Ask and You Shall Receive: 8 Things to Consider When Seeking Answers to Your Prayers

If you haven’t been getting answers to your prayers, here are 8 things to consider before assuming that God is not listening to you…

"Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." -John 16:24

All throughout the Bible, we are repeatedly told that if we simply "ask" of God, that we will "receive" anything in line with His will (Matthew 7:7, 21:22, James 4:2, John 16:24). However, when we ask God for anything, there are a few things we should keep in mind when asking:

1. We must be living in obedience and in alignment with God's word and will.

In order to receive what we ask for, we must be obeying God and living in alignment with His word. The Bible tells us that "If our consciences are clear, we can receive from Him anything that we ask, because we are obeying Him and doing the things that please Him" 1 John 3:21-22. We must be obeying God, and following His commands in order for our lives to be blessed.

I love what it says in Psalm 84:11. We are told that, "the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless." That verse tells us that when you honor Him, there's not a single good thing that He will withhold from you! How great it that!?

"If our consciences are clear, we can come to the Lord with perfect assurance and trust, and get whatever we ask for because we are obeying Him and doing the things that please Him." 1 John 3:22

Deuteronomy 28 tells us all the blessings that will occur in our lives if we simply choose to surrender our ways, and instead follow God's perfect way. It says: "If you fully obey the LORD your God by keeping all the commands I am giving you today, the LORD your God will exalt you above all the nations of the world. You will experience all these blessings if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in your towns and in the country. You will be blessed with many children and productive fields. You will be blessed with fertile herds and flocks. You will be blessed with baskets overflowing with fruit, and with kneading bowls filled with bread. You will be blessed wherever you go, both in coming and in going. The LORD will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven! The LORD will bless everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. If you obey the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways, the LORD will establish you as his holy people as he solemnly promised to do. Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the LORD, and they will stand in awe of you. The LORD will give you an abundance of good things in the land he swore to give your ancestors -- many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops. The LORD will send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury in the heavens to bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them. If you listen to these commands of the LORD your God and carefully obey them, the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always have the upper hand. You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today to follow after other gods and worship them." In other words, when we obey God, Good things Happen!! God has given us the choice. He's given us the choice to be blessed or not. His word tells us, "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses...Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!" (Deuteronomy 30:19).

When we obey God, good things happen! When we obey God, our lives our blessed.

You may think that obeying God is difficult, but Jesus said that through Him, "ALL Things are POSSIBLE" (Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27). He can give you the strength and ability to live in a way that is pleasing to God. Not only that, but when you ask yourself, "Is it worth it to suffer the consequences for my own stupid actions?" versus, "Is it worth it to suffer through the difficulty of making the right choice even when it isn't easy, but reap the benefits later?" I think you'll find the latter is much more rewarding. Either way we're going to experience a little discomfort and pain in this life--because we live in an imperfect world--but would you rather suffer the consequences of sin and doing the wrong thing, or suffer the temporary discomfort that sometimes comes along with doing the right thing, and then reap all the benefits of that wise decision later? I think you'll agree that making the wise decision, even if difficult, is by far more worth it in the end!

With God, All things Are Possible.

2. We must be free from sin in our life.

In 1 Timothy 2:8 (TLB) Timothy tells us, "I want men everywhere to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from sin and anger and resentment." The Bible tells us that if we want to see answers to our prayers, that we must be free from sin in our lives. Please note: This does not mean we have to be perfect! It simply means that God wants us to confess our sins to Him and ask for forgiveness if we want to see an answer. Psalm 66:8 says, "If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." Seeking answers to our prayers is not about being perfect, but simply asking God for the forgiveness when we do fall into sin. Remember that "if you sin, there is someone to plead for you before the Father. His name is Jesus Christ, the one who is all that is good and who pleases God completely" (1 John 2:1-2).

