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Issue 76 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ In this issue ~~ * It's Spring . . . Let's Celebrate! * Action Challenge * Wise Words * Bookshelf ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ It's Spring . . . Let's Celebrate! I don't know about you, but for me, when spring comes, I feel my spirits lift.  It's not that I get depressed in winter – nothing that extreme – but in spring, there comes a lightness and openness that invites new possibility. The spring equinox proclaims a rebirth of life after the fallow time of winter, a time of fertility and planting new seeds. There's an urge to celebrate. We can use this time to allow ourselves to dream. We can create new beginnings and new projects, and celebrate those new successes that will be coming to fruition in the future. Wait a minute . . . celebrate successes that haven't even happened yet?  Why would you do that?? When you're beginning something new, of course, you don't know what the outcome will be. But you do have a choice on how you will approach it. You can choose to go in with doubt and trepidation, or you can begin with excitement and positive anticipation. You can hold an attitude that whatever the outcome, it will be a win for you. Quantum physics has shown that the expectation of the experimenter affects the experiment. If you've seen the film, What the Bleep Do We Know!?, you've learned that our thoughts and feelings affect what goes on around us, and certainly our perception of those events.  When you visualize a successful outcome and start your project with joy and positive expectation, that will impact the results you get. Same thing if you have a negative expectation. If that's too way out for you, let me make it more concrete. Let's say two equally talented artists have just finished a series of paintings and approach a gallery owner about having a show.  Joe goes in with an air of confidence, shows his work and speaks enthusiastically about his vision.  Sally, on the other hand, is timid and apologetic; the gallery owner feels uneasy around her and even begins to doubt the quality of the work. Who do you think is more likely to get a showing? When we get excited about our projects, we naturally enroll other people. We feel more confident, and perhaps even do better work. If we're working with others, we can lift them up, too, with our positive attitude. While we still may fail to reach our objective, we can learn from the experience, redirect our efforts, renew our commitment and celebrate the next future success. Your celebration can take any form you want. You might celebrate with a party, a dinner or a trip to a theme park. You may buy yourself that special something you've been wanting. You can adopt a ritual from your spiritual or religious tradition, such as lighting a candle, offering a prayer or sharing your vision with supportive people who will add their positive energy to yours. Your celebration doesn't have to be an outward one. If you feel uncomfortable announcing your success "prematurely" to your family and friends, then do it privately. You might do a visualization where you create a sacred space and invite in people who support you, spiritual figures that are important to you and anyone else you'd like to be there. You might even include one of your heroes, someone who inspires you. Imagine a ritual or party where you commemorate your future success.  Give thanks – the energy of gratitude attracts more of what you're grateful for. Add whatever other features you need to have it feel complete for you. Then, carry that feeling into the project with you. Revisit the meditation as often as you want, to renew that feeling. If you truly don't believe you can succeed and celebrating feels inauthentic to you, then go back and look at what's getting in the way. Create a new strategy that feels doable to you and that you can get behind with enthusiasm. That might mean changing some aspects of your project or scaling it up or down to a size that feels right to you. If you still can't buy into it, I would recommend that you pick up one of many inspirational books or films that tell how others overcame tremendous odds to become successful.  If they can do it, so can you. So, you don't have to have achieved your success to celebrate. Use the uplifting energy of spring. Start your new project with the joy of celebration, and ride that wave through to a positive outcome, whatever that may be! Top   Action Challenge What project are you facing with fear or dread? How can you frame it in a positive way and then approach it with an attitude of celebration?   Wise Words "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success." ~ Albert Schweitzer "How we see and hold the full range of our experiences in our minds and in our hearts makes an enormous difference in the quality of this journey we are on, and what it means to us. It can influence where we go, what happens, what we learn, and how we feel along the way." ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn, Everyday Blessings "Today a new sun rises for me; everything lives, everything is animated, everything seems to speak to me of my passion, everything invites me to cherish it." ~ Anne de Lenclos "For the wise man, every day is a festival." ~ Plutarch Top   Bookshelf (click on the book or DVD graphic to see a description at Amazon.com) Celebrate! . . . Sheila Lukins Unstoppable: 45 Powerful Stories of Perseverance and Triumph from People Just Like You . . . Cynthia Kersey Ready, Set, Goal!: Choose Your Goals, Stay Motivated, Celebrate Your Success . . . Wendy Buckingham Healing Celebrations: Miraculous Recoveries Through Ancient Scriptures, Natural Medicine & Modern Science . . . Leonard G., Dr Horowitz Family Celebrations: Prayers, Poems & Toasts For Every Occasion . . . June Cotner Celebrations Around the World: A Multicultural Handbook . . . Carole S. Angell "What the Bleep Do We Know!?" (DVD) "Rudy" (DVD) Top ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ © 2005 Sharon Good. All rights reserved.  Next Issue  Previous Issue     Books and videos listed in the Bookshelf section of each newsletter can be ordered from Amazon.com. To go to a specific book's page on the Amazon site, click on the book or disk icon next to each title. Click on the graphic left for a message from Amazon's president.