March 2, 2008
Dear Friends,
Although you may think that you are very clear about certain things that you want to have, do, or be in life, you may still end up making choices that—to an outside observer—are obviously sabotaging your ability to achieve those goals.
Why would you do that?
One reason (among many) is because you may have underlying beliefs about life that are influencing your decisions in an unconstructive way.
You may say that you want to have a fulfilling relationship, but somewhere along the line you may have come to believe that “all relationships are doomed to failure.” You may say that you want a wonderful job, but at an early age you may have come to believe that “good things only happen to other people.”
Unconsciously, you allow beliefs such as these to rule your life, and you make self-defeating choices that continue to keep those underlying ideas intact.
Do you have a re-occurring issue in your life that is counterproductive to your well-being? That could be a sign that you are harboring a belief that is limiting you. One thing you can do to help heal that issue is to ask yourself this question: “Why would I choose that?” When you ask yourself that question, you are doing two things:
First, by accepting the idea that you—at some level—are actually choosing what you experience in life, you help free yourself from the helpless mentality of a victim. Taking full responsibility for what you experience in life helps you regain your power to make different and more constructive choices.
Second, by asking yourself why you experience what you do, your willingness to find the answer within yourself is often all it takes to bring long-forgotten beliefs into the light. Once brought to light, the false, simplistic, and childish nature of many of these ideas is obvious, and they can often be quickly dispelled.
I am not claiming here that this question—“Why would I choose that?”—is a magical fix for all of your frustrations. I am just offering it as a simple first step for breaking free from the past, and reclaiming your ability to make choices that are truly aligned with your goals, dreams, and desires.
If you want to live life in the divine flow, try to be as completely honest with yourself as you can be. Whenever you choose a destination in life, make sure that you really do want to go where you say you do.
Steven
P.S. In Joe Vitale’s book, “The Key,” you will find 10 other methods for clearing what I call “negative subconscious programming.” Although this book contains way too much blatant advertising for other programs that Joe and his associates offer, I still think that this book is valuable for one simple reason: People have different ways of learning and healing, and you may discover that one of the techniques that Joe describes is especially well-suited to you. You can find out more about “The Key” on the Helpful Links page of my website.
© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
Friday, February 29, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Heart's Desires, Part 2
February 24, 2008
Dear Friends,
Two weeks ago I wrote about the desires of your heart, and how they differ from all those things you “think” you want in your head. I pointed out how your heart’s desires are what you truly want deep down inside, and how those desires are less about “things” and more about “experiences” . . . experiences that fulfill you in lasting and meaningful ways, and are always in the best interests of all involved. It is to the fulfillment of your heart’s desires that the divine flow is continually guiding you.
Naturally, if what you “think” you want and what you really want differ greatly in their specifics, then being and staying in the divine flow of life will be more difficult for you. Why? Simply because the divine flow will be pointing you in a direction that is so different from what you are expecting, you will be much more likely to miss or dismiss the next right steps that you are being divinely guided to take.
One way to minimize this issue right from the start is to make your goals and dreams as close to what your heart wants as possible. And how do you do that? Become heart centered.
In prayer and meditation, affirm the truth of who you really are at the core of your being: love itself. Shift your sense of identity away from what you look like and what you do, and identify instead with the divinely loving spirit that is your true, eternal essence.
When you begin to come from this place of love, you will discover that the desires that arise in your mind are more faithful to how they were first conceived by your heart—by your spirit. And like all desires of the heart, they won’t be limited or self-serving in nature. Instead, they will divinely inspired ideas that are grand and glorious and good for all.
So, if you want to be in the flow from the very start, then the first thing you should do is get into your heart! Focus on being the love that you are at heart—on being the compassionate, kind, caring, and forgiving person that you are at the center of your being.
Do that, my friend, and the desires of your heart will become the desires of your head!
Steven
© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
Dear Friends,
Two weeks ago I wrote about the desires of your heart, and how they differ from all those things you “think” you want in your head. I pointed out how your heart’s desires are what you truly want deep down inside, and how those desires are less about “things” and more about “experiences” . . . experiences that fulfill you in lasting and meaningful ways, and are always in the best interests of all involved. It is to the fulfillment of your heart’s desires that the divine flow is continually guiding you.