3. We must be Seeking God's Love more than anything.

The Bible tells us to "seek first the Kingdom of God, and all else will be given to you besides" (Matthew 6:33). A similar verse tells us to, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need" (Luke 12:31). We are to seek Him first, and above all else if we expect for our needs to be met. When we seek God's love above anything else, He answers us in amazing ways and blesses our lives like never before. Psalm 37:4-5 tells us to, "Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.”

"Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” - Psalm 37:4

4. We must be Persistent 

I love the story Jesus tells His disciples when He was teaching them the importance of being persistent in prayer: "Teaching them more about prayer, Jesus used this story: "Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you" (Luke 11:5-9).

God wants us to keep on praying until we see an answer! His word tells us to, "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7). If we want to see answers, we MUST be persistent in prayer!

Many people give up on praying and don't see an answer to their prayer without realizing that they have given up on praying too quickly! A good acronym to live by when it comes to prayer is "P.U.S.H" or "Pray Until Something Happens!" Be persistent in prayer and keep praying until you see an answer!

Keep on praying until you see an answer!

5. We must be Patient.

So often when we ask God for something, we ask and then expect--"POOF"--an immediate change to occur. Sometimes we do see amazing changes happen almost instantaneously, or overnight, but most often we see answers to our prayers after our faith has had a chance to grow in patience. Sometimes God doesn't allow our prayers to be answered right away because there is some work He wants to do in us to prepare us first. Sometimes He doesn't answer right away because He wants to test our faith. He wants to make sure we don't just give up on Him when we don't see immediate change or when answers don't go our way, or as we would have hoped or expected for. 1 Peter 1:7 tells us, "These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold -- and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. "

James 1:2-4 (TLB) says that we are to "be happy when the way is rough, because it gives [your] patience a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don't try to squirm out of [your] problems. For when [your] patience is finally in full bloom, then [you] will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete." We need to be patient when it comes to receiving an answer for our prayers, because it's in this time that God is working in us, and preparing us for all that He has in store for us.

Be patient in prayer.

6. We must have Faith.

"When you ask for something, don't have any doubts… A person who has doubts shouldn't expect to receive anything from the Lord." –James 1:6-7

God’s word is clear that in order to receive an answer to our prayers, that we must have FAITH and be free of doubt. James 1:6-7 (God's Word) tells us that, "When you ask for something, don't have any doubts." A person who doubts is like a wave that is blown by the wind and tossed by the sea. A person who has doubts shouldn't expect to receive anything from the Lord." 

In order to see answers to our prayers, we MUST believe and trust in God and His ability to do ANYTHING.

 “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”

 Any time there is a story in the Bible of Jesus curing the sick, healing the blind, the lepers, the paralyzed, or the lame, Jesus always makes the remark that it was their faith that healed them. Time and time again, any time Jesus healed someone, He remarked that it was their faith that healed them (Mark 10:52, Luke 7:50, Mark 5:43). And what exactly is faith? Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (NIV). Faith is believing without seeing. It is believing that God is working on your behalf “behind the scenes” in the spiritual realm, without necessarily having to see any result in the physical realm. Here are some biblical examples of the importance of faith when it comes to receiving healing or answers to our prayers:

"And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith” (Matthew 21:22).

"By your faith it shall be done" (Matthew 9:29, 15:28, 8:13).

"Your faith has healed you" (Mark 10:52, Luke 7:50).

"And whatever you ask for in prayer, having faith and [really] believing, you will receive" (Matthew 21: 22).

Notice that the faith always precedes the miracle, the healing, or the answer to our prayers. Faith, it seems, is the key to unlocking miracles, seeing God’s power at work in our lives, and receiving answers to our prayers.

Faith always precedes the miracle, the healing, or the answer to our prayers. Faith is the key to unlocking miracles and receiving answers to our prayers.

