February 16, 2021 JUDY LUCA ~ Spirit of Change
Could a doctor perform surgery with a hammer or a carpenter build a home with a scalpel? Of course not; they would be very unsuccessful in their jobs if they had the wrong tools. They each use very different tools, and they each have many tools to choose from in their tool chest. The right tools will make all the difference in life.
To experience the life of your dreams, fill your tool chest with powerful tools. There are many tools that can assist you on your road to transformation. It’s a good idea for you to have a large variety of tools to work with too. Different tools will work better at different times and in different situations. You may find you prefer some tools over others. It’s important to find out what works best for you.
Here are 10 tools that can transform what experience on this journey we call life.
1. MEDITATION is a wonderful tool. It can relieve stress, quiet the mind, relax the body, focus attention, and center you, so you can make better decisions. It puts you in touch with the spiritual reality of life. Many people find a deeper connection to source, a deeper connection to themselves, to their inner knowing and the world around them.
Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, was one of the first scientists to take the anecdotal claims about the benefits of meditation and mindfulness, and test them in brain scans. What she found surprised her: meditating can literally change your brain. She found thickening in four regions of the brain.
“1. The primary difference, we found in the posterior cingulate, which is involved in mind wandering, and self-relevance.
2. The left hippocampus, which assists in learning, cognition, memory and emotional regulation.
3. The temporo parietal junction, or TPJ, which is associated with perspective taking, empathy and compassion.
4. An area of the brain stem called the Pons, where a lot of regulatory neurotransmitters are produced.
The amygdala, the fight or flight part of the brain that is associated with anxiety, fear and stress in general, got smaller in the group that went through the mindfulness-based stress reduction program. The change in the amygdala was also correlated to a reduction in stress levels.”
Meditation literally changes your brain and it can change your life. If you don’t meditate regularly you may want to begin. There are many ways to meditate. I began by staring at the flame on a candle. I also listened to guided meditations. Some find mediating to music or sounds of nature helpful. When you begin, choose a time and place that you can practice daily. You can meditate any time or place you want, but committing to the same time and place daily will help you establish your practice. I meditate before I even get out of bed every morning. This allows me to capture those precious moments before thoughts of the day come into mind. Try different approaches and see what works for you.
In the beginning of your meditation practice you may only be able to meditate 5-10 minutes, and that is fine. Like exercise, it takes practice, consistency and dedication to improve your ability and see the desired results. Stay with it and you will find it get easier so you will be able to stay with it longer. 20-30 minutes daily can make a big difference in what you experience in life. Be gentle with yourself but be persistent. Write your thoughts after you meditate as often as you can. Meditation often opens people up to receive new insights. Words and inspiration often flow easily when you are centered from meditation.
2. AFFIRMATIONS can be another valuable tool. Make a list of positive statements about you and your life. List the qualities you value and want to embrace. Write statements about the life you wish to experience. Make them personal, short, and always state them in the present tense. Write them 10-20 times. The written word has power, and writing them helps you feel them in your energy system. The universe tunes into what you feel, so fully embrace them as who you are. Say them out loud as many times a day as you can. This also helps you embody them. Record them so you can play them back to you as you drive or are occupied in other activities. If you can’t feel them, rewrite them so you can feel them. Often the ones you can’t feel will uncover a hidden limiting belief you have about yourself. This can give you the opportunity to examine it and develop new empowering beliefs.
Remember the truth of who you are. You are a glorious manifestation of the most high. Your nature is the nature of source. You are made in the image and likeness of God which means you are love, you are light, you are joy, peace, intelligence, creativity and wholeness. Once you have the affirmations that you desire, place them everywhere so you can see them often. They serve to remind you of the essence of your being.
3. TRANSFORMATIONAL VOCABULARY is a technology developed by Tony Robbins to employ habitual vocabulary (the words you consistently use) to amplify or lower the intensity of your emotional states. By changing the words you use you can lessen or magnify the impact they have on you. For instance, instead of saying “I’m fine,” say “I’m amazing.” Instead of saying “I failed,” say “I learned.” Change “I’m angry” to “I’m disappointed.” Defuse the negative things you say consistently with words that don’t hold as much of an emotional charge. When you take the emotional charge out of the words that generate negative states, you lessen that state. In the same way, when you change the words that generate positive states, you can amplify the positive state.
