Balbrae's Manifestation Log

[Balbrae]

Sat-Mon., October 8-10

Manifestation No. 1 - Car Breakdown and Repair

On Saturday, I drove to a tropical aquarium store in Sacramento, which is about 150 miles from my home. I was buying some live coral and fish for my super cool reef aquarium. I was listening to a really good bunch of audio books by Mike Dooley (Infinite Possibilities and Manifesting Change It Couldn't Be Easier (Unabridged)). So I was in a very positive mental state.

Upon arriving in Sacramento, my car's radiator--long ago diagnosed with a slow leak--began leaking coolant most visibly (much more than before). It was anyone's guess as to whether I could make it back home before replacing the radiator, or whether the end had arrived for my radiator in good old Sacramento.

What to do? Under one scenario, the car might be fine, with the leak, if I could simply top off the radiator with coolant along the way home. I liked the scenario of having it repaired close to home, once I made it back, rather than having it repaired 150 miles away from home. However, under another scenario, the engine might overheat and lock up, if radiator blew or the thermostat froze up (preventing coolant from circulating).

If I were to have it repaired in Sacramento, there would be added complications of: (1) an extra round trip to Sacramento; (2) renting a car to drive home while my car was in the shop; and (3) the unfamiliarity of the Sacramento area. However, if I didn't take it to a repair shop in Sacramento, and my car broke down in the middle of nowhere on the way home, then having it towed to either my hometown or Sacramento would have added an unnecessary cost to the overall process. Moreover, given the uncertainty of my transportational means, I thought that it might not be safe to buy livestock fish, who should ideally be put in an aquarium as quickly as possible after being purchased, not stuck in a car on the side of a road.

Taking a cue from the audio books I had immersed myself in on the ride up, I chose to think good, calm thoughts of safety, economical results, and efficiency: "I will get fish, and they will be safe and comfortable all the ride home." "Everything is okay. I will try to make it back with my car the way it is, and I will carry coolant in the car in case the leak requires replenishment. Everything will be just fine, and I will try to go home in my car." So I went to an Auto Zone Store and bought coolant and filled up my radiator. I would soon find out that the more pressing problem was not a leaking radiator, but a frozen thermostat that would not allow the coolant to circulate or do its job.

Driving home, I traveled about 10-15 miles when I noticed that it wasn't going to work; the temperature gauge when straight to "HOT." I had already priced the repair to remove and replace the radiator and the thermostat, if done at the Pep Boys in my hometown: $600 ($1200 if the dealer did it). So I called up the nearest Pep Boys in Sacramento, based on my new location (having tried to go home already). The price would be about the same to repair it in Sacramento as it was in my home town. However, the "bad news" was that the repair shop he didn't have my car's radiator in stock. It would need to be ordered. Given that it was a Saturday, the repair shop couldn't even place the order for a new radiator until Monday. This meant that my car's repair might not be complete until Wednesday or Thursday. Trusting in the flow of the Universe, I calmly said, "No big deal. I'm on my way to your shop now."

So I drove my car in spurts, until the engine temperature guage went to "HOT." Then I pulled over, turned off my car and waited 20 minutes each time, to allow it to cool down. I repeated this process until I made it to the repair shop. I caught a cab to the airport, where I rented a car, given that the other locations were closed by the afternoon on a Saturday. Then I drove home in a rental car. I kept visualizing that everything would be just fine, and that it was no big deal. For me, the biggest hassle would be driving back so late in the week to pick up my car, based on office-work committments and my hectic schedule. But I kept visualizing that all would be fine.

Fast forward to my utter surprise the next day--a Sunday--when I got a call from the repair shop and was told that they found a radiator (on a SUNday!) and the car would be ready by 6:00 p.m. that same day (Sunday). I didn't question the manifestation--I knew better than that, no matter how strange it was that no less then 3 car repair shops told me that no radiator could be ordered until Monday. As I was driving to the repair shop, I was about 3 minutes away when my phone rang again, it was the repair shop saying that my car was ready.

Though the timing was beyond impeccable, the odd thing was that the attendant stated: "I'm glad I was able to help you get a radiator so fast to get your car repaired so fast." I've seen many car repairs in my life, but this bragging servitude was a bit strange, and I chalked it up to the Universe poking fun at me through the statement, as if to say, "you see--you can manifest things quite quickly; I'm glad that I, the Universe, was able to get you back on your wheels so quickly.")

