springtime view from my home...

In one section of my book, I detail the importance of “Going There in Your Mind First.”

The gist is that if you want to experience something, first you have to imagine it.

As an example, I wrote about the time I imagined my new house before I found it. When thinking about what I most wanted, I took out a sheet of paper and listed out all the aspects of my dream house.  I listed everything from “inspiring views” to “high ceilings” to “easily affordable.”

I still keep the list in my drawer because it still delights me to remember that everything on that list, no matter how unrealistic it seemed to some people, came into my experience with this house.

Everything.

Well, almost everything.

Ah, how Number 12 eluded me: “Fast Internet connection”

My new home came with only one alternative to dial-up, an expensive, slow satellite connection. For the past seven years, this is what we’ve used. While it technically qualified for a high-speed connection, I wanted more. A lot more.

In the meantime, I’ve become somewhat of an expert in rural broadband technologies. Every time I’d get a whiff of some potential solution (they’re going to start running Internet through the electrical lines! They’re talking about putting a Wi-Fi tower on the hill!), I’d end up disappointed, chasing another ghost.

Over the years, I’d gotten dozens of cards in the mail, telling me good news — there was new service in my area! When I’d call to inquire, they’d tell me I’d received the mailing in error. I was Charlie Brown trying to kick the football, only to have Lucy pull it away.

Recently I got an e-mail from my town supervisor telling me they were having a meeting on the issue of rural broadband. My wife and I showed up at the local firehouse (this is how we do things, country-style), overflowing with people who shared our powerful desire for a solution.

While we got no clear answers, we left the meeting feeling hopeful. I could detect the distinct scent of possibility in the air. Somehow, someway, someday, we would finally get this resolved. Eventually, this was going to happen for us.

Looking back, I realized I’d never felt hopeful on this subject before.

When I first moved to the country, I doubted this desire could be fulfilled. It felt like a little too much to ask. And then after so many years of false starts, I could not reach the tipping point of belief. I simply had too much evidence to the contrary.

On this subject, I felt the uncomfortable tension between having a clear desire, and not believing it was possible to fulfill that desire.

But as we left the firehouse, I felt something new.

I felt a sliver of hope.

When we arrived home, I collected the mail at the box. Among the bills and magazines was an advertisement for a new satellite system with speeds faster than cable. (How these little miracles are possible is none of my beeswax.)

I’d never seen this particular flyer before, but I knew this was going to work. Finally.

Two weeks later, our long-standing desire was fulfilled.

As I shared the story of our entry into the 21^st century with a friend, I realized what had unfolded. The energy at the town meeting allowed me to experience a “crack of hope.” And that crack was just enough to allow my desire to come into my life.

Think of a concrete dam holding back an expanse of water. No matter how thick the dam, a crack is all it takes. Once the crack is present, the pressure of the water cannot be held back. The same is true for your desires. The only thing holding them apart from you are your beliefs. All you need is a crack of hope, and the self-imposed barrier falls.

If there’s something you really, really desire but has continued to elude and tantalize you, then perhaps it’s time to check and see if your thoughts and beliefs on the subject could use an upgrade.

See if you can connect to a thought of hope.

Just a crack will do.

As I sat across from the nice young man in his sterile, windowless office, his eyes widened and he began to nod.

We sat together in a bank, his workplace, and he was helping me to create money out of thin air.

During his due diligence, he asked me what my Very Cool Life business was all about.

In my roundabout way, I told him about my book and my belief in living a freedom-based life. Going deeper, I told him that I train people to think more expansive thoughts than the ones taught to them by well-meaning (but fearful) people like their parents and teachers.

That’s when his eyes grew bigger and the nodding began. He could hear me; he understood.

Then he shared some of himself with me…

“I know what you mean… My parents wanted me to be an accountant, but I just couldn’t do that all day. I still stare at a screen, but at least here I get to talk to people like you,” he said.

As he shared about some of his life decisions, I could tell he wanted more. I could feel it. When it’s there, I can always feel it.

But no, this was not the time or place to nudge him.

Instead the conversation moved around, each of us sharing more about our personal lives and the things we liked.

I found myself telling him of my desire to have a professional grade zip-line created on my property, just because it would be super-awesome to fly through the trees.

“Oh, wow! That’s so cool! Be careful!” he said.

His last two words struck me like ice water to the face.

Be. Careful.

Really? I wanted to say. Why are you choosing to say that? (I said nothing. Not the time, nor the place.)

