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Shift Happens!
B Y R O B E R T H O L D E N

The Meaning of Life is Made,
Not Found

I FIRST MET FREDDIE FRANKL when the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) invited me to inherit his popular radio phone-in series on stress and well-being. My government-backed Stress Busters Clinic had been running very well for two years, and I was considered a suitable successor to Freddie who by then was in his early seventies and was finally retiring.

Freddie Frankl was a rare psychiatrist. For starters, he was happy! He was warm, kind, wholehearted and liked to laugh. He was famous for his motto, "One laugh is worth two tablets". Freddie was like a wise old owl. I learned a lot from him. I remember him on our last meeting before his death saying to me, "The search for the meaning of life is folly - the meaning of life is made, not found."

Freddie's uncle was the internationally renowned psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl, author of Man's Search for Meaning and founder of Logotherapy, heralded as "The Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy" after Freud and Adler. Logos is a Greek word which denotes "meaning". Viktor Frankl believed that man's search for meaning is the primary motivation in life.

Viktor Frankl was a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps. His horrific experiences taught him that people can survive any hardship if they are able to make a positive meaning out of it. "Even the worst circumstance can be transformed by our minds," he wrote.

The meaning of life is not a search - it is a choice. Meaning is not found in things; meaning is what you make of things. The world means nothing by itself. You give it all the meaning it has. Thus, the meaning of life is a choice you make, not just once, but every waking hour of your day.

Life is like art - it is all about interpretation. The moment anything happens to you, you interpret a meaning for it. The meaning you vote for then governs your perception, your thinking, your faith, your choices, your feelings, your behaviors, everything! Whenever you elect a new meaning, this changes everything. Here is a great key to healing and success.

An event occurs, and it is your interpretation and meaning that decide everything thereafter. "There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so," wrote Shakespeare. For example:

Two accidents in quick succession may mean God doesn't care,
or, you need to take care.
A boss who spends no time with you may mean he doesn't like you,
or, he trusts you.
When he/she doesn't call it may mean the romance is cooling,
or, they are simply busy.
A friend acting out of character may mean he/she doesn't love you,
or, he/she is calling for help.
Losing your lipstick might mean a world emergency,
or, it's time to buy some more.
A speeding ticket might mean the world is out to get you,
or, you need to slow down.
A stain on your shirt might mean a drama,
or, nothing.
A pink slip might mean the end of your life,
or, a new beginning.
Showing your emotions might be a sign of weakness,
or, a show of strength.
A failed job interview might mean you lost out,
or, something even better is in store.

Your ego is an avid interpreter. It is so quick to interpret events as "bad" or "good", "wrong" or "right". It never fails to see "the little picture". This is particularly so during a "crisis" when so much judgment, fear, anxiety and panic blots your mind it is almost impossible to perceive your own best interests.

Whenever I experience any trouble, I try The 180° Shift. I look at what is troubling me, and I ask myself, "What if 'bad' is 'good', 'wrong' is 'right,' and this 'trouble' is a 'gift'?" The fact is, "This could mean anything." Shifting my thoughts like this helps to suspend the ego's fear mongering. It also helps me to be open and receptive to higher thoughts.

Fear is not in things; fear is only in the meaning you give things. Pain is not in things; pain is only in the meaning you give things. Change the meaning, and the fear and the pain are transformed. Sometimes the greatest fear and pain come from a sense of meaninglessness in life. Meaning is a choice, not a search, remember? A sense of meaninglessness is really, therefore, a call to let in higher awareness and truth.

Right now, practice The 180° Shift. Think of a challenge, something "wrong," "bad," "painful" or "negative".

Step one: Declare, "This could mean anything."

Step two: Suspend all judgments and clear your mind. Step three: be open to higher inspiration, a new perception and a more positive interpretation. Doing The 180° Shift with another person can also be very beneficial.

Fear is Yesterday

IN 1989 I OPENED THE FIRST Stress Busters Clinic, paid for by the National Health Service, in Great Britain. Over the next few years I worked closely with people who suffered from stress, anxiety, depression, heart disease, cancer and AIDS. The clinic quickly gained an excellent reputation. We won government sponsorship; the BBC broadcast a thirty-minute Stress Busters TV documentary; and my book Stress Busters became a bestseller.

