The Authentic You

By Jeff Schubert

People have questions, prayers, and cynicism about life. “The Authentic You” is designed to help people find answers to the “whys” and the “hows” of who they are, how they got to be where they are, and how to get to where they want to go. This is done by lifting the veil that the subconscious uses to inhibit the reader from seeing and bringing into conscious awareness that which is holding them back. Call them karmic or subconscious ghosts from the past, unresolved conflicts, or patterns both in and out of conscious awareness that have led us down the wrong or incomplete path. By uncovering and exploring the core four drives of human needs and behavior, The Authentic You crystallizes how we get off course and inspires us to get back on. Armed with clarity of meaning and purpose the reader is invited on an esoteric and grounded journey. To start, or continue, on the path to authenticity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jeff Schubert
• Release date: Jul 26, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466032651

Jeff Schubert

From an early age Jeff Schubert has had a knack and an instinct to help inspire those around him. Born and raised in New York City, he has an undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Denver and received his certification in hypnosis from The Hypnosis Motivation Institute in Tarzana, CA. Believing in the mind/ body connection Jeff is also a certified massage therapist, receiving his training at the Institute of Psychostructual Balancing in Culver City, CA. Jeff currently resides in Los Angeles, CA and hosts an internet show called Filmnut, about the making, marketing, and distribution of film, television and new media on thestream.tv/filmnut.

Book preview

THE AUTHENTIC YOU

Finding Inner Peace In Your True Self.

By

Jeff Schubert

Copyright 2010 Jeff Schubert

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition License Notes:

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Copyright © Jeff Schubert 2010

All Rights Reserved Worldwide

No part of this e-book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical. Including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the author.

Library of Congress Registration # TXU001726254

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Also by Jeff Schubert: Sharing With Angels II. A Directed Journal For Those Battling Drug Or Alcohol Addiction

Nothing in this book is intended to replace medical or other professional advice, and is meant to entertain and inspire the reader.

ACKOWLEDGMENTS

Oftentimes when I write I feel like I’m a vessel, a channel, and it is as if I am tapping into something that is beyond me. I think of it as a higher power and I would like to thank that source.

My mother’s unconditional love has been a constant life sustaining and motivating force that has seen me through dark times. I could not be the person I am without her and for that I am eternally grateful. Despite the fact that I did not pursue the path he wanted, my father has an uncanny belief and faith in me that I could do and accomplish anything. That belief gave me strength and is fortifying of who I am. To my sister Lisa, thank you for your help in proofreading and editing the book!

Steven Forrest is an astrologer whose books read like poetic wisdom. He has also done a few taped readings for me that were all meaningful. We’ve never met or spoke but I consider you a mentor. Great teachers are like stars in the night and here are some that I would like to acknowledge: Thomas Murphy, Dominic Michel, Neal Neuhaus, Penelope Canaan, Joe Douglas, and Molli Benson. I would also like to acknowledge the friends and co-workers who trusted and confided in me over the years. Some of you have anonymously made it into this book! For his leadership, dedication and inspiration in working at a group home for adolescents I want to acknowledge Bill Parrish. One friend that I will mention by name is Lynda Magarity. Lynda is no longer with us, she was such a good person, so strong, loving, supportive, and a joy to be around, and my best friend.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

PREFACE

CHAPTER 1: THE NEXT SECRET?

CHAPTER 2: BIRTH, TRAUMA AND THE MYTHS WE ARE GIVEN

Questions.

CHAPTER 3: THE CORE FOUR DRIVES

Survival.

Meaning.

Love & intimacy.

Crying without tears.

Death: Fear of and avoidance of it.

Religion.

Blending the four drives together.

CHAPTER 4: LETTING GO OF DYING CIRCUMSTANCES

Obstacles to letting go.

Analysis vs. over analysis.

Acceptance vs. non-acceptance.

Questions.

Ego.

Ego is not a villain.

Breaking down ego.

Defense mechanisms.

The inmates are running the asylum.

Possession is 9/10th of the law.

Getting in the way of dying circumstances.

Humility.

Bragging: A tool for the insecure.

Failure and humility.

CHAPTER 5: FREE WILL - (Is free will all or nothing?)

Michael Jordan’s hall of fame speech.

