Right Intention, Wrong Energy!©
By Dennis Dossett
Last month I wrote about “Meeting People Where THEY Are” in which I recounted how so many people are just plain STUCK, not understanding how they got into the situation that faced them and certainly having little or no clue as to how to get themselves out of it. This is so common in daily life, and it doesn’t involve just the big things that seem to stop us from moving forward. More often than not, it is the relatively little things that are the underlying cause of so much human frustration, unhappiness, and ultimately failure in whatever we are trying to do.
Now I’m not saying that the cure is always simple, but the fact is that most of the time identifying the cause of the problem really is quite simple—even if it is not so easy to actually do something to cure it! We’ll come back to that “not so easy to actually do” part later, but exactly what is it in the first place that causes so much trouble?
What You Resist Persists
You’ve very likely heard this phrase before, but how much attention have you actually paid to it—especially when you are in the middle of trying to solve a problem or facing a major crisis in your life? Odds are very little (too bad I’m not a “betting man”—I think I’d be rich!). Why am I so pessimistic about your response? Because you are human, and I have a lot of experience with that myself! Its such a “cutesy” little phrase but it is so easy to pass over its importance.
I can hear the protestations from where I sit right now as I’m writing this because I have heard them all dozens of times before. “But I’m not resisting anything! I’m trying really hard to make this happen and it just isn’t working!” etc. etc. etc. OK, so maybe the problem is understanding what the problem is.
So, just what is resisting? Very simply, it is not Allowing your energies to flow naturally, with ease, and with relatively little effort. I can almost hear the response now and the tone of voice that likely delivers it: “Oh, yeah? That’s a big help. Thanks!” And that is exactly the point: Right Intention, Wrong Energy!
Let’s look at a couple of examples to get a better idea of what I’m referring to:
“I’m Going to MEDITATE About It”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say this (almost always with a heavy emphasis on the word “Meditate”). It’s almost like they are mad or are grumbling about having to meditate in order to find a solution to a problem. In fact, if you are truly meditating, you will be in a relaxed Alpha state (the brainwave frequency slows to between about 7 to 15 cycles per second) where creativity and problem solving tends to flow easily and naturally with little or no effort. BUT, it isn’t going to happen that way if you are angry or grumbling about “having” to meditate. The intention is very good, but the energy is all wrong. That is because a person who says this phrase with that kind of energy cannot possibly enter an Alpha state. Besides that, the Universe doesn’t hear words; it “feels” the energy of emotions and thoughts behind the words. That energy is resistance, pure and simple.
“I’m Going to MAKE It Happen”
This is another common phrase I hear all the time from my clients (almost always with a heavy emphasis on the word “Make”). Sorry, this is not allowing. It is “pushing” or “forcing” in an effort to achieve the desired ends. It’s the same thing as that earlier example, “I’m trying really hard to make this happen . . .”. Trying too hard is just resisting the easy and relatively effortless natural flow of your energies, physical, mental, emotional, and/or spiritual. It’s all the same energy; the only difference is how we experience and express it. And what a difference it is. In fact, it makes all the difference! (Excuse me, “it allows all the difference! See how easy it is to fall into old habits of thinking and expression?) There are literally dozens of examples I could use to illustrate the point that the intention is good, but the energy is all wrong. The fact is, “What You Resist Persists.” So if your situation is persisting, guess what?
Over 20 years ago and out of my comfort zone, I was told that I just “couldn’t make things happen.” Having reflected on that comment many times over the years, I now understand that I was “all effort and no traction;” I had no clue that the missing “traction” was my relaxed, cooperative, focused allowing of the Universe to “take care of the details” after I had set my conscious intention on what I needed. My efforts at the time were, indeed, somewhat frantic, and nothing seemed to work for months. But that was long before I began to learn about energy and how to use it effectively. How much sorrow and heartache I could have saved myself and my family if I had only known and understood this. Hey! So I’m a slow learner—but at least I learned!
The Energy of Allowing vs. Energy of Resistance
Okay, so if the energy of resistance is not allowing, then what is the energy of allowing? It seems to me that the essence of most issues with “not allowing” has to do with an underlying unwillingness to relinquish control over events and people in our lives thinking that, if we are in control of everything, then everything will (or should) turn out okay. And what is the underlying issue behind the desire (really the need) to have control? Simple: FEAR. Fear that there will not be enough. Fear that you might lose what you have. Fear that what you want so badly will slip between your fingers if you aren’t able to maintain control over the situation. Or, as one of my clients exclaimed in a burst of insight during a past-life regression, “Fear! Fear! FEAR!” All of it is simply fear that the Universe won’t provide what we need. And with the energy of fear in our thoughts and emotions, we are absolutely correct! The Universe doesn’t hear our words; it “feels” our vibrations, our thoughts and emotions. Thus, fear is resistance. The need to control is resistance. Not Allowing the Universe to be in charge is resistance. If you want the Universe to respond by fulfilling your needs, ask with the energy of allowing, not with the energy of resistance.
“Not So Easy to Actually Do”
I think you have the basic idea now, so what is it that is so difficult? Habit. A habit is simply an “automatic” action or response to a situation without first thinking about it. It is “unconscious” behavior until such time as we intentionally bring it into our conscious awareness—“Conscious Living” as I call it. Conscious Living is all about the energy we bring into our life in thought, word, and deed. And that is what the Universe listens to, not the words. Our energy betrays the underlying motivations behind our speech and actions.
So obviously, the first thing to do to make our desires more likely to manifest is to intentionally focus our conscious awareness on how we think, say, and do to manifest those desires. There is an old popular song written by jazz musicians Melvin ”Sy” Oliver and James ”Trummy” Young (first recorded in 1939) that fits the situation quite well:
• “It ain’t what you do it’s the way that you do it,
It ain’t what you say it’s the way that you say it,
It ain’t what you do it’s the way that you do it,
That’s what gets results!”
The “way” that you need to say or do it is with the energy of Allowing. So back off! Get your lower Self out of the way. Stop pushing and allow the Universe to bring it to you in an appropriate way and at an appropriate time. Envision your needs and desires and then let it go, knowing that the Universe will do its job if you do yours.
The bottom line is this: “What you resist, persists” and, if you really want to change your life, you have to start with changing the way you think and act—purposely and consciously—in short, Conscious Living. Don’t struggle and don’t fight to make something happen. Relax, release control, and trust that the Universe has your back—because it does! But only if you believe it. Your thoughts create your reality, and your beliefs are your thoughts on steroids. As my teacher, Margaret McElroy, frequently advised, “Let go and let God.” Remember, right intentions alone won’t get you where you want to go. You have to first get your energy right if you really want to get there.
Have a great month!
Dennis