Change your fundamental story - AND EVERTHING IS AWESOME!!! ;) :)

Pres and Freya and I were chatting recently and a thread from over at PLOA by the incredible Rainbows came up. I thought the thread would make for a great discussion here since it touches on a lot of what we discuss here and I also wanted to make sure everyone here had a chance to see it in case they missed it over there! I love, love love! Rainbows approach and all of the effort she put into crafting this.

http://www.powerlawofattraction.com/forum/index.php?topic=9036.0

I'd love to hear all of your thoughts!

Thanks for this Kazoo, i'll have a good read through it later x x

I really love this, kazoo, thanks once again for sharing it!

Does anyone want to share what stories they're living and how they want to change them? I'd start, but I don't want to be the only one....

Lol, my story is "The Girl with the Never Ending Car Problems".  I am gonna have to think of how to use Rainbows' directions to keep myself in a happy place when it comes to reliable transportation.

I love some of the ideas about creating a soundtrack to your "movie" and dressing the part.  It can be a lot of fun!

Someone who I think can be a bit of inspiration:






For those who don't know, that's Dita Von Teese, who is never out of "character".  She is someone you'll never see in sweatpants with no makeup running to Starbucks.  She is complete glamour all day long from her lingerie to her nail polish.

Obviously we don't have to spend a ton of time glamming ourselves up to go to the supermarket if that's not what we are aiming to be, but the point is to remember to live and maintain that "character" we want to embody even when we are doing mundane stuff like running errands.

Thanks kazoo

Right now, I feel that there are 6 stories that really capture my heart and mind. These are:

1. Pat Solitano in Silver Linings Playbook, minus the lovey dovey stuff, just a guy trying to improve his life, dealing with manic depression, learning to let go of the past to move on.



2. Franklin D. Roosevelt - the bold, charismatic leader who led the U.S. through The Great Depression and World War II. Like his efforts to tackle those giant crises, I feel a bit stressed like he probably was but I must keep going. Also, he had a depressive episode that coincided with his polio. As he learned to get better, it's said that his newfound confidence in himself helped him paint the vision of a strong presidency in the Great Depression, and that iconic confidence reassured people.



3. King George VI, especially in The King's Speech. Like in that film, I feel as if life is moving me to prepare myself now and face down the demon before the bigger crisis comes, like how the King had to face down his insecurities, practice over and over again, and believe in himself to prepare for Kingship during war. During the bombing of Britain, he became a symbol of national resistance and strength against the Nazis. (Before my job interview, I read aloud the King's actual speech to connect myself to that spirit of resilience and growth, to tap into the energy behind the story as a way to calm my nerves).




4. Harry Potter (even Ron), especially in The Deathly Hollows. Like Harry, I sometimes feel a bit out of my element like he did away from Dumbledore, Hogwarts, and the rest of his friends. Like when they were searching for the Horcruxes, I feel like I'm searching for something too and that I have to keep moving through the woods to find it. Ron stands out to me because of the ordeal with Slytherin's locket, his own hero's journey forced him to find his purpose again and face down his own fears with decision and faith. Plus, in these days of fear, hate, and scattered violence in the news, it's reassuring to read Harry's journey since the fight against the Death Eaters is so similar to what's going on in our own world.



5. Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins. Like Batman, I feel that I am beginning my legend, but it's a hard fight. Like Ra's al Ghul and the League of Shadows burning down Wayne Manor, I feel like I am being stripped back to my bare essentials and that is all part of the manifestation unraveling, the way of strength and belief from the will within. Like Bruce grieving for losing his father's house, Alfred reminds him that "the Wayne legacy is more than bricks and mortars." This revelation brings him to believe in himself as Batman and face down Ra's al-Ghul, the major father figure in his life, and arguably a manifestation of his own fears. The struggle ends, like my current struggle will, with Bruce building on the Wayne legacy with a solid belief in his mission/purpose. The fear is released by discovering who he really is in times of crisis, and with that inner strength he's able to fight Ra's al Ghul again and be different from him, thus making Batman stand out.