Free Will Part II: The blessing and the curse of democracy.

Making the most of our career.

What we can learn from terminal illness.

Appreciation is the key.

CHAPTER 6: CHASING OR BEING HAUNTED BY GHOSTS PART I

Chasing or being haunted by ghosts part II.

Making your way through the distortions.

Questions about ghosts.

The Ghost of justice.

The Ghost of entitlement.

Entitlement questions.

Greed is good?

Appreciation allegory.

Appreciation II (antidote to entitlement).

Questions for appreciation part II.

The Ghost of perfectionism.

I am never wrong.

The Ghost of failure.

Failure versus the idea of failure.

Why do some athletes choke?

Criticism doesn’t mean failure.

Questions about failure

CHAPTER 7: EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL DIET

Voluntary vs. involuntary moods and responses.

Conscious venting.

Step outside yourself.

Charity/ volunteer work.

Pamper yourself.

Journaling.

Practice being present.

Constructing a diet.

CHAPTER 8: HYPNOSIS (What it is. What it is not, and what it can do for you.)

The placebo effect.

Age of responsibility.

What about instincts and intuition.

CHAPTER 9: EMOTIONS

How do you define yourself?

Why do we react the way that we do?

Chain reactions.

Why are you so sensitive?

Questions for sensitivity.

Problem solving.

Know your Kryptonite.

Negative emotions beget negative experiences.

Jealousy.

Negative emotions and our evolutionary purpose.

When you can’t get over someone that person is a symbol.

Emotionally disorganized.

Who or what determines when you are happy.

Finding inner peace in your true self.

Questions.

CHAPTER 10: THE NEEDS OF THE SOUL VERSUS THE NEEDS OF THE INCARNATION

Faith.

Selective Truths.

Why bother if nothing has any meaning?

I think I just figured out the meaning of life.

Thinking, reacting and the meaning of life.

How did I get back here?

Questions for Needs of the soul versus needs of the incarnation.

Questions for faith.

Journaling for Selective truths.

Questions for Meaning of life.

CHAPTER 11: THE HIDDEN MESSAGES OF AGEING

Ageing as a call to action.

Elizabeth Kübler-Ross’ stages of dying and the core four.

How many catastrophic events does it take to change someone forever?

Journal and questions about this chapter.

CHAPTER 12: MEANING IN LIFE VS. PLEASURE IN LIFE

What is your drug?

Journaling for What is your drug.

What is your drug questions.

Goal oriented thinking a blessing and a curse.

Goal questions.

CHAPTER 13: THE COUSINS OF FAITH

Doubt.

Questions for doubt.

Hope, dread and realism.

Questions for hope.

CHAPTER 14: FORGIVENESS (Why it is good to forgive)

Forgiveness questions

If someone won’t forgive you.

Unforgiven questions.

The unforgiven forgiven.

Escaping limbo.

Guilt and regret.

Making things right.

CHAPTER 15: THE FLAW IN THE LAW OF ATTRACTION

Evolutionary intention trumps the law of attraction.

Overstating a point doesn’t mean that there isn’t a point. (Tom Cruise)

More on faith.

CHAPTER 16: LIVING IN THE MOMENT

The past.

The future.

Anticipation of negative outcomes.

Chip away at the mountain.

Exercises for living in the moment.

More questions.

Mantras.

CHAPTER 17: COSMIC CLUES

Astrology, free will and your evolutionary purpose.

Fated versus not fated.

CHAPTER 18: AN OBJECTION TO THE CORE FOUR (When true tragedy strikes.)

CHAPTER 19: DON’T BE AFRAID OF YOUR DARK OR WEAK SIDE

Acceptance.

Idealisms.

CHAPTER 20: OTHER TOOLS, METAPHORS, & CONSIDERATIONS

Pin the tail on the donkey.

Life is like and NFL season.

Playing with the cards you are dealt.

Musicians trick.

CHAPTER 21: THE NEXT STEPS

Go for it.

If not now when?

This is our destiny.

The next step questions.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

If you’re like me, you might not read non-fiction books from beginning to end. Instead you look at the table of contents, zero in on something you’re interested in and go. Far be it from me to tell you not to do that here if such is your way. However, if you’re going to skip around, I would suggest reading chapter three on the core four drives first as that is a constant theme and the other chapters will make more sense. Chapter seven, on emotional diets, is also one that can be applied to the issues talked about throughout.

