Grow Your Best Life: It's an Inside Job - Softcover

Johnson, Jennifer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1504376927 ISBN 13: 9781504376921

Publisher: BalboaPress, 2017

Synopsis

“Meet Jennifer Johnson, a treasured member in one of my possibility posses. She’s wise, kind and she says good stuff. I hope you enjoy her inspiration as much as I do.” 
- Pam Grout, #1 NY Times Bestselling author of E-Squared, Thank and Grow Rich, and 15 other books 

"Jennifer Johnson's book Grow Your Best Life is delightful! Her gardening metaphors for your life will support you in your growth if you follow her simple and practical exercises. This is one personal development book you will easily read all the way through and maybe over and over again." 
- Jay Pryor, Speaker, Author, Executive Coach, www.jaypryorcoaching.com 

"When my friend of over 30 years asked me to illustrate her book, I was honored. As we collaborated on the images that would convey each chapter's message, Grow Your Best Life became a magnet encouraging me to illustrate in a new way--with my heart--to visually portray the wisdom and loving kindness that Jennifer embodies in her life and in her book." 
- Janice Kauder, fortunate friend, gardener, and illustrator 


Do you sometimes feel fabulous, uplifted, and powerful; like you are dancing with the Divine? And other times you feel crummy, overwhelmed, and frustrated? In Grow Your Best Life, Jennifer Johnson uses her own life experience to guide you along the path of life's journey to get and stay happy. She supports you in feeling good by providing a simple structure, practical tips, uplifted thinking, and baby-step exercises to help you stay in step with the Divine. You’ll want this book if: 
- you want to feel good more of the time 
- you like simple, practical help 
- you want to gift a friend with beauty and wisdom

About this title

About the Author

Jennifer Johnson is a woman who has decided to be happy. She recognizes she has the power to make that a reality on a consistent basis. In Grow Your Best Life, she passes that wisdom on to you. Enjoy more of her easy to digest wisdom on her Facebook page Jennifer Johnson Author.

Excerpt. İ Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Grow Your Best Life

It's An Inside Job

By Jennifer Johnson

Balboa Press

Copyright İ 2017 Jennifer Johnson
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-5043-7692-1

Contents

Acknowledgments, ix, 
My Epiphany Moment, xiii, 
Chapter 1 Your Seed, 1, 
Chapter 2 The Soil, 9, 
Chapter 3 Water, 19, 
Chapter 4 Light, 29, 
Chapter 5 Air, 39, 
Chapter 6 Fertilizer, 47, 
Chapter 7 Weeding, 55, 
Chapter 8 Pruning, 67, 
Chapter 9 Appreciation, 77, 
Your Best Life, 83, 
Epilogue, 85, 

CHAPTER 1

Your Seed

Since our Source is invisible to the human eye, how do we find the seed of our Source in order to plant it and encourage it to open and grow? Well, we can feel the seed of our Source within us. We know it when we are feeling good. I felt it as a child. I felt it when I played outside, visited the ocean, spent time with my family, and ate ice cream.

I also felt it in churches. I felt a Presence — something bigger than me and bigger than my family. That Presence felt all loving and all powerful to me. When I was ten years old, we attended an Episcopal church that I loved. It was a large church, and it was elaborately decorated. There was deep carpet down the center aisle, with dark wooden pews on either side. The ceiling was arched and accented with wood carvings. The front of the church and the altar also had carved wood and beautiful, colorful statues. There were large stained-glass windows in the walls of the altar space and smaller ones along the outside walls. Before entering our pew, we knelt or kind of curtsied and crossed ourselves. I loved that part. Crossing myself made me feel holy and uplifted. I felt connected to God when I was in that church. I was easily connected to the sense of awe, to the idea that I was part of something bigger than myself. In that beautiful building with hushed tones, singing, and ceremony, my seed of Source opened. I felt good.

At that stage in my development, I perceived God as being a loving force outside of myself who wanted to help me. The feeling that image conjured made my heart feel happy and my burden feel light. I was part of God's family.

