Thus, the importance and significance of self discovery is vital in these aspects of life. You should have proper control on your life otherwise there will be some serious kinds of complications for you. It has been highly recommended and suggested that you should be aware of the mind states in which you can get perfect control of your body, thoughts, behaviors and perceptions. One of the best and slower states of mind for this purpose is the Alpha Brainwave state. This is a special state of mind in which you will surely get better level of relaxation and easily diminish the stresses and tensions of your life. You mind will be much relaxed in this state which will allow you to improvise a better self discovery without any sorts of complications.

 People usually believe that altering mind states are not very easy improvisations and they require some special skills as well. This particular conception is not correct because one can surely alter his mind with ease through various exercises and practices. These practices and unique exercises can also help an individual to get out of various complications of life because an easier mental state will be improvised with their assistance. Negativity and negative thoughts should be diminished and there should not be any kinds of problems with stresses as well because of the negative aspects. One must look for get rid of negativity in order to improvise a better self discovery.

You can surely get everything according to your likings and perceptions with some of the best available exercises such as Mirror of the mind exercise and mind reprogramming exercises. These exercises are rare and you would surely get desired results in your life with these exercises. People are willing to attain a healthier but it is just impossible to get with increased negativity all around. These exercises can help you to get rid of negativity and you can reprogram your mind as well for the self discovery. If you are concerned about the reliable resource where you will be able to learn these exercises then there is just no need to worry as you can surely come across many of the reliable sources with ease to learn them.  

You can learn more about Self discovery to bring your life back to normal without any sorts of complications.

In the  twenty years that I’ve been a nurse, I have met and worked with some wonderful people. They have taught me some very valuable life lessons. One extremely important lesson, portrayed by this wonderfully, brave young woman dying from cancer:Don’t waste your time on this earth just doing something because it pays the bills. Do the work you were placed here to do.

Now you have to understand, she and I both agreed that there is a big difference between doing a job and doing the work you were meant to do. It all depends on your beliefs and values. Your job pays the bills and may provide some career satisfaction, but your work provides you with a mental and spiritual peace that cannot be found in the almighty dollar.

So why, you ask, did I work for so long doing something that brought me no joy? Because for a while, it did bring me joy. The connections I made–positive and negative–cannot be forgotten or misrepresented. They impacted and guided my care of them, the view of myself as a caregiver reflected in the mirror they unknowingly held up to me. My decision to finally accept the truth in the mirror has brought me to this particularly difficult crossroad.

Where do I go from here? Being the practical person that I sometimes am, I had to reassess my life, objectively listing my attributes and skills, my strengths and weaknesses, paying close attention to the latter, because they have had as much impact on my journey as have my strengths. Maybe even more so. I’m still working on that issue.

The other part of this assessment is answering the following questions: What do I love doing? Would do day and night without regard to payment? What do I think about, daydream of doing? What would bring me peace? Because that’s the ultimate destination for me. Peace. There’s a saying from an African proverb that sticks with me always. Peace comes from knowing you are doing the right thing.

After working in the health care field for twenty years and just living day-to-day, my values are basically set. There is a method of dispensing medications that nurses use called, a patient’s five rights  I’ve taken those rights and the above proverb and combined them to form my own personal creed.

For me, peace comes from knowing that I am doing the right thing in the right way, for the right person at the right time, for the right reason. What a mouthful! Now try living by that code. Hmm, herein lies the dilemma. Am I being selfish if that ‘for the right person’ happens to be me? Or am I actually accepting of the fact that in order to be happy, I must hold myself up against my own yardstick and measure my peace, or lack thereof? And when that’s done? Will I accept the answers or continue to ignore the path that is calling me, that has been calling me for as long as I can remember?

So, here I am, standing at my crossroad. Which way am I going? Truthfully, I don’t know yet. This journey is scary, yet at the same time, exciting . But I’m ready. Because I believe, no, I know, you are never too old for change.

Stay tuned for the next leg of this journey–if you dare.