Naturally, if what you “think” you want and what you really want differ greatly in their specifics, then being and staying in the divine flow of life will be more difficult for you. Why? Simply because the divine flow will be pointing you in a direction that is so different from what you are expecting, you will be much more likely to miss or dismiss the next right steps that you are being divinely guided to take.
One way to minimize this issue right from the start is to make your goals and dreams as close to what your heart wants as possible. And how do you do that? Become heart centered.
In prayer and meditation, affirm the truth of who you really are at the core of your being: love itself. Shift your sense of identity away from what you look like and what you do, and identify instead with the divinely loving spirit that is your true, eternal essence.
When you begin to come from this place of love, you will discover that the desires that arise in your mind are more faithful to how they were first conceived by your heart—by your spirit. And like all desires of the heart, they won’t be limited or self-serving in nature. Instead, they will divinely inspired ideas that are grand and glorious and good for all.
So, if you want to be in the flow from the very start, then the first thing you should do is get into your heart! Focus on being the love that you are at heart—on being the compassionate, kind, caring, and forgiving person that you are at the center of your being.
Do that, my friend, and the desires of your heart will become the desires of your head!
Steven
© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Oneness vs. Separation
February 17, 2008
Dear Friends,
Sometimes, after a year or more has passed, I might choose to repeat a message if I feel it is particularly appropriate at the time. Today I am choosing to repeat a message that I published twice last year. Sadly, it feels called for once again.
I am alluding to the shooting rampage that just took place at Northern Illinois University. Although there are rarely definitive answers as to why tragedies like these keep occurring, I believe that the underlying cause for many of these events is ultimately the same thing: a feeling of separation instead of oneness.
“Oneness” is about our intimately joined relationship with each other . . . a relationship that arises from the fact that we are all individual expressions of One Spirit—that creative, loving, all-pervading Spirit we call God.
There are times when we sense that holy connection more than others, such as when we pray, meditate, spend time in nature, or hold a tiny baby in our arms. And the natural result of that sense of connection is a wonderful feeling of well-being . . . of love.
But all too often we feel disconnected, instead. We forget that we are one with God, and one with all of God's children. We feel separate from others, and separate from everything around us. And that sense of separation—of being all alone and on our own in this world—can generate a fair amount of fear . . . which is love’s opposite.
Sometimes that fear—and the anger that often issues from that fear—can be so magnified by mental illness or negative mental conditioning, we witness the kind of destructive behavior that exploded on the campus of NIU on February 14th . . . on Valentine’s Day . . . a day devoted to love.
Although everything that happens in life is an opportunity for us to discover where our blocks to loving are, it may be quite a while before many of us are willing to feel compassion for the lonely soul who orchestrated that horrific event which ended the lives of five young people, and changed forever the lives of many more.
For now, let us remember that when we judge others—when we attack them, belittle them, and criticize them—we are not only mentally and emotionally separating ourselves from them, we are also mentally and emotionally divorcing ourselves from the One Spirit . . . from the All-That-Is that is God.
May we remember who we truly are at the core of our being: individual expressions of God, as inseparable from our Source as waves are from the ocean. And may we maintain that conscious connection—and the sense of well-being and love that comes from that connection—by seeing all of our brothers and sisters as equal members of God's family.
Steven
© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
Dear Friends,
Sometimes, after a year or more has passed, I might choose to repeat a message if I feel it is particularly appropriate at the time. Today I am choosing to repeat a message that I published twice last year. Sadly, it feels called for once again.
I am alluding to the shooting rampage that just took place at Northern Illinois University. Although there are rarely definitive answers as to why tragedies like these keep occurring, I believe that the underlying cause for many of these events is ultimately the same thing: a feeling of separation instead of oneness.
“Oneness” is about our intimately joined relationship with each other . . . a relationship that arises from the fact that we are all individual expressions of One Spirit—that creative, loving, all-pervading Spirit we call God.
There are times when we sense that holy connection more than others, such as when we pray, meditate, spend time in nature, or hold a tiny baby in our arms. And the natural result of that sense of connection is a wonderful feeling of well-being . . . of love.
But all too often we feel disconnected, instead. We forget that we are one with God, and one with all of God's children. We feel separate from others, and separate from everything around us. And that sense of separation—of being all alone and on our own in this world—can generate a fair amount of fear . . . which is love’s opposite.
Sometimes that fear—and the anger that often issues from that fear—can be so magnified by mental illness or negative mental conditioning, we witness the kind of destructive behavior that exploded on the campus of NIU on February 14th . . . on Valentine’s Day . . . a day devoted to love.
