of simple mind-body techniques and exercises you can use to help your body heal from stress, many of which can add quality and years to your life.

The astounding thing is, you don’t have to understand the mind-body connection in order to use it for powerful results. Consider it this way: do you need to know how to build a Ferrari to start one up and drive it down the street?

Your body—the Ferrari—was designed and created to operate smoothly. Your mission is to climb into the driver’s seat and steer your vehicle to happiness, health and wellbeing.

Remember, understanding the mind-body connection is not required for results. Case in point: do you know exactly how you digest and assimilate food and then excrete the waste without even thinking about it?

You don’t have to know how you do it because the work is done automatically. Call it what you want—the subconscious mind, inner intelligence, instinct, nature, or higher awareness—the system is operating right now, directing your physical functions without you paying any conscious attention to it.

This is where it gets interesting: even though you pay little or no attention to it, your inner intelligence pays close attention to you. How? It responds to your dominant thoughts and emotions, and for better or worse, stressful or otherwise, you are communicating with it at all times. 

–Peter Winslow

Can The Body Heal Itself? Section 3

I am Peter Winslow, a life coach and health counselor in Scottsdale. I have a question for you today that may make you think very deeply about your own health, and it goes like this: What makes us ill—and who, or what, can make us well?

There is a growing mountain of evidence that our beliefs and behaviors hold the key. The new science of Behavioral Epigenetics reveals new facts about the cause of chronic illness, and I am a firm believer. Why? Because behavioral changes led directly to my remission from the “medically incurable” autoimmune disorder known as Ankylosing Spondylitis.

We now know beyond all doubt that long-standing toxic emotional states greatly constrict the immune system, a natural defense mechanism which exists to protect us from premature aging and disease.

Ask yourself this question: if you repress your resentment, guilt, shame, anger, and other difficult emotions, can this behavior lead to illness? Recent medical studies prove that yes in fact it can.

This is all due to what is called the mind-body connection, a natural phenomenon that many people remain skeptical about. Yet medical studies continue to find that how we think and feel affects our health, especially when what we think and feel leads to chronic stress.

In the United States, stress-related illness accounts for 85% or more of the complaints that patients report to their doctors. Here’s a common example: Studies show that emotional stress directly affects the human digestive system. Mental and emotional stress is frequently cited as causing loss of appetite, uncontrollable cravings, or unhealthy eating binges. Stress also impedes proper absorption of nutrients and causes further issues with elimination of waste matter.

Chronic stress is proven to cause symptoms of illness in the physical body. The long-term solution is found in lifestyle and behavioral changes, rather than quick-fix addictive drugs whose positive results never last. 

-Peter Winslow

How the Body Heals Section 2

This is Peter Winslow, a health and life coach in private practice. Today we’ll discover the difference between “medical treatment” and “self-healing.” You may be surprised to learn that they often have very little in common. 

“Treatment” concerns external means to manipulate for an outcome, while “healing” is what occurs naturally within the body. 

When we discuss “healing” we’re talking about a subject that cannot be accurately predicted by medical data or controlled studies. Outcomes for healing are always variable; doctors can at best discuss the probabilities for any successful outcome. 

In fact, the natural energy that heals the human body is almost never discussed in western medical training. Scientists focus on the laws that govern physical tissues, systems and the matter they can observe with the implements of medical technology. They seek ways to interact with those things and they evolve their findings into methods of medical “treatment.” 

“Healing” is completely different, because healing is what you do. You already possess the energy to heal; the doctors don’t prescribe it and no one can sell it to you. In fact, “healing” is an act that ultimately depends on you. 

The energy that heals your body lives within your body, and it will never leave until you die. If you cut the finger of a cadaver you will notice that the wound will never heal. At this point, no medical treatment is useful because the healing energy is no longer in the body. 

This indicates that the power to heal is connected with the animating life force within us. This has never been studied by medical science, and the organic energy that heals your body cannot be witnessed through a microscope. It remains “meta-physical” or beyond the physical, and beyond the scope of medical technology. 

–Peter Winslow

Can the Body Heal Itself?

Hello I’m life coach Peter Winslow, and I have a radical question on tap for you today: do you believe that your body can heal itself?

If so, you’re in the minority. Most people believe that “healing” only comes from doctors and drugs, and that the body has little if any internal healing ability. As a life and health coach, I hear this constantly from my clients. Yet it’s a misguided misunderstanding—and a dangerous one at that.
For you to better empower your own healing ability it will be useful for you to think of healing the body from injury and dis-ease in terms which are not limited to medical science, but which also include a powerful healing philosophy.

