Direct Life Coaching

I am centered in Love!

Right now I am on a personal "Vision Day." This is a day where I take at least 8 uninterrupted hours to study, pray, ponder, and think about my life and the world and "see" it in its spiritual perfection. I am not alone, there were 50+ more people who signed up to do this once a month as well - and at the end of the day you share your inspiration with everyone. I am in the middle of my second day (one a month) as I write this - and I just needed to share this inspiration.

I am centered in Love!

This idea came to me as I was writing "vision statements" for myself. A vision statement involves taking a relationship, job, goal, etc. in your life - and articulating how it would look if you were bringing your true purpose to the table in relation to that idea (relationship, career, etc.).

As I was finishing my last vision statement, this idea popped in my head, "I am centered in Love." So I decided to think about that idea and expand on it.

If I am centered in Love (God, Spirit, etc.) then there is never a moment where I am outside of Love, nor is there ever a time when I am even on the fringe of God's protection and guidance. Yes, I just used the word "nor." To be honest, I have gotten pretty good and seeing my life and existence as always being inside God's love - but there are plenty of times when I don't feel like I am in the center of that love. But on the fringe, I tend to feel like I am dancing there quite a bit.

On the fringe gives me cop-out to know that God is protecting me, but just enough to get by. On the fringe I don't expect abundance - but just enough to get by. On the fringe I don't expect perfect health - but just enough to avoid "the big" problems. Life on the fringe is pretty good - but life in the center is GREAT - PERFECT - ALWAYS PERFECT!!

Then, I thought, expand this idea of "center" for everyone! If everyone (meaning you) are in the center as well - then what does God's kingdom (presence) look like?

Can we all be in the center?

Darn straight!!! But, if you think of the center from a limited material perspective - there is not enough room. But, seeing everyone in the center blows the doors off our perception of abundance and the size of God's reach. Basically, if we are all in the center, yet still individual, then everything outside of our center is still the center - so there must not be an end to the boundaries - just more center. Therefore, God's love and abundance is infinite, never-ending, for me and you and EVERYONE EVERYWHERE!

So, we all have enough money. The world has enough resources. There is no limit to success, health, and perfection - and there is no competition to who can have it - BECAUSE WE ARE ALL IN THE CENTER!!!

Mary Baker Eddy in Science and Health knew about living in the center, she writes, "We cannot fathom the nature and quality of God's creation by diving into the shallows of mortal belief. We must reverse our feeble flutterings--our efforts to find life and truth in matter--and rise above the testimony of the material senses, above the mortal to the immortal idea of God. These clearer, higher views inspire the God-like man to reach the absolute centre and circumference of his being."

A friend of mine shared this quote from Paul Zeiter, "There is a natural law of abundance which pervades the entire universe, but it will not flow through a doorway of belief in lack and limitation."

What does your doorway look like? What feeble flutterings or mortal beliefs are keeping you on the fringe?

Like it or not - you're in the center - so why not live a life that expresses that!

Much love everyone!

Travis

PS - I am always available to help you "see" the center in your life. Write me at travislthomas@mac.com or call 561.676.4583

Labels: christian science, inspiration, life coaching, love, mary baker eddy, spirituality, travis thomas

Odds are if you are reading this blog, you have either already seen
"The Secret" or you saw one of the two Oprah shows over the past two
weeks, or someone has inevitably come up to you and asked, "Have you
heard of this DVD called 'The Secret'?"

Oprah has a way of taking something obsure or on the fringe, and
overnight turning into a phenomenon. "The Secret" is the most recent
example. As far as how I feel about that - I think it's fantastic!

This past Sunday our little church group sponsored our third
Spiritual Cinema of North Palm Beach, and the movie we showed was
"The Secret." The funny thing is, we scheduled this event a good
month and a half ago - long before Oprah decided to have her two
shows. Then, our screening of the film came just two days after her
second show. Pretty good timing! We had roughly 80 people show up at
my friend's theater - and 65-70 of them stuck around after the film
to have a short discussion. We didn't charge any admission, but we
did take donations for a local charity - and raised roughly $300.

As a Christian Scientist, I grew up learning and applying these
similar ideas in my life. Mary Baker Eddy, the author of the book
that has been my constant spiritual companion, ("Science and Health
with Key to the Scriptures"), articulated the principles of these
ideas 130 years ago - and millions of people around the world are
still reading and living by these same principles.