I thought about this young man and those two words on my drive home.

The words were not his, of course. No, those words were imprinted within his brain long ago, before he knew he had a choice in listening to them. The old message within his mind was meant to serve as a thin shield to protect him from the dangers in the world. During our conversation, he just hit the PLAY button once more out of reflex, the words tumbling out of his mouth beyond his awareness.

Well-intentioned people have directed those words at me many times over the years. And they still do. (This particular incident stood out because I do not recall hearing the words from someone younger than me.)

You’re majoring in psychology? Be careful.

You’re leaving academia to start a business? Be careful.

You’re not going to have a real job to fall back on? Be careful.

You’re giving up your health insurance? Be careful.

You’re going to climb that mountain? Be careful.

You’re spending all that money on that? Be careful.

You’re going to do what? Be careful.

Again, I understand where these people are coming from. I know they want good things for me, but I also know their advice is less about my welfare and more about a compulsion to share their own fearful beliefs about the world.

When people tell me to be careful, what I really hear them saying is…

I have been taught that the world is a dangerous place where bad things can happen if you’re not “playing it safe” and doing things “the right way.” What you’re doing diverges from what I was taught to believe long ago. Thinking about the world as dangerous does not feel good to me and makes me uncomfortable. Instead of looking inward — and noticing that this discomfort is signaling me how far I’ve moved away from my inner guidance system — I’ll project my fearful thoughts back onto you. I‘m not willing to open up to who I really am just yet. Be careful.

The perception is that on the other end of the continuum from “careful” is “careless.” I don’t think that’s really true.

The entire notion of “being careful” is rooted in the fear of what could go wrong. It’s fearful thinking. So, what’s the opposite of fear-based thoughts, decisions, and actions?

Alignment.

When you are moving through life paying attention to your personal sense of alignment, you are going inward first, noticing how you feel, and following what feels better.

When operating from alignment, very often the choices that feel right to you will not match up with what looks right to the rest of society (the “be careful” crowd). Just know that and move on.

Living from alignment does not mean you will never fail. I have failed, fallen, and jumped in in over my head (both literally and figuratively) every now and again. But of course, that’s how we learn and grow.

Careful people are so afraid to bump into something, to make a mistake, to fail, that they never allow themselves to venture off onto the road of possibility for themselves.  And their fear – cleverly disguised as prudence – keeps them living smaller lives.

Maybe being careful might keep you from experiencing something you don’t want to experience.

But being careful never got anyone what they really wanted.

Be careful, you say?

Thanks for thinking of me… and in the same spirit, I’d like to offer you some words as well.

Stop being so damn careful for a while.

Get to know who YOU are.

Get to know how YOU would really like to live.

Stop protecting yourself from your desires.

And see what happens.

You just might surprise yourself.

my morning manifestation in fox form

I just created a fox.

And I like it.

I am especially happy because it was less than ten hours ago when I made a decision to create a fox.

Want to know how I did it?

I said, "I want to see a fox!"

While that may seem like a silly decision to some people, seeing creatures about my homestead gives me a thrill. Birds, deer, possums, coyotes – it doesn't matter – I just like it.

And I especially love foxes.

I know this idea that I created the fox is a stretch for some people.

But I know I did, simply because she was in my experience. And I know I create everything in my experience, even the stuff I don't like so much.

While I loved seeing this cool creature this morning, what I really loved was feeling my power as a master manifestor.

I asked. I allowed. I received.

So cool!

If you really want to become a master creator in your life, it's essential to begin to see the things that show up right under your nose as your creations.

A huge key to allowing your desires to come into your life is to move from the mindset of

Look what's happening to me… Look what's showing up around me… 

to

Look at what I have created…

We are creating, allowing, and manifesting all the time. In fact, you are a master of creating, allowing, and manifesting. 

(I bet at some point today you will have the desire to drink something. Because you have no resistance to this desire, I'll wager you manifested a beverage to quench your thirst without a second thought. You create and fulfill hundreds of such desires every day.

You find them unremarkable because you expect them to happen. When you allow yourself to expect your "bigger" desires, they will be fulfilled just as easily. The real work in creating your Very Cool Life is seeing yourself as the master creator that you are and raising your expectations to meet your desires.)

So, today I created a fox. Tomorrow an empire…

It's all the same.

The power to decide what I wish to create is always within me, waiting for me to wield it.

And the same it true for you, of course…

Cool, huh?

my close encounter last spring. (he was yawning).