You Get What You Concentrate on...There Is No Other Main Rule
==+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++==
Conscious Creation Sucess Stories
By Matt Harris

My wife Mary and I, with our two children, lived in  Roscoe, Ill.,
from 1988-1994. It was rural and  beautiful, but  extremely stifling.
The entire time we were there we were trying to figure out how to get
back to the place we both called "home"-Colorado. Each year things
would come to a boil as the frustration of the conservative, closed-
minded attitudes of those around us intruded in some new way into our
lives.

However, we both believe that everything happens for a reason, so we
looked for the hidden opportunities our situation presented. We found
many and these carried us through the years, but it became clear when
I returned from the Oregon SethNet conference last spring that enough
was enough-we needed to be back home as soon as possible.

The "Can Do" atmosphere of the Seaside conference collided with the
limiting beliefs Mary and I held about getting back to Colorado. One
such belief was my idea of success-it translated into my desire to
continually move up in the company structure I was in. I had worked my
way into a lucrative position and was quite convinced I would have to
sacrifice both income and freedom in order to make the move.

We discovered we were creating a great deal of friction without
recognizing its cause. My desire to go "up" conflicted with Mary's
desire to go "back." Sure I wanted to return to Colorado, but not by
making less money and having less freedom.

When Mary and I faced these and other limiting beliefs we asked
ourselves, "Why can't we have our cake and eat it, too?" Here we were
spouting off to the world that we create our own reality, while at the
same time cowing down to some self- imposed limitations as if they
were written in stone. Furthermore, we questioned the strength of our
convictions about simultaneous time because, according to this
principle, all events exist at once. So, if the concept of
simultaneous time was true, then there was a reality of us living in
Colorado where our income was not less and our freedom was not
reduced, and where we were surrounded by people with progressive
attitudes.

This line of thought  was truly a wake-up call for us. We threw away
our old beliefs as though going through a wardrobe throwing out old
clothes. They simply didn't fit any longer. We started trusting in our
ability to draw the Colorado reality into our experience by mere
acknowledgment of its existence. For the first time we worked together
on attracting this desired reality by using exercises in both _The
Nature of Personal Reality_ and Lynda Dahl's book _Beyond the Winning
Streak_.

Each day I would imagine zapping my limiting beliefs on my "Plain of
Purpose" while listening to a favorite Led Zepplin tune. Mary and I
continually reinforced the belief that the more we focused on our
desired result the closer we got toit. We were particularly careful
not to "hassle" it, as Seth has recommended, by constantly comparing
the reality we desired with the reality we were in.

In early June, about six weeks after we had begun our efforts, I was
on a business trip in Ohio. I was finishing up a phone conversation
with my vice president when he said, "Don't hang up yet; I have
something to talk to you about." I was caught off guard but replied,
"Yes, what's up?" He told me an extremely unusual situation had taken
place resulting in an opening in the Denver Region and he wanted to
know if I was interested in the position.

It's difficult for me to describe my reaction. I was shocked and
stunned, and for a moment dumbfounded. My mind raced while he went on
talking. Without going into too much detail, I felt as though the
moment I was experiencing was somehow a public moment-as if I were
watching it through a window looking down at myself on the phone.

This sensation lasted a few minutes until my vice president brought me
back by suggesting I call him after speaking with my wife. I told him
that wouldn't be necessary, I would accept the position for both of us
immediately. Now it was his turn to be shocked. He thought I might be
jumping the gun a bit without considering all of the consequences, and
suggested I visit with Mary before accepting the position.

I must have sounded somewhat cavalier about it, but I told him that I
would accept the offer on the spot, and then I explained to him how
much Mary and I had wanted to get back to Colorado. He ended the
conversation with a request that I try to get out there as soon as
possible. My whole body shook as I hung up the phone.

I wanted to scream, "It works, it really works!" to the entire world.
I was elated and thought of calling Mary right away. But instead I
decided it was better to be there in person for such a powerful
announcement. So for two days I planned my strategy. I constructed a
poem of all the challenges we had faced together and the wonderful
successes that had resulted. The last stanza held the news of the
transfer and subsequent promotion to Denver.

Without even a hint of what was going on I arranged for Mary to be
awake when I got home from the airport. I had anticipated any
curiosity on her part by telling her that I wrote a poem I thought she
would enjoy. Obligingly, she waited up.

As she worked her way through each stanza, she chuckled as she
remembered the experiences, quite unconcerned and totally unprepared
for the upcoming announcement. It had been a particularly trying week
for her and I believe she simply interpreted my effort as an intention
of comfort. When she got to the last stanza her body froze. She didn't
know where this was all leading. "...And now I am the new Regional
Manager in Denver! 'You get what you concentrate on, there is no other
main rule.'"

Her smile disappeared and her face turned beet red as her eyes darted
back to the beginning of the line. I watched her  jump from word to
word as she slowly reread the last line. A peculiar silence invaded
the room as the implication and meaning set in. When she lifted her
head to look at me her face was flushed with tears and she burst out
crying, saying, "Really? Is it really true?"

Wow. What a moment. I could live that one over and over. We stayed up
practically all night calling friends in Colorado and holding each
other tight. We had beaten the odds by accepting responsibility for
creating them. We had crossed the bridge from armchair acceptance of
the theory of reality creation to concrete culmination of our desired
event. A liberating feeling indeed! But there's more...

Ironically, we had scheduled a three-day getaway to Denver months
before which now became a house-hunting trip. Within two days we had
made an offer on a home nestled against the foothills of the Rockies.
It had a spectacular view of the city lights, and hiking and mountain
bike trails were just two blocks away. Our offer was accepted the
following week.

Since I stayed in Denver to assume my new duties, Mary was left with
the task of selling our home in Illinois. When she returned she
thought she would try her hand at an open house for a few weeks since
the realtors were all booked up. After much hard work and cleaning,
she was ready. Within two hours she had an interested buyer, and the
following week we accepted the offer. Now that's what I call
RESULTS!!!

Looking back on the frustrated couple in Illinois, I can't help but
smile, for I know what fruits their labors will bear. I can sense the
future versions of myself in a similar manner, gently encouraging me
along the same path of fulfillment with the love of a kindred spirit.

I am grateful for the opportunity to share these personal experiences
with such a supportive group as the members of SNI. I salute you all,
and look forward to hearing about your successes in the issues that
follow.

Copyright 1995, Seth Network International. All Rights Reserved.