We recently had a new moon, a new year and a new decade … the perfect time to make a clear and committed intention for what you want next.

In this energy I launched one of my online SHIFT-IT Groups … with 30+ participants from around the globe (North America, U.K., Belgium, Italy, and a first … Kenya!).

Many in this group are already consultants, coaches and other types of helping and creative professionals and/or small business owners – and some, are in that exciting, confusing and sometimes scary process of creating that kind of independent lifestyle.

And, as I’ve also got my BFF (best friend forever) Julie visiting me this weekend from San Francisco (she just left her corporate job as an organizational development manager for a U.S. health care company and wants to create an internet based lifestyle next) I’m jotting down some quick tips for those of you making this same kind of SHIFT. 

1. Don’t Do Anything Rash
Different people have different levels of tolerance for risk and ambiguity and, varying levels of emotional and financial support. If you have a high tolerance for risk and a supportive situation, then by all means … take a running leap and just go for it!  However, if you (like most of us) don’t exactly thrive on adrenaline and your support isn’t 100% iron clad, then it behooves you to slow down and plot your plan.

2. Educate Yourself
Before resigning, Julie spent several years contemplating her SHIFT and educating herself about her options.  She talked to consultants (in her previous position she often hired them to do projects within the organization), she attended networking groups for entrepreneurs and small business owners, and she read books, bought educational products and attended different kinds of learning experiences (mine and lots of others). 

3. Make Preliminary Changes
A year before she completely quit, Julie had a huddle with her boss and explained her need to make some changes.  She applied for several shorter-term assignments within the organization and landed one that required her to commute to another state (thankfully it was Hawaii so it had some perks!).  This opportunity allowed her to step away from her usual day-to-day but also keep a stable income coming in.  And, it bought her a little downtime on the weekends she didn’t commute back home to see her boyfriend – downtime that she used to ponder and research her shift (even when we don’t think we are doing anything our subconscious mind is working away on our dilemma). 

4. Buy Yourself Some Time
When you are making the SHIFT from employee to self-employment or small business creation – time (and your energy) become the key. Most employees nowadays have very full lives, and like Julie, sometimes work way beyond the so-called normal workweek of 40 hours.  In order to break this cycle, you need to figure out how to create more time for yourself (and the development of your venture) … by either keeping your present job (and implementing boundaries) or by leaving it. 

Implementing boundaries means leaving your work at an agreed upon time and sticking to it (like 5 or 6pm … and being sure to take the breaks coming to you (including all your vacation days) – even if others in your corporate culture frown upon this).  Or, even better, negotiating less work hours (like going to a 3 or 4 day work week or an abbreviated day — many employers are particularly open to this during a down economy).  Or working more from home (to reclaim some of those wasted commute hours).  In the time that is saved, you also must be disciplined to use it to create and execute your business development plan for your new venture.

5. Enlist Those Closest to You
Once you have created a draft of a basic life/business plan (see my SHIFT-IT Home Retreat Kit as a good resource to do this), its now time to discuss your desired shift with those closest to you and to enlist their support and help (emotionally and/or financially).  Chances are if you are partnered, you and your significant other have already discussed this to some extent.  Now is the time to show them your more advanced thinking and to involve them in your vision and action plan. 

Ideally, your partner will support your decision and together you plot your course  (thankfully Julie’s boyfriend Michael is thrilled she has finally left the corporate world … as he’s been self-employed for years and was worried about her long-term health with the load she was carrying). 

It’s not unusual for couples to do dual plans.  One person makes their shift and gets themselves stabilized and then they support the other partner to make his or her shift – really displaying partnership and resourcefulness to work together to keep each person satisfied and fulfilled in work and life. 

Unfortunately, not all partnerships are so supportive.  Some people encounter resistance and even hostility when engaging their partners with their shift plans.  Sometimes this resistance softens over time, as the resisting partner sees their partner walking their talk and doing what they said they would – they literally win them over step-by-step (by creating a legitimate, ultimately income producing practice or business).  Other times, the resisting partner never changes their tune.  And, the shifting partner is faced with making decisions about their relationship – stay, go or somewhere in-between.  

If you are single or do not have significant others in your life there are different pros and cons.  You have the pro of not having to negotiate with another person at that intimate level.  But then you also have the cons of not having others to potentially support you during your shift.   However, if you are lacking foundational support, you can identify this weakness in your business plan and build it in accordingly (like getting a coach, enlisting in a mastermind group, seeking out local small business development resources, etc).

