PM 026: Spiritual Goals For The Atheist

Episode Description

#026 Hi there, my name is Ann Théato and I am here to teach you proven techniques for spiritual and psychic development from the comfort of your own home. I’m also here to investigate the teachings of experts across the globe, to bring you their wisdom, their advice and their spiritual wealth.

In this episode, I’ve drawn upon advice from some of the world’s great leaders, high achievers and warriors.  That’s warrior.  Not worrier!  Let’s all toughen our mindset, learn how to adapt quickly to every new circumstance, and refocus on our goals and on what we want to bring into our lives, so that we can enjoy each moment of the next 12 months.

DEAF FRIENDLY: If you'd like to get the links & show notes, including a complete transcription, head to www.anntheato.com.

Transcript

Hello everybody! My name is Ann Théato and welcome to the Psychic Matters Podcast – episode number 26.

What a year it has been – full of challenges for absolutely everybody and I think the big lesson that we are all taking away from this year, is that we’ve learned how important we all are to each other.  2021 looks like it could be another very challenging year, especially in the first half, and to not just get through it, but to thoroughly enjoy it, and all the potential it holds for good times, adventures, learning, excitement, love, friendships, gatherings and separations, we each need to be mentally ready.

In this episode, I’ve drawn upon advice from some of the world’s great leaders, high achievers and warriors.  That’s warrior.  Not worrier!  Let’s all toughen our mindset, learn how to adapt quickly to every new circumstance, and refocus on our goals and on what we want to bring into our lives, so that we can enjoy each moment of the next 12 months.

Let’s talk first about mindset and self-worth.  Cultivating mental resilience provides you with an incredible advantage.  Building up your ability to stick it out, whilst those around you give way, you are setting yourself up for success. Be like the navy seals – don’t quit!  Winston Churchill famously advised, “If you are going through hell, keep going.”  But how do we keep going when life is really challenging?  Simple.  The key is this: Don’t anticipate future failure.  Decide right in the here and now, that you won’t quit.  Decision made.  Now there is no woollyness, no wonder if you might, worry if you can’t.  You’ve drawn a line in the sand, you’ve made your decision. The future for all of us – it does hold pain, it does hold loss, grief, sickness, separation, it does hold huge disappointments like here in the UK when Christmas was cancelled by our Government with 7 hours notice and we all ranted and raved and shook our fists and cried (especially me) and spoke of our losses to anyone and anyone who would listen to us…  But there’s the thing, we’re not trying to be free of our “stuff” – we’re trying to justify keeping it.  The quicker we can accept the change in circumstances – any circumstances – the quicker we can let go of any anger, pain or loss around it – we can accept that this is the new now, and we can advance in that direction, with the least pain possible.  There is suffering in the holding on, suffering in the wishing that things were different, suffering in the gossiping with other people and getting them to indulge you in allowing you to express your anger, pain or disbelief – all that just generates more pain and keeps you wallowing in the anger and sadness.  It is the lack of acceptance that holds all our pain.  Decide now to keep going – decide now that you have ultimate confidence in your own abilities, that you can do more than you even think you can do, despite any mental or physical challenges that may come your way this year. Use your power of choice in the now, to decide that you can make it through even the most of challenging of times.  To quote Henry Ford, “whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”

What is inside of you?  Not every activity is meant to be fun.  Not every day is meant to be fun.  If we want to achieve something, we are going to have to put the work in. If you think that the work required to get to where you want to go is something you don’t even what to think about – then you are setting yourself up to fail. Don’t fail.  Set yourself up to succeed.  To succeed, you decide that you will put yourself through discomfort and that discomfort is good. Honour the struggle – don’t moan or complain about it.  The challenges that require struggle forges you in a better skillset and more mastery and a better ability to serve others.  Force your brain to operate in suffer mode – say to yourself, ‘this is what we do now’ – it’s just a step on the road to reaching your goal.  Feel victory by putting yourself into battle.  You won’t get tough in a comfortable environment.  You NEED discomfort to grow and expand.  Welcome it. Embrace it. Make discomfort your friend.  If you are afraid of pain, you will try harder to protect yourself from it.  We have to learn to transcend the tendency to avoid pain – let it pass through you – allow yourself to feel it, then relax and breathe deeply.  Pain is the price of freedom.