And here’s the cool thing about faith: If we are lacking in faith (If we are having trouble believing God's word and His promises are true), the cool thing is that we can get more of it. “How?” you might ask. Well, the Bible tells us first of all that faith comes by hearing, listening to, and spending time in God’s word (Romans 10:12), as well as God’s Holy Spirit working in us (1 Corinthians 12:8-11). So if we need more faith, we can spend time focusing on God’s promises to us which can inspire and revive our faith in God’s ability to do anything, or we can simply ask God and pray for more of His faith-giving, live-giving Spirit. His word tells us He will give His Holy Spirit to anyone who asks (Luke 11:13).

I want to share a Biblical story with you to display just how important faith is; especially when it comes to seeing answers to our prayers or miracles in our lives. The story can be found in Mark 9:21-25 where it tells of Jesus healing a man’s son who is possessed:

“Jesus asked the boy’s father, ‘How long has he been like this?’

‘From childhood,’ he answered. ‘It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.’

‘If you can?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for one who believes.’

 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. ‘You deaf and mute spirit,’ he said, ‘I command you, come out of him and never enter him again’” (Mark 9:21-25).

Notice that the man was lacking in faith. He doubted God’s ability to even heal his son, and yet he asked, “Help me to overcome my belief” and God performed the miracle for Him. We must have faith in order to see answers, and we can ask God for more if we are lacking it.

After Jesus drove out the demon, His disciples came to him asking: “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” And Jesus replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:19-20). This verse tells us that even a little faith, even if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, that we can “move mountains.”

Something I encourage you to do, as an act and display of your faith, is to start praising God in advance for the answer you are about to receive. Instead of moping around and asking “Why haven’t you answered me yet God?!?” Start praising Him in advance as an act of faith, start saying “Thank you Lord for pulling through in an amazing way! Thank you Lord for _____ (fill in the blank).” Start praising him in advance and I can guarantee you’re going to see results, and even if you don’t see an immediate answer, you’re going to feel a lot happier because praising God gets you in a mindset of gratitude. You may even come to realize that you no longer desire what you were asking for, because the praise elevated your mindset to being completely content without whatever it is that you were asking for. Remember what it says in Philippians 4:6: It tells us to not worry about anything, but instead pray about everything, and with both petition and thanksgiving we are to present our requests to God. We are to be thankful even before we see an answer to our prayers. 

"And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”       -Matthew 21:22

7. We must ask in Jesus' Name.

God tells us that, "You can ask for anything in my (Jesus') name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father" (John 14:13)

"Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy." John 16:24- Another translation reads, "Your joy will be full" or, "your joy will be made complete."

"You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it…” -John 14:13

8. Just ask.
James 4:2 tells us that "the reason you don't have is because you don't ask." God is just waiting to show you His kindness and favor; all you have to do is ask for it! If you haven't already done so, get to it! Don't miss out on all the favor and blessings of God's amazing love. Just ask, and you will receive ;-)

"I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!" -Isaiah 65:24

Last but not least, it’s important to know that God’s grace surpasses our mistakes and our actions. This post was not written to act as a get-your-prayers-answered checklist. We can’t earn answers to our prayers, or bribe God to answer them the way we would like! (See Deuteronomy 10:17) His love and grace (His undeserved kindness) towards us are not something that we can earn! Sometimes all you need to do is rely upon God’s grace, and find peace knowing that although it’s important to obey God, there’s nothing you can do to “earn” His love, kindness, or answers to your prayers. Just ask, believe, and receive, be patient, and have peace in knowing that the answer is on it’s way.

I hope you know and feel for yourself how much God loves you, I hope you found this post helpful, and I hope you all have a wonderful week! God bless! :)

Letting Go of the "Unchangeable"

I was contemplating this morning how in the past I've tried so hard to change things in my life that couldn't be changed, and how much I've resisted those unchangeable things without simply "letting things be." This led me to realize that in life there are things you can control, and things you can't control, and what will determine your altitude is your ability to let go of the things you can't control, and focus your energy on what you DO have the power to change. 

