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‘Don’t confuse me with the facts, my mind is already made up!’

I don’t know where this great quote originates from, but I heard it the other day used by an American doctor to highlight how fixed our beliefs become and just how easily we ignore hard evidence.

Doctors have become used to repeating the mantra ‘you’ll never walk again’ every time a spinal cord injury presents itself. And as a result they have stopped questioning, they have stopped investigating, and they have stopped looking at the evidence that is out there.

This brings me to another favourite quote by George Bernard Shaw:

'The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.'

So these doctors are effectively halting medical progress and even worse, with these words they are also  denying their patients hope. Undoubtedly, they do it with the best intention in the world - because they don’t want their patients to suffer from ‘false’ hope. But can hope ever be false? To live without hope is to live without the possibility of miracles. To live without hope is to live a life that is limited to what we believe is possible. When we allow ourselves to lift the barriers to what is possible, we can achieve the miraculous.

Last Sunday, I watched an incredibly uplifting documentary which demonstrated just what could be achieved when one mother refused to accept the prognosis that her daughter would never walk again. Her actions have been felt throughout the entire world and have restored hope to patients with spinal cord injuries....

Astrology – The Pragmatic Approach

A few weeks back there was a lot of press coverage on a massive study which allegedly disproved astrology. The Wright Stuff, which picks up on a lot of current issues, did their own piece on Astrology asking viewers to call in with their stories.

Well, for the first time ever, I decided to phone in. Much to my surprise I got through straight away and after I had told my story to the researcher I was asked if I wanted to be on air!

While I was waiting for my turn, I was listening to Mathew Wright, the panel and the viewers talking about astrology. What astonished me was how little people actually know about this ancient science. (Yet, how ready they were to form opinions on whether it was true or false.) Their understanding seemed limited to predictions featured in tabloids and popular magazines, so before I launched into my story, I thought I better put them straight....

How To Change Your Home Into A House

The most important thing when selling a property is to transform it from your home into a house!

If you are not ready to let go of your home, your attachment to it becomes a very real thing. Neither you nor the buyer will be aware of it consciously, but unconsciously you will be sending them signals not to buy it and even worse they will be receiving your signals and acting on them without being consciously aware that anything is going on. They will just get a 'feeling' that this place is not right for them! 

So lose that attachment - or it will become the single biggest barrier to your sale.

The good news is that there are many different things you can do to help you achieve this detachment.

The most obvious one is to clear the clutter and de-personalise each room. The House Doctor is a huge advocate and despite often fierce objections, Ann Maurice ruthlessly makes her 'victims' pack away their most treasured items, photos and knick knacks. All of these objects at best serve to distract the buyer and at the worst they make it impossible for the buyer to visualise the house as theirs. It works!

But don't go too far, there is a fine balance. A step too far and you could end up creating a space that is so impersonal it's almost clinical. A good trick to bring life and soul into a house, without resorting to personal items, is to add a strategically placed plant or two. But again don't get carried away, or you will put off some buyers.

If you want to take things a stage further and really ensure a quick and successful sale, you might consider putting the Law of Attraction to work and use...

Getting Your House Ready For Sale

My house is finally on the market. Yeah!!!

The dream of setting up the holistic centre in Spain has come a step closer. Though tough, it has been quite a liberating experience shedding my attachment to my home, (but more on that in a future blog).

I was really surprised that, contrary to popular opinion, the estate agents advised me against sprucing up my house ready for the sale. But I had watched Ann Maurice in House Doctor far too many times to listen to them and went ahead with the work anyway.

And I’m so glad I did. Apart from being able to show prospective buyers around with pride, I’m absolutely positive it makes sound financial sense. In fact a friend, who has just put her house on the market and who had been given the same advice, told me her very pertinent story....

How Not To Organise A Trade Show

Trade Shows were on my list of marketing strategies, so when I was sent some information about a Trade Show in Hatfield which is where my son lives and fairly local, I decided to check it out.

It was being held in a large hotel / fitness and leisure complex in an up and coming business park. They had a variety of stands, they provided they shell, electricity was available, and prices were well within budget. They couldn't tell me about numbers or demographics as it was the first one they were going to hold. I decided to go ahead. Dip a toe in the water so to speak. If it was a mistake, it wouldn't be an expensive one and of course I could learn for next time!

Well, I did learn and at least it wasn't an expensive mistake! So here's what happened....

The Secret

As you may have gathered by now, I'm a huge fan of The Secret! I was using the Law of Attraction for years without realising it. Now it's great to know exactly how it works, because once you know the formula, you can replicate success, time and time again.

So, if you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for?!?

