Healthy Happy Loving Life: The Power of Words to Shape Life

31 Tuesday Jan 2023

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in attracting the life you want, eating your words, FOMO, goblin mode, Healthy Happy Loving Life, how powerful words can be, Kebba Buckley Button, legacy of your life, nooch, power of words, the life you want

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

attracting the life you want, eating your words, FOMO, goblin mode, Healthy Happy Loving Life, how powerful words can be, Kebba Buckley Button, nooch, power of words, The life you want

Images by eatyourwordscookies.com

Have you noticed how powerful words can be? Words can soothe or inflame, convey love or disgust. A single word can define a discovery moment. A loved one shows up with new glasses or a pink hair streak, and what’s the first word out of your mouth? Maybe it’s “Cool!” That sets the stage for a mutually delighted conversation– a bonding moment. Maybe it’s “OhNo!” And that sets the stage for an adversarial conversation, not a loving one. This moment may be remembered forever. In that case, if you only get one word, what would your word be?

Sometimes, when you’ve said something that gets a bad reaction, you get a chance to backtrack. This is famously known as eating your words. Public figures sometimes make claims that turn out to be lacking a factual basis. Then they may try to backtrack, often saying, “what I meant was…” They may claim they misspoke, simply using the wrong word or the wrong word in the wrong place. This dynamic is tricky in our current times, when most of what we say is recorded by someone, or by thousands.

Our language is so dynamic that there is now an Urban Dictionary (www.urbandictionary.com), in case we need to know what FOMO means (Fear of Missing Out) or what Nooch is (nutritional yeast, a staple for the vegan diet). Major dictionaries update their word collections regularly. New words are announced about yearly. For 2022, the New Oxford Word of the Year is goblin mode. It results from people feeling overwhelmed by having to present their best selves at all times. Summarized by The Guardian, goblin mode is “a type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.” It’s the opposite of the Hollywood-generated perfection standard– perfect skin, body, hair, makeup, and behavior at all times.

A symptom of the change in societal mood is the increase in what we used to call swearing. Some think this came hip-hopping straight out of Compton, like the movie of a similar name. Some dismiss this trend as being authentic. Some think it bubbled up from the anger and frustration of the last couple of Presidential elections in the US, and people are trying to discharge their stress overwhelm by using f-ing this and sh-tty that. However, research has shown that the more you swear, the less it works to discharge your frustration. So save it.

In the World’s all-time best-selling book– the Bible— Solomon wrote about the power of words. And there are many translations, because he was writing in Classical Hebrew, a language used around 2500-3000 years ago. Here are two translations:

Proverbs 18:21 [MSG] Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.

Proverbs 18:21 [GNT] What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words.

Several translations say you will “eat the fruit” of your words. Do you use your words, as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King did, to bring peace where possible, to inspire and uplift people? Do you speak quiet words of love, admiration, and appreciation to your friends, loved ones, and Board members?

If you’re going to eat your words, they should be sweet, kind, supportive, even loving. And now there is a company that helps with that. As in the image above, bakers from Eat Your Words Cookies (http://www.eatyourwords.com) will make you the loving message you like. They will also put your corporate logo on cookies, by a photo method only the bakers understand.

Are your words kind, or even sweet? Or are they controlling, generating discord or shame? Listen to your own words for the next day or two. Then ask yourself what life you are shaping for yourself, with the power of your words. And that will be you, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Kebba Buckley Button is a stress/energy management expert, holistic healer, and award-winning author who celebrates life. She has a longtime natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. Among her books are: Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), Inspirations for Peace Within: Quotes and Images to Uplift and Inspire, and Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine. The books are available on Amazon and through Kebba’s office. They are also available in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the Franciscan Renewal Center bookstore and at the bookstore at St. Barnabas on the Desert Episcopal Church. Or simply email us to order: kebba@kebba.com . Thank you!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Releasing a Friendship

30 Monday Jan 2023

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in attracting the life you want, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Kebba Buckley Button, legacy of your life, releasing a friendship, the life you want

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

attracting the life you want, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Kebba Buckley Button, releasing a friendship, The life you want

© Dervish36 on Megapixl

I often coach people about effective strategies for getting where they want to be. Or getting out of where they don’t want to be. There are a variety of negotiating techniques you can use, with different techniques fitting different situations. Recently, a great question came in about releasing a friendship.

