My Master Key Experience

Deep down, don’t we all want to be great … to achieve the highest we’re capable of achieving, and then to go beyond?

In “The Spiritual Job Search”, an article on the website Creative Power of Thought, on Sept. 15, 2008, Kevin Kinchen gives a perfect example of a hero’s journey to achieving greatness in the form of Muhammad Ali.

“Recently I have been studying one of the great iconic figures of the twentieth century, Muhammad Ali, and came to realize that this was something he understood well and lived every day in his life. If you are a student of history, black history, or even boxing history, you should well know that long before the world came to acknowledge him as the ‘greatest of all time’ he consistently – and often to the chagrin of the world- proclaimed himself to be that. All that he was doing was faking it until he made it. In other words, Ali understood that in being in his own mind (or at least constantly trying to convince himself that this was true) that which he eventually wanted to become, he would initiate the thoughts consistent with this state of being, which would, in turn, lead to him doing actions that the greatest of all time would do, which would in turn lead to him having all that the greatest of all time would. He understood quite well the mechanics of manifestation, as evidenced by what he manifested in his own life pushing him in becoming the greatest of all time.”

In a powerful week of lessons, our Master Key Experience course reviewed Haanel’s part 20. It’s such great encouragement to keep our thoughts focused, to reach out and touch our own greatness. “Every time you think, you start a train of causation which will create a condition in strict accordance with the quality of the thought which originated it. Thought which is destructive, or discordant, will produce corresponding results. You may use thought constructively or destructively, but the immutable law will not allow you to plant a thought of one kind and reap the fruit of another. You are free to use this marvelous creative power as you will, but you must take the consequences. “ (20-28)

How can you apply this to achieve your dream? First, have a dream or some picture of how you want your future to look. Then, begin the process of building, in thought, what that will look like. Add some emotion, true desire, and a plan to get there, then you’re on your way.

How important is the thinking part? Haanel, in 20-27 explains, “We must ‘be’ before we can ‘do’ and we can ‘do’ only to the extent to which we ‘are’, and so what we do will necessarily coincide with what we ‘are’ and what we are depends upon what we ‘think.’”

“So, in your own life, if you are to have the life of your dreams, you must learn to be that which you want to eventually become right now,” Kinchen writes. “Therefore, if you eventually want to become, for example, the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, you must right now begin to present yourself to the world as if you already were the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, in terms of your overall self-presentation to the world of dress, speech, and manner. Projecting your future into the present will only have the effect of the world responding to you as that which you are projecting, and before you know it, the future will merge into your present reality.”

How will you take steps toward your own greatness? If you need some coaching, join us in the next class exploring the Master Key System by Haanel. Insert your email in the sidebar box and I’ll make sure you get the link for a $1 scholarship!

I am in awe that I still get to be a part of the marvelous team that keeps the great Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts functioning and ever a memorable experience. I find myself taking a deep, appreciative breath when I pull up to the building. It is a magnificent structure and I know that in the grand scheme of time, this too, is only temporary.

Here’s a video tour of the building I wanted to share with you so you can see how magnificent it is.

In the Master Key System, Haanel says, in 19-10, “Matter is forever changing; we know that in the eons of time a hundred years is but as a day. If we stand in any large city and let the eye rest on the innumerable large and magnificent buildings, the vast array of conveniences of modern civilization, we may remember that not one of them was there just over a century ago, and if we could stand on the same spot in a hundred years from now, in all probability we should find that but few of them remained.”  What a miracle it is for me to share in the KCPA experience now!

This weekend, I worked the Kansas City Symphony’s Classical Series featuring Wei Luo, a 19-year-old talent who absolutely blew me away with the incredible talent she shared with our community.

On one side, I saw the amazing, stellar talent on stage, playing with her heart, a phenomenal professional, thrilled to share her talent. On the other, I got to see the lovely teenager with her mother having her own moment of awe at this amazing facility.   She came out during the second half of the performance just to enjoy the beautiful building with her mother. They were thrilled to see the grand hall, to take their pictures in this amazing space, and to grab a few special souvenirs from the gift shop.

I can’t help but think how marvelous her life is going to be because she focused on her talent, developed it, then shared it with the world. Here’s just a sample of her gifts:

Haanel also points out that we are also a part of this phenomenon of change.   And he points out that we have the power to change our own lives, and set the course we desire for ourselves. 19-12 “the grand process whereby all things are continually being created anew.”

The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts began as a sketch on a napkin, an idea, a thought that became a world-class facility, attracting some of the top talent in the world. There’s a powerful example of change refreshing, renewing life.