Pay attention to the words you use consistently. Consciously change the words you use to break the habit you may have of downplaying your worth or exaggerating the negativity you may experience. Transformational vocabulary can help you interrupt negative habits so you can break them and develop new empowering habits.
4. INCANTATIONS are positive statements that also include a physical quality to them by using your breath, gestures, facial expressions and movement. Incantations have the capacity to quickly raise your vibration. Incantations are similar to affirmations but they add a physical quality and action to enhance the impact. Write statements of virtues or beliefs that you want to experience in the present tense. Embrace the message with total conviction and see them as already accomplished. Declare them out loud to the universe with certainty and passion. As you say them speak loudly, use your body, use gestures, and declare them with emotional intensity. Use all your senses and really feel the statements completely throughout your body. Take them into your being and own them!
Repeat these incantations consistently allowing your new beliefs and emotions to become embedded deep into your subconscious. Set aside a time to devote to creating your incantations and then make them part of your daily ritual.
5. VISUALIZATION is another great tool to bring into your life the things you wish to experience. Think of something you wish to experience — a better self-image, a healthier body, a new home or car, a vacation, a deeper relationship. It doesn’t matter what it is; visualization can work for everything.
My daughter was doing some door-to-door campaigning years ago for a cause close to her heart. Since the group always did their work in the evenings, she found herself getting mercilessly attacked by mosquitoes. She used visualization to surround herself in a pink bubble to protect her from the mosquitoes and it did. To this day she does not get bothered by mosquitoes.
I have used it in obtaining parking, which in Boston can be tricky, but everyone knows my great luck with getting spaces. One time my daughter was searching for a spot while we were on the phone and she magically found one in a place where she never has any luck. She said, “You don’t even have to be here mom; I just have to be talking to you to get a good parking spot.”
Years ago I led a visualization group with people in the group from all over the country. We would write about something we wished to experience as if it we were writing in our journal, and as if it had already happened. Several years later I went one of the group members’ wedding. I was delighted to see him so happy, and I noticed that his wife was exactly as described in our visualization group.
I often say my husband is my greatest manifestation. I used visualization to see the kind of man and marriage I wanted. I wrote down the details of the man he would be, the woman I would be, the relationship we would have, the wedding and honeymoon we would have, the feelings we would have for our marriage. I wrote it all down, envisioned it all and saw it as complete. I knew it would come to be at exactly the right time, and it did. I found the man I dreamed of, had the wedding and honeymoon of my dreams and live in the marriage I have always wanted.
You can use visualization for anything. Use all your senses, picture your desired outcome in your mind’s eye with as much detail as you can. See it as happening right now. Imagine what it will look like, sound like, and imagine how you will feel when you attain whatever it is you want. See it as if it is already accomplished. Know with certainty it is the truth of your experience. Have complete faith that the universe is providing you with all that you need to see it complete. Know doors will open, new opportunities will appear and the right people will come into your life. First you see it in the invisible, then it will appear in the visible. “Seeing isn’t believing, believing is seeing.”
6. GRATITUDE is another tool to bring your life to higher place. No matter what is going on in your life, there is always something to be grateful for. You can be grateful for just being alive, be grateful for your sight, your hearing, your ability to breathe, and even the ability to read this is something to be grateful for. The more you are grateful for all that you have, the more will come into your life. You can’t trick the universe though; you can’t bring more into your life saying you are grateful, but not really meaning it. You must really feel it deep within your heart. You must embrace a complete sense of gratitude and thanksgiving for all the gifts in your life. Nothing is too small to be appreciated and grateful for. What you appreciate, appreciates!
Start a gratitude journal. Begin each day or end each day by writing something in the journal that you truly are grateful for. Practice the three blessings; every evening I give thanks for three things that went well that day. Remember, the written word has power, and nothing is too small. It can be as simple as a beautiful flower you saw, a kind word that you received or shared, a good parking spot, or it can be something huge like a new life changing opportunity. The universe does not see size; it only senses what you are feeling, so embody gratitude with all that you are. You can even use gratitude for things that may not be in your experience yet. If you want something new in your life, give thanks for its manifestation. The subconscious mind does not know the difference between reality and your imagination. See it as done, give thanks for its completion, and it will magically appear in your life.
