Cheryl Strayed – Pam Grout

You can’t make an elephant purr and other reasons to give up resistance

September 12, 2016 21 Comments

“Don’t surrender all your joy for an idea you used to have about yourself that isn’t true anymore.”–Cheryl Strayed

Yesterday in the posse, my really wise friend Cindy made the above comment about the futility of resistance. It says it all. When we continue to beat ourselves over the head trying to make that elephant purr, we are going to continue to be miserable.

It’s plain and simple, folks. We cannot fight problems. We can try and try and try, but fighting, fixing, focusing on what’s wrong is like driving the wrong way down a one-way street.

But there is a steering wheel on our car. We CAN turn around. We can start moving with the flow of the universe. It’s done by taking our attention off everything we think sucks. All those problems we think need fixing. All those issues we have with so and so. Or with our jobs. Or with our bodies.

When we get in the flow of gratitude, when we start noticing all the gazillion things that are going right, those annoying problems have a way of fixing themselves. They literally dissolve. Without any input on our part.

It sounds counterintuitive, I know. We’ve been doing it the other way (driving the wrong way on the one-way street, trying to teach that elephant to purr) for most of our lives.

But we can turn around. We can let that elephant roar. And it all starts with putting our attention on things that we like. Things for which we are grateful.

As for me, I’m loving the open windows, autumn weather, listening to the crickets. I’m loving the fact that the sun continues to come up each morning. There is so, so, so much to be grateful for. And that’s the only road on which I want to drive.

Pam Grout is the author of 18 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and the just released, Thank and Grow Rich: a 30-day Experiment in Shameless Gratitude and Unabashed Joy.

Let’s get this party started! Calisthenics for big-ass manifesting.

June 24, 2016 14 Comments

“What’s important is you make the leap. Jump high and hard with intention and heart.”—Cheryl Strayed

The default setting for most of us is this: life sucks, shit happens and the glass is half-full at best.

My work is about cutting off that negative feeding tube and providing a new blueprint—chiefly the TRUTH. That the universe is limitless, abundant, and strangely accommodating.

But it has come to my attention that there’s still some slacking going on in our muscle memory. That’s the phenomenon where we create a physiological blueprint. Our brains send a memo to our body that triggers our central nervous system, our muscles, our tendons, joints, etc. to perform automatic movements. There’s a continuous feedback loop from your brain to your muscles and back.

So I’ve developed this series of calisthenics to train your body, your muscle memory, if you will, to “get excited, get, get excited.” That’s a line my cheerleading squad boisterously yelled in junior high. Yes, I was an Ark City Puppy cheerleader. Don’t laugh! The high school mascot was a bulldog.

So, I hope you’re hearing the James Brown song, “I feel good, so good” playing in your head about now.

Exercise # 1: Pump your fist in the air with complete glee. Repeat five times.

Exercise #2: Pretend you’re a Latin American soccer player who just made a goal. In the finals. When the score is tied.

Exercise #3: Fist bump at least six people daily.

Exercise #4: Do the Harlem Shuffle on your way to the bathroom in the morning. Before your brush your teeth.

Exercise #5: High-five everyone you see. I can’t tell you how much fun this one is. We do it in my hometown every time our college basketball team wins the NCAA tournament.

Exercise #6: Go outside and stretch your arms wide to salute the sun that comes up everyday without you having to pay for it or ask it to.

For more inspiration and exercises, go see the movie, Frances Ha. Greta Gerwig is a maestro at leaping across streets, dancing in public and keeping her muscle memory happy.

And it never hurts to re-watch this exuberant Flash Mob that surprised the Big O.

Pam Grout is the author of 18 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and the about to be released, Thank and Grow Rich: a 30-day Experiment in Shameless Gratitude and Unabashed Joy

Why I’m burning my shame file and starting again in 2016

December 31, 2015 48 Comments

“Say yes to everything. You never know if it might be a lottery ticket.”–Derek Sivers

I’m taking Cheryl Strayed’s advice for 2016–putting myself in the way of beauty.