Here's the thing: had I not gone with my hunch and started to drive home, I would likely have gone to a different repair shop closer to the fish store. It is likely that the repair technicians wouldn't have hustled so hard to get my car fixed the next day (on a Sunday). So I manifested a better result, by holding the calm thoughts: "all will be fine...try to drive home in your car and see what happens..." Plus, I got a $50 gift card out of the repair. Pretty cool, huh?

[Balbrae]

Saturday-Monday, October 08-10, 2011:

Manifestation No. 2 - Fish Dead or Alive?

My next manifestation story involves a fish. So rewind to the night before (Saturday)--when I made it back to my aquarium late at night. My aquarium is in my office at work, some 30 miles from my home. I was rearranging the "live rock" in my tank, and plucked out one huge rock and set it aside in a chair. 5-10 minutes later, I picked the huge rock up from the chair and went to place it in the second, side aquarium that I use for a "refugium"--not for livestock coral or fish. As I went to place the rock in the refugium what did I see? To my utter shock and excruciating guilt, I saw my blue tang fish wedged in a crevice in the rock! That meant he or she was out of the water without oxygen for 5-10 minutes! I quickly dropped the tang back in the correct tank of water, but he was stunned, paralyzed, dying, or dead. I "shooed" him a little bit with water, which pushed him back into the rock-sculpture in the middle of tank, where I could no longer see him to learn if he was alive or dead.

I cannot tell you how wracked with guilt and shame I initially was. I felt that I was careless and killed a beautiful creature. There was no way the fish would live--it probably already had brain damage from the lack of oxygen for 5-10 minutes. It probably would die in the moments to come--somewhere beneath the rocks. Then, almost embarrassingly, I thought--wait, let me manifest health for the fish! Initially, I thought it was inappropriate to be thinking of "manifesting" realities at such a time. But then I thought: "What do I have to lose?" So I closed my eyes and visualized that fish as a beautiful, happy, healthy Blue Tang swimming and frolicking in the tank. I imagined it over and over in my mind's eye for a few minutes. But, of course, I couldn't see the fish--it was buried in the cavernous rocks that were sculpted in the tank. So I went home.

The next day, I came back to my aquarium, turned the light on, and began setting up a periodic water change. After about a moment or two, I saw a most beautiful sight! The blue tang was swimming around and frolicking quite energetically and gracefully--just as I had imagined in my visualization! Hooray! My guilt evaporated at once, and I was quite spooked by the power of manifestation. Quite spooked, indeed.

[Balbrae]

Saturday-Monday, October 08-10, 2011

Manifestation No. 3 - Case Deadline Run or Still Timely?

Attorneys can become quite stressed by deadlines, and I am no different. However, I am trying to become more relaxed about such things through visualization and manifestation techniques. I have one particular case in mind for my last manifestation story here.

The case is a million-dollar, wrongful-death case and I represent the Defendant. On Saturday, it occurred to me that the opposing counsel might try to argue (incorrectly) that the time to file summary-judgment motions had passed (even though it had not passed). If the Court bought into the other side's argument (which was entirely possible), it would have been a huge problem for me because I can probably win portions of the case--or the entire case--on summary judgment. Under such a scenario, there would be no need to go to trial because we would win by motion practice.

Anyhow, I could easily imagine the other side trying to make an argument that it was too late to file summary judgment motions, based on a perceived vagueness in a modified scheduling order. Here, the Plaintiff's lawyer would LOVE for the deadline to pass because they won't likely be filing summary judgment motions--only our side will. They want to sensationalize the case before a jury, and they don't want me to take it away from a jury by motion practice that could end the case. (A bit of history: this same attorney got an undeserved settlement out of a case in the distant past because the other side did not file a summary judgment motion; had the other side done so, the other side might have won--so the idea of blocking my summary judgment motion is probably a tempting thought to the other side in my case.)

During the drive to the Sacramento fish store on Saturday (see Manifestation No. 1 above), I was attacked by these nagging fears--that the opposing counsel would try to cut off my ability to file an MSJ. It really bugged me. So I simply put those thoughts out of my mind, and focused instead on the thought, "it will all be okay--I will get to have my say in motion practice before trial, one way or another...it will all work out." But my mind reeled in disbelief. Knowing that I would not rest until I had a strategy mapped out, I gave myself multiple options to pursue to protect my client. However, I wasn't 100% sure that the courts would back me up on such alternative plans to get judgment on paper, if the deadline to file summary judgment motions had run.

In the end, all I could force myself to do was simply to "trust" in my visualization that all would be manifested okay. I went with it, visualizing that good feeling I get when I write a summary judgment motion--telling the truth and crafting good, legal arguments. I focused on that happy feeling of motion practice, as if it already had occurred. I imagined myself feeling really good and satisfied at having spoken my truth in the brief, and that I was smiling from good results of the brief, as handed down by the court. After many miles of driving, I had peace of mind and faith.