7. RELEASE. Whatever you want to experience in your life, you must have faith and let it go. You can affirm, do incantations, visualize, give thanks, but unless you release it and let it go, it will not manifest and become part of your reality. This is the tool that so many people forget. Your job is to declare what it is you want to experience and then let the universe do its job. You don’t have to know how it will appear; you just have to embrace it as already done, be open to the guidance you will receive to bring it into your life, and watch the magic happen. Just as we don’t know how the seed actually sprouts and becomes the mighty oak, we don’t know how our dream will come to be. Our job is to surrender and let the universe make it happen. We have to plant the seed, water it by using the tools we have, then just pay attention to the signs and directions the universe gives us. This requires being still so we can hear the voice from within directing us, but once we declare what it is we want to experience, synchronicity appears, doors magically open, and it will be done.
It’s important to remember some things may take time, but if you worry about how long it takes you are not releasing it to the universe. Imagine a seed beginning to come through the soil, its tiny head reaching for the sun. If you step on it at this fragile time you will kill it. It’s the same way with your desire. If you doubt or if you worry about it not manifesting, you have stepped on the seedling. Anytime you feel doubt, worry or anxiety about what you want to experience creeping in, quickly remember the seedling and use any tools you can to see your desire as complete. Then release it to the universe and let it go! It is done to you as you believe, so don’t believe a little; believe with all that you are.
8. BE PRESENT. Today is all that we know we have. Living in the past can make one live with regret, guilt, anger, shame, sadness or fear. If we live in the past we lose the opportunity to make the most of today. It’s important to learn from the past, retain the lessons and let any negative emotion go. You are where you are today because of your past. Today leads you to what you will experience tomorrow.
Today is a gift, that’s why they call it the present. What you do today will lead you to where you are meant to be tomorrow. Living in the precious moment of now assures you of a brighter tomorrow. Living in the NOW shows the universe that you appreciate where you are and what you have. It shows that you have faith and trust in the process of life.
9. BE CREATIVE. One of my favorite quotes is by Howard Thurman: “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” There is something unique, something special, and something creative that only you can express. There is a gift inside you that you have to share with the world. It is one of the reasons you came here.
Get in touch with the things that make you come alive. Do more of the things that speak to your soul. You don’t have to know exactly how things will manifest from doing more of what you love but just do them anyway. You may be surprised at what comes into your life as you surrender to your heart’s deepest desire. Let your creativity flow and manifest in any way that moves your soul, makes your heart smile, and makes you come alive. Your life is the universe/God’s (whatever name you use) gift to you ,and what you do with your life is your gift back to the universe.
10. EXERCISE is another great tool. Changing your physiology will shift your energy and vibration, which will shift what you experience in life. There are many forms of healthy, fun exercise: yoga, walking, jogging, Pilates, biking, barre, Zumba, and dance, just to name a few. Choose the exercise that works for you. It is important for the body, the mind and the soul to move the body. Yoga is one of my favorites. I first learned to meditate through yoga and I learned how to breathe correctly through yoga. Moving your body and breathing correctly contribute to your overall health.
When I was young, I discovered that I had allergies to medications, so my doctor told me I had better stay healthy because I would run out of options. I attribute my health to meditation and yoga. I have tried and enjoyed other forms of exercise as well. Develop an exercise program that works for you and makes you feel alive, energizes you, is something you enjoy and can stay with. Your body will thank you.
One last suggestion…See the good in all things. Everything that has ever happened to you is happening for you, not to you. Everything is for the highest good, everything is happening to help you become more of who you are meant to be. It may not seem clear to you at times, but trust that there is good in all things. I know it can be difficult to see the good in things sometimes, but have faith and trust that something good will come from everything even if you can’t see it at the time. Everything that has ever happened to you and everything that is to come in the future is always leading you to uncover more of the glorious manifestation of the divine that is you!
The carpenter needs a hammer to build a home and a doctor needs a scalpel to perform an operation. We all need the right tools in life — tools to help us learn and grow and tools to help us be more of who we are meant to be. Use these tools to reach your full potential and express the unique and perfect expression of life that is you!
Judy Luca is an author with over 20 books published and a life coach based in the Boston area. To see her books visit her author page on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/author/judyluca.
https://www.spiritofchange.org/10-tools-to-absolutely-transform-what-you-experience-in-life-every-day/
~PB 
Forever Unlimited 
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