Author: Susan Hanshaw

Recipe for Calm

/ Susan Hanshaw / 6 Comments

I was having dinner the other night at a friend’s house who is struggling to break free from a very stressful job that she hates. Four of us were sitting around the table when I noticed a plaque sitting on the window sill. It spelled the word, “calm”, both horizontally and vertically. I’d never seen this word revered in such a way. And it got me thinking. The first time someone told me that I was calm, I didn’t know what to think. It seemed like such an odd characteristic to point out and it made me feel a bit weird.I’ve come to recognize that I often feel weird when I talk about the ways in which I approach life. I feel weird because they are not the norm, and I suppose that some of my beliefs are borderline “out there”. But they work for me. I am calm nearly all of the time because of my beliefs. So if the majority of the norm is not calm, might that suggest that there is room for some new beliefs?

Here is my recipe for calm. Try experimenting with the ingredients and see what happens:

  1. There are only two things that really matter: 1) Expressing love towards all living things; and 2) Showing up for your purpose. Everything else is not worth getting upset over.
  2. Whatever the universe is dishing out to you is for your greater good.
  3. Getting upset over what does or does not happen is not the only way to express that you care. Staying calm expresses that you trust that what is happening is for your greater good, which is more important than the event at hand.
  4. Ask for guidance and you will be shown. The answers may come from anywhere, not just inside your head.
  5. Everything that happens is meant to tell you something. Don’t dismiss anything as coincidental.
  6. Your experience of life is all in your mind. You choose your reality by how you choose to think.

Thanks for visiting. Here’s to our collective sense of peace.

Susan
susan@sanctuaryforchange.com

Susan Hanshaw
Sanctuary for Change
www.sanctuaryforchange.com

The Deeper Secret to Joy and Abundance

/ Susan Hanshaw / 2 Comments

I love the fact that we are evolving into a society that understands that our minds have great influence over what we create in our lives. We’re learning about things like the power of positive thinking, creative visualization and the law of attraction. Yet it seems that sometimes when we employ all of these wonderful metaphysical methods, we still remain unable to make our vision a reality. Why? I’ve had my own theories about this for awhile, and like much of what I write about here, my understandings continue to sharpen through my own awakening. I came across something the other day that helped me to crystallize a belief that I had come to on my own. An interesting thing to note here is how serendipity played a role in my discovery.

I noticed that a new link to this blog was bringing traffic from an Italian site about positive visualization: http://serenoefelice.org/blog/. Of course I was curious to find out what had been written and by who, so I clicked on the link and did the best I could to translate the linked article and the author’s bio. It was here that I was led to learn about the works of Jose Silva and the Silva Mind System. Now, I must put a disclaimer here that I have not read about Jose Silva or the Silva Mind System at any depth so I can’t stand behind the work, yet one point that I read really resonated with me as a valuable principle that should be promoted in concert with the law of attraction:

“Many self-improvement programs tell you that by tapping into your mind you can have ‘anything you desire’.

I’m afraid this is not true.

Silva’s research has shown that you can have anything you want – IF and ONLY IF – it is part of your soul’s plan for you.”

I use my instincts to help me judge what I believe to be truths, and this concept here makes a lot of sense without any proof in the pudding. This supports an “aha” I had when I was painfully trying to cut myself loose from the “security” of my corporate job a couple of years ago. I told myself that it just didn’t make sense that the universe would take better care of me if I stayed clinging to a job that I no longer cared about rather than pursuing the path I felt calling me.

There’s a very big, yet very simple lesson here that I feel like yelling from the rooftops because it is so vastly ignored. Achieving great joy and abundance is not about thinking what will make you happy. It’s about tuning in to your heart and showing up for the purpose of why you are here. If you truly believe that life has a purpose, then there is no fear to be had when you are holding up your end of the bargain.

Thanks for visiting. Let me know if there is any way that I can support you on your path to purpose.

With light,

Susan
susan@sanctuaryforchange.com

Susan Hanshaw
Sanctuary for Change
http://www.sanctuaryforchange.com

Are You Programmed for the Life You Want?

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I had what felt like a mystical experience while exercising on the elliptical machine at the gym yesterday. There I was, thinking about life with my ears connected to my iPod when the lyrics from an old favorite hit me in a way I’d never experienced before. It was Earth, Wind & Fire‘s Fantasy. I was so moved that I repeated the song over and over again, embracing the words and visualizing what it would be like if the scene in my mind could be given a life.

For me this scene is a vision of people coming together to support one another to create a life that is fired by love, passion and purpose. As I visualize this, I feel a pulsating energy that connects everyone in the understanding that there is no limit to what we can create if we believe in our power and put our minds and bodies to work on it. It’s an energy of collective support where we guide each other in the reaching for our stars, forever reminding one another that you can do it.