Although everything that happens in life is an opportunity for us to discover where our blocks to loving are, it may be quite a while before many of us are willing to feel compassion for the lonely soul who orchestrated that horrific event which ended the lives of five young people, and changed forever the lives of many more.
For now, let us remember that when we judge others—when we attack them, belittle them, and criticize them—we are not only mentally and emotionally separating ourselves from them, we are also mentally and emotionally divorcing ourselves from the One Spirit . . . from the All-That-Is that is God.
May we remember who we truly are at the core of our being: individual expressions of God, as inseparable from our Source as waves are from the ocean. And may we maintain that conscious connection—and the sense of well-being and love that comes from that connection—by seeing all of our brothers and sisters as equal members of God's family.
Steven
© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
Saturday, February 9, 2008
The Desires of Your Heart
February 10, 2008
Dear Friends,
One of the last points I make in the workshops that I present is this: To live life in the divine flow, you not only have to let go of how you think you are going to get to your chosen destination . . . ultimately, you also have to let go of exactly where it is you think you are going. Said another way, you have to be open to arriving somewhere that is different from what you planned on or expected.
When I made this point at a workshop I presented a week ago, I heard an audible gasp come from one of the participants. At that moment, she suddenly realized that she has been resisting the flow by clinging to a specific desire that she had decided was best for her. But now she understood that perhaps that particular destination was not in her best interest, after all.
Which brings me to the point I want to remind you of today: No matter what it is you "think" you desire, there is usually a desire of the heart that underlies that idea. That is your true desire. That is what is in your best interest. And that is where the divine flow is guiding you.
So how is a desire of the heart different from a desire of the "head?"
Well, your heart is your spirit. And your spirit is in this life to have an experience of life. It is an experience that may be greater and grander than what you "think" you want. It is an experience that fulfills you in a truly deep, lasting, and meaningful way. And it is an experience that is in the best interests of all involved—not just you.
By comparison, the desires of your "head" may be somewhat limited and self-serving. As long as you cling to what you specifically "think" you want, you are likely to wind up frustrated and unfulfilled. You either won't get where you want to go, or—through forceful effort—you will get there . . . only to discover that your desired destination is, in the end, unsatisfying or fraught with problems.
This doesn't mean, however, that you should refrain from visualizing what it is you think you want, or stop putting your energy there. Holding onto your dream is a good thing. Just don't get too attached to each and every detail of how you see that dream materializing, or what it has to specifically look like.
Always remember that the universe knows what you desire at a deeper level—at a level that you may not be consciously aware of. Whether you think you want a certain car, a particular house, or a specific job, the divine flow knows what experience each of those things represents to your heart. And it is to that experience—to that sense of freedom, or security, or abundance—that you are being guided . . . which may not involve a car, a house, or a job at all.
Your role is simply to be willing to cooperate with the unfolding of that higher good, and trust that you are always being directed to what you want . . . to it's equivalent . . . or to something even better.
Steven
© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
Dear Friends,
One of the last points I make in the workshops that I present is this: To live life in the divine flow, you not only have to let go of how you think you are going to get to your chosen destination . . . ultimately, you also have to let go of exactly where it is you think you are going. Said another way, you have to be open to arriving somewhere that is different from what you planned on or expected.
When I made this point at a workshop I presented a week ago, I heard an audible gasp come from one of the participants. At that moment, she suddenly realized that she has been resisting the flow by clinging to a specific desire that she had decided was best for her. But now she understood that perhaps that particular destination was not in her best interest, after all.
Which brings me to the point I want to remind you of today: No matter what it is you "think" you desire, there is usually a desire of the heart that underlies that idea. That is your true desire. That is what is in your best interest. And that is where the divine flow is guiding you.
So how is a desire of the heart different from a desire of the "head?"
Well, your heart is your spirit. And your spirit is in this life to have an experience of life. It is an experience that may be greater and grander than what you "think" you want. It is an experience that fulfills you in a truly deep, lasting, and meaningful way. And it is an experience that is in the best interests of all involved—not just you.
By comparison, the desires of your "head" may be somewhat limited and self-serving. As long as you cling to what you specifically "think" you want, you are likely to wind up frustrated and unfulfilled. You either won't get where you want to go, or—through forceful effort—you will get there . . . only to discover that your desired destination is, in the end, unsatisfying or fraught with problems.
