Abundance

faith is the secret

/ Susan Hanshaw / 1 Comment

www.sanctuaryforchange.com

Trusting that the universe knows better than you do about what is
best for the evolution of your soul is the key to inner peace.

I hang my hat on this belief day after day.  I call it faith. It keeps me from falling down in disappointment when things don’t go the way I want.  It gives me the courage to continue to follow my heart instead of getting a “real job” when it seems my business isn’t growing fast enough.  It led me to stop wigging out when a guy I was attracted to didn’t call me again after what I thought was a great first date.

You’ve probably heard the adage, “Everything happens for a reason.” What that means is there is something for you to learn or grow from in any situation.  If you’ve been struggling with attracting the right job or partner despite all your efforts of putting yourself out there, perhaps you’ve not yet fully defined in your own mind what the right criteria is.  Or maybe you’re trying to force something to happen that just isn’t meant to be or there are other things you need to accomplish first. When you can get to the point where you can surrender in faith that whatever is unfolding is happening for your higher good, you turn yourself over to the divine flow.  Life then becomes much easier because you are going with the flow instead of fighting against it.  Try practicing it yourself.  When something doesn’t go your way, turn it over and let it go in faith.

a stubborn’s lesson in abundance

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One of the biggest rewards I get from my work is hearing people tell me that I have somehow inspired them with a sense of hope and positive expectation. Yet the one drawback to what I do is that I need to make sure that I am always walking my own talk. Because my work is an expression of how I show up naturally, I usually am pretty good about this. Yet sometimes I catch myself with my pants down. Sometimes I need a good reminder to practice what I preach. It turned out to be one of those weekends where I needed to expand my own consciousness to accept the abundance that has been trying to make its way to me.

It started off on Saturday morning. I was lying in bed as I often do, acknowledging gratitude for the blessings in my life. Then like a crashing wave came a vision of such magnitude that I was moved to tears. I realized at that moment that either through fear or habit, I had been blind to the abundant gift of love and partnership that had come banging at my door. I recognized how hesitant I’d been to open it and invite it into my life. In an instant I had come to understand that in order to accept my gifts, I had to open my heart.

For the most part I’ve been a single woman for the past twelve years. I’m used to operating my life as a solo endeavor that runs the gamut from grocery shopping, housecleaning and garden work to business planning and marketing. Somewhere along the way I developed the belief that this venture of helping people to create change had to successfully come together all on my own.

Just shy of four months ago a man walked into my life who has thrown a wrench at this. He so supports what I am trying to accomplish with my business that he’ll do almost anything to help me. And while I was able to see this rather easily early on, what hit me this weekend was my awakening to how hesitant I’ve been to accept the abundance he represents. What helped me to get beyond my own fears was my getting the message that this relationship is a divine gift. I do feel like I am showing up for my life’s purpose now and clearly the universe recognizes that I need some assistance and support.

While I can see the practical purposes for this relationship, what touches me greater is the richness of the love I feel from it. It feels like my reward for having the faith that the universe would take care of me if I let go of my corporate job to follow the work of my heart.

So my lesson this weekend was the awareness that all this abundance was staring me in the face, yet I hadn’t really allowed it in my life because I hadn’t totally opened my heart to it. I’d been blocking my channel to receive. I’ve since made the mental shift to be open to its flow. The relationship has taken on a deeper meaning as I’ve recognized it as a gift the universe has wanted to bestow. Moving forward I’ll try not to get so much in its way.

allowing the flow

/ Susan Hanshaw / 1 Comment

www.sanctuaryforchange.com
www.eventsinlove.com
http://marriedwithpurpose.wordpress.com

I’ve recently created a habit where I take a few minutes each morning to ask for guidance on what specifically I am to do for the day to fulfill my purpose.  I ask the question and then I sit and wait for the answers to come.  The information usually comes in the form of a voice that I feel deep inside of me.  It has taken some time for me to first believe that I have an inner voice and then to grow to give it credibility.  Yet I’m totally on board now.  I am a true believer.  Some people call this process meditation.  Others, prayer.  I think of it as tuning in to the wisdom of the universe and the role I play in it.

This morning I sat with my focus on connecting with God.  There’s usually a common general theme that comes up when I ask for this guidance.  Yet this morning I felt like I was shaken to deliver a message that was very specific.  It felt like God was asking me to tell you how much you are loved.  I hope you think about what this means.  It means that you have absolutely nothing to worry about.  Life is as good as you will allow it to be.  So open your heart and let the love and riches flow.  Remember it’s a choice.

exercises for living bigger

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www.sanctuaryforchange.com
www.eventsinlove.com
http://marriedwithpurpose.wordpress.com

If there is one thing that I’d like you to take away from this space here, it is that how you experience life is totally your choice. If you are completely content with the state of your life, I say more power to you. Yet if you feel a yearning to reach higher, to experience the fullest, most robust life you can, then I’m right here with some insights to support you.

