In the Twinkling of an Eye

In the Twinkling of an Eye

The last time I saw an eye twinkle was when I noticed that a friend had fallen in love. I could see it in her gaze as she stared longingly at her partner. As I watched her, the light shined in such a way that it appeared she shot Cupid’s ray of hope directly at me.

At Christmas, I love to see the twinkling lights on trees and coming from rooftops. People travel from different states just to see all the thousands of lights at the Opryland Hotel during the holidays. Twinkling lights are awe inspiring.

My dear friend Nancilynn told me that she saw me fall in love, when the breeder of my dog put Coco in my arms. I felt that—in a twinkling moment—my heart bonded to my loving pet.

When I would visit family in Tucson, Arizona, the sky always appeared to be so close I could reach it, especially in the desert. I have seen many stars twinkle in a midnight sky that took my breath away.

The dictionary defines twinkle as a “shine with a gleam that varies from bright to faint.”

The Christian bible says: “In a flash—in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet… the dead will be raised imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 15:52)

So, what is it about a twinkle that is so fascinating and beautiful that it captures our attention and keeps us captivated?

To tell you the truth, I started this blog with a title and have absolutely no idea where I’m going with it. This is what I would call trusting for information to appear before me and for inspiration to follow the trending of my thoughts. But no connection of thoughts seems to be coming. I can see that there is something I want to say, but I can’t seem to put my finger on the pertinence.

Let’s do an exercise together: Just imagine that we have been given the mission to write about “in the twinkling of an eye” for a friend’s wedding. So, as a faithful friend, we input the title in bold and wait in the silence for inspiration. For me, waiting for information is more about listening to thoughts. They gather around me like ideas and present themselves as people knocking at my door. Some I answer, and others I just ignore. Most, however, I write down and wait to see how all the thoughts fit together.

If you have ever been stymied by inspiration for something you must write or artistically complete, this is a simple solution. Just do… Paint until something wonderful happens. Write until something palatable appears before you. Compose until you have options to choose from.  

In the book “The Artist’s Way,” Julia Cameron talks about writing five pages every day just to get the dross out of your head, to make way for true inspiration. I do something similar to that. It’s as if I write down all I can think about a subject, then whittle away at it until a Da Vinci statue appears.

This inspiration often happens in a twinkling of an eye. I have that aha moment when I see the art or the divine purpose in front of me. I get a palpable feeling in my chest as I know for sure the meaning and reason is likely to help someone through some difficult paradigm.

This moment is happening for me now. I know I don’t really have to go any further now. I have come to the understanding that this title was about gathering information and helping people through artist’s block.

The most important aspect of observing the twinkling is that it happens as movement in time. If you are not sitting in the moment, moving with it, you miss the twinkling, just as if you were NOT outside watching for a shooting star, you inevitably would miss it.

Life happens in a twinkling of an eye and if you are not fully present you miss it. If we are in our minds wondering about the future, worrying about bills, too interested in finding relationship, we miss the very twinkling that sets our heart afire.

* * *

Bo Sebastian is a Hypnotherapist and Life & Health Coach, available for private sessions to QUIT SMOKING, Lose Weight, New Lap-Band Hypnosis for Weight Loss, CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! at 615-400-2334 or www.bosebastian.com. FOR COMMENTS: Go to the Bo Sebastian link under the title and there is a place there to create a comment. Thanks.

I am trying to spread the word about my blog and I need your help. Please let your friends know it exists, if it gives you hope and blesses you each day. If you are looking to enter the RSS or Atom Feed, you have to go to the home page of the blog to get there. Also, I write this Blog as a part of Finding Authentic You Ministries. If you would like to send an offering or a tithe, your donation would greatly be appreciated: 5001 Maywood Drive, Nashville, TN 37211. And I would be greatly pleased for you to share anything that you read by clicking the share button in Facebook.com/bo.sebastian, or add it to your Twitter at BoSebastian; or LinkedIN at Bosebastian5@gmail.com; or find this blog home at www.FindingAuthenticYou.com. Any of my books can be found on Amazon or Barnes and Nobel, just by typing my name in the search header.

Sustained by Infinite Intelligence

Sustained by Infinite Intelligence

We eat because our bodies need fuel and energy to survive. We get educated because our minds need to learn to understand basic skills to become involved in the world. We drink because water is our body’s principal chemical component and makes up about 60 percent of our body weight. Every system in our body depends on replenishing the water. We exercise to maintain the physical strength of our human body. But what do we do to sustain our spirits?

As far back as ancient Egypt, people understood that they needed something to support their ideas of where they came from, what they should pray to, where do they get their insight? So, they created gods and goddesses to support their belief systems. Osiris was the god of the dead; Horus was the protector of the ruler; Nut was the sky goddess whose body arched over the earth to protect it; and there were 29 gods in all.

Over the years many religions and beliefs have surfaced. Some found their truths in buried scriptures, some were channeled from God herself, and most were simply made up of spiritual interpretation of the Christian Bible.