I asked myself the question, "What are you going to do with what you've been given?"

We've all been dealt certain "cards" but in life, and it's not a matter of what cards you've been dealt but how well you learn how to play them. 

I've learned that in life, there are things we can change, and there are things we can't change. Don't waste all of your time trying to change things that can't be changed! Instead focus and invest your energy on the things you CAN change--and work on that. You may not always be able to control what happens to you, but you most certainly can control how you react to what happens to you. Or as one of my favorite quotes says, "You may not be able to change the winds of adversity, you can however, change the direction of your sails." 

If you're struggling in life with letting go of all the "unchangeable" and are spending too much time investing all of your energy and emotions on things you can't change, then I strongly encourage you to do this exercise: 

• Take a piece of paper, and draw a line down the middle. 
• On one side, write: "Things I can't Change" and make a list of all of the things in your life that you can't change and that you have no control over. 
• On the other side of the paper, write: "Things I CAN Change" and make a list of all the things that you CAN change. I think you'll find you have control and the power to change a lot more than you thought you could! Your attitude and your mindset (whether it is one of gratitude or complaint), have A LOT to do with the way your life is right now. So if you don't like your EXTERNAL conditions, it's time to grab a hold of what's going on inside your mind (Your INTERNAL conditions)  in order to accomplish any change and see the results in your physical world! (P.S. Don't forget to write down on your list of things you can change your amazing ability to self-improve! Change yourself and you change [your/the] world!

Making this kind of list is SO important because it puts us in a state of accountability. Once we realize how great our power to evoke change in our lives truly is, it becomes apparent that the undesirable circumstances in our life that we once blamed on "the Universe," or a higher power, or even other people is really within our power to change--instead of being able to blame someone or something for the way things are, we become accountable for our thoughts, words, and actions that created the results we're complaining about! 

I'd like to share one thing that was on my list of "Things I Can Change." It was my

attitude. I think this is the biggest issue I've struggled with in the past, and looking back on my life now I think of all the time I spent suffering, complaining, crying, and whining about things I thought could have been better or different in my life, only to come to realize that all that time I spent unhappy about my circumstances was time and energy WASTED on the "unchangeable," when I could have CHOSEN to change my focus, and spend that time being happy instead! I finally made a shift in my thoughts when I realized that time spent in remorse, anger, regret, or dwelling on loss is time WASTED! And life is far too short to waste any time on those kinds of negative emotions. Life is short, so choose to change your focus, let go of the unchangeable, and as a result: BE HAPPY! 

Now that you've made your list of what is within your power to change for the better, I'd like to ask you again, "What are you going to do with what you've been given?" ;-)

I wish you all a lovely and abundant week! Love you all! xx

Don't Worry, Be Content!

"Godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6 

I was running around this week working and thinking about how I could be doing more, things I could buy, goals I could accomplish,

when I realized that I was allowing my mind to be completely run by all of these things. I suddenly stopped for a moment and felt the words, "Brigitte, when will you learn to be content with what you have?" spoken over my heart. I felt a bit startled because I knew it was true. I've had a problem with simply being content in the moment and appreciating all that I have, right now, at this moment. And it's a command God's given us all throughout the Bible: "Keep Yourselves free from the love of money and be content with what you have. For God has said, 'Never will I leave you, Never will I abandon you" (Hebrews 13:5).  We are even told that "godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6). 

So we are told that godliness, with contentment, brings about gain and blessing in our lives. But what do "godliness," and "contentment" really mean?  

Godliness could be described as a devotion to God. As being completely God-centered, seeking Him, wanting His will, loving Him, obeying Him, worshiping Him, and striving to live a life that is honoring and pleasing to him. In the dictionary it's described as "conforming to the laws and wishes of God." 

And what about contentment? Contentment is described as "being satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else" or, "the state of feeling or being satisfied, ease of mind."

So when you are content, you are satisfied. 

