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Remember that whatever the source of your energy leaks, you are the one who is best able to make changes that will bring about improved energy levels in your life. As tempting as it may seem to blame someone or something else for past injustices or handicaps in your life, you will gain the most energy from adopting a responsible role for maintaining your own energy body's health. "Giving away" your power by playing victim merely continues old patterns of unhealthy energetic connections.

Losing Energy by Feeling Victimized

People who lose energy by feeling victimized often identify so strongly with their particular handicap that they can't seem to imagine letting go of it. In truth, every single one of us is probably burdened with some kind of physical, mental, or emotional handicap. Even so, many people don't allow their handicaps to become steady energy leaks. People such as Stephen Hawking, Christopher Reeve, and Lance Armstrong inspire us with their seemingly superhuman ability to rise above limitations. They keep their spirits and auric energy up in the face of what can appear to be insurmountable difficulties. These people are not only successful in life, they are our heroes. We look up to those who manage to shine as bright examples of success in spite of overwhelming odds. How do they do it? What is their secret?

Increase Your Energy: Turn Obstacles Into Opportunities

Bicyclist Lance Armstrong demonstrates his stellar attitude in the face of cancer in his book, It's Not About the Bike, when he writes, "If there is a purpose to the suffering that is cancer, I think it must be this: It's meant to improve us." With five consecutive Tour de France wins, Lance has attained a level of cycling excellence matched by only one other athlete in history. While Lance's mother instilled in him the life-affirming philosophy, "Make an obstacle an opportunity, make a negative a positive," it was through his own dogged determination in following that advice that he managed to face cancer and keep on going. Armstrong's coach, Chris Carmichael, said, "Lance gives us all evidence that hope is alive and miracles do happen."'

Ever since actor Christopher Reeve was thrown headfirst from a horse and broke his neck in 1995, his doctors predicted that he would never breathe on his own or recover from being paralyzed from the shoulders down. Every morning, the actor who had once played the role of Superman would "... have to emerge from the dreams in which I'm completely healthy and able to do anything and adjust to the reality of paralysis."' Reeve found ways to channel his anger into laughter, maintain close relationships with family and friends, exercise his muscles regularly, and act as a spokesperson for paralyzed people. In September 2002, Reeve astonished his doctors by lifting one of his fingers, wiggling his toes on both feet, sitting in a chair for half an hour, breathing on his own for ninety minutes, and feeling hugs from his family. "To be able to feel just the lightest touch is really a gift," says Reeve.

"I Dreamt I Was Going to be Executed..."

When physics student Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) during his last year at Oxford, he had no idea how quickly the debilitating disease would progress. "Before my condition was diagnosed, I had been bored with life. There had not seemed to be anything worth doing. But shortly after I came out of the hospital, I dreamt that I was going to be executed. I suddenly realized that there were a lot of worthwhile things I could do if I were reprieved." At age sixty, Hawking travels the world giving lectures on theoretical physics from his wheelchair, and is recognized by his peers as one of the greatest physicists of all time.

What Armstrong, Reeve, and Hawking have in common is a steady focus on the positive in their lives. This positive attitude energized their auras in new ways, as each of them increased their overall auric brightness during dark times. It would have been easy for them to slip into despair, blame others, or give up. Instead, these courageous men rose to the challenges of cancer, paralysis, and ALS by continuing their lives as positively as possible. They each found energetic auric cord support from family and friends, and set a wonderful example of the power of staying focused on what is going well right now, as they continually strove to achieve their personal best.

Accepting Energy Support From Others

This winning combination of keeping one's personal aura bright while accepting energy cord support from others is the key to success in life, even when one's situation seems discouraging. One simple way to improve the brightness of your aura when you are facing difficult times is to take a look at the way you view yourself, and change your self-definition to more accurately reflect who you are. The following exercise is intended to help you transform your self-image and brighten your aura.

Exercise for Shining Bright in Dark Times: Energy Boost

1. Find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed for twenty to thirty minutes, and bring a pencil or pen and your journal or some paper.

2. Make a list of five to ten things you feel are often obstacles in your life. These can include physical ailments as well as anything that appears to interfere with your life being as enjoyable as you'd like it to be. Examples might be: nagging spouse, noisy neighbors, mean boss, arthritis, unemployed, overweight. The idea here is to really vent and get these things out of your system and onto the page.

3. Look at this list, and acknowledge that while these are your obstacles to overcome in life, they are not you. You are not defined by them. In fact, you are much, much more than them!

4. Now make a list of qualities you embody that do a better job of defining who you are. As you create this list, look for all your qualities  —even ones you don't often show to the rest of the world. Examples for this list are: inspired, creative, meditative, passionate, empathetic, painter, writer, singer, inventor.

5. Look at these two lists and compare how you feel when you read each list.

6. If you like your new self-definition, post it somewhere that you can see every day.

This article was excerpted with permission from the book:

Aura Advantage: How the Colors in Your Aura Can Help You Attain Your Desires and Attract Success
by Cynthia Sue Larson.

Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Adams Media Publications. ©2003. www.adamsmedia.com

Info/Order this book (new 2006 edition).

More books by this author.

About the Author

Cynthia Sue Larson works with Aura Imaging Systems in California, consulting and developing cutting-edge technology to capture auras on film. She hosts a popular Web site, www.realityshifters.com, providing visitors with information about auras and a forum to discuss their own experiences. Her articles have appeared in magazines such as Magical Blend, Parabola, and Lightworker.

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