6. Have Realistic Expectations 
Anybody who has created independent work will tell you that it IS possible however it takes considerable time, effort and investment. People new to it can often underestimate the amounts of all three that are required (especially if they have listened to the more unscrupulous of the teachers and so-called guides out there).  Your shift to self-employment or small business will take time and a lot of effort …even, or especially, if it is primarily internet based.  As you are learning and putting your products and/or services and related systems in place, you will need to figure out how to support yourself in the interim (if you aren’t independently wealthy or have someone to financially assist you) … and/or get comfortable with accumulating some necessary, strategic debt that you will eventually have to repay (all part of that good, informed business plan). 

7. Accept Your Timing
When you make your shift, do me a favor and don’t knock yourself for how long it takes.  You are a unique individual with your own unique set of circumstances.  DO NOT succumb to your temptation to compare yourself to others, especially if you don’t have access to the true inside scoop of their tale.  Also, do not criticize yourself for being more cautious or apprehensive given the economic course correction that our global economy is navigating its way through – your pace is most likely the very best thing to do, for you.  You will make your shift in your own perfect timing.  When you do, I look forward to hearing about it!

Blog Comments: Thoughts? Reactions? Have something to add? Click here
to leave comments and read those left by others.

Audio MP3s of Past Articles: Click Here

© 2010 Christina L. Merkley

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include this blurb and a functional link to my site:

Christina Merkley, "The SHIFT-IT Coach" and creator of the SHIFT-IT System®, is a Visioning and Strategic Planning Expert specializing in Visual Thinking and Law of Attraction techniques. Based in charming Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, she works deeply with individuals, partners and conscious businesses to define and manifest what they truly want. And, trains other helping professionals in her innovative ways of working.  For more information visit: www.shift-it-coach.com

My BFF (best friend forever) Julie is visiting me this weekend from San Francisco.

We went to grad school together and were roomies many moons ago.

This weekend we are hanging out (i.e. going to restaurants, movies, the gym, etc) and also doing lots of good ol’ brainstorming (we’re working on a biz plan for her … she just left her corporate job as an organizational development manager for a U.S. health care company and wants to create an internet based lifestyle next).

Given my close proximity to Julie … and several clients who are in the same boat, I’ve opted to write this issue’s article on the shift from working inside an organization to ‘going out on your own’ – becoming an independent solo practitioner and/or small business owner … and how to plot your plan to do so.

 SHIFT-IT SCHOOL (Upcoming Courses):

SHIFT-IT VIRTUAL COACHING GROUP:
7 Saturdays, Jan. 16 – Feb. 27, 10-11:30am Pacific
Ready to hop on the SHIFT-IT train and dramatically change your life for the better?  Joining this beginner 7-week online group is your perfect first step … where I’ll help you (and like-minded people from across the globe) clarity your personal vision and next steps … and demolish the erroneous thinking, self-sabotage and blocks that currently stand in your way!  Participate from the comfort of your own home via easy webinar technology.  Includes digital version of The SHIFT-IT Home Retreat Kit (with my 17 Merkley Maps). This group is fun, organized and very, very effective.  Click Here for Full Details and Online Registration

MERKLEY’S MANIFESTATION MASTERMIND
12 Sundays, Feb. 28 – May 16, 10-11:30am Pacific
With the SHIFT-IT foundation in place (a clear personal vision, action plan, understanding of your own resistance and introduction to Law of Attraction principles) step now into advanced practices.  Move beyond the conceptual into REALLY living compatibly with the Law of Attraction in all aspects of your life.  Includes instruction in the outer world tools of using the internet and virtual teams to build your own successful creative based lifestyle.  Click Here for Full Details and Registration

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF
INTERACTIVE-GRAPHICS
3-Day Professional Skills Training for
Graphic Recorders, Graphic Facilitators
& Graphic Coaches.
May 20-22nd, Victoria, BC, Canada
Attracted to working visually?  Have you discovered the world of graphic recording and graphic facilitation/coaching and want to learn these highly effective and in-demand skills yourself?  As a master teacher and practitioner (17 years experience) I gently and strategically build your foundational skills – no matter where on the visual spectrum you want to play.  This apprentice-type training draws keen attendees from across the globe (our graphic tribe) Space limited to just 20 participants, seats go fast! No art training required.

