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ENCHANTMENT
IN AN E-MAIL - NOVEMBER 2000
"Achieving
Positive States of Mind and Body Again and Again"
Produced
by Dr. Barbara Becker
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Welcome
to the monthly publication of The Enchanted Self's e-newsletter!
The following is what you will find in this month's issue.
·
Quote
of the Month
·
Blessing
of the Month
·
Recipe
for Enchantment
·
Article: Life: The Greatest Ride of All
·
Exercise: Heightening Our Experience of
Pleasure
·
Announcement
1:
New Book on the Horizon: RECIPES FOR ENCHANTMENT - THE
SECRET INGREDIENT IS YOU!
·
Announcement
2:
Enchanted Self E-group
·
Announcement
3:
Positive News Network & Womensnet
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Quote
of the Month
"Depression
does tremendous damage. Use every
ploy you can think of to bring yourself to joy."
Blessing
of the Month
May
learning always have the sweetness of a special treat for you.
Recipe
for Enchantment #5
There
was once a man who had suffered terribly. His
life had been a series of disappointments and personal losses, yet he always
appeared joyful and was pleasant to everyone.
One day, someone asked him, "you have suffered so much, yet you are
always in a good mood and with a smile on your face.
I don't understand your response. Can
you explain it?" The man simply
responded, "it feels better."
This
issue is simply about the gift of letting ourselves feel better.
Try this recipe:
Take
one activity that you really enjoy doing and do it ANYWAY, regardless of your
present circumstances. Let's say,
you love to get a massage, but you have felt down in the dumps and don't feel
somehow that you deserve it. DO IT
ANYWAY!
Or,
perhaps, you love to socialize with friends but have been preoccupied with worry
because a family member is ill. Make
yourself call the friends and get together.
DO IT ANYWAY!
Over
the next month, do three activities that you enjoy but may not feel totally
entitled to. These 'DO IT ANYWAY' activities will slowly simmer in your brain as
permission for a joyful attitude toward life.
Article:
Life: The Greatest Ride of All
by
Dr. Barbara Becker
Life
is the greatest roller coaster ride we will ever take.
The ups and downs, the unexpected changes, the twists and turns, are all
a part of living. The roller coaster
ride of life can be miserable and uncomfortable or exciting and rewarding.
Our states of mind and body are key factors in how we handle these
changes. The problems of life do not
go away magically. We have to
consciously work on making our lives more positive and joyful.
Once
in an ENCHANTED SELF workshop, one woman related a story about her Thanksgiving
dinner. She had recently suffered a painful and unexpected breakup with a
boyfriend. Although she was
experiencing grief, she had a strong inner desire to reclaim her sense of self
and move forward with her life.
It
was interesting to hear her speak about the family meal. As she looked around at
her extended family seated at the table, she became filled with love and felt
the love reflected back towards her. It was then that she made a conscious
choice to stay focused in the moment, to remain in a loving state and to share
that love with those around her.
There
were some inner struggles during the course of the evening because Thanksgiving
held poignant memories for her involving her ex-boyfriend.
When these memories surfaced, she deliberately chose to put them aside.
After the family gathering, she confidently exclaimed, "I won!"
Her
conscious decision to remain in a positive state of being, coupled with the
feelings of love that she felt toward everyone, were the most critical factors
in staying focused in the moment. She
had triumphed because she did not succumb to feelings of depression and pity.
Like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz when she clicked her heels and said,
"there's no place like home," she realized that the things she was
searching for -- strength, love and happiness--could be found in her "own
backyard."
The
support and love that comes from our family and friends, as well as the inner
strength we develop when we get to know and accept ourselves, was right there.
We
will always tussle with dark thoughts and the negative sides of our
personalities. Sometimes there will
be unpleasant events in our lives, but we can choose not to let these things
invade our sense of self-dignity and worth.
When we make conscious choices about how we will respond to difficult
situations, we feel empowered. For
that moment we are in charge of our destiny.
Nobody ever said that achieving positive states of mind and body was
easy, but then again nobody ever said it was hard.
