Carol
Adrienne's work and teachings have been a great
inspiration to me! In August of 1998, about four months after my
father passed away, I read about one of Carol's
workshops in a Learning Annex catalog and
synchronistically found her book on a bookshelf at the
bookstore. The themes of her teachings were
familiar and comforting, as they confirmed the thoughts
and ideas my father had shared with me shortly before
his passing. Her books and workshops ignited my
spiritual curiosity, setting me on my soulful life path,
which led to the very creation of
SoulfulLiving.com! Carol's participation has been
an integral part of SoulfulLiving.com, at its soul
level! Thank you, Carol, with all my heart!
~Valerie, Founder and Soul, SoulfulLiving.com |
From Fear to Flow
In the past few months I invited readers to send in your
questions to this column. Craig from Iowa writes, "It is
now 3:00am and I have just finished reading The Celestine
Prophecy. I could not sleep and went to the website
looking for help with the 6th Insight [about
clearing our past and understanding how we are trying to solve
the life questions our parents gave us.]
"Fourteen months ago, I left my job of thirty-one
years. I had worked my way up from being an entry level supply
clerk to managing thirty-five employees in several different
departments with a four million-dollar budget. I had no other
job to go to and no plans. I still have no idea what I will do
next. Until last month when my insurance ran out, I was being
treated for anxiety disorders (which I fear may be keeping me
from finding a new job.) On my last visit to the clinic, the
psychologist suggested I read The Celestine Prophecy. I
thought you would like to hear from someone who is right smack
dab in the middle of changing directions.
"I don't know what I’m going to do next. The anxiety
and stress over not having a job, running out of money, etc.
has pretty much consumed me. The book helped me a lot, but I
think I have a long way to go."
I chose Craig’s question because I think his situation
reflects what a lot of us are feeling during this period. Once
we let fear dominate our thoughts we start a cascading
syndrome where we start envisioning the worst everywhere in
our lives. No wonder we are anxious! So Craig, let me make a
few comments based on the remarks in your email:
QUITTING YOUR JOB
It sounds as if you chose to quit your job for a good
reason. If your anxiety disorders were happening during the
last job, then it sounds like your move to change something in
your life was a good one.
FOCUS ON YOUR STRENGTHS
You have an excellent ability (and track record) for
starting over. You went from an entry level job to a very high
and responsible position. You have the ability to stay with
something for a long time (your thirty-five years on the job).
Now you are in the second half of your life. You have the
opportunity to take that same set of skills and even more
importantly, maturity, into another challenge. This time, you
may want to consider creating a small business out of your
home—something which gives you more control over your life.
Look to your most basic, life-long, innate interests and
talents. What are you good at? What do you love to do? You’ve
probably been thinking a lot about this, but maybe the anxiety
disorder keeps telling you something, like "Yes, but….I
can’t do that because…." People who are thinkers
often make the mistake of trying to think everything through
to a perfect plan before ever testing out their ideas.
CONFRONT THE FEARS
Write down all the fears that come up in the middle of the
night. Look the anxiety in the eye. Look at the worst thing
that could happen and imagine how you would actually handle
it. Our greatest fear is that we are going to be given
something we cannot handle. A powerful affirmation statement
is, "No matter what happens I’ll handle it." You
already have done this!
INTUITIVE ANSWERS ARE COMING
Also, we don’t always trust that quiet, small voice that
offers a new suggestion. Many times I have spent an hour in a
consultation with someone who has told me emphatically how
confused they are and that they don’t know what to do.
However, at just about the end of the hour, they casually
mention something they have really been considering but haven’t
yet brought to our conversation! Many of us don’t trust our
intuition and dismiss what could be a very good idea! We focus
so much on our doom and gloom that we get paralyzed. So Craig
(and the rest of you readers), what kinds of persistent
creative work ideas have you been having?
PUT A POSITIVE SPIN ON YOU AND YOUR
SITUATION
Working around fear is sometimes a minute-by-minute
discipline! We have to go back to what we know works, such as
keeping an open mind about what tomorrow will bring and
affirming that good people are even now coming into our lives
to help us open doors.
To shift to a higher vibration reframe a negative into an
open-ended positive. For example, instead of talking about
yourself as unemployed, try telling people that you are
currently available for employment!
LISTEN TO INTUITION
When we need an answer, we usually get a response through a
direct thought coming to us or from a message given by another
person. Instead of steeping your thinking in worry thoughts,
get in the habit of noticing when the fear pattern sets in and
switching gears. As tempting as it is to scare yourself with
thoughts about money, (some of us are very motivated when we’re
frightened!) let it go. Keep busy with something that gives
you a feeling of accomplishment. Go outside and take a walk.