***FIRST EVER: SHIFT-IT CERTIFICATION PROGRAM***
Individual License in my Custom Graphic Coaching Process and Visual Tools … including combo option with Fundamentals of Interactive-Graphics

Online Training: Tuesdays, April 20 – June 22nd (10-11:30 am Pacific)
Join the 26 Pioneers Already Registered from Across the World!
After years of being asked – its finally here!  Learn my SHIFT-IT Graphic Coaching Systemâ (17 visual maps) to use in your own coaching, counseling or other helping profession.  87% of our clients are visual learners – work with them in the methodology they (and you!) most prefer. This highly effective, ready-made system and suite of materials lets you quickly add the power of graphics to your own practice – giving you more range, more clients and more fun!  Get in on this one-of-a-kind opportunity. Full Details and Online Registration

Its an oldie but a goodie, the Vision Board exercise.  Sometimes called a Vision Collage, Treasure Map, Vision Map, etc.  A wonderful ‘graphic’ way to define and align with what you really want.

In the underground hit movie The Secret (introductory movie on Law of Attraction principles), there is a scene where a man unpacks and shows his Vision Board to his young son, only to realize that they are now living in the very house that was pictured on his board (created several years prior).  And, during one of Oprah’s shows, guest Lisa Nichols showed her Vision Board – in it were the words ‘Lisa Reveals All on Oprah’ … she definitely manifested that one!

Time and again I hear from my own clients about just how successful this classic tool is and I take delight in their stories and the fun of their manifestations.  Like the physician who placed a photo of a cute little boy poking his head from a drawer in the middle of his Vision Board … and a year later hearing the beautiful pride and love in his voice as he catches up with me about what life is now like with a baby in the house (way to go Morgan!).

Vision boards help you define and clarify what your desire.  They help make your dreams and goals more tangible and solid.  Through them you form an energetic bond with what you want.  They act as guiding lights or north stars – helping you realize and commit to your Personal Vision.  Yes, they are fun and creative to do; however don’t let their simplicity fool you – they are also very powerful magnetization and manifestation tools.  Acting as little energy vortexes if you will – that tell your sub-conscious mind what to focus on and create.

How do you create a Vision Board?  It’s simple. Just follow the tips below:

1. Assemble Your Materials: Collect together a pile of magazines, scissors, a glue stick (or tape), and some markers.  You’ll also need some sort of sturdy backing (like a poster board, large sheet of paper … even a few paper bags cut open and taped together will work).

2. Plant Yourself in a Quiet Space: Give yourself about a hour or more, in a quiet comfortable space.  With all your materials gathered around you.  Ideally you’ll want to be free of distractions – so turn down the phones, kick out the pets and tell family you are not to be disturbed (or better yet make it a Vision Board party and do it together!)

3. Set Your Intention: Set the intention that you are going to create a vision collage for yourself.  This means just tell yourself that you are going to create a great Vision Board for yourself and that you are going to find the perfect images and words to represent your desired future.  Auto suggestion is a good tool (pre-paving what you want to happen goes a long way).

4. Determine Time Frame (or not): You may or may not want to create a time frame for your vision (i.e. 6 months, 1 year, 3 years, 5-10 years … whatever feels right for you).  Or, if it doesn’t feel good to put on a timeframe, then just call it your ASAP vision – leaving timing up to ‘greater forces’.

5. Dive Into It – Just Rip: After setting your intention dive into the magazines.  Use your intuition (not your rational mind) to find images that resonate with you.  Just rip out whatever jumps out at you, piling them off to the side.  Don’t think – just rip!  Do for about 15 minutes or so, or whenever the energy kind of slows down.  FYI, I was recently contacted by a digital vision board service to let me know about their product (as an alternative to the magazine approach).  See www.photovisi.com

6. Assemble What You’ve Got: Once you’ve got a nice stack of images …turn next to assembling them onto your poster board (or whatever backing you are using).  There is no right or wrong way to create a Vision Board.  Just do what feels right for you.  You might want to arrange your images and play around with them a bit … then finally tape or glue it all down.

7. Extract the Essence: After creating your Vision Board, debrief the experience and harvest out what you have learned about your desired future.  I call this “Extracting the Essence”.  Pull out your main themes.  You can do this yourself, or present your Vision Board to a trusted friend, colleague or loved one and have them help you decipher the essence of what it is you want.  Great for understanding one another and seeing what each other wants in life.

