I know its been some time since my last blog post and I am really happy to be back! In my last post, I shared with you that I was undergoing a personal transition. Re-adjusting to a new way of living has been enormously challenging in ways I could not have predicted. My purpose, as I see it, is to share the life experiences that allow me to learn, grow and evolve with others for the insight they may offer you. Change is quite often met with a good deal of fear. In life, there will always be circumstances and situations that activate fear within you. When you choose to act in spite of fear , you tap into your personal power and unleash your truth that lies beneath the illusion.

Why Change is Good

I choose to see everything as a blessing.  In choosing this personal philosophy, I resonate with Universal Law and see everything as perfection, even the difficult stuff. And, yes, I do undergo difficult stuff like all of you do. The reason why I embrace change and the "tough stuff" is because that is where my greatest growth and expansion comes. Change is about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone in order to take your life to a new level and to new heights.

Imagine you are a baby bird and you just developed the strength to fly. In the beginning, you may only fly a few feet off the ground until you get the hang of it. But after a while, once you knew you could fly any distance and at any altitude, you probably would really enjoy flying higher than the day before just to gain a new perspective of the earth below. The same is true for your life.  As you strengthen your wings throughout your journey of life experiences, be fearless in your pursuits. Allow yourself to soar to new heights and take on new challenges you may not think you can. Just do it! In the end, you will feel truly liberated, courageous and unstoppable. You will elevate your vibration to exhilaration, excitement and joy. This allows miracles to happen. Fear or no fear, you can prevail as long as you believe you can.

Blessings in disguise

In 2005, I moved back to Maryland after spending the previous 4-1/2 years living in New York. That time in my life was perhaps the most fun I had ever experienced. I went to culinary school and became a pastry chef. For a while, I worked in various bakeries and just decided this was my "fun time". When I wasn't working, I took enormous pleasure in going on day-long bike rides. I had purchased a bicycle about a year before I moved to NY in 2001 and rode it everywhere. It became a part of me. I rode it to work and on 100-mile rides for 8 hours at a time on my days off. I loved that bike so much.

One afternoon, I was making a birthday cake for a client. My 300 sq. ft. studio apartment was a bit cramped with the bike in there so I moved it to the hallway of the Brownstone I was living in while decorating the cake. Someone was moving in upstairs and left the front doors open. Within minutes of noticing that, two men I hadn't seen before abruptly left the building and one of them was riding off with my beloved bike! It was stolen right out in the open in front of me. I was devastated. I felt angry, hurt, sad, and violated. I have never felt a sense of loss like this before over a "thing". I was crushed!

For weeks I was deeply depressed at the loss of my bike. I missed it so much. It was as if a part of me was missing. Six months later it was Christmas time and I went home to Maryland to visit my family. I had received only a couple of gifts and thought nothing of it. After all the gifts had been opened, a moment or two later my brother emerged from the garage into the family room. He wheeled a shiny, new beautiful bicycle with a big red bow! I was overjoyed! A new bike! Yippee!!! While this  was perhaps one of the greatest gifts I had ever received, it wasn't "my" bike. It couldn't replace the one that had been stolen, although I appreciated the gesture immensely. The experience just wasn't the same.

Over time, I came to realize why this had happened. I found the blessing. At first, I thought it was about forgiveness and unconditional love. I mean, what greater test is there than to be given an opportunity to send unconditional love and forgiveness to someone who had done something so horrific? The pain I felt through this experience ran deep. The extent of the pain I felt at the loss of my bike was equally matched by the extent of growth I would get through the lesson of loving those who make it difficult. This was a graduate level teaching for me! Once I got that and was truly able to forgive them I thought that would be all. As it turns out it wasn't the only blessing.

My second blessing: The Breakthrough

Not long after I moved back to Maryland, I took my new bike out for a ride. This particular bike was a bit too big for me, was a men's bike, and I just didn't feel comfortable on it. In fact, it felt like I was riding someone else's bike. On my way home from my ride as I was turning on the street towards my house, a rather impatient driver made an unexpected right turn right in front of me and hit my front tire.  The next thing I knew, I was on the ground and my knee was severely scraped,  bleeding badly, and throbbing in pain. The driver never even knew they hit me! Other drivers stopped to make sure I was okay. I was able to walk my bike the rest of the way home. That was the last time I rode that bike.