Q: How do I ease out of a particular friendship that no longer works for me or is wanted? That is to do it kindly, without hurt? I’ve already told her that we don’t have anything or any people in common anymore.

A: It’s a juicy question, and thank you for asking it! In my view, there are 2 parts to this: quitting an unwanted friendship, and concerning ourselves about the other person’s reaction.

Let’s start with Part 2. We cannot predict or control how anyone will react to something we say, unless we know they rant about everything that isn’t exactly the way they want it. In that case, “you’re going to catch it” regardless of how you handle this. So you may as well tell them you’re done. You might say, “Look, I feel our friendship has run its course, so I’m moving on. And I wish you all the best.” Then hang up. And then stop responding to their calls or emails. Completely. And drop out of any FaceBook groups they administer. And block them on your social media, or you’re dragging out your pain.

Now, Part 1: how to ease out. First you can use the Fade Method.

Stage 1: stop responding promptly to voicemails and emails. Instead, wait 2 days to reply. Then be brief. Stop replying to their comments on social media.

Stage 2: wait 4 days to reply.

Stage 3: forget to reply.

Or you can use the Quick Ease Out:

Say in a vague and thoughtful voice, “oh gosh, I have a lot on right now… “ (American: gosh, I’m really busy right now…) and do not say, “let me get back to you later.”

Say, “Listen, I have to run… you have a good week!” (Hang up now.) Your theme is you are awfully busy. Do not answer if they try to ask “busy with what?” Just be vague, light, hurried and brief. And ring off.

Then, remember the Part 2 paragraph above, about their reaction. There are times when a friendship no longer fits, or is sucking us dry, and we need to move on, or we will miss the amazing friendships that are coming up.

You will feel much lighter and better when you release this former friendship. Do it now. Give thanks for the good that the relationship brought, then bless and release it. Then go exercise and drink lots of water. And that will be you, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: My Uncensored Opinions on Self-Hypnosis (and Nintendo) by William T. Batten

28 Saturday Jan 2023

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in attracting the life you want, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Kebba Buckley Button, the life you want

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

attracting the life you want, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Kebba Buckley Button, self-hypnosis, The life you want

© airdone on Megapixl

Today’s article is curated from EZineArticles.com, author William T. Batten

By William T Batten | Submitted On July 28, 2018

The way I sell self-hypnosis to people is that it’s a powerful mind-training tool. It creates the same benefits as meditation, only it’s easier to learn. Whether mindfulness is your thing or not, that’s okay – self-hypnosis will still work for you. People have used it to beat smoking and insomnia, overcome heartbreak, delete bad habits and install better ones.

I’ve used it to become calmer, happier, more focused, more productive, braver, healthier, more present, more creative and probably a hundred other things I’m forgetting. So I’m not lying when I say it’s one of the best self-improvement tools out there. I eat my own dog food with this one.

But that’s not why I do it. Yes, I’m a self-improvement junkie but, if I’m being honest, I’d do it even without those benefits. I might even do it if it were bad for me. For me, the main benefit of self-hypnosis is that it’s fun. It’s the exact same model of fun that makes Nintendo such a wealthy and beloved company.

Think about the big hitters that sit in Nintendo’s corner. Mario, Zelda and Pokémon are fairly different franchises, but they have a common thread. The plot in almost every Mario game is a wafer-thin, save-the-princess ball of clichés. But ow does Mario save the princess? By exploring unique, beautiful and surreal worlds and defeating mighty enemies.

He gathers treasure, too, but not for any materialistic reasons. One hundred coins earn him a new life and, apart from extending his journey, they have no intrinsic value.

The Zelda games have equally weak plots: the chosen one fights the evil guy. Each game is the same. But how does Link beat Ganon? By exploring unique, beautiful and… surreal worlds… ? Hmm, that sounds familiar…

There’s a lot to explore and many treasures lying off the road. But every treasure, even the biggest wallets, serve no purpose but to allow you to advance in your quest. None of the treasure in Link’s world turns into luxury items, exotic holidays or hedonic distractions. With Pokémon, you explore the world with unique, beautiful and surreal creatures. If you want, you can explore every corner of the map, hunting for the most exotic monsters. But do you sell them? No, you collect them or grow stronger by fighting them.

Exploration makes these games so fun.

It’s the same thing that makes self-hypnosis so addictive. Your head is full of unique, beautiful and surreal things. It’s a landscape no different from Hyrule or the Mushroom Kingdom. You carry a world of treasure with you, even if you can’t spend a cent of it. And you become stronger by investing your treasures and facing down your challenges.