To tell you the truth, if you believe something that is positive and makes you feel good, you are probably on a path toward peace and love. I don’t have any judgments there. I don’t care if you are saved, baptized, initiated or otherwise.

But I do believe that we all need to be recharged—like a battery—when we use our essential physical, mental and spiritual energy. We recharge the body with food. We recharge the mind with learning. But when it comes to spirituality, most people have no idea how to replenish things like compassion, patience and love.

Personally, I feel that you may make every attempt at reading inspirational books, join churches and focus groups, even take time out to contemplate life; but if you are not spending time in silence and meditation, you probably are not getting the recharge you need to be a vessel of compassion and love in this world.

Here are some examples of how you may know you need spiritual recharging:

If you find yourself snapping at someone you love;

If you have anxious feelings and fears;

If you feel ambivalent about life, in general;

If you can’t get something done in your life;

If you have no patience at work or at home;

If you are pushing in on a habit more than you had ever before; and

If you avoid the very people you should be loving.

When you discover you are doing one of the above behaviors, you know that you should be recharging your spirit body like quartz crystal in the sunlight.

There are many pages on my blog about the hows and whys and even the whens you should meditate. Take a moment and look through the blog contents and find out how to get this essential energy back that you absolutely need now. I promise you that, if you don’t, you will probably get sick and have to lay in bed for a week, because you haven’t been listening.

Energy has to come from somewhere. When you don’t get it from the Source, it gets leached out of your body and you become sick!

* * *

Bo Sebastian is a Hypnotherapist and Life & Health Coach, available for private sessions to QUIT SMOKING, Lose Weight, New Lap-Band Hypnosis for Weight Loss, CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! at 615-400-2334 or www.bosebastian.com. FOR COMMENTS: Go to the Bo Sebastian link under the title and there is a place there to create a comment. Thanks.

I am trying to spread the word about my blog and I need your help. Please let your friends know it exists, if it gives you hope and blesses you each day. If you are looking to enter the RSS or Atom Feed, you have to go to the home page of the blog to get there. Also, I write this Blog as a part of Finding Authentic You Ministries. If you would like to send an offering or a tithe, your donation would greatly be appreciated: 5001 Maywood Drive, Nashville, TN 37211. And I would be greatly pleased for you to share anything that you read by clicking the share button in Facebook.com/bo.sebastian, or add it to your Twitter at BoSebastian; or LinkedIN at Bosebastian5@gmail.com; or find this blog home at www.FindingAuthenticYou.com. Any of my books can be found on Amazon or Barnes and Nobel, just by typing my name in the search header.

Orchids and Violets—Sensory Defensiveness

Orchids and Violets—Sensory Defensiveness

Orchids are by far my favorite flower with daylilies a close second. One of the reasons I like orchids so much is that the exotic blooms last up to three months. They are difficult to grow, as the only place in Nashville to truly grow one is indoors or in a greenhouse. You must fertilize them and spray them and nurture them, but never too much, as the orchid is a plant that needs to be dormant some of the year. Getting one to bloom took me almost five years of trying. When one stem began to get buds on it, I just about rejoiced with a song. I couldn’t believe one actually bloomed for me.

As you can see by all the pictures I post on Facebook of my gardens, I have a very green thumb. So, when I wasn’t able to make an orchid bloom, I was disheartened.

Now, on the other hand, my indoor violets grow like weeds. They seem to bloom almost all year. I rarely fertilize them. I don’t water them very often. But still they remain hearty.

My question is, why do some things in life take extra care and others take little to no care at all?

I have this disorder called “Sensory Defensiveness.” Yes, it is a real classification! I didn’t know I had it for years. I simply knew that, if I came into contact with some strong perfume or a pervasive smell, I would get an immediate migraine. If I were in a large crowd for too long—I would suddenly get drained of energy without a second’s notice. If I walked around in a dusty place for too long—such as an antique mall—I experienced fatigue, then headache. If I strolled down the laundry detergent aisle at the grocery story—almost immediate, I would get a headache.

When I eat, if something doesn’t taste just right, I can’t eat it. If it looks or smells unusual, I’ll turn up my nose. Most of my friends had taken to eating out with other people, as opposed to me. It seemed like nothing could satisfy me when going out to dinner.

There were times of the day that I had amazing energy, then times I would feel as if the energy had drained out of my feet. I could barely keep my eyes open some afternoons. Touch often felt amazing, but I would be left feeling hurt after a massage—almost feeling bruised or wounded.

Bright lights can bother me. And a light shining indirectly at me, like a lamp, can make me crazy.

These are just a few of the ways Sensory Defensiveness can affect you. Some people get pain; others headaches or migraines; some get anxious; and others fatigued. But the likely result of being over stimulated is one of the above.

So, you may ask me, what did I do when I found out that I had this strange disorder? The first thing I did was read every thing I could about it on the Internet. Don’t ever take anyone’s word about any disease or medication. Do your own research and do it exhaustively.