At the end or in the middle of certain chapters will be a series of questions designed to help you access your subconscious and inventory your thoughts and feelings. Do not second-guess yourself. Trust your instincts and go with your first thought. Please do not judge yourself, your answers, or the people that I ask about or that you write about. There is always time to do that later if you wish to after we are done. For the questions in this book, think of yourself as the detective you hired to help solve a few mysteries. These answers can be your bible, your journal or your roadmap to help figure out or better understand where you have come from and where you are going. Use it well. Lastly, answer the questions that you want, or if you can’t or do not want to answer a question write down why, or how the question makes you feel, even if it makes you feel nothing. Some parts of the material may be easier for you to digest than others. There is no rush. Sit with it. Reread a chapter before going on to the next or at a later time when circumstances in your life make it seem more relevant. If you’re enjoying the book, getting something out of it, or find it challenging, perhaps you have a friend who might feel the same and you can go through the questions together and get feedback, encouragement and support. The book can also serve as a precursor or adjunct to therapy. Another way to go through it is to read the book while ignoring the questions, and then go through the book again and stop to answer the questions the second time around. If you approach the material open and honestly it may trigger emotions and responses that you may or may not have expected. It can be powerful. It can be a launching pad for you. But I don’t know you, where you are, and what you have been through. Opening up Pandora’s box? It may not be a bad idea to have someone open it with you. Are you ready to take a look?

PREFACE

I have a confession to make. I am not a doctor, a psychologist or a new age practitioner. So a fair question is what qualifies me to write a book about life, the human psyche, the human condition, emotions, problems, and getting over them? Before I answer that please allow me to ask you a question. What do Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor company, Coco Channel, fashion/ perfume designer, Barry Diller, founder of Fox Broadcasting Company, and Simon Cowell, American Idol judge/ executive for Sony BMG, all have in common? None of them graduated from college. In fact some of these people did not graduate high school. At least I have that going for myself; I do have an undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Denver. The traditional way might be the most common and the fastest, but it is not the only way, and may or may not be the best way for you. It has not been the path I have traveled and yet here I find myself at this destination. Now just because I can Google search the phrase successful people who never went to college doesn’t mean this is a good book. It does suggest that minus certain advanced credentials it can still be a very meaningful book.

Let me continue with an observation. People are born with gifts and different aptitudes for different things. Running is not something most kids train for yet if you line up ten eight year olds and have them run a fifty yard dash, one of them will finish first and one will finish last. Whether it is math, science, sports, the ability to attract the opposite sex or whatever the specific skill or trait is, all humans are not endowed equally by our creator. It serves to create a dependency on each other. Not all people can be all things. Confidence for what we can do, and perhaps humility for the things others can do that we cannot are fostered by this. Whether born or bread or born and bread, we are greater as a society for our diversity of skills and abilities. On the TV show Lost, where a plane crashed on an island it worked out well that among the survivors was a doctor, a soldier, a hunter, a carpenter, a gardener, etc. I would suggest that in many ways I am less skilled than many. If I had to make two lists with one being the things I do well and the other being things I don’t do well, the second one would be significantly longer than the first. An area where I have always done really well and I mean almost as long as I could talk, was giving advice. Further, is the ability to break down why people do the things they do, make people feel better about themselves, speak to truth without offending, and inspire. Because of my ability to do this, preceded any formal education or training, it is not something I take pride in and why I refer to it as a gift. I recall my older sister being one of my first clients. She would often ask me for advice about relationships with boys. At the end of one of our sessions she would freak out with bewilderment wondering aloud how I could know about things that I hadn’t yet experienced. Such would be the case throughout my childhood with family, friends, and friends of friends who would seek me out for advice, to talk and to be understood.

