Crystal Andrus' NewsLetter

FROM THE EDITOR Every second there are 5,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes of information being captured collectively from all the personal computers around the world, including yours and mine. It’s true! By using sophisticated software, billions of “cookies” are spying on us, gathering information about everything from our age, income, viewing tastes, song preferences, banking habits, hobbies, interests, and on-line comments, including every purchase you’ve ever made or have considered making over the web. Imagine the amount of information about us—“the consumer”—being shared on spreadsheets around the globe! Now, don’t panic! It doesn’t mean the government is spying on you personally. Besides, is it really spying if the same information is being collected from absolutely everyone? Is the information really that personal? And is it really that valuable? Well, it all depends on the filter . . . By filtering the five quintillion bytes of information effectively, the obtuse amount of data obtained is turned from gluttony to gold. Advertisers pay huge dollars for details like this! To get into “the mind” of the consumer, to determine who likes their product, fits their income bracket, and who owns a credit card (with enough balance to purchase their products), is precious data that companies are willing to pay millions for! Information that is properly filtered is powerful, potent, and yes, very valuable! If we personally had to be subjected to all of this data, it would not only overwhelm us, it would be pointless—nothing more than a mass of garbled words, numbers, and statistics but let’s compare this to our personal lives: Your truly private information—your feelings, needs, wants, and desires—if effectively filtered, will give you the most valuable information about yourself that you could ever uncover. Unfiltered, it is nothing more than a muddled mass of jumbled thoughts! Create Your Own Filter! We all have millions of thoughts each day—most of them repetitive. A small percentage of us have highly-tuned filters that can sort through these thoughts, deciding what is worthy and what is an irrelevant, fleeting idea. Unfortunately, far too many people don’t have good filters. They are overwhelmed and overloaded trying to decipher what is important and what isn’t?

“What do I love, want, need? What is my passion, purpose, vision?” “What do I want to do with my life? Who do I want to be with? What makes me happy?” “I’m confused . . . I can’t stay focused!”

The best way to create your own “highly-tuned” filter, is to realize that you are not your thoughts. You are not the information you know or believe. You are not your experiences—past or future. You are not the comments your parents, partner, children, boss, or neighbours have made to you or about you. You are not your income, age, marital status, or credit rating. You are not just a consumer!

You are a limitless being who is so much bigger and wiser than the computer processor in your brain!

The greatest gift I have ever given myself is learning how to filter everything that comes in and goes out. (Sometimes, I wish my “out-going” filter was a little better! LOL) I have even learned how to filter myself from myself! I can turn down the volume inside my own head and decide not to listen to that nasty little voice that we all have. But it wasn’t always this easy for me... There was a time that my racing mind never stopped processing. I probably had “ADD” (Attention Deficit Disorder)—although I never sought any clinical diagnosis. I would lie in bed at night thinking about tons of different things from all the “should’ve beens”, “could’ve beens”, and “ought to have beens”, to my kids, my bills, my partner, my body, my weight, my income, my laundry, even how to decorate my house! I believed my busy brain wasn’t my fault and that I had no control over it. I’ve since learned differently . . . By first learning to separate myself from my thoughts, I’ve discovered how to decipher who I really am from what I think about. Does this make sense? By filtering out all the unnecessary information (that is really nothing more than emotional baggage that I repeat to myself over and over), I’ve revealed who I really am and what really matters to me. I’ve learned to filter out what others think I should be, do, love, want, and need, and I’ve gotten very clear—crystal clear—on what is important to me. I am able to focus, make decisions, and stay true to myself and my vision. . I know now that I am . . . and YOU are . . . so unbelievably powerful, if only you could tap into that part of you that is limitless. Not to worry, if you have never accessed that place inside of you yet, it doesn’t mean it’s not there! I guarantee you it is! Soon you will learn, too, how to stop the thousands of crazy thoughts that are no longer serving you. You will learn how to separate yourself from your worries or fears. You will be able to lift yourself out of a bad emotional place to a good one. Lastly, you will learn how to create the best environment possible so that you are able to filter more of the outside noise and distractions that are clogging your senses and overwhelming your body, mind, and spirit. Today, start by becoming an observer of everything, especially your own thoughts. Are they serving you or hurting you? Are they empowering you or disempowering you? What kind if filter do you have? Does it block out negative, self-defeating information or does it seek out unnecessary drama? Keep in mind, much of the world doesn’t have the best out-going filter and people will often say things they have no business saying. You must filter that too! Here’s a good way to know if you have a highly-tuned filter: Are you able to stay focused on your goals, accomplish your objectives, and live in a harmonious state? Ultimately, no differently than the expensive software that companies use to gather information about you, isn’t it time that you figured out who you are, what you love, and what you want? Isn’t it time you discovered what to focus on and what to pass by? Isn’t it time you started filtering your own thoughts—separating the wheat from the chaff? Isn’t it time you took control of your life? Once you realize the power you have to decide what you will listen to from within and out, you must clean up anything that isn’t serving you. You must be aware of what you watch, read, and listen to. You must choose your friends and how much time you will spend with negative family. You must choose appropriate times each day to unplug, unwind, and defragment. You must simplify your life. Take a deep breath and practice stilling your mind. Meditate daily! It is an incredibly powerful tool. Once you can master your mind, you can master your life! You will recognize what is valuable and what isn’t. It will become as easy as turning on the defroster in your vehicle on a cold winter’s morning. Instant clarity! This takes practice but you can do it! The payoff is priceless! This month’s BOOST is filled with precious tips on how to create harmony in your life! We have some new contributors, Dr. Sarah Hawthorn and Diane Lyndon who I know you will love as much as I do. Enjoy your read! P.S. To learn more about cleaning up your life, reprogramming your mind, and executing an effective plan to help you get empowered in all areas of your life pick up my book, Simply...EMPOWERED!