One of the greatest challenges most people face today is coming to terms with the fact that some times we all need a hand in life, especially when it comes to setting you on the right path to improving your personal life. There are many qualified people who can help you with this as long as you are willing to accept that these people can change the things you want changed in your life. 

Another challenge for most is discovering and coming to terms with the fact that, although there are things in your life that you can change, there are some things you just can’t change. The first step, however, to beginning your journey on the road to improving your personal life is finally accepting that you are who you are, regardless of what others may think of you. By accepting this you will find it easier to come to terms with many changes that will take place in your life as you begin to transform yourself for the better. You will discover you are off to a flying start of improving you personal life. 

One amazing ability you will discover as you begin to change your life for the better is that you will find laughter again, the same amazing quality of laughter you once had as a child, even when there is really nothing to be laughing at. Lets say you’re standing in the checkout on a hot summer’s day, the kids are screaming, you’re tired from shopping all day and all you want to do is get home and put your feet up. Suddenly, out of no where, some mindless fool in a hurry and not conscious of the fact that everyone else in the shop is in a hurry too, pushes you. How would you feel at that very moment? Angry? Frustrated at the mindless person? No, not when you have found the abilty to laugh again. You would simply stand back and laugh at the situation because you know, after working so hard on improving yourself, that this push from this stranger is not a threat against you personally, but merely a threat to your emotion. And by simply standing back and laughing at the situation you will suddenly find a way to gain control of the situation and accept it for what it is. Nothing at all really. Just one more moment in the precious and rare existence we call life.

When you can accept that things like the person pushing you in a hot checkout lane are things that happen in life; when you can accept there are others in this world just as impatient and hot; when you can accept yourself then, and only then, can you discover a way to take control. You can see with all entirely how you can improve your personal life when you are in control. You will learn quickly how to discover your true self when you learn to accept.

I want to ask you a question now. Do you believe that when you, or someone you know, acts in a certain way that is the same way you act all the time, is your true identity? If you answered “no” to that question then give yourself a pat on the back – you are 100% correct. If you answered “yes” that’s okay but right here right now you need to understand that the belief that when someone acts the same way at all times means that that is their true identity is basically politically incorrect! The subject “Individuality is Personal” is merely a conclusion that has been exaggerated by many philosophers. Our personality reflects everyday on many changes, and the truth is each new day brings many new and exciting things with it, which are new changes for us. The world is plagued with influences, both good and bad, and because we all have actions, behaviors, thoughts and even emotions, our personality will never remain the same at all times because it reflects on these changes. 

Take a look around yourself and you will see just how many influences are surrounding you. Take a really long hard look and you will discover there are millions of them, if not billions! There is the television, the media, house-holds, the government, the schools, just to name a few, and it is these influences that has created the world in which you live in that has desensitised you. Something you have to accept is that somewhere at some time someone is judging someone else. It is a sad occurance but you cannot change these peoples behaviours and way of thinking, only they can do that for themselves. But you can change your own behaviour and way of thinking. This is part of the journey to improving your personal life and a big part of learning and accepting. And once you have learned how to change yourself for the better then sharing what you have learned with ours is a sure-fire way to help them begin the road to self-improvment in their personal life. But you can only do this if you are truly happy with your own life first, because your journey will rely totally on sources that prove truthful with their actions, and there’s no point preaching something to another person if you yourself don’t truly believe it. Positive reflections are the key to happiness in your life and by reflecting this postiveness onto others is the key to their way of changing and accepting. 

So again I repeat from ealier in this article, once you learn to accept that you cannot purposely change the behaviour of others, then you will feel the eagerness to laugh at someone who has just pushed you in the checkout lane. You will see the humour in the actions of someone who has made you angry. And if you make a mistake, you will see the humour in that mistake as well and see that life is full of mistakes because that is the only way you can truly ever learn.

You will certainly begin to feel so much better inside once you begin to see humour in life. It is a sad truth that there are so many greedy people involved with us in this unruly world – greedy, envious, lustful souls they are almost like tigers hunting others as prey. But if you can learn how to get along with these people, learn how to work with them, accept them for who they are, you will find moving on is a lot eaiser and smoother. Once you’ve master how to change yourself for the better, you will be suprised by how many people will want to follow suit. 