Offer to wash your neighbor’s car. You want to break that
worry cycle as often as you can because it’s not a
productive habit. Believe it or not, you’ll be creating
possibilities for yourself when you silently ask something
like, "Today I ask for Universal support in paving the
way for a steady stream of abundance and joyful
livelihood."
FOLLOWING THROUGH ON SUGGESTIONS BRINGS NEW
LEARNING
I want to acknowledge your following through on your doctor’s
suggestion to read The Celestine Prophecy. Taking
action that opens us to new learning is how our next
opportunities show up for us. Someone mentions something,
which takes us to the next doorway. Who knows what is beyond
that door? There is a higher purpose in your coming into
contact with the information in the book at this time in your
life.
GIVE YOUR TIME TO SOMEONE WHO NEEDS A HAND
Try to find a way to do some service in your community.
Keep busy and involved to keep your spirits up. Giving time to
others rewards you far more than you may realize. Again follow
your instincts and you may just put yourself in the way of a
possible job somewhere that you never would have considered
otherwise.
FIND A GROUP FOR JOB-SEEKERS
Many communities have on-going groups for people looking
for work, and it’s a good way to help structure your time in
a positive way.
TAKE A PART-TIME JOB
Look around for a short-term job in a coffee-house or
bartending for a catering company as a way to make a little
money, have fun, and keep your day flowing. I remember Anne’s
story (When Life Changes, Or You Wish It Would, p. 42.)
In her fifties, she was fed up with her career and quit a very
good position. She bought a van, packed up her most important
belongings, and traveled around the country for two years. She
followed her intuition about where to go, found part time jobs
everywhere (fun ones with accommodations in national parks),
supported herself, and had an exciting adventure exploring
anything that caught her attention.
LEARN SOMETHING NEW
So many times when we have a demanding job, we wish we had
time to develop an interest or skill. Needless, to say Craig,
you are in the perfect position to do something you have
always wanted to do. There usually are adult education classes
available that are low-cost and surprisingly varied in what
they offer by extremely good teachers. Or teach one yourself!
You are on the brink of a whole new life, even though you just
can’t see the big picture yet.
I’d love to have other questions from readers for next
month’s column!
(Readers: Please submit your own questions
for consideration in future columns! Apologies if I am unable
to answer all requests. Carol Adrienne)
© Copyright 2004 Carol Adrienne, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.
Special Note to Readers: Did your career ever take a surprising turn due to synchronicities or some other reason? If you have a story, I’d like to hear it for a new
book I am doing. Please email me (Carol22@sonic.net) with a brief description of your story and a number for me to call if an interview makes sense. Thank you! |
Carol Adrienne, Ph.D.,
is an internationally-known workshop facilitator and
author whose books have been translated into over fifteen
languages. Her latest book is When Life Changes, or You
Wish It Would. Oprah hailed, The Purpose of Your Life:
Finding Your Place in the World Using Synchronicity,
Intuition, and Uncommon Sense a must-read. She is also the
author of The Numerology Kit. An electronic copy of Your
Child’s Destiny—a numerological guide for parents is
now available at www.CarolAdrienne.comm.
Carol is available to for keynotes, workshops, and seminars
and can be reached at Carol22@sonic.net
or (510) 528-2226 weekdays 10 am to 6 pm PST.
Click
Here to Learn More About Carol Adrienne
Visit
www.CarolAdrienne.com
for
- Information on private consultations and life coaching.
- Ordering your personal 28-page Numerology Life Chart—delivered
by email.
- A free thumbnail sketch of your Day of Birth
- Free newsletter subscription-- Enter your email address on
the home page.
- A calendar of seminars and retreats.
- Book recommendations
- NEW Stay tuned for Information on new Tele Class Series
|
~*~ Click Here to Read Carol's Current Column ~*~
Read Carol's Past Columns:
April-May
2004
February
2004
January
2004
December
2003
November
2003
October
2003
May
2003
April
2003
March
2003
February
2003
January
2003
December
2002
November
2002
October
2002
September
2002
August
2002
July
2002
June
2002
May
2002
April
2002
March
2002
February
2002
January
2002
December
2001
November
2001
October
2001
September
2001
August 2001
July 2001
June 2001
May 2001
April 2001
March 2001
February
2001
January
2001
December
2000
November
2000
October
2000
September
2000
August
2000
July
2000
June
2000
May
2000
April
2000
March
2000
February 2000
January 2000
Visit
Carol at her Website: |
Some
of Carol's Book Titles:
|
|