Today I found a quote that I really liked and I posted it on my Facebook page.  This was the quote:  "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." --Leo Tolstoy

My friend Michael Barber left a comment for me that I really liked. It leaves one with a lot to think about so I wanted to share it.  Here was his response: "Sometimes you don't have to change...you just have to accept what you already know about yourself....and it just feels like change."

This reminded me instantly of Marianne Williamson's message that I have wrote about before.  Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.  We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?  Actually, who are you not to be?  You are a Child of God.  Your playing small doesn't serve the world.  There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.  We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.  It's not just in some of us;  it's in everyone.  And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

So.. what if we all already know that we are magnificent deep inside?  Could it be that change is just the process of coming into complete acceptance of who we really are?  What a concept!  What if we're not worthless and incompetent failures who's lives are a mess?  What if we just forgot who we are and the truth about ourselves which is.. we're already perfect, whole, and complete?

What if when we are going through really tough times we could see those times as a process of remembering our truth?  Who we really are?  The more we remember who we are.. the more allowing we can be of ourselves simply on the journey of remembering.  The more allowing we are, the more we can love and accept others right where they are and help them remember.

So.. Thank you Michael for sharing your wisdom.  Sometimes.. perhaps every time, change is a process of accepting who we are, the ultimate truth about us!

I just read this article in "The Certain Way" Ezine and it really made me think about how often we MAKE ourselves work harder, do more, push push push, when we're feeling tired, overwhelmed, angry, resentful, or just plain worn out. This article sure makes you think about the value of "working more and working harder" when you are already feeling overwhelmed, afraid, desperate, discouraged, etc. It also might invite you to consider certain types of questions like... "Why am I doing all of this? What is my intention in trying to do it all? Am I afraid of losing everything? Am I afraid I'll have no value if I don't do it?"

I loved this article because it's designed to help you see the value in being clear emotionally and mentally before you try to "Do more, run faster, push harder" to make changes you might feel are necessary in your life. I also thought it was an excellent explanation for those days when you feel you "ran all day" and you still come home thinking, "I've been running all day, I'm wiped out, and I feel like I didn't get anything done!"

I hope you enjoy the article. I know it's a little long but it's thought provoking and I think you will find it worth the time. I sure did!


HOW TO STOP STRUGGLING AND CREATING 'IN REVERSE'
Article By Dr. Robert Anthony
One of the mistaken certainties or misconceptions most people operate under is that you get what you want in life by what you DO, or through the actions you take. Most people

believe that the DOING or action part is what makes things happen. However ...

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This belief causes you to
create in reverse.
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??Let me explain.

The reason we put a lot of emphasis on action is because we do not understand the power of our thought. If you analyze it, 90% of most people's actions are spent trying to compensate for inappropriate thought.

??The Chinese philosopher, Lao-Tsu, said that "In the practice of "The Way," every day something is dropped. Less and less do you need to force things until, finally, you arrive at non-action. When nothing is done, nothing is left undone."

What he is talking about is "doing without doing." ??

The problem is that most of us are preoccupied with doing.
And unfortunately most of our doing usually involves struggle. In the western world we are conditioned to be action-oriented, so we place a tremendous value on doing.
We are so busy doing that we do not realize that all this "doingness" causes us to create in a reverse fashion.

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Most of our actions are out of
fear, worry or doubt ...
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... because we believe nothing will get done unless we DO something. In other words, we are trying to FORCE our desire into manifestation through action.

??If your decision to DO is dominant, then you will not focus on what you want to BE in the present moment. This causes you to miscreate because BEING is the first and most important step in the creative process. ?

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Here is the secret:
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??It is not your action that makes things happen; it is your intent.

You can reduce the need for action to a very minimum by allowing yourself to focus on what you desire until you feel the positive energy begin to move within you. This energy is not based on doubt, fear, anxiety, worry or need.

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If you focus on what you want instead of what you don't want, you will know when it is time to take action.
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And when you do, it will be effortless. Doors will open, and the entire universe will conspire to assist you in your
desire.??   

   Put simply, you should take no action on
   anything until you have visualized your
   desire and made it real enough in your
   mind that your next action whatever it
   is, seems like the most logical step.?

?How can you know the next logical step? HERE IS THE TEST that you can give to yourself before taking any action:

   If you focus on what you desire and still
   feel overwhelmed or anxious, then you are
   not ready for any action.


You know you are ready when it feels like the next logical step is effortless. There is no effort, no strain, and no pain.??

What we want to do is to use the leverage of energy, the same leverage of energy that creates everything in the universe. However, we are so caught up in the "reality" of WHAT IS, that we feel we must create everything through mental effort and physical activity.??

Have you ever seen people who seem to have all the wonderful things in their lives without much effort? It almost seems like they have an advantage over everyone else. Then you see that the people who work the hardest usually have the least.


That doesn't seem fair does it? But that's the way the
universe works.

??Unfortunately, those who work the hardest usually have the
least because they haven't learned the leverage of aligning
their energy. They are going about creating their lives the
hard way. They are trying to use their actions to create
what they want.??

We have also been programmed that in order to have what we
desire we must work hard. How many times have you heard,
"No pain, no gain?" The implication is that if you want to
make something of yourself, you must work hard. The message
is clear: if you are not hurting or struggling, you are not
moving forward. ??

But here is the truth:

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Anytime you are struggling you are miscreating.
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Anytime you feel pain or struggle, your magnetic point of
attraction is directed to that which you do not want, rather
than to that which you desire.

Read that again!

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Actions are necessary,
but they are the last component
of the creation processes.
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Actions cannot be used effectively to initiate results,
because initiation is the function of BEING, then thought,
then action. ??

Remember, the creation of anything is through your vibration.
Everything vibrates, and it is by that vibration that we
harmonize and attract experiences to ourselves. So before
you act or do anything, first ask yourself, how am I
vibrating? How do you tell? You tell by how you FEEL. Your
feelings show you your vibration.

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How you feel determines what you attract.
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??When you use the process of creating by only focusing on
what you want instead of what you don't want, you will see
that the universe will provide a different set of
circumstances for you that requires much less action.

This puts you in a state of "doing without doing" or action
without effort.