There will be a new feeling growing inside you as you grow as well, and this new feeling will be hunger because as you advance down your path to improvement you will hunger to continue discovering new ways to better yourself and find amzingly new things about yourself. You will simply become more inspired when you begin to feel this hunger burning inside you, and all you will need to do is embrace it in order to achieve your goals.

esteem or feel intimidated that may challenge your new self worth. They may make you start to doubt yourself or lose faith.

Don’t let it happen. Don’t lose faith in you. Don’t let someone else’s stuff get in the way of finding yourself. You have a journey to complete, keep going. If they truly love you they will support you and be right by your side not try to block you, pull you back or doom you to failure.

Be careful of the ones with no goals and content to stay where they are or scared of change. For change scares some people. Success can put fear into people. while you are reaching for the stars they are content to laying back just looking at them. Your reaching causes insecurity and instability. It could also make them feel you may move on and ahead.

That is their issue, their own stuff, not a reality unless they make it one. You can continue as a team unless their fear causes it to become fact. You have a purpose. The purpose is to become the best you that you can be. A person that truly respects you would only want that for you as well. For that is real love.

They would be right by your side on that journey, pulling you when it gets tough. Not pushing you down.

So be aware of who you have on your journey. where they stand while you are on it. It is your world. You are in control of it. Control who you let in it as well

being with the (wrong) person for the wrong reasons will definitely put you in an ackward situation in the latter part of your life. A disillusioned person failed (or refused to acknowledge) to see the true color of that other person, no matter how much bombardment, criticism and advice a person gets from her peers, relatives, co-workers.., they all knew his kind, except you(?).

So, alright, we all have this girlish fantasies, about true love, chemical connection thing and soulmate. Who is to blame, if one gets  persuaded by a guy who’d put his best foot forward to make you fall for him and “swept you off your feet”, without you knowing it?. Love is never blind, but  you pretended to be one, because you refuse to see the ugly truth about the endless possibilities with him in  the future. We believe in happy endings, and miracles. At least most girls are. We’d rather have distorted romantic notions than being realistic. My favorite line in a song “I’d rather have bad times with you, than good times with someone else…”. After all, relationships are made to put us in different state of mind, euphoria, elation, passive, anger, longingness, romantic, hatred…All of these human feelings make us alive, exciting, interesting and inspired that attains positive result (but at a certain point, it generates negative results, too).

Let me count the ways…  

I used to count the ways of how much I truly love thee…let me count the ways, I loved thee because you made me looked forward to waking up in the morning knowing you’d be there before the day would end. Our Sundays’ visit to church. The idea of having someone specially during  V-days and holidays, when all of your friends were busy planning their V-day getaway. You had someone when things went rough at your workplace. Someone to cheer you up when the day started gloomy and you simply woke up at the wrong side of the bed. In other words, he was a very good filler in your once empty and uninspired world. There may be other guys around, but they do not suffice, they may be great guys (than him) but they failed to fill the emptiness within….that, probably, explained the chemistry between two people, absurd but who knows it might hold true. His presence made a big impact and I was not the same person with him…..

when flame losts its ember…

when ember suddenly died, the possibility of rekindling its flame is next to impossible. We’ve seen failed marriages, aborted relationships everywhere, in our home, workplace, circle of friends….Mine went down the drain too. When to STOP? Once you had enough, and when you stopped growing up along with the person you’re with, and when you had nothing to give (afterall you’d exhausted everything), and the moment of truth that you can live your life without him, again, that’s an ugly truth but you both need to live with it. 