I found one amazing book called: “Too Loud, too Bright, too Fast, too Tight—What to Do in an Over Stimulating World?” By Sharon Heller. This book will give you most of the recent information learned about Sensory Defensiveness.

She suggests wearing ankle weights, which slows down the neuro transmitters in the brain. You can also put weight on other parts of the body such as a weighted vest, sleep with a weighted pillow or blanket, or put a weighted pillow on your lap, while working.

Medications used for this disorder are, such as Lyrica—which is an anticonvulsant drug, but is also used to slow neurotransmitters for pain. Lyrica (Pregabalin) has many side effects. One terrible effect is spatial distortion. So, I have taken to using a mild anti-depressant to slow the neuro transmitters and use self-hypnosis and meditation for the rest of the symptoms. I also avoid places and smells that might trigger the problem.

I come back to my initial point, though—some of us are… let’s say extra special. We come with a great deal of energy and inspiration. But we, also, have a little bit more on our plate to deal with than others just to get along in the world. Perhaps, that’s why I like orchids so much. With the proper attention and love, these plants produce some of the most exotic and beautiful flowers. I have had to learn to take care of myself as one of these precious flowers with patience and compassionate self-care.

If you are an orchid in life, it’s okay to recognize it and embrace your issues. Self-care is a precursor for self-love. When we can learn to be compassionate to ourselves, only then can we give from our authentic heart, true love and compassion to those needing it in our lives.

* * *

Bo Sebastian is a Hypnotherapist and Life & Health Coach, available for private sessions to QUIT SMOKING, Lose Weight, New Lap-Band Hypnosis for Weight Loss, CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! at 615-400-2334 or www.bosebastian.com. FOR COMMENTS: Go to the Bo Sebastian link under the title and there is a place there to create a comment. Thanks.

I am trying to spread the word about my blog and I need your help. Please let your friends know it exists, if it gives you hope and blesses you each day. If you are looking to enter the RSS or Atom Feed, you have to go to the home page of the blog to get there. Also, I write this Blog as a part of Finding Authentic You Ministries. If you would like to send an offering or a tithe, your donation would greatly be appreciated: 5001 Maywood Drive, Nashville, TN 37211. And I would be greatly pleased for you to share anything that you read by clicking the share button in Facebook.com/bo.sebastian, or add it to your Twitter at BoSebastian; or LinkedIN at Bosebastian5@gmail.com; or find this blog home at www.FindingAuthenticYou.com. Any of my books can be found on Amazon or Barnes and Nobel, just by typing my name in the search header.

Dare to Be a Giver of Life

Dare to Be a Giver of Life

When the umbilical cord is cut, a baby begins to breathe on her own. She inhales the breath of human life. Until then, she is In Utero and dependent on the life source of her mother. As in all of human life, I believe an intrinsic spiritual metaphor exists in this part of life.

As spiritual beings, we are connected to God source. But how?

Some spiritual seekers say a golden string unites our spirit with our body. When we have an out-of-body experience, we are, somehow, connected by this golden string, so that we don’t disconnect from our bodies until death.

What happens when that cord is cut, and we actually do enter spiritual life? So we begin to breathe metaphorically of the spiritual essence that would give us eternal life?

Most people don’t dwell on aspects of spirituality that don’t affect them in the present. If it is working, why monitor it? But, I’m the type of individual that wonders why Spirit set up a vastly intricate network of human metaphors that somehow mirror spiritual life—for instance the caterpillar and butterfly. Is this so that the thinker—the one deliberating the truth—would somehow find evidence of spirituality, even if it is just speculation? This, I guess, is what we might call faith.

Once I had a miraculous event. I was meditating and praying. I must have dropped into a dream, because it appeared that the wall in front of me began to crumble. I remember feeling as if I was glued to the bed. I couldn’t move. The atmosphere became thick and heavy. Suddenly, what I imagined to be Jesus appeared in the distance. He began to walk toward me. The closer he got, the more still I became, until he walked right into my body.

From then, I was transported to a place that looked as if there were elders around a large table. They had heads and wore robes and appeared to be floating. In the center of the room was a larger disembodied head that I imagined was God.

I spoke, “I don’t want to go back into my body,” as the feeling of being out of my ego existence was miraculous and peaceful. It felt as if I had no weight and no burdens.

One of the elders answered me, “But you must go back. Remember the promise you made?”

In that instant, I was taken back to a time when I was just spirit. I deliberated with the elders and considered making the journey to earth. I volunteered to teach spiritual law. I remembered the moment as if it were yesterday.

I replied to God and the elders, “Yes, I will go back and do what I intended.” 

In that instance, I felt as if every part of my human body became utterly painful. I remember re-entering my body and thinking, how heavy I felt compared to the complete peace. That day was a magical moment in life when every thought and every motivating force changed.

