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Going Viral with Appreciation

November 29, 2014 By ssherayko Leave a Comment

Did you feel it? My inbox and social media sites have been filled with expressions of gratitude as we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the States.

Since the publication of Rainbows Over Ruins, I often hear from people who have been inspired by my story. After all, if I can survive the after effects of a landslide, and go on to thrive, others can hold onto the possibility that they can too – in all areas of life. They can use the road map I have shared in order to come to understand the power of their minds and retrain their thinking. They can start to grasp the creative process.

Still, when you are in the midst of a crisis, where do you begin? I used to ask myself, how do people pull themselves up by the bootstraps when they have no boots? And the answer was to imagine the boots. It may be a little too simplistic, but imagination is one of the great powers of the mind. Over time, I’ve found that our imagination yields richer results when we open its treasures with an attitude of gratitude and appreciation.

So how do we start? How do we express a sense of appreciation when we are at a low ebb in our emotional life? Here it is. Take the time to appreciate one thing in your life that makes you feel better, brings joy or a hint of well-being every day.

There is an immediate shift in the energy you are putting out. The new energies are closer to what you want to be feeling. The magnetism of that improved frequency draws more of the same. The more you do it, the more you attract.

One of the cornerstones of my meditative work is to express gratitude. I have been following someone’s suggestion that I look for 10 things every day for which I am thankful. Sometimes I have to stretch to think of so many things, but I focus on this feeling as it opens me to new and wonderful ideas during the rest of the day. It does not matter what it may be – a moment of rest and relaxation, sunshine, rain, food, shelter, loved ones, being greeted by a happy pet, solitude, friendship, a new inspired thought, a surprise gift, the opportunity to give to others, goals achieved, the ability to work toward my goals, the connection to consciousness and on and on. The key is to express your appreciation every day.

So what are you happy for today? What are you grateful for? What do you appreciate? If you are looking for an action step to improve your life, grab a pen, pencil or crayon and memorialize it in your journal or drawing pad – even on the back of a napkin. And keep doing it. If you’d like to spread the sense of appreciation to others, send me a comment, make a You-tube video, let the people who serve you know that they are appreciated. Let’s keep the feeling of Thanksgiving going. Let’s go viral with the feeling of appreciation.

May you share your love in the form of appreciation to all around you today.

To Your Success,

Susan

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Action, appreciation, creative process, crisis, feelings, Focus, goals, gratitude, imagination, landslide, one thing, power of the mind, Rainbows Over Ruins, success, Thanksgiving, thrive

What if you had a “piano teacher” for your mind?

March 23, 2014 By ssherayko Leave a Comment

Sharing the creative process and being what Noah St. John calls a “loving mirror” to others is similar to developing a pianist or fine athlete.  A piano teacher or athletic coach offers principles and techniques designed to teach you to make music or play a winning game. Similarly, a piano teacher for your mind teaches and offers constructive guidance to help you improve your life or achieve your dreams.

Do you remember those early lessons? Scales repeated every day, reaching for chords that stretched the flexibility of hands, learning to read the notes on the page, and beginning to discover the voice and tempo of a simple composition from clues written on the sheet music… In the beginning, it seemed mundane and arduous; a chore set before you by parents and teachers alike. 

Yet over time, with much daily practice and many weekly classes, we developed a certain agility. Our hands flowed more smoothly over the keys. We made fewer jarring mistakes and we made music. People noticed the improvement and started to appreciate what we were doing.

As long as we kept practicing to maintain these skills and get into the rhythmic feeling of the compositions, the piano yielded its treasures. We mastered them first for ourselves, then gradually shared them with our families, a school band or concert orchestra.  Perhaps we expanded our reach and participated in plays, on a team, or made movies.  We developed resiliency and strength to perform under the pressure of public presentation.

Why do others care about our music or creativity? Why do they come to watch or listen to our performances? Why do they value it? It’s my contention that we express our feelings through our craft and the audience listens because they like the way we make them feel.  And in return, we value the appreciation we feel when they respond to our work.

Our piano teacher is often the first one to guide us to this experience, supporting us through the early developmental stages, providing constructive criticism to help us improve and cheering us on as we achieve new milestones and try our hands at something new.

