A Change of Heart to Keep My Promises

Lira — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:04:34 +0000

I have had a change of heart and yet, somehow, NOT a change of direction….

For the past month, I have been organizing my thoughts, analyzing patterns, defining the details and creating worksheets to help explain exactly what I mean by a Pattern Interrupt. But, I constantly felt conflicted about sharing this information. Not because I didn’t want to help people make meaningful, lasting change but because I was afraid it wouldn’t work for anybody but me.

I’ve combed through my history many times (and the 20 or so journals that catalog it from as far back as grade school) and I can follow each pattern interrupt through to its successful change. But what I can’t find was a change that originated from a conscious pattern interrupt. Meaning, I’ve never been conscious of the entire change process until the change was over. I’ve never done it 100% deliberately.

And that, my friends, is a big freaking hole. It’s a hole I don’t want to inadvertently walk anyone else into. It’s a hole that some well-meaning bloggers use to “sell” happiness (something I’m not trying to do here). It’s a hole I have to fill before I help people through a meaningful & lasting change using the pattern interrupt process.

In the meantime, I’ve had multiple subscribers ask me for more information. They want to use this process. They want to start making changes now. And I want to keep my promises.

Keeping my promises means sharing everything I can about making successful changes.
Keeping my promises means not adding to the infoporn or useless filler on the web.
Keeping my promises means writing from an authentic and heartfelt place every time.

My plan had been to just describe the pattern interrupt change process over the next few posts, however instead I’m going to show it to you. I’m going to put my life and a VERY big change that I want to make on display. Right Here. I’m going to use the pattern interrupt process and explain to you exactly what I’m doing, exactly how I’m doing it, and exactly what I’m feeling. In the meantime, I’ll be creating a detailed ebook to share with all my readers about how they can create their own pattern interrupt.

The scary thing for me is that I’ve never followed the change in real time from start to finish before. I’ve initiated the change and then let the laws of physics & math take their course. Or, I’ve realized that I’ve been in a pattern interrupt and had to stretch a little to get to the other side. But, at some point, the new pattern always becomes automatic (that’s part of the beauty of it). However, not this time. This time, the process will be conscious from beginning to end and possibly a little bit raw (although not undigested).

In my next post, I’ll explain my big change goals, how I consciously defined and prepared them, and how you can do the same for a powerful pattern interrupt. I hope you’ll stick with me.

What do you think about my dedication to show & tell? What other ways have you tried to make lasting change that worked or didn’t work? Share your ideas in the comment section!

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Easy Insight to Any Problem

Lira — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 07:29:09 +0000

“A moment’s insight is sometimes worth a life’s experience” — Oliver Wendell Holmes

Everybody’s got one. The problem that’s been following you around all week. You know the answer is inside of you, if you could just get to it — Crack open your subconscious, scoop out the solution, and move forward. But the more you think about the problem, the more confused you become. Sometimes you give up and hope it’ll go away (even though it always comes back eventually). And sometimes it swirls and swirls around your head, like a hamster running on a meaningless wheel.

To solve this problem, you can either wait for an “A-Ha” moment, or you can design a moment of insight using a Creative Journal. Let me explain.

Right vs Left

When you’ve got a serious problem, the analytical left side of your brain is running amok, trying to solve the problem with all the logic that’s stored in your memory. You experience a constant playback of individual details and sequential thoughts. A leads to B leads to C. Unfortunately, this demanding Daemon, as I like to call the left brain, keeps you too busy to step back and look for larger patterns and creative solutions.

This is the perfect time to call on your Muse. This elusive creature, otherwise known as the nonlinear, intuitive right brain, is playing poker with all the related details of your problem. And you may already have a Royal Flush. You just have to sit down and look at your cards.

The key is making your Daemon and your Muse work together.

Play Nice

Your Daemon and your Muse hate each other most of the time. Or at least they pretend to. The Daemon loves to live by the rules, and whatever logic defines them. The Muse loves to daydream and play endless games. Each is strong in their own sphere of influence, ie analytical vs creative. But their synergy is the powerful substance that makes all life possible. Invention, Philosophy, and Art.

So, you have to design a way for them to both do what they love. Here’s one.

A Plan For Clarity

Although the goal, a solution to your problem, may be difficult, the steps to get there are simple. It only takes three:

Schedule the Time
Prepare the Space
Ask the Question

Remember, your Daemon loves rules, even open ended ones like this, and your Muse love to play games. A designed moment of insight requires them to work together. So lets take each step one by one.

1. Schedule the Time

When you consciously set aside time to resolve a problem, you tell your subconscious that this issue is important. You prioritize the issue for both your Daemon and your Muse and communicate when they need to show up. I like to set aside 15 to 30 minutes right before bed.

2. Prepare the Space

You need to create a space where your Muse can play, and a tangible record of the ideas the Muse creates. Then, the Daemon can analyze the big picture as well as the merits of each idea and pick the solution that works best. Make sure and pick a Creative Journal that calls to your Muse — whether its a Recycled Wirebound Notebook, a Green Embossed Journal, or an Artist’s Moleskine Sketchbook.

3. Ask the Question

This step is crucial and the one that most people forget. You must define the question you really want to ask. Don’t assume the initial problem is actually the one you need to solve. One way to do this is to ask yourself “Why” 3 or 4 times. Then turn the last “Why” into a “How” to clarify the problem and describe your question. As an example from my own life…

Why haven’t I finished writing my novel, Shattered Souls? — Because I haven’t made the time.
Why haven’t I made time? — Because I prioritized my other writing tasks above it.
Why did I prioritize other tasks above it? — Because I’m not happy with my plot lines. I’m not sure how to end it, and incorporate the twist.

Clarified Question: How do I end the “Shattered Souls” plot lines and still incorporate the twist? (It looks like I’ve got to set a date with my Journal tonight)

Aha Moment

Now, simply let the Muse play without judgment. Write every thought, every idea, every inspiration, every emotion, every goal, every intention, and every obstacle that your Muse comes up with. You may even get a phenomenal “A-Ha” during this time. Don’t censor anything. Don’t let the Daemon onto the playing field until the Muse has finished making a complete and total mess of your journal pages.

After 15 to 30 minutes, you stop. Set the journal aside and take a break for a few minutes or even a few days. Then, reread everything your wrote. Hand the whole thing over to your Daemon and let it analytically sort.

You’ll see the Big Picture with more clarity. You’ll find new and innovative solutions. You’ll know how to move forward.

Take a moment to be grateful that your brain has stopped spinning in circles, finally. And reward your innovative mind by reading a book, seeing a movie, going out with friends, or eating chocolate ginger brownies (my personal favorite).

BREAK

When you have a problem forever swirling in your mind, how do you create insight and find the solution? Share your ideas in the comment section!