why do I hate thee now, let me count the ways…

You seemed to forget about the two-way traffic rule in a relationship. You were so self-absorbed, self-assured that everything’s alright. You refused to “listen” to what I have to say. Our world is getting smaller, yet you refused to acknowledge it, again, you’re so self-imposing and unfeeling. Sometimes, when a person has no more to give, to share and to live by, her world tends to close, humans defense mechanism, to block all the pain that’s starting to fill her persona. Living a bitter  life make one a living ghost. You don’t know that because you never opened your eyes and witness the other person’s sufferings. Love is humans nutrient, but when love dispersed, hatred will surface, and it becomes human’s vile, a poison, a venom to slowly kill the kindred spirit. You took it all away, the air that I breath, the space for me to grow, you took away all that I have, until there’s none left for me….Your presence is torturous, that I wanted to run away, where I couldn’t see it’s despicable aura. I want to grow back aagain, to feel the beauty of life and to experience all the wonderful things that life has to offer…without you.

What does it truly mean to “work”? Does it mean to toil? Progress? Does work even have to be hard or just how it compares to those that have the cushier variety of work as opposed to most working among the muck, cleaning up what the rest of us mess up? We all seem desperate to work; work on our skills, work in our jobs, our careers, our professions. People find themselves out of work and scrape what they can until something else comes along in order to be without homelessness, food nourishments, and clothing. The example of being set aside by society, as trash, left for dead and without compassion because they’ll say “it was their fault”, “they did this to themselves”, and “a shame they can’t provide for themselves”, a contradictory to when helping and supporting ourselves if the better choice and doing the same for our own kind.

Living Life might as be the only job where you get paid in pain. No surplus for when you have no friends.  No IRA’s or 401(K) for when you can’t even afford your own food or clothes. No bonuses if Heaven forbid you were raped and everyone treats you like the town whore for it. Forget any special benefits if you’re a veteran and the system is too fucking lazy to even give decent care for you when you proudly chose to hull over to another country or plain to protect their asses. Your dollars are the skin you sweat from toiling for nothing and the pennies rain from the blood other slit from you to take for themselves while held neatly together by the clip of your angry tears they want you to refer to as a “pretty bow”.

And if you’re me, there is no Hell. There is only My Hell or Your Hell or Their Hell or Our Hell; no imps pitch forking your ass over flowing reigns of fire while a red man goat surveys the place. Hell is what we make of it and the Earth we’ve made and the life we’ve made, and done to, of all kinds is in reality a “Bizarro” world where Bizzaro Superman would feel right at home in. Perfection is at its worse when we learn to begin to see our own worth and not strive for perfection but fall neatly back into the folds of the What Should’s and What If’s; try denying yourself that your not a masochist for it.

I bet if anyone does read this when they show some shred of care how they would think of what to say about this. For a young woman to be so angry, so enraged or how bad someone must’ve screwed me over and yet with any moment when she finds a little bit of hope, a little nosh of a better understanding of her self it all gets squished by the giant boot of those that know what’s good for her. Even if you talk to them about it and they say they do care about her and say that the answer is inside her; why the Hell are they saying the answer for her? Didn’t they teach her how to think for her self? Didn’t they show her that, yes, Life can be bad and is not always fair, but there is a way you can handle it and not drag yourself further into damnation? Maybe she should’ve gone to that school than the ones that exist now. I certainly never heard of such an education about life besides some good information that shows other the kind of education you “should” be showing and any random shit that has no purpose when you’re in the employment line or paying a debt conjured from conspiracy theories about the real motive of education in this country or other countries.

And yet despite how bad my life is for not being it what I desire it to be, I’m one of the rare types to not guzzle or pop illegal substances to numb it all, to say fuck it all even though it is something I do want to say at times honestly. That’s two blessings there. Might also count a third if I’m not humping everything that moves. Those things right there are a sure fire sign that someone else has to take hold of your life in order to save you. Not to worry, unless I do find a better answer for myself and my sense of this world again, I’ll keep harping like this until someone does grow some balls and admit there never was a one size fits all answer to it all and it all depends on what we do not what our neighbors or government enforcers do.

And one last thought I should put down that has been on my mind for years now: if I’ve been told before that I think Life is holding some big secret from me, then why not tell me what the fuckin’ secret is? What is the big Truth that this “bad guy” is keeping from me? That kind of snarky opinion certainly indicates they know everything. Maybe that’s the real Progress of Life if they share the wealth.

