“I’ve had an incredible week, thanks to Karen” These words are music to my ears. I find I tend to minimize them by saying anyone can do what I do for my clients.

Wrong.

We are each unique and we are here to do what only we can provide. Countless people have proven when you are in the groove, when you have found your rhythm, things begin to come together for you.

The world is reminded of the importance of believing in yourself and your vision this week as one of the greatest inventors of our time, Steve Jobs was called Home. In the wake of Mr. Job’s death, many of us are pondering how we can step more fully into our life. How can we find that one thing that we and only we are here to do that is going to make a difference in our world?

I promise you, Steve Jobs was not an exception in humanity. He exemplifies what we are all here to do, each of us in our own unique way. Mr. Jobs not only leaves a legacy through his world-changing inventions, but he leaves us the keys and the encouragement to discover for ourselves what our passions and gifts to the world are and the advice to live them .http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

When I work with my VIP clients, I help them uncover exactly what they are here to do and then we devise an action plan to unfold it, and ways of addressing the patterns and beliefs that held them back in the past. For many people, these patterns and beliefs have been running in the background for many years, and this is the first time they are able to actually uncover them, unravel them, and harness the energy they have been taking up in the subconscious mind.

These patterns and beliefs are running constantly, much like you might have several sub programs running in the background of Windows while you are using Word. You don’t know they are there and how much energy they are using until you open the Task Manager and reveal them. Often, we find beliefs and patterns that are no longer useful, in fact, they are actually sabotaging your success, and we are able to release them, freeing you to pursue your dreams and passions.

“A lot of times people don’t know what they want until you show it to them,” Steve Jobs is quoted as saying. I find that consciously people don’t know what they want, but their purpose, passion, and the way in which they are here to live there life is all within and available to come forth. My work with people is to show them what is already inside them waiting to be revealed, like a diamond emerging from coal.

There is no greater tribute to pay to a person, but to live your life differently having been moved by the way in which they lived theirs. Steve Jobs has shown us who you are can change the world. Isn’t it time you uncovered it?

Meanwhile, “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish”. Steve Jobs, February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011

I’ve stopped watching television, and I rarely listen to radio. Instead, I load my IPod with inspirational speakers – Wayne Dyer, Marrianne Williamson, Reverend Michael Beckwith.

I’ve noticed I’m getting more inquires from people who are stressed, depressed, afraid of losing their jobs, or fearing what is going to happen when their unemployment runs out.  Most of these people are spending a great deal of time glued to the nightly news or scanning the newspapers to see the state of the world.

It isn’t changing very much. We’re still on a downward trajectory heading into Doomsday.

Here’s a disturbing fact: the media is lying to you. I saw a classic example of this the other night which I cover in another blog. I’m not even going to mention the show here because I don’t want to move them up in the ratings in any way. I know how human nature works. You’ll read about it here and then you will go search for more information about what I am talking about on their website, perhaps you will want to view a replay of the show to see what I’m talking about. You’re probably wondering right now, “Why doesn’t she just spill the beans and unveil the rest of the story?”

Do you see what just happened?

I had you following the mind bait – and you were no doubt going after it hook, line and sinker. That is what the media wants you to do. They feed you a steady diet of fear and then your neurons want more.

It’s all drama. We’re attracted to the stimulation it provides to our nervous system. It gets the adrenaline going.

So does exercise.

In college, I embraced a fleeting thought of being a journalist. I imagined myself traveling internationally to cover the news. I’d be going to exciting places to find the truth and expose it to the masses.

I landed a coveted internship at the local town paper. After two weeks I quit. Why? Because they weren’t interested in the truth. They were interested in putting a fear spin on everything. If there was ONE burglary, I was in charge of researching for the reporter to find if there were more, similar ones, if they had escalated, if the police saw a trend, and could that be a trend that was “alarming”. If it couldn’t be cast in a more negative light, while remaining truthful, the story was dropped.

There’s something about our innate desire for survival and safety that news reporters are trained to tap. When they can suggest that either your survival or your safety is threatened they have your attention. When they have your attention you tune in. You buy more papers, you tune into their news programming (note the word here) and you make their advertisers happy. The advertisers feel they are getting great exposure for their money and at a time when your subconscious mind is highly susceptible – a state of heightened emotionality,  a time when you are more suggestible…

Do you get what is going on here?

Yes, the people coming into my office do have some legitimate reasons for despair in life. But remember – what you focus on in life is what expands. It is a natural law. When you focus on the fear and the gloom and what you don’t have you attract more of the same into your life.