8. Some Additional Suggestions: Facebook friend Carole Audet recently posted these additional suggestions on my Facebook wall:

Here are a few additional suggestions for a Dream Board from Colette Baron-Reid’s book, Remembering the Future: Draw a border around the perimeter; place a spiritual symbol at the top center of the board; place a photo of yourself in the middle - one where you are happy and smiling; and finally, write a statement on the bottom, something to the effect of: This or something better now manifests for me and for the highest good of all concerned.”

In conclusion: I’ve done many Vision Boards over the last 15 years.  I love them.  And I consistently get what I picture – if not the exact thing then at least the essence of what it represents.  My clients have the same results.  The point is not so much to wrestle what you want to the ground.  It’s more about having fun, putting yourself into a good vibration and feeling good about things that you like and want.  Finding out about yourself.  Sometimes it’s not always easy to determine what you want – the Vision Board exercise is a great to sneak up on this stuff.  To find out what you want in a fun and relaxed way.

For many examples of Vision Boards, see previous blog posts here.  Try a Vision Board for yourself.  Have fun with it.  And be sure to write me with your manifestation stories – I love hearing them!

This Vision Board exercise is just one of the manifestation tricks we do in my SHIFT-IT Virtual Group – so if you are keen to meet and collaborate with like-minded people from around the globe, all on their own SHIFT-IT journey, come join us – groups are offered online twice a year.

Blog Comments: Thoughts? Reactions? Have something to add? Click here
to leave comments and read those left by others.

Audio MP3s of Past Articles: Click Here

© 2010 Christina L. Merkley

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?

You can, as long as you include this blurb and a functional link to my site:

Christina Merkley, “The SHIFT-IT Coach” and creator of the SHIFT-IT System®, is a Visioning and Strategic Planning Expert specializing in Visual Thinking and Law of Attraction techniques. Based in charming Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, she works deeply with individuals, partners and conscious businesses to define and manifest what they truly want. And, trains other helping professionals in her innovative ways of working.  For more information visit: www.shift-it-coach.com

Happy New Year!  I’m not a big Xmas fan … but I sure LOVE the New Year energy.  I like the surge of a fresh beginning and the feeling of the light getting bit-by-bit brighter and the days longer (as it gets a tad dreary here on misty Vancouver Island this time of year).

2010 bolts out of the gate for my little team and I.  We’ve got three course offerings this winter season (see SHIFT-IT School in the events section below) plus the brand new SHIFT-IT Coach Training & Certification Program … 26 professionals from around the globe were admitted to the Pioneer Level that was launched in December (they already had the graphic skills training pre-requisite).  We’ll be offering a Combo Package (graphics skills training plus the online SHIFT-IT Certification training) in a few weeks … for those of you who want to get in on this unique professional skills training opportunity but lack the pre-requisite. 

I’ve heard from many of you that you appreciated the Mini SHIFT-IT Retreat tools I shared last e-Zine (if you missed them, click here).  A post I did a few years ago on ‘How to Do a Vision Board’ has been bombarded by traffic lately (its that time of year).  So I’m repurposing that info here in the e-Zine to give you another tool that works extremely well with the New Year energy.

Enjoy

ChristinaMerk on:


Christina Merkley on:

See Me on:

—WINTER 2010 CURRICULUM————-

Level One: SHIFT-IT VIRTUAL COACHING GROUP:
7 Saturdays, Jan. 16 – Feb. 27, 10-11:30am Pacific
Ready to hop on the SHIFT-IT train and dramatically change your life for the better?  Joining this beginner 7-week online group is your perfect first step … where I’ll help you (and like-minded people from across the globe) clarity your personal vision and next steps … and demolish the erroneous thinking, self-sabotage and blocks that currently stand in your way!  Participate from the comfort of your own home via easy webinar technology.  Includes digital version of The SHIFT-IT Home Retreat Kit (with my 17 Merkley Maps). This group is fun, organized and very, very effective.  Click Here for Full Details and Online Registration

LEVEL TWO: MERKLEY’S MANIFESTATION MASTERMIND
12 Sundays, Feb. 28 – May 16, 10-11:30am Pacific
With the SHIFT-IT foundation in place (a clear personal vision, action plan, understanding of your own resistance and introduction to Law of Attraction principles) step now into advanced practices.  Move beyond the conceptual into REALLY living compatibly with the Law of Attraction in all aspects of your life.  Includes instruction in the outer world tools of using the internet and virtual teams to build your own successful creative based lifestyle.  Click Here for Full Details and Registration

