Have you ever gotten really excited about a fabulous sale, only to get to the store and find you’ve been tricked? What was offered for sale is not available, but surprise! There’s another deal, which of course, is going to ask you to part with a great deal more money!!

It’s called the Bait and Switch game of marketing. We’d like to share a different, more enlightening game, called the Subconscious Bait and Switch! Here’s how it works.

You “BAIT” those hidden memories, thoughts, and feelings – at a time when you are not emotionally attached to them – when you can look at them objectively and dispassionately – like following some meditation time at Headquarters, or when you are doing some journaling. You “Bait” your subconscious by saying or thinking key phrases that are incomplete, allowing your subconscious to fill in the blank.

Here are a few examples of phrases you can finish:

“I am just no good at ” (singing; marketing; managing money; meeting people..) “I would be so much better off, if it weren’t for” (parents; my boss; some past event) “The one thing I fear most is” (failure; looking silly; being taken advantage of; being alone; health problems.) “When I look in the mirror” (OK – no examples necessary!)

You get the idea Your subconscious immediately completes the blank. This is your cue to pull the “Switch!”

You “Baited” the unhealthy awareness to come to the surface, but rather than nurturing that belief, and supporting it with your thoughts, words, and actions, you begin the process of Truth Transformation! Jot down your error thoughts, and then set the intention to replace that false belief with a more empowering Truth about who you are.

For example, let’s use a non-threatening, low-risk example: “I’m just no good at singing!” Let’s evaluate that thought for Truth. Says who? Who am I comparing myself against: my friends or Celine Dion? What if I sang for fun? What if I asked a vocal coach to give me an honest appraisal of my singing? How is claiming that I can’t sing serving me?

Now for the big part: Every time I catch myself saying this, what could I say instead? Create a replacement phrase for yourself. We’re not talking about lying to yourself, but some replacement that moves you to a better place in your subconscious about this issue. In this example, you might switch to saying, “I enjoy singing for fun!” or “I like to sing in the shower!” Can’t you already feel the cobwebs being swept away? Try the Subconscious Bait and Switch to get acquainted with your hidden limiting thoughts and beliefs, and transform your thinking and your experience!

t sometimes forgets — let’s see how we can take His advice to heart this holiday season!

1. Give of your time: Time is such a valuable commodity. We are so caught up now with the gadgetry and intricacy of electronics that we’ve actually put ourselves into a time trap! We are more pressured and rushed than we’ve ever been. We worry so much about what gift to buy for people who do not need anything. What if we gave the gift of our time? How often has a loved one said to you, “I don’t need a gift. Your presence is all the presents I need!” Let’s believe that — and look for ways to give the gift of our time this season.
2. Give of your Talents: What are your unique gifts, and how could you use them to bring joy and love to others? Consider this: What do dolphins; pool plastic, Guinness Book of World Records, and a herdsman from Inner Mongolia have to do with gi of your talents? They all shared the same article in a news story: The herdsman’s name is Bao Xishun. At 7-foot-9, Bao was confirmed by Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest li man in the world. His arms are 41.7 inches long! What made him important in terms of gi? It seems some dolphins had gotten seriously ill after nibbling on plastic from the edge of their pool at an aquarium. Surgical instruments could not extract the material (because of the shape of the dolphin stomach it is difficult to push instruments very far without hurting the animals), so vets decided to seek the help of Bao Xishun. He was able to reach his arm into the stomachs of the sick dolphins and remove the dangerous material! His unusual arms became the sa mechanism for the dolphins!What are your talents — and how can you use them to reach out to others, bringing joy and love?
3. Give of your Treasures: The critical issue here has nothing to do with the amount of money you have — it is the generosity of your spirit in gi what you possess. We saw a perfect example when we had lunch recently at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Mebane, NC. Our waitress was just great — fabulous energy, beautiful spirit, and very talented at her job. She made us feel so welcome as she served us with such joy. We were led to give her an unusually large tip, in recognition of the way she served us! When she saw her tip, she thanked us profusely — then excitedly told us that she was using all her tips this week to purchase things for children whose names were on the Angel Tree at the restaurant. Sure enough, we saw the tree, and when she opened her order book, there were four cut-out angels in her book. She said, “Now I can go get a few more angels off the tree!”

Think about your unique treasures — and how can you see them from a spirit of unconditional gi? Believe us; you will be blessed many times over.

Remember what Jesus said to Santa? That is the identical message for each of us: Remember who you really are! And that will make Christmas, and the New Year, the best you have ever experienced!