It’s a great way to spend an afternoon. What else could compare to mind training that’s as fun as the best video games? This is a game you can play solo or in coop mode.

If you’re looking for advice, tips, cheat codes or fellow players, then we’re waiting for someone like you:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/hypno.mind.training/

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/William_T_Batten/2522089

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Happy Anniversary to Mom and Dad!

26 Thursday Jan 2023

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in attracting the life you want, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Kebba Buckley Button, legacy of your life, the life you want

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

attracting the life you want, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Kebba Buckley Button, legacy of our life, parents, The life you want

Becky and Page Buckley 1985

It is much on my heart that January 25 is my late parents’ anniversary. They married 74 years ago, in January 1949, several years into the post-World-War-II times. It seems natural that we look back along our life timeline on anniversaries. My parents weren’t much for celebrations, so in 1999, my then-living Mom just waved off (literally– dismissing it with her right hand in the air– the idea of some kind of 50th anniversary dinner or celebration. I wonder now, if these two dedicated people– born in 1918 and 1925– were so molded by the culture of the Great Depression and then wartime, that they thought celebrations were a frivolous waste of resources. But they can’t stop me celebrating them now, in my heart and “on paper”.

My father, Page Scott Buckley, was born in Hampton, Virginia, the first of 4 children in a Navy family. His father would die a few years later of wounds sustained in service to our Country. One of his brothers would die at age 12, “screaming in the night”, of a brain tumor. Page was 6′ 6″ tall by sixth grade, and people expected adult maturity from this kid, much earlier than was helpful. He went to Columbia University for engineering training and dedicated his professional life to chemical engineering. He worked for Dupont in Delaware, for over 45 years. He won many awards. Before his passing, in his seventies, colleagues from Dupont came and took possession of his files. He had been an innovator in the specialty field of automatic process control.

My Mother, Betty Cary Hill, later Buckley, was born in Maitland, Florida, an only child, the daughter of a publisher/entrepreneur/major citrus grower and a business woman who supported him professionally. Betty Cary couldn’t pronounce her name, but called herself “Bayakeyuh”. That became “Becky”, as she was known until her passing at age 91. Mom and her parents lived in a cottage on a nearly 2 acre property, with an acre of various citrus, a greenhouse, and lush Florida landscaping. Her dad took care of the landscaping himself until late in life. That property is now The Park Maitland School. Mom grew up to be a Master Gardener very involved in parks management, in Delaware.

My parents raised 4 children, three of whom survive. The image of Mom shows me at about 5 months and my sister, Annie, at 27 months. There were rarely any pictures of Dad, because he was the official photographer. So don’t ask me who took the image of him in the back yard of their Delaware house, clearly a very fashionable man.

1953 Becky, Annie, and Kebba in Texas

1956 Page in Brookside

In the 1980’s, my parents relocated from Delaware to Denver, to be near my older sister and her family. Of course, Mom made their cottage-style home into a gorgeous, lushly landscaped property. Dad was well-cared-for in his last several years, passing at home of cancer, tended by family and hospice. They saw each other through, as they had promised, until death did them part. Mom’s heart failed when she was 91. She was joking with family before she went to sleep for her final nap.

My parents believed in determination over fun, and dedication over whim. (Their children can be a bit serious!) But think of the years that formed this couple. They worked hard to make things work. They stayed grounded and committed. They did their absolute best for their union and their children. I hope, in Heaven, they are proud of their legacy of love and devotion.

If you can give loving thanks that your forebears did their absolute best, then that will be you, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Happy Global Belly Laugh Day!

24 Tuesday Jan 2023

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in attracting the life you want, belly laugh, Belly Laugh Day, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Kebba Buckley Button, laughing, the life you want

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

attracting the life you want, belly laugh, Belly Laugh Day, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Kebba Buckley Button, Laughing, The life you want

© mkqayyum on megapixl

© Yacobchuk on megapixl

Happy Global Belly Laugh Day, January 24th! A belly laugh feels good, is good for you, and helps the Planet connect. Here’s how to play: at 1:24 pm your time, spend a couple of minutes thinking about belly laughs and doing your own belly laughs. If it’s past 1:24 pm your local time, do it at the next 1:24 in anyone’s time zone. Know that the right people will be laughing together, no matter how far apart they are.