6. The Losers In Stephen King's It. Each child in the Loser's Club has something about them that makes them an outcast; Ben is fat, Beverly is poor, Mike is black, Stan's a Jew, Eddie has asthma, Richie's a dork, and Bill stutters. As an ancient monster eats children and while adults dish out a unique brand of fear labeled by racism, abuse, class segregation, and indifference, the Losers band together and become the best friends they'll ever have. Like the Losers, I feel that I have to go deep into the subterranean depths to face something I'd rather stay away from, but I have to fulfill the journey because belief and imagination are the only ways to kill the monster. Also, like the Losers, there are things about me I don't like a lot, but just as the journey brings out their heroism and makes these traits inconsequential, so too do I need this adventure to make me see in myself what I'm really after, who I really am inside.



Some other things I'd like to say:

A). ILoveRainbows' technique of meditating on the character archetype to vibrate at the energy you want in your life reminds me of the Invisible Counselors Technique in Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich. In this technique, you can visualize yourself getting advice and support from your inspirational heroes, any of them dead or alive, real or fictional. My cabinet has FDR, JFK, Lincoln, Jesus, Muhammad Ali, and others. In my imagination, I just think about the people who inspire me and make me feel good, and I visualize that they are here to coach me and make me stronger. My favorite way to tap into this power is to read inspirational quotes, movies and documentaries about your hero, or read books about them and think on them. They'll come to you, you'll imagine yourself being helped by them, you'll feel the inspiration and that will help you set up your beliefs as well.

B). As kids, I'm sure that we probably lived in stories. Before we even heard of the Law of Attraction, we were probably acting as if or building our belief system from the stories we love. Movies, cartoons, books, music, and anime, in a sense, became visualization before we learned about visualization in LOA books. I think also the power behind the universe communicates to us through stories. In any given moment, we may feel a special connection or an attraction to certain stories and character archetypes, but the dynamic behind that pull is like a part of us and a part of the universe in conversation. So the stories we love may be there to tell us who we are and what we have inside of ourselves that we want to realize more of.

C). One thing I don't get about I Love Rainbow's Technique is that if you use stories to help yourself form beliefs, then wouldn't you have to go through times of suffering and defeat as part of this belief system? Every story has moments when the hero faces trials, tribulations, and hardship, that's what makes it a good story. But by identifying with the story, we are creating a belief that hardships are part of the process, right?

D). In my Law of Attraction journey, I first thought of the Law of Attraction as something between magic and hidden science and I wanted to apply more of it to make my life easier. So I thought that once we ask for something and believe it, we are supposed to receive our desire automatically. So if I get better at the Law of Attraction, either through having a clearer mind, positive thoughts, visualization, meditation, etc., then manifestation happens super fast and the ultimate mastery is instantaneous manifestation. But then as I looked within myself, I realized that sometimes not having what we want right away is a blessing in disguise but the moment we ask for something our heart truly desires, the power behind the universe immediately helps us on the path towards manifestation. And although we may not see it as first, this path is quite special and unique to us because on it are the keys to other manifestations we desire. So in a sense, the Law of Attraction is like a hero's journey. We ask ask for what we want and believe it, the journey opens us up to be able to receive our heart's desire in the best possible way.







E) There was a discussion on PLOA between Superman and Soleil (Ena). I think that Superman was writing that if we make a belief that we are the person right now who can have the kind of love we desire, we will attract that belief and that love. Our only work then is to visualize/imagine and create that belief. Ena agreed with this but also noted how as we work on new beliefs, negative manifestations will still pop up to show us where we need fine-tuning on the vibration we want. So to get from A to B, negative manifestations and resistance will reveal themselves to make us conscience of the beliefs that we have and that will guide us to change.

When I think of this, I also think of the hero's journey. The path to the final manifestation involves releasing resistance and/or setting in the beliefs we really want to have in our life. In the hero's journey, the hero leaves the comfort of home and goes through challenges, trials, adversity, a belly of the whale moment of impending death and resurrection in some form. As a metaphor, that's like how working with the Law of Attraction pushes us to confront our beliefs, release the ones that no longer serve us, and resurrect us with the ones that do, sometimes we may even have to confront our fears with leaps of faith. The adventure that we go through, set up with trials, is like a way for us to get closer to the beliefs and desires we really want to have, the challenge teaches us to "get in shape" for the manifestation to be received.

