Several years ago I first heard Dr. Wayne Dyer speak about the transformative power of our thoughts - his message that "when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change" really resonated with me. And so I began my journey of learning how to use this to change the circumstances of my life.

I studied the wisdom of spiritual teachers like Dr. Dyer and developed my own exercises and techniques that enhanced my ability to refocus my thinking and to "retrain my brain"(watch for information about my new book that outlines all of these methods). I began to notice positive changes and so I shared this newfound approach with family and friends. Most were already used to my "far-out" ideas and would just smile, but as they saw my life improve, they began to listen a bit more and some even began to change their lives by changing their thinking too!

Let's face it though, part of the human experience is to doubt and to question, and this belief was no different. I knew that how I directed my thoughts absolutely did have an impact on what I was attracting into my life, but there are always those little nagging doubts, I wondered about the limitations of this power to really change things. But if I ever had any doubt before, I can tell you after this recent experience I don't any longer:

I recently wrote a book and have been in the process of having copies created at a local office supply shop (Staples). Because of the unique nature of the book I was creating an acutal mock-up of what I want the book to look like so publishers would be able to grasp the entire concept of what I am trying to achieve. This process required printing the pages, having them cut to size, printing and laminating the cover, then having it all bound.

The first few copies were perfect - and all went well. But the next day I received a call that they were having problems with the laminating machine and couldn't get it to work right. This was particularly upsetting as I had promised to send the book out that day to someone who was trying to help me get it published, so it was really important to get a good copy completed. I went over to Staples and saw for myself just how bad the cover looked - and it was awful!

The two gals working at the copy center had come to know me and understood how important this project was, and had made over a half dozen attempts to provide at least one good cover. I knew we had to get this done somehow and so thought it was a perfect time to put the power of positive thinking and gratitude into practice. I told them that we were going to work together to attract positive energy to this situation and get the laminator to do what we needed it to do. They had both gotten to know me quite well the last few weeks and just smiled and gave me that "let's just humor her" look I've seen many times before.

I asked everyone to take a deep breath, and then we set an intention that the laminator was going to begin to work perfectly (I said the words, they just smiled and rolled their eyes!), but they did nod in agreement! I then went over to the machine, put my hand on it, and said: "Thank you laminator for creating 3 perfect book covers for me - I need to get this project done and thank you for your cooperation." I then spent a moment visualizing the machine at work and the end result being 3 perfect covers.

They were reluctant to give it another try as they had tried so many times unsuccessfully, but I knew the cover would be perfect this time, and so they agreed to try one more time...

I have to be honest and admit that when the laminator put out three perfect covers I was delighted, and a little relieved - I believe in the power of being able to shift energy by shifiting our thoughts, but this was a machine after all, and I was surrounded by people who didn't really believe it possible. I must say both gals were amazed and the seeds have been planted - they now know that they hold the power to change circumstances that are seemingly impossible to change.

This story gets even better because the next day the exact same thing happened, though it was with a different employee, but the end result was the same! They couldn't get the machine to laminate properly, I came and changed the energy of the situation, and we were able to get the job done!!

Last night when I dropped off 3 more books to be put together I decided to try setting the right energy before leaving the store, rather than have to go back and fix it later...so I went over to the laminator, thanked it for the perfect job I knew it was going to do on the book covers - and left. When I went back to pick up the books, Trisha, the gal who had been there the first time this all happened, was delighted though a bit surprised that she had 3 perfect books ready for me!!

Now I realize that to some this is going to sound crazy - even impossible. Believe me, I completely understand...but I also tell you with 100% certainty that "if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at can change!" Just ask the staff at the Staples copy center! ~ Andrea :-)