On April 17, 2012, approximately seven years later, I got my bike out of the garage. I dusted off all the cob webs, oiled the chain and inflated the tires. I got on and rode down the street in my neighborhood in utter terror. The accident came flooding back to me and I panicked. I hopped off the bike and walked it back to the house. "I can't do this", I said. My partner, who was outside working in the yard, abruptly said to me "Well, you know what that means. You have to get back on and do it again". He was right. I had to overcome my fear. It was now or never. It was time. I had allowed this fear to prevent me from the joy I once felt on my bike for seven years. I was ready to let it go.

I put my helmet on and got back on and coasted down the hill. I continued on around the neighborhood and within minutes the joy I used to feel came flooding back to me. "This is so great", I exclaimed! I hadn't felt this way in years! I was so happy and FREE!  I had released the burden of fear that had been hindering me for far too long. If I can let go of this fear, imagine what other fears I am holding onto I can now let go of!

I realized that it was this bike in particular that allowed me to experience this breakthrough. I had associated this bike with the pain and loss of my stolen bike. At the time I received this one, I  hadn't yet healed what had happened and it was a transference of pain. The new bike was a constant reminder of the bike I had lost. Because of that, I believe through the law of attraction, I attracted the accident in order to validate the story that this bike equals pain. My awareness of this has allowed me to see the blessings, love what is, and overcome a huge fear that had been holding me back.

This experience I share is a metaphor for life. There are other fears I have come to acknowledge as a result of this that have held me back from fully living my joy. It is for this reason that this bike and those who stole my other bike are a blessing and I can finally be at peace with this and embrace the beauty that surrounds it. The Universe is indeed compassionate, loving and wise.

Let this be an opportunity for you to take a look at what fears you are holding onto. May you find the courage to overcome them no matter what. Find the hidden blessings in your life disguised as something displeasing. If you are willing to look for them, I can assure you they are there.

Love,

Connie Nash

Founder, Align with Love

Last week I lost my home and needed to dramatically "downsize" my life virtually overnight. Throughout my entire adult life, I have taken care of myself. I always had a home of my own (owned or rented) and never even considered the possibility that it would ever be any different.

In 2011, I made a very bold (and perhaps not well-planned) decision to pursue my dream of serving others and this world through my teachings about Universal law, specifically, understanding them and applying them with greater success in fulfilling a life of desired outcomes and joyful experiences. Although I became very clear about what I love to do, who I most want to help, and the way I wish to go about it, there was still a matter of finances that escaped my focus.

In pursuing any endeavor, all of these things do need to be clear. While I believed (and still believe) that all of the resources I needed would make their way into my experience, the old habits of worry and stress over money were far too dominant no matter how hard I tried to ignore them. That was the great lesson for me. You cannot ignore a vibration, you must work to shift it. Be it conscious or unconscious, it is active and drawing to you at all times an exact match.

I am sharing this story with you for many reasons. I feel as a teacher and as someone who faithfully "practices" working in harmony with law of attraction, authenticity is key. You deserve to know my truth and my truth is that I am not perfect and even though I grasp the nuances of how law of attraction really works (and YES, I have LOTS of evidence in deliberately manifesting WANTED things) I still have my moments where old thought patterns and beliefs bring "unwanted" things.

My main point in writing this blog and sharing something I am not especially proud to share is this: even what appears to be "unwanted" such as homelessness and bankruptcy can and ARE creations that hold hidden blessings. While all of that has not yet been revealed, I know in my heart this is serving my highest good and the good of all I wish to serve. My lesson in this is that no matter what temporary setbacks and sacrifices need to be made, I am still whole, complete, worthy and abundant. That is WHO I REALLY AM. Nothing can ever change that.

If life here in the physical realm never presented contrasting experiences, how would we ever really know what we want? I have said before that your greatest pain and times of sorrow bring your greatest growth and insight into your passions. This certainly has been true for me. Without knowing the pain of getting it "wrong" I would not know the joy of getting it "right".

My passion for helping others manifest with joy, ease and FUN is magnified through the bumps in the road I have endured and am in the process of overcoming. I am stronger, wiser, and even more passionate about my work here on earth than ever before because I know from my pain will come great joy and inspiration to many.

This experience is a gift and a blessing because it brought me to now. It brought me to you.

With much appreciation, faith and love for all that is,

Connie

Here is a brief summary of "Jane's" Question:

 I just recently starting getting into educating myself about the law of attraction and all the other laws and positive thinking. I am reading the book by Joseph Murphy The Power of the Subconscious Mind which is fantastic. As I am reading this book a question popped into my mind.  I like to consider this a wonder not a doubt.