What would happen right now if everyone began to look at how to create opportunity in this economy? What if people looking for a job decided instead to look at their talents and skills and step forward to create business based on that unique service they are here to provide? What if they met with others in like situations to mastermind possibility during the hours they would be working – and made that a focus?

Imagine the world today if people where living towards their dreams instead of cowering in uncertainty and apprehension about what the future holds according to the forecasters.

The forecasters are only telling us what trends we are creating.

We can create something different.

When your heart is filled with fear, there is no room for opportunity. The mind is designed to look for evidence to support your thoughts.  The way to change your reality is to change your thoughts….and I know just the person to help you!

Blessings and abundance,

Karen

“To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1

It’s funny how things come full circle, but the part of the circle that you come back to isn’t ever exactly the same as the one you left. Change is constant and inevitable.

When I started my own business in 2003, it seemed the easy answer to an exceedingly demanding life as the executive of a public benefit corporation overshadowed by the public attention diverted to 9-11.

Wrong.

It hasn’t been the “easy” I have envisioned, but it has been rewarding. I’ve learned so much. Over the past seven or so years. I have created   websites, products, services and had the opportunity to really get to know more about what makes people tick. During that time I have had some entrancing  successes and some big belly flops. (It’s the Law…of Polarity).

I’ve had the opportunity to meet with and learn from some amazing people, including Jack Canfield, David Neagle, Tim Kelley, Marcia Wieder, Susan Falter-Barnes, Jefferey Van Dyke, Michael Charest and others  who have joined together to hear their call.  Every one of them has played an important role in helping me to locate that Golden Thread of Purpose that runs through the divine blueprint of my  life.

And when I started Transformation by Design I thought I had that Golden Thread completely uncovered and was going to follow it into retirement…that is until I was facilitating  some Soul Purpose Work with a client and she told me in trance,  that she and every client  was a messenger for me. That caught my attention.

That was the first subtle tap from the Universe. Since then, I’ve received what correlates to a whack on the side of the head with a cosmic two-by-four. I know now, I’ve needed these past seven years to meet the people who have crossed my path, all of them messengers, learn the things I’ve been learning, much of which my little corporate-minded brain couldn’t have embraced without getting down into the trenches and working the muck with my wonderful clients, who taught me just what I needed to remember so I can be prepared to step fully into my purpose. I recognize I even needed the executive experience to prepare me for where I will be going in the future…Oh, the places I’ve been, and the things I’ve learned…

Now, as I noted in my last post, change is in the air. It is stronger and closer than ever. So close I can smell it. It smells of sweat, tears, and fear. Yet, at the same time, the anticipation, the pull from my soul propels me forward.

Many businesses offer several product or services, by splitting their company into divisions. That’s exactly what I am preparing to do.

The bottom line is that my new focus is going to be BIG and encompass ALL of the skills and talents I have amassed during my professional life, including those I stuffed into my shadow.  In order to give this growth the attention it deserves, there won’t be room for any distractions.

I’ve prepared my appointment calendar to make way for my next move. You can now check my calendar and schedule a meeting with me on-line at: meetwith.me/karenrothstein .  I’ll be seeing private clients on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and only taking new clients most committed to change.  Because of the time crunch, I will no longer be giving free consultations.  Either you are serious and committed or you are not.

I’ll be announcing more about my new service line within the next couple weeks as I begin incorporating some of the visual elements into my brand.  As former clients and loyal readers I wanted to prepare you now as I know there are some people who every spring, just like the bears emerging from winter hibernation, come alive and decide to give themselves a little mental tune-up either through a coaching package or a hypnosis session.  Space and time is now a little more limited.

I would love to hear your comments. Feel free to post your thoughts below.

I’m looking forward to telling you more about my new initiative….It addresses what Rumi calls an “Open Secret” and it is plaguing America. Stay tuned.

It saddens me when I receive an email like the one I’m about to share with you. I haven’t received too many, but even one is heart breaking. It goes something like this:

“I’ve tried hypnosis and it didn’t work. I spent thousands of dollars to (fill in the blank) and nothing happened. I think it is a scam or people doing it are just not qualified.”

 Why is this heart breaking?

I know that your mind is one of the most powerful tools on Earth. There is no doubt here. I’ve witnessed profound changes in people when they are able to harness the power of the mind. For some it does take more effort than for others. We are each unique.