Some people are put off by the constant reference to wealth. In your mind you might equate the word wealth with money, but actually it's so much more. John Paul Getty might have been filthy, stinking rich, but it was his brother with very little money who was wealthy! Wealth is about...

A Cure For Tinnitus?

I subscribe to WDDTY (What Doctor’s Don’t Tell You) and in addition to the magazine they send out a weekly email newsletter which invites readers to suggest remedies for specific readers’ complaints.

Now, I’ve never felt completely convinced by this approach, that is not until today. In this week’s issue was the following story of someone suffering from tinnitus and some readers’ recommendations.

‘Tinnitus: A 56-year-old male is suffering from mild tinnitus and feels it is getting worse.  He’s tried ear candling, acupuncture and Ginkgo biloba, but has seen no improvement.  What do readers recommend?'....

The Power Of Thought

All the powers in the universe are already ours.

It is we who have put our hands before our eyes

and cry that it is dark.

We are what our thoughts have made us;

So take care about what you think.

Words are secondary.

Thoughts live; they travel far.

When an idea exclusively occupies the mind,

it is transformed into an actual physical

or mental state.

We reap what we sow.

We are the makers of our own fate.

None else has the blame, none has the praise.

There is no help for you outside of yourself;

you are the creator of the universe.

Like the silkworm

you have built a cocoon around yourself….

Burst your own cocoon

and come out as the beautiful butterfly,

as the free soul.

Then alone you will see Truth.

In one word, this ideal is that you are divine.

God sits in the temple of every human body.

Swami Vivekananda (1863 – 1902)

How beautiful was that! This amazing poem says it all. It embodies the principles of The Secret and is a great reminder that we are all powerful beings creating our universe. (If you haven’t seen the film yet, get it NOW!)

It reminds us of our greatness and our responsibility. We can no longer play the victim for we are the creators of our fate. It may be scary to start, but it is also totally liberating.

When I received it, I just immediately wanted to share it with everyone. I’m going to print it out and stick it on my fridge. Put it where you can refer to it, to remind you of your true divine nature.

Perfect Timing

I've been playing email tag with Nicola from Automated Marketing Machine. We've been trying to set up a teleconference to talk about the website for about 3 weeks now. It's been a strange catalogue of missing emails. And, finally just not being unable to find a day or time we could both make.

Just for a moment, I was aware of the frustration, I was keen to make some changes to the website and wanted to get things moving. (Oh, me of little faith!)

It wasn't until after I had had my meeting with WENTA, (see my previous blog) that I realised I had needed to have that conversation before my meeting with Nicola. (Faith restored!)

When I still wasn't able to arrange the call with Nicola for this week, it got me thinking....

What else do I need to know before my meeting with Nicola.

Well, I haven't figured that one, yet. But I do know that when you are in the flow, things happen exactly as and when they should. I'm just curious to find out what it might be. So, I'm trusting and waiting with an open mind.

And I know that things happen as and when they should, I've had proof often enough. Today was a perfect example, as I set off for my appointment I repeated to myself the affirmation 'I arrive in perfect time' and couldn't help smiling to myself when I pulled into the address spot on time, to the minute.

Although, it has to be a question of trust. We have to leave it to the Universe. We cannot know when the perfect time is (which is why I don't specify the time I want to arrive). There may be an accident en route, they may have a prior meeting which runs on... So I always ask to arrive in perfect time and trust that it will be so.

Coincidence: What Are The Odds?

Don't you just love coincidences.

I started thinking about coincidences this week after an appointment with a business advisor from WENTA. What are the chances of getting a business advisor who is actually actively interested in your field? Well, not only had John heard about Cortijo Romero and Skyros, the places I name in my business plan, he had actually been on holiday to Skyros! And was very knowledegeable about personal and spiritual development. I really couldn't have picked a better suited advisor if I had tried.

He did say that it does always seem to work out that way, with advisors just automatically being allocated the right clients! Oh, what it is to be in the flow.

(By the way if you want to know about WENTA, more about them tomorrow.)

That of course was what got me started on the coincidences and I have to say my holiday in Cuba was just full of coincidences. I felt truly in the flow, meeting the right people at the right time. I swopped treatments with all 3 of the healthcare professionals in the hotel! The doctor was a bio energy practitioner, how cool is that! The physio had a doctorate in Chinese Medicine! And I had some wonderful discussions with Julia, the nurse, who was very interested in energy work, personal development and all things spiritual.

I talked about Energy work and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) with the market stall holder, the lovely girl distributing the beach towels, a sculptor, a lovely Canadian couple, Mari a really interesting lady who has achieved so much in her life and who is married to a trapper (I didn't realise they still existed) and lives in a very remote part of Canada, to name but a few!

But the most amazing coincidence had to be...