So, how can you use Haanel’s wisdom to love and invite change to come to your life to make it what you want?

1. Follow the advice in 19-17: “…if your thought is powerful, constructive, and positive, this will be plainly evident in the state of your health, your business and your environment; if your thought is weak, critical, destructive and negative generally, it will manifest in your body as fear, worry and nervousness, in your finance as lack and limitation, and in discordant conditions in your environment.”
2. Sign up for a deeper study, with guided exercises and hands-on help by joining up for the next class of the Master Key Experience by entering your email on the sidebar on my blog.

Wishing you great thoughts!!

PAY ATTENTION!

What does that phrase mean anyway? To “pay” attention would imply that we have to either give out coin, value, or sacrifice ourselves (or something) in some way in order to receive the benefits of attention. Or is attention the currency we dole out? Either way, following the exercise and challenge for this week makes paying attention a much more difficult and daunting task than I had associated with it in the past. In the Master Key System, Haanel writes, “the degree of attention determines our capacity for the acquirement of knowledge, which is another name for power.” (18-30)

Hmmmm, have I been really paying attention in order to increase my knowledge, and thus, my power, to create the life I want?

This week’s lesson encouraged us to practice concentration, to focus our minds and thoughts on what we want in order to begin the creative process. When I have been concentrating, paying attention to my business, I have really enjoyed how I see it start growing. I paid attention to my friendship and longing to connect with a darling woman, and she contacted me “out of the blue”.

“Attention has been held to be the distinguishing mark of genius,” Haanel says in 18-31. I would say in my experience, genius appears in all different flavors, but when you see it, it tends to shine in the person who has their focus on their interest, on what they want to create.

I know people who are so intent on their work, their craft, that I consider them genius. I marvel at what they create and they inspire me. Several engineers I worked with along the way were intent on their project, brought their ideas to life, through them and through others. Now there’s living genius. Amazing people in my professional organization focus on growing their knowledge, on doing the best they can, on sharing and teaching others. I would consider them genius. I know teachers and coaches who daily focus their attention on making sure their students, their teams excel. I know people who attack their work with love, sincerity and an earnest focus on doing their very best, whether they’re employed or volunteering in some capacity. And they make amazing things happen! Wow, genius is all around us!

So, next time I feel I’m lacking in any way, I just need to focus my attention on what I want. “Thought is the energy which the law of attraction is brought into operation, which eventually manifests in abundance,” Haanel shares (18-27). So let’s get to thinking and bring out the genius that will make the entire world a better place!

Need some help? Try the next Master Key Experience class. Sign up on the sidebar to get more information. Take Van Bo’s challenge to wake up your genius by taking a year off.  If you’re all set, go on and inspire. Shine your light. Be genius!

What do you want? One of the most powerful questions I’ve ever been asked. And Mark Januszewski, my coach in the Master Key Experience, continues to ask it again and again. Such an important question for all of us, and one we have GOT to answer to make the most of our lives while we have one.

So what is it we really want to do, to have, to be? What is our bliss? And why, for heaven’s sake, is that so hard to answer? We may think we want a lot of money, but what are we going to do with that money? Spend it on selfishness? For ourselves, for people we care about, thinking that’s what they want or need for their true happiness and well-being?

Or do we want to make a difference, to contribute to life, to fulfill our purpose in life? Haanel, in the Master Key System, shares why it’s so important to focus on giving of ourselves to life. “We get only what we give and those who try to get without giving always find that the law of compensation is relentlessly bringing about an exact equilibrium” (17-29)

In one of my favorite moves, “The Notebook”, Ryan Gosling asks the pointed question as well. Relationship-specifics aside, let the questions challenge you to consider the question for your own life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1I0hAxGFXw

WHAT DO YOU WANT? Still struggling with finding an answer, here’s a set of questions to help you get deeper and determine what you really want:

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/20-inspiring-questions-help-you-find-your-dream-and-change-your-life.html

Once you start to get an idea what you want, you can begin to actually get it! How? Keep that dream in mind .. constantly … concentrating on that ideal. Haanel explains the next steps in (17-37), “Always concentrate on the ideal as an already existing fact; this is the germ cell, the life principle which goes forth and sets in motion those causes which guide, direct and bring about the necessary relation, which eventually manifest in form.”

Stay strong in your desire. It will take time. Here’s Haanel’s encouragement, “Your strength is determined by your mental attitude; if this attitude is one of success, and is permanently held with an unswerving purpose, you will attract to you from the invisible domain the things you silently demanded.” (17-26)

Enjoy your life. Go get exactly what you truly want!

