Second Chance at Your Dream

Oncoming spring brings with it renewal of hope and zest for living. The forces of nature touch us wherever we’re willing to look. Along the road, buttercups and daffodils brighten our vistas, trees are  starting to bloom, and bulb plants are pushing their way through the deepest layers of mud and  snow that winter deposited.

All that’s really needed to upgrade our lives from the gray days of winter is our willingness to look carefully at nature’s signals. However, it’s frighteningly easy to succumb to the pessimism of the news, the political scene, and personal life challenges. Many, in fact, disconnect from social and personal pain by giving up or denying realities. They “ numb out” or withdraw themselves from deeper levels of caring.

The courage to think, feel, and participate in the genuine challenges that exist in today’s world does not come easily. It requires careful attention to our energies and needs. Here are some suggestions from the helpful new field of energy psychology to give you some guidelines:

• Treat yourself as often as needed for discouragement  about today’s world by gently massaging the heart area in the mid-chest while stating, “Even through the world  seems so difficult and challenging (or use your own words and rant), I still deeply and profoundly accept myself.” Repeat at least three times while breathing deeply and shaking out a sense of heaviness.
• Decide on at least one positive action you can take to influence decision-makers in your community and national government. This may be a simple as sending an E-mail to your local or state elected official. It may include joining a group to acknowledge and connect with environmental issues. It may involve helping someone in need. Whatever you choose, acknowledge that you can be an active participant in the world around you.
• Reach out to others who are facing issues similar to your own. Friends and support groups are the web of life in healthy communities.  Since human beings are basically social, we need each other to feel comfortable and supported. Don’t try to solve the world’s problems or your personal issues by yourself.
• Acknowledge and release negativity as quickly as possible. Immediately recognize negative content on the news or within your own thoughts by tapping relevant acupoints. Here’s a sequence that works well for many  people: Tap 10-15 times at the place where the nose and eyebrow meet, or hold your fingers there while deeply breathing in and exhaling fully. Tap or hold at the temples repeating the same process. Now follow by tapping or holding under the nose, at the collar bone knobs and at the sides of both hands.
• Connect with empowering messages to yourself while tapping the same acupoints and using phrases such as, “ I release the negative to make room for my strengths,” “I am loveable and capable,” “ I align my energies with forces of goodwill and peace,” I attract the resources I need to bring positive change to my community.”

The gift of these exercises is that they are completely within your power to control. Our minds are powerful beyond belief. If we use them with conscious intention, we can make a difference in our attitudes and positively influence the world.

The second half of life in which many of us have more time to invest in meaningful activity can be a time to influence and help those in need. Retirement dedicated to playing of games or limited thinking is no longer a useful option. The research on brain plasticity assures us we can learn and grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually until our last earthly breath. Brain cells love novelty, stimulation, and adventure.

Release the old myths about aging and become a “re-fired,” feisty, sexy participant in the fullness of your life!

Dr. Dorothea Hover-Kramer is the author of Second Chance at Your Dream, the first book to apply the insights of energy psychology to optimal aging, creativity and health and a leading “re-firement” expert.