I don’t expect my dreams to come true overnight, but I recognize their growth as I feed them. I also recognize how the support that I get from others keeps me reaching towards creating the life I dream about. And in reaching I am creating it. It seems so simple, really. So am I crazy to suggest that if we all supported each other to keep reaching, we could transform this world to fantasy-like? Who says our expectations of life must be mediocre?

Thanks to Maurice White, Eddie Delbarrio, and Verdine White for penning these lyrics which have set a fire to my heart, and to the inspiration from Clyde of Feeling Good that there was gold to be found in our favorite songs.

Keep on reaching. You can do it. To our together creation of this world,

Susan
susan@sanctuaryforchange.com


Susan Hanshaw
Sanctuary for Change
www.sanctuaryforchange.com

 

 

 

Fantasy

Every man has a place, in his heart there’s a space,
And the world can’t erase his fantasies.
Take a ride in the sky, on our ship fantasii
All your dreams will come true, right away.

And we will live together, until the twelfth of never
Our voices will ring forever, as one.

Every thought is a dream, rushing by in a stream,
Bringing life to our kingdom of doing.
Take a ride in the sky, on our ship fantasii
All your dreams will come true, miles away.

Our voices will ring together until the twelfth of never,
We all, will live forever, as one.

Come see victory, in the land called fantasy
Loving life, a new decree,
Bring your mind to everlasting liberty.

Our minds will explore together, old worlds, we conquer, forever
We then, will expand love together, as one.

Come to see, victory in a land called fantasy,
Loving life, for you and me, to behold, to your soul is ecstasy.
You will find, other kind, that has been in search for you,
Many lives has brought you to
Recognize its your life, now in review.
And as you stay for the play, fantasy, has in store for you,
A glowing light will see you through.

It’s your day, shining day, all your dreams come true.
As you glide, in your stride with the wind, as you fly away
Give a smile, from your lips, and say
I am free, yes I’m free, now I’m on my way.

Your Past is Not Your Destiny

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I was reminded of a very important principle today through one of my brothers who is maneuvering through some pretty hard times. I think that it is one of those ideas that is so simple that we don’t take it seriously or one that we let just slip through our fingers. It is the idea that every moment of every day offers the invitation to create your life. Just because your life has been one way for years and years doesn’t mean that there doesn’t lie the opportunity for it to look and feel completely different. The only thing that stands in the way of creating the life you want to live is your belief that it is possible and taking the necessary steps to make it happen.

I was a chubby girl in my youth. I remember assuming that I would never be anything but chubby until I woke up one day in the summer that I was nineteen tired of being fat. So that day I started eating differently and over the course of a few months, my body changed. As I look back now, I can see a number of unhealthy habits that I’ve let go of through the years that I never thought I’d have the strength to overcome. Every one of these changes started with one day where I considered that I could make a choice to do something a little bit differently.

Choice is the greatest gift that we could ever receive. It gives you the total freedom to reach for anything you want. Choice is beautiful because it is a neutral act. It isn’t given with a voice that says back to you that you can’t do or be something. If you hear that message, then you need to tap yourself on the shoulder and ask what you can do to get out of your own way. Remember that choice offers you a platter of unlimited possibilities. Don’t accept limits on what you can make of your life.

Thanks for reading me,

Susan
susan@sanctuaryforchange.com

Susan Hanshaw
Sanctuary for Change
http://www.sanctuaryforchange.com

Allowing Synchronicity to Guide You

/ Susan Hanshaw / 10 Comments

jungbirk.jpg

Synchronicity is a concept which describes a meaningful coincidence that was first introduced by Swiss Psychologist Carl Jung in 1952. Jung believed that many events that we determine as coincidences are not merely products of chance, but experiences that are produced as a result of what he coined the collective unconscious, the governing dynamic that runs throughout the entire human experience. Simply put, synchronicity is an expression of wisdom spoken from the voice of the collective universe.

I was first introduced to the idea of synchronicity about a dozen years ago. I thought it was very cool when those meaningful coincidences showed their faces in my life, and enabled me to pull my new word out of my back pocket and put it to good use. At the time, though, I treated synchronicity as if it were a concept from a fairy tale that was allowed to touch my life only as frequently as I might expect magic to occur. A couple of phone calls that came to me last week showed me how much weight I now place on these kinds of events and how much I allow them to guide my way.

How do you let synchronicity guide you?