True, I have wrestled with my humanity and ego along the way, but I will never forget the moment I felt released from the umbilical cord of human life. In that moment, I understood what it was to be a giver of life.

* * *

Bo Sebastian is a Hypnotherapist and Life & Health Coach, available for private sessions to QUIT SMOKING, Lose Weight, New Lap-Band Hypnosis for Weight Loss, CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! at 615-400-2334 or www.bosebastian.com. FOR COMMENTS: Go to the Bo Sebastian link under the title and there is a place there to create a comment. Thanks.

I am trying to spread the word about my blog and I need your help. Please let your friends know it exists, if it gives you hope and blesses you each day. If you are looking to enter the RSS or Atom Feed, you have to go to the home page of the blog to get there. Also, I write this Blog as a part of Finding Authentic You Ministries. If you would like to send an offering or a tithe, your donation would greatly be appreciated: 5001 Maywood Drive, Nashville, TN 37211. And I would be greatly pleased for you to share anything that you read by clicking the share button in Facebook.com/bo.sebastian, or add it to your Twitter at BoSebastian; or LinkedIN at Bosebastian5@gmail.com; or find this blog home at www.FindingAuthenticYou.com. Any of my books can be found on Amazon or Barnes and Nobel, just by typing my name in the search header.

Invisible Principles at Work

Invisible Principles at Work

After years of spiritual searching—pulling away, searching again—then giving up on the powers of something greater than I at work, I have come to the conclusion that invisible powers work in my life daily. I can’t put a name to them, because any word would be too miniscule. I see these powers daily in the brush of a cool wind, the beauty of a flower petal, or smile of a stranger.

Mostly, though, I see invisible powers in synchronicity—in the way life interweaves with ease and intricacy. Years will pass and I will visit an old friend. As if time didn’t exist, the friend will have experienced the same path I had traveled, but from a different perspective. Our lives, though they have been separate, have never really moved from the tightly braded knot that life somehow weaves using all of us.

Coming to the understanding that everything happens for a reason and that invisible powers work on our behalf is the only means by which we can make sense of a vastly confusing world. Chaos seems to be the prime ingredient of every human day. If only but for a few minutes daily, we could come out of our ego selves and experience the world from above in meditation, we could get a glimpse of the vast network of principles needed to make a chaotic world look simple and miraculous.

I don’t need to look at all the bad in the world when I know that, for some reason, all of it is working together to create for my soul the perfect breeding ground for experiential knowledge. From the time I was mugged with a machete in NYC to getting my first acting role, to moving to Nashville, to becoming a hypnotherapist—everything had a reason.

This blog has been a place where I see divine destiny taking place in my own life. From my own source of experiences and lessons, I have helped thousands of people, mostly people I don’t even know personally. You may ask me, how do you know what to write or what is appropriate to share?

All that I can tell you is that when I sit down to write this blog, it is the only time in the day I absolutely know my purpose. It is as if a divine dictum had been placed before me and I simple answer, yes.

Could your purpose be as simple as saying yes to a dream or a vision? I think it may be.

I had spent my entire life searching for a publishing deal, an acting job, and a singing contract, only to find that what I needed was a reason to get up in the morning. Though the blog is a great venture and spiritual duty, I also feel that life supports me every day with my work as a Life Coach and Clinical Hypnotist. The two experiences together generally get me through the day with happiness and purpose.

I also noticed that as I have let go of waiting for the finale or the result of everything I do. I get the feeling that being on a path is vastly more important than getting to the goal line.

As I experience the NOW in every day, I also find others who can share my joy and laughter on that path with the same ease. Because I have found my peace, my life has attracted wonderful friends and clients who find their perfect space in the intricate weave of my life.

Has their space always existed in my divine purpose? Have I been simply waiting for my purpose for the characters and plot of my singular play to begin? I only know this, if I let life unfold by stepping into it and playing my part.

* * *

Bo Sebastian is a Hypnotherapist and Life & Health Coach, available for private sessions to QUIT SMOKING, Lose Weight, New Lap-Band Hypnosis for Weight Loss, CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! at 615-400-2334 or www.bosebastian.com. FOR COMMENTS: Go to the Bo Sebastian link under the title and there is a place there to create a comment. Thanks.

I am trying to spread the word about my blog and I need your help. Please let your friends know it exists, if it gives you hope and blesses you each day. If you are looking to enter the RSS or Atom Feed, you have to go to the home page of the blog to get there. Also, I write this Blog as a part of Finding Authentic You Ministries. If you would like to send an offering or a tithe, your donation would greatly be appreciated: 5001 Maywood Drive, Nashville, TN 37211. And I would be greatly pleased for you to share anything that you read by clicking the share button in Facebook.com/bo.sebastian, or add it to your Twitter at BoSebastian; or LinkedIN at Bosebastian5@gmail.com; or find this blog home at www.FindingAuthenticYou.com. Any of my books can be found on Amazon or Barnes and Nobel, just by typing my name in the search header.

What Does All This Mean?

What Does All This Mean?