When you are content, you don't feel the need to have more. You are happy, fulfilled, and satisfied right where you are in that moment. 

The apostle Paul tells in Philippians 4:11 that he "learned to be content in whatever circumstances [he was in]." He goes on to say, "I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need."
He learned how to be content whatever the circumstances were. And he's a great example because I believe an attitude of contentment and gratitude is what God wants for each of us. 

If you're struggling with contentment, and worrying about your life, about how you will pay for things, about what you will eat, wear, or do with your life, then I want to share this verse with you to remind you just how much God loves and cares for you. There is no need to worry or obsess over these things, all we need to do is simply learn to be content, because God has already promised that he would "satisfy all your needs according to his riches in the glory of Yeshua The Messiah" (Philippians 4:19). I encourage you to go through the following scripture and allow each word and phrase to permeate your mind, allowing you to know in your heart it's truth in knowing that God will always provide for you: 

"Do not to worry about your life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet even Solomon (the richest man to ever live) in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today" (Matthew 6:25-34 NLT)

I hope you found that encouraging! I know I always do! I wish you all a wonderful week of fulfillment, satisfaction, contentment, and gratitude! Peace & Love to you all! xo


"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness." -1 Timothy 6:6-11 

The Tetris Effect & The Power of Focus: What We Look For is What We See

I've been reading Sean Achor's, The Happiness Advantage and have been loving every bit of what I've been learning...

I wanted to share with you this interesting psychological phenomenon that Achor refers to in his book as "The Tetris Effect." It got it's name after a group of research participants played the addictive game "Tetris" for several hours for 3 days in a row. The results were somewhat startling, as the participants began seeing every aspect of their lives as one big Tetris game. Whether they were looking at the empty space in between sky scrapers, a brick wall, or the items in their grocery cart--every aspect of everyday living was a Tetris game to them. And the reason for this is because they had conditioned their minds to act a certain way while playing Tetris, and were inadvertently carrying out that same thought pattern in their normal lives as well.   

The participants had programmed their minds to fill in empty spaces, and were therefore seeing an opportunity to do so in every aspect of their lives. However, this principle of neural-programming applies to anything we choose to invest our time and focus on. 

You see, our brain acts as a neural “spam filter” constantly scanning the world to decide what information it should keep and process, and what information it should disregard or “delete” based on how we've “programmed” our brains. For example, if an individual has “programmed,” or trained, their brain to filter out the positive—just as our spam filter would automatically eliminate any junk e-mail, then the brain will act in the same way—automatically filtering out perceivable positive experiences because it has been trained or programmed to scan and search for only the negative.

 Sound a little weird? Well, try this:

In 10 seconds try to find as many brown-colored objects as possible. Ready? Go!

Finished?

Okay now, without looking around the room again, tell me all the blue things that you saw.

Chances are you’re not able to recollect seeing any blue objects, or at least not nearly as many brown objects that you saw.

And why is that? Because you saw what you looked for and the rest you dismissed.  

Achor writes, “Instead of creating a cognitive pattern that looks for negatives and blocks success, [we must] train our brains to scan the world for the opportunities and ideas that allow our success rate to grow.”

I hope you found that post interesting or inspiring, and as always I wish you all a wonderful week! 

If you’d like to see for yourself a demonstration on the power of 

selective attention then be sure to check out this video J

For more examples of the Power of Focus, and what you can do to shift your attention in the right direction, be sure to check out my post, "It's All About Focus!" 

He Knows Your Heart

I learned a cool fact from watching the documentary “I AM” (one I HIGHLY recommend). The diastole (the pause in-between heartbeats) as shown in an EKG (electrocardiogram) reveals A LOT of information, even to the point of conveying what kind of emotional state we are in! (See pic).

This fact reminded me of the Psalm where David sang: “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:1-4, 13-19).