LEVEL THREE: SIX-MONTH POSITIVITY POD
Jan. 6 – July 16 (1st and 3rd Wed of each month, 8-9am Pacific)
Shhhhhh. This group has been hidden until now.  For Merkley’s Manifestation Mastermind graduates or my private clients only — FYI a third Positivity Pod is now forming.  Cluster with other advanced Law of Attraction students of mine, to consistently use LOA processes to keep yourself and your podmates ‘in the vortex’ and lining up with your new rockets of desire.  Pod limited to just 7 members to ensure closeness and plenty of individual attention.  Space is filling fast, so reserve your spot now.  Next six-month Pod is June 2010.  Click Here for Full Details and Online Registration

Career Change Tele-Series
Week of January 11th
Coach and Psychologist Olive Amoh from the U.K. (who attended my Graphic Coaching Clinic last year) is hosting a complimentary ‘Career Change Tele-Series’. She’s assembled a group of various experts (myself included) to share info, tips and techniques to make the career change process easier and more enjoyable. Listen in and receive support.
Click here to register.

Whether you’ve been doing personal visioning and planning work for a while, or are new to it, we can all benefit from doing a Mini SHIFT-IT Retreat every once in a while: checking in on how our life is going and what mid-course corrections we might want to make.

Ideal times to conduct a mini retreat are late December / early January when a brand new year is upon you, when you have some vacation time to step out of your usual existence, or the anniversary date of a particular event or coaching alliance (for example, clients will often do a review session like this on the anniversary date of their initial SHIFT-IT retreat with me to freshen things up).

The Benefits of the Mini SHIFT-IT Retreat:
These quick little retreats help you quickly appreciate what you have accomplished (what you’ve already manifested and attracted) – as well as identify what’s next brewing on your horizon — and the outer and inner shifts you will need to make to get there.  They put your life into perspective. Giving you relief, satisfaction and an organized feeling –knowing you have taken a step to deliberately create what you want (not what you don’t want). 

How To Do a Mini SHIFT-IT Retreat:
Set aside about 90 minutes where you can be alone and relaxed.  Have paper and pen handy (and print off my Mini SHIFT-IT Retreat Tools … link below).  Relax.  Put your feet up.  Some good music on.  Kick back.

1. Gratefully Acknowledge What You Have Received:
The key to receiving is ‘having’.  Before you embark on new visioning work, think back on what you have already received.   Look back on your previous year.  What have you received?  What has come your way?  What did you get?  What was once a dream or desire that has now materialized?  We can SO quickly forget what we have received and just move onto what we next want.  Instead, write down your answers.  SEE what you have indeed received.  Gratefully acknowledge that you do receive (and plenty!).  When you do this you tap into the energy and vibration of ‘having’.  That attitude of gratitude vibe goes out into the world and transmits a special kind of message.  Attracts more ‘having’ back to you.

2. Make Peace With Your Present State
A lot of people who do visioning work get themselves bent out of shape – I’ve been guilty of this many times myself.  We get so focused on our desired future that our present circumstances frustrate us.  The more we can accept and make peace with our present state the better.  By accepting I don’t mean that you give up or stop desiring improvements.  Just that you soften your energy around your now.  Go into where you are.  Accept it.  Like it.  Appreciate the role it is playing (as a necessary transitional bridge).  Manifestation and change can take time, depending on what you are starting with and what you desire.  Make the process easier by being ok with your present while you take steps to ensure a more satisfying future.

List out where you are now.  How do you feel about your now?  What is most up or down for you?  What crossroads are you standing on now?  What issues are stirring you up the most?  What areas of life are doing well?  Not doing well?

3. Focus on What You Now Desire
Our wants and desires are alive and fluid and always changing.  Take a moment to reflect on what you now desire.  Given what you have already accomplished and where you currently are, what do you want for yourself now?  As my favorite Law of Attraction teachers Jerry and Esther Hicks say “What rockets of desire have now been launched?”

What do you want the year ahead to hold for you?  What do you want to manifest?  What changes do you want to occur?  Write out your answers.  See what evolutionary nudges you are getting.  List the whispers you are receiving about what is next for you.  Get it down on paper!  Even if it somewhat scares you because of its boldness or chutzpah!  Don’t censor.  Give it it’s first breathe of life by putting it in writing.