After fifteen years, I went back to my hometown—Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, for a reunion with my mother’s two sisters and family, whom she hadn’t seen for 15 years and, also,  to go to my 35^th class reunion. Ouch~!

Much trepidation followed me as I made the 10-hour drive toward the place that held the deepest and most profound memories of my past. I didn’t realize how emotional I felt about all of it, until Allen and I began to visit where I lived and drove through the, now, desolate downtown. Places that were thriving when the burgeoning steel mill thrived and thousands of people claimed the city as theirs because of their work, were now mostly empty storefronts.

I drove up the road where I used to pick up my father from work. Two entire city blocks lay waste. Empty buildings marked their sign of age by the amount of brush and weeds growing from the rooftops and partially detached gutters. I finally reached Matilda Street, where my home still sat, perched on a small hill. It was now completely remodeled with a wooden train the size of a child’s amusement park ride in the backyard where my father once grew tomatoes the size of grapefruit.

There was Mary’s porch, where I could still see the small round woman calling me over to eat or to provide me with the love that sustained me devoid of a live-in mother and cohabitating with an alcoholic and neglectful father. My heart sank as I took pictures to capture what I couldn’t process at the moment.

I, later, went to a reunion of my mother’s side of the family, as most of my family doesn’t stay in touch with my father’s side, because of a standoff they had at my dad’s funeral. Every one of my father’s family members who didn’t approve of how my sisters and I handled my father’s funeral, stood at the top of a hill to show their disapproval as he was buried. It was a weak moment in history when people who were supposed to be supporting a huge loss stand up and fight, instead. I realize now that very few knew of the problems that existed in our home, and also didn’t realize that my father was no more a Catholic than I was a Jew. No offense to anyone reading this who is Catholic. He just didn’t subscribe to the faith; therefore, no pastor from the church would allow the funeral to be held at a Catholic church. It really wasn’t our fault at all.

Anyway, as you can probably imagine, many emotions came up when I returned to the hotel this past weekend. It felt as if my toes were a reservoir as tears poured down my face, embraced in the arms of someone who cared deeply. I asked God and myself, “What does all this mean? Why am I here facing all this now?”

The answer came later that evening when I went to my class reunion. I drove up to an old barn turned into a community room with about 100 people walking around, most of them I didn’t recognize. Allen and I parked and went to the front entrance for a name card, as I was sure most wouldn’t remember me. From that moment on I recognized why God had taken me through all of these dark allies and streets to get to this moment.

Everyone I met that night was confirming and loving and was so glad to see me and meet Allen, as well. What a healing! I’d imagine that some would be afraid of me being gay, some would mutter slurs under their breath, and some would, indeed, be authentic and loving. But none of the first two assumptions happened. Allen and I were met with respect and a great amount of honor, even. I’m proud of and cherish the memories of those who walked with me through the hard parts of my life. Many of them had similar stories they shared, which made Allen and I tear up.

Life’s not over. Sometimes from the place of your deepest fears, comes the greatest healing. Walk forward, proud of who you have become.

* * *

Bo Sebastian is a Hypnotherapist and Life & Health Coach, available for private sessions to QUIT SMOKING, Lose Weight, New Lap-Band Hypnosis for Weight Loss, CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! at 615-400-2334 or www.bosebastian.com. FOR COMMENTS: Go to the Bo Sebastian link under the title and there is a place there to create a comment. Thanks.

I am trying to spread the word about my blog and I need your help. Please let your friends know it exists, if it gives you hope and blesses you each day. If you are looking to enter the RSS or Atom Feed, you have to go to the home page of the blog to get there. Also, I write this Blog as a part of Finding Authentic You Ministries. If you would like to send an offering or a tithe, your donation would greatly be appreciated: 5001 Maywood Drive, Nashville, TN 37211. And I would be greatly pleased for you to share anything that you read by clicking the share button in Facebook.com/bo.sebastian, or add it to your Twitter at BoSebastian; or LinkedIN at Bosebastian5@gmail.com; or find this blog home at www.FindingAuthenticYou.com. Any of my books can be found on Amazon or Barnes and Nobel, just by typing my name in the search header.

You Are This Week's Winner!

You Are this Week’s Winner!

Last week I went to a dear friend’s house warming party. A Blackjack table was on the schedule of events. I looked forward to that particular part of the evening. Since gambling is illegal in Tennessee, they decided to make the game a raffle. Whoever won the most money by investing 20 dollars per 1000 chips, would win the pot at the end of the evening.

I arrived at the party, got something to eat, had a tasty Mojito, and sat my tidy little butt down at the Blackjack table and stayed there way too long. The next thing you know, it was two hours later and the entire table was filled with laughing, crazy friends, wagering all of their money, as the time was running out for the grand prize.

What no one realized was that I started playing about an hour before everyone else, so I had racked up 4000 chips. No one could have possibly beaten me, so they were betting all of their money on one hand. Of course, the dealer had Blackjack. I, on the other hand, sat back and bet 25 chips on that hand, which was the lowest bet. In the end, I won $280. Not a bad gain for going to a fun party with friends.