How wonderful it is that God knows us better than we know ourselves! That He understands us; our deepest thoughts, emotions, and feelings on a level that we don’t even understand! I just thought that was so cool to know that even in the pauses in-between my heart-beats, God knows what I am feeling and thinking—how awesome is that! :-)

Don’t Let Fear to Hold You Back: How Acknowledging Fear Could be the Key to Fulfilling your Dreams, Attaining Goals, and Living a Life That is Truly Fulfilling

Many people live their lives in constant fear, and more often than not, they do so unconsciously and unintentionally! They don’t even realize that it is fear that’s holding them back! Fear holds us back from doing what we love and what we are meant to do, and this post will help you discover what kinds of fear may be limiting you and what you can do to exterminate the fears and live your fullest, most satisfying life. Take a look at some of the most common fears and see if you’ve ever fallen victim to allowing them to have any control in your life:

Fears are limiting beliefs that inhibit us from taking action and reaching our fullest potential.

1.       Fear of Pain/ disappointment

Number one on the list is the fear of pain or disappointment. Sometimes we don’t pursue certain things in life because we’re too afraid that if we don’t get the results we want, hope, or expect, that we will be hurt or disappointed. Pain and disappointment happen in life regardless of whether we pursue our dreams or not, the only difference is that while pursuing your goals, the pain you experience teaches you how to get closer to that goal, rather than experiencing the pain and remorse of not having tried hard enough to accomplish them. The fear of pain is a common fear that prevents us from reaching our full potential. Sometimes we may distance ourselves from people, or avoid taking risks because we are afraid of being hurt by them.

2.       Fear of Rejection

Next on the list is fear of rejection, another common fear that occurs when we become worried that our ideas or our personality might be rejected by someone we admire, or even popular culture and society. When we think this way and become overly-concerned with what others may think of us—about whether or not they will reject us or accept us—we alter who we are to accommodate the needs and beliefs of what others think we should be, rather than just being ourselves. When this happens, we are allowing the fear of rejection to hold us back and prevent us from taking any real, authentic action, and we act in a way that is not true to who we really are.

3.       Fear Of Other People’s Opinions

Similar to the fear of being rejected, other times, people may allow the fear of what others might think of them to creep in, and as a result, they can’t even lift a finger without worrying what someone else is going to think about it. If that sounds like you, then you’ve allowed the fear of other’s opinion to paralyze you.  It’s important to recognize that you can’t please everyone. If you don’t have any opposition or people who disagree with you, then it means you’re probably trying very hard to please everyone and are therefore compromising who you really are to be a people-pleaser rather than your true and authentic self. What’s ironic is that people appreciate authenticity more than someone who tries to accommodate the needs of everyone yet is fake, inauthentic, or phony in their work, actions, and/or behavior.

4.       Fear Of “Standing Out,” Being Weird, Or “Different”

The fourth kind of fear occurs when we are afraid to “stand out” and be weird, different, or unique—when we become afraid to go against the status quo and not settle for conformity. When we become worried or preoccupied with the idea that we might be thought of as weird, we fear being out-casted and rejected (this links back to #2 and #3) and therefore are held back from being ourselves and living to be our true self. Fear is a form of self-centeredness and is ego-based, and this fear in particular is one of self-absorption because it is the misconception that we are so different and unique from everyone else that no one will be able to relate to us. The truth is that we have a lot more in common with others than we think, and when we are open and authentic with who we really are, people relate and connect with you. The truth is that there are groups of people just waiting for you to be authentic with the world, so that they can appreciate all the unique talents and gifts that you have to offer. If we are willing to break out of our shell and simply be ourselves, without the fear of being different, weird, or unaccepted, we will break this fearful mentality that holds us back and attract people and circumstances that are compatible and in-alignment with our unique individuality.

