Are you over-involved in others’ problems? Do you allow people to rely on you to fix their problems? Do you have weak personal boundaries? If so, then the third step of The Way is one you need to work on. Be aware of energy thieves. These are people who steal your energy. Choose not to be around these negative and manipulate people. Learn the art of gracefully saying, “No.” That that may be all well and fine for me to say, but one thing I’ve observed is many people like fixing other people’s problems. They like the power they have over others. But when you become over-involved in people’s lives you put a hold on your own life.  When my children were young, I was involved in their lives so they stayed safe and made the right choices. As they grew older, I backed off, letting them have control of their own lives. And now that they are grown, I no longer give advice, unless asked, and then I’m very careful about what I say because I’ve learned that many people really don’t want your advice, they are just venting. As I result of keeping my mouth closed, I have more energy because I’m directing it where it should go. So today, examine your life and see where the energy thieves lurk. Emerson once said, “All that can be done for you is nothing to what you can do for yourself.”

Today think of your creativity as a journey from a place of wholeness inside of you that wants to be expressed to the world. The fourth step of The Way reminds you that you are a creative being. It encourages you to devote a portion of your day to creative pursuits. I can hear you now: “I’m not creative.” Nonsense–you are, it just may be hidden. Sometimes in our lives we have people who try to put our “art” down, for whatever reason. Looking back in my own life, I had quite a few people tell me I couldn’t write, I’d never amount to much. Ha! Showed them! Personally, I feel critics are frustrated artists, scared to try, so they cut everyone who’s creating down. Fall is approaching. This is a great time to try your hand at projects. What do you want to learn? I’m thinking about knitting. Many colleges offer courses, the Internet is a vast resource, and there’s always picking up a book on a skill and learning by doing. Remember what Martha Graham once said: “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy that is translated through you into action; and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.”

As I said in the beginning, this blog would illustrate my journey as I follow the seven steps of The Way. This first step of this journey is to live your life to the fullest by being in good health. Invest your energy in yourself by creating a healthy body and mind so your spirit can blossom. I was called to task on this one. When I had a checkup, we discovered my blood pressure was high and my adrenal glands were shot. I had an option. Make changes in my life or take medication. I decided I did not want to leave my health in the hands of modern medicine and make some drug company’s pocket heavier, so I made some changes. I eliminated all sodas. Yes, good bye Diet Coke. We had such a long relationship. I limited my coffee intake to one cup a day, but I don’t think Starbucks is suffering. I gave up red meat. Once, I was a vegan and I was much healthier, but it’s that whole cooking several different meals. I focused on my breath work, meditated more, and eliminated the noise chatter in my mind. The outcome?? My blood pressure is much better. I still have work to do, but I do not need medication. And the good news–my adrenal glands are normal. So, I concur with Emerson. The first wealth is health. Good health allows you to live a balanced and full life. Good health helps you deal with stress. Is there still stress in my life? You bet! I have thirty employees, the government showed up at work and said they are here to help, and Burning Man and Air Races are around the corner. But I can do this!!

Gandhi once said, “Prayer is not an old woman’s idle amusement. Properly understood and applied it is the most potent instrument of action.” Prayer, or talking to the Divine, is also the seventh step of The Way. Prayer has always been an important part of my life, but it has changed over the years. As a young Catholic school girl, I could pray the rosary with the best of them and recite all approved prayers by rote.  But as I matured I realized I wasn’t praying–it was just schoolwork. I didn’t want the nuns to rap my hand with their ruler. As I grew older and studied Eastern religions (the nuns would have sent me to detention!) I learned about meditation and listening to Divine. For me, a walking meditation has always worked. I have never used headsets or Ipods because for me I need quiet to listen intently. What I have learned is that prayer should be natural and come easy, not forced. So, today follow the seven step and sprinkle prayers thought your day. Send your loved ones white light and pray for all those suffering in the world that their hardships are eased. Carpe Diem.

I have a few days to live in accordance to my own rhythms as my husband left at oh dark thirty this morning on a business trip. Like all married couples, over the last thirty-plus years we have blended ourlives together, each softening the other’s hard edges. But there are times I need to invest my energy into my own self. Women are conditioned by society to put everyone else’s needs first, then take the left over chicken wing. (I always think of the fable The Little Red Hen. There was a feminist version I taught in college that had a different ending!) Oh, I still have to go to work, but I don’t have to cook or pick up after another person. Whole Foods makes amazing salads! In the evenings, I have projects to occupy my time. It is getting darker earlier. I will be eager for his return, yet refreshed. I have some spare time in my busy schedule to concentrate on the seven steps of The Way. So, now I’m off on my morning hike. I find Nature is an unlimited resource for empowerment and connecting my spirit with matter.

