Do what it takes to make me your gold.

I want my bathtub epiphany! Read all the way to the end and you will understand.

hannah brencher.

He’s been talking lately.

Like a boy who goes radio silent for weeks before his name starts showing up on your screen again, God has been talking in that way.

I guess I should state the facts: he’s probably been talking all along. He probably has been whispering and trying his darndest to yell above the noise of my life and I just haven’t heard him. That’s usually the case– I am running, and doing, and pulling, and prying, and trying my hardest (my absolute hardest) to make life move without him. And that’s just the second fact: I like to be in control. I like to know the elements around me. I like to know what follows after Step 1. And so the idea of a God of the universe has always, sort-of rubbed up against me like sandpaper because I don’t want to let anything in that might…

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The Heartbeat of Life

Joey as a puppy.

We have a Dachshund named Joey. Joey is hitting his middle years and has slowed down (and rounded out). He no longer plays like a puppy or runs quickly after squirrels, but he is still the embodiment of love.

I have never been loved so well as by this dog! Every time I walk into the room (even if I was only gone for a minute), he acts like I am his long, lost friend returning from a lengthy trip. Every time I sit down, he is at my feet, wanting to be in my lap. His is my constant companion and gentle reminder of that love comes in many different forms.

The funniest thing Joey does consistently is to find a comfortable place to sleep at night. We just bought new bedroom furniture and of course, I needed a new comforter, pillows, etc. to dress it. The decorative pillows all go on the floor at night, usually jumbled and in no particular order. I didn’t realize that these pillows were important to Joey, until one morning while I was still in bed.

As soon as I moved and stretched, a thumping sound rose from underneath the pillows on the floor. It took me a minute to figure out what it was, because there was nothing to be seen. Only heard. Thump, thump, thump.

As I got out of bed, the thumping increased dramatically. Instead of a gentle sound, it sounded just like the insistent beat of African drums building up to a crescendo of primal tempo.

What was causing that noise? I pulled back one of the pillows scattered on the floor and discovered the answer.

Joey had buried himself under the pillows, creating a cave of sorts. His face grinned up at me, as if saying, “I made this! Isn’t it great?”

It makes me smile every morning to hear the heartbeat of love. When his tail hits the floor as soon as he hears me move in the bed, it reminds me that love is everywhere.

Especially in the tail of a dog.

LOOK UP!

My last post was about how we see ourselves in others. Have you ever thought about how you see yourself when you are communicating through your phone? Text messages, Instagram, FaceBook posts, SnapChats, Twitter etc. have replaced personal, human-to-human connections.

Mirror Work

I have been thinking a lot about mirrors and reflections lately. Maybe because the wrinkles seem to deepen on a moment’s notice, no matter how expensive of skin care I buy. Or that little bit of extra weight around my waist is more stubborn than a coffee/chocolate stain. (Hmmm…there may be a connection between the stain and the waist line!)

Back to the mirrors – Wikipedia defines a mirror as “an object that reflects light in a way that preserves much of its original quality subsequent to its contact with the mirror.” To put it another way, the purpose of the mirror is to reflect back what is before it.

When we were in Paris earlier this year, we went to the Palace of Versailles. The opulence of the entire palace was amazing, but it was the Hall of Mirrors where we had fun. Taking a picture of yourself in a century old mirror is the modern way to capture yourself in history!

But what if the mirror is distorted and you don’t realize it? What if you assume that you are looking at a true reflection of yourself, when anyone else can see that you are standing in front of a fun house mirror? Based on your assumption, you would believe that the elongated image in front of you is really how you look.

We can’t see ourselves without a mirror.

It is vital to know if your reflection is clear or distorted.

A mirror can be an inanimate object or another person. Either way, distortions can be present without your awareness. For example, if you surround yourself with negative friends, who complain about everything, watch how long it takes for you to adopt that same perspective. The negativity and complaints become the mirror in which you see yourself.

The child who has convinced himself that he has no friends will not act worthy of friendship. The adult who caves into herself at the slightest whiff of criticism does not act confident. The coach who thinks winning is the only thing will not tolerate ineptitude. The list goes on and on and is as varied as the 7 billion people on the planet.

Your beliefs are a mirror that

reflect you back to yourself.

But they are so much harder to see!

When you set up one mirror to reflect another mirror, you create what could be considered an infinite view. But consider the impact of each person reflecting back the person standing before them, and you begin to see why communication and trust can get so screwed up. Especially when the “mirror” being used by people is really the beliefs that they have created about themselves and their place in the world!

The astonishing news is that, unlike inanimate objects, we can refine or reframe our belief creations. The first place to start is to discover the beliefs that hold us back and change them.

Maybe, just maybe that new wrinkle in the mirror carries a different message?

Story Alchemy

Have you ever stopped to realize that you can’t see into your own eyes…without looking into something else? Whether it is a photograph that captured you in a moment in time, or looking into a mirror, you can’t see yourself without another physical object or person.

Your physical sight is designed to take outward images and convert them into energetic impulses that your physical brain can interpret. The actual process of how this occurs is well documented. But what does your mind do with the images that your brain collects?

Now that is another question altogether.

Metaphysics distinguishes between the brain and the mind. Your brain is the physical object that sits inside your skull. Your mind has been called “consciousness” and thought. So why does this matter?

Because your brain acts like a recording device. Whatever it sees through the visual process, it collects and records. In one sense, it is mechanical because it will do its job whether you are conscious of it or not (just like your heart continues beating and your blood circulates automatically).

But your mind – that is a different story. Think of your mind as a projector.

What does it project?

The stories and beliefs you have created about yourself and the events, people and circumstances your life.

If you believe that you are not likeable, for example, that belief is projected from your mind as you move throughout your day. The millions of bits of data that is available to you is never seen, because it is filtered by your belief of being unlikable. Therefore, you only see the data that supports that belief.

In a very real sense, you project what you believe and look for evidence that your story or belief is “true.” And you will keep projecting that belief and finding supporting evidence until you change the story and the underlying beliefs.

So how do you ever change your beliefs? Is it even possible?

The answer is Of Course!

Learning how to transform your beliefs and stories is the subject of my latest book, Heart Dancing: A Story Alchemy Adventure. I will provide more information about the book and the launch date in the next few weeks.

Why change your stories and beliefs? Because you were meant to dance with life, not fight it or feel small. The Story Alchemy Process can help transform those negative beliefs from lead to gold, so you move through your day with grace and ease. Instead of your projections being in conflict with your authentic self, they are in harmony. Life is peaceful, meaningful and filled with joy and love.

Isn’t that a better way to live?

The other side benefit is that people naturally change when you change. As you alchemize your limiting beliefs and stories, your relationship with yourself heals. And that is projected outward to your relationship with other people.

The ripple effects are unpredictable and immeasurable!

Reframe. Release. Renew.