According to the SharpCare Medical Group in California, there are multiple benefits to hearty laughter. While generally helping you beat stress, laughter can:

Enhance oxygen intake to stimulate the heart, lungs and muscles
Increase endorphins released in the brain
Ease pain
Decrease the body’s stress response
Stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation
Strengthen the immune system
Improve mood

Does this quote from Sandra Magsamen sound about right?

Laughter is an instant vacation and a smile is a little curve that straightens everything out.

Whether you watch a favorite comedian or show, or whether you simply remember a completely joyful funny story from the past– give Global Belly Laugh Day a try! And that will be you, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Happy Lunar New Year!

22 Sunday Jan 2023

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in attracting the life you want, Gong hay fat choy, Happy Chinese New Year, Happy Lunar New Year, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Kebba Buckley Button, the life you want, Year of the Rabbit

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

attracting the life you want, Gong hay fat choy, Happy Chinese New Year, Happy Lunar New Year, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Kebba Buckley Button, The life you want, Year of the Rabbit

© olgarubiomanzano on megapixl

Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year! Happy Lunar New Year, or in China, Happy Chinese New Year! Each new year in the lunar system has an animal that represents its energy. There are 12 animals in the cycle. This lunar year, it’s The Year of The Rabbit. We have just left the Year of the Tiger. Remember those paper menus in Chinese restaurants, that tell you in what lunar calendar year you were born? So especially if you were born in a Year of the Rabbit, it’s now your special year. (Or your bad luck year, according to some.) Here’s a quote to help us understand the energy of the outgoing Year of the Tiger vs. the incoming Year of the Rabbit, from astrologer Holiday Mathis:

While tigers symbolize courage, bravery, strength and swagger, rabbit luck focuses on timing, creativity and the sort of prosperity that comes from wit and charm rather than sheer power.

CBS News quotes Hu Ying, a professor of East Asian studies at UC Irvine, as saying the rabbit is a sign of “longevity, peace and prosperity.” For a thoughtful article by Kimmy Yam, on the energy of the Year of the Rabbit, check out https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/year-rabbit-symbolize-rcna65578

So here are just a few things to know about the Chinese New Year as a festival:

This celebration is also known as the Spring Festival, celebrating the end of the coldest days of the year
It’s traditionally a day for praying to gods and ancestors as though gods
More fireworks are set off tonight than at any other time or place in the World– at midnight tonight to scare off bad energy (or monsters, to some) from the old year, and in the morning to welcome in a prosperous New Year
Wearing red and decorating in red are seen as protecting people from bad luck
The holiday is 15 days long
Factories are closed for 2 weeks, so don’t plan to get your company’s new banners and mugs made during this time
People travel to their parents’ homes for at least the first 5 days, causing a massive migration across China and competition for train tickets
There are special foods that are eaten and tools that are not used– such as knives– at least during the first 5 days
This is a huge shopping season, for holiday specialties and new clothing to welcome in the good luck of the New Year.

Altogether, this is is a fascinating set of traditions with deep roots. So plan your company’s promotional products ordering to work around this Festival, and as always, let the bad stuff of the old year go. Maintain an optimism about what good things may be coming into your life this year. Look into the Chinese sign of the year you were born. Does it sound like you? And have some dumplings, to join in the spirit of the celebration. And last: Gong hay fat choi! (Wishing you great prosperity and happiness!)

And that will be you, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Happy National Hugging Day!

21 Saturday Jan 2023

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in attracting the life you want, Healthy Happy Loving Life, hugging, Kebba Buckley Button, National Hugging Day, the life you want

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

attracting the life you want, Healthy Happy Loving Life, hugging, Kebba Buckley Button, National Hugging Day, The life you want

© christinlola on Megapixl

Happy National Hugging Day! Yes, hugging not only feels good, but it’s good for you!

Hugging relaxes people (and probably dogs– where are the studies?), dissolving cortisol and sending relaxation messages to the brain
Hugging modulates your heart rate
Small children who get hugged have better levels of vasopressin (a regulator of such functions as blood pressure and volume). Wartime orphans in Europe, rarely touched, failed to develop or died.
Hugging for 20 seconds or more generates oxytocin, which feels good, and which aids in muscle regeneration and immune function
Hugging can reduce anxiety and fears
Hugging is nice

These benefits do not fall off after National Hugging Day, so conduct your own experiments from time to time, with people (and dogs?) you love.

