Why All The Woo-Woo?

This blog is in response to a number of my health clients who are wondering why I am taking my brand and my business into other topics. People may think that health and self development are on opposite ends of the spectrum, however I have found that how you do one thing is how you do all things. Our lives are not compartmentalized. Non-success in one area of your life will affect everything! But, if you want to be truly successful in anything, you must be willing to dig deep to see where you’re sabotaging your success and enhance your ability to use your intuition to make powerful life changing decisions based on clarity. In my experience, most successful people allow themselves to be guided by their “gut feelings” even if it seems out of the box and"woo woo." Moving through life without developing the use of intuition is like walking around with your eyes and ears closed. It becomes scary, and easy to make a wrong turn. Truth is, everyone has the ability to look ahead with their eyes, ears, and heart wide open and reap all of the benefits from doing so. I am someone who can assist you to open up, discover your life passions, and attain goals you may not have been able to before. Through my own personal transformation, I have seen that in healing the core of who I am, I am able to create healthy habits, be successful, and share my gifts with the world. So, if you're wondering why all the woo woo, here it is...

Woo-woo is a derogatory and dismissive term used to refer to beliefs one considers nonsense or to a person who holds such beliefs. Sometimes woo-woo is used by skeptics as a synonym for pseudoscience, true-believer, or quackery. It has unfortunately been used for the majority of my life to describe myself and a lot of my personal beliefs.

However, let’s be honest. The phrase is really used when describing anything out of the majority’s beliefs and actions. You see, we have this box labeled “normal” and everything in that box has a stamp of approval on it by some sort of larger organization that you have given the power of that stamp to. Whether it is your government, educational system, religion, or even your family, the truth is that as long as you remain in the box of “normal,” you’re letting other people stamp what’s “normal” for you and what you should deem as “woo woo.”

If you are feeling discomfort by those last two paragraphs, I beg you to read on, as that is surely a sign something is stirring within you to understand why all the woo woo.

In 1970, Maslow came up with a chart to describe some very out of the box findings about the human psyche and needs from our basic survival to an enlightened evolution. He even coined the term Self Actualization- a very taboo topic for the time period.  However, as time has gone on, his theory has made it closer and closer to the stamp of approval and into your box of “normal.”

As you can see, the lower half of the triangle consists of some very in the box “normal” and basic things that people have no problems discussing. Work, school, church, family, traditions, holidays, marriage, what kind of house you have, food, car you drive, and etc.  However, as you near the top, conversations will waiver because there are so many ideas for how to become Self Actualized. This involves more of an internal dialogue with topics such as, “Who am I really? What am a truly passionate about? Why am I here? What do I yearn to create? Do I have enough love? Do I understand the universe which I exist in? How do I heal the past? Why am I not as happy and successful as I want to be and do I even deserve what I want?”

In my experience, if you want the latter questions answered, many times you have to journey outside of the box of “normal.”  We go from this conversation: “I’m not sleeping, time to take a pill.” To: “What is it about my life that is creating restless nights? Is there something deeper going on with me?”  

To anyone inside of the box of “normal,” that last question is woo-woo. They will tell you that you’re thinking too deep about it, and to just take the pill and go to sleep. The top half of the triangle requires you to begin to develop yourself. It doesn’t involve anyone else.  That is why we call it self-development, not “everyone else-development.”

Self-development is personal. It requires you to go within and to begin to listen to a different direction than the ones who own the stamp of approval.  This is because those organizations cannot possibly know what “becoming everything a person is capable of becoming” will look like for every single person. When a person steps outside of the box of “normal,” they enter the world of woo woo.

Most of you reading this probably think that the world of woo-woo requires you to do weird ceremonies, talk to spirits, burn incense and sage, meditate with crystals, drink weird detoxing teas, eat organic nuts and seeds, climb mountains to find shamans, and talk to psychics. While I’m all for trying new adventures (for the mere fun of it), here is the truth about those of us who have bravely stepped outside of the box. 

People who truly step into the world of woo-woo and successfully find self-actualization have had to do the following:

1.    They had to reprioritize their lives. While inside of the box, they were told where and how to spend their time. However, at some point within the world of woo woo, they were willing to be honest about what they were truly passionate about. And then they honored those priorities, even if the naysayers scoffed at them.

2.    They had to overcome the barriers to being successful.  At some point, they recognized a tendency to sabotage themselves and stay small. They saw how fear was holding them back, and they had to take steps to overcome their limitations.

3.    They had to understand not only their strengths, but also their weaknesses. It was hard for them to admit where they needed help. In business, it might mean that they hired someone to do something they aren’t good at. In relationships, it might mean that they had to ask their partner for patience. In health, it might mean they had to hire a trainer or health coach. Even though it was hard, being honest with themselves and then asking for help balanced their lives and made it easier.

4.    They had to heal the past, and stay aware