The word philosophy means “love of wisdom.” The natural philosophy we can use to comprehend self-healing includes wisdom about the communication between your mind and body which evolved over eons to protect you and keep you free of illness.

The concept of a “mind-body connection” has often been rejected by the modern mainstream and by those who find it difficult to think of healing as a holistic (mind and body) phenomenon. This is likely due to the fact that western medical training has not endorsed mind-body methods of treatment as being useful or good for business.

For years, medical facilities taught that the human mind has little or no impact at all on the body. They reasoned that something as ambiguous as “stress”—which is a mental state—couldn’t possibly have any effect on the complicated anatomical workings of a human being. Most medical instructors now willingly admit that they just didn’t believe it was that simple.

Today many medical practitioners have seen the light about the toxicity of mental and emotional stress. They have evolved their practices to include recommending holistic approaches for stress relief as they recognize the powerful benefits of these “new-age” practices and how effective they are for their patients.

–Peter Winslow

Getting Over Feeling Like a Failure in Your Breakup

I’m life coach and counselor Peter Winslow. I know that when a relationship ends, we can sometimes feel like we failed. We failed to keep the relationship vital; failed to live up to the ideal of a perfect partnership; failed to be enough, work hard enough or provide enough to hold the relationship together.

For some, this can be more damaging than failing at say, a business venture.  Announcing to the world, “We split” may feel like saying “I’m a failure and I’m not good enough for a real relationship.”

Yet you can heal from the pain of feeling like a failure. This feeling can readily dissipate when you learn and accept these things:

• You are a human being having human experiences. Breakups are practically a universal experience. Do you know anyone who has NOT experienced a difficult breakup at some time?

• Life is all about changing, growing, and evolving.  A breakup is one of those changes.

• As you change, your experiences change and your relationships change as a result.

• When relationships feel good, that is the right experience for you at that time in your life.

• When relationships begin to feel bad, heavy or difficult, it means it is no longer the best situation for you at that time.

The ultimate lesson:

When a relationship ends it’s because the two individuals no longer are a match to each other as they once were. Doesn’t that feel like nature, life, God or the Universe (insert your favorite term) doing its best work?

The best relationship is a cycle, not a success or failure: we met, we matched, we grew, we changed, evolved, lived and learned. Then we were no longer a match in those aspects of life that make relationships work.

Only by moving on can you make the space for a better life.

  

– Peter Winslow

Getting Over A Breakup

I’m life coach and counselor Peter Winslow. If you have recently been through a tough breakup, there are probably plenty of good reasons for it beyond the obvious (we fought all the time, we grew apart, etc.)  And when you finally realize that your relationship really needed to end, you can more easily let go of the heartache and misgivings that followed.

One of my recent life coaching clients related that when her long-term relationship ended, it took time for her to see how that was the best thing that could have happened. She didn’t know it then; at the time it felt like a ton of unnecessary pain and regret. Yet as the days passed she learned a lot from the experience, much of which helped her find meaning in her life, and one of her discoveries can help you do the same.

The basic lesson is this: the end of a primary relationship heralds your highest and best interest at that time. Ultimately, this means that whether you like it or not, the breakup was actually a blessing. It probably didn’t feel like a blessing, but in time it will.

You can now move onto sacred ground and discover how to capitalize on the “blessings in disguise” that come with the hard knocks of life, and that will lead you to important breakthroughs. You will grow in ways that other life lessons simply cannot afford you.

Begin with this towering lesson of spiritual significance: each trial and tribulation, every life lesson and labor we've endured, for better or worse, all point to our true purpose. This includes every fruitless or failed relationship you’ve had, and in a very big way. If this solemn truth is hard for you to swallow, then you haven't been paying attention to what is really important—and it’s time to change that.

–Peter Winslow

Shift Happens 3

I’m life coach and success catalyst Peter Winslow. On the subject of “shift happens” we know that small shifts used wisely can bring great benefits. Now let’s make the rubber meet the road: is there something small, a humble gesture, a modest change in your activities, a slight shift in your behavior that will lead to where you’d like to be?

Maybe it’s getting out of bed 20 minutes earlier than usual. You can use that time to exercise, meditate or catch up on your reading. This small shift in behavior, taken cumulatively over a month or a year, will produce a huge outcome that can be literally life changing.

We all manifest the circumstances upon which our minds dwell. It’s a fact that what we think about, we bring about. Ask yourself this question: where is my attention most of the time? Consider this wisely and wake up to a new reality.

To live a happy, healthy, useful life, we must direct the majority of our attention toward that which we intend to experience. Your assignment is to find ways to see and feel your intention in real time, and experience it in ways large and small each and every day.

You don’t have to know how or why this works, just trust that it does and apply yourself to the process. Lay the groundwork, follow your instincts and prepare for success.

