How many stock answers do you carry around in your tote bag?

We all have them and we bring them out so often that others can finish our sentences with them. There is a need for stock answers in our world. For example they work well with specific questions like, “Do you have a parrot?” Either you do or you don’t, or you have a cockatoo. The answer is right there in stock.

What about other questions?

How often do you parcel out a pat answer?

Since we are creatures of patterns, the answer is quite often. There are two immediate difficulties that I see with our normal way of doing things.

1. We are not present with the questioner.
2. We may miss a treasure waiting to be discovered.

Think about the last time someone asked you a question to which you supplied a ready-made answer. It was a classic stimulus/response interaction which doesn’t provide any depth to the communication. It’s like a robot answered the question for you and you weren’t present. You didn’t give the questioner access to you – only to your gatekeeper.

When you become present with a questioner, you open the door to a deeper communication because that presence can be felt by others well past the superficial level of most interactions. Presence provides a fuller experience for all involved.

Secondly, when you become present, you swim in a deeper ocean. You go well past getting your feet wet and collecting a few shells. You get on your scuba gear and plumb the immeasurable depths. This is where the pirate booty exists.

So how do we become present with a questioner?

First, recognize you are about to give a prefab answer.

Second, just sit with the question for a moment and allow other choices to bubble up to the surface.

Other answers are there, they just need you to create some space for them to pop in. Creating the space means interrupting your stock answer and just sitting with the question for a moment or two longer. You will notice different answers presenting themselves, offering you a choice. This is really exercising your free will that too often gets bypassed by not being present.

After exploring the other possibilities, you may find that your off the shelf answer is the most appropriate. Even so, you have done two wonderful things by taking the time to be present.

1. You were part of a deeper connection with another human being.
2. You exercised your free will which is a rare occurrence in a stimulus/response world.

You may want to test this out in low risk situations at first, like at the drive up window at McDonalds. “Do you want fries with that?” will now take on a whole new meaning for you.

Once you get some practice with being present, you can expand your new found skill to other areas of your life.

It’s really a cool thing to experience because you discover that your interactions can have more life to them.

All the best,

John

http://JohnMorganHypnosis.com

http://GrasshopperNotes.com

There are so many philosophies about dreams that I thought I would add my own to the mix. Dreams have thousands of years of recorded history and according to www.dreammoods.com, there are over 700 references to them in the bible.

Seems most everyone has them, and the sleep researches tell us we dream 3 to 5 times a night, even if we can’t remember them upon awakening. Rapid eye movement or REM Sleep is when dreams occur.

Then there are daydreams. Here we slip off into our little escape trance and imagine something that’s not our current reality.

So why do they happen and what do they mean?

The real answer is, I haven’t a clue – kind of like the people who put Whoopi Goldberg on radio.

Yet, I have been given a gentle nudge from The Grasshopper to offer up this view on dreams.

Dreams, like everything else we experience, are energy forms. Everything is made up of energy – even your slug of a brother-in-law.

We receive an abundance of stimulation through our senses each day. Our limited conscious resources are not equipped to process it all, so the overflow goes into our unlimited subconscious reservoir. When we get into a relaxed state, these bits of energy come out to play. They hopscotch all over the place and dress themselves in incongruity like a color blind fashion designer. That’s why you say something like, “I dreamt of our old house last night but it really wasn’t our old house.”

This abundance of stored data can easily explain why many dreams resemble patchwork quilts – bits of unrelated data being weaved together like an episode of Twin Peaks.

What about the dreams you remember vividly? And the ones that have the same subject matter showing up?

These dreams are clues as to where you have blocked energy.

The dreams that stand out and the ones that recur are signals that you have some housecleaning to do. They may be fears or frustrations that you hold or clues to action that is necessary. If you dream you are being chased but your legs won’t move, that’s obviously about fear. If you dream that you are continually thwarted in an attempt to do something, that would indicate frustration.

If you know a DJ in radio broadcasting, ask them about the “radio dream.” They have all had it – many times. It’s some version of this. They are in a radio studio and it’s not their studio. They cannot find the next piece of music they are looking for and the song currently playing is coming to an end. Everything is wrong. The microphone won’t work, the CD player jams, or the computer with all the recorded data crashes.