  1. Approach life from the perspective that everything happens for a reason. Note that I said everything. Remember that life is not just about the big things. There is meaning behind even the tiniest of details. I think of this point like gravity. It doesn’t just occur at certain times in certain places. It’s everywhere all the time.
  2. Consider that the wisdom of the universe is much greater than your own mind. Think of events that unfold in your life as advice from the universe. Don’t think of the unsolicited or even painful advice as having less value than direction you might have been praying for.
  3. Trust that the universe is like a loving, supportive parent who only wants the best for you. In this spirit, you can learn to trust that whatever unfolds is meant to bring you to a better place, even if where you are now feels darn comfortable.
  4. Think of the energy of synchronicity like the current of water flowing in a river. How much easier it is to surrender to the flow of the current than to fight against it to go in a direction where you are not naturally being led.

I would love to hear any stories you’d like to share about synchronicity in your life. If you’ll allow me to post them here, you can help others to gain trust for themselves through what you’ve seen in your own life.

Thank you for sharing your time here. May you experience delightful synchronicity this week!

My best to you,

Susan
susan@sanctuaryforchange.com

Susan Hanshaw
Sanctuary for Change
www.sanctuaryforchange.com

Love Your Brother For Yourself

/ Susan Hanshaw / 2 Comments

My boyfriend has been attending a real estate industry blogging conference the last few days. He has been telling me about what he’s learned not only about blogging, but about the people he has met. He has been introduced to strangers standing in hallways and food lines, or sitting in a meeting room waiting for the next session to begin. He’s shared with me a common thread that often surfaces in these six to eight minute conversations amongst strangers. One story was about a big burly looking man with a heavy east coast accent. On the outside this man appeared as someone you definitely don’t want to mess with, yet when he shared with my boyfriend that he was going through a divorce, his presence morphed into one of a six-year old boy.

It seems that once the business at hand is acknowledged, there lies one thing that is so important to us all that it never leaves our hearts or our consciousness. We want to love and be loved. It’s no wonder when you think about it. We are love. We were created through the energy of love. We are connected by love. We are surrounded by love everywhere around us, even if it doesn’t look like our perception of love on the surface. Love that is hidden like this is actually a mask of pain.

How quickly we tend to come to the rescue of our sisters and brothers when we discover them in a state of physical pain. We’ll rush to the side of the road to call for help when we witness an accident or send our hard-earned cash to organizations providing aid to those in need. We wear our hearts on our sleeves when we see that others are in need, but we often hide our own neediness because we don’t want to appear different or less than perfect.

My point here is that we are really all the same. By being ourselves and coming forth with our own frailties, we give others the opportunity to fulfill our need to feel loved. And by giving our brothers the opportunity to give us love, we fulfill that need for them.

Try an experiment today if you will. Open your heart to a stranger or to a loved one and see what happens. See what you can do to reduce the pain in our world.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I appreciate the opportunity to share my heart with you.

My best,

Susan
susan@sanctuaryforchange.com

Susan Hanshaw
Sanctuary for Change
www.sanctuaryforchange.com

The Ageless Recipe for a Rich Life

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I was preparing for a wedding ceremony that I was to officiate this past weekend when something very powerful hit me. I was mentally reviewing the passage that the couple asked me to give as their reading. I had read from 1 Corinthians 13 many times before, yet this time its message struck the core of my being. In particular,

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.”

What hit me was that I’ve been on a personal journey the past couple of years where I’ve been hanging myself out there on exactly these three virtues. They have been the staples which have been my companion on what some people refer to as the road less traveled. They’re the commodities that have replaced the paycheck that came with a job my heart lost interest in. They’ve proven themselves as the key ingredients in the recipe for authentic, peaceful and joyful living.  Here’s how they are blended in my own personal recipe:

Live from a foundation of faith that believes that life is always unfolding for your highest good, whether or not it looks like that on the surface.

Hold tightly on to the hope that whatever you desire in your heart is possible if you believe in it and in yourself.

Approach the world through the understanding that you are always surrounded and supported in a powerful energy of love. You have nothing to worry about.

Thanks for visiting. I very much hope you will embrace your own gifts of faith, hope and love.

Best to you,

Susan Hanshaw
susan@sanctuaryforchange.com

Finding Love in the Mirror

/ Susan Hanshaw / 3 Comments

Most of us value our own lives enough that we’ll do whatever we can to avoid death.  Yet how much of what we cherish is about a love for ourselves versus an attachment to life in general?

How many of us look into the mirror with only a critical eye?  Why is it that we tend to focus so much more on everything we aren’t than on the beautiful specimen of life that we are?  When was the last time you looked in the mirror and really took in the face that stares back at you or the eyes that are the windows to your soul?  Have you ever taken a close look at the lines on your face and traced them back to see that they were formed by the millions of times you’ve smiled or laughed throughout your life?