A couple of posts ago I talked about the choice we have to live whatever life we choose. I discussed how you could choose to live big or small. Let it be known that I’m not here to judge. We’re all here as equals. It is totally your choice to live the kind of life you want. I just see that my job is to support those who want to live bigger. So to follow up on that post, here are some exercises you might find helpful in making the shift from small to bigger thinking:

  1. Create a morning ritual which reminds you of your choice to shine as brightly as you want. You are not bound to the standards of your family, friends or colleagues.
  2. Authentically act as if you are on your way to that bigger life. Putting yourself in that role is how you will become it.
  3. Use your alone time in the car to visualize the life you’d love to create. Don’t be afraid to dream big.
  4. Cut images out of magazines that represent what you want from your life and put them in noticeable places. Look at them with the expectation that you will manifest them for yourself.
  5. Adopt a dream buddy. Get together frequently for coffee or tea to share ideas and encourage one another.
  6. Identify someone who has created the kind of life you wish for yourself. Think of them as a model for your own success.
  7. Create a practice of expressing your gratitude for all the blessings in your life. Gratitude acts as a magnet for more of the same.

manifesting peace

/ Susan Hanshaw / 1 Comment

www.sanctuaryforchange.com
www.eventsinlove.com
http://marriedwithpurpose.wordpress.com

“The message of the crucifixion is perfectly clear:  Teach only love, for that is what you are.” — A Course in Miracles

The crucifixion was a call for peace that many of us are unable to recognize.  Jesus taught us that even the most extreme example of assault did not justify a response of anger, hatred or fear.  His message showed us that how we react reflects what we believe, and what we believe, we teach.    He asked that we believe with him so that we will teach as he did.

The crucifixion of Jesus is considered one of the most signficant events in the history of the world.  Mel Gibson’s 2004 movie, Passion of the Christ attracted people to view the bloody final hours of Jesus’ life in record-breaking numbers.  Most of us know the story at least vaguely.  Jesus was killed for what he believed in.  He died for what he came to teach. 

Jesus tells us repeatedly that we each have the capability to learn what he has, to become like him.  Yet why is it that we struggle so much with having this same faith in ourselves?  Most of us deny this opportunity so strongly that we don’t even try to give its reality a chance.  We simply tell ourselves it’s not possible so why even bother.  And as we hang onto this belief that we are weak and unable to grow and change, we continue to feed into the anger, fear and hatred that permeates our world.

If it is true that we teach others what we believe in, then we need to consider taking some responsibility for that.  We each go about our days spreading our thought systems throughout the world.  Take a hard look at what you believe in.  Ask yourself if this is a belief that contributes to peace and love in the world.  I know how easy it is to shrug ourselves off as insignificant and unable to make a viable contribution.  Yet if each one of us strives to follow Jesus’ lead, our world would be far more driven by love and peace that we know it today. 

I don’t think it is any coincidence that millions of Americans have been armed with an awareness of the law of attraction over the past few months.  What has been brewing in the human potential movement for decades has now created a swell in the masses.  There’s a shift in consciousness taking place.  We are beginning to become more strongly aware of our own power.  With this comes the opportunity to break through the limitations we’ve created for ourselves as we ignite that power.  Now that we’ve been shown that we can manifest whatever we think upon, how about we all start adding brotherly love and global peace to the images of abundance that we have now begun to practice? 

Happy Easter.  May peace be with you.

the choice to live bigger

/ Susan Hanshaw / 2 Comments

www.sanctuaryforchange.com
www.eventsinlove.com
http://marriedwithpurpose.wordpress.com

“We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.  It’s not just in some of us; it’s in all of us.  And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”
—Marianne Williamson

Much of the coaching work that I do these days is around the topics of finding one’s passions and purpose and manifesting greater abundance.  I guess this speaks to what we all want to experience in our lives.  After all, we’re told this is our God-given right.  We can all look at others who demonstrate a strong ability to accept with open arms this right.  Yet why do so many others of us fumble?  Why are we so scared to step up to the plate, to throw open our arms and hearts and yell, “Bring it on!”

As children and up through adulthood, we have been delivered the message that it is uncool to be conceited or think too highly of our talents.  One slip of a vague tongue that implies how pleased we are with ourselves is apt to get a finger wagging from a loved one mocking how humble we are not.  So we’ve learned to project ourselves as small and insignificant, the polar opposite of what we really are.  No wonder we have such difficulty figuring out what we want to do with our lives.  We squelch our own potential for the sake of fitting in.  This is based on our belief that we risk coming across as “better” than others when we express a desire to live the fullest, most awesome life we can.  Yet there is a way to reframe that so that it works in our favor.

We all share the same glory of God within us.  We all hold the capacity to shine in equal brightness.  So it’s not a matter of being better than others.  It’s a matter of choice as to the degree in which you choose to accept the gifts and opportunities that are available to all of us in life.  It’s a choice to allow yourself to dream big and go for it.  And as more and more of us make the choice to live bigger, we can start a new trend where living our dreams is the more popular choice.  What a world that would be, wouldn’t it?

change: if not now, when?