These are blocked energy forms that sit below consciousness that need to be housecleaned.

What keeps showing up in your waking life? It’s blocked energy keeping that occurrence alive. Are you walking around fearful and frustrated or in a quandary as to what to do next? These are clues about blocked energy.

My friend, Jonathan Manske does work with businesses that have blocked energy. He can walk into your business, meet with the major players, and isolate where the blocked energy is and help you release it or transmute it so that there are no blockages to its necessary flow.

Jonathan has a visual-kinesthetic exercise to help unblock energy which I call the “Brown Sugar” exercise. Imagine for a moment that you have a clump of sand or brown sugar in your hand. Then further imagine that this clump represents the blocked energy that’s causing your waking or sleeping nightmare to continually show up. The next step is to visualize and feel yourself crumbling these clumps back into the individual granules that made them up.

This is a very powerful exercise that when repeated over time has measurable results. If you judge this exercise in your head and dismiss it out of hand because you cannot logically understand it, your blocked energy will stay stuck. Use it and amaze yourself how effective it can be.

The first key to restoring energy flow is to recognize blockages exist. Your recurring dreams and your life leave clues everyday as to where those blockages are. Then do some regular housecleaning.

All the best,

John

I just read an article by Jared Sandberg of the Wall Street Journal. It was a piece on being late.

Sandberg consults a number of people with differing theories as to why this happens. Anthony Warren, a professor of entrepreneurship at Penn State’s Smeal College of Business, deducts points from students who show up late. “It’s an outrageous expression of arrogance,” he says.

The article continues with this:

“Most chronically late people consistently underestimate time by 25 percent to 30 percent”, says Diana DeLonzor, author of Never Be Late Again. “Late people engage in magical thinking,” she says. “They remember that day 10 years ago when they made it to work in seven minutes flat. That becomes their standard.” That explains one of the most baffling types of late people: Those who are routinely late by a precise amount of time — the punctually late.”

I haven’t read Diana’s book but I did notice that one of her 7 types of late people is labeled “The Rebel.” She gives this description: “Resists authority and everyday rules; might run late as a form of control.”

My experience with people who are perpetually late is that there is a common denominator. It is control.

The real issue with these folks is that their life is out of control – meaning they live exclusively in their head. They have a mish mash of loose ends in their mind that continually distract and demean them. They aren’t thinking. Their thoughts are thinking them in a patterned, predictable way. They have this overwhelming feeling that their life is spinning out of control.

Since they can’t figure out how to corral these thoughts and put them in a pen, they attempt to exert control on other people. This gives them, at least for a few brief moments, the sense of control they are looking for in their own life. It also gives them attention* – something they desperately crave but may never directly ask for.

Being late all the time is a great cover. It gets the other people focused on their lateness rather than having them find their closely guarded little secret.

The late person can be labeled any number of ways and they have varying personalities. Some are self-assured on the surface while the constant threat of the wheels coming off is going on inside. Others can appear scatter brained and namby-pamby. They can be downtrodden or wildly successful. Jared Sandberg piece illustrates this very well when he writes:

“The worst late people use time as a weapon. Craig Sparks, a corporate lawyer, used to show up at his client’s office for meetings with accountants, investment bankers and other lawyers. The executive kept them waiting. “He became a braggart about how many dollars he was wasting by keeping us all in the conference room waiting,” says Sparks. “It was really perverse.”

It would be easy to beat up on late people and leave it at that. My sense is these people need a crash course in control. There is no such thing as control.

You will never be able to get control of reality. Reality happens and then we have our spin. Then we go into thinking control mode to keep it from happening again. You have a better chance of eradicating sunrises. Thoughts will pop into your head without an invitation. You cannot control that. What you can do is abbreviate their visit.

What would happen if you interrupted the conversation of a visitor to your home many times throughout the course of the visit? You would throw them off course and the frequency of their soliloquy would decrease, as would the number of their visits.

