| Question:Hello, I am about three months away from | | | | power and law of this sacredness. When we deny it, |
| taking my diploma exam and I have found that, where I | | | | we create and give in to the power and law of the |
| was once in a position of confidence with my skills and | | | | world, which is the egoic mind trance.The mark of this |
| optimistic about my college/course and hypnotherapy | | | | easy way is not merely thinking about virtuous ways. |
| in general, the further along I have come the less | | | | The mark is the effort to cultivate a felt sense of |
| confident I feel and the more I know I don't know! (if | | | | light-heartedness, humility, cheerfulness, and the |
| you get my drift!) I worry that as a 'new' practitioner | | | | capacity to feel deeply without shame, judgment, or |
| out there - I just won't serve my clients well. | | | | avoidance.Comparing is the root of fear. |
| I wonder if some of you who are so much more | | | | --UpanishadsTo compare, you need an other. Maintain |
| experienced and at ease than I am ever felt the same | | | | the transparency of what seems to be other in the |
| way and if you did, how you dealt with the | | | | world. Reflect on the Warrior's qualities of clear-thinking |
| self-doubt.My answer and the excerpt:This dilemma is | | | | and discrimination. Humility (not humiliation) is the |
| a really great gift to you. It gives you the opportunity to | | | | foundation of these qualities. Cultivate them continually, |
| resolve some very common issues that your client's | | | | so you achieve a habitual mode of self-correction, |
| will have first hand. This will give you some genuine | | | | wake-up calls, and deep releasing breaths as you think |
| empathy for them, and, sensing that, they will be very | | | | about details of action.There are nuts-and-bolts details |
| receptive to your guidance. If you relate to it as a | | | | of action to be performed. While you're doing them, |
| learning experience, it will be a real Godsend!First: | | | | your inner state and view make all the difference in |
| disconnect your Self-esteem from your estimation of | | | | the world. When you open to inner guidance and let a |
| your competency. | | | | Higher Power take over, it doesn't mean you don't do |
| Second: Never put your Self-esteem at the mercy of | | | | anything. It means you do the common-sense things |
| your evaluated competency. | | | | without getting caught by hope and fear, praise and |
| Third: Practice having absolute Self-esteem -- you are | | | | blame, good and bad, gain and loss; because none of |
| a human being like the rest of us and have a right to | | | | those standards are your standards. They are fearful |
| exist and contemplate the human dilemma with the | | | | egoic standards. Your standard is to honor, impeccably, |
| rest of us. You are entitled to learn from every life | | | | the sacredness of life through right action. You must |
| experience without giving yourself belittling fearful | | | | find out what that means in an ever new and |
| suggestions and without accepting belittling fearful | | | | expanding way, moment-by-moment, forever.Your |
| suggestions from any quarter. | | | | work is not a survival issue anymore; survival is a |
| Fourth: If you find you are not competent enough to | | | | matter of faith. Your work, like everything else, is a |
| serve your clients (you will learn that from their | | | | way of celebrating and honoring life, fearlessly.With this |
| feedback - no need to criticize yourself), cheerfully | | | | view, let us examine some of the common-sense, |
| note the areas where you are lacking and get more | | | | nuts-and-bolts tips about starting and sustaining a |
| training. No need to feel bad about yourself. No need | | | | business.1. You need to know who you are.a. |
| to entertain fearful thinking. | | | | Recognize your areas of interest and your strengths.b. |
| Fifth: If studying and practicing until you do have the | | | | Create a succinct, conversational presentation, in 25 |
| needed competency prove unattractive to you, you | | | | words or less, describing your work. That way when |
| can cheerfully assume this is not the profession for | | | | you meet people and they ask what you do, you |
| you and begin a new exploration to find your true | | | | won't find yourself saying, "Uhhhh...." Unless you want |
| passion -- no harm, no foul, no shame.I recently had a | | | | to.2. People need to know you exist.a. Who are you?b. |
| psychiatrist take my hypnotherapy training. He shared | | | | What service do you offer?c. Why do people need |
| that in the course of the doctoral phase of his work he | | | | it?d. Where are you?3. Advertise. (However, keep in |
| stopped dreaming, lost weight and became extremely | | | | mind there are people who make six figure incomes |
| anxiety ridden. And he had been in practice with clients | | | | on referrals alone. Maybe not at first.)a. Target your |
| for years since then, still anxiety ridden and unable to | | | | clientele.b. Utilize advertising that will reach your |
| recapture his dream life. I feel outrage and sadness | | | | targeted clientele. Alternate news media or the food |