After all, how could Batman be Batman if he didn't go through the trials of finding physical and emotional strength as Wayne Manor burned down, taking down the League of Shadows, and stopping Ra's al-ghul from destroying Gotham? Even his time in darkness and "death", training with the League of Shadows, was part of the manifestation as Batman because the experience taught Bruce so many lessons about who he really is and what he truly wants while releasing his fears with purpose at the same time. These were manifestations all along, like all of our challenges are, to resurrect the Bruce Wayne fallen into the Dark Knight saving Gotham, to make Batman believe in himself and from that came his power.

So back to I Love Rainbows, the stories we tell ourselves have a lot of energy to help us create new beliefs, release resistance, and discover our true power. Sometimes, I think hardships and difficulties are just a part of life, Law of Attraction cannot always take it away and will even bring them to us. Why? Because it's easier to help us discover who we really are as we face the demons on the journey and it's more efficient to help us release what must be released and allow what must be allowed for the manifestation to come true.





I'll come back later, I still got to say something about gangsters, depression, and death.

^ Wow.

That...was incredible.

I have some thoughts that I'd like to add later. But I've just remembered I have a deadline tomorrow - one I'd totally forgotten. So I'd better work on that instead.

You made that comment at 11:11 Freya

It's sending me mad....... pretty much every time I look at a clock there's a repeated number... 1:01, 1:11, 2:02, 2:22, 4:04, 11:11, 12:12..... what is wrong with me??

Mind you, today I missed a couple by one minute, like 10:11 and 11:12...must be losing my touch

Wow, PR, I am always impressed by the insights you contribute! Good stuff!

I love how you can make connections and see similarities between your own story and not just fictional characters but also real life individuals and draw strength and inspiration from them!

I think it's great that you can see certain similarities between yourself and such a diverse group. That's a great reminder that we don't have to try to find a complete character or person who is like us, or is who exactly we want to be but rather we can focus on certain characteristics to emulate and draw inspiration from.

It's really got me thinking about forming a kind of collective of inspiration in a more solid way.

Here goes. These last few years I've identified a lot with three characters:

Meggie from The Thorn Birds



In Colleen McCullough's The Thorn Birds and the TV series based on it, Meggie is the youngest child and only daughter of the family in outback Australia. She is headstrong and hard-working, and already very young she falls in love with the local priest, Ralph de Bricassart. What follows is a story of forbidden love, him always pushing her away although he loves her...it is an epic story about family and tough times, and yearning that never fades over the years.



One of my favourite quotes from the book:

“There is a legend about a bird which sings just once in its life, more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth. From the moment it leaves the nest it searches for a thorn tree, and does not rest until it has found one. Then, singing among the savage branches, it impales itself upon the longest, sharpest spine. And, dying, it rises above its own agony to outcarol the lark and the nightingale. One superlative song, existence the price. But the whole world stills to listen, and God in His heaven smiles. For the best is only bought at the cost of great pain… Or so says the legend.”

---

Jane from Jane Eyre



Like Jane, I'm stubborn, fierce sometimes, passionate. Not always sure of where she stands with others. Restless when trapped, but seeking after her dreams, and after what she feels is right.

---

Cathy from Wuthering Heights



Proud, wild, wilful, makes wrong decisions, driven by passion.

---

Who I would like to be:

Valentine from Parade's End



Self-confident, pure of heart, and bookish, Valentine reminds me of myself as a child, before I started getting any sort of anxiety. I even had her haircut! This is who I'd like to be again.

---

Umberto Eco

One of my all-time heroes. He says, "I think of myself as a serious professor who, during the weekend, writes novels." He wrote The Name of the Rose, The Island of the Day Before, Baudolino, Foucault's Pendulum, and a host of other rich, heavy, intellectual, riotous novels, on top of his formidable academic output. According to Wikipedia, he has a 30,000-volume library in his apartment in Milan and a 20,000-volume library in his vacation home in Urbino. Not bad.