The same thing happens in your head. Interrupt any thought that is stuck in your mind by noticing that you are having the thought. Don’t judge it or condemn it. Just notice it. This noticing is an interruption. The more often you notice, the less often it comes around. It takes practice and the results will produce less thinking and more space between your thoughts.

This reminder is not only for late people. It’s for all of us. We don’t need control; we need space. By creating space in your mind, you dissolve the illusion of control by calming your mind and leaving room for inspiration and newness to pop in. Who knows, you may become the next best-selling author with your new book, Peace and Punctuality.

All the best,

John

P. S. *The best way to get attention is to give attention.

I was at the post office a few weeks ago sending out a CD to a friend. The mailing label contained our company logo – “John Morgan Hypnosis.” The woman behind the counter said, “Is that you?” I said, “Yes.” She then said, “I don’t believe in that stuff.”

I told her I have a friend that doesn’t believe in gravity and he keeps getting hit in the head with apples. She laughed and we had a pleasant exchange. It got me curious about beliefs. I then heard The Grasshopper say,

“The mind proves what it believes.”

For the most part the things we believe in have no evidence to back them up. Like it says in the book, Ishmael,

“There is no argument powerful enough to end the argument.”

Our minds are believing machines.

Arguing about beliefs is great talk show fodder. You could be the world’s worst talk show host and have people backed up waiting to pontificate and persuade if you offer to discuss any of the following topics: abortion, capital punishment, gun control, welfare, and the way toilet paper hangs.

I once did a 4 hour talk show where people relentlessly argued about the “right” way to hang toilet paper.

By and large, beliefs are theories. And anytime I hear the word “theory,” I’m reminded of one of my teachers, Dr. Dave Dobson. He said,

“Theory is bulls—t and defending your theory is bulls—t squared.”

So I would never ask you to change your beliefs because it wouldn’t work even if they aren’t working for you.

The question I pose is not: are your beliefs true? A more valuable question is: are they useful?

Colin Tipping wrote the following in his book, Radical Forgiveness:

“. . . it is worth noting that even the most widely accepted theories are based on assumptions for which there is very little hard evidence. For example, did you know that not one shred of evidence exists to support Darwin’s Theory of Evolution? Historically, that theory ranks as one of the biggest assumptions ever made. It serves as the basic assumption behind all biological science and as the very foundation on which much of our accepted scientific truth rests. However, the fact that no evidence exists to prove this assumption true does not mean that the theory is invalid or not useful.”

I’m currently writing a book called, Life – It’s Your Movie. Here’s an excerpt on beliefs:

“Socrates said, ‘An unexamined life is not worth living.’ We live our lives, mostly unaware, of many of the beliefs we hold, and the hold they have on us. Beliefs will take you to one destination – the same place every time. They are like trains that run on predetermined tracks and they always arrive at the same station – not matter that you desire to go elsewhere.

Get curious about your beliefs. Ask yourself, how did I get it in the first place and, more importantly, is it taking me where I want to go? Just opening yourself to this type of examination is a stepping stone to uncovering other beliefs that are running behind the scenes and being projected on the screen as your life – your movie.”

Gravity by definition means seriousness and heaviness. Your beliefs can weigh you down. Take a little ride in your own space capsule and see how weightless you can get, and get some more “Tang” out of life.

All the best,

John

As mentioned before, as a teenager, I worked as a construction laborer. In this job, I got to see my share of concrete being poured. In order for concrete to be of use, it is put into a form – something to contain it to give it its hardened name – wall, floor, post, step, etc.

The creations last a long time, but not forever. Eventually, they erode, fall apart, outlive their usefulness and are razed to the ground.

Our bodies and minds are forms. They are imbued with an energetic life force that animates them and gives them functionality. We give them names. My body form is known in common circles as “John.” This creative force when it takes shape in our mind, gives us a personality that we and others also give names to.

The force flows into a form and gives it life.

These mental forms are created mostly through cultural, social and parental conditioning. Our life force fills these forms and hardens. So if one of our molders gives us a constant dose of stubbornness, that form may get instilled within us and get filled up with the life force which then becomes concrete.