The funny thing for me is that before today day had even started, I was already in the place of knowing and choosing this particular outcome – so the news was no surprise. No, the news was just the natural tidy up of lose ends, burnt and beaded threads that had been flapping in the wind, slapping frantically against my bare skin, urging me to wake from a dream that had turned in to a nightmare.

Like I said – a weird one. The signs are always here. There’s always something going on. Always a truth that rumbles gently – or finally crashes around using every available method – until it’s noticed, and actioned. Co-incidence and serendipity – being in the flow – allowing and enjoying – when those are the kind sensations and experiences that fill my time, then I know I’m acting from my own inner wisdom. When there are struggles and difficulties, that’s when I know there’s a lesson to be learned – but it can sometimes take a while for me to heed the lesson, however good the outcome will be! Change, you see – even the good stuff can be daunting!

On Saturday I enjoyed a particularly helpful Skype conversation with a friend of mine (thanks, Grasshopper, you know who you are!) – one of those so called happy co-incidences, because we hadn’t spoken for ages and yet he’d popped in to my head just half an hour or so before I received his call. Concerned that I appeared somewhat troubled, he offered to take me through a new coaching process he’d been learning. Of course I agreed – I love this stuff, and was also keen to quieten the inner battles that had been tiring me. So, with his help, and with him acting as my guide and my witness, we walked through some of my core beliefs. To my surprise, it turned out that I still had the last vestiges of an old and deeply engrained parasitic belief that for years had been burrowed tick-like in to my being. The old and worn-out song that I’m not good enough. Small – tiny, in fact – but there none the less. So through our honest conversation, and following this new process, he helped me to at last release myself from the remaining defiant pincers that had, until that point, still kept a part of themselves embedded in to my flesh. Gotcha you sneaky, slippery little sucker! Phew. That feels better!

And, out of the blue, another co-incidental bit of help came my way this afternoon when I dropped in to see another friend on my way back from town. I’d expected to share a coffee and the usual welcoming, questioning female chats I enjoy so much with his wife – but she was out. So instead he and I sat in the sunshine discussing life, the universe and all that is – or was, or could be, or might still be. It was a delicious and most unforeseen pleasure I was least expecting – perhaps we drank too much of that really strong coffee – or perhaps it really was serendipity. I don’t know for sure. But the resulting free-flow of conversation was both surprising and enlightening – and a most unexpected gift.

He spoke to me, quite candidly, about the ‘inferno’ that he (and others) recognise burns within me – insistent, voracious, and on occasions somewhat threatening to others. He spoke about my constant drive to search, adventure, test, push, overcome and bloody well ‘do’ more than is necessary. He pointed out that (my nature being as it is) I am likely to always continue along that path in one way or another. I spoke about the concept that we all seek ‘witnesses’ in our life – people who can share our experiences, people who validate our opinions through agreement or variation. We both explored the idea that without feedback and conversation (listening, speaking, sharing, comparing) we confine ourselves to a grey, one-dimentional palette that limits our experiences. He also threw me some facts and posed me some questions, likening the human journey to the swinging of a pendulum.

Enjoying the coffee and sunshine, together we discussed the notion that, like a pendulum, when we surge in positivity (or negativity) the natural course of nature’s law is that we’ll experience the same in the alternate spectrum – the equal and opposite natural swing and balance of life. Indeed, a notion that for years I’ve shared with those who care to listen – and also with those who (in my younger years when all this inner-game stuff was a new obsession) I would corner and pester until either they understood the point I was making or would simply walk away. Yup, I guess you could say I’ve always been a little intense!

My friend gave me some wise and honest advice, based on his observations of me over the eight years that I’ve lived here in France and had the honour to call him my friend. Not usually one for speaking out, it came as a welcome surprise to hear his well thought out opinion. He suggested that my challenge is to find the normality within the wild swinging of the pendulum that has, until now, been the blueprint of my existence. To seek the normality as the pendulum speeds over it again and again. To notice exactly what normality is, and to enjoy it. The wry and knowing smile spoke volumes “those who find it say it’s much closer than most people think… isn’t that the stuff you study and teach Mel?”