4. Flip Your Negative Thoughts
Negative companions usually follow quickly on the heels of visionary thoughts —- as soon as our rockets of desire are launched, bazookas get pulled out to shoot them down.  Write down your instantaneous reactions to your list of wants.  Notice your instant positive reactions and welcome them.  Then, notice what negative thoughts come up when you write out what you want?  What contradictory thoughts do you hear – doubts, uncertainties and self sabotage?

Capture in writing all of these negative reactions and then do the work of finding a better feeling thought to counter them – FLIP IT – FLIP IT GOOD!.  Make the effort to change your internal programming – even just cleaning up one little degree of resistance can have a huge impact on your overall trajectory. 

5. Identify and Take Your Next Steps
When you get aligned with what you really, really want (your Personal Vision) certain things, people, places and steps will naturally start to emerge.  Pay attention to the thoughts that swiftly follow FLIP IT work – the ideas, inklings and intuitions about what to do next. 

What ideas do you get about easy, natural next steps?  Given where you are and where you want to go, what little things can you begin to do to close the gap?  What will make movement towards your goals that you can begin today?  Write down your next steps and put accountability dates to them.  Put them into your calendar and schedule.  Find a support buddy, mastermind group or private coach to support and guide you.

Access to Mini SHIFT-IT Retreat Instructions and Maps
I’ve created several maps plus a detailed instruction booklet to guide you in doing the steps outlined above (I’m sharing them with you, my loyal SHIFT-IT e-Zine readers, as a holiday gift!).

DOWNLOAD MAPS & INSTRUCTION BOOKLET HERE

Happy SHIFTing everyone and keep telling your new 2010 story until it becomes your norm and your new vibration!

Audio MP3s of Past Articles: Click Here

© 2009 Christina L. Merkley

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include this blurb and a functional link to my site:

Christina Merkley, "The SHIFT-IT Coach" and creator of the SHIFT-IT System®, is a Visioning and Strategic Planning Expert specializing in Visual Thinking and Law of Attraction techniques. Based in charming Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, she works deeply with individuals, partners and conscious businesses to define and manifest what they truly want. And, trains other helping professionals in her innovative ways of working.  For more information visit: www.shift-it-coach.com

Well, an early Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to my SHIFT-IT readers … as this is the final issue for this year. 

Right now I’m in San Francisco … about to be let loose on the town for some last minute Xmas shopping.  And seeing some old friends and colleagues since I’m back in my old stomping grounds (lived here in the 90s when I went to grad school and began my ‘graphics’ career).

Golden Gate at Sunset

This season (after the craziness of the actual holiday dies down) is the perfect time to nestle in and do some personal reflection on your life – and what you want to create for yourself in this fresh New Year.   Its turned into a tradition of mine to gift readers with a visual treat in this holiday issue …  four visual maps and an instruction booklet to conduct your own Mini SHIFT-IT Retreat.  Great for doing during that twilight week between Christmas and New Years, especially if you are snowed in! 

—WINTER 2010 CURRICULUM————-

Level One: SHIFT-IT VIRTUAL COACHING GROUP:
7 Saturdays, Jan. 16 – Feb. 27, 10-11:30am Pacific
Ready to hop on the SHIFT-IT train and dramatically change your life for the better?  Joining this beginner 7-week online group is your perfect first step … where I’ll help you (and like-minded people from across the globe) clarity your personal vision and next steps … and demolish the erroneous thinking, self-sabotage and blocks that currently stand in your way!  Participate from the comfort of your own home via easy webinar technology.  Includes digital version of The SHIFT-IT Home Retreat Kit (with my 17 Merkley Maps). This group is fun, organized and very, very effective.  Click Here for Full Details and Online Registration

LEVEL TWO: MERKLEY’S MANIFESTATION MASTERMIND

12 Sundays, Feb. 28 – May 16, 10-11:30am Pacific

With the SHIFT-IT foundation in place (a clear personal vision, action plan, understanding of your own resistance and introduction to Law of Attraction principles) step now into advanced practices.  Move beyond the conceptual into REALLY living compatibly with the Law of Attraction in all aspects of your life.  Includes instruction in the outer world tools of using the internet and virtual teams to build your own successful creative based lifestyle.  Click Here for Full Details and Registration

LEVEL THREE: SIX-MONTH POSITIVITY POD

Jan. 6 – July 16 (1st and 3rd Wed of each month, 8-9am Pacific)