Here’s what I know. Hypnosis, while magical, is not magic. You have to have some skin in the game and that skin comes in the form of a true desire to change. True desire to change helps create the magic. Many times people come to my office and they are surprised when I challenge them on their willingness to change during the pre-talk. (The pre-talk is the talk you and I have where I assess your readiness for hypnosis and simultaneously get you ready to accept trance.) 

 As a hypnotist my IGS (Intuitive Guidance System) is pretty accurate. It’s like when I was a classroom teacher, I developed eyes in the back of my head; my IGS is honed with repeated hourly use. Like the GPS on your car it seldom steers me wrong. A good hypnotist uses their IGS to determine your willingness and readiness for change. They won’t accept you as a client if these two factors aren’t present.

Sometimes your heart is ready for change, but there’s a part of you that is hesitant. My IGS will discover this quickly in our work together. Maybe you are receiving a secondary gain that needs to be addressed before you can release the problem…maybe there is a spiritual reason for your problem, or maybe the problem isn’t yours…(addressed in consideration #4 below.)

The subconscious mind is your servant. A well-qualified hypnotist will be able to work with any rogue  parts of you to bring them on board so you can get the results you desire. They will work to uncover the secondary gain you receive from having your problem and seek ways for you to get that need met through healthy means. Their training gives them a plethora of tools to get to the root of the matter.  

Let’s talk about qualified. I always suggest to people that they find a hypnotist registered with the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH). Unfortunately, there are a lot of hobbyists out there who have hypnosis as their “weekend work”. A weekend course on hypnosis or smoking cessation does not make a person a qualified practitioner. NGH requires on-going education to remain a member in good standing. There’s a difference between someone who has 16 hours of training and someone who received 400+ hours of training.

You can expect to pay a little more for their expertise. Recently I received a phone call from someone who was price shopping. I understand price sensitivity in this economy. I’ve adjusted my wages since many of my clients are State workers who have been furloughed. Imagine my surprise when this young woman told me that a hypnotist in downtown Sacramento told her it would only cost her $60  and one session to address her anxiety issue.

I spent a few moments on the telephone with the young lady and by the way in which she answered my questions my IGS told me it was not a simple single-session issue. Ethically, I couldn’t tell her I was going to just give her one session. If she received just one session she might end up in the “I tried hypnosis and it didn’t work.” category.

Receiving one session in this instance would be like taking your car to get an oil change and having the mechanic remove the old oil and send you on your way without putting new oil in the engine.  I took the next few moments to give the caller some key questions she should be asking before she asksed about price. She thanked me. They were things she never thought about before. Working with your mind is priceless. Differing prices between hypnotists  may be an indicator of the many hours a professional has  invested in their training and the level of confidence they place in their work.

If you have spent thousands of dollars and nothing happened you owe it to yourself and your hypnotist to discover why. I have an agreement with a fellow hypnotist that if I discover hypnosis didn’t work he will provide the client with a session and together we will consult for the outcome. I do the same for him. Now there is a difference between hypnosis not working and the client not working the hypnosis. Usually we find the cause is in the latter. A reputable professional hypnotist will gladly explore why hypnosis may not have worked with you.

If a reputable qualified hypnotist has done all they can to assist you and you still have the problem here are two other considerations: 1) Maybe your soul wants you to have the problem because there is soul growth in having to face this challenge. Again, this can be ascertained through a hypnosis session – and it requires advanced training for the hypnotist.  2) Maybe the problem does not belong to you, but to energy that is attached to you. I’ll save the details on this one for another blog post, but again, a well-qualified hypnotist will have the advanced training to address this issue.

All this being said, sometimes even the best in the profession can’t help you create the change you seek. Just like lawyers don’t win every case, and doctors can’t cure every patient, hypnotists can’t change every mind.

Join us for Hypnosis World Summit starting May 4 2010 www.bit.ly/diQD47 Learn how to use your mind for change for free!

Monday, January 4^th marks the fourth annual World Hypnotism Day. Celebrated by my fellow hypnotists the world over,  it was originally incepted by Tom Nicoli, Board Certified Hypnotist, to provide the profesession a venue to educate the public about the many benefits of hypnotism and remove the myths and misconceptions surrounding this valuable tool for well-being.

In Sacramento, I’m doing my part to promote and educate the general public by offering free stress reduction sessions from 1:00 – 7:00 p.m. on that Monday.   Simply call the office and ask for a “World Hypnotism Day De-Stress” session.  It’s my gift to you.  

If you can’t make it during that time because you are going back to work, then take a moment and go up into the right hand corner of this blog and download my free session for your IPod.

I guarantee it to be the best mind massage you’ve had all year,  and if you are heading back to work, you’ll probably need it.