Testing your Mettle

The Universe has a way of testing your mettle at the VERY moment you are on the verge of something you have been waiting for, wishing/hoping/dreaming about, or are just about to manifest for yourself.

As soon as you have definitely committed to a goal, or, even worse, right when you are "on the brink" of something good, or something great, or something perfect, or EXACTLY what you want/need for where you want to go in life... It happens - the Universe will toss an obstacle, or a distraction, or a temptation your way, and typically make it VERY EASY for you to back out of the opportunity or settle for something else that's "not quite right".

"The Universe will ALWAYS give you EXACTLY what you are WILLING to settle for..."

Unfortunately, I have seen this time and time again, both in my own life as well as in the lives of my friends... Just this week I have first-hand knowledge of 3 or 4 occurrences in the lives of people I know well!

• My mom, having recently made an absolute commitment to getting healthy and trimming down, and having carefully built up a good habit of exercising every day for a month or so (to the point where results are just visible) slipped and broke her shoulder...
• A friend, hemming and hawing over whether he is going to move from NY to LA or not, finally decides "YES! I am going to move to LA!" and is visiting to interview and make plans today - the ONLY day it has rained in months...
• A client whose primary intention is to be in a good, loving relationship, who is focused on that ONE aim in our sessions together, has an opportunity to attend a class with a very high probability of being the EXACT thing she needs to further her goal, decides she is too tired to attend after having car trouble earlier in the day...
  
• Another friend is building up his business in the healing arts, is making really good progress, and then gets a tempting job offer that pays really well in his OLD industry...
  

Now all of these examples may seem like coincidences, they may even seem like "messages" or "signs" from on high that the original goal/intention/aim is not the right one for us, that perhaps we 'really should be' going a different direction...

I don't think so!

In my experience with consciously using the Law of Attraction and the power of intention, I say that it is EXACTLY the opposite! I say that when the Universe throws us these curve balls it is actually an indicator for us to RUN EVEN FASTER toward the original goal - be EVEN MORE DEDICATED to the results you are consciously creating and attracting! In a way, the Universe is testing us to see just how committed we really are to our own visions!!!!

Do NOT be deterred!

These "tests" are not malicious - it is more like forging steel to make it stronger. The loving and abundant Universe is actually TRYING to give you exactly what you want. You may say that you want more money, a relationship, to lose weight, more business, to have more fun, etc., but, somewhere in your subconscious/unconscious mind, maybe that isn't quite accurate. So, when you start to take action toward that goal (or any goal) that action (or progress) upsets the equilibrium of how 'it has always been', the stasis, our comfort zones... Now the part of us who is afraid that there may be 'no turning back' wants to put on the brakes and slow it down a bit (if only subconsciously) and starts to attract occurrences which give us the opportunity to bail out. Literally, giving us a "legitimate" reason to stop short of the goal and declare it "good enough". It takes energy, effort and focused attention to align our intentions with our subconscious motivations. Unfortunately, it is VERY DIFFICULT for us to see or know WHAT our subconscious/unconscious motivations ARE...

THAT is what the "tests" are! These obstacles, temptations, and challenges that the Universe gives us to test our mettle are the physical manifestations of our subconscious motivations coming to light (coming to LIFE) - manifested to focus our attention to how WE are unconsciously blocking OURSELVES from what we consciously think we want!

The real question is what are you going to do about it? So what if the Universe gave you a flat tire? Can you ask a friend to drive you to that important event? So what if you have a sprained ankle? Are you going to do sit-ups and work out with dumb-bells anyway? So what if I have a big expense right when I was trying to manifest more money? Can I find a way to clear the part of me that is attracting it? So what if a friend is doing something you wish you were doing instead? Are you going to go out and do something even better yourself?

Yes. There IS something in your way... But you have the power to go around/over/under/through or clear that obstacle and use it as a cue to focus your intention even more clearly - strengthen that vision, clear your unconscious, take an even more courageous action to honor your heart's desire. Strengthen your determination!

Don't negotiate with yourself by allowing the "curve balls" to re-negotiate your desires for you!

The more we exhibit determination and commitment to our goals and intentions, the more we use the feedback we are being given by the Universe to strengthen our focus and vision on what we truly want to be experiencing, the faster is HAS to come! The Universe is giving us exactly what we need to be able to forge our dreams into physical world reality - the Universe is pointing out where the weak spots are and where we may not be in complete alignment so we can do something about it!

...Literally SO we CAN have the vibrant life we TRULY dream of!

Why doesn't "The Secret" work for me?

Larry King did another show with some of the folks from The Secret a couple of weeks ago, this one specifically on The Secret (3/8/07). The first two broadcasts were entitled "Beyond the Power of Positive Thinking", but all the shows explored the ideas presented in The Secret surrounding the Law of Attraction and answered questions about how to use it in one's life. (If you did not catch one or more of the shows, you can watch any or all of these episodes online for free at JamesRay.com, or you can purchase a DVD of the CNN broadcasts from Voxant for personal use.)

Although the shows were provocative, informative, and quite thorough, there is one question that seemed to come up in various forms, again and again, without ever being fully answered, and that is: Why isn't The Secret working for me?

The truth is that there are many, many reasons why it might not be working even if your are actively applying the principles. It could be conditioning, bad habits, the presence of unconscious beliefs that are working against you, competing intentions, the influence of naysayers around you, a negative environment, a lack of action, or a lack of right action, timing, the lure of the safe comfort zone, tuning out your intuition, disbelief, or not believing long enough, or simply not being clear enough about what it is you really want... But I believe that a big reason why it may not be working is the tendency we all have to inadvertently be focusing on NOT having it rather than truly focusing on having what we want!

This is a very subtle but essential point. Allow me to try to explain:

• When you think of money, what is the very first thought that pops into your head?

...Is it your credit card balance, the bills that are due, or the car repair you can't afford? Or is it the absolute utter joy you feel at the piles and piles of cash you have lined-up in your bedroom closet?

• When you think of your body, what is the very first image in the mirror of your mind?

...Is it that you need to lose 10 pounds, the cellulite and the love-handles, or the chronic back ache and tension headache you are feeling these days? Or is it how very HOT you KNOW you look today and how great it felt to smile sweetly at ALL the compliments you've received?

• When you think of love and relationships...

You get the point.

The experts on the show, including Lisa Nichols and James Ray talk about the necessity of applying action steps when you are struck with an intuition or insight, and that IS absolutely true! Action IS necessary, however, action steps taken in the wrong direction (in answer to the thoughts about the LACK of what you want) will most likely serve to bring you more of that lack - more of what you don't want!

Take a good look at what you want to manifest for yourself, and WHY... Now, when the ideas that come forward seem to illustrate images of not yet having what you want, begin to turn them around, one by one: What does the opposite of what you don't want look like? What is the opposite of "in debt" and what does it look like? What would 180 degrees from "overweight and in pain" feel like? What are some antonyms for "looking for love"? Begin a practice of being vigilant with regard to the images you are creating for your future!

Make sure you are truly picturing and imagining HAVING what you DO want - *NOT* NOT having what you DON'T.