During my coaching sessions I advise at times that my client uses affirmations and quotes as daily reminders of what they are working towards and to keep their minds focused on the positive. Post-it notes around the house work just as well as having a small magnetic white board on your refrigerator.
I used Post-it notes all over my mirror in my bedroom when I was going through chemo and radiation, which caused me to lose some of my hair as well as gain 30 pounds in four weeks. Because I didn’t like looking at myself the affirmations were a great thing to see rather than my bald, fat head. LOL! It wasn’t that bad, seriously. Upon looking in the mirror, I would focus on one affirmation and use that throughout my day. In order to hold myself accountable, I would set my phone alarm to go off every hour so that I would recite my affirmation for that day. Some of my affirmations included: I am the loving operator of my mind. I love life and life loves me. This too shall pass. I am cancer free! I am healed and whole! Just be. And lots of others. I even put one on my bathroom mirror with my daughter in mind, who was at the time struggling with self-esteem. Of course it was also for me. That one said: I am at my perfect weight.
The one on my fridge will get changed whenever I feel guided to change it.
One day recently spirit wanted me to have this one put on it, “If nothing changes, nothing changes!” I believe for those who feel stuck, this is for YOU! You are never stuck. It’s just an illusion. Most of us refuse to make changes and get stuck on our phones, computers and watching TV rather than doing any work on ourselves. Yet, we expect things to be different and for it be as easy as taking a magic pill. Well, there isn’t any magic pill that I have discovered that will help us grow into who we are meant to become. And while the thought of that sounds nice and easy, that is not going to help us learn the lessons we came here to learn, which helps our souls evolve. Bitching and complaining about our circumstances actually makes things worse. It’s when we take the time to visualize what we really want for ourselves, feel the feelings of already having it and finding the blessings in the now when things will start to change for the better.
Most spiritual people look at this planet earth as a school, a place for our spirit to learn and grow. Like that saying goes, “We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” Our spirits long to go Home where there is always bliss, where we are emotionally, mentally and physically free of pain. Yet being in our natural Home or Heaven, as most refer to, doesn’t allow us to grow as spiritual beings as much as enduring a human experience. Here, we make our journey as hard or as easy as we choose. And some already know that Heaven can be found on earth through the feeling of love, the feeling of joy and the feeling of gratitude.
I know I have found Heaven here at times until my humanness reminds me that we have to experience ups and downs in order to have balance, in order to know what love, joy and gratitude are. Personally I have never enjoyed school. As a spiritual person, I think most rules suck. And although they are necessary in some circumstances for safety, boundaries and a certain amount of peace, most man-made rules are just limits that man has placed on themselves with the expectation that everyone follows.
These rules can really scare us into staying somewhere we don’t feel we belong, which is like being stuck without knowing where to turn. On earth, there seems to be so much fear and drama, so much negativity. In Heaven there isn’t any of that. My question is, why doesn’t everyone strive to do their best to find Heaven here? You seriously do not have to cross over to find Heaven. I find Heaven at the beach, in the sun and sand. I find Heaven during meditation and prayer, during a warm embrace, while I am petting my cats, when I am gardening, while belly laughing and singing songs I love. I find Heaven in helping others, taking care of myself, a hot shower, a walk or run in nature, a massage, journaling and writing, engaging in a good book, or engaging in an uplifting conversation with a friend, etc. Whatever brings me joy brings me a little piece of Heaven. My passion is truly found during my sessions with clients and teaching my workshops. Take a moment and close your eyes. Think about all the things that make you feel closer to Heaven. Now, go do more of that.
When I read, If nothing changes, nothing changes, it makes me look back to see how far I have come. Then I look around me to see all the people who have gone years without really changing at all. Some are still at a dead end job because it pays the bills, some keep manifesting health issues because they refuse to relax and refuse to say no to others, and others stay in unhealthy relationships because it’s easier to be miserable than it is to move on. Over time people’s bodies can ache and health concerns are increasing because of what is going on in their minds. Thankfully more and more are becoming aware of the unhealthy manifestations that are occurring in their bodies being a mindset and not letting go of the past. (Thank you to Louise L. Hay for your amazing book You Can Heal Your Life.)