And that will be you, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Inventions I Don’t Need

20 Friday Jan 2023

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in attracting the life you want, Healthy Happy Loving Life, inventions I don't need, Kebba Buckley Button, sensor faucet, the life you want

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

attracting the life you want, Healthy Happy Loving Life, inventions I don't need, Kebba Buckley Button, sensor faucet, The life you want

Have you ever tried to do a task that should be simple, and the tool at hand is too complicated? So the tool itself makes the task too fussy, too difficult, and too time consuming? These tools are inventions I don’t need.

I do know people who love tools and devices so much that simply using a complicated tool is a joy. It doesn’t matter to them that the tool takes up storage space and you need a 3-hour course to learn how to use it. They just love handling that tool and admiring its design. I am not one of those people! I want to get the task done with least fuss.

For example, what if you want to juice 10 oranges? It’s citrus season in Arizona, and many people are giving away bags of oranges and grapefruit. So here you are with 10 oranges, free and organic. I personally would like to rinse them, slice them in half, and squeeze them on a manual device like the one above. Then pour out the juice. And I have a similar manual juicer. Quick and easy, including cleaning the tool in seconds.

Ah, but the tool lovers have something else for you!

Would you even know what this thing is, when you first look at it? It’s as big as my top-of-the-line Cuisinart blender doodah, and it’s supposed to be a power juicer! Hey– which tool would you rather clean? And find space for. And by the way, the top one will not raise your electric bill; this one will. This is an invention I don’t need. And please don’t gift me yours when you get tired of dealing with it.

Another invention I do not need is the sensor faucet.

Sensor faucet by Delta

I have one at my kitchen sink, and I wish I did not. It’s easy to pay $200 more for the sensor faucet, and the pitch is that it’s labor saving. You don’t have to reach for the on and off handles to turn the water on. Just wave your hand under the faucet, and the sensor turns on the water. Just two things: if you drain pasta, the steam will tell the sensor to turn the water on and ruin your dish. Also, if you are trying to hand wash a pot, the water will turn OFF the next time it sees your hand go by. This makes it far more work than a standard faucet. Water on, water off, water on, water off– when can I finish washing my pot? Anybody want a used sensor faucet?

My suggestion is that we think awhile before committing to expensive devices that will supposedly save us time and effort. Maybe they will. But maybe they will only complicate the streamlined, low-stress life you want. And that discerning will be you, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Meditation for Change

19 Thursday Jan 2023

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in attracting the life you want, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Kebba Buckley Button, the life you want

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

attracting the life you want, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Kebba Buckley Button, meditation, The life you want

Sure, you’ve thought about it, but have you tried meditation lately? There are many forms of meditation, generally with great benefits, like relaxing you, and clearing your thoughts. Another benefit can be opening up your reception to the Divine, if that interests you.

Today I’m sharing an easy form of Special Meditation. This one is for drawing to you a change that you have been wanting, to illumine the path, and to speed the manifesting of that change.

Special meditations may be used to shift the energy of situations and places. For any special purpose meditation, begin as you:

Go to your special quiet practice place.
Take a minute to think about your purpose.
Write out your vision for your desired results.
Include emotions, sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and sensations.
Be as vivid and complete in your vision as possible.

Now take your time as you try this Meditation for Change.

Sit comfortably and quiet your breathing. Be aware of Luke 12:32 (KJV), “it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” Feel your heart slow and relax. Feel your core pleasantly melting toward the floor. Know deeply that you are grounded in the Earth’s creative energies, uplifted by the Holy Spirit, engulfed by God’s love, and protected by God’s power.

Extend your awareness from your heart, up through your mind, and upward and outward toward Heaven. Feel yourself connect strongly with the Heavenly Source, and feel the Source Energy flowing down through you, comingling with the Earth energy that is rising. Now you are in your most creative space, or state of being. Now bring your vision of a desired thing into your consciousness. See the images, hear the sounds, taste the flavors, smell the fragrances, and feel the sensations and emotions of your desired reality. Take your time.

When you are ready, go deeply into knowing that your vision is now true. Feel your gratitude. Give thanks to God/Spirit/Source. Repeat this step whenever you think of the situation you want to be different.

Notice how different your mind and body feel after this meditation. You may want to explore other forms of meditation, a number of which are in my book, Sacred Meditation. The more you meditate, the more your life will shift in the ways you want it to.