| when I hear about toxic environments masquerading | | | | co-op newsletter, for example, might be most the |
| as learning environments. Granted it could happen that | | | | most useful publications. If business people are your |
| a person could make a learning environment into a | | | | clientele, target local business news periodicals. Web |
| toxic environment by what they make of it in their own | | | | presence is essential.c. Find as many forms of free |
| mind. In this particular case, it was some of both at the | | | | advertising as you can.i. Give free talks at service |
| very least. | | | | organizations.ii. Radio or TV talk shows.iii. Calendar |
| Let's make sure you don't make the same mistake | | | | listings are often free.iv. Press releases.v. Networks |
| with yours. Find some help from a good hypnotherapist | | | | and support groups.d. Telephone book yellow pages.e. |
| near you. I work with people all over the world by | | | | Flyers, brochures, and business cards.f. Put yourself in |
| phone with excellent results if you would like to work | | | | circulation. Go to meetings where your work may be |
| with me.When you are ready, I hope you will study | | | | of interest and benefit.g. Write articles for local |
| with me. I have on-site and distance learning options.I | | | | periodicals.h. Bulk mail.i. Teach seminars and classes.j. |
| am including here an excerpt from my book, Finding | | | | Host a booth at appropriate fairs. Share information, do |
| True Magic, on creating and maintaining a | | | | demonstrations, offer free sessions through a drawing. |
| practice.Creating and Nurturing a Dynamic PracticeIt is | | | | (A note about drawings: set a time limit on the prize. |
| very important to start with the right view, the right | | | | The point is to get people to act. Of course, all the |
| appreciation of context, and the right perspective | | | | losers are interested people who now are part of your |
| when approaching the business of therapy.As has | | | | mailing list.)4) What to charge?a. You must do your |
| been emphasized in this book relative to therapy, there | | | | own soul-searching about this. It is important that you |
| is a unifying ground to the work that must be | | | | can ask for compensation without hesitation or shame. |
| recognized and kept in awareness. An important | | | | The egoic mind can act this out convincingly, but there |
| sameness, the egoic process, underlies and pervades | | | | will be a contraction within it, no matter how well |
| all problematic states. This same egoic process stands | | | | disguised. Your approach should be more genuine. This |
| ready to infiltrate your mental equilibrium when your | | | | will necessitate not merely deciding on a figure, but |
| focus turns to livelihood. It is fine to have subpersonality | | | | getting a clear, comprehensive grip on your relationship |
| departments that run different areas of your life, as | | | | with money and time.b. Don't treat advertising like rent; |
| long as they are fluid and transparent, integrated, light, | | | | treat it like an investment. Rent is something you pay |
| and joyful.When it comes to livelihood, that is, survival | | | | because you need a place to live; you don't examine |
| issues, it is very easy for rigid, fear-based, egoic | | | | your return on the money spent. But with an |
| thinking to take over. If there are hard-line divisions | | | | investment, if it's not giving you more than you put into |
| between parts-the therapy part and the business | | | | it, you try something else. When you advertise, you |
| part-a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality shift can arise. The | | | | have to be patient in an appropriate way and give it a |
| hard-line and contradictions can go largely unnoticed by | | | | chance, just like an investment. Give anything you try |
| the therapist, due to our capacity to negatively | | | | at least six months, perhaps a year.c. Here are some |
| hallucinate shadow parts.It is important always to | | | | money books to enrich your thinking. There are host of |
| remember that the underlying principles we rely on in | | | | web-marketing books as well.i. Guerilla Marketing, |
| therapy-the most basic and root reliance being an | | | | Levinsonii. The Unabashed Self Promoter, Phil Lautiii. |
| ever-expanding connection to the inherently pure | | | | Money Is My Friend, Phil Lautiv. Marketing Without |
| guidance of Self/Source-apply in everyday life, to us | | | | Advertising, Michael Phillips and Sally Raspberryv. |
| as well as to our clients, even when it comes to | | | | Seven Laws of Money, Michael Phillips and Sally |
| money.As Dave Elman would say to a resistant client, | | | | Raspberry5. Establish a daily habit of meditation; do it |
| "Some people are willing to do it the easy way, and | | | | for the sake of all beings if you must have a goal. |
| some people want to do it the hard way."The hard | | | | Meditate as an expression of faith, opening, humility, |
| way is fear-based and survival driven/self reliant. The | | | | and gratitude, even if you don't think or feel these |