So your next question might be, Well, Jeff, why aren’t you making a living as a psychologist or new age guru? My response is this book isn’t about that, but it is a fair question. As a child I thought my abilities in this area were a gift and a calling. It wasn’t enough for me to help the people that came to me; I wanted to help everyone I thought needed it. In true Aquarian arrogance I believed I knew what was best for people. Of course I was wrong and my assumptions were presumptuous as well as obtrusive when I pushed my advice on those who did not want or ask for it. It became a source of frustration and realization that I couldn’t do as much as I thought. The calling was perhaps illusory, a product of my own family dysfunction, a coping mechanism and my way of creating a safe space in the world. I wasn’t sure how to go with it from there. I became isolative, which I mistook for detached, but I didn’t give up on it just yet. That didn’t happen until college where about half way through my undergraduate degree in psychology I discovered acting and a reservoir of untapped creativity that I wanted to explore. Much of my life to that point was about others while the pursuit of the arts was going to be about me and that felt good. Later I would learn more about my reasons for craving the attention of an artist and my need to help people. Again, my own and my family’s dysfunction played a role in both. Regardless of material or career success, I was being driven by certain ego needs that would have led me to a life of unhappiness if I could not accept a set of dying circumstances. Issues surrounding my youth, issues of control, my mortality, limitations and so on.

Despite my personal issues and pursuits, one constant was that when people sought me out, approached me or opened a window into themselves for me, I was and am able to make a difference. I am able to help them see things from a different perspective, make them think, inspire them and help them feel better. An early lesson for me then was to mind my own business and be there for the friends that wanted me to be there for them. I am at my most effective when authentically unattached to helping someone and when they come to me. However, frustrated and powerless in other situations.

The critical lesson here for me, and one that you can extrapolate for yourself, that I will be going more into in the book, is there was an issue the Universe put on the table for me. Learn it now, learn it later or learn it never. The Universe would give me opportunity after opportunity to learn it but it was up to me to grasp it. I could have stubbornly held on to the idea that I knew what was best for people the rest of my life. With the best of intentions, I could have continued to try to impose my will, what I thought was right for people, onto them. Seems like a simple issue to grasp. Oftentimes, other people’s issues do. The dynamics, issues and how they play out in the physical world will vary from person to person, but stubbornness, attachment, inability to let go, and being resistant rather than open to the ebb and flow of life is often at the root of stagnation in a person’s physical and spiritual life. This is not to suggest a passive approach to life that you should let life happen to you and adjust to when it says yes and no. I think life is something to be attacked and engaged on every level with clear conscious choices independent of undo influences, biases, manipulation, dysfunction, and everything, save that of the evolutionary intention of your soul. And if you do not believe in a soul, take it to mean the truest part of yourself.

Yes, there are some clear-cut right and wrongs in life but for many the question is not what is right or wrong. It is what is right or wrong for you. This book will attempt to help you find your center-- the authentic you. It will do so by examining all the things that influence and attempt to influence you from the moment of birth. Also by looking at different modalities of thought and examining different areas of life, like relationships, intimate, familial and so on. Further, how we react to concepts like attachment, control, death, faith and more. The idea is to assist you in sifting through all of that matter for you to make the best choices for you. To let go of what isn’t working in your life? In some cases, yes, but perhaps you just may want to pursue something differently. It’s like trying to escape from handcuffs. Is it impossible? You try as hard as you can-- you’re pulling so hard the vein in your forehead is about to burst, you think your hand might come off but you’re still stuck. Someone then says relax, calm yourself and pull very slowly and softly. It takes a little bit of time but then voila, you are free. So sometimes it is possible. This book is not about giving up at the first sign of resistance. You are the captain of your ship-- you have to read and react to life as it is happening to you. Get yourself to that authentic place of who you are and where you know what you want to be, where you accept not limitations necessarily but realities of your life and you go forward making informed decisions. Going against the odds is fine if you understand the magnanimity and the consequences as well as the rewards, and are doing so for reasons that are right for you and you alone.