What I love about the film is that it introduces these ideas from
many different perspectives, through many different voices. I believe
that no matter who is watching the film, there is something in there
for everyone. It's the same thought I have when I tell someone about
Science and Health. I don't care what your problem(s) is, or what
your faith or non-faith background is, these are universal principles
(owned by no one or no one organization) that are applicable to
anyone and everyone.

Consciousness is rising!

I spoke to my brother the other day, and he told me he overheard two
people he knew talking about Oprah's show on "The Secret." We laughed
because these were two people you wouldn't typically think would be
interested in these ideas - but as I mentioned - there is something
there for everyone.

As I sat in our Spiritual Cinema group on Sunday I looked around and
saw 80 people connecting with these ideas on some level. No matter
how people connect with these principles, little or big, the result
is a heightened level of consciousness. It's the popcorn effect!

You keep applying heat to a kernel, and it might look like nothing is
happening, but then all of a sudden popcorn is popping up EVERYWHERE!
It's here, it's there, over there, look out, duck, it's everywhere.
Now, when someone is having a bad day, and you mention that all you
need to do is change your thought, or change your perspective, you're
not as afraid of getting looked at like you've got two heads.

Consciousness is rising!

Mary Baker Eddy called it proof of the leaven at work (based on
Jesus' parable of the woman who took the leaven and hid it in three measures of meal til the whole was leavened). A little bit leavens the whole lump!

I met with an aviation company last night to offer some life-coaching
based on issues they were experiencing in the workplace. As I was
talking with them I addressed the same principles found in the film
and found in Science and Health. This again was further proof to me
that a universal principle is applicable to everyone. Duh! Now, that
doesn't mean it always registers with people right away, but a
principle is a principle. I am up there saying, "Hey, don't argue
with me, it's a principle!" We have the choice of either aligning our
thoughts and choices with these principles, or we can continue to
push against them and see where that gets us.

Okay, I am wrapping things up here - but I just need to add this: I
am sitting in McDonald's (sorry dad) and I finished that last
paragraph and a guy started chatting with me and asked what I did. I
mentioned I was a life-coach and he told me he had worked with a life-
coach in the past, and how he wanted to introduce me to a guy who was
a mentor to him. Who knows what will come of it...but the point is...

Even in McDonald's - Consciousness is rising!

Much love!

Travis

PS - I you would like to talk with me 1 on 1 about life-coaching,
write me at travislthomas@mac.com or call me at 561.676.4583.

I know, so violent. I'm sorry. But sometimes you need to take a firm hand when dealing with "the weasel."

So, what is this weasel I am talking about?

Roy Willams (not the basketball coach) wrote his first book, "The Wizard of Ads," where he describes what the weasel is to him:

"Weasels are everywhere, incessantly singing their sad little song: If Only. 'If only I had a better education.' 'If only my boss liked me better.' 'If only I had married someone else.' 'If only I had invested in Chrysler when it was fifty cents a share' There's a little weasel in all of us, and that weasel needs to be slapped. When your ears hear your lips start to sing the Song of the Weasel, you must learn to immediately slap the weasel within."

Steven Pressfield in his book "The War of Art" calls the weasel "resistance." Mary Baker Eddy defines the same idea in Science and Health as "animal magnetism."

Weasel...animal magnetism...I think Roy and Mary Baker Eddy aren't too far off ;)

I woke up Monday morning with my weasel running wild (okay - probably shouldn't use that phrasing again). Basically, I was in a funk. Maybe it was the normally beautiful South Florida sun that was missing, whatever it was, I was not myself. My thoughts were filled with frustration, doubt, fear, and self-pity. I have been working really hard on a number of projects, but stopping to look ahead, I couldn't see where I was going. What was the end result? What would be the next solution?

Even while doing my daily prayers, I couldn't focus on the good going on. I needed to kill the weasel!

I had a meeting with my improv partners that boosted my spirits. I know that my comedy is so important to me, because when we are brainstorming and creating - I feel energized. Then I went for a run after lunch and retraced my last few blogs where I talked about, "the other side of fear" and "being here." It hit me that all I was doing was succumbing to my fears of the unknown, and by being in the unknown, I was definitely living "there," not "here!"