Our thoughts – what are they?  They are just energy.  Your beliefs are clusters of your thoughts that have built up momentum over time. Take a good long look at your beliefs.  Where did they come from?  Did they originate from you? Or from your parents?  Or from society?  Limited beliefs come from fear – where did you learn to fear? Decide not to fight with life – realise and accept that life is not under your control. Our most primal energy flow is the survival instinct.  Growth happens when there is only one of you inside – there is not a part that is scared and a part that is protecting that part that is scared – all parts of you are unified.  The minute you feel yourself getting defensive, stop. Let go. Breath. The thoughts you predominantly think, dictate the reality you experience.  Refocus your mind on what feels good. Don’t allow your ego to talk you out of receiving or say you are not skilled enough.  We are not here to remain small.

Focus on your goals this year.  What are they? How are you serving the world?  How would you like to serve the world? What does the world need that your talent can provide?  You cannot live someone else’s dream – you cannot be anyone you want to be – you have to be you. I’ve said it before – if you don’t live your dreams, someone will hire you to make theirs come true.

What are you starving for in your life?  Are you starving nutritionally, mentally, emotionally or spiritually?  Are you listening to your heart or are you living according to a pre-conceived idea of what your life was supposed to be like?  Are you starving for experience or are you constantly trying to protect yourself from all the changes your heart is calling you to make? Take time to be silent – hear what your body wants to tell you, then add what is missing.

We need more than ever to revitalise.  If we are feeling fat, tired, exhausted, if we have low energy or negative thinking, it is time to make a change.  Spend time in nature.  Sunlight, fresh air, fresh water, trees and mountains, grass, local parks, flowers, all possess their own energy and we absorb it when we are in their presence.  We may need to eat more live and vibrant foods.  Our bodies crave light energy that comes from the sun.  Foods high in Vitamin D are our best source of sunlight. The greener the food the better, salad, spinach, wheatgrass – foods that are chlorophyll rich – all will revitalise us.

Vision without action is a daydream.  Action without vision is a nightmare.  So, you’ve decided to keep going, no matter what.  Set your destination:

You do not have to see the whole path ahead of you.  Like driving at night – where you can only see a little bit of the road in the headlamps – trust that the road will open up and that you will navigate each bend with ease, until you reach your destination.  Take one step forward.  Trust that the next step will then be revealed.  How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time! When we are faced with a daunting task, we often feel frightened or daunted and when we experience the fear, we stop.  Take your challenge, one tiny step at a time, focus on the next objective, achieve that, then focus on the next. Break it down into bite-sized objectives.

Ask Who in the world is best at this?  Then try to study those people. Adopt a role model mindset – study leadership – the great people of life – biographies, leaders, warriors.  Whether you like it or not, you are an example.  What of?  What would your answers be if you sit down right now and ask yourself what am I an example of?  Are you a role model?  Whatever you do – passionately commit to doing it to the best of your ability.  Ask yourself – how can I do this with excellence?. Am I doing this well?  But  take action – inaction is exhausting!

How do you get results?  Results come from massive relentless action. You have to love momentum.  An object in motion stays in motion – keep going.  And play for MASTERY not dabbling. Parent yourself, be kind to the future you. Discipline is the route to change and remember, you are only ever competing against the person you used to be.

YOU are the power plant – you generate energy – use your will and your energy to get better and better at what you do.  Are you acting or reacting? Don’t be a reflection of the energy around you.  Don’t be around people who can’t control their energy. Guard your time and don’t let other people monopolise it. Don’t allow negative people to steal your time and energy. Listen to music that reduces your stress. Take back your power by limiting the amount of time you spend talking about or thinking about unpleasant people. Seek out positive people – they will rub off on you and brighten your spirits.