/ Susan Hanshaw / 1 Comment

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www.sanctuaryforchange.com

Last week I was on a medication that did a real number on my psyche.  As the level of this medication in my bloodstream increased with the passing days, so did my moodiness.  I was picking fights with my boyfriend at the drop of a hat.  In my mind I had turned this man who loves me into the enemy.  He’s since been raised to sainthood in my eyes to put up with me.  Why did I not drop the medication immediately, you might wonder?  Because, believe it or not, I didn’t truly recognize what was going on until I just about flipped emotionally.  I just assumed that the illusions that I was responding to were real, yet as I look back I see that they were all based from a perspective of fear and lack.  I was so much in my own darkness that I was unable to see the goodness and love that surrounds me.  Now as I have stopped the medication and wait for it to leave my bloodstream entirely, I am seeing this as my reconciliation with my natural state and my connection to the natural flow of life.

A Course in Miracles describes our life here on earth as a process of Atonement, where the sole purpose of time is to enable us all to correct our illusions about being separate from our source of creation, of love and from each other.  It delivers the message that one by one we each will be restored to our awareness of our connection to all of life, where we will live in a state that recognizes total love, joy and abundance.  As each one of us reaches a state of this awareness, we reduce the level of darkness on the planet.

This week we embark upon Easter, a celebration which acknowledges the resurrection of life shown possible through the human spirit, Jesus.  And as Jesus is heralded by the Christian world as one of history’s greatest teachers, wouldn’t that imply how feverishly we honor his message of love, faith and what is possible for us?  Yet why do we continue to deny its possibilities in our lifetime?

Yesterday I had enough of my personal darkness.  Although I’d been programmed to take the antibiotics through their completion, I reached a point where enough was enough.  I stopped before I could spiral any deeper.  Yet I wouldn’t have stopped had I not made the connection between the drug and my mood.  I also had to recognize that I had a choice to discontinue the medication.

As we anticipate Easter on a global front, we can choose to see it as a reminder of what is possible for the human spirit.  We can choose to make it another holiday in the history of the world where we sit back and honor without any intention to follow its lead.  Or we can say to ourselves that it is time to implement some fresh ideas, to take a different approach to life, to begin to embrace some of the messages brought forth by Jesus.  We can take it upon ourselves to bring hope to our world that has grown worn from fear and conflict.  The sooner we do this for ourselves, the sooner we make this state possible for all of the world.  What are we waiting for?  If not now, when?

the faith to follow your heart

/ Susan Hanshaw / Leave a comment

www.sanctuaryforchange.com

“Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof.”
           — Kahlil Gibran

I left my well-paying corporate job just shy of two years ago to follow my heart.  When I share my story I often receive comments back about the courage it took to take such a leap.  I won’t deny that courage wasn’t involved.  Yet what it really was and continues to be is a leap of faith that my heart is leading me where it knows I am supposed to go.  And I follow it because I trust that my heart is wiser than my mind.  I believe it knows the real role I am supposed to play in our world.  And I believe that if I am doing what I am really here to do, the universe will take care of me just fine.

You see, when we show up for the role we are really here to play, we then become in true alignment with God’s intention for us.  Wouldn’t it make sense then that everything we need to be successful in this role will somehow find its way to us through God?  Isn’t this what is meant by the statement that everything that we will ever need was given to us when we were created?

The first personal growth workshop that I taught included an exercise which asked the students to share the unexpected gifts that had come their way throughout the course of life.  I assumed that each person would produce a list as abundant as my own.  I was shocked when a handful of the participants shared that they felt that life had been much of a struggle to get from here to there.  What an eye-opener that was for me.  My instinct quickly told me that because I have always been one to expect that I would be well taken care of, that was my experience.  I attracted my good fortune through my thinking.

So here I am in year two without my cherished paycheck.  Truth be told, I’m not where I’d like to be financially yet.  Do I ever experience days where I focus on fear or lack, you might ask?  Yes, I have those days.  Yet luckily they are quite rare.  For these days when I get up in the morning, I pay close attention to that voice inside that feels like my heart giving me direction and I surrender to it.  My heart is now the boss.

Yesterday I awoke with a strong desire to do some serious research on what kind of equipment I would need to add video to my blog here.  My boyfriend sat down with me and together we gave ourselves an education in digital camcorders.  On his way home he stopped at an electronics store to discover the model we’d been looking at on sale and he snagged it for me.  So stayed tuned because within a week I expect to deliver my messages of hope and inspiration with my voice and face as well as my fingertips.

I have no idea where this will take me.  It just feels like the right next step.  And that is what following your heart is all about.  It’s putting one foot in front of the other, trusting without proof that where you are being led is where you are supposed to land, knowing that you are always in good hands.