I tell this story because I have been saying a prosperity prayer every morning with Allen. My pastor, Dr. Mitch Johnson of Center of Spiritual Living Nashville, wrote this:

“I am an irresistible magnet with the power to draw to myself every good thing I desire. God’s storehouse has all abundance, and there is an unlimited supply of prosperity available to me right now. I claim my desire as mine already. I am now realizing its possession. The Law of increase and the Law of attraction are now working on my behalf easily and harmoniously for the greatest good for all, as I am a giver to life. I promise myself to imagine it as already so, until I can’t imagine anything else. Thank You, God, that this is so. And so it is!”

We have been saying this prayer for about two months. Suddenly, everywhere I look there is prosperity or the possibility of prosperity. I believe with all my heart the words I speak every morning, so what I believe in mind comes to me in kind.

Since I have been praying this prayer, I have seen a 30% increase in business, bills decreasing, unexpected gifts, and the idea of lack decreasing considerably. Remember, I was a child of lack. My family of six kids sometimes had only $10 for groceries for a great deal of my teenage years. Hot rock soup was a staple in our house. So, believing in God’s ability to take care of me, has not only been difficult, but it has been completely out of any paradigm I’ve ever lived in.

You must agree, that it seems the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This isn’t just a fact; it’s a principle! When a person of wealth loses in the stock market or in a business venture, it doesn’t take long for that person to regain the wealth. It is as if wealth is in his/her DNA.

If you were to ask a person of wealth about the possibility of lack, I doubt very much that most wealthy people would even consider being poor an option. People who have had a vast amount of money since they were born have an unwritten agreement with spirit that they will always prosper. However, someone who is poor who wins the lottery, might sweep through the winnings in a few years and become poor again even after having millions. There are documented cases of this happening to poor lottery winners. The only reason this could possibly occur would be because of the mental state of the person receiving the winnings.

So, today, I CHOOSE to be abundant. Do you think you can say that with me? Try saying the affirmation above every day for a month and simply see what happens when you change your mind.

* * *

Bo Sebastian is a Hypnotherapist and Life & Health Coach, available for private sessions to QUIT SMOKING, Lose Weight, New Lap-Band Hypnosis for Weight Loss, CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! at 615-400-2334 or www.bosebastian.com. FOR COMMENTS: Go to the Bo Sebastian link under the title and there is a place there to create a comment. Thanks.

I am trying to spread the word about my blog and I need your help. Please let your friends know it exists, if it gives you hope and blesses you each day. If you are looking to enter the RSS or Atom Feed, you have to go to the home page of the blog to get there. Also, I write this Blog as a part of Finding Authentic You Ministries. If you would like to send an offering or a tithe, your donation would greatly be appreciated: 5001 Maywood Drive, Nashville, TN 37211. And I would be greatly pleased for you to share anything that you read by clicking the share button in Facebook.com/bo.sebastian, or add it to your Twitter at BoSebastian; or LinkedIN at Bosebastian5@gmail.com; or find this blog home at www.FindingAuthenticYou.com. Any of my books can be found on Amazon or Barnes and Nobel, just by typing my name in the search header.

Empty Space has the Greatest Potential

Empty Space Has the Greatest Potential

When I first moved into my house, I had a large plot of ground between two carports. The land had more weeds than grass. The carport that was separated from the house looked like a big yellow eyesore. I lived in the house three years before it occurred to me to dig up that useless plot of land, make a garden, and tear down the unwanted carport that was shading my possibility.

Three years later, this blank page now has a water feature, a pond, Koi Fish, five different types of roses, a wooden bridge, a metal archway, garden art, and probably forty other varieties of flowers and bushes. When you drive up to my house, instead of a blank, empty plot of land; now exists a beautiful garden, alive and growing.

I share my story about the garden, because it didn’t happen overnight. The plan started with an empty plot and a vision (Point 1). One day, I drove up and thought, this would be a perfect place for a garden. I didn’t think about the water feature or what kind of flowers I would plant, or the fact that I didn’t know much about gardening. I didn’t imagine much, only that a garden should exist.

So, the winter before I planned to plant, I put newspaper over the grass and waited for spring to come (Point 2).

My nephew was town that next spring, and we bartered for voice lessons for him to begin to take out the dead grass and hoe the hard, deeply rooted ground. Suddenly, before me was a field of rich soil with only two old rose bushes in it.

I have a neighbor who has gardens everywhere you look. Her backyard looks like a little piece of heaven. I imaged what I wanted was something similar to hers. So, I asked for advice from her (Point 3).

Suddenly, every morning, she would leave plant starters on my doorstep. Without much thought, I would just put them in the ground. Other neighbors saw the blank ground and offered plants as well. “I have 20 of this variety that I’m sick of. If you dig them up, you can have them.” Be open to receiving from God’s hand. God’s hands can be any one of his wonderful angel humans (Point 4).

