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What is Inner State Imagery Success Coaching?


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 John L. Walker, Ph.D.
Your Consciousness Coach

 

 

On Success

 

What does it mean to you when you read the word success?

 

The following is an excerpt from a work by Dr. Walker.   The context is the relationship of success to those seeking spiritual connection and experiences.

 

Webster defines success as: favorable or desired outcome; the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence.  Brian Tracy, a popular motivational speaker, says “success is goals and all else is commentary.” 

 

This author has worked with many clients on a regular basis to assist them in awakening to spiritual insights and experiences.  However, in almost every case, the achievement of ordinary worldly or psychological goals has been stated as the most beneficial aspect of the work.  For example, Bill came to the office to open his clairvoyance and develop trance channeling abilities.  He was accepted into the coaching program and we met regularly over the next year.  During this time, he had many spiritual experiences both of the first and second type.  However, the most significant benefits as declared by him were getting a better job, reducing his debt, increasing his savings and net worth, and getting married; all of which were goals that he developed using the principles outlined in this paper along with specific systems designed to move him toward those goals.  Therefore, when working with clients it is important to assist them to define goals, and for those spiritually inclined we require that they set ordinary goals along with their spiritual goals.

 

In defining goals, it is important to be specific.  Asking the question “how will you know when you reach X?” will help them to clarify the goal. The goal should be clarified to the point that it can written in simple language that is easily understood to the degree that if a dozen people were to read the sentence, they would all understand it the same way; they would independently be able to assess whether the goal has been reached.  When we communicate with words, we may use words which are very grounded and objective or use words which have personal meaning to us, but are less objective and ungrounded.  For example, the statement “I want to own a 2 door convertible Honda S2000” is an objective, grounded statement.  However, the statement “I want to be happier and enjoy my work” is not.  While this may be a very important goal to the subject, it must be clarified and rewritten.  Many times, when dialoguing with a client to help them clarify their goal and ground it, the client discovers that the goal is not really what they wanted after all;  there is something much more important to them that is discovered during the process.  The question “what is important to you about reaching X?” is very useful.  In addition, many times the client actually has achieved their stated goal and they simply don’t consciously realize it.  However, their unconscious mind does and consequently there is no movement toward having more.  The author makes the client aware of this by saying “Do you have X now?” and when they say yes, they are met with a huge smile, an energetic handshake and a firmly voiced “Congratulations! Now what do you want?”  For example, Bill started out saying he wanted to date a few times a week.  He was congratulated for having already achieved that.  He went on to say he wanted a girlfriend.  He was again congratulated as he acknowledged he had girls who were friends.  After continuing for a while, he finally pronounced he wanted a wife.  Once this was declared, we worked to release the blocks and past hurts keeping him from having what he wanted.  Within one year the author was invited to a most delightful wedding.

 

The value of this interaction is immense and can have a significant impact on the client’s well being in addition to helping them achieve the success of having what they want.  The author had a goal that he had thought about often for several years which was to live near the ocean and a river.  After a few weeks of daily writing down his goals in a positive and present tense form, he realized as he was writing, “ I live near the ocean and a river” , that he in fact already did live within a ¼ mile from a small creek and ½ mile from an ocean bay.   With this realization an immense sense of surprise and gratitude arose.  Additionally, sometimes a client will state a goal that they don’t really want to take action toward.  This can be further clarified and the subconscious and conscious mind brought into alignment through a variety of hypnotherapy methods.

 

Goals can be set to have things or experiences.  The author has his clients make a list of things they want to have, do, or be.  This list is used to help start the process of specific goal setting.  It also helps the client to connect with their deeper self and discover what they really want: a deeper urge.  Viktor Frankl, an author, psychiatrist and concentration camp survivor, writes in his book Mans’s Search for Meaning, that man’s search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life.  He developed logotherapy to help patients to this end.  He states: [18]

“Logotherapy focuses rather on the future, that is to say, on the meanings to be fulfilled by the patient in his future.  … And to make him aware of this meaning can contribute much to his ability to overcome his neurosis.”

 

Aristotle argued that eudemonia is the goal of human life.  Eudemonia is a Greek word commonly translated as happiness.  However, happiness is a subjective state of mind, an ungrounded word as discussed earlier, and the translation “to flourish” is preferred.  Even so, what does it mean to flourish?  The author has used a method that allows the subject to connect with being states such as joy, love, peace, and happiness independent of externally worldly circumstances.   Once this experience is integrated and merged with understanding, the client’s goals often change. 

 

Yehuda Berg, Rabbi and Kabbalist, has this to say: [19]

 

“… what people truly want, deep down in the farthest reaches of their chromosomes, isn’t to be successful.  Instead, they want to be fulfilled.  And by that I mean deeply and truly fulfilled –brimming with joy, satisfaction, prosperity, and the feeling of having earned it all.” 

 

The feeling of “earning it” is an important component to success or fulfillment as Berg states, and this is achieved by linking up a goal with action: doing.  Combining the thoughts presented here, we can say that to flourish we must set, work toward, and achieve goals that we value and that have a meaningful purpose that is beyond our individual personal agenda or ego desires.  Interestingly, when the goal is identified in this way, fulfillment and flourishing are the side effects of acting towards that goal.  That is, the goal is not to be fulfilled; fulfillment is a result of working successfully towards this greater goal.  Further, the goal and meaning we select should be actionable by us in a way that we feel we are good at; and if the underlying goal is too grand, we define measurable, achievable steps which we can complete with the greater goal pulling us along toward the future vision.  

 

In summary, success constitutes having something desirable.  We can categorize this into two areas: a spiritual success which is expressed or experienced in a mental/emotional ecstasy—free of conflict—and a worldly success as having money, relationship, career, health, and other forms and experiences in duality.  Eckhart Tolle, an awakened spiritual teacher, also agrees that the two are not mutually exclusive.  He writes this response to a similar question: [20]

 

“Question: 

Wouldn’t it be more encouraging to set ones goals and try to fulfill them?  That could also give us a strong purpose in life…  What is the difference between the two approaches? [Goal setting and the enlightened practice of being present in the now with complete surrender to what is.]

.

Answer: 
There’s nothing wrong with goals and trying to fulfill them – as long as the main focal point of your attention remains the present moment.  It’s like being on a journey and knowing where you want to get to, but realizing at the same time that the entire journey ultimately consists of one step – the step you’re taking at this moment.  That one step is all there ever is, and so you give it your fullest attention.  In other words, the step you’re taking now is primary, the destination – the goal – is secondary.  If the destination becomes primary, you will become stressed and anxious and you will miss life.  You will suffer, and the destination will not make you happy even when you get there, when you attain your goals.”

 

 

 


Come and experience the magic:  change your inner state.
give Dr. John Walker a call today 510-441-9383 or email to:
John@Engagelife.com

 

 

 

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