We have a collection of forms within our mind – many of which we had nothing to do with. They were given to us.

These forms run our lives. They decide before we decide what will happen in our lives – how we will predictably act and react. The life force no longer has room to maneuver in the mind and give us free will because the mind is so crowded with forms. So, like concrete, we become set in our ways (forms).

Some forms are functional for the human condition – most are not.

So the question becomes how do we give the life force room to move around and give us more choice and aliveness?

We have to get a crack in the form that is holding us stationary. Once a crack shows up, the form is vulnerable and much easier to dismantle. The best way to start the process is to get yourself a pick ax known as recognition. Recognize the form within you. It’s easy to see it in others but your job is to find it in you. Once you identify it, a course of action is born.

If you start automatically noticing that you are doing something that you didn’t notice before, it is often the Tipping Point to make room for more life.

Get curious about your forms. They may have been purposeful at one point, but how well are they serving you now?

Continued application of recognition causes a chain reaction that turns concrete to dust and washes away the structures of yesterday.

All the best,

John

Thanksgiving weekend brings out many traditions. We attended a high school football rivalry that’s been going on for 37 years. It was more about seeing my grandson play in the band, but it felt good to be one of the 4000 faithful in the stands.

Then there is the traditional dinner gathering, followed by football on TV with plentiful desserts and chit-chat galore. Some people will head out today and be one of the many taking advantage of the early bird specials and getting a head start on their Christmas shopping. Many class reunions are scheduled over this weekend as well to take advantage of the fact that several who moved out of town will be home for the holiday.

A few years ago, we began a new tradition at our home and I thought I would share it with you. It’s a daily way to celebrate people in your life and wish them well.

Did you ever notice that our birthdays show up twice a day on digital clocks? A digital clock will display the date of your birth twice every day.

So here’s how we take advantage of this occurrence:

When someone notices that the clock is displaying someone’s birth date, they say, “Make a wish.” Anyone within earshot then makes a silent wish for that person. If you are alone and happen to notice, you can just make a silent intention for that person.

It’s a wonderful way to remember to celebrate the people in your life and also to wish them well.

I hope you enjoy this tradition as much as we do.

All the best,

John

P. S. It’s not against the rules to notice your own birth date and celebrate you.

Did you ever notice that when something is missing, it is lost? And when you see it, it is found. On the surface it looks like I’m stating the obvious, but let’s dig just a bit deeper.

It’s a matter of focus. The immediate example that comes to mind is lost car keys. “I can’t find my keys,” is the mantra we use. Where is your attention in that statement? It is on the idea of lost.

When you are focused on lost, it causes a scotoma (blind spot) in your mind for that which you want to find. You may look directly at what is deemed lost and not see it. The subtle shift in attention to “I’m finding my keys” cuts down on the search time. Pretend I made this up and then use this strategy the next time something is out of sight.

This will be more than a novel, philosophical concept when you own the experience. Ideas can be washed away by other ideas. Experience has staying power.

So let’s see how we can get some experience finding something more profound than car keys.

What is missing in your life? Notice how quickly that response came to mind. It was sitting right there just waiting to answer that question. So you are conditioned to respond to the question, “What is missing?” with the asked for criteria. It happens in less than a heartbeat. That question limits your responses and your answer keeps your attention on what’s missing.

So let’s shift the angle of approach and consider this:

The thing that’s believed missing in your life is not missing at all – it’s just not in your vision. It exists; you just can’t see it.

How do we get what we’re looking for in our field of vision? We simply focus on being grateful for its existence. You will create abundance wherever you focus your gratitude.

When you shift your attention from lost to found (missing to existing), you recondition your mind to focus on what is vs. what isn’t.

Then when we express our gratefulness for its existence, it begins to show up in our vision.

So here is my 2 step Lost & Found exercise:

First, notice that what seems to be missing does exist and is just out of view.

Second, express your gratitude for its existence.

Then begin to notice how much quicker that previously blocked vision materializes. Your focus of gratitude on existence clears a blockage in your mind and makes room for “the keys” to show up.

