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Picture Incremental Improvement

Posted on Jun 15th, 2009 by Cynthia : realityshifter Cynthia
Cynthia Sue LarsonCarol Skylark of Light Torch Productions and Cynthia Sue Larson

"Artists are magical helpers. Evoking symbols and motifs that connect us to our deeper selves, they can help us along the heroic journey of our own lives."
- Joseph Campbell

Have you ever noticed how much more empowering it feels when you are aiming for goals that are not too big a stretch from where you currently are, compared to having a feeling that you are biting off more than you can chew? There is something very satisfying in seeing gradual improvement, especially when gaining confidence at mastering something we can see ourselves succeeding at doing. I love to consider the question "How good can it get?" to consciously become aware of what kind of future we can believe might be a possible future for ourselves in order to set goals and move forward to a future we believe is within reach. I feel most prosperous on days when I start the day with a meditation to envision just how beautifully well this day might go. This meditation allows me to move from feeling the energy of a 'just OK' day into a more positively energized day. In this way, each day becomes an incremental step onward and upward... a tiny positive adjustment.

Cynthia Sue Larson Earth Healing HandsWatercolor painting by Cynthia Sue Larson of hands around the Earth
This incremental approach is one which sometimes leads people to feel they're making slow progress, yet slow progress can sometimes be more effective than attempts to make giant leaps, as recent research on the topic of why positive messages hurt people with low self-esteem now indicates. While some people strive to state the highest possible intentions for themselves, they seldom consider the jarring effect that can occur when a person's stated intentions are terribly different from their statement of reality. Joanne Wood from the University of Waterloo found that people with low self-esteem who repeated "I'm a lovable person" to themselves felt worse than people who did neither. These researchers found that statements that contradict what people believe about their self-image are more likely to be met with resistance than acceptance, leaving people feeling even more unlovable than ever. While this finding might seem disappointing for Law of Attraction students everywhere, I find it tremendously informative and helpful.

Carol Skylark Earth Hands pendantPendant by Carol Skylark
Keeping the concept of incremental improvements in mind, we can bring about improvement in our lives through positive affirmations by listening to our gut feelings, our hearts, and our heads... and communicating back and forth from the highest ideals to where we truly feel ourselves to be right here, right now. We can note what we truly consider to be a believable outcome for our given situation. Sometimes, we may find what we feel inspired to do from our pure gut feelings makes no immediate sense... but following our gut feelings and heart connections can provide us with wonderful rewards far surpassing anything we might even imagine for ourselves.

Carol Skylark & Cynthia Sue LarsonCarol Skylark and Cynthia Sue Larson with healing hands around the Earth
At a Sacramento holistic expo last month, I was delighted to notice that I was situated next to a woman I wanted to meet, Kathleen Robertson from southern California. What a marvelous synchronicity to find myself adjacent to the very woman whose photo had felt so appealing to me! Emerging from a happy state of reverent reverie, I began my morning by painting a watercolor image of two hands holding the Earth. This was the first time I had felt inspired to paint my hands, holding the planet, and I wondered why this might be. I left that thought for later as I became busy with people who came to see me seeking intuitive readings and life coaching. At the end of the day, I was delighted to talk with the woman in the booth to my left, aura portrait artist, Carol Skylark. I was stunned to see her wearing a necklace which was made of a stone framed by two colorful hands -- somewhat similar to what I had painted at the beginning of the day. Carol's name instantly seemed quite familiar to me, and as I leafed through the pages of my book, Aura Advantage, I slowed down when I reached the section of Aura Advantage where Carol Skylark is one of the two aura portrait artists I mention by name! I also showed Carol the watercolor I'd painted that morning of my hands holding the Earth, and she was stunned... telling me that she had recently painted a similar portrait back home in Colorado for one of her aura portrait clients, who had been holding a crystal orb in her hands and envisioning healing the Earth. Carol and I gazed at each other in awe as we recognized a connection far more amazing than either of us imagined experiencing with someone we just met.
    Meditation: Knowing now that you can make incremental improvements in your life, allow your mind to wander and contemplate something wonderfully enjoyable you can imagine in your life that does not seem all that far from reach. Close your eyes and picture yourself feeling a bit happier, healthier, and more prosperous with this incremental improvement. Relax and enjoy this daydream, knowing it very well may soon come true!
Wishing you may discover just how good your life can be and has been,
Cynthia Sue Larson
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You can read more articles by Cynthia Sue Larson and subscribe to her free ezine, RealityShifters News, at
http://realityshifters.com

You can view the entire ezine this message was part of at:
http://realityshifters.com/pages/archives/jun09.ht ml
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Tagged with: affirmations, self-esteem, Joseph Campbell, meditation, artists, Carol Skylark, Cynthia Sue Larson