Your Time Is Now

By Helen Coles

Your time is now, is a book destined to bring hope and encouragement to anyone feeling lost, overwhelmed; caught in a downward spiral of challenges, overwhelm and procrastination.
It is a book which demonstrates how the author, herself, was able to move from just such a place. To overcome hardship and achieve a sense of freedom, peace and joy in her own life. The book offers simple strategies from personal examples of a family, pushed by their circumstances rather than pulled by their dreams. Eventually able to abandon feelings of victimhood, lack and limitation; to embrace a life of unbounded possibilities.
The essence of the book is to help others avoid unnecessary pitfalls which keep them prisoners of their own imaginary fears. Showing them that there is a better way available, right here and now. Regardless of who they are, how old you are or what your personal circumstances may be.
At a point of great challenge and overwhelming uncertainty, homeless, on the brink of losing everything they had strived to achieve with their daring move abroad; the author determined that if the family could overcome this latest, seemingly unsurmountable hurdle; she would do whatever she could to prevent anyone else facing such a dreadful dilemma.
The following morning saw a clear breakthrough which was turn the tide of all their lives. Some nine years later, the reality that the challenges faced were a necessary part of growth, and an awakening to the powers we are surrounded by, and how to use them for our highest good; convinced her to share these thoughts and experiences.
Life is meant to be a loving and beautiful experience, we don’t need to create strife and struggle. As co-creators we can choose a better way and the time to do so is right now.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: May 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9781982244941

Helen Coles

Helen is the mother of six children. She was a teacher of children with special needs until the time she and her husband, Phil, had their children. Helen then became a full-time Mum until the children were in school. She then started to work for a London based Market Research company. The family faced an increasing number of challenges, and at one-point, Helen felt as though there was no escaping the downward spiral of difficulties enveloping her family. Here she describes how her faith, combined with learning to apply the Laws of the Universe, helped her overcome the challenges they were facing. Acting upon medical advice and spurred on by the eagerness of the children, the family moved to live permanently in France. The challenges did not cease; in many ways, for some time, they were to increase. During the most difficult challenges, the family faced, Helen, determined that if she ever found a way to navigate the crisis successfully; she would do anything she could to make sure no-one ever had to experience such confusion and anxiety. She would share her story for navigating such periods. Through this book, Helen wants to reach out and help others. She provides simple ideas and strategies to prove that – ‘Your Time Is Now.’

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Copyright © 2020 Helen Coles.

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(Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic

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ISBN: 978-1-9822-4493-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-4495-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-4494-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020904968

Balboa Press rev. date: 05/01/2020

This book is

dedicated to my family who have been there through the worst and best of times and shown great humour, resilience, and patience. Phil, my husband, and to each one of our children, Katie, Liz, Robert, Christine, Hannah and Claire.

Also, in memory of my youngest brother, Andrew Sullivan, an intelligent, caring, and thoughtful man, sorely missed by all who knew him.

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 Awareness is the Key

Chapter 2 Tune into Your Intuition

Chapter 3 Look for the Positive

Chapter 4 Challenges Equal Growth

Chapter 5 Your Greatest Strength

Chapter 6 Your Highest Values

Chapter 7 The Laws of the Universe Matter

Chapter 8 Have the Faith to Believe

Chapter 9 Thoughts are Powerful

Chapter 10 Your Time Is Now

About the Author

Introduction

The picture Salvador Dali produced for the cover of Maxwell Maltz’s book could be depicting how my own life has unfolded. Moving from confusion towards greater clarity and understanding. Moving from darkness towards light.

My purpose in writing this book is that by revealing my own struggles through confusion and darkness to you, you too will identify your own limiting beliefs and assumptions which are adversely affecting your life. I also want to demonstrate how, with a few simple steps, you can greatly improve the quality of your life. The time to get started is right now.

Starting school at the age of three and going to a convent, run by nuns who seemed more intent on finding every excuse to use corporal punishment than educate, did nothing except further exacerbate my confusion.

By the time I was five years old, my older brother and I had run away from home at least three times, not because we were badly treated, I think we were just bored and quite adventurous. The outside world seemed more alluring than our back yard. On one occasion, we locked our mum, who was heavily pregnant, in an upstairs bedroom before taking off. On another, we made it all the way to our gran’s house, only to have our grandad put his coat on and take us straight home. My clearest memory being the time a stranger came across us and returned us home, telling our poor, despairing mother, I knew they were yours because they’re so filthy. The resulting scouring in the bath remains indelibly imprinted on my mind, but that was nothing compared to the one to come some weeks later when we pinched a bar of chocolate from the cupboard. The chocolate belonged to an aunt who lived with us. We had no idea that the funny name on the outer wrapper, ‘Ex-lax’, was indeed the name of a well-known laxative. Probably hyper-effective because we greedily shared a whole bar between us. The resulting scrub in the bath with a loofah is probably an experience that has contributed to me never developing a sweet tooth!

We were a challenging duo, to say the least. One day, believing we were doing a good deed, we gave the ‘Rag ’n’ Bone’ man a rug. Dad was out at work and Mum busy with the baby. We felt sorry for this man with his rickety cart and scruffy clothes, and we often heard him trundling down the back alleys with his resonant call, ‘Rag ’n’ Bone.’ How were we to know that instead of being greeted with gratitude for getting rid of, what we thought, was a tatty old rug, receiving not one, but two donkey stones in payment, we would receive a walloping? It turned out the rug which had belonged to our dad’s mother was of tremendous sentimental value for him, as she had died when he was only thirteen years old.