Keep your mobile phone out of the bedroom and get a radio alarm clock instead. First thing in the morning, do something for YOU.  Something that will build you up for the day.  Don’t lie in bed scrolling through your phone reading emails.  Emails are just other people’s priorities!  Why would you want to answer to everyone else, before you do something for yourself.  Put yourself first each and every day and reclaim the day.  Get up, have breakfast, walk the dog, meditate for ten minutes – whatever your morning routine is, do it for you first. Then turn on the computer.  Also, drop your expectations of expecting instant replies from other people.  Just because we are at the other end of a phone, we don’t always have time to respond.  Just because you’ve seen that someone has read your WhatsApp message of your Facebook Messenger message, it doesn’t mean that they have time to respond to you in that moment. People are busy.  They don’t have time for you.  It’s not personal, if it’s urgent, call them.  Speak to them.  Speak to them directly on a one to one.  Like we used to in the good old days.  I have got about 27 different ways of people getting hold of me at the moment.  I’ve got five or six different email addresses, I’ve got WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, etc., etc., etc., there are just so many different ways people can get hold of me on the phone, by text message...  and years ago, if you didn’t want to speak to someone, you just took the phone off the hook.  That’s all you had to do… There wasn’t an answer message – you know if somebody phoned you on the landline, and you left the phone off the hook, it didn’t go to an ansaphone machine, you just couldn’t get through to that person.  Oh God be with the days when we could be left alone. If I wanted to call my friend Catherine, I tell this story to my kids, if I if I wanted to call my friend Catherine, she's my oldest friend in the world, I met her when I was seven, she lives in Ireland, and I've always lived in England, and years ago if I wanted to call her, this was all through my 20s, I would write her a letter which would go by snail mail.  It would be delivered to her mothers’ house, her mother would give her the letter, and then I would say to her, I will telephone the phone box at the end of the road where she, where my friend Catherine lives, I'll phone you on Thursday at let's say 8:00 PM, and then at Thursday 8:00 PM I would make a note in my diary, and I telephoned the phone box and then my friend Catherine would be waiting to pick up the phone.  That's how we spoke to each other.  It took a while to sort it out and if it all went wrong, it all went wrong, and sometimes it did go wrong, because other people would be using the  phone box, but just lower your expectations.  Other people are busy and lower your expectations for instantaneous responses, it's not fair.  It’s not fair on the people you're sort of hassling for a response and it's not fair on you, when it's you who is the person who's being hassled.

DECLUTTER – get rid of all those old photographs in your computer.  Declutter your email inbox.  Get rid of people on Facebook – those people whom you have no idea how they became your friend.  Having your environment in order, frees up your mental capacity and allows energy to flow. Wherever you spend a lot of time – needs to feel good, wonderful, fabulous to be in.  The more you love the space you are in, the higher your energy will be.  Make room for your goals to manifest.  Write a list of all the rooms in your house. Add the car, the garage, your purse, your wallet, handbag.  Put on music you love, burn some incense and get rid of everything that no longer serves you.

DETOX from negativity and things that drain you.  It might be people, the news, Facebook or social media, family or friends. Instead, spend time with people who lift you up and who believe in you and your dreams. As human beings, we are very social creatures – find your tribe – find that group of people who share similar visions and values to you. Redefine who your family is. Who brings you the greatest joy? Who supports you through thick and thin? Who wants the very best for you?  Who calls to see how you are? Who suggests meeting up? Who is your intellectual sparring partner?  Who brings you courage and love?

DIFFICULT DAYS – How do you get through a difficult day?  A day that overwhelms. When everything is going wrong and nothing is going right?  First, know that this is perfectly normal.  And that it’s okay.  You can’t fire an arrow unless you pull back the bow.  These days are just as important as the days when you get loads done.  The easiest way to get through these days is to go with them.  Nap, bathe, accept.  It’s important to do nothing sometimes. The failure to create space to think can cripple our ability to perform well and succeed. We must create time and space for deeper contemplation.  Unending stimulation hampers the capacity for thought.  It is important for us to take time to do nothing.  This helps us to create time for the conscious mind to take a mental break.  This in turn, will increase productivity, replenish attention, solidify memories and encourage creativity.  It is only by looking out the window can we do the looking in.  Leonardo Da Vinci had a bed in his studio and when patrons accused him of wasting time he said, “If I don’t do this, you don’t get the work.”. If you have things that are playing on your mind, don’t try and work them out in your conscious mind – it can be exhausting.  Instead, take a bath, shine some shoes, wash some dishes, dust the house, clean out the hamster, enter a state of low cortical awareness – consciousness steps down a gear while you are doing a relatively menial task, which gives time for your subconscious to work on a problem.  

