The Fine Art of ... and How To

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

• Train yourself to notice when Negativity arises in you.
  When you catch yourself projecting a Negative thought,
  remember - ALL THOUGHT IS CREATIVE,
  
  and ask yourself:
  
  Is that really what you want to create?
  

Take a lesson from the true story written below:

Jessica had a hard first quarter, so far, what with all the partying, hanging out with her new friends, late nite smoking, up all nite, chats till all hours. Dorm life was definitely a different part of the college education experience! Certainly, not at all like life at home with Mom, and attending an all girls' Catholic school. Now, it was mid-term and exams started tomorrow. Her World History exam was at 8am the next day, and she had not once, so far, even opened the textbook for that class. Time does indeed fly when one is having fun, she mused.

All along this professor had made it very clear that the exam would be based entirely on the book. Now, Jessica had never missed even one lecture in that class, even tho she might have been a bit dazed, while in attendance. But she had taken excellent notes every class, and the night before, she figured she would fake it thru the exam tomorrow, and somehow get a passing grade that would carry her thru till she wrote her final paper, and come out with an above average final grade. She was a smart girl, that was her game plan, and it was all going well until she sat down in class, that next day, and looked at the questions on the test paper.

Her heart sank. The book had nothing to do with the class lectures, and as she looked at each question down the paper, she started to worry. She did not even have a clue what to write , because she had never ever opened the book, not even to scan its contents. She saw a FAIL grade being sent home to her Mother, who had sacrificed so much to send her to this exclusive private university. She saw herself put on academic probation, and the disappointment of failure loomed large before her, in her mind.

...

Forty three years later, she and her former roommate from college days were talking and laughing on the phone, reminiscing about times gone by, and the crazy things they did when they were young. Then, Debbie began to recall something Jessica had completely forgotten.

" I remember one late nite, you told me you were going in the morning to take a mid-term exam in a class for which you had not even once opened the textbook. I was very curious how that was going to work, so that next evening, I asked you how you did on the exam, and you told me something that absolutely amazed me. You said you looked at the test, then you got up immediately and walked over to the professor to speak to him. You told the professor that you were have a horrible time with diaharea, that morning, and it was going to be impossible to sit down and take this test today. The professor sympathized with you, and gave you a new date to take the test, 2 weeks later!"

Needless to say, two weeks later, Jessica passed the exam. The first semester in college is a test in itself, and those who can successfully complete that first semester with good grades, usually go on to graduate on time, with a degree. No doubt Jessica learned a valuable lesson and never repeated her mistake, but it was the example of thinking outside the box, that forever stuck in the mind of her friend.

• In LIFE, situations arise that call for an immediate shift in consciousness, an urgent need to change direction quickly, or face dire consequences. Normal avenues don't lead to where you want to go and you find yourself trapped in a box, with no exits.

Jessica looked at her own reality: not the reality of the school, not the reality of the class, not the reality of the other students around her . She had nothing to work with but her own natural resources. She could SEE! At that point when she looked at that test paper forty three years ago, she saw was a narrow, constricted walkway, that lead to her certain doom. It was a box she was sitting in, and she knew she had to get out, NOW, by any means necessary! She immediately recognized she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.TIME was all she needed, and she saw she had nothing to loose, by making an urgent bid for better Timing .

She looked up from that test paper and saw her professor. He was her way out, so she went to him and presented him with the unexpected twist. She made him to understand that even though she came to take the exam, it was going to be IMPOSSIBLE for her to do so, because of conditions outside his and her control. The chance she took was this: if she could manage to tell the professor something that would make him agree with her that it was important for everybody that she leave the class immediately, then she had a chance at the future of her own desire, and the TIME was NOW! She could not afford to delay this decision another second. She had dismissed FAILURE, it was not her option. At that point, Jessica knew she had nothing to lose. She walked to the professor and told him, not asked him, The professor then created a solution that allowed for her success, and she accepted it.

• People who think outside the box create memorable moments, and strike examples that forever stay in the minds of those who observe. More importantly, they create the rules for the foundation of their own universe, and chart their own destiny!

Fast forward to the 21st century, and the Age of Distraction, where we live.

Remember the elements you have to work with:

• 1. Mental-learning expand consciousness, order your thoughts.
• 2. Physical - engage your ears in mind expansion, without drugs!
• 3. Emotional- become passionate about your highest personal aspirations
• 4. Spiritual - awareness, become a conductor of LIGHT!."Cancel that negative thought!"