When I was younger there was a dysfunctional twist to my pursuit of acting, in working my way through my issues I was free to pursue it without the pressure and angst of earlier years. Growing up I was the youngest in the family. I have an older brother and sister. They along with my father had pretty powerful personalities, tempers, to be more specific. They were all very controlling and when things didn’t go their way it wasn’t pretty. I became, as a therapist would later explain to me, extremely hyper vigilant. Anticipating where conflict would potentially arise between any two other members of the family, I would do my best to put out fires before they would start. It wasn’t often I would get my way and I became used to putting the needs of others before my own. Part of my desire to act was to be seen, recognized, and acknowledged. I wanted the fame. Thought I deserved it. If those were the only reasons I wanted to be an artist, when working through those issues the desire to be an artist would have dissolved. They didn’t. They’re just different and now I pursue it in spite of fame. I don’t pursue it for validation; I pursue it because it feels right and because when I’m being creative I feel alive, and that I’m in my right place. I’m talking about the true creative process. Unless you’re doing an improvisation, when you perform something for others you are replicating creativity, which is still art of course. But when you originate something for the first time, when that creative energy is coursing through you and you can feel it germinating and coming to the surface of your being as you give birth to it. That creativity is what inspires me.

My belief is that you can find inspiration within these pages. But sometimes inspiration, feeling better, can be offered as a panacea. The intent is to offer hope but sometimes hope comes at the expense of truth. Like a drug, it can feel good at the moment but if things don’t work out loss may be compounded by a sense of betrayal. Things may always workout but not always for the better. Supporting people, telling them what they want to hear out of sensitivity may be compassionate and may even be appropriate in the moment of a crisis. However, crises pass and denial of today become the facts of your life tomorrow. There is work to be done along the path of enlightenment. As the saying goes, If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Then to get to the inspiration and to get to the feeling better we have to explore, what may be for some, dark territory. This will not be a self-help or growth book that tells you what you want hear, simplifying life and promising goal attainment if you wish it or if you follow easy steps. Seven or ten steps seem to be what is popular. The implication being that the steps can’t fail but you can. I also do not pretend that this book is perfect or has every answer for every person that might be reading it.

Let’s look at some phobias for a moment. Some people have a fear of heights, spiders, snakes, confined spaces, germs, flying, water, needles, dogs, of social situations, etc. There are a couple of points I want to make about phobias. One, they can be an inconvenience but a person who chooses to can make it through life without dealing with their phobia. However, through hypnosis or counseling, phobias can rather easily be resolved. Easy for you and me to say if we’re talking about someone else’s phobia. To the individual with the phobia, the fear they feel can be on par with what we might feel with the sight of an oncoming asteroid crashing to the earth. I slightly exaggerate to make a point. If you don’t have the fear or phobia, someone else’s may seem silly to you. What? You’re scared of Scruffy the dog? She is a harmless little Maltese. You won’t leave the shallow end of a pool? If you can swim and love dogs those phobias may not make sense. One step further-- maybe you had a phobia that you have since overcome and it now seems silly that you had it in the first place. Nonetheless, a threat real or imagined can have a profound affect on a person. Many people have an aversion to dealing with their phobias. The fear is so strong that they’d rather put it off. Besides they can become quite adept at working around it. Not dating people with dogs and avoiding swimming pools, etc. It takes courage, real courage, to face that fear or phobia. I’m going off in this direction because I want to make the comparison that dealing with your issues, reading or thinking about it, how for some, it may be like facing a fear or phobia, overcoming a trauma, a behavior pattern rooted in dysfunction or other things that we will get into later. Whatever the case, it takes a moment of courage to begin the journey and it is well worth it. Unlike a phobia that may affect one area of your life that you can work around, the things we will be focusing on affect every area of your life. In addition we will focus on how you view the world, view and judge yourself, and others. Further, how do you get on with it and how do the various influences you have been exposed to factor in? This isn’t a book that says read it and gold will find you or that you will find gold. This is a book that says read it and discover if gold is what will make you happy. If that last statement doesn’t make sense to you, think of all the rich people or famous people who thought money and fame would make them happy. It will assist you in discovering the person you are meant to be and suggest that that person isn’t very far away.

In this book I will do my best to offer inspiration, self-discovery and authenticity as destinations. Truth, breaking down the myriad of external influences, inner work and new or other perspectives to consider will be the pathway to get us there.

"For each of us awaits an unknown fate

Peach or turmoil depends on how we relate

And if you feel like a prisoner

You feel like you can’t let go

You may be controlled by control"

CHAPTER 1

THE NEXT SECRET?

