Inward Quest

a National Heritage Foundation
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Tools for Technicolor Living
January 2007 - Issue 2

Achievement Engineering is now Inward Quest!

For those of you who signed up for Achievement Engineering's newsletter, you haven't suddenly been subscribed to something new. After having to explain several times at a wellness fair this summer that we were NOT an engineering company, I realized we needed to change our name to more closely match who we are and what we do. Thus, "Inward Quest." The journey to discover the wisdom within us, the journey we all take, the journey on which we all can use support and encouragement.

We've got great things planned for the beginning of 2007… a new freebie to download from the website, some free (yes, FREE) workshops this month, and a retreat in March at a simply delightful bed and breakfast: it's just outside the city but has the most beautiful garden atmosphere. I guess that's why it's called the Garden Retreat!

I'm glad to have you all aboard to support my journey, and I hope you feel the same!

Namaste,

Suzanne Vachet
Director, Inward Quest

Why Affirmations May Not Work

And what to say to yourself instead…

As one of my favorite authors, Cheri Huber, says, "One process does not lead to another. Wanting leads to wanting. Having leads to having. Wanting does not lead to having." Because of this, we're told to state affirmations AS IF they are happening now, AS IF they already exist. We're supposed to tell ourselves, "I am self-confident." Because if I said, "Someday I'm going to be self confident," I would just be reinforcing that right now I don't feel self-confident. Unless I state the quality as if I have it now, I am trying to turn "wanting" into "having."

However, when I affirm to myself that I am self-confident, the little voice in the back of my head pipes up and says, "Are you NUTS? We don't have that! If we HAD that, we wouldn't be STATING that! No one who is self-confident states 'I am self confident'. They just DO IT, not talk about it." I set up resistance for myself, and don't change.

So, if wanting leads to wanting, and having leads to having, but saying I have something when I don't creates resistance… what can bridge that gap?

Here's what I've found works for me, and what I'd like to invite you to try as well:

Becoming Statements

A becoming statement follows this syntax:

"I AM BECOMING MORE _______ EVERY MOMENT"

How to create a "becoming statement"

To fill in the blank, determine an attribute that you would like to manifest in your life. The rules for choosing attributes are as follows:

Analyzing the syntax of a "becoming statement" to explain why it works:

I AM BECOMING: The "voice in the back of my head" rebels if I say I have something when I don't, but it can accept the concept of "becoming" something. And because the word 'becoming' implies a gradual process, it reduces the 'fear of change'. Jumping head-first into something new? That's scary. Dipping my toe in and feeling the water temperature, then slowly moving into the water, giving myself time to adjust? THAT, I can handle.

MORE: Using the word "more" is a way to tell ourselves that we already have the attribute without triggering our internal Voice of Resistance. Can I say that I am centered right now? Can I say that I am peaceful? Not always. Can I say "SOMETIMES I am centered" or "SOMETIMES I am peaceful"? Even my inner critic has to concede that yes, I have these qualities sometimes… but perhaps not as consistently as I would like. So by using the word "more" I'm identifying that I'm not moving from "wanting" into "having", but "having" into "having".

(ATTRIBUTE): When an attribute is chosen using the qualifications I listed above, it has emotional meaning to us. This lets us give ourselves a "sneak preview" of the good feelings we might get from change, in a way that doesn't scare us so much that we run away.

EVERY MOMENT: We are acknowledging that this isn't surgery; it's growth. That this is not a goal we're setting for "somewhere down the road" but an ongoing process. That the process is organic, evolving naturally out of who we are, what we're learning, and where we're going. And that every moment we are breathing is a moment we are deepening into being more authentic, more vibrant, more alive, more satisfied, and more delighted!

If you try these, please send e-mail or leave a comment on our blog to let me know how they work for you!

 

New Gallup poll finds 46% of Americans 'just somewhat satisfied' with life: What makes you feel like this?

Free seminars address personal satisfaction in interpersonal relationships

If you're not satisfied with your life, you're not alone: a January 2007 Gallup poll finds that 46% of Americans are either "just somewhat satisfied" or actively dissatisfied with the way things are going in their personal lives. What makes you feel like this? Join us to answer this question and find the spark in your life through our free workshops this month!

The workshops are titled, "What Makes You Feel Like This?" and explore how we find the same issues cropping up again and again, in our relationships, in our interactions with others, and in our search for success. Why do we react the way we do? What stories do we tell ourselves that create these feelings? Why do we get caught up in the drama and lose our spark, our inner wisdom, our sense of purpose in life?

Our emotional reactions are a mystery to many of us. We interact with someone, and it triggers a response. But behind the scenes, there's an association with the past, a story we're telling ourselves, that we may not be aware of. Exploring these stories in a workshop setting helps us realize we're not alone in feeling this way, and frees us to find our life purpose, the place in the universe that only we can fill.

You can attend the workshop on either Tuesday, January 23, at 7 PM, at the Broad Ripple Donatos Pizza at 62nd and Keystone, or Wednesday, January 24, at 7 PM at the Shadeland Donatos Pizza at 75th and Shadeland. Both sessions are free but please register with us in advance! To learn more and register, visit http://iq.achievegrowth.org/freeworkshop.html or call us today on 317-225-5454!

 

Free E-Booklet Available From Website

If you haven't been out to our website recently, http://iq.achievegrowth.org, you'll notice some updates. One of those is a free article we're offering as a bonus when people subscribe to our newsletter. Since you have already subscribed, you get our free bonus as well! In a separate e-mail, you will receive an address where you can download our article, "ACCEPT Yourself: The Path to Conscious Change." It's just another Inward Quest that we're happy to share with you!

(P.S. If you like the article and want to pass it along to someone, could you encourage them to visit our website and subscribe to this newsletter instead? You already know we don't spam anyone, so it's a safe way for your friend to get some encouragement as well!)

 

Copyright © 2007 Inward Quest, a National Heritage Foundation
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