The analogy here is that the way we think needs to be nurtured in much the same way. We have a mind and we go to school to learn skills that we can use throughout life to help us survive and live a comfortable life. If we grow up in a spiritual home, we learn to pray, attend services or meetings with others and come to value service to our fellow beings.

But without the guidance of a “piano teacher of the mind,” we may not be fully aware of how we may coordinate these two aspects of the mind to create the life we desire. A teacher would help raise our awareness of the qualities of the conscious and non- or subconscious mind. In the materialistic world we do not always recognize the value of the subconscious mind – its open, receptive nature and ability to connect with what quantum physics calls fields of all possibility.  A teacher can help us learn techniques like afformations in order to collaborate with the subconscious mind’s inherent nature and obtain desired results. Anyone who can ask a question can learn to do this.

As a teaching guide to the mind and conscious creativity, my task is to show you the basics and raise your awareness that the subconscious mind does not judge. It accepts what come to it whether good or bad – and reacts in kind.  Your results depend upon both your conscious thoughts and the effect of your feelings as well.  With regular practice you can learn to use tools and techniques to manage both in order to influence the subconscious for your benefit. You can set up a daily inner routine for the mind that is even more powerful than what you do in your outer activities.

Your personal process requires practice, just like learning to play the piano. It also benefits from regular interaction with the teachers who support your growth and others with similar interests. It is inspired by companionship with those who express their joy and speak of discovering new awareness. It benefits from the presence of others who help us see what we may have missed and then help us adjust.

I have long since lost contact with my first piano teachers and my fingers are not so nimble on the keys these days.  Perhaps if I had stayed in touch, my musical skills would be far better. But I know the value of such teachers and apply it in my daily practice routine for my mind.  And I am grateful for interaction with those who keep my skill set up to date now.

If you want all the benefits to be gained through knowledge of the mind in order to get the results you desire, may I suggest you ask for your piano teacher of the mind, learn the basics of the creative process and practice regularly.  With your loving mirror nearby, you can clear the way and enjoy the full expression of your creativity.  Let me know if I can help.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: afformations, conscious creativity, conscious mind, creative process, creativity, daily routine, feelings, field of all possibilities, gratitude, Noah St. John, piano teacher, subconscious mind, success, value

Do You Schedule Enough Dreamtime?

February 16, 2014 By ssherayko Leave a Comment

Sharing the story within my book Rainbows Over Ruins has taken over my free time. It speaks of the creative process I have been learning since the landslide, and I have been contemplating all manner of ways to tell people about it. Since finishing the manuscript, I have been writing a companion workbook for readers to go through the process as they read. As that has developed, it has naturally led into thoughts about how to coach them through the exercises as well. This natural progression is the result of what Noah St. John calls “imperfect action taking.” We don’t wait to try something until we become perfect at it. We start where we are right now and let the results emerge through us.

It is as if we are all wired to become the best “Me” that we can be. I couldn’t help thinking about babies and small children who are willing to try and try again until they master life’s basics. As infants, they want life’s comforts and master the communication skills that get adults to bring it to them. As they observe others in their environment, they begin to desire what they see around them. They want some control over their ability to have these things and the freedom to get them when they want it. They want to do what they see others doing. Those desires fuel their relentless attempts to roll over, crawl, stand and walk. They make no excuses for their tiny failures and naturally persist in doing whatever it takes to get what they want. Along the way, they develop likes and preferences and a sense of who they want to be when they grow up. They play and pretend, using whatever resources surround them to create the environment they believe makes up the adult experience. They mimic.

But something else can also happen to us. As we grow older, the cumulative effect of failure, rejection and loss can lead us to become more risk adverse. The mind numbing effect of too much information overload and the drug like, hypnotic effect of media may stop us from seeking to expand our circumstances and surroundings. More complacent, we may be content to follow familiar routines and habits regardless of whether those actions contribute to future dreams. It begins to feel too hard to change, adjust or rebuild after a loss. Sometimes we don’t remember what we wanted to be when we grew up or care about becoming the Best Me I Can Be anymore.

The results are not good. We get bored, depressed or overwhelmed by even the smallest problems. As a young woman, I remember asking myself “Is this all there is?” Our thoughts are filled with negative questions, doubt, worry and fear. We whine and complain, resent others for having better lives, and often look for ways to dull the memories of distant childhood dreams. Some would rather stay stoned or become addicted to blot out the pain and frustration.