His advice beautifully mirrors that of a conscious and very personal intention I made public a short while ago – my decision, my choice, my declaration to now live my life for me - for Mel Pledger, age 46 and a quarter. To find out, from a place of safety, who I really am. To put myself first and to heed my inner self. To let my intuition grow, thrive, and guide me. Because, no longer willing to play “the fighter” or “the survivor”… I’ve realised that I’ve finally “done it”. I’ve made it through. I AM enough (I always was - doh! - don’t you hate it when that happens?) and now my  conscious focus is to enjoy my life. To appreciate the here and now. To wake up and smell the coffee, or slow down and admire the roses – whatever phrase we choose… whatever pace we enjoy.

My friend, today, was advising me just to be me – to enjoy the ‘normality’ that is actually what life is about. I shared with him my understanding of who I think I really am, how I really choose to enjoy my live – which is to live a simple life, to love and to be loved. My friend smiled.

And guess what, as I’m typing these words, the track that’s just started playing in the background right now (as if by coincidence?) is one of my all time favourite tracks that alway signals forward movement for me – Eddie Reader’s “I’m In The Right Place Now”… as I said at the beginning, funny ain’t it?

I have a feeling that I’ll always be an adventurer. I’ll always seek more from life. I’ll question, I’ll analyse, I’ll push, I’ll prod, I’ll poke… I’ll piss people off – and help others to find their pathway… and you know what? I’ll always keep finding more to excite and engage me. I already have the best memory albums of life’s travels – and there’s plenty more space to fill. Bring it on – gently and steadily from now on please.

The news I started this post with, is that the Journeyman I spoke of in a previous post has gone his own way. It’s certainly true that he has taught me much – mainly that I’m worth so much more than I would have settled for. So, to you, Journeyman, I thank you, I release you, and I set you free. Class complete. See you in another lifetime my friend – our work here together this time around is done.

While material possession, undoubtedly, will give you  quality of life and the liberty to choose your own way of living, experience has provided innumerous examples on how they cannot give you happiness.

In my view happiness is a state of mind and body (if unhealthy, unnourished, and in miserable condition, no positive thinking will help to make you happy. Mind and body should be in balance),it is an attitude, it is inward and not outward. It is a choice you make. It is a seed you cultivate with patience and care from the early years of your life till you get old and wrinkled.

In my opinion, the best gift parents can make to their children is to teach them right from the start an attitude of appreciation, generosity, persistence and optimism. With this done you can be sure you have set them on the right way to happiness.

To illustrate how wrong our attitudes towards happiness are I have chosen two little but meaningful stories.

The nursing home room

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. “I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. “Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room …. just wait.” “That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged … it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it … It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away … just for this time in my life.”

The lost keys

An old man had dropped his house keys. He was searching for them desperately in the garden but with no success. His young, next door neighbor, watching the scene approached him and asked what he was looking for. The man told him he was looking for his keys. The polite neighbor offered to help and together they kept searching for some time.

After a while the neighbor asked he old man where exactly had he dropped the keys, so they could narrow the range. To his surprise the old man answered he had dropped them inside the house.

The young guy asked puzzled: “But then why are you looking for them here, outside?”. “You will never find them”.

“Well,-said the old man,-“There is dark inside the house, so I came search here in the light”.

Many times we behave like the old man, we look for our lost happiness where the bright lights are, sadly though it isn’t there to be found. 

 A step into your unconscious mind might help you to realise why you have not yet achieved what you think you want.

 Relax and imagine yourself fulfilled and successful. Then home in on any niggling doubts and discomforts. Talk to yourself about the way you feel. It is best to do this out loud. 

