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Ladders To Success

Written by: Debbie

With household repairs and Halloween decorations going up, there was a ladder or two out and around my house this weekend. No accidents occurred, I am happy to report. Just for fun, I must confess, I walked under the ladder while it was empty. I just had to tempt fate.

Walking beneath a ladder is a common Halloween superstition. People fear bad luck as a result. This stems back to the days before the gallows. Criminals were hung from the top rung of a ladder and their spirits were believed to linger underneath. Common folklore is that it is bad luck to walk beneath an open ladder and pass through the triangle of evil ghosts and spirits.

So far, my luck is holding out!

Of course, this ladder was more difficult to walk under, almost had bad luck trying to get through, than the one we used to reach up higher.

I checked with the OSHA website, while there are precautions set forth for buying ladders and using them, I couldn’t find any references to Spirits lingering.

OSHA LADDER SAFETY

Off to get my week started, I’ll let you know if things change. For now, I will keep my thoughts focused on the positive fun this week promises.

One quick sidestep here. My buddy Stan, over at Razzball, a fantasy baseball blog sent this to me. I think this means the feeling is mutual!

Friday Silliness…..

Written by: Debbie

Once again, I take a break from superstitions and fears. Sorry, but the World Series is just too exciting around here. GO RAYS!

I have not always been such a fan of baseball. When I was a little girl, I won Miss Little League. Pretty much all that meant was I rode in a convertible in a parade and waved my little gloved hands at people lining the streets, waiting for their Little Leaguer to walk by. My next brilliant moment of baseball lore, was even less impressive.

I was at a party at my in-laws home. There was a gentleman attending the party who my brother in law just wanted me to meet. He was pleased to introduce me to this person and have me ooh and aah over his ring. I looked at the ring and thought it was the biggest, gaudiest thing I had ever seen. Not wanting to say that, I wowed him all right. I said the perfect thing. I looked up from the ring and asked him, “What’s a World Series?”

Needless to say, conversations stopped. I to this day, do not remember who he was. In the retelling of this story to the father of a friend of my son, he smiled. Seems he was a coach for the Toronto Blue Jays and had a similar gaudy ring. (Sigh)

I have shown my brilliance as well, with basketball. I used to take my sons to a local pottery paint shop for some “bonding” time. Well, this young man seemed to spend a lot of time there. He was very tall and athletic looking. He just seemed to have so much time on his hands. I was introduced by the shop owner to Matt Geiger, who seemed very polite and was busy painting dishes for his pets! Finally, one day, when he seemed particularly bored, I told him, “Matt, you really need to get a job.” He laughed and agreed that would be a good idea.

Apparently it was during the Basketball strike of 1998-1999 and Matt was an NBA player. Oops, to me he was just a nice kid.

So, in honor of my amazing sports trivia, I share this video with you. It does show how the language can be used to confuse!

Person with black cat on shoulder indoors.

A Lucky Black Cat

Written by: Debbie

Superstitions centering around the black cat are some of the most well-known and popular superstitions today. Depending upon where you live, the luck centered around the cat can be good luck or bad luck. Here in the States, a black cat crossing your path is considered by many to be bad luck.

Well, I am the not so proud owner of a black cat. Not so proud has nothing to do with any superstition or concern about my luck. She has crossed my path too many times to count. The only time it has been bad luck is when I have had the misfortune to not see her as I was stepping in that direction and end up tripping or falling. (I never promised to be graceful!) I am not so proud because this cat has it out for me!

She is the true pet of my oldest son. He named her Sassy and they have been devoted to one another since the day I reluctantly agreed to yet another pet in our household. My son named her Sassy, after a cat in a movie that was popular at the time, “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey”. (Even as I went to type that name it became Homeward Pound, do you suppose that was Freudian?)

If my son is in the room and simply wags his finger, the cat runs to jump on his lap and purrs like a kitten. (Mind you she is 17 years old!) She sleeps on his bed when he is home, she sits in his window often when he is gone. Sassy is in love with my son. She will go to my youngest, when the oldest is missing for comfort. She even has a game with my husband, “Pet Daddy”. He sits on the couch, she at his side and when he says, “pet Daddy”, she reaches her little paw out to rub his tummy.