With my thinking back on track - and placing myself in an attitude of gratitude - my day shifted back into action. i.e. - Shift your thought - shift your reality! Every new perspective brings a new result - so if you don't like what you are seeing, change how you are seeing it :)

I have had so many inspiring conversations about living on purpose recently, that it is hard to believe I could let myself fall into a funk. I thrive on being available to talk and encourage others - so it discourages me when I don't heed my own advice. That is how the weasel works.

But, just like a real weasel, the negative thoughts can be elusive, but when you identify them for what they are - they become powerless. God's love cannot be universally abundant and lacking at the same time - so if one is true, the other must be false.

I am going to stick with abundance - sorry weasel!

Much love everyone!

Travis

PS - If you are struggling with "weasels" in your life - and you want a little help - write me or give me a call. I would love to help!
travislthomas@mac.com or 561.676.4583

It has been not quite 2 days since my SuperBowl experience has come to an end - and I am still trying to get caught up with old work as well as preparing for new projects happening this week. I am holed up in a fast-food chicken restaurant getting ready to teach an acting class in an hour - so I am going to use my time wisely ;)

For those of you who don't know, I spent 4 days in Miami last week preparing for the SuperBowl and documenting my experiences for a new GM Website called www.igotshotgun.com.

I was talking to a friend today and she was asking about the whole experience - and I think I am still processing what my feelings really are. To be honest with you, I felt a lot of frustration over the weekend, and I think that is what I am trying to deal with right now and resolve in my own thinking. While talking with my friend, it hit me that the frustration was stemming from the standpoint that I had set pretty high expectations. Not too high (I stay very balanced), but I was really prepared and excited to do a lot of filming - since that is what the contest was all about. Bottom line, because this is such a new project - and there were so many external (and internal) elements at play - a lot of what we were supposed to be doing fell through. As a result, a lot of what I filmed didn't get used, or events that I was supposed to film at ended up not allowing media coverage. So, that was pretty darn frustrating.

The last thing I want to do is look back on the experience and see it as a negative, or feel sad over "what could of been." During my conversation today, at one point I said to my friend, "If I were to take this weekend at face value - it would be a big positive!"

So why not take the weekend at face value?

What's wrong with "face value?"

We're told not to accept things at "face value," but could there be times when the best thing we can do is actually just look at an experience or situation for "what it is," instead of "what we wanted it to be?"

Expectation can be a fickle friend!

In essence, the only thing that made this weekend a negative was that my expectations weren't met. What I "thought was going to happen," and what "actually happened" ended up being two different things. But, take away my preconceived expectations, and here is what I did over those 4 days:

* Hung out with a good friend in South Beach
* Met a great group of talented guys working behind the scenes
* Played on the beach and streets of South Beach interviewing people and having fun
* Got to attend a Marley Brothers concert free with VIP access
* Ate authentic Cuban food for the first time
* Got my first ever pedicure and eyebrow wax (oh yeah)
* Attended two private parties that included NFL stars Jerome Bettis, Donovan McNabb, Marshall Faulk, Steve Young, and Michael Strahan (and many, many more!) ;)
* Went to SuperBowl XLI for free! (got a little wet)

Looking back, that looks pretty good to me! Instead of focusing on "what didn't happen," I am going to concentrate on what actually "did happen." This isn't easy, but it is the only thought that will produce a positive result.

Growing up in Christian Science and still practicing and living the principles as an adult - one of the key concepts I try to live by is the idea that "seeing the good" in any situation is the only perspective worth taking. Everything else is a distraction or illusion that tries to prevent us from the good that is actually going on. So, if my concept of God is an all-loving and perfect God - do I really expect that same God to allow negative experiences into my life?

Think about it. When you get mad at your spouse, or mad at your job, or mad with your own faults - most of your disappointment comes from an expectation that does not occur - so all we end up seeing is the bad of that situation. But what would happen if we took our current reality at "face value" and focused (make a list) of all the good that is going on in our life right now. Not "what could be," but "what is." Remember, "what could be" is living "there," but "what is" means you are living "here."

It is more than just being positive, it is choosing to see life for the good it always has to offer - and the more you are able to see that, the less "wrong" you will feel or experience.

Are you a doubter?

If so, give it a try. What do you have to lose? Let me know how you do!!

Hey, that's my blog for the week, just take it at face value!

Much love,

Travis