It's a matter of focusing on the positive, and self-education.
Positive
memory retrieval is the tool that enhances our ENCHANTED SELF journey.
Reaching a positive state of inner and outer harmony is the essence of
THE ENCHANTED SELF. One way of
reaching this state is to give love and support to our selves and to others.
Let's make this year a year of growth, peace, harmony and shared
optimism.
Exercise:
Heightening Our Experience of Pleasure
This
exercise is designed not only to help you remember and validate positive aspects
of your past, but to emphasize the need to stay more attentive to positive
happenings in the present that may precipitate pleasure.
Were
there moments in your childhood when you felt particularly happy?
These moments can be from any age -- from your earliest memories through
young adulthood. When you find a
golden memory, savor it. See
yourself at that age and experiment with letting different senses reconnect to
that happy time.
·
What
was going on at that moment?
·
What
were you feeling inside?
·
How
did your body feel?
·
Were
there any aromas?
·
How
did things look around you?
·
How
were you acting?
·
What
was the weather like?
·
What
was the scenery like?
·
Were
you with anyone?
·
What
was it like to be with that person?
Announcement
1: New Book on the Horizon: RECIPES FOR ENCHANTMENT - The Secret Ingredient
is YOU!
My
new book will soon be published through First Books Library at http://www.1stbooks.com.
It will soon be available at all bookstores. In fact, I just sent back
the second set of galleys, so we are very close.
I will keep you posted on how you will be able to purchase it through
this newsletter. Information will
also be posted on my web site as it becomes available.
The following is a summary of what you will find in Recipes for
Enchantment:
Come
meet two street children from
This
is a breakthrough book, gracefully interweaving psychology/self-help with
inspiration. There's one basic recipe: combine unique positive thoughts and
feelings with positive actions. Do
this every day, and the rest will take care of itself--as if by magic!
For
a sneak peak at the book go to my web site at http://www.enchantedself.com.
Announcement
2: Enchanted Self E-group
You
are invited to become an active participant in Enchanted Self activities through
our e-group at http://www.egroups.com/groups/encself.
Once you sign up and become a member you will have access to The
Enchanted Self on-line calendar, message board, chat room, and much more.
I encourage you to take advantage of this free opportunity to connect
with myself and other Enchanted Self members, as we explore the joys of a
positive and satisfying way of life. Join
us to find out "what's right with you -- not what's wrong!"
I
will soon be announcing on-line chats and other Enchanted Self events.
I will also send out a note to you that explains how you can get the most
out of all of the e-group features. Now
would be a great time for you to sign up and start to learn about how you can
benefit from joining our "enchanted" on-line community.
Announcement
3: Positive News Network & Womensnet
I'm
excited to share with you that I am now a weekly writer for PNN, The Positive
News Network. You can find my first
article posted this week at http://www.positivenewsnetwork.net/barbara_b_holstein.htm.
The Enchanted Self column will appear every Thursday.
I
have also become a guest writer for http://ww.Womensnet.net.
You can find me under the 'Related Articles' section of The Soaring
Spirit under the Body & Soul Channel at http://ww.womensnet.net/channels/body_soul/main_fs.html.
Both
sites are great and I am blessed to be connected to them.
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Have
an "enchanting" month. I
wish you all many enchanted moments!
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FORWARDING
& REPRINTING
(C)
2000 Copyright The Enchanted Self - All rights reserved.
Please
feel free to pass this issue on to someone who might enjoy it.
The Enchanted Self Newsletter is copyrighted but may be quoted,
reprinted, or distributed in whole or part without prior permission, provided
the content is not changed and attribution is given including:
Dr.
Barbara Becker
THE
ENCHANTED SELF(R)
We
also encourage you to include this material in other publications, such as
self-healing and professional psychology newsletters. However, we ask that you
contact us beforehand for permission and send us a sample issue.
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To
learn more about THE ENCHANTED SELF(R) - A State of Well Being, Joy, and
Happiness, please contact me or visit my web site.
phone:
877-B-JOYFUL
fax:
732-531-1201
e-mail:
encself@aol.com
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