After the landslide, I experienced some of those feelings. I had no idea of how to rebuild after losing the house, and in its aftermath, we didn’t even have the comfort of familiar routines. Feelings of doubt, worry and fear threatened to drown me. Peter and I could easily have given up because at first it looked as if there were no answers. But we got through it. We dealt with the problems one step at a time, daily, as the next presented thing and moved from disaster to dreams coming true. We both enthusiastically continue to pursue our Best Me I Can Be every day.

So how did we turn the situation around? That is the subject of my book as we unknowingly lived the creative process in order to rebuild. I’ve come to believe that everyone has the ability to express this creativity to improve the circumstances and events in which they find themselves. We started by taking an inventory. We looked at the resources we had left, acknowledged the contrasts and conflicts around us and began to dream of what could be better.

If you are serious about improving your life, you need to make room in your daily schedule for more dream time. Use daydreaming, mind movies, meditation, journaling or centered prayer, but allow the well spring of creativity deep within you to emerge so that you can feel how good you feel in those dreams. It is key to getting what you want. If you can find one thing that makes you feel good or one action you can take every day, you can use the power of your mind to ask for what you want as part of your daily routine. It may not happen overnight, but you will be amazed how much can shift in a positive way. Try it. I think you’ll like the results.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: centered prayer, creative process, creativity, daydreaming, dream time, feelings, journaling, meditation, mind movies, Noah St. John, power of the mind, Rainbows Over Ruins, rebuild

Do You Know Your Value?

February 9, 2014 By ssherayko Leave a Comment

I was thinking about how to identify the audience who would be interested in my offerings when I listened to what Noah St. John had to say about value – the value we bring to others. It made sense to me that before we can identify an audience, we need to know our value so that we can communicate it. However, this has been challenging to me personally. In fact, that’s part of the reason that my book Rainbows Over Ruins took the form that it did. When I began to write, I believed in the value of the success principles, not necessarily in my personal value. Over time, I learned that sharing my experiences, both positive and negative, as an example of someone applying these principles has a value to others.

So why don’t we always see this easily? Noah explains it simply. We cannot see ourselves without the assistance of a mirror. And when we look for a mirror, we want an honest mirror, not one provided by a funhouse that distorts our image. When it comes to the value we provide others, the mirror is not a physical tool, but rather what is reflected back to us from other people. Noah calls them “loving mirrors.” They are the people around us who believe in us even before we are able to believe in ourselves.

There is a special feeling connected with people who support us this way. I was most aware of it when I was studying psychosynthesis and in other group settings. As we shared thoughts, feelings and experiences together, we understood that our role was to listen and support others as they worked through issues in their lives in confidence. Whatever we heard there stayed there. We could share ways we handled similar situations, perspectives we had gained, behaviors we changed and how we changed them. We did not attack or challenge. What we shared was designed to help, not criticize. As often as possible, we found ways to appreciate others for their shares and the value they brought to our lives.

Because a support group is able to show the value we bring to their lives and to others, we gradually come to believe that we can change, cope, improve or acquire new skills. We come to believe that we have value and feel confident about sharing it with others.

Who are the people you would place on your list? They may or may not come from family and friends, co-workers or superiors. In fact, many people do not believe that they have any people who support them in such a positive way. That’s one of the best reasons to find a coach, mentor, support or mastermind group where you can feel the support you need. Once you do, you will find it easier to go after your goals by eliminating any negativity that works against your success.

Part of my daily routine is to express gratitude for the blessings I experience. Included in that list are an ever growing list of people who provide the support I need to keep reaching for growth, expansion and the creation of something new on a regular basis. I have learned that no matter in what circumstances you find yourself, you can find solutions if you are willing to ask for help, be open to receive the assistance that comes your way and then help others in return.