You may be surprised by some of the reservations that surface. You may even come to appreciate that there was a sound reason why you never really tried to achieve these dreams. You may even gain much more respect for your selves – both the self that has so far “failed” to live up to expectations and the self that constantly “sabotaged” you to prevent you from doing anything so foolish. 

Sometimes we can identify obstacles that are preventing us from doing what we want. And sometimes we suddenly realise that we do not want what we thought we wanted – or that the real obstacles are not the ones we had imagined. 

There are several different ways of tackling this problem. You can be purely logical, drawing three circles on your paper and writing in one all the things you want. 

In the second, write all the things that will be better if you get what you want. 

In the third, write all the things that could make you regret your success.

Then you can, if you wish, use this relaxation technique to enter the meditative state. 

Imagine yourself sitting in the woods or in a beautiful garden. Enjoy the view, the flowers, the scents and sounds of birds and insects and wait quietly until someone or something comes to you. 

This will be your wiser self. 

Ask it what you can do to improve your life. Talk about your hopes and dreams. Discuss the various possibilities that are open to you. Ask frankly about the things that worry you and do not dismiss the first answers that come to mind. Do not distract yourself with worries about it all being rather silly and nothing more than imagination.

Your right brain IS imagination. It has spent many years observing, recording, amassing and collating information whilst your conscious mind has been too busy to notice. You are simply learning to use a new skill, to access lost files. 

It is rather like a computer with a special files protected to prevent you erasing material that is of crucial importance. You will only be able to access and rearrange it when you have achieved a certain level of competence and can be trusted to know its worth.

Here is a simple but fascinating exercise to begin with:- 

Take a sheet of paper and draw your ideal home. Put in a dwelling place, a garden, a path and two animals nearby. You can make it as basic as you like, or you can take time to put in loving detail. It is your dream. It does not matter how limited your artistic talent. Just have fun. You did it as a child and you have not forgotten how. 

Then sit quietly and look at what you have drawn. What does it tell you about yourself ? Examine any thought that comes to mind. Don’t censor anything. Enjoy the luxury of being as imaginative as you like. 

Here are descriptions of examples of the work of members of a self-discovery group I worked with last year:- 

Jenny is a painter. Her picture is quite delightful. In front of a small, round hut is a garden of vegetables and prickly, low-growing bushes. Behind is a lake-shore with palm trees. The hut is primitive, built of woven wattle with a palm-thatched roof. The door is stout wood, firmly closed. The windows are barred. In the foreground are two animals, one on each side, looking strangely heraldic. A cobra rears its hooded head on the left. A scaly ant-eater guards the right. The artist has elaborated beautifully on her tropical paradise home, showing the sunlight on the lake with a golden path of shimmering dashes across the water. She has coloured the snake and armadillo with bright mosaic scales. 

It is not until we have thought long and hard that we are able to see beyond the enchantment conjured up by a brilliant painter. But then we start to ask questions. Why is the house so isolated and so small? Why is there only room for one person here? Why are the windows barred and the door so stout? Why is the garden planted with prickly shrubs? Why do the two heraldic beasts seem to be on guard on either side of the entrance? Surely this is the home of a person who does not welcome company? What does she fear? 

In contrast, Alec’s drawing is childishly simple.  It shows a huge, square, stone house between two bare, gloomy hills. Behind them a black beetle-like tramp steamer pursues a wavering course across an otherwise empty sea. 

It is no surprise to meet the dour, joyless, lonely man who drew it. But we can also appreciate that the house is solid and safe and has the potential to be a comfortable family home, while the battered and ugly ship is setting out doggedly on hazardous seas with a real destination in mind. 

Waleed has drawn a tent in an oasis. Around it the sun burns down relentlessly on barren sand. 

He explains, guilelessly, that he has lived in vast marble palaces with beautiful gardens, fountains and paved walks. “But for myself, I would want a simple life, with my woman and my God.” These sincere words throw a new light on the sleekly handsome Arab entrepreneur. 

What does your picture tell you about where you are starting from on your quest to find your true self? 

Suspend your natural scepticism and think about your right brain, stuffed with knowledge it can only communicate to you through symbols such as these.