One day, as I was cutting the grass, I noticed that I had been cutting over an old bed of iris and peonies. I must have found 100 small seedlings that morning. Be open for surprises (Point 5). I planted every one of them. What I didn’t know was that these small irises and peonies would take about three years to bloom. Since I didn’t think about what would bloom, it didn’t matter.

When I moved to my current house, I had taken with me a few herbs from my old home and a hydrangea bush. The bush had about four starter plants coming from the bottom, so I planted those and took cuttings of the herbs, as well, to fill the space. Plants propagate like dreams (Point 6).

Suddenly, every thing in my yard looked different. I took the time to actually notice that places in the yard looked like they had once been gardens. I began to ask my neighbor if certain small plants were flowers. I found another four rose bushes, different varieties of ornamental grass, a beautiful purple clematis, a butterfly bush, and three Rose of Sharon trees. I took all of them from the shaded backyard and transplanted them into my new garden.

After all this, I invested in some flowers that I thought would be hearty and that I wouldn’t have to replant every year (perennials). Investing in the long term of your dream is important (Point 6).

Soon after, I had a client who wanted to trade hypnosis sessions to put in a Koi pond and a water feature. I took him up on the offer. And that’s how my flower garden dream came into fruition.

Don’t waste the empty space in your mind, in your home, and in your yard. Let this space be a canvas for your mind to express your deepest dreams. If you think about the entire project before you begin, you’ll probably never start. Just dream and begin, one step at a time. Now, I have five garden with over 400 varieties of flowers.

* * *

Bo Sebastian is a Hypnotherapist and Life & Health Coach, available for private sessions to QUIT SMOKING, Lose Weight, New Lap-Band Hypnosis for Weight Loss, CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! at 615-400-2334 or www.bosebastian.com. FOR COMMENTS: Go to the Bo Sebastian link under the title and there is a place there to create a comment. Thanks.

I am trying to spread the word about my blog and I need your help. Please let your friends know it exists, if it gives you hope and blesses you each day. If you are looking to enter the RSS or Atom Feed, you have to go to the home page of the blog to get there. Also, I write this Blog as a part of Finding Authentic You Ministries. If you would like to send an offering or a tithe, your donation would greatly be appreciated: 5001 Maywood Drive, Nashville, TN 37211. And I would be greatly pleased for you to share anything that you read by clicking the share button in Facebook.com/bo.sebastian, or add it to your Twitter at BoSebastian; or LinkedIN at Bosebastian5@gmail.com; or find this blog home at www.FindingAuthenticYou.com. Any of my books can be found on Amazon or Barnes and Nobel, just by typing my name in the search header.

Passion Trumps Excuses

Passion Trumps Excuses

Finding your self in a malaise of “I don’t have the energy to complete this” or “I’m going to get to this later” or “that just isn’t a priority right now” is usually a result of little passion and too many excuses.

When I find I can’t get something done in my life, I have to ask myself the big questions: Why?

If my answer starts like this: “Well, I just don’t have the energy; I can’t find the time, I don’t make the time, or I’ll begin next week”; then, I can be assured that I lack the passion to get the task done.

If you lack passion for something, many ways exist to get the job done. You’re not completely bereft of choices. I give myself a payoff. If I can’t find the passion for something I must do, I combine that task with something that has a great, passionate payoff.

For instance, if you paint the porch, “Bo, then you will get to go on that ski trip to Lake Tahoe you’ve been dreaming of.” “If you finish writing your thesis, then you can buy that motorcycle.” “If you complete last year’s taxes, then you can start a course in Chinese, that you’ve been really wanting to take.”

Pay offs are like sending out a fleece. Even in the days of the gospels and the Old Testament bible, the prophets and men and woman of God made wagers with God. “If I do what you ask of me and go to Pharaoh, then prosper my family!” “If I go the king and tell him that you (God) are angry, then I expect that you will protect me from his wrath.”

You can set up a fleece—in the biblical sense of the word, a promise with a payoff—with your self and, perhaps, God too. A perfect way to add some fuel to your fire is by adding a spiritual element to the process.

One thing that gets me writing my blog every day is that I made a promise to God that I would write everyday—not for me, not for you, but for God. I don’t believe in making promises to God that I won’t keep. The fleece was that “if I serve you by being a conduit of your love and compassion and advice, then I expect that my earthly needs will be taken care of.”

Some people might think this, in some way, is anti-spiritual. But too many prime examples in the bible would suggest otherwise. In 2000, Bruce Wilkinson wrote a tiny book called The Prayer of Jabez that had Christians flocking to the bookstore. He sold millions of this simple book, all based on making a fleece with God. I remember getting the book and making a prayer similar to what Jabez did. I believe I still have it in my top dresser drawer. It read something like this: “Lord, God, I will use my time and money to give glory to your name and bring comfort to your people. In return I expect that all my earthly desires will be met according to your vast riches in glory.”