I can't remember what they said in the Secret when they were explaining how where we are now in our lives is because of our past thoughts and they went into explaining about people with cancer because no one wills themselves to have cancer. Can you explain that to me a little more? Just like little children don't will themselves to be abused.

Thanks for your time. I am so glad I found you. Your posts keep me on track everyday. I don't have any spiritual friends and when I try to talk to my boyfriend about all this he says he is a realist so I don't really talk to anyone about LOA or how we create our own reality because I don't want any negative energy to interfere with what I am tryin to accomplish.

Here is my response:

Dear "Jane",

I love your question and am really happy you are here co-creating with me! I want to address a couple of things you said. Starting with your boyfriend, when others are not at the same level of awareness (consciousness) to non-physical entities such as beings, energy and laws, it can be a little challenging. My suggestion is to stay firmly committed to your growth on your journey and allow what will be, be. You will never be able to convince anyone to join you in your beliefs unless they want to. If he ever expresses an interest in learning from you, great. Until then, if you can love and accept him completely, unconditionally for who he is and where he is that will benefit you immensely.

When others "don't get it" there is an underlying fear there that will express itself in negatively judging others' beliefs. I completely agree your best bet is to keep this to yourself and be open to meeting new people who share your beliefs and are supportive of your growth. Believe me when I tell you they are all around you. If you believe they are, they will appear. I think it would be really great for you to join a local Unity church or something like that. I would do a Google search in your area and see what comes up. Having this kind of supportive, positive network will assist you in your growth. Before I met my partner that is what I did and I made a lot of new friends that way.

Regarding past thoughts creating present reality, yes that is true, and if you dwell on past thoughts (and experiences) you will keep repeating the same creation (reality). The issue with cancer and other illnesses is that our beliefs around them are so hard-wired from our environment. There is no health condition, no matter how severe, that cannot be completely returned to its natural state of well-being. I read an Abraham quote that said "The reason why we don't grow new limbs is because no one believes they can". It is so true. Everything is about belief. Beliefs truly shape our reality.

So What do I do when that happens?

I first acknowledge that I have let myself slip back into old patterns of thought.  Because I do know better, and have been practicing new, improved ways of thinking and being, I can no longer get away with "lazy thinking" and not experience the effects of it.  This is a good thing, really, because there is never any going backwards. Who would want to? I certainly wouldn't. I'll take a swift kick in the rear from the Universe any day than to go back to not knowing any better (consciously).

The next thing I do is keep reaching in my bag-of-tricks for the sure-fire better feeling thoughts that usually work for me no matter how low I may be feeling. I reach for the tools I outline in my Complete Guide to Success with Law of Attraction and practice the basics.  I begin with things to appreciate right in front of me.

There was one Sunday in particular when I wasn't feeling well and I could feel my old friend "depression" trying to get to me again. One bad feeling thought led to another and another and before I knew it, I was feeling really bad! I thought, how can this be? I teach this stuff!

I decided to go for a walk and as I did, I started to appreciate the sunny day, and then the cool, crisp air, and then my amazing, wonderful physical body, and my lungs and heart working so hard for me, and so on. Before I knew it, I was feeling a lot of love and appreciation for that moment and for myself. Law of attraction kept giving me more and more to appreciate and by the time I got back home, I had completely shifted my vibration.

This simple tool, looking for things to appreciate in the moment, no matter where you are or what you are doing, is a very effective way to feel better fast.

I use this daily, all the time, even when I am already feeling good, just to feel even better. Nothing is more effective than appreciation to bring more good into your life. Appreciation is a lot like gratitude, except even more powerful. The vibration is pure and resistance-free. It is the equivalent of love and equally powerful. Together they are unbeatable for raising your vibration and improving your mood and point of attraction.

When you are experiencing a "bad day" and nothing seems to be working, remember this simple little trick of bringing your awareness to the present moment, and then looking for things to appreciate right now.  You will absolutely positively keep finding things if you are willing to look for them and are willing to give up the bad mood.

Be mindful of the great trickster,  Martyr. I lived with her for a long time and finally let her go.  If you give her the power, she will destroy your happiness and sabotage any chance of allowing your well-being. I used to give her so much power and she kept me miserable for years. Now that I see her for what she is, I can release her with love knowing that while she served a purpose in the past (hence her presence in my life), she no longer does, as I am comfortable in my own power now and don't need her to take it from me.

That was yet another great lesson in my life. Awareness is the key.  Living your life authentically ensures a life of happiness and joy. It is your birthright and your natural state of being. Allow that to shine and look for ways to feel good and only good can come!