Feeling like part of God's family gave me a sense of security. I liked feeling secure. I had the good fortune of attending churches where that conviction was emphasized. I know there are many churches where people walk away with feelings that are not positive. Rather, they feel fear, lack, degradation, and suffering. Fortunately, those were not the experiences I had. I knew even as a child that if God was all loving, then feelings of fear, degradation, and suffering didn't apply to him. Since they were not part of my belief system about God, fortunately, I didn't run into them much.

When I was growing up, my father was a pilot in the US Navy, so we moved every two years. He had been raised in the Methodist church, and he chose to no longer attend church. My mother had been raised in the Catholic church and had ascertained that the rules were man-made, not God-made, as purported, and therefore, she had lost her faith in that belief system. However, I think a religious and spiritual education for us was important to her, and she also craved that connection to her Source. So she took us to a different Christian church every two years. Each time we moved, we attended a different church. We attended a variety of Christian churches, including the Episcopal church I described earlier and a Unitarian meeting. I am so appreciative of that opportunity to experience the different ways people celebrate and acknowledge their divinity. What a blessing that was. Thank you, Mom!

As a young adult, I continued that exploration of churches and religions on my own. Since I had had the good fortune of attending a variety of churches, I developed an internal compass to decide what made sense and rang true for me and what didn't. During this time, I found myself in the pew of a Unity church. As the service progressed, I felt increasingly happier and more uplifted. It was the feeling of homecoming. What the minister was saying about God matched my thoughts and feelings about my God, my Source. What I heard was the following: "God wants us to be happy. We were put on this earth to prosper. God is all loving. God wants only the best for all of us. God is there every moment to support us in whatever ways we need. When we ask, it is given." Oh my goodness! And I heard detailed, practical information about how to access that feeling of a Source who wanted only the best for me. That message and the reading materials I availed myself of rang true for me. My sprouted seed began to grow.

I also experienced the camaraderie of like-minded souls in that church and what it was like to be part of a community. That might have been my first experience of recognizing God in others. One of my favorite expressions from that time was "The Christ in me greets the Christ in you." I learned this phrase as a silent acknowledgment to practice with other humans. It was the beginning of my understanding and feeling that what was in them was also in me. We're all made up of the same stuff. We all come from Source.

In those days, though, God was still something and somebody outside of me. I felt him in church, I felt him when I was outdoors, I felt him at the ocean, and I felt him when I was with people I loved. The connection I felt in church was familiar, so I sought more of those experiences. I continued to visit new churches and new religions. I discovered A Course in Miracles, published by the Foundation for Inner Peace, which I studied with others. The course taught me that God is love, and therefore, so am I. And therefore, so is everyone else.

My seed had popped open, sprouted, and begun to grow. I liked the way I felt, and I wanted to experience that uplifted feeling more and more of the time.

What encourages each person's seed to pop open and sprout will vary. Below, you will find resources and exercises that will encourage your seed to open. I have found that writing about my experiences and my thoughts and feelings around those experiences can be very helpful. So I encourage you to write about your experience with each exercise using the blank pages provided in the back of this book, a journal, a piece of paper, a napkin, a computer, a notepad, or whatever is easiest for you. And I encourage you to do the same with each of the exercises in this book. Enjoy! Explore!

I offer the following resources to help your seed sprout: listen to music, meditate, spend time in nature, go to church, hang out with loving friends and family, and read books that inspire (about mindfulness, metaphysics, healing, and spirituality).

Sprouting Exercises

1. Do something that inspires you. Do something that makes you feel good all over. Look at beautiful things or places in your home, in your neighborhood, online, or in print. Watch a YouTube video of one of your favorite speakers. Put on music, and move. Feel the connection to your Source.

2. Go outside when the weather suits you. Do what you want while you are there — maybe walking, maybe gardening, maybe biking, maybe swimming, maybe sitting, or maybe reading. Just go outside. Follow your own lead about what you want to do while you are there.

3. Breathe. Breathe deeply. Breathe in. Breathe out. Do it in a structured setting, such as a yoga class or guided meditation, or just do it any time you remember to.