That's what I want to do, who I want to be (a female version, obviously). That's where my ambitions lie, anyway.

---

The Novice from Thich Nhat Hanh's The Novice

Kinh Tam, a girl who dresses up as a boy to become a monk in olden Vietnam, embodies true love...

"This is love that contains the spirit of kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity; it is not a sentimental, tragic, obsessive, or sensual kind of love. To love, according to the teachings of the Buddha, is to have compassion for and relieve the miseries of all who suffer, miseries due to sensual desires, hatred, ignorance, envy, arrogance, and doubtfulness."

(And I posted that at 3:33pm...)

Kazoo, I really like your analogy or example of always remaining in character. So true, and it's even easier sometimes to remain in character mentally than in physical glamour It doesn't require time or preparation and can be done anywhere.

I loved that example too! But I always find that how I look influences how I feel. If I'm dressed well it's much easier to embody the sort of positive mental energy we're after - "power dressing" I think it's called.

Also, posture impacts on how we feel. Research done by Amy Cuddy (Harvard) has shown that just assuming a "high-power" pose reduces cortisol levels and increases testosterone levels, so we feel less stressed and more confident.

Both sportspeople and musicians sometimes use a technique whereby they "get in the character" of one of their sports or music heroes when performing. This doesn't necessarily mean you will play in the style of that person, but doing this exercise reduces our ego-mind's interference with our intuition. So this is actually what this whole thread reminds me of - especially the Dita von Tesse part.

Thanks guys! I definitely think how we dress influences how we are feeling, so it's a good place to start.

Freya, I love that you mention posture too, it's little things like that that can definitely help us completely embody our character!  Thinking about how our character would carry themselves is part of the picture too.

A rich person probably walks down the street differently than a poor person.  (Since I'm not rich I can only imagine!   ) A person in a happy relationship can be floating on air while a person who is sad about being single might be hunched over looking at the ground.  You get the idea.

Freya, is she the one who did a TED talk on the subject? I enjoyed that one very much, and I absolutely find it useful.

kazoo wrote:Thanks guys!  I definitely think how we dress influences how we are feeling, so it's a good place to start.

Freya, I love that you mention posture too, it's little things like that that can definitely help us completely embody our character!  Thinking about how our character would carry themselves is part of the picture too.

A rich person probably walks down the street differently than a poor person.  (Since I'm not rich I can only imagine!   ) A person in a happy relationship can be floating on air while a person who is sad about being single might be hunched over looking at the ground.  You get the idea.

Yes, in The Charisma Myth by Olivia Fox Cabane, there is an example of a woman who walks down a street in a foreign city feeling frumpy because she's wearing her travelling clothes etc. However, she decides to pretend she's a movie star going incognito, and her whole posture changes -- her back straightens and she carries herself like royalty. Suddenly, people start turning around to look at her and smile. She's exuding warmth and confidence.

The Simplifier wrote:Freya, is she the one who did a TED talk on the subject? I enjoyed that one very much, and I absolutely find it useful.

I don't know, I haven't seen it but I wouldn't be surprised. I'll have to have a look for the talk when I have time - thanks Armine, I love this sort of stuff too!

Can someone help me understand this better? Please

Hi Bookworm!

Being a bookworm you probably already noticed how most stories follow the different formulas that Rainbows cited. You've probably already noticed that the characters in most stories fit the different archetypes she describes as well.

Look at this as an example:

http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/articles/plot-harry-potter-basically-star-wars



What Rainbows is saying is that since our lives are just "movies" or "stories" we are creating we can use that literary concept as a way of recognizing what "story" we are currently living and determine what "story" we'd prefer to be living instead.

Same with ourselves and the people in our stories. We can recognize the "character" we are living and identify the "character" we'd prefer to be and "characters" in our lives and how they fit into the different archetypes.