I read the prayer every day as the book suggested. The power of making a fleece pressed me forward out of my malaise and into prosperity. The combination of adding a spiritual aspect to any chore and a physical reward should be enough to give you some gas.

If it isn’t, maybe there are deeper wounds that haven’t been healed, causing blocks in your mind, concerning your goal. If this is true, then you may need to try something like psychotherapy or hypnosis to uncover what stands in your way to your deepest truth and greatest goals.

* * *

Bo Sebastian is a Hypnotherapist and Life & Health Coach, available for private sessions to QUIT SMOKING, Lose Weight, New Lap-Band Hypnosis for Weight Loss, CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! at 615-400-2334 or www.bosebastian.com. FOR COMMENTS: Go to the Bo Sebastian link under the title and there is a place there to create a comment. Thanks.

I am trying to spread the word about my blog and I need your help. Please let your friends know it exists, if it gives you hope and blesses you each day. If you are looking to enter the RSS or Atom Feed, you have to go to the home page of the blog to get there. Also, I write this Blog as a part of Finding Authentic You Ministries. If you would like to send an offering or a tithe, your donation would greatly be appreciated: 5001 Maywood Drive, Nashville, TN 37211. And I would be greatly pleased for you to share anything that you read by clicking the share button in Facebook.com/bo.sebastian, or add it to your Twitter at BoSebastian; or LinkedIN at Bosebastian5@gmail.com; or find this blog home at www.FindingAuthenticYou.com. Any of my books can be found on Amazon or Barnes and Nobel, just by typing my name in the search header.

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture

Many people come into my office with problems—some greater, some small. But never is there a time when the focus isn’t on “what to do to fix the problem” or “how to effect change in the client’s mind.”

I spend time listening. As I do so, I look at the big picture in that person’s life. I know that if I can find a greater reason for the problem than what the person focuses on, then I will be able to convince him or her to begin to look at the objective from a different perspective. In so doing, I get the client to come out of the ego long enough to hear the message of healing.

The only way to heal is to come out of the ego paradigm to an omniscient perspective. We rarely know the reason behind why people treat us the way they do; why murders and crimes happen; why natural devastation occurs; why life just seems to happen without our control. To get to see what is unknown in our problems is to see a bigger, more compassionate perspective.

I go back to a time in my personal life when I didn’t understand a grave hurt. My best friend for ten years had decided he just didn’t want to talk to me anymore. At least, that’s what I thought—what I assumed. After twenty years of believing that tale, I contacted him on Facebook. We started out with small talk. Eventually, one day I asked him what had been on my heart for years. “Why did you quit talking to me? What happened?”

The circumstance was completely different than I expected. His wife, at the time was jealous of our friendship. She told my best friend that I was trying to manipulate him. She also stole every letter I sent and erased messaged on the answering machine. My friend never knew why I stopped contacting, either, until that day twenty years later.

Could I have avoided the pain I felt in that moment twenty years ago if I could have come out of the ego and stood in a compassionate observer place of no judgment? I’m not sure. I know that the pain would have lessened. I may have been able to compartmentalize the problem and ask spirit for advice, instead of reacting. My reaction—deciding that he didn’t want to speak to me anymore, because I didn’t hear back from him several times—was a part of the fear of rejection in me.

Had I believed in myself and in our friendship, I may have tried to call him at work or contact him in another way, before I completely rejected him. In short, I gave up on my friend, because I was afraid he was rejecting me. That’s the bigger picture.

Recently, he came to visit me in Nashville. We had the best time ever. I couldn’t believe how much time we had wasted in the ambivalence caused by an angry and jealous wife.

The bigger picture is always the place of healing. Whether it is trying to find a compassionate reason why someone would act the way he had or simply having compassion for yourself and creating better and bigger boundaries.

* * *

Bo Sebastian is a Hypnotherapist and Life & Health Coach, available for private sessions to QUIT SMOKING, Lose Weight, New Lap-Band Hypnosis for Weight Loss, CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! at 615-400-2334 or www.bosebastian.com. FOR COMMENTS: Go to the Bo Sebastian link under the title and there is a place there to create a comment. Thanks.

I am trying to spread the word about my blog and I need your help. Please let your friends know it exists, if it gives you hope and blesses you each day. If you are looking to enter the RSS or Atom Feed, you have to go to the home page of the blog to get there. Also, I write this Blog as a part of Finding Authentic You Ministries. If you would like to send an offering or a tithe, your donation would greatly be appreciated: 5001 Maywood Drive, Nashville, TN 37211. And I would be greatly pleased for you to share anything that you read by clicking the share button in Facebook.com/bo.sebastian, or add it to your Twitter at BoSebastian; or LinkedIN at Bosebastian5@gmail.com; or find this blog home at www.FindingAuthenticYou.com. Any of my books can be found on Amazon or Barnes and Nobel, just by typing my name in the search header.