For this to be more than an interesting notion, you’ll have to take it for a test drive to own the experience. Make being grateful for the existence of the things you want a regular, spiritual practice and watch the loaves and fishes begin to multiply.

I can’t think of a better time than now to begin this practice of gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving!

John

Wu Wei comes from the Ancient Chinese Taoists. It literally means “do not war.”

Philosopher, Alan Watts noted that within the context of the writings, it probably had a deeper meaning which he characterized as “do not force.” He likened it to putting a key into a resistant lock. He suggested that jiggling would be a better strategy than imposing your will on the lock, resulting in less broken keys.

TV legend, Jackie Gleason unknowingly addressed Wu Wei. Paraphrasing a response to a question about being successful, he said something like the following:

“Be going out when the tide is going out and be coming in when it’s coming in. Anytime I did it differently, I paid the price.”

Forcing the action is not great strategy to live by. It’s like the famous biblical quote metaphorically states,

“Live by the sword, die by the sword.”

How many times in your life have you pushed when you would have been better served by pulling? I was a world class pusher. Ask anyone who worked for me in the radio business. I was mission oriented.

I didn’t get that way by accident. My father was a bricklayer by trade who came up through the ranks and was selected to be a foreman by Grace Kelly’s father. My father was known by his peers as a “pusher.” He had a reputation for getting the job done. I worked for my father as a construction laborer in the summertime. I can attest from personal experience that his reputation was not a myth.

Getting things done is an admirable and highly sought after skill.

The purpose of this blog is to get you curious about where your penchant for pushing may be coming from. If it’s from your conditioning, you may want to take another look at the process.

Actions coming from your will wear you down. There is too much mental noise attached to this approach and far too much effort. This imposition of your will takes painstaking, conscious planning and an exacting amount of control – all giant energy depleters. You always have to keep the balls in the air. And anyone who knows how to juggle will tell you that the ball eventually drops.

This is not a treatise on not planning or not doing necessary work. The real question is where are your actions coming from?

The Taoists suggest actions are best when they come from the “Tao.” The Tao is “the way” – a pathway that’s in harmony with the universe.

The most productive strategy is to align yourself with the intelligence that permeates the entire universe. This means to take time and quiet your mind so that you can bathe it in the rejuvenating essence of mental solitude. The results are that your actions become infused with aligned energy where force is unnecessary.

You get to the same destination but on a much smoother road. There is less wear and tear and the best news is you get to come out of your head more often and sample more of life’s journey.

All the best,

John

http://JohnMorganHypnosis.com

Do you have a sense when the party is over? Here’s a little secret I have found out. The party is over when you leave.

We have all stayed at a party too long. If we don’t want it to end, we stay on past its natural conclusion. It does take a toll on us.

What keeps us at this party? I think it’s the lure of missing something. I like to call this sense of missing something: “chasing the horizon.”

Parties are intended to be fun events where you go to entertain and be entertained. They can be wonderful, festive exchanges of our humanness – a terrific taste of life.

But that’s all they are – a taste.

To get more than the hors D’Oeuvres, you have to go somewhere else. You’ll never find life sustaining food at the party. And being a perpetual member of the party scene guarantees anti-climatic feelings, leaving you wanting more and leaving you with an empty stomach.

So, how do you know when to leave? Look at your life. Life leaves clues.

Do you feel a constant state of emptiness? Are you continually striving to fill up that emptiness by chasing carrot sticks? Do you have a penchant for doing it all? These are all clues that you are chasing the horizon.

The horizon is an illusion – a mythical mist. It seems real, but it’s always an empty promise. You can’t get there from here.

This isn’t meant to be preachy. This is just an undeniable fact of life that many people ignore their whole life.

If you think the answer is at the party, you will always be questioning and second guessing yourself.

This is an invitation to come home. Come home to the divine presence that is you. It’s a veritable smorgasbord that fills you up and sates your soul.

After coming home, you will bring more presence and fullness to the gatherings you do attend, and your soul nourishment won’t depend on the paté being served at the party.

All the best,

John