You have a phenomenal amount of energy inside of you.  It is always available to draw from. Everything that happens inside us requires energy.  Creating new thoughts or holding onto old ones, requires us to expend energy. When we are in love or excited about new ideas, we can sometimes be so filled with energy it is hard to contain it.  Sometimes, we feel so completely drained of energy, especially if we have been around negative people or situations that bring our mood down.  We can block our own energy by closing our heart and mind, where we hide in the darkness and pull ourselves into a restrictive space inside.  But energy cannot flow this way and this way, we are allowing the outside world to influence our own energetic field.  We can train ourselves to look after our energy flow and to never leave our energy flow to chance. Be open to all situations – if you have a difficult day, ask yourself do you really want to cut off your own energy flow – learn to stay open no matter what happens.  Take the control back. Control your own energy flow. On the difficult days, say to yourself that you will not close off your energy; relax into the situation; let it take place and just with there with it and you will have all the energy you need.

Every day, write down 3 things you are grateful for.  A smile with your neighbour over the garden fence; the coolness of the breeze on your face as you walk your dog; the bitter taste of hot coffee in the early morning.  This will keep your morale high, creating positivity every day. No matter how depressed I have been, there is always something tiny, something small I can cling to, which is positive.

Money – making money doesn’t take brains.  Some of the biggest fools I know are the wealthiest.  You need to spend money – keep the flow going – spend some save some.   Spend your money on things that make you happy and things you want to eat! Spend on things that make you feel good.  Know that money is always on its way to you.  Ignoring your money, is like telling yourself it’s not important – that you don’t want it.  Of course you want it – so get intimate with it – check your bank balance every day.  Know what bills are going out of your account every day, know what income is coming in.  Keep track of every cent or penny.  But do it in a happy way – put on music, burn some incense, burn a candle or essential oil.  Enjoy it. Success is only 5% ability. Chance and getting a break are the most important – Oprah Winfrey said ‘luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.  

Every day, keep an unwavering belief that your desires are a done deal.  Focus your mindset.  Begin to write down every day, evidence that the world working with you.  Bullet-point any manifesting evidence from the day before.  Journal any new and unexpected money that comes in, any new opportunities, people you met who help you towards your goals – start noticing the world and how it is working with you. This will help good feelings to increase.

Visualise your success.  Whatever it is you want to achieve, spend some time every day, using visualisation and see yourself as having achieved that goal.  Scientific evidence has shown that visualisation is a powerful tool for self-improvement. In studies, basketball players improved their free-throw accuracy by 23% from just visualising the free-throws!  Engage all your senses and make it as real an experience as possible, feel it, sense it, smell it, watch it, taste it, breathe it , live it.  Run it through in your head over and over again and watch yourself in a state of effortless success. When we visualise something we are priming ourselves to take action.  We are telling our subconscious mind to figure out how to get the thing we are visualising.  As a result, we feel a pull to obtain the object of our desire.  visualisation triggers motivation.  It mobilises the unconscious mind to help you accomplish your goals and clarifies the direction you want to head in.  All of humanity’s greatest achievements started as an image in someone’s mind.  Airplanes, computers, cars – all were the product of visualisation.  Give your mind the right instructions and there are few things it cannot do.

I hope you have enjoyed this episode and if you’d like to carry on the conversation, please write a post on our Psychic Matters Podcast Facebook Group Page – I’d love to hear from you!

If you’d like some practice with visualisation – head to my website, www.anntheato.com as I have some audio tracks for sale which you might find incredibly useful and also a complete transcript of this episode can be found on the show notes under podcasts.

It just remains for me to say a very big thank you to all of you, for supporting my podcast this year.  I started just ten months ago and I’m absolutely thrilled to have achieved just over 11,000 downloads so far.  I really appreciate your listening ears and if you have enjoyed what I’ve produced this year for you, as a gift back to me, I’d love it if you would leave a written review on either Apple podcasts or Stitcher.  Written reviews hep the podcast move up the podcast charts and with your help, it’s possible that Psychic Matters might reach number 1 in the charts in 2021.  I’ll certainly start visualising that right away.

Here is to a wonderful year ahead for all of us… my name is Ann Théato and thank you for listening to PSYCHIC MATTERS!