Slip into the bathroom sometime today, tonight or this weekend and close the door.  Look in the mirror and embrace who you are in the mirror.  Feel what it’s like to love yourself in those moment.   Feel the sweetness of life.

Thanks for visiting.

Wishing you love,

Susan Hanshaw
susan@sanctuaryforchange.com

Visualizing Your Ideal Work Life

/ Susan Hanshaw / 3 Comments

I didn’t realize just how fuzzy my vision for my ideal work life was until I sat down to create a clearer picture. I now hold that picture in my mind and it helps me to be clear on where I need to invest my time and energy to take steps closer to making this vision my reality. If you are serious about wanting to make your work life better in some way, then give yourself the gift of making a commitment to the process below.

Set aside some quiet time to sit in a comfortable position with a journal. Think about what you want to create with crystal clarity. If it is a new career or starting your own business, for example, what does your workplace look like? How is it decorated? What is the mood? How would you describe its location? Imagine yourself driving (or walking) up to the building and into the front door. What does it feel like to be inside the building? Imagine the activity of your workplace. Do you have clients coming in and out or do you work heavily on your own? What is your work schedule? What are you wearing to work? Do you travel? Where to and how? What kinds of clients do you have? What do they look like? What does relating with them feel like? What are the exact services that you provide? How are your clients helped by you? How often do they see you? How do you feel when you are working? What does it feel like to leave your workplace at the end of each day? What are you known for? What provides you with the most satisfaction? Think through all the details so that you can see this image in your mind as clearly as you can see your current reality. Then write a description of everything you see and imagine in your journal so clearly that someone else who read it would have the same clarity.

You have now created your vision. Take your vision and engrave it as a picture in your mind. This is not simply an exercise to do once and let go of. It is one to revisit in your mind’s eye as frequently as possible. By revisiting your vision, you remind yourself constantly of what you want to accomplish. This will help you to make decisions about where you need to invest your time and what action steps will take you closer. This vision will be your ongoing compass that will chart you in the right direction. Can you see how the more vividly you can see your vision the more easily you will enable your life to become it?

Thank you for visiting. I’m wishing you the richest of journeys!

Best,
Susan

Susan Hanshaw
susan@sanctuaryforchange.com
https://susanhanshaw.wordpress.com
www.sanctuaryforchange.com

An Invitation that Will Change Your Life

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What if you knew you had the power to create whatever reality you wanted and were given fail-safe instructions on how to go about it?  Would you do it?  Trick question?  No.  But think about it for a moment.

If you’ve found your way to this blog, chances are you’ve heard all about The Secret and the Law of Attraction.  Like me, then, you’ve been taught that we create our lives through our minds.  By thinking about what we want and visualizing it as our reality, we express our God-given role as  creators.  That is, if we believe we have this power and we actually employ it.  My guess is that this is where most of us fall down.  At least I do.  Not always, but much of the time.  I want to get better about engaging my power because I know that it works.  I’ve seen it.

I look back at a large account I once landed when everyone else on the team didn’t think we had a chance in hell.  I prepared and practiced in my mind a killer presentation that was fired with faith.  Then I look at other things I’ve manifested through visualization even though my faith more resembled blind hope.  But it worked anyway.  I’m beginning to build the career I’ve always dreamed about and I have a wonderful partner both in love and business.  Yet still I remain a lazy visualizer.

It doesn’t really matter why I expend more energy trying to fit into my jeans than I do practicing the power of visualization.  It’s enough to recognize it so that I can commit to changing it.  So I am beginning today.  And your presence here is going to help me.  I’m going to start each blog day off by calling attention to this power we have by exercising it a bit.  I invite you to join me in your own process.  So let’s start right now.

Think about a relationship that you wish to attract, maintain or improve.  Take a moment to visualize what this person looks like.  Imagine them walking through the door of your home early one evening.  Imagine what is expressed verbally and physically.  Think about how it feels to engage with this person and stand close to them.  Imagine the evening unfolding.  What does the energy between you feel like?  How are you spending your time together?  What are you talking about?  What is the tone?  Once you have a clear vision of what it looks and feels like to spend an evening with this person, allow your mind to imagine glimpses of other times with him or her.  What kinds of things do you do together?  How do you connect?  How do you feel? Create enough of these pictures in your mind so as to have captured random moments that are like photographs in an album that is a tribute to your relationship.  Make a point to add more snapshots in your mind as you think about it throughout the day.

Thank you for joining me as we experiment together with the power we have to create what we want in our lives.  I’d love for you to comment on your experiences so that together we can inspire each other!

Susan Hanshaw
susan@sanctuaryforchange.com