Remember that personal growth is a process, not a destination. In the garden of earthly delights, the process can be even more fun than the outcome.

 – Peter Winslow

Shift Happens 2

I’m life coach and success catalyst Peter Winslow. Last time we connected, I mentioned a favorite aphorism of mine: shift happens. It’s an amusing turn of phrase, a wondrous truth, enlightening concept, and guide to personal fulfillment.

Following are two of the hidden principles that make your small shifts into big progress. These timeless principles are ancient and mystical, and today we have the power of modern science to confirm them.

The cardinal principles behind every comparative philosophy and world religion are strikingly similar. Many higher teachings include the seven universal laws that govern the cosmos; among them, the Principle of Vibration. This ancient principle says that absolutely everything is in motion, and nothing actually rests.

Ask a modern physicist and she’ll tell you it’s true. She knows that even a seemingly inert substance like rock is teeming with activity, as the sub-atomic particles within it swirl about in perpetual motion.

Add to this the Principle of Rhythm, which says that everything must flow in and out; all things rise and fall. A “pendulum swing” manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is equal with the swing to the left.

We see the Principle of Rhythm realized as the second law of motion in classical physics: for every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction. Or, as I like to say—shift happens.

A friend of mine once said if you’re being run out of town—get in front of the crowd and make it look like a parade! Realistically and pragmatically we could say that, rather than resist the inevitable, anticipate the shifts and learn to make them work for you instead of against you.

  

–Peter Winslow

 

Shift Happens

I’m life coach and success catalyst Peter Winslow. I recently heard from a client who related this small bit of tall wisdom:

"Understanding who we are is so confusing. I learn many lessons each day and I’ve read many books about finding myself… yet I still feel lost. My heart wants to love and to give, but it can be really scary."

Sentiments like hers are messages straight from the heart. Can you relate?

It’s difficult to know “who we are” when who we think we are gets in the way. This “who we think we are” business is called ego, or the conceptual self. Its main purpose is to protect us from harm and embarrassment, and it does so by preventing change of any kind from happening in our lives.

The way to break through all that is to stop relying solely on your cognitive mind, and learn to trust your heart. This requires a small shift in your awareness.

Opportunities for small shifts loom everywhere. Some are clearly marked; others are hidden and challenging to understand. Sometimes you’re up for the challenge; sometimes you fear it. Your job is to trust that behind your emotional uncertainty is a heart of unerring wisdom. Your primary mission is to move in the direction that feels best to you. Move upward, forward or sideways, but move! Now you’re headed in a positive direction no matter where it takes you.

Next time we’ll discuss the vital principles that can make it all flow smoothly.

 –Peter Winslow

Breaking Up

I’m life coach and counselor Peter Winslow, and the subject of my last entry was breaking up with a significant other. In that post we saw that our break-ups can signify a new beginning and lead to a stronger and clearer relationship with the most important person in your life—you.

To focus on the bright side of any breakup, use these helpful tips:

- Clean and organize your personal space

This helps you feel refreshed and prepared for new things to come. A messy environment can be stifling and depressing, and can increase mental stress. Keep yourself moving by organizing your space, which will enable you to focus and keep you from recycling past pain. As simple as this sounds, it really does help you feel better about things.

- Remove memory triggers

We are surrounded by "triggers" that can push our buttons without us even knowing it. As you clean and organize your space, be sure to remove everything that may possibly trigger a headache or heartache. If you have keepsakes which remind you of the good aspects of your relationship, there's nothing wrong with keeping them, but put them away for later when you've had enough time to release the negative or painful feelings.

- Hold a symbolic ceremony

As you clean out your personal space, gather everything that reminds you of your last relationship and have a ceremony of closure. You can throw away the items, burn them (safely, please) or donate them to a deserving charity. As you do, give a eulogy to the relationship and express it out loud. You'll soon find that as you clear your space of things from the past, you create brand new space to receive what you truly want and deserve.

 –Peter Winslow

Riddle Me This

I’m life coach and quizzer Peter Winslow, here with a puzzler you may find amusing. See if you know the answer:

You can’t fake it, but you can certainly hide it. You can’t buy or sell it, yet it is truly priceless.

When you display it, everyone wants it; you can't see it directly, but everyone recognizes it. And when you have it, you are much loved and often pursued for it. What is it?

Most people will chime in with answers like love, wisdom, or happiness. Some come to conclusions like integrity, compassion, character, honor, dignity, passion, altruism, and more along these lines. So, who is correct?

It seems to me that everyone is. And what do all their inferences have in common? We could say that they all demonstrate the qualities of what can be called “inner beauty.” So, what is inner beauty and more to the point—have you got it?