I clean her cat box. I feed her. I grow catnip for her. I buy her toys. I disgust this cat! She looks the opposite direction of wherever I may be. She sits on my papers, if I am working in the living room, then becomes annoyed with me if I reach out for one. She yowls at me in the morning when she wants to be fed.

I tried to convince my son to take her with him, so he wouldn’t be homesick when he left for college. He didn’t want her to get out if a roommate wasn’t aware in a new town. She mourned his moving, lost weight. I took her to the vets and bought a special weight improving food for her. Still, I disgust her.

I had a relative who was afraid of cats. A black cat crossing her path would send her into such strong fear, she would freeze and you could see her heart palpitate. She didn’t like pictures of cats, seeing any cat outside upset her. Now, that is more than a little superstition, that is fear! In a case like that, through hypnosis one can regress to the origin of such a fear and learn to overcome it. This relative also feared hypnosis, she didn’t understand it. What a shame, to live a life of fear.

For me, I just live a life of servitude to a Lucky Black Cat!

Person with blue wig and sunglasses cheering.

Monday Morning Musings….

Written by: Debbie

GO RAYS!

Superstitions are our attempts at making sense out the unexplained. Many of our superstitions once sought to placate “unseen forces” by simple rituals, and many of these rituals, such as knocking on wood after an optimistic statement or throwing spilled salt over the left shoulder, still persist today.

Watching the Tampa Bay Rays win last night lead me to do some thinking about the differences between behaviors that are rituals and those that are superstitions. Often a coach will encourage a ritual that will allow the player become focused. That is healthy. When it crosses over into the realm of “magical thinking” it becomes superstition. The fans hold many superstitions as well.

Do you have any behaviors that cross over into the realm of superstition? Do they affect you in a positive or negative way?

Diagram of the human stomach showing major parts and food flow.

Friday Silliness…..

Written by: Debbie

Fear Of Flying

Written by: Debbie

Imagine an opportunity presents itself to land the big client, to finally meet with the CEO of a fortune 500 company and get a signature on a career making contract and all you have to do is fly to the city where the corporate office is located. It is too far a drive to be there by deadline, just hop on a plane and your career hits the big time! Maybe your favorite niece is getting married at an exotic resort and you are invited to attend, you just have to fly there. A group of your golfing buddies are going to play one of the most exclusive courses and make a weekend out of it. There is even a corporate jet provided to get you there. Just climb on board and join the fun.

Or not. What if you are one of the many who suffer from a fear of flying?

It has been said that as many as 1 out of every 3 adults suffers from a fear of flying. It is said to be a learned fear. The reasons vary as much as the individuals who suffer from it. There are those who feel claustrophobic (fear of enclosed spaces), others suffer from acrophobia (fear of heights), while others may fear not being in control or may have developed a fear as a result of a horrific accident they saw in the news. Still, there are those who have had experiences that set them into a fearful state. Regardless of the reason, the fear can prevent the sufferer from enjoying one of the safest modes of transportation and the opportunities that are available as a result of the freedom flying brings.

The first thing I work with a client on is understanding the fear. When and why did it develop? What aspects of flying are the ones that are bothersome. Understanding the the anatomy of the fear is important.
Next, we discuss the rigorous physical tests and classes that the pilots and crew must go through as well as the maintenance of the plane and the crew that maintains the plane.
Learning breathing techniques for relaxation are an important part of the process. Deep relaxing breathes, help to calm the body and the mind. (Avoid caffeine prior to flying!)
Finally, we regress to the initial sensitizing event and work on changing the perception of what occurred. Proof of the individuals safety is sometimes as simple as the fact that they are sitting right there in my office, not hospitalized or worse from the event.
I give a relaxing hypnotic audio to listen to prior to flight time and one to listen to on the plane. My clients report back that they not only survive the flights, they actually enjoy them!

Background with repeated text "Don't think about smoking" in pink on white.

WIN Was A Winner!

Written by: Debbie

Last night was the big annual event for WIN (Women In Networking) in Pinellas County, FL. The net proceeds were to go to Healthy Start Coalition of Pinellas County and The American Cancer Society. I am excitedly waiting to hear how much money was raised. It had to be a good amount as the place was packed! There were so many vendors I was unable to visit them all.