This doesn't mean, however, that you should refrain from visualizing what it is you think you want, or stop putting your energy there. Holding onto your dream is a good thing. Just don't get too attached to each and every detail of how you see that dream materializing, or what it has to specifically look like.
Always remember that the universe knows what you desire at a deeper level—at a level that you may not be consciously aware of. Whether you think you want a certain car, a particular house, or a specific job, the divine flow knows what experience each of those things represents to your heart. And it is to that experience—to that sense of freedom, or security, or abundance—that you are being guided . . . which may not involve a car, a house, or a job at all.
Your role is simply to be willing to cooperate with the unfolding of that higher good, and trust that you are always being directed to what you want . . . to it's equivalent . . . or to something even better.
Steven
© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
Friday, February 1, 2008
Life is for Living
February 3, 2008
Dear Friends,
One day last week I saw “The Bucket List,” a movie about two terminally ill gentlemen who decide to live life to its fullest during the time that they have left on this earth. The very next day, a friend sent me this link – www.sonnyradio.com/lastlecture.html – which features a video clip of a professor who gives a lecture on living a full and joyful life . . . a life that, for him, will end in just a few short months . . . just like the characters in the movie.
These stories reminded me of an important aspect of living life in the divine flow that I haven’t shared with you in a while: As you row your boat gently down the stream toward the realization of your dreams, don’t forget to enjoy yourself along the way!
Don’t forget to appreciate the simple beauty of a tiny flower, or the majesty of a mighty tree. Don’t forget to notice the crisp, cool feel of an autumn breeze . . . to smell the fresh, clean scent of approaching rain . . . and to listen to a bird as it sings its splendid song.
Remember that living life in the divine flow is not just about getting where you want to go. It’s also about how you live as you row. It’s about taking the time to laugh, sing, dance, and read . . . to eat your favorite foods . . . and listen to your favorite music. It’s about going for a walk for no reason . . . or going on a bike ride that leads nowhere.
Sure, accomplishing a goal or fulfilling a desire feels great! But that is just the icing on the cake. The real, deep-down enjoyment of life doesn’t come from reaching your chosen destinations in life. It comes from appreciating the entire journey itself . . . and relishing the satisfaction that comes from just having a dream in the first place, and then going for it.
Do you have a dream in life that you are pursuing right now? Terrific! Just make sure that you are not putting off your happiness until you “get there.” Remember to enjoy the pursuit itself . . . and to live life now, with a sense of appreciation—and most of all, with love—for everyone and everything you encounter along the way.
Steven
© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
Dear Friends,
One day last week I saw “The Bucket List,” a movie about two terminally ill gentlemen who decide to live life to its fullest during the time that they have left on this earth. The very next day, a friend sent me this link – www.sonnyradio.com/lastlecture.html – which features a video clip of a professor who gives a lecture on living a full and joyful life . . . a life that, for him, will end in just a few short months . . . just like the characters in the movie.
These stories reminded me of an important aspect of living life in the divine flow that I haven’t shared with you in a while: As you row your boat gently down the stream toward the realization of your dreams, don’t forget to enjoy yourself along the way!
Don’t forget to appreciate the simple beauty of a tiny flower, or the majesty of a mighty tree. Don’t forget to notice the crisp, cool feel of an autumn breeze . . . to smell the fresh, clean scent of approaching rain . . . and to listen to a bird as it sings its splendid song.
Remember that living life in the divine flow is not just about getting where you want to go. It’s also about how you live as you row. It’s about taking the time to laugh, sing, dance, and read . . . to eat your favorite foods . . . and listen to your favorite music. It’s about going for a walk for no reason . . . or going on a bike ride that leads nowhere.
Sure, accomplishing a goal or fulfilling a desire feels great! But that is just the icing on the cake. The real, deep-down enjoyment of life doesn’t come from reaching your chosen destinations in life. It comes from appreciating the entire journey itself . . . and relishing the satisfaction that comes from just having a dream in the first place, and then going for it.
Do you have a dream in life that you are pursuing right now? Terrific! Just make sure that you are not putting off your happiness until you “get there.” Remember to enjoy the pursuit itself . . . and to live life now, with a sense of appreciation—and most of all, with love—for everyone and everything you encounter along the way.
Steven
© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
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