Mastermind Q & A

Ramona introduced the first time attendees and asked each to tell a little about his or herself.  Then several people shared their “wins” since their last meeting.

Eddie Conner provided a guided meditation via Skype inviting all to share their questions so that the group can provide insight in a mastermind format – the wisdom of group thought.

Ramona led a tribute to our dear departed member and good friend, Kimberly, and relayed the salient points from her funeral ceremony. Ramona read Abraham’s Recipe for Joy which was a part of the eulogy she gave.

Seek joy, first and foremost.
Seek reasons to laugh.
Seek reasons to offer words of praise to self and others.
Seek beauty in nature, beasts and other humans.
Seek reasons to love. In every segment of every day — look for something that brings forth within you a feeling of love.
Seek that which uplifts you.
Seek opportunities to offer that which uplifts another.
Seek a feeling of Well-being.
Know that your value can only be measured in terms of Joy.
Acknowledge your absolute freedom to do any of these things or to not do any of these things — for it is, without exception, your choice in every moment of every day.

We watched a video, Living on the Leading Edge. Three main points were made: 1) Life is supposed to feel good, so it’s OK to have a tantrum when it doesn’t feel good. 2) Get over your tantrum by remembering you created your own reality. So change your thoughts and create the reality you want. 3) Most important, remember you can’t get it wrong - just have a wonderful time and feel good.

Tonight’s meeting was a Mastermind Q & A where members ask any question they want, and the group uses their wisdom and insights to answer. The first question revolved around how to pre-pave the outcome when meeting with someone whose grid you know will be negative and you don’t want that negativity to rub off on you. Some suggestions were:

Before you enter the situation, do not assume that the experience will be negative. Get centered beforehand by doing something fun even if only for 15 minutes. Do a rampage of appreciation about the person.

During the meeting, don’t let their negativity creep into your life and change your grid – go general.  Their negativity has nothing to do with you. Just let it be. Change the subject to something pleasant. If you do this enough times, they will get the message that their negativity is being diverted and will not rub off on you, in effect training them to be nicer for the future.

After the meeting, if you need to realign yourself, try the tapping technique.  Do something you like to do such as singing, dancing, or watching TV – whatever makes you feel good.  Look for something to be grateful for (even if it’s that you only have to spend 5 minutes with the person).  Be thankful that you don’t have to live that way.

Someone questioned Esther’s comment about not minding when her car drifts to the side of the road and feels the bumps of the rumble strip. The comment was referring primarily to relationships, but has applicability elsewhere. The group’s explanation was that contrast is the way most people learn. You have to know what you don’t like to learn what you do like. When you hit the bumps in the road, remember what you liked and disliked about it. A good reference for this situation can be found in chapter 22 of “Ask and it is Given”. It is called Abraham’s Emotional Guidance System.

The scale of emotions, from best to worst, is as follows:

1.       Joy/Knowledge/Empowerment/Freedom/Love/Appreciation

2.      Passion

3.      Enthusiasm/Eagerness/Happiness

4.      Positive Expectation/Belief

5.      Optimism

6.      Hopefulness

7.      Contentment

8.     Boredom

9.      Pessimism

10.  Frustration/Irritation/Impatience

11.   Overwhelment

12.  Disappointment

13.  Doubt

14.  Worry

15.   Blame

16.  Discouragement

17.   Anger

18.  Revenge

19.  Hatred/Rage

20. Jealousy

21.  Insecurity/Guilt/Unworthiness

22. Fear/Grief/Depression/Despair/Powerlessness

The final question for discussion was that you get more of what you focus on and appreciate. However, if you are in a bad situation and focused on it, you will get more of it. The suggestions were to redirect your focus and think about things that feel good. Appreciate the good things in life and focus on what you do want – not on the bad situation you have. Go more general in your thinking and make your grid more general.

Someone read a poem by Rumi, a 13^th century Persian poet. It’s called Guest House.

This being human is a guest house.  Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they're a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.

Ramona read a story about one person’s experience with African children and a good lesson for all.

An anthropologist proposed a game to children in an African tribe. He put a basket full of fruit near a tree and told the children that whoever got there first won the sweet fruits. When he told them to run, they all took each other's hands and ran together, then sat together enjoying their treats.

When he asked them why they had run like that when one could have had all the fruits for himself, they said, "How can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?"

Be sure to check out Chris Reynolds’s Meet-Up, the Lakeshore Mastermind Group and consider joining. It is based on teachings of the Global Information Network which follows many of the principles of Abraham’s Law of Attraction.  Chris’ group meets regularly including the winter months.

Our next meeting will be a Holiday Pot Luck on December 9.

Ramona closed the meeting with a video “Get Happy”.