You have met people who seem to be overflowing with gratitude, poise, charm and other qualities of inner beauty. So, what was it about them you most admired? This is recognition of your own beauty, because we are not able to recognize subtle qualities in others which we ourselves do not possess.

As your inner light grows, you become more radiant on the outside. You look and feel healthier, happier, more vibrant and alive, brimming with passion and substance. You even become what we might call magnetically attractive.

The reward is much more than you imagine. It includes communion with the very source of life itself, and the ability to bring authentic love into this world. People then recognize their own inner beauty reflected in you, and that, my friend, is the definition of true love: the recognition of oneself in another.

 – Peter Winslow

“I Vant To Be Alone”

I’m life coach and counselor Peter Winslow. Without traveling too far into the distant past, I can remember a time when I was somewhat-to-very uncomfortable being by myself, and feeling alone.

Maybe you can relate to this. If you are anything like many of my life coaching clients, the uncomfortable feeling of being alone may be a critical factor in your own success and happiness.

In time, I came to understand that for me, these feelings occurred because I didn't really like who I thought I was—and more importantly, I didn't know how to change that. It all seemed very difficult and emotionally draining. Yet with time, the tide eventually turned. As with most things, in the end it all worked out for the best.

Case in point: let’s say you've just gone through a difficult break-up with a significant other and you're ready to move on. It can be very empowering to realize that moving on, in a sense, can mean coming back home to who you really are.

If you feel uncomfortable being alone, you might remain in a dysfunctional relationship long past the point at which you otherwise might have freed yourself. When you're okay to be with yourself, by yourself and for yourself, things can and do evolve for the better. For one thing, you become more attractive to other people. Ironic, isn’t it?

Think about it… if you don't really like to be with you… why would anyone else (at least a healthy anyone else) like to be with you? In other words, if you can’t stand being with you—who can?

Ask yourself the question: am I more attracted to someone who doesn't like to be alone, or to a person who is comfortable in their own skin no matter who they are or are not with?

With this awareness in our grasp, our break-ups can signify a new beginning and lead to new personal growth. And that is a very exciting prospect for anyone.

 –Peter Winslow

Spring Forward or Fall Back

I’m life coach and logician Peter Winslow. Here’s a topic for conjecture: as you may be aware, daylight savings time cascades across the land again this coming Sunday. But… why?

We in the Arizona desert have curried favor against adjusting our clocks to manufacture another hour of sunlight during the oppressive summer season. We've got enough sun as it is. So I wonder… if we were to turn the clocks back and not forward, would we actually receive less sunshine this year?

I find it curious that jinking the clock really does alter the circadian rhythms in our bodies. Of course we get the same amount of sunshine either way—but how we feel is the real issue, and sunshine does increase serotonin levels in the brain. So do you feel better yet?

People have long speculated about the effects celestial bodies have on human bodies. Consider the fact that the planet Mars is reversing direction in the sky right now, exiting retrograde and doing a complete one-eighty against the backdrop of interstellar space. Astrologers tell us this rare event means we are about to undergo dramatic changes in matters of romance and finance. They say it's all to the good—but what do you say?

I say that just because we Zonies don't adjust our clocks to save daylight doesn't mean we won't spring forward, throttle our obstacles and make the odds come our way.

In a song titled Thick as a Brick, Ian Anderson asked: “Do you believe in the day?” Belief is truly the one and only deciding factor in the matter of “daylight savings.”

 –Peter Winslow

Substance and Fortitude

I’m life coach and success catalyst Peter Winslow. Today I have some compelling questions for you and you’ll want to consider them carefully.

First, are you a person of substance and fortitude?

Think on this for a moment. Set aside the trappings of ego, the part of you that tries to control what you believe. Really and deeply consider what I'm asking you here: how able are you to live a life of meaning while overcoming that which no longer serves you?

Next question: if you found a way to address every challenge in your life, a way that could provide stability and acceptance through every obstacle, would you use it? Of course you would.

What if every challenging situation you face—be it financial, health related, relationship, personal—could be resolved with a single asset? How much energy could you recover and redirect toward acquiring that which you really desire?

Such an asset exists, and the good news is—you will soon own it free and clear. It is called confidence.

Confidence is the key to undo the fear and resistance that have long stood between you and your dream. When this key is fully integrated and applied, your “problems” become little more than steps to ultimate power through personal growth.

The challenges that had seemed so terrifying are then recognized as the experiences you needed to identify and hone your character. Your job is to be confident, accept what your challenges offer, and calmly observe as they work their magic and then like old skin, organically fall away.

 –Peter Winslow