And that will be you, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Follow the Leader, or Do Not

05 Monday Oct 2020

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in At choice, Effective Living, Feeling energized, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Leaders, the life you want, Trust

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

attracting the life you want, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Kebba Buckley Button, Leaders, Trust

Shutterstock photo

It’s important, if you’re following, to attach to a leader who is competent and knows where s/he is going. Otherwise, you can be following confidently and mindlessly into chaos or even danger. Here is a terrible story from my twenties. I used to believe, without realizing it, that every confident person knew what they were doing. WRONG. I had confidence, without realizing it, that every confident person was trustworthy and making good decisions. OH NO. I used to quickly bond to the leadership of people who were very confident, without questioning and without knowing much about them.

I made this mistake while dating a man in Tucson long ago. I was new to Tucson, and we agreed we would go for a little hike. I was wearing new Levi’s jeans, which at the time were made of tough, inflexible fabric. My friend had lived in Tucson for a number of years and knew some wonderful places to have a little hike. Of course, with the filters I had then, I assumed he knew appropriate places, and I readily agreed. He gave directions, and we went to a beautiful area in northeast Tucson, It had huge trees and rocks. The weather was perfect.

My friend wanted to climb over the rocks, descending a ravine that, to me, would be a flood area during storms. The rocks were very smooth and had a coating of– what– something powdery. I felt doubtful, and it didn’t look like a “light hike”, which is what I said I wanted. But I was not very tuned in to the Little Voice Within, compared to my desire to be confident in my friend. I asked my friend if we would be able to get back over the rocks, to go back up, and he immediately said, oh yes! So I tried to trust him. Finally it was after 5 pm, and the sun was headed down. I could NOT climb back over the giant, smooth, coated rocks, and I didn’t see any way out of the ravine. (And this was before cell phones.) I was frightened. My friend was a liar! A very successful dictator said:

If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.

I was hypnotized by my friend’s confidence and lying. My friend found an old firehose attached to the rocks– did he already know it was there?– and actually swung himself across the ravine! The drop was about 150′ at this spot, so losing my grip would have meant sure death. I had not signed up for any of this. Now my friend was on the other side, and I could either risk my life copying him or stay until he brought rescuers the next day. I prayed and took the swing, and made it. I lived. This man either did not know what he was doing, leading me on a “light hike”, or he knew very well and was being dishonest. I realized he was a person who liked a risk, a thrill, an adrenaline rush. Later, I learned that the place where we were was so dangerous that there were one or two deaths per year: Reddington Pass.

Unfortunately, I (can you believe this??) continued to see my friend, long enough to discover he was also a hitter. But he was so confident! To “lose” him, I had to move to an unlisted address with an unlisted phone, across town. I had learned he was a frightening man, not a good one who deserved my trust. This unearned confidence I had in him could have caused my death. This kind of unearned trust has caused many to follow cult leaders, sometimes exactly to their deaths. Think of Jim Jones and the Peoples (sic) Temple, and the deaths of 900 at the Jonestown settlement in Guyana, 1978. They followed. Their leader was not a good man. So if you are wondering if you should follow someone:

Don’t follow the leader if your Little Voice Within questions it.
Don’t do what feels unsafe.
Avoid anyone who wants to rush you into the unknown or into any commitment.
Take your time to find out more.
If you believe in God, pray for guidance.

It’s the assumptions we make, that we don’t realize we’re making, that can be really lethal. Wouldn’t you rather be thriving? Healthy, Happy, and Loving Life? These days, I know what I choose!

—————————————————–

Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert and award-winning author who celebrates life. She also is an ordained minister and has a natural healing practice. Among her books are: Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br),and Inspirations for Peace Within: Quotes and Images to Uplift and Inspire, and Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine. The books are available on Amazon and through Kebba’s office. To email us, kebba@kebba.com .

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life!

~ Your source for energized, fulfilled, joyous living!

Tag Archives: attracting the life you want

Healthy Happy Loving Life: The Power of Words to Shape Life

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Releasing a Friendship

Healthy Happy Loving Life: My Uncensored Opinions on Self-Hypnosis (and Nintendo) by William T. Batten

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Happy Anniversary to Mom and Dad!

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Happy Global Belly Laugh Day!

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Happy Lunar New Year!

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Happy National Hugging Day!

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Inventions I Don’t Need

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Meditation for Change

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Follow the Leader, or Do Not

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: