Cathie draws the short straw and experiences the Magnetic Lifestyle!

If you have read the WELCOME page, you will realize that this blog is slightly different in that we are using the acronym MAGNETIC LIFESTYLE to present some ideas and insights which we hope will help you attract the lifestyle you choose.

The first 8 posts for the acronym MAGNETIC are foundational and are intended as a ‘map’ to help you apply the subsequent 9 posts for LIFESTYLE in a fun, effortless and enjoyable way.

In the post  IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT it was explained that when you describe what you see in the world ‘out there’, you are not describing true reality, but a dramatically filtered version of reality created through your own personal beliefs. This is a key understanding because it means that as well as looking at the world you see, you have to look at the lens through which you see the world, your belief system or your own internal ‘map of reality’.

The following analogy may help. In celebration of the publishing of the MAGNETIC posts, ‘techie queen’ Cathie and her husband Dave are jetting off to Thailand for 22 days stopping at Bangkok, Phi Phi & Krabi Islands & Phuket.

Now imagine that the travel agent sends Cathie a street map marked ‘Bangkok’ but due to a printing error it’s actually a map of Nonthaburi (2nd largest city in Thailand). When Cathie arrives in Bangkok she gets the street map out and is immediately confused. So she calls up the travel agent and explains that she can’t make sense of any of the street names. The travel agent representative, who has been brought up to believe in the importance of diligence and perseverance, politely tells Cathie to ‘try harder’. So Cathie, who is renowned for never giving up, sets off with Dave with a quickness in their step, determined to find their hotel. The result – they now get lost twice as fast!

Feeling worse than ever, Cathie rings the travel agent again. Realising Cathie’s attitude and spirit are very low, the travel representative tells Cathie not to get disheartened and to think more positively and asks her where she is. Cathie says she’s outside a bookshop and the travel agent tells her to go in and pick up all the books she can on Positive Mental Attitude (PMA). So Cathie goes in, purchases a couple of books and reviews them with Dave. Now they’re both so psyched up and feeling so positive that you can’t stop them. They set off again and because of their new positive attitude, they don’t even mind that they’re lost and can’t find their hotel! They smile and accept the reality of the situation.

Although this may seem a silly analogy, how many times do we try to change our behaviour and attitude without questioning the accuracy of the ‘map’ from which our behaviour and attitude automatically flow? This is not to say that a good positive attitude is not important. It most certainly is, but you still need a correct map if you are to successfully navigate your way in life and achieve the changes you desire.

Cathie takes up the story by sharing her own personal insights on the importance of a correct map….

For over 50 years I’ve lived with the belief that to be successful, I had to work hard and that nothing came easy. Although my family and friends know me as a very positive, determined and hardworking person, I was continuously being asked why I wasn’t getting anywhere, even though I believed I would ‘someday’. Being a very passionate person, I’ve always given 100% to everything I attempt, yet I couldn’t put my finger on what was missing that would get me to my ‘destination’.

Like many people, my life has been a mixture of good and bad experiences. But the significant and big changes in my life only began when I took the time to really examine my own map of reality. I had always had a positive attitude and yet I was still not achieving the results I wanted. Why? It was because I had an inaccurate map. It was only when I started to challenge my current thoughts and beliefs about who I was and what I was capable of, that I realised that my ‘map’ or the lens through which I saw the world and myself was completely untrue.

As I began to create a more accurate map, based on the truth of who I am and what I can achieve, my new behaviour, attitude, actions and results changed automatically. It is the best investment of time I’ve ever made.

For more information read About Cathie

In order to allow YOU sufficient time to really examine your own map or the lens or beliefs through which you see the world, we have decided to defer publishing the 9 posts on LIFESTYLE until Cathie’s return. This will give you the opportunity to complete all the ACTION Steps and Belief Study Workbook published so far.

The next post is … LIVE YOUR LIFE ON PURPOSE

The paradox of time

No matter how persistent the illusion of time may be, the illusion of past, present and future is still an illusion. 

 - Einstein

At first glance Einstein’s quote seems ridiculous. How can we deny the reality of time? You need time to grow up, to acquire new skills, to design and build a house, to visit family and friends and, of course, to read this blog. Everything seems subject to time, so how can ‘Now’ be all there is.

The paradox arises because the eternal moment of Now is confused with the ‘content’ or what is happening in the present moment of Now and this gives rise to the illusion Einstein refers to.

The following analogy may help. Think of the eternal moment of Now as a movie screen that allows the movie, which is the ‘content’ of our lives to play out. The content (movie) is always changing, whereas the movie screen is permanent and changeless. The paradox is that the changing content of our lives is always happening in the changeless moment of Now. 

To help integrate this concept into your consciousness, Eckhart Tolle poses the following questions in his brilliant book, The Power of NOW.  Answer them carefully.

• Have you ever experienced, done, thought, or felt anything outside the present moment of Now?
• When do you think about your past?
• When do you dream about your future? 
• When do you learn from your past? 
• When do problems arise?
• When are they solved? 
• When do you feel pain? 
• When are you healed?
• Can you do something yesterday Now?
• Can you do something tomorrow Now?
• When do you dream of your ideal lifestyle?
• When do you see the physical manifestation of your dreams?

Your answers should confirm that everything takes place in the eternal moment of Now. Now is all there is. What does this mean for You? Well it means that if you want to improve your life, you can only ever do it Now. If you say you will start in 6 weeks time, when 6 weeks arrives it will be Now. Your magnetic point of attraction is always in the Now. The moment of Now is where all your power is.

If we spend most of our time thinking about the past, or worrying about the future, we will miss the insights, gut feelings and creative solutions that can only come to us if we are present and still enough, long enough, to receive them. This is why all the great teachers encourage us to be still and enjoy the present moment.

One of the most important relationships you will ever have is your relationship with the Now, or more accurately, with what is happening in the Now. This is because Now is all there is. Saying ‘Yes’ to Now is saying ‘Yes’ to life because life and Now are inseparable. Yet how many times do we say ‘No’ to life by having thoughts which oppose the reality of the present moment.

Thoughts like: 

• The weather should be better
• The checkout queues should be shorter
• The traffic should move faster
• My wife, husband or partner should agree with me
• The neighbours should be quieter
• I should be healthier, thinner or more successful
• Children should be better behaved
• Things should be cheaper
• People should be more considerate

And the list goes on and on. This is important because all suffering is caused by wanting what is happening to be different from what is happening! What is happening IS happening and no amount of thinking or worrying can change this. When your thoughts argue with the reality of the moment you suffer….100% of the time.

It is not a question of right or wrong or the condoning or approving of what is happening. These are judgment views anyway. It is the mental anguish you cause yourself every time you oppose or argue with reality. What is ..is. And the truth is that for everything you think is wrong and should not have happened, someone else ‘out there’ will think it’s right and it should have happened.

So what’s the answer? The answer is to upgrade your thoughts to a preference. This means that you prefer something to be a certain way. You prefer less violence in the world, less poverty, shorter checkout queues, better weather, but you don’t insist on it because if you do, you know you suffer.

Your power lies not in resisting ‘what is’, but in letting ‘what is’ be ok. You can then be more effective in responding to the issue. This leads to a key understanding. It is never the event itself that is the cause of your suffering. It is your resistance to it. By accepting what is and saying ‘yes’ to life, you remove all resistance and life starts working for you rather than against you.

ACTION

Step One

Continually revisit the questions posed by Eckhart Tolle and included in this post until the truth that Now is all there is, forms an integral part of your consciousness. 

Step Two

Notice when your thoughts argue with ‘what is’ and in that moment upgrade your thoughts to a preference. Journal any changes in your feelings when you make the shift from insisting things ‘should’ be a particular way, to ‘preferring’ them to be a particular way.

For more information about Journaling, read the … GRATITUDE

Step Three

Become more conscious of your five senses as you engage in everyday tasks. For example, when you are washing your hands, pay attention to the sight and sound of the water coming out of the tap, feel the sensation of the water on your hands and smell the fragrance of the soap as you rub your hands together. Be fully present in the moment instead of being absorbed in thought about the past or the future.  

Step Four

At least twice a day, take time to pay attention to your breathing. You may wish to close your eyes. Breathe in deeply, excluding any thoughts as you concentrate on the in-breath. Then exhale slowly and fully with the same concentration. When thoughts appear, as they will, let them go and use them as reminders to refocus on your breathing. When you are conscious of your breathing, you are in the present moment.

Step Five

Don’t take life too seriously. The content of your life (what is happening) is impermanent and always changing. During challenging times, repeat to yourself “This too shall pass”. And remember, these words do not become true because you affirm them. You affirm them because they are true.  

If energy is neither created nor destroyed and Now is all that exists, then every thing you desire is already here, if not in one state, certainly in another.

This is discussed in the next post  … EVERYTHING IS ALREADY HERE