In the early 1960s, there were not many cars on the roads. Most people walked to the local shops, church, work, and children made their own way to school, except under exceptional circumstances. Parents and teachers were more concerned with children being, ‘seen and not heard’, and the adage of, ‘spare the rod and spoil the child,’ was very much the order of the day. As I look back on those days, we may not have had television, videos, CDs, computers or smartphones, but we did have altogether more freedom to roam on our own. Sadly, that freedom was to change in the light of the Moors Murders. It wasn’t just those horrific murders of children which brought radical change to our home, but our dad slipped and fell down some steps and broke his back. The result of this was us moving to live with our gran whilst he recovered. Eventually, the whole family moved north and away from all our extended family.

Our mum, desperate by this time, clearly believing her two eldest children were beyond redemption, was delighted that the local church was close to our primary school. Each morning, mum sent us off to morning mass before going to school. The plus side for us was that, before going, we would have some buttered toast wrapped up so that we could take it to school and eat just before the first lesson. It meant that we didn’t have to stand outside in the playground before the start of the day, and the headteacher, who was one of those genuinely kind nuns, would let us sit in front of the classroom’s open fire in the winter.

At the ages of eight and nine, we went to confession every Saturday. These Saturday confessions were something of a trial for us, just as I believe they were for the priest. I was feeling particularly anxious one Saturday as I waited to enter the confessional, and I shared my concerns with my brother. We hit upon a brilliant plan; in our hands, we had this lightweight grey paperback book, ‘A Simple Prayer Book’, so we decided we would share the list of sins at the back of the book and take three or four each to repeat to the priest. For the first time, I confidently entered the confessional, gleefully clutching my little book. I was not expecting the bark of laughter from the other side of the curtain when I announced the need for forgiveness for having committed adultery. I was even more horrified when the priest laughingly asked, ‘How did you do that, Helen?’ When you went to confession, the priest wasn’t supposed to know who you were. Of course, I had never considered the fact that the priest was bound to be aware of our identity; we were the only children in the church every weekend. I seriously thought he’d lost the plot when he chuckled loudly as I patiently explained that committing adultery meant you’d been cheeky to adults!

I don’t know whether my mum was so appalled when I told her what had happened in confession, or whether the priest had a word with her, but we were never again dispatched to confession on a Saturday morning. It’s true to say that my early schooling was one great bundle of confusion and uncertainty; tinged with fear and dread of an unforgiving deity watching my every step and waiting to pounce.

Little did I realise what an impact the adults involved in my early education were having over my entire life. I had no idea, how their ridicule and peevish punishments had built up limiting beliefs, uncertainty, and self-doubt; which affected my life for decades to come. We must rid ourselves of the misinformation we internalise as infants and young children. We need to protect the minds of the young from violence, fear and uncertainty; allowing them to question, to grow in wisdom and understanding.

In my opinion, most syllabi concocted by education authorities have little to do with educating children, and certainly, unless in the hands of a talented, open-minded educator, have nothing to do with developing the self-reliance and self-esteem of the child. I believe anyone dealing with youngsters under the age of eight should be able to demonstrate open-mindedness, confidence, kindness, and patience rather than prove they have degrees and Masters in subjects unrelated to the needs of the youngsters in their care.

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Chapter One

AWARENESS IS THE KEY

Regardless of how old you are or what your circumstances are, Your Time Is Now. I know for some people that will resonate, whilst others will believe I wouldn’t say that if I knew their individual circumstances. In truth, even if I knew your situation, I would still say you can turn things around and live a healthier, wealthier, more abundant life.

I have used my own experiences, challenges, and set-backs to illustrate some of my own personal growth. How about you, do you believe there must be something better in life for you? Do you feel as though there is a greater purpose to your life? Are you prepared to welcome the change you want to see in your life? If so, you must see that end-result. Mentally live as you will once you have succeeded. That doesn’t mean go around spending money you don’t have now. What it does mean, is that you become aware of how you treat others, and how you treat yourself. Listen to your innermost thoughts, what you think and what you say. Believe me, no matter what challenging situations you may be facing, it’s not difficult to find elements in your life and your environment which can raise your spirits, even when events seem stacked against you.

I moved from living, feeling, talking, and thinking like a victim to living a life of ever-increasing possibility. I became sick of my feelings of victimhood and decided instead that it was time to change. Life had taught me how to talk in a positive way; to veil my thoughts and true feelings and put on a brave face. Friends would marvel at how I could remain so upbeat when facing a myriad of life’s challenges. What I didn’t appreciate at that time, was that, although talking in a positive manner, it couldn’t alter the reality of what was occurring in my life whilst I wallowed internally in thoughts of uncertainty and blatant disbelief. I was, in fact, setting up an entangled web for myself. It was going to take years for me to come to the realization that our thoughts and feelings are the bedrock of what appears on the surface of our life.

Before we can move into our own power, we must develop a true awareness of our physical, mental, intellectual, and spiritual well-being. Plus, an understanding of our deepest thoughts and beliefs connected to all these areas of our own life.

My own journey has been long, at times laborious. I have experienced every conceivable emotion. I have