I like to use the seasonal changes to let go, eliminate clutter, and move the energy in my life. This weekend we had a taste of fall, so I decided to tackle my closet. As I stated before, I’m pretty good at eliminating and donating items when I purchase or receive something new, but I’m not perfect, and there still was a part of my closet I was hanging on to. So, embracing the sixth step of The Way (Invest your energy in the pursuits that have meaning and value for you. As we proceed down the path of life, there are people, places, activities, and ideas that we outgrow. Gracefully, let them go so you can allow the universe to direct new opportunities.) I put on some music and eliminated clothes I have carried around for the last fifteen years. I folded them nicely and took them down the hill to the Boys and Girls Club donation bin. Honestly, I can’t tell you why I still carried them around.  Each outfit referenced a particular event–children’s graduations, weddings, etc, but all that is in the past and I have to move forward. I am ready for new opportunities, new adventures. Speaking of letting go, we celebrated our son’s birthday last night. Our youngest is twenty-seven. Wow–how did I get so mature!! He is all grownup–a financial analyst for a company getting ready to go public. As I watched our grandchildren at the table, I thought about the full circle of life and felt a tinge of sadness. Life passes too quickly, but I must move forward, live in the moment, and stay in good health.

Today is Sunday, a day of rest, prayer, and relaxation, a day dedicated to my soul. I am reminded of the Dali Lama’s quote, “My religion is very simple–my religion is kindness.” Many years ago, I implemented that quote into my life because it made sense. Too many people argue about religion, God, etc, yet they treat themselves and their fellow travelers on this journey called life, unkind. This week I witnessed this at work by an employee who studies the Bible, attends church on Sunday, and judges everyone who is not a Christian. Ah, poetic irony again. This person took something home that belonged at work and did not bring it back until I discovered it missing and demanded it back immediately. (a dealer plate. Why he had it is another story that will be dealt with when the manager returns from vacation.) This person was using it without permission for a month and a half and thought it was no big deal. I was kind, but firm.  (Yes, it is a big deal. Perhaps he wants to explain it to the DMV.) If he was walking his walk, this would have not occurred. The seventh step of The Way is to develop and nurture a relationship with God, or whatever name you choose for the Divine. Let’s take that a step further today and begin your kindness campaign with yourself. Treat yourself like the precious soul you are. Next broaden your kindness to those you live with, then take it out into the world.

In this crazy world, we all need tools to help us lead balanced, stress-free lives, which is why the seven steps of The Way were given to me. The minimum requirements are different  for each person: getting enough sleep, moving your body, eating fresh food, connecting with something larger than yourself, letting go, staying away from energy thieves, investing in yourself and others, playing and creating, and working. There are basic skills that form a spiritual foundation that I would like to share: Focus on positive thoughts without judgment. Take a daily time of silence or prayer. Have an attitude of gratitude. (count your blessings, yes we all have many!) Recall your energy from any activity, thoughts, or feelings, that feed shadow behaviors.  And above all–be careful. Open hearted spiritual people often fall prey to get rich quick schemes, con artists, and cults.

“I hate this shallow Americanism which hopes to get rich by credit, to get knowledge by raps on midnight tables, to learn the economy of the mind by phrenology, or skill without study, or mastery without apprenticeship.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mr. Emerson is one of my favorite writers, and I came upon this quote this morning after thinking about the state of our country after watching the jobless claims number come in. I also thought of the saying, “Neither a borrower or lender be.” Our country is in trouble due to decades of excess. In my book, The Way the ancients predicted this event. Wanda McBroom was given the seven steps of The Way. When you follow the seven steps, you begin to live a balanced stress-free life because you embrace the middle of the path, not the excesses of consumerism. One of the signs of a society with excess are storage centers and people’s packed garages– a sign of not letting go, one of the steps of The Way. I’m not talking about saving family memorabilia and I’m not saying that it’s wrong to consume–it’s the excesses that got our country into trouble. There is freedom in not having a great deal of stuff. My father always said the more you own, the more it owns you. We have been conditioned to consume.  I learned a technique years ago. When I purchase something new, I let something go. If it’s in good shape I donate it. If it’s tired and worn, it becomes a rag. Other things I’ve outgrown I offer to people or I call my favorite agency.  So today, look at what you can let go. Call your favorite donation center and let someone in need use the things that are gathering spiderwebs in the garage.

Along this path called The Way I have learned to accept that which I can not change. Change that which I can, and I have let the rest fall away. A dear friend of mine commented that she has noticed a change in me, and I have to say it is because I am following the seven steps of The Way. I have learned to love and forgive and be forgiven. I have found the guidance required for healing, light, and inner peace. This peace is attainable for everyone. I have turned off the noise chatter in my mind (or kept it to a minimum), and not let the media ruin my serenity. (Although my husband has to listen to the media constantly and starts his day with CNBC.) At the moment, there are people predicting a world-wide recession/depression and he is caught up in the words. Whether or not this is really going to happen, I have no control over it. The only things I have control over are my thoughts and the way I react to circumstances. I can put my financial house in order and keep running our business tightly, but this is much bigger than one little woman from Nevada. Before I started following the seven steps, I would have been caught up in this hype, but since following the steps I have learned to invest my daily energy into myself and then the people, places, and things that are most important. I have learned to accept reality. Or as we say at our business, it is what it is. So, I wish the same for you. Check out the book and the steps. This really works! www.supernovel.com