| self here is the fragmented, trance state self, the doer, | | | | things. It doesn't matter what you think. Just meditate |
| who thinks "I have to do it right, work hard | | | | with this inner conviction no matter what you think or |
| (i.e.,contracted, no joy or lightness, no trust or faith), | | | | feel.6. Become a mentor; ask someone to mentor you. |
| make a competitive effort. It's all very well to open to | | | | This a form of self-nurturing and guidance. It will help |
| inner guidance in hypnosis to work on emotional issues, | | | | you with your skills. It will help you avoid the trap of |
| but this is money we're talking about, and its every | | | | becoming the dried-up kind of therapist who helps |
| man for himself!" The hard way includes pride in doing | | | | others as a way of avoiding his own problems. We all |
| and "helping" (also fear-based). Don't ever give | | | | have blind spots, and we can forget the perspective |
| something to a client; he must give it to himself. Can | | | | and struggle of the client to trust, to become |
| you let go of your accomplishments? Can you be | | | | vulnerable, to open. This practice will help your |
| invisible? Moreover, can you accept dishonor?If we | | | | cultivation of humility. I personally am available for |
| you honest with yourself , you will notice this egoic | | | | graduates in either capacity, on an individual or group |
| urge coming up on a daily basis, every moment. Don't | | | | basis, and I refer clients to those so engaged.7. Go For |
| get moralistic about it, as in, "I shouldn't be thinking | | | | It!Until one is committedThere is always hesitancy, the |
| feeling this." That just buys into the egoic trip and you | | | | chance to draw back,Always |
| go into denial, thus coming under the complete control | | | | ineffectiveness.Concerning all acts of initiative and |
| of that which you are denying: that you could have | | | | creationThere is one elementary Truth, the ignorance |
| fear-based, money-grubbing thoughts. Let egoic | | | | of which, kills countless ideas and splendid plans;That |
| minding be; be nice to it; tickle it; display it humorously; let | | | | the moment one definitely commits oneself,Then |
| it arise and fall. Don't act or react in relationship to it; | | | | Providence moves, too.All sorts of things occur to help |
| instead, focus on the higher/deeper intent and open to | | | | one that would otherwise not have occurred.A whole |
| that guidance. Consider this an essential expression of | | | | stream of events issues from the decisionRaising in |
| generosity to yourself.This will help you stay tuned to | | | | one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and |
| the easy way.The easy way is the way of faith, the | | | | meetings and material assistance whichNo man could |
| way of unwavering greater vision, even when brushing | | | | have dreamed would have come his way.-- |
| your teeth or washing your face. In the easy way, you | | | | Excerpted from The Scottish Himalayan Expedition, by |
| always take the first step first, the right step first, the | | | | W.H. MurrayWhatever you do, or dream you can do, |
| beginner's mind step first. It is the way of remembering | | | | do it.Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.Begin it |
| the source of formlessness, purity, and timelessness, | | | | now.-- GoetheYou may know of Goethe as one of |
| before entering into endeavors in the world of form | | | | the great writers of all time, but you may not realize he |
| and time. To accomplish this, it is necessary to | | | | was an initiated adept of esoteric spiritual teachings. |
| understand how each moment is its own first step, | | | | Take what he says, and Murray's eloquent |
| how the formless pervades each moment of form; | | | | understanding of the same principles, as the words of |
| this makes guidance and support abundantly ever | | | | a Magician who realized in his own life the faith and |
| present. This is a description of humility, as opposed to | | | | synchronicity of which he speaks.Goethe states a |
| the pride and fear of the Doer.- Do you recognize it? | | | | technical dynamic of the phenomenal world, which |
| Are you willing to cultivate it?Going the easy way, | | | | arises out of a deep thoughtfulness. The point of this |
| there is no competition, therefore no grievance. There | | | | book is to help you cultivate-for clients and for |
| is no other because your relationship is with the flow | | | | yourself-thoughtfulness, heartfulness, soulfulness; not |
| of interdependence with the universe, your | | | | mere technical competency. When you have it, cars |
| synchronicity factor; not with the world of others, the | | | | going by, birds cooing, or the commotion of others |
| world of hope and fear, as constructed by the egoic | | | | won't be distracting. From what can they distract you? |
| mind of time and poverty. Therapy, business, | | | | From your experience of being sacredly, gratefully, |
| housework, shopping: everything is inside the circle of | | | | alive...moment-by-moment...now! |
| sacredness. Everything counts and is touched by the | | | | |