My talk was so much fun to give. I had a room full of energetic listeners and we laughed all the way through it. I did not do anything for luck, but practice and allow myself to feel calm and centered. Imagine that?!

I attended a workshop on blogging, Tina Williams was the presenter. She had some great information, now all I need is the time to digest it and apply what I learned. The one thing she did convince me of, I am now active with Twitter. I had been signed up, but never bothered to find out anything more. (I had really signed on to be polite to a friend.) Wow! I have even been tweeted!

Well, time to head back to the office. I just wanted to keep my promise and let you know how the talk went. Tomorrow, back on track with superstitions and fears. “Til then: tweet, tweet!

Two cigarettes with a warning: Don't think about smoking.

Monday Morning Musing….

Written by: Debbie

This week is shaping up to be a wonderful week. I have the opportunity to speak at the WIN Symposium tomorrow evening. The Symposium is an annual event, held by Women In Networking, where women can network, attend workshops and visit a variety of exhibitors to find ways of improving their opportunities. Net proceeds benefit the Healthy Start Coalition of Pinellas County and The American Cancer Society. It promises to be quite interesting, I have certainly enjoyed it in years past.

Now, I was with a group of friends on Saturday night and mentioned the Symposium. One of the gentlemen told me to “break a leg”. This made us all laugh, but it also helped to remind me that part of this month’s theme is superstitions. So, I want to reassure you that I will not be carrying a rabbits foot with me, wearing any lucky charms or keep salt in my pocket during the talk. I will however, look into the eyes of my audience, speak to them from my heart and have a wonderful time sharing what I have to offer, in the hopes that my information will help someone walk away feeling just a little bit better about themselves.

As I always do, I will use a little bit of self-hypnosis to calm and center myself before I speak. I hope to have audience participation, it is more fun that way. When they leave, I hope that new affirmations have been created by each attendee, that will take them through the next few days, weeks and months into a journey of fun and discovery. It is my goal that each person feels more self empowered as well. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Excited woman with glasses explaining what an expected client is.

Friday Silliness…..

Written by: Debbie

This week I had a gentleman come into my office to quit smoking. Now, this is someone whom I know from another aspect of my life. He has known me for many years and we have always been cordial. He has never known me to harm anyone. Yet, his hands shook as he filled out the paperwork. He was terrified of what he was about to experience.

I am not quite sure what he thought I could/would do to him, but it sure was evident that he was giving me all the power over him. So, we spent some time discussing hypnosis and all the myths surrounding it. I was able to explain to him that he was in control, not me. Eventually, he relaxed and took back his power. After our time together, he left my office, smoke free and very happy.

His first comment as he came out of trance was how different it felt, how time seemed to change. He wasn’t sure how long he had been in my office, it felt like forever and then again like he had just walked in. Either way, he was hooked! I was happy to give him the audio I have for my smokers and promised him the audio of our session as well.

In honor of this gentleman, the writing I am doing on fears and the fact that it is Friday, I leave you with a video that I just love.

Woman standing near whiteboard with text overlay.

Fear Of Public Speaking

Written by: Debbie

I have written about this fear before. My friend Brenda had a fear of public speaking that she overcame through one hypnotic session. It has made a big difference for her in her career since then. She stands before groups and keeps them enthralled with her talks.

The fear of public speaking is considered to be the number one fear people suffer from, even more than the fear of death! Three out of every four individuals has such a fear, that is 75% of the population.

This fear knows no boundaries of sex, race, class or anything else you can imagine. Ironically, the audience wants the speaker to succeed.

And yet…..

We perceive the audience as the enemy. We have visions of the audience waiting to pounce on our every word, find our faults, shine a light on our weaknesses.

I once was that fear filled person. I hated being called upon in class, hated giving speeches or even being noticed! Now, I teach at conventions, speak anywhere and everywhere I am invited and make appearances on television on a regular basis. I know the fear, I know the thrill of overcoming it.

Think about the freedom you could have if you were to overcome a fear of public speaking.

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