If I could sum up what I learned, it would be: fear is the root of every illness, every pain and every problem. Look behind every stress, angst and anxiety and you will find fear lurking there. At a certain level, there are no problems, only fear; there are no illnesses, only fear; there are no conflicts, only fear; and, there is no devil, only fear. Heal the fear, and you rediscover your freedom.

Fear is frightening! Even more so if you refuse to look at it. Fear plays tricks on your mind. Perception is easily fooled by fear as it conjures up a hell, magics away all hope, and makes illusions of powerlessness. Fear will dress you up as a victim of the world. Yet you are not a victim of the world; you are the light of the world. Your light cannot be diminished by any amount of fear.

The most important thing to understand about fear is, fear is yesterday. When you are totally present, the mind is perfectly clear and whole. There is no split, no fear, no doubt and no angst. When you are afraid, it is because you are not present. Fear is always referencing the past. Fear is always counseling you against the perils of "now" because of something that happened once "before".

Fear is yesterday. For example, I have counseled women who were afraid to start dating again, not because they couldn't find anyone but because their last relationship was so painful.

Fear is yesterday. I have counseled men who were afraid to commit to marriage, not because there was no love, but because their parents had divorced and they were afraid of the same fate.

Fear is yesterday. I have counseled people who gave up carpe diem for cynicism and defensiveness because of unresolved hurt. Defenses always hide old wounds and old fears.

Fear is yesterday. I have counseled financially well-off people who habitually overwork, not because they need to but because they once had no work, or because they grew up poor.

Fear is yesterday. I have counseled people who were afraid to start anything new, not because they had no talent but because of past failures and recriminations.

Fear is yesterday. I have counseled people who were afraid to be happy now, because the last time it all ended in tears.

Fear is yesterday. I have counseled people who resisted feeling well again for fear of more pain, more heartbreak and more illness in the future.

Fear is yesterday. I have counseled people who do not follow their dreams because of old self-doubts, old self-criticisms, old beliefs and old fears.

According to the fear lobby (the one inside your head), fear is necessary, fear is good, and fear will keep you safe. In fact, fear is your one and only obstacle to joy. When you give up the belief that fear is necessary, you are letting go of the inner oppression that causes all pain. Healing is release from fear.

Fear is an inside job. It is a form of "small thinking" - an ego virus that blocks inspiration, impairs vision and causes countless errors of judgment. It betrays an allegiance with ego and not your Unconditioned Self. Fear is not in things; fear is in the meaning you give things. Hence, fear vanishes when you ask your higher mind to reinterpret all your perceptions, thoughts and meanings for you.

Be present; be powerful. Face your fears and let go of yesterday. Whenever you are in fear, ask yourself, "Is this fear a fact, or is it just a fear?" Remember this - a fear is often a fantasy experienced as real.

First, feel the fear.
Second, say, "Thank you for sharing!"
Third, open yourself up to inspiration, soul guidance, a higher thought and God's help. Fear is always a call for help.

Excerpted from Shift Happens!: Powerful Ways to Transform Your Life by Robert Holden, Ph.D. published by Jeffers Press (ISBN 0977761827). Available from www.jefferspress.com.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Robert Holden is a pioneer in the field of positive psychology and personal well-being. He is the Director/Founder of The Happiness Project - an effective program that uses a unique synthesis of positive psychology and success intelligence principles to create training events that are deeply transformative and rewarding. He has designed and delivered major training seminars to thousands of professionals over the years and has coached leaders in the field of business, education, healthcare and sport. He has given public lectures worldwide and shared platforms with many leading American authors including Wayne Dyer, Patch Adams, Alan Cohen and has been called "a gifted teacher" by Deepak Chopra.

Robert is the author of ten books, published in fourteen languages, including the best-selling Stress Busters, Happiness NOW, Balancing Work & Life, and Success Intelligence. He has given over 1,000 TV, radio and press interviews worldwide, and for two years he had his own Stress Busters phone-in radio show with the BBC. He lives in London, England.

Visit Robert's highly successful web site www.happiness.co.uk.