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