After nearly 55 years of living with so many fears and insecurities,
fears around death and loss;
Self-Image issues that led to anorexia;
lack of confidence and a resultant marriage break-up;
crippling osteoarthritis and two hip replacements,
Dianne Coop decided it was time to take control of her life and start thinking differently.
Top Seven Lessons
Here, in her own words, are the seven top lessons she learned as she clawed back her life from rock bottom to stepping out as a speaker, workshop facilitator and author.
- I’ve learned the power of words, or more importantly, the power of the feelings words give rise to. A word, after all, is just a noise representing a feeling, thought or experience – all of which vibrate at a certain frequency. 10 years ago I hadn’t even heard of the law of attraction and had no idea that the energy I was sending out into the universe via my thoughts and feelings was bringing me more of the same. Thank goodness for awareness!
- I’ve also learned that one’s representation of a word is only their perception. Who’s to say it’s real? Our experiences impact how we react to the words we use and the thoughts we think.
- I understand the difference between empowering words and destructive words and I choose to put myself in an empowered state with my self-talk. Here are some examples from Susan Jeffers book Feel the fear and do it anyway:
‘ I can’t do this .’ As humans we have the power of choice. If you choose not to do something, say ‘ I choose not to do this ,’ implying that you’ve made a decision not to. You could do it if you want to. Sound better? ‘I should’ is another no-no, implying there are no choices in life and you’re not engaged, whereas ‘I could’ is more powerful. Again, you have a choice. ‘It’s not my fault’ gives a feeling of helplessness, whereas ‘I’m totally responsible’ takes you away from victim mentality and helps you to look for ways you can make changes. ‘It’s a problem’ is negative and immediately lowers your vibration, whereas ‘it’s an opportunity’ is uplifting and opens the door to solutions and growth. - I use the power of “I AM” to my advantage, knowing that whatever comes after these two highly supercharged words, “I AM,” becomes my reality. To think I spend so much of my life thinking “I’m fat and ugly and nobody likes me”. Now I affirm “I’m fit and healthy and I feel and look fantastic”. The difference is obvious, isn’t it?
- Because I’ve learned to love and accept myself, I’m able to use language that I’d use when speaking to my best friend. If I become aware of negative thoughts causing worry or anxiety, I immediately cancel with love when appropriate, or switch from problem mentality to solution mode.
- Perhaps the greatest lesson for me is that I totally believe that I am not alone. Everything I need is at my fingertips and all I have to do is to tap into the amazing universal intelligence available to each and every one of us. The power is in the words I use and how I phrase my questions.
- I’m in constant touch with my Higher Self, my eternal self. I trust my Intuition and am in tune with the quiet whisperings of the soul. My internal dialogue between “me” (my physical self) and ‘ME’ (my Higher Self) is invaluable. As I listen and act, I’m growing and evolving into the best person I can be. I ask for nothing more than that. And it all started because I’d reached rock bottom, starting as a child and culminating in my 50s. My pain really has been my gain.
Turn Around
When I learned to release and let go, to love and accept myself warts and all, and to forgive, my life turned around. Judgement has been replaced by forgiveness and gratitude. I feel privileged to share my story with others who may be devaluing their self-worth. Don’t we all have a story that runs our life until we wake up?
Dianne Coop’s story about her journey from fear to love and what she learned along the way is published in Stacey Huish’s book, Communication Impact, in the chapter You Really DO Walk the Talk.
Photo Credit: Vaeenma