Fast forward to today. I asked my secretary to call the other lawyer to see if she had signed the stipulation I sent on Friday. The stipulation asks for additional time to hold a mediation conference--to try to settle the case, after which time, the parties expressly agree to extend the deadline to file summary judgment motions. If she signs that document, then there can be no "blocking" attempt later on the issue. This is what concerned me--I thought she would simply sit on the document, not sign it, and hope more time elapsed to further her argument that it was too late to extend that deadline to file summary judgment motions. My back-up plan was to file a motion with the court to extend the deadline for summary judgment motions if she did not sign the stipulation or agreement today. But doing so would be a pitched battle I wished to avoid.

To my utter relief, my secretary told me: "she already signed it and sent it back, I just got the document right now." Wow! Very cool! This is a very important accomplishment in the life of this case. Things could have gotten very ugly, otherwise. Trust me on this point!

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by Balbrae

The blue tang was swimming around and frolicking quite energetically and gracefully--just as I had imagined in my visualization!

Hooray! I'm very happy for your blue tang!

[Balbrae]

Originally Posted by Acting Like Godot

Hooray! I'm very happy for your blue tang!

Thank's, Godot! That is the spitting, manifestation-image of my blue tang! Good show!

[ChildOfNone]

Balbra - three extraordinary stories.
Thank you for sharing.
Very inspirational and very encouraging.

[Balbrae]

Originally Posted by ChildOfNone

Balbra - threee extraordinary stories.
Thank you for sharing.
Very inspirational and very encouraging.

Thanks, Child--very kind of you!

[Balbrae]

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Manifestation No. 4 - Pleasant Work Atmosphere

Workplaces can be breeding grounds for competition, exclusion, and insecurity, and there is no reason to feed into that. So I am manifesting my inner change at work, by steadfastly refusing to fuel that unhealthy atmosphere. I sometimes have extended meetings with co-workers, who have a proclivity to interrupt others and monopolize the dialog. One wonders whether they do this to appear dominant and controlling. Historically, I have not reacted well to such behavior, typically become angry inside, but not expressing it until I get home--or worse, just bottling it up and feeling powerless.

However, recently, I concluded that manifesting change can apply to anything--including how I feel at the office, when encountering such situations.

So today I manifested the following change: a happy, smiling me. When the particular behavior by others surfaced, I simply changed my focus to visualizing myself smiling and feeling happy--as if my happiness were already a foregone conclusion. I repeated words in my mind that were supplied by the situation, to ward off any potential insecurity or anger, such as: "I am a world-class attorney, analyst, and communicator, and all is well and secure in the workplace."

This freed me up from feeling the need to compete with others for "air time" with our clients. Such competition would simply have been ridiculous in the situation--everyone talking over each other to seem smarter or have the last word. The result was great: I was calm and effective, speaking where it was helpful, and remaining silent and listening at other times. The significance of this manifestation is that I felt calm, free, and happy without regard to what anyone else was doing. That's kind of a big step for me.

[Balbrae]

Manifestation No. 5 - Composing and Writing a Wildly Successful Musical Play
(Scheduled to Occur: According to the Universe's Timetable)

I visualize the following intentional manifestation, and will report its status back to you, from time to time (in order to track its progress, please refer to "Updates on Manifestation No. 5"):

"I have completed composing and writing my musical play that I first began creating in 1983. People are very happy by its world-wide production, and it is wildly successful beyond my dreams."

Status Report: Current status of completion of writing musical play: about 20%.

[ChildOfNone]

I have had success using I/M with people in public, some of whom tend to take on bad attitudes with little provocation. Until recently I allowed myself to be reactive. Now before I walk into situations where I will be intereacting with people I use a process similar to what you described in your work atmosphere. It has definitely made a difference.

Looking forward to reading about the outcome of your th manifestation.

[Balbrae]

Originally Posted by ChildOfNone

I have had success using I/M with people in public, some of whom tend to take on bad attitudes with little provocation. Until recently I allowed myself to be reactive. Now before I walk into situations where I will be intereacting with people I use a process similar to what you described in your work atmosphere. It has definitely made a difference.

Looking forward to reading about the outcome of your th manifestation.

Thanks, Child. Your success with people in public seems to be based on a twofold phenomenon: (1) you manifest greater cooperation from other people; and (2) you focus on a positive take on such encounters. Great recipe for success! Keep on keeping on.