Why are you reading this book? Or at least thinking about it anyway. Curiosity? Understanding the past? Looking for answers for the present and future? These are traits of an investigator or detective. In fact, we are all natural detectives with our greatest mysteries being the meaning of life and our own place within it. The primary function of this book is not to answer all of your questions but rather to help you ask the right questions, since the wrong questions will naturally lead to the wrong and unfulfilling answers. Like a poor nutritious meal, it might taste good and fill you up for a little while but it will not sustain you. At best, a book can point you in a direction and help get you on the right path, but the real work, that you are more than capable of doing, is up to you. And you yourself, along with a higher power that you may believe in, should be where your faith resides and not in the book of the month. With humility I state that this book is not the next secret, but it can be the next step. Going forward sometimes means going back and understanding how we got to be at this moment in time that we find ourselves in. We need to take a look at new and old thoughts, patterns of behavior and experiences that repeat. In the pages ahead we will explore issues that follow and haunt us in an attempt to figure out the right questions, unravel some mysteries and find meaningful ways to go forward. Why? For the intention of living a meaningful actualized life in the present, living and reacting based on the moment, and who you are and what you want. Thirsty for life, meaning, love, and survival, the desert is filled with many mirages. Let’s see if we can unravel some mysteries together. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your journey.

In this first chapter I want to talk more about why we are here. No, not here as in why does life exist on planet earth but rather why we are involved in this book at this moment, at this time and what is its purpose. So while you’re standing, sitting in a bookstore (or wherever you might be) please indulge me for a little longer while you decide if the words that follow are right for you.

Have you ever known someone you cared about who read a book, attended a seminar and said it changed his or her life? They spoke about the experience with reverence, enthusiasm and joy. Their thoughts and feelings were genuine, and from the bottom of their hearts it was with the greatest of intentions that they share it with you. You take in what your friend is saying and maybe you buy into it or maybe you’re a little skeptical, but you do admit to yourself that your friend seems or at least sounds a little different, a little changed. Now fast forward a day, a week, a month or a year. How long did this change last? Was it permanent? Hopefully yes for some, if not many. Was it temporary? Did it fade somewhere between slightly to completely away?

In addition to books and seminars, traumatic events such as 9/11, death of loved ones, and serious illnesses seem to impact people. Epiphany moments, moments of clarity, of perspective, of what’s important; how I am versus how I want to be, do not have to be born out of tragedy. The birth of a baby, a vision quest, I had a life changing moment in an acting class. But what all of these experiences share, along with the inspirational books and seminars is an opportunity for growth, change, and an olive branch for personal evolution that you may reach out and grab. However, many, for whatever reason, be it fear, doubt, the pull of demons past, and/or a lack of knowledge of how to go forward, let go of that branch. Then the inspirational feeling or call to personal action fades as old patterns of thinking or doing return. For as many of you as possible, I don’t want this to be that kind of book. Hopefully it will inspire you to change your life in a way that adds meaning and fulfillment that you are looking for. To take active steps on a regular basis so that which you value and desire becomes integrated into your way of thinking, feeling and being. It may take effort at first before it becomes second nature. However, just as it can be challenging to get someone who never exercises to begin, it can be equally challenging to get someone who always works out to stop. What takes effort today can become like second nature if you give it a chance.

Another objective of the book is to help you discover your ability to let go of what needs letting go and find your courage to follow the direction that may be in your heart. That if you identify with anything in this book, you make it your own as opposed to it fading away after an enthusiastic conversation or two with a friend. Those old patterns of thinking and doing will fight you, and understand it is your choice as you can hold on to them for as long as you please. Nothing in this book can take them away from you, but for the next little while, if it is okay with you, let’s take a look at them together.

Patterns are tough to break. It takes action and repetition on the part of anyone trying to break a pattern. I’ll say it again; it takes action and repetition on the part of anyone trying to break a pattern. Reading a book is passive. It can inspire thought, stir up emotion, call you to action, but it is a precursor. An important one but you have to be willing to take active steps to put thoughts and inspiration in motion. Those steps will need to be repeated. Think of it this way-- the physical body requires some form of exercise to be in shape, as you cannot eat right and exercise for a year and expect health for life. So too, does the emotional and spiritual body require continual exercise to stay in shape. Of course quick fixes do happen but they should not be counted on. Short cuts often cost you more time and happiness than if you took the longer disciplined route. Think of what you do for a living, think of the results your customers or people you do business with have wanted from you. I became a massage therapist in large part because it was