The thought brings to mind a beautiful image shared in spiritual circles of an individual climbing up a rock surface. One arm is extended up to those above him on the mountain. They help him. He, in return, has his other hand reaching back to assist those below who are also climbing. That’s the way I feel about my own journey. Picture me reaching up to those who have taken this journey before me. Now, I’d love to reach back and help you use the creative process to accomplish your goals. Together, we can climb the mountain.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: accomplish goals, ask, coach, creation, creative process, expansion, feelings, gratitude, growth, loving mirrors, mastermind group, mentor, Noah St. John, Rainbows Over Ruins, success, success principles, support group, value

Making Your Resolutions Count

December 23, 2013 By ssherayko

With New Year’s around the corner, lists of resolutions for 2014 are being compiled by one and all.

We even made a game for the show all about the most popular resolutions and have guest speakers on the schedule with suggestions about how to keep them.

Isn’t that always the problem? We start out with the best intentions for the New Year and then a few weeks into the year, they have fallen by the wayside. So what are the best things we can do now to get what we want in 2014?

Moving into January, we are like the Roman god Janus looking forward and backward. It’s a good time to check in on the year 2013 to list our top accomplishments for the year and express our gratitude.

We are also formulating our dreams for the coming year. As you make a list, you have a greater chance of sticking with the ideas that really mean something to you. So before you put something on your list, ask yourself where you want to place your focus? Why is it important to you? How do you want to feel when you achieve it?

Enhance your dream projects by visualizing what they will be, how they will unfold, and see yourself in relationship to them. Take an inventory of what you already have and what you will need to acquire in order to accomplish your goals. And round out your thoughts on your ideas by noting the steps that will be required in the form of a plan.

Help yourself stay focused by writing a list of affirmations and afformations to read or recite daily throughout 2014 until you have achieved your goals.

If you take the time to really think through the resolutions on your list, you will have a much better chance of getting them and as New Year’s dawns, you will already be well on your way.

Happy Holidays and much success with your resolutions for 2014!

Susan

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: affirmations, afformations, feelings, Focus, good intentions, gratitude, inventory, Janus, New Year's, plan, purpose, resolutions, visualize

Reporting in: I am where I am and it’s okay

November 10, 2013 By ssherayko Leave a Comment

I am surprised to see how long it has been since I last posted here. Life has taken me off on a creative journey that has consumed every waking moment – and probably quite a few sleeping moments as well. I am happy to report that I am pleased with where I am now. It has taken several years to move from the night of the landslide through the rebuilding process, yet today, I stand at a place of infinite possibility.

You would think it would be enough to have found a ranch to replace the one we lost or to be part of a daily morning show like “Home and Family” that airs on Hallmark Channel. But that was only a piece of the puzzle.

Along the way, I became fascinated with the creative process. What did we do to make the ranch a reality? How could I learn to do that consciously? How could I help others do it too? I had studied to become a life coach, then refined my studies to understand the power of the mind and success principles as one of Bob Proctor’s LifeSuccess Consultants. Bob encouraged each of his students to write a book, but who was I to write? What could I write that would have meaning for anyone else?

In the end, I decided to translate an outline of the creative process into real life experience. The old adage held true – if you really want to know a subject, teach others about it. I set out to live what I was learning and share that journey. It was painful at times as I wrestled with the application of new ideas on old paradigms. Whenever I hit a roadblock in my understanding that interfered with the writing, new experiences would crop up to help me learn what was needed to move forward.

It took time to write, but after working with the editors at Balboa Press, I expect to place the resulting book titled “Rainbows Over Ruins” in physical production shortly. There will also be a free e-workbook available for anyone who would like to be mentored on their own creative journey while reading my story.

“Rainbows Over Ruins” is what one of my colleagues calls a Siddhartha journey. Along the way, I learned that the creative process embodies success principles. Creativity is an intimate dance with quantum consciousness, the interplay of conscious ideas, questions, and feelings with the power of the subconscious mind to take action and get results.

As I prepare to update listings to reflect my new status as author, I feel a bit like Indiana Jones, about to step off at a leap of faith location. I am so grateful for the support of my many mentors and colleagues. We have to do things on our own, but we do not do them alone. In that spirit, I offer the following question to get your juices flowing. Why do you want to create what you want today?

To Your Success,

Susan

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: actions, Bob Proctor, create opportunity, creative journey, creative process, feelings, field of all possibilities, Hallmark Channel, LifeSuccess Consultant, paradigms, power of the mind, quantum consciousness, questions, Rainsbows Over Ruins, results, Siddhartha, subconscious mind, success, why

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