Shhhhhh. This group has been hidden until now.  For Merkley’s Manifestation Mastermind graduates or my private clients only — FYI a third Positivity Pod is now forming.  Cluster with other advanced Law of Attraction students of mine, to consistently use LOA processes to keep yourself and your podmates ‘in the vortex’ and lining up with your new rockets of desire.  Pod limited to just 7 members to ensure closeness and plenty of individual attention.  Space is filling fast, so reserve your spot now.  Next six-month Pod is June 2010.  Click Here for Full Details and Online Registration

Being a Law of Attraction based coach I’m in the special position of being given an inside view to a lot of people’s lives, including how they really think about themselves deep down.  And it’s the deep down stuff that is so important — as that is where our vibration lives and that is where like attracts like. What we feel deep down about ourselves is what we are going to attract as a mirror on the outside.

The ranges of sense of self that I see in my clients (and experience in my own wacky self) is kind of like the childhood fairytale of Goldilocks and the Three Little Bears.  If you remember it  … its all about small, medium and large and too little of something, too much of something – and then just the right amount.  A proper sense of self is just like that.

LOW SENSE OF SELF
Some folks have too little sense of self.  They don’t value themselves. For whatever reasons they don’t step up and take their rightful place in the world.  Low self-esteem and chronic devaluing of themselves, their abilities, and their possibilities is the name of their game.  And often times they attract the seemingly opposite type of person (the person who has an overly inflated sense of self). 

If this kind of person does not address and soften and soothe the intensity of their self-defeating core they will continue to attract people and situations that mirror what they believe. And they will think that life is validating their beliefs (that their belief is true and life proves it) … instead of realizing that if they change that core belief they will change the outcomes of their life. 

It’s all an inside-out game.  Whatever you believe deep down will become a truth in life, not because it’s a truth but because its what you believe deep down.  Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

HIGH SENSE OF SELF
The polarity of the low self-esteem type is the high self-esteem type.  A certain number one-golf player who is currently having a marital crisis comes to mind. 

To be a number one player of any sport (or profession) you have to have a high sense of self – sometimes even bordering on arrogance or entitlement when viewed from the outside.  You have to believe that you are good, that you are number one, that you deserve it, that it can and should come to you. 

For some, that surety comes from the talent they feel (know) they possess, the long hours of training and discipline they have endured, etc.  Whether it’s in sport or in the business or creative arenas.  So, given their sense of gifted status and/or their hard work, they can accept and allow their success to come to them.  Others can manifest that sense without those justifying layers.

However, Law of Attraction would tell us, just like in the case of the low self-esteem individual, that it’s more about the energy underneath than any of that surface stuff. That more successful person was able to hold more successful images of themselves in their mind and spirit, more consistently, than their lower self-esteem counterpart.  And, over time, that difference resulted in much different actions and life experiences.

WORKING OUT THE BUGS:
As
 Abraham-Hicks says, most of this Law of Attraction stuff is about working out our bugs and interesting kinks so we can get our energy free flowing.   As there is a very fine line that separates pure energy from mixed energy. 

Sometimes it doesn’t take much for a person to get knocked out of their success vortex – to loose their mojo so to speak.  Or, for it to be contaminated by baser frequencies and make things more complicated (which our golfer is finding out in his relationships with women – entitlement can work fine on the golf course but not so great in your love life or business dealings). 

Us human beings, we are powerful creatures.  We have the power of thought and emotion.   And we have the power of free will – to think and feel about ourselves as we like.  It benefits us to recognize just how powerful we are and to strive to improve our core thoughts and feelings about ourselves deep down.  As we can’t fool the universe – it’s going to bring us an outward manifestation that reflects what we truly do believe anyways.  Might as well use that outside reflection as the useful feedback loop that it is and do our inner work to close the gap between what we want and what currently is.

Blog Comments: Thoughts? Reactions? Have something to add? Click here
to leave comments and read those left by others.

Audio MP3s of Past Articles: Click Here

© 2009 Christina L. Merkley

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include this blurb and a functional link to my site:

Christina Merkley, "The SHIFT-IT Coach" and creator of the SHIFT-IT System®, is a Visioning and Strategic Planning Expert specializing in Visual Thinking and Law of Attraction techniques. Based in charming Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, she works deeply with individuals, partners and conscious businesses to define and manifest what they truly want. And, trains other helping professionals in her innovative ways of working.  For more information visit: www.shift-it-coach.com