Stop the negative spiral

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard of the movie and book phenomenon THE SECRET, and perhaps its slightly less famous but no less fascinating cousin, WHAT THE BLEEP DO WE KNOW?

The concept is pretty easy to understand: We create our own reality with our thoughts and emotions. It's also easy to observe.

Here's a perfect example of how I recently created a chain reaction of negative events. It started with a snafu regarding my burglar alarm. I was suspicious of the person who "upgraded" my alarm from the minute I saw her, and while I don't want to dwell on the story, suffice it to say I let myself get conned into something I didn't want, and it took a great deal of money and time on the telephone to set things right. I tried not to let this series of events bother me, but it did. A lot. I felt victimized, which is one of the most negative feelings in the world.

It didn't end there. A short time later, when I wanted to replace my old cell phone and add my husband to my plan, there was another huge communications error, resulting in me getting charged much more than was promised. More time on the phone.

Just when I thought it was straightened out, confirmation letters came in the mail, again with the wrong price quoted. Bills arrived with erroneous charges. The crowning glory was a letter from the IRS claiming I owed them $1600 plus interest and penalties, resulting from THEIR bookkeeping error, which was supposedly straightened out months ago.

This morning I decided enough was enough. I created the pattern with my victim mentality (and that feeling that big corporations and government entities were out to get me) and I was going to uncreate it. I resolved that these misunderstandings would be easily and pleasantly resolved to everyone's satisfaction by lunchtime. Three short phone calls, and all was taken care of. Even the IRS was friendly and apologetic. And I had a really good day afterward, too--happy and productive.

It's easy to get into a negative spiral, but you can catch yourself and reverse the process. Just say, "Stop. Enough. I am in control." Take a deep breath, smile, and know in your heart everything will turn out fine. At first this might not work for you, but keep trying. Sometimes it takes practice. But the first time you observe it working, you'll remember how you did it, how it felt, and it will be easier next time. You'll be amazed how often this works.

Onward and upward,
Kara