Seeing how everything already fits into these established literary formulas might make it easier to change our current stories and embody the person we want to be and the life we want to live.

And thinking of yourself as just a character in your own movie might make it easier to follow that "act as if" advice that is often given. Since the character archetypes are already established it makes it easier to think of what our "character" would wear, what music would be playing etc. and how they would conduct themselves.

Make sense?

I am sure others can explain it better than I just did, but I hope that helps it make a little more sense! Ask any specific questions you have.

Freya wrote:
Yes, in The Charisma Myth by Olivia Fox Cabane, there is an example of a woman who walks down a street in a foreign city feeling frumpy because she's wearing her travelling clothes etc. However, she decides to pretend she's a movie star going incognito, and her whole posture changes -- her back straightens and she carries herself like royalty. Suddenly, people start turning around to look at her and smile. She's exuding warmth and confidence.

That's exactly it! It's awesome that there are real examples of what Rainbows is talking about!

kazoo wrote:Hi Bookworm!  

Being a bookworm you probably already noticed how most stories follow the different formulas that Rainbows cited.  You've probably already noticed that the characters in most stories fit the different archetypes she describes as well.

Look at this as an example:

http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/articles/plot-harry-potter-basically-star-wars



What Rainbows is saying is that since our lives are just "movies" or "stories" we are creating we can use that literary concept as a way of recognizing what "story" we are currently living and determine what "story" we'd prefer to be living instead.

Same with ourselves and the people in our stories.  We can recognize the "character" we are living and identify the "character" we'd prefer to be and "characters" in our lives and how they fit into the different archetypes.  

Seeing how everything already fits into these established literary formulas might make it easier to change our current stories and embody the person we want to be and the life we want to live.  

And thinking of yourself as just a character in your own movie might make it easier to follow that "act as if" advice that is often given.  Since the character archetypes are already established it makes it easier to think of what our "character" would wear, what music would be playing etc. and how they would conduct themselves.

Make sense?

I am sure others can explain it better than I just did, but I hope that helps it make a little more sense! Ask any specific questions you have.

Yes thank you Freya, having a learning disability is frustrating

So, about 10 years ago, it was all over the Chicago local news. A big gang leader/drug dealer was arrested. Outside his apartment complex was a big SWAT truck and several police cars making a barricade. After arresting him, they showed footage of his apartment. There was suitcases of cocaine bags and stacks of money all around, and a few pistols and shotguns nearby. They say that he recently made a deal earning him $50,000 and he maybe was worth $500,000 or more in drug deals in the recent years. But here's the most striking thing: he had Scarface stuff everywhere, Scarface posters above his bed, a Scarface action figure on the the drawer, Scarface both on DVD and VHS, even the special edition box set. The reporter said the drug dealer was obsessed with Scarface. Ironically, everything ended like the original 1932 Scarface, with the cops taking him away. So I guess he really lived out that story....

That's too funny PR! Well funny in a twisted way...

I guess that's a reminder to think about who we look to for inspiration. (Hint PR, not mobsters!) It can work in unintended ways. I can think of a few other (sad) examples NOT to follow, but I'd rather not focus on that.

I always loved this thread on PLOA.

I also loved another post by Rainbows - Everything you could ever WANT or BE - You already HAVE and ARE! @ http://www.powerlawofattraction.com/forum/index.php?topic=8337.0

"This makes our attention the strongest and most powerful power in the whole Universe and the only power with which we can choose what we experience."

Such simple wisdom, the way it should be.

posaycat wrote:I always loved this thread on PLOA.

I also loved another post by Rainbows - Everything you could ever WANT or BE - You already HAVE and ARE! @ http://www.powerlawofattraction.com/forum/index.php?topic=8337.0

"This makes our attention the strongest and most powerful power in the whole Universe and the only power with which we can choose what we experience."

Such simple wisdom, the way it should be.

I remember reading "Everything you could ever WANT or BE" back in the day... her posts are so inspiring! And creative....

Daarr duuh, duuuuuh it neverever happened. Guhh. Im a great person, herr derr.