I plan to laugh more, to dance more, to hug more, to give myself more breaks.

And I’m officially burning that old shame file (the one where I keep tabs on all my mistakes).

Instead I will focus on these three Truths:

1. If I want to change something in my life, my thoughts and consciousness are a far better tool than physical effort.

2. Life (or the Divine Buzz that animates everything) is always on my team, re-creating my thoughts and consciousness out here in physical form, making it easier for me to see.

3. I’m here on the physical plane to play around with this animating energy, to have fun, to experience joy.

Tell me in the comments sections below what beauty you plan to stand in front of this year.

Pam Grout is the author of 17 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and its equally-scintillating sequel, E-Cubed, 9 More Experiments that Prove Mirth, Magic and Merriment is your Full-time Gig.

5 writers. 200,000 donors. A true reason to shout hallelujah! #IStandWithLove

December 24, 2015 40 Comments

“Love is worth all the hullaballo.”—Cheryl Strayed

I didn’t plan to write a blog post this morning. I’m out the door in 5 minutes. But I’m so stoked about this amazing piece of news that I really have no choice.

Five writers raised $1 million to help Syrian refugees in a mere 31 hours. That’s barely more than a day.

But what’s even cooler is that this great gift to our suffering brothers and sisters was raised by all of us together. No one gave more than $25 which means the little guys came together for a great cause. Without politicians. Or institutions.

I’d also like to thank the Donald Trumps and the Isils of the world who, on some cosmic level, agreed to play the part of the “bad guys” so the rest of us can come together and prove to ourselves what is truly possible. Maybe these “dark forces” are part of the universe’s bigger plan? Not for me to judge. My only job is keep holding out for love. For a higher Truth.

The whole scenario gives me SO. MUCH. HOPE. Anything is possible. We CAN change the world, guys. And no better time to be reminded of that than Christmas. The light is definitely here.

Enjoy your holidays. Make it the best one ever. And remember to do more of what you want to do and less of what you think you should.

I love you all SO MUCH.

Signing off from Lincoln Street.

Let’s think up a world no one has thought up yet

June 15, 2015 13 Comments

“I strongly encourage you to let go of these beliefs. They are inaccurate and melodramatic and they do not serve you.”—Cheryl Strayed

When asked “What’s the best predictor for finding a genius?” Buckminster Fuller used to answer, “A good mother.”

What he meant by that is if your mother (or your parents in general) believed in the largesse of the universe, if they saw that proverbial glass as half full and if they recognized the tremendous potential in not just you, but in all human beings, then you’d have a pretty good chance of realizing the genius within you.

If the culture that formed your rudimentary belief system is generous, open and tends to looks on the bright side, then there’s very little that can stop you from becoming all that you’re capable of becoming.

I heard a joke once that the only reason Jesus became “The Christ” is because God alerted Mary before he was born that that is who he was.

Our beliefs, more than anything else, shape our life experience. And most of our beliefs (we have thousands) are picked up before we have much say in the matter.

So despite all the positive affirmations and intentions for success, your fundamental, underlying beliefs about how the world works at its core create the framework for your reality.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. What’s your bottom line belief about other people? Are they good? Can they be trusted?

2. What about life in general? Is it hard? Fun? Or something to be endured?

3. What about yourself? What adjectives would you use to describe yourself? How did you parents describe you?

Our beliefs, the default setting we inadvertently picked up when we were growing up, are usually served up with a lot of rules, conditions and limits.

Most of the time, we’re not even aware of the underlying beliefs that create our reality. Which wouldn’t be a problem if our beliefs are aligned with our aspirations, dreams and highest selves.

But when our belief blueprints suggest that the world is a scary place, that money is limited, that hard work is a necessary evil, well, we’re going to have thoughts, those all-powerful creators of reality, that restrict what is possible.

Sadly, your beliefs don’t just filter your thoughts. They determine how big a reality you’re able to imagine.

Imagination and being able to envision a whole new possibility is what we now need.