4. Attend a church. See if you can find one that helps you feel uplifted. Meanwhile, pick up the gold nuggets along the way. Take in those things that ring true for you, and leave the rest behind.

5. After doing or experiencing something you really enjoy, make a written list of all of the things you liked about it. List all of the things that made you feel happy. List all of the things about the experience that brought you pleasure.

CHAPTER 2

The Soil

Now that your seed of Source has sprouted, how do you nurture it to grow? The soil you keep it in is important to its success in growing. Providing the right soil, a nurturing environment for continued sprouting and growth, is critical to your success in encouraging and shaping your life. Growth happens most easily in a safe environment where expectations and boundaries are clear. Therefore, what we expect of ourselves and how we delineate and enforce boundaries with ourselves and with others is important. Nurturing that delicate little sprout is crucial.

Most times, when beginning a garden, the gardener has to clear the land. She has to get rid of things already growing or things hanging around on top of the soil that she doesn't want there. Just as we clear the land to create healthy, nurturing soil, we want to clear a space for ourselves, a place where we can go to read, meditate, write, or just sit still and ponder our best life. This place might be a room in your home, the driver's seat of your car (which you will use when the car is parked), or a favorite chair in a room. By clearing a physical space, we also clear a space in our mind for new things. Just as the gardener prepares the soil for new plants, clear a space for yourself so you have room for new thoughts, ideas, and feelings to grow. This step will help you open your mind and open your heart.

I found that as I continued to explore my divinity (my connection to my Source) and what it meant to me, I needed a safe place. I was reading books made available by the Unity church. I was meeting with friends to study A Course in Miracles. I was exploring ideas outside of popular religious wisdom. I had thoughts forming into belief systems I didn't feel comfortable sharing with most people. I was beginning to transition from the belief that God was a loving force outside of me to the belief that God was a loving force inside of me — a loving force that was me. I was beginning to think and believe that perhaps I am Source. I am God?

The idea that I am God and you are God is blasphemy to many. Yet I was pulled to explore these new belief systems and try them on for size. I began to interact with others who shared similar beliefs and were also exploring. What truths were they uncovering for themselves? Once again, I was led to the people, books, and places that provided the nurturing, safe soil my sprout needed in order to grow.

During that time, I was cautious about allowing people I didn't think shared a similar mind-set to know much about that part of me. I kept it secret. However, over time, I realized that my worries about my thoughts and beliefs being weird and my attempt to hide them truly did not serve me. As I became more comfortable with and embraced who I was and who I was becoming, I found many others who shared similar thoughts, desires, and beliefs. I would caution you about labeling yourself, even in your own mind, as different or weird. While it is wise to have discernment about how you share yourself with others, there are many other likeminded souls out there who want to include you in their circles. There are truckloads of great soil to help nurture your growth.

Because I believed in a loving and benevolent Creator, my expectation was that life could and would become better and better. At the same time, my beliefs were shifting to realize and accept that I was a co-creator in this whole enterprise. That was when I came to understand that the growth process was an inside job. Changing myself to let in more and more ease was the work I had to do. Changing others to suit me was not possible and actually quite frustrating. That is why personal development books were my best friends. I knew I liked feeling good, so I needed books and information that would help me feel that way. I needed books that reminded me to love myself, let me know all was well, and reassured me that Source was a loving and supportive presence and that tapping into that wellness was bliss. A Course in Miracles provided that for me. Unity church's The Daily Word was an ever-present resource. The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra was good food for thought.

I also had the marvelous experience of being introduced to Transcendental Meditation at that time in my life. I was in college, and my boyfriend was a psychology major. He was assigned to do a project on Transcendental Meditation, which was the version of meditation that the Beatles explored in the late 1960s, led by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. My boyfriend let me know that he was going for his first training session, where he would be given his special mantra. He was not terribly enamored by the whole thing and approached it as a scientist doing research. The idea piqued my interest since curiosity is my ever-present friend. I let him know I wanted to attend a training session as well. We both went on the same day and received our first sessions and our mantras separately. We were cautioned not to share our mantras with anyone else. I don't remember whether or not we shared them with each other. What I do remember is I liked the way I felt during and after the session, so I decided to give it a try and meditate daily.