5.       Fear of Cost

When we have the fear of cost, we worry about things like, “How much time, energy, money, effort, and work is this going to cost me?” When we think these kinds of thoughts, we prevent ourselves from taking action out of fear that it will cost us something without realizing that the payoff in the end may be far greater than the temporary investment. This can apply to anything, like your health, relationships, or career. Any time you make an investment, it will cost you a certain amount of time, energy, or effort, but the thing to keep in mind is that any time you make an investment, if you invest wisely in things that are important to you and matter (like health, relationships, doing what you love, etc.) then there will be a pay-off on that investment.  

6.       Fear of Failure

The last kind of fear is the fear of failure. This one is huge because if you want to get anywhere in life, you’re going to have to realize

that there will be times that you will experience failure. This does not make you a failure; on the contrary you can use failure to your advantage. But many people succumb to the fear of failure and don’t make an effort to even try to attain their goals. Failure is actually how many of the greatest people came to be. Thomas Edison said, “I did not fail 1000 times at making a light bulb, I discovered 1000 ways not to make a light bulb.” Fear itself is ironic in the sense that it is the very things that we are fearful of that can end up being of most benefit to us when we make the conscious decision to use them to our advantage. We can use the very things we are afraid—like failure or rejection—and use that failure or rejection as fuel for reaching new heights and accomplishing new goals. We can channel our failures, rejections, pains, and losses use them for our benefit. I love what Sean Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage says: "The most successful people see adversity not as a stumbling block, but as a stepping-stone to greatness. Indeed, every failure is often the fuel for the very ideas that eventually transform industries, make record profits, and reinvent careers." 

Rather than allowing the things we are fearful of to hold us back, we can channel whatever it is that we are afraid of—failures, rejections, pains, and losses—and  use them to our advantage and good by using them as fuel to our fire and motivation to reach new heights.

As always, I hope you found this post interesting or encouraging, and I wish you all a wonderful week! J

Awakening Consciousness: How Transitioning Through Brain Waves Can Promote Creativity and Inspiration

I've been reading a book called Frequency: The Power of Personal Vibration by Penny Peirce and have been learning some really interesting things about brain waves and their correlation to your levels of awareness and how learning to transition through these waves can bring you into heightened states of consciousness, awareness, and inspiration.

If you want your brain to function at it's best, if you want to enhance creativity, ideas, and inspired thought-flow, then you'll want to read this! :-) 

1. Beta Waves- The first are Beta waves--associated with high mental activity and engagement, as well as highly charged emotions such as fear, anger, arousal, etc. Beta waves correspond with a very low level of consciousness and are usually associated with very shallow, ego-based thinking.

2. Alpha Waves- Alpha waves occur when the brain is in a more relaxed and tranquil state, such as when you meditate, reflect, daydream, visualize, rest, spend time in nature, and exercise. In this state your brain becomes less worried, more open, and more aware of subtle information and new insights. Your brain is able to recall memories and develop a greater understanding of nature and your "true self," letting your ego die and becoming aware of your soul. When you take the time for self-reflection and your mind turns inward, you move from a state of Beta waves to the deeper alpha and theta waves, especially when you cut out external distractions (like turning off your cell phone, and getting into a quiet space for some alone time).

3. Theta Waves- Theta waves are associated with drowsiness, dreaming, the first stage of sleep, deep meditation, inspired creativity and imagination, and much slower than the two waves previously mentioned. Theta waves can put you in a trance-like state, where you lose track of time like when driving on the freeway or taking a long shower. In this state, free flowing ideas and visions come to mind, you become aware of suppressed ideas stored in your subconscious mind while in this state.

4. Delta Waves- The final waves are Delta brain waves and occur during sleep.

The reason I wanted to share this is because I feel it can be so easy to get caught up with living pedal-to-the-metal, non-stop, always caught up with the tasks of everyday life without taking the time to just relax, clear the mind, pray or meditate, exercise, or spend some time in nature. For your brain's sake, it's a good idea to take some time out for reflection, and peace and quiet without any distractions. You'll feel more creative, more inspired, more at peace, and you will have a healthier brain too! :-)