So I say, “Let’s throw out those old, out-dated beliefs. Let’s juice up our imaginations and create a world that nobody has thought up yet.”

Pam Grout is the author of 17 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and the recently-released sequel, E-Cubed, 9 More Experiments that Prove Mirth, Magic and Merriment is your Full-time Gig.

“Let’s get out our leg warmers and dance our asses off.” –Vince Vaughn

June 1, 2015 16 Comments

“There is a path toward the light. The one that goes blink, blink, blink inside your chest when you know what you’re doing is right. Listen to it. Trust it. Let it make you stronger than you are.”–Cheryl Strayed

I just returned from a glorious 10 days in Peru. Visited Machu Picchu and Cuzco, stayed in a 350-year-old manor house where Simon Bolivar was living when he liberated South America, gave a workshop in Lima and had the best time with my daughter who is home from college for the summer.

Because there’s a Mount Everest of laundry and a to-do-list that nearly fills my beloved notebook, I decided to re-run a post from a couple years ago about the power of our words. And as some famous person (General MacArthur?) once said, “I shall eventually return.”

Enjoy!

I was interviewing a business owner a while back. We got off topic (imagine that) and she made a comment that made me consider reaching out and giving her an inappropriate bear hug. It was a simple comment, one I’ve heard (probably even said) many times before. She was upset about a particular issue that shall not be named and, in resignation, threw her hands in the air and said, “If it’s not one thing, it’s a thousand others.”

Her rant almost seemed like a foreign language to me. It wasn’t that I was offended, but it had been so long since I’ve thought that way or really even been around people who aren’t aware of the tremendous power of their words, that I sat there dumbfounded.

Now, I’m not this woman’s coach or counselor, but I wanted desperately to comfort her, to explain to her that every word that drops out of her mouth is sculpting her life experience.

I wanted to warn her, to help her understand that whatever she believes and yes, utters out loud, will be seconded by the the great universal energy.

I know. I’m probably like the annoying ex-smoker who no longer has patience for friends still practicing their former vice.

So instead of lecturing her, instead of suggesting that if she wasn’t more vigilant, negativity, like a body snatcher, could eventually take her over, I held my tongue and thanked the blink, blink, blink pounding in my chest for showing me a better way.

Be recklessly generous and relentlessly kind, Redeux

July 18, 2013 3 Comments

“All right is almost always where we eventually land, even if we fuck up entirely along the way.”–Cheryl Strayed

I love that advice and decided to headline today’s blog post with those words of wisdom, not because it’s exactly the topic I’ll be discussing, but because those two intentions match mine.

My topic today is Gabrielle Bernstein’s e-Course “God is my Publicist.” Hay House gifted me with this three-week lecture partly, because they’re really cool folks, but mostly because they figured it would help promote my new book. Unlike some publicity campaigns that require big budgets, weekly strategy sessions and countless pleas to the media powers-that-be, Gabby’s course suggests appointing God to handle the details.

That doesn’t mean sitting around polishing your nails and refusing to pick up the phone when say, Oprah calls. It means making a rigorous practice of connecting with the big guy and asking that your message reach the folks who need it. As she points out, the possibilities to connect and make an impact are endless.

Endless possibilities, as far as I’m concerned, is a synonym for God, even though many of us hooked that word up long ago with the exact opposite.

God, to use the synonym I refer to in my book, is the FP (or the Field of Infinite Potentiality). I devoted my life to the FP many years ago. I appointed it the CEO of my career and, so far, it hasn’t let me down. It’s enabled me to write 16 books and create a life without “a real job” for more than 20 years. It’s enabled me to make a living on my wit and my craft.

I believe the only thing keeping anyone apart from the FP is their own walls and judgments.

Judgment, I was relieved to find out, is not my function. Surrender to the FP is really my only job. The less I try to do on my own, the better my life becomes.

Gabby’s other potent publicity strategy is sending love to potential customers….in my case, readers.