“It’s prevalent, I tell you,” a girl friend of mine told me last week, “It’s amazing the number of women out there with low self-esteem. There are so many women I run across in their late 50s or older who believe they have given life all they have to offer and they don’t have any more to give.”

The UK’s Daily Mail reported on a study commissioned by herbal remedies company, A. Vogel, on self-confidence and self-esteem in older women. In their article, Daily Mail shared that “more than half of the women in the study felt “left on the shelf” and were judged negatively simply because of their age.”

“Only 15 per cent of thousands of women over 45 declared themselves as having high or very high confidence while nearly half described themselves as not very confident at all,” the article said.

Eileen Durward, health expert for the company sponsoring the study, concluded the findings, “The world can feel very geared toward appreciating younger women, leaving those of a certain age to feel neglected or less worthy. These women are not invisible and neither are their concerns,” she said.

Huffington Post writer, Michelle Martin, PhD, published her own take on this study. She summarized the study with the following statistics:

• 75 percent felt ignored by men when they walked into a crowded room,
• 50 percent felt as if they’d been “left on a shelf” and were judged negatively because of their age,
• 60 percent felt that society was geared toward younger women,
• 50 percent wished there was more focus on the plight of older women, and
• only 15 percent of the women surveyed reported feeling confident in any area of their life.

When asked what contributed to their lack of self-confidence, most of the women cited things like graying hair, having to wear reading glasses, and a lack of appropriate fashion opportunities.

I agree with Dr. Martin. Self-confidence, internal feelings of worth should have nothing “to do with competing with younger generations of women” or judging oneself by physical characteristics, like hair color, skin quality, or how others may or may not be sexually attracted to them.

Here are Dr. Martin’s five suggestions to help older women (actually it’s good advice for everyone) to “feel less marginalized and more visible, vital and relevant.”

1. “Go on a solo journey of self-discovery.” My personal journey has been this amazing Master Key Experience. Mark and Davene Januszewski have designed an unbeatable program to help you start … and finish … your true heroine’s journey. You can browse through my other blog posts to see what treasures await. For example, one of the concepts from this week’s lessons (Part Sixteen) of Haanel’s Master Key System, “If you wish to bring about the realization of any desire, form a mental picture of success in your mind, by consciously visualizing your desire; in this way you will be compelling success, you will be externalizing it in your life by scientific methods.” (16-32) Older women, like me, can create their own image of their future selves, make that vision confidence, vital, and successful. Strong visualizations like that can’t help but become reality.
2. “Renegotiate your self-esteem.” Dr. Martin recommends you reconsider what you base your self-esteem on. “Consider valuing yourself for intrinsic traits, such as your resilience and your creativity, rather than superficial traits. More insight from Haanel on this is in 16-34. “Feeling is the very fountain head of power, why the emotions so easily overcome the intellect, and why we must put feeling into our thought, if we wish results. Thought and feeling is the irresistible combination.” Thinking of yourself in terms of your value and then adding the feelings of love and acceptance of yourself – there’s a powerful combination!

1. “Challenge your existing belief systems.” “Develop new standards and practices that feel right for you and your … lifestyle,” Dr. Martin writes. Mark and Davene share lots of new scientific research, and examples to help us challenge our beliefs by helping us see how concepts and tools to rebuild your life are alive and well … and most importantly, how it actually works on a personal level.
2. “Find your voice.” Share your wisdom. Write a book. Get involved in things that matter. Speak up and make a difference. Another gift I got from the Master Key Experience was coaching and encouragement to blog. Hey, hopefully you’re enjoying what I have to say right now!
3. “Practice acceptance.” According to Dr. Martin, it’s important to not only accept others and give them room to be who they choose to be, but to accept ourselves and our lives as we are, as they are. Forgive yourself for your self-pity, for your self-degradation, then accept who you are and move on to the new you that you choose to be. Haanel, (16-37) “Try to bring yourself to a realization of the important fact that harmony and happiness are states of consciousness and do not depend upon the possession of things.” So wherever life has lead us, this is where we are. We still have the power to choose – what we want from life, what we want to give to life, and where we want to lead our lives for its duration. Choose and go for it!

And if you need some help and encouragement to stop living a life of desperation and live the life you want, join me and my friends in this marvelous heroine’s journey. Please leave your email address in the box on the right and I’ll make sure you’re contacted about a scholarship the next time the class opens. Meanwhile, be confident, be strong, be YOU!