After practicing for some time, I felt great. I once again experienced that feeling of the Presence, that wonderful feeling of peace and awe I felt in churches. I thought, Interesting. I can access that feeling when I'm all by myself? I can access that feeling of Source just by allowing my body and mind to be still?] I discovered a place that was very large, very calm, and very still. I liked that place a lot. It was reminiscent of the feeling of awe I had experienced in churches and also outside in nature, yet it felt more personal, deeper, and more permanent. To this day, I am appreciative of whatever professor at the time assigned such a project to his students.

At that stage of my spiritual awakening, immersion in all things personal development provided the soil I needed to nurture my better life. I sought out books and teachings that reminded me to love myself as God loves me. I proudly displayed my "I AM LOVED" button developed by Helzberg Diamonds. I craved constant reaffirmation of unending support and love. I needed to hear it over and over again because it was a very different way of thinking than I had been taught or was surrounded by in my everyday life. It was a shift from thinking that life happens to me to thinking that I am a co-creator with the Divine. In this rich and fertile soil of ideas and love, my sprout took root and grew even stronger.

In hopes of helping your sprout root, grow, stretch, and flourish, below are some resources and exercises.

I offer the following resources to nurture you: read books, listen to podcasts, seek out a life coach, do fun things with friends, visit places of worship, explore religions, and meditate.

Nurturing Exercises

1. As you awaken in the morning, smile. Rest in the feeling of simply being alive. Be grateful to be alive, and feel what that feels like. Then imagine bringing that feeling into your day. Ground that thinking into your body as you step out of bed.

2. Be grateful. Keep a gratitude journal, and write down at least five things each day that you are grateful for. Invite friends or family to be your gratitude buddies, and e-mail or text each other three to five things each day you are grateful for.

3. Move your body. Walk. Dance. Sing. Stretch. Swim. Bike. Run. Play games.

4. Meditate. There are many forms. Talk with friends. Ask relatives. Look up options on the Internet. Experiment. Try different styles. Sit on a cushion on the floor. Sit on a chair. Lie down. Watch your breath coming in and going out. Meditate.

5. Read whatever personal development books grab your attention. As you travel on your journey, you will hear about a book and feel compelled to get your hands on it. Do it. Get it. Do not ignore life's urging.

CHAPTER 3

Water

So now your seed has sprouted. You've provided lovely, nurturing soil for the sprout to root and develop into a plant. Water is the next important element. Without even realizing it, you've already used water to help the seed sprout and grow. Now water is essential to keep your plant alive and encourage continued thriving.

When one is growing plants, watering them must be a regular event. In a similar manner, it is important to deliberately and continuously shower yourself with life-giving feelings and thoughts, such as I am loved and supported in all that I do today. When you shower yourself with life-giving thoughts, feelings, and activities, you will feel life and creative power flowing through you. You will feel the way a tree looks after a full springtime soaking. It looks plumped up with life and vigor. Watering yourself with good thoughts and feelings will help you feel full of life and vigor.

So how do we water ourselves? How do we plump up with joy, life, and vigor? Encouraging ourselves by looking at how we've progressed toward feeling better can feel like cool, fresh water. Stopping to ponder the shifts in thinking we've made allows us to absorb the benefits we have given ourselves. Checking in with ourselves and feeling encouraged about our growth and enjoyment of life feels good. This progress in feeling better might be marked by achieving physical things, improved relationships, improved health, or whatever else is important to us and part of our focus. Think about the parts of your life that feel better. Dwell on them. Soak up those feelings you have created.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Grow Your Best Life by Jennifer Johnson. Copyright İ 2017 Jennifer Johnson. Excerpted by permission of Balboa Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: BalboaPress
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1504376927
• ISBN 13: 9781504376921
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 126