She reminds us that all of us have a mission and, no matter what we think it might be, it always involves love. Expansion. Beauty. Joy. So, dear readers, whoever you might be, I send you heartfelt appreciation and, yes, love which is the only thing that’s real.

Let’s get this party started! Calisthenics for big-ass manifesting.

July 5, 2013 5 Comments

“What’s important is you make the leap. Jump high and hard with intention and heart.”—Cheryl Strayed

I’ve been yammering on about the default setting in our little pea-brains, the blueprint that erroneously says, “life is hard, shit happens and the glass is half empty.”

So I’ve been encouraging us to cut off THAT negative feeding tube and force new beliefs into our psyches—chiefly the TRUTH. That the universe is limitless, abundant, and strangely accommodating.

So, I hope you’re hearing the James Brown song, “I feel good, so good” playing in your head about now.

Exercise # 1: Pump your fist in the air with complete glee. Repeat five times.

Exercise #2: Pretend you’re a Latin American soccer player who just made a goal. In the finals. When the score is tied.

Exercise #3: Fist bump at least six people daily.

Exercise #4: Do the Harlem Shuffle on your way to the bathroom in the morning. Before your brush your teeth.

Exercise #5: High-five everyone you see. I can’t tell you how much fun this one is. We do it in my hometown every time our college basketball team wins the NCAA tournament.

Exercise #6: Go outside and stretch your arms wide to salute the sun that comes up everyday without you having to pay for it or ask it to.

For more inspiration and exercises, go see the movie, Frances Ha. Greta Gerwig is a maestro at leaping across streets, dancing in public and keeping her muscle memory happy.

And it never hurts to re-watch this exuberant Flash Mob that surprised the Big O.

Pam Grout is the author of 16 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality.

“Be your best, most gigantic self.”—Cheryl Strayed

July 3, 2013 No Comments

“We are invited by the future to step it up.”—Marianne Williamson

Even if I didn’t believe in the power of thought BEFORE I wrote E-Squared (and, of course, I did, that’s why I wrote it), there is no way I could, with a straight face, deny it now. Miracles are SO prevalent and manifestations so mind-boggling, that I can barely keep up with all the stories landing like jumbo jets of joy in my in-box. Relationships are happening, unexpected money is sailing in and, most importantly, people are changing their perspective of the world’s beneficence.

I want to thank everyone who has sent me a story. I walk around these days with a perpetual smile on my face and pump my fist into the air so often that my right bicep is starting to look like Dwayne (the Rock) Johnson’s bicep. Guess I’ll have to begin pumping with my left arm in July.

Anyway, in honor of celebration and joy and red rubber balls (my hope for all of you this holiday), I’m sharing this story that bounced into my inbox yesterday.

It’s from Travis Healy who not only gave me permission to share it, but was generous enough to send a picture. He even applied the word “Abracadabra” with magic (Okay,with a magic marker) to his way-cool manifestation.

Take it away Travis:

“For Experiment 2, I focused on “Burnt Orange Cars” to throw the F.P. for a loop. Within 48 hours, a burnt orange coupe drove right in front of me at an intersection just after leaving my home. Later that night, I was watching Counting Cars and they restored an old Ford and painted it…Burnt Orange.

Experiment 4 is where I became disenchanted. I focused on manifesting a red rubber, bouncy ball (another zinger I thought). Forty-eight hours later…no ball…that was 3 weeks ago…no ball. I wrote it off as not being focused enough.

Fast Forward…

No Shi* – Today, at the same intersection where I saw the burnt orange car, a red rubber bouncy ball literally rolled across the street with the wind, right across my path…as if taunting me. I jumped out, dodged cars and picked it up. Holding it now.”

So for those folks who still believe in and are frustrated by the concept of time (I know it’s a pretty convincing illusion), this one’s for you.

Wishing you a sparkly, joy-filled Fourth of July.

Pam Grout is the author of 16 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality.

“A better world is sitting, literally, right in front of us.”–Tom Shadyac

July 1, 2013 2 Comments