This is a message about hope. And something about "beginners mind".
When we get stuck spinning stories about our lives, and scaring ourselves with tales of doom, it comes from a place of expecting that things should be different than they are.
We never assume, when we are in this place, that we are exactly where we are supposed to be, and that our lives our unfolding on purpose and in time.
We erroneously think that the mistakes we've made in the past, dictate the lives we will lead in the future, or the fact that our growth has been slow in coming, will somehow keep us out of the game.
As if the universe plays this way. As if there is a finish line to get to. As if there were no second chances.
There are people in 12-step recovery programs that come in with completely ruined lives only to go on to become productive, abundant, contributing members of society.
They didn't think their lives could change, either. The thing is, there is something far greater than ourselves that is orchestrating events. And it knows our deepest and greatest desires. If you are in touch with synchronicity and count the number of times things have worked out for you in just the right way, you are privy to the universe at work.
So, the question we need to ask ourselves is, are we willing to suspend judgment of appearances while we give them some room to work out the details in our lives? Are we willing to live in the possibility that things can change for us and will, just as soon as we give them an opening? Are we willing to hold out for ourselves that we CAN have what we want so long as we can relax our way into it?
The I Ching has a great quote in one of its hexagrams:
"You don't have to trust in the unknown. Just disperse of distrust."
Yes, it is a faith exercise.
Because "Faith is Expectancy".
And it can go either way: I know a woman who ever since she turned forty complains of ailments. Lactose intolerance, weight gain, onset of arthritis, heartburn, etc. She blames it on her age. She turned 40 and bought into "group think" that this is what happens when you get past a certain age. Because she believes it, expects it even, it is true for her. She is preparing for her decline.
I know another forty year old, who has none of these experiences, simply because she doesn't think it's necessary.
We are prime candidates for what we expect. St. Augustine wrote:
Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature.
When we expect things to remain the same in our lives, there is no room for them to be different. It is up to us to be "open at the top" and live in the possibility.
Okay, so what to do? What do you do when you are going down a road of scary thoughts that will spin you right back into bed? Into quiet resignation, or "why bother"?
When I get into this place, I remember a series of questions Rev. Michael Beckwith asked us to consider in one of his classes. 
These might not be the normal set of questions you would ask yourself on a given day, but they are worth considering.
For two reasons:
1) They develops or reinforces the good habit of looking at the glass as half full, rather than half empty.
2) They broadens your purview. When we are spinning stories in our head, they are usually narrowly focused, microscopic, zoomed in. Asking these sets of questions make us pull back, take a wider view, engage in a different style of analysis.
Ask yourself: If everything is perfect in my life, exactly where I am, what is it that I am presently not seeing?
What love is here that I am not counting?
What abundance is here that I am currently not recognizing?
What opportunities for self-expression are here that I am presently not acknowledging?
What creative channels are here that I am not noticing?
And then ask yourself, the most audacious question of all: How good can it get? How much joy can I have in my life? How much abundance can I experience? How much love can I take? How good can it get?
And then pause. Consider. Imagine. Allow.
And then let go.
You'll notice, this is quite different than what we do. "How good can it get?" Do we ever ask ourselves this question?
The truth is, if you are on a conscious path, everything that has brought you to this point, has done so in an effort to propel you forward. While you may not have evidence of it today, it does not mean it may not appear tomorrow.
But we are either seeing the glass as half full, or we are seeing the glass as half empty. All we have to do is tip the scales 51% to 49% in favor of seeing the glass half full and we will see our lives change. The "unchangeable" will show evidence of becoming changeable.
This is the work. Simple, incremental change. We begin. And then we begin again. We fall prey to old patterns and then attempt to reinforce new ones. We start. And then we start over. Again and again and again.
This week, be hopeful.
Live in the possibility that change is possible. Know that that which you are seeking is also seeking you. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt and trust that "despite appearances" you are in your rightful place.
Let go of resistance, and disperse of "distrust".
Above all, simply know your well-being.
and one of our speakers was Dr. Joe Vitale. I would think he needs no introduction, but in case you haven't heard of him, his many qualifications include being a certified metaphysical practitioner, a certified Chi Kung healer, a certified hypno-therapist as well as an ordained minister and a leading proponent of law of attraction which you may have heard him talk about in the movie "The Secret". 
