Argue for your limitations and they're yours.

Argue for your limitations and they're yours. 
                          -Richard Bach, Illusions 
           
Growing up, we all receive comments on our self-worth and abilities. We also have experiences that leave us with beliefs about ourselves and every area of life- relationships, health, success, prosperity, and our own value as a person. These comments and experiences, whether positive or negative, shape our beliefs about what is possible for us in life. Do any of the following sound 
familiar? 
  
- You're a good girl (or boy.)     
- You can't draw. 
- You're good in sports. - You sing off key- just mouth the words. 
- You'll never amount to anything. 
- Relationships are difficult 
- There's never enough money. 
- You certainly have a gift with words. 
- What makes you think you could be successful?

So now you're an adult, and you want to achieve your dreams. But all the old limiting experiences still exist inside, telling you all the reasons why you can't do what you want. You may also have other limitations, like being too aware of other's opinions, not trusting yourself and Spirit for guidance, or being more concerned with security in life than passion in living. Perhaps you have discovered that "instant transformation" in a week-end doesn't often happen. The process of understanding and working with those apparent limitations takes time and patience. Imagine that you are weeding the inner garden of yourself, lovingly and patiently releasing the old to plant the new seeds. Step by step, you CAN recognize the beliefs that limit you and change them. 
  
How often have you said things to yourself or out loud such as: 
- I'm stuck. 
- I'll never get past this one. 
- It's hard to change.   

So- guess what- what you claim is what you get! When you say words like this out loud or to yourself, you are continuing to claim your limitations. The words say that you don't believe change is possible or that you're actually not willing to change! Pay attention to your words, and start by changing the way you talk to yourself. Tell yourself you are willing to change and grow. 

Affirm that you are guided to any help you need in releasing the past. Go to the mirror and tell yourself all the positive, encouraging messages you wish you'd received in childhood. Talk to your Inner Child in a loving way. Be committed to choosing thoughts that build you up and nurture you rather than criticizing.

I call this "clearing the old menu items." Clear the past and create new items for the Menu of Life! Use some of these affirmations to assist you:

-I have clear insights that assist me in releasing the past. 
-I am willing to believe that I deserve a wonderful life. 
-I begin my new life in this moment. 
-I am willing to open my arms and claim the wonderful, fulfilling life I deserve. 
-I choose to believe it is easy to clear the menu items I no longer want. 
-Any resource I need for my emotional and spiritual healing 
comes to me quickly and easily.
     
Be patient with yourself as you focus on the changes you want to make. Resist the temptation to "should" on yourself and create more stress! Take time to journal and meditate and visualize the changes you want. Give yourself lots of support and praise for the changes you do make, however small.

What I know is that changing your life takes focus and commitment. You are creating new mental patterns, so the more aware you are of your thoughts on a daily basis, the faster you can change them to what you DO want and then create wonderful new experiences.

And if you want to see some amazing positive change in your life, we encourage you to attend a workshop, study group, or teleclass with one of our trained Heal Your Life® teachers. The groups they conduct are truly life-changing! If there isn't an HYL teacher near you, we also 
have HYL Coaches who have completed advanced training with us and can work with you over the phone.

Make this the year you really go for your dreams! Not only will you find greater fulfillment, the whole Universe will thank you.

Love and blessings, Patricia & Rick
www.heartinspired.com/free-resources for more ideas like this. And my Ordering from the Cosmic Kitchen is now on kindle!


http://www.heartinspired.com
Inspiring people worldwide to achieve their potential in heart, mind, and spirit. 

Pope Joan

Pope Joan was a legendary female Pope who allegedly reigned for a few years some time during the Middle Ages. The story first appeared in 13th-century chronicles, [1] and was subsequently spread and embellished throughout Europe. It was widely believed for centuries, though modern religious scholars consider it fictitious, perhaps deriving from historicized folklore regarding Roman monuments or from anti-papal satire.

The first mention of the female pope appears in the chronicle of Jean de Mailly, but the most popular and influential version was that interpolated into Martin of Troppau's Chronicon Pontificum et Imperatorum, later in the 13th century. 

Most versions of her story describe her as a talented and learned woman who disguises herself as a man, often at the behest of a lover. In the most common accounts, due to her abilities, she rises through the church hierarchy, eventually being elected pope. However, while riding on horseback, she gives birth, thus exposing her gender. In most versions, she dies shortly after, either being killed by an angry mob or from natural causes. Her memory is then shunned by her successors.
From Wikipedia
You can see Giovanni Bocaccio's engraving of Pope Joan on Wikipedia's page 'Pope Joan'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Joan

Pope Joan - Engraving by Boccacio De Ioanne Anglica Papa.png (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Boccacio_De_Ioanne_Anglica_Papa.png

On Wikipedia's page 'De mulieribus claris' (Famous Women) see  Boccaccio's list of these women. Pope Joan is #101 on his list.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_mulieribus_claris