Don't make it a habit.

Don’t make it a habit.

         A key to being a conscious public speaker. .

         I am challenged by the statements negative aspect, how can I ‘don’t-as in not do a thing when many teachers’ state affirmations, goals, and intentions need to be framed in the positive because our conscious mind doesn’t hear the ‘don’t, or the not’.

         Are our minds so crazy that when I state I am not going to eat after 8pm, my mind defaults to eating after 8pm? Are we that contradictory?

         “That’s what you don’t want. What do you want?” Coaches ask.

         “Well I don’t want to make it a habit.” Student replies.

         “That’s what you don’t want. What do you want?” Coach asks.

         “I want to consciously, deliberately, choose, my reality.”

         So when or how does my positive intentions become a habit?

         What is a habit?

         Is it a fall from grace into a rut; sleep walking, becoming robotic?

         Is habit letting our evil inner siblings loose to do the same thing and expect different results?

         Is habit indulging to allow others to indoctrinate me?

         Don’t make it a habit really means make it how I want it.

         In dance class when the instructor says ‘don’t think ’ it means to decide to enjoy and appreciate your new dance steps. To remember your intention. That’s when the dancing happens.

         How do I stop from making ‘it’ a habit?

         I have a habit of watching my fingers as I type. This was a tough paragraph to type without watching, I kept cheating and looking. I get disturbed if I make a mistake. I feel very uncomfortable ungluing my eyes from the keyboard. It’s a battle to not watch my fingers. My habits trapped me until I recall the gradient approach to learning. I practice and I gradually free my attention, and stop looking.

         In speaking, breaking a habit can be a way of finding more time to be present, more space to allow ideas to resonate with my audience. Finding the magic of the space behind a note, a beat, that allows more freedom of expression to create fully. Not rushing the thought, being gradiently uncomfortable to break the habits.

         Be aware of what’s a habit and what’s not. Use the feedback to support goals. Don’t make anything a habit, unless it’s your intent. 

A Way to Handle Limits

         ”Imagine there is a deity or a machine in the sky, a giant Hoover vacuum cleaner that’s purpose is to suck up our limits when we perform the appropriate gesture. It is a gesture of ‘offering up’ our limits.

“Imagine the limit is in our hand and flip them up into the sky to feed the Hoover. This gesture can be a noticeable large two-handed gesture or it can be small and invisible to everyone else. It is a gesture of conscious awareness. Sounds hokey but being aware of a habit, and our limits have become habits, the offering up gesture relieves the attachment to the habit and begins the practice of being unlimited.

“Here is an example of how to use the HOOVER. Sitting among a group of people someone begins share their tale of sadness and woe full of stinking thinking, limits and negativity-“I can’t believe … people should always….I hate it when….nobody can be happy…I can’t remember anything…. I can’t….You know limits, critique’s, naysayers-bummers!

“The HOOVER is hungry for those limits. OFFERING THEM UP and  build your Unlimited Freedom of Choice Muscle.

“The gesture need not be grand and embarrassing, a flip of the thumb or tongue, a shrug of the shoulder is enough to catch a NOW of Limits and send them into a moment of non-limits.”

 Why does the Hoover work?

         “The Hoover works because it is your attention,” continued IAM, “ coupled with your awareness, intention and a universe, or multi-verse, that supports each of us in having what we want. Life wishes to evolve. Life may be neutral and have a propensity that encourages enlightenment. It is the opposite of the plumber’s union credo-Shit runs down hill and pay day is on Friday.

         Paying Attention is our Best Investment and the HOOVER is here suck up all negativity and limits. It’s automatic. No need to even empty the bag. Use it when you feel limits or negativity anytime from now on.

         “Place your open palms in front of you. Imagine any negative or limiting thought in your hands and toss it to the Hoover in the sky.”

EXCERPTS FROM Gary’s new Novel:
Art Deco Meets the Ancient Wisdom Experience-AWE

How addictive are excuses?

         Can you go a day without an excuse? An hour?

         What’s your favorites?

         Number one is:Time-Not enough time. You got that one?

         Or too much time so procrastination wins!

         Then there is fear-the -False Evidence Appearing Real:

         “If they find out I am Lazy, irresponsible, stupid & wrong, careless, forgetful, I need an excuse.

         You are not any of those labels you are an ever growing, often learning, free spirit with choices, unique like everyone else.                                                                       Excuses are there to keep you from owning your greatness.                    You may believe your excuse, I don’t and as with most excuses no one else believes them either. 

         There are excuses that really kill us.

                  “One drink for the road is OK”

                  “I don’t need that physical, I am OK”

                  “Everyone is doing it.”

         There are plausible seeming REAL excuses.

         These are the true stories, though excuses. For example the story of the worried mom whose teenager was on her first date and came home an hour after curfew. “I was worried sick about you,” Mom said with a nervousness in her voice.

         “I’m sorry mom.” Said the daughter, “But I couldn’t get the condom on.” That might have been more information than mom wanted.

         There are great excuses on line-a plethora to add to your creativity. 

         Astrology excuse-Were you born under a bad sign, “Virgo can’t do anything unless it’s perfect is my excuse.”

         Sex-“I’m a girl and we’re bad at math.” “That’s the way my dad did it.”

         Age-“At my age I am lucky to remember anything.” “I’m too new at this.”

         Generics:“I was never good at ‘blah, blah blah’.

         “I am not a technical person

         “My parents were ‘blah, blah, blah’.

         “I’m left-handed, hard of hearing, disabled, over/under qualified.

         Do you want greatness in your life?

         Are your values motivating you or are your excuses and a chronic case of the disease of tomorrow keeping your life as one of ‘good enough?’

         The bottom line is No one cares about excuses except the one making them. It is habitual. A reaction to fear of failure and a belief you are not being good enough

Here is a Call to act-You are good enough without your excuse!~

Here is what can you do?

         Keep your agreements and only make agreements you are willing and able to keep.

         Pay attention to what you say.

         Get help-join EEE Eradicate Erase Excuses

         Commit to your values.

         Breathe out the excuse-Just Let the excuse go-we don’t care. Get   on with being present.

         If you want to be great, not just good enough, there are no excuses, it takes paying attention.