Actually I think the case for most people being stuck is that it’s easier than dealing with the fear and ‘what if’s’ if they make a change. A few months ago I watched the movie The Shift by Dr. Wayne Dyer, one of my all-time favorite motivational speakers. Now, I tell everyone about it. You can watch it for free on YouTube.com. It really put perspective on why things can drastically take a turn for the worse.
Most of us drag our feet when we know changes need to be made. Some of us are too afraid and our ego is too loud reminding us of how scary the unknown can be. One experience I had with this (there have been many) was having a job that I absolutely loved. I was only 20 years old and found myself already an assistant manager of a clothing store. I loved everything about the job except doing inventory. Since inventory was only once a year, it wasn’t something worth leaving the job because of. After a few years and many manager changes, my current manager came to work with some disheartening news. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer, which meant the doctors had recommended she quit her job. This meant that another assistant manager and I were left to run the store until she was replaced. My gut was churning for so many reasons; being scared for my boss, fear of running the store at such a young age and being worried about getting used to yet another manager. My ego was loud and totally full of fear, which kept me from being able to tap into my gut intuition. If I would have known about the power of meditation at that time I would have definitely received the message that it was time for me to start looking for another job. I just kept praying that everything would turn out really well for everyone. It was only a matter of a few weeks when the news came that a new manager was being transferred from another store. What hit me like a shot to the gut was that she was bringing in her own assistant, yet I was promised that my job was safe. When this woman started, I swear she looked through me like I didn’t even exist. She re-did everything I did as far as displays, hanging clothes, the schedule–pretty much everything I touched. And, she and her assistant were like one person. They were very cliquey and quite conceited. That totally was not my personality. Yet, I still loved my job and the others I worked with. I had established great friendships with so many customers and other employees so I refused to quit. (My parents always told me I had a very strong will. While sometimes it’s worked in my favor, in this case it didn’t.) Not long after this new manager started there was a day when she set me up by changing the schedule without telling me. She then called to tell me that I needed to come get anything I had at the store because I didn’t show up for my shift and she was firing me. My heart sank. Never in my life was I so upset. I took so many things personally because of her that I actually felt depression starting to set in while I was walking out of the store for the last time. Thankfully, I had made friends with many people in that mall and one of them–who was a manager of a different store–hired me immediately. I only went a few days without a job. Looking back on that experience, I know I was fired because there was something better out there for me, yet I refused to make a change. I don’t blame anyone but myself. Maybe if I would have been less fearful of quitting I would have been working in a more positive atmosphere way before the chance of getting fired even arose. I was taken to a much better, more positive place which ended up being a stepping stone to my next career. What still makes me laugh is that I started working for this new store and a few weeks later that mean boss was told her store was going to close. Actually the entire company filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Talk about karma. Because she wasn’t kind and friendly, I highly doubt she was able to find work as easily and as fast as I did. Still, I never wished evil on her, but I do wonder if she ever found any kindness in her heart. Hopefully she did.
Here I am, 25 years later, still a work in progress, now embracing all the moments I get to work on me. I am embracing each shift in life, continuing to learn and grow while I teach others how to do the same. Yes, change can be scary, but what I find is more scary is being in the same place for years with nothing changing at all. Do what you came here to do: learn, grow, love and spread kindness. Knowing that you must always start with YOU. Turn your fear into faith. Give to yourself what you give to others. Give out positive energy knowing that we always get in return whatever we give out in some shape or form, eventually. Be the change you wish to see in the world. Be kind, be grateful, be blessed.
Love, light and many blessings,
Amy Musser/Angel Whisperer
Amy Musser, a Hellertown resident, is a spiritual adviser and owner of The Angel Whisperer based at Sacred Space in Hellertown, Pa. She was diagnosed with grade 3 astrocytoma, a type of brain cancer, in 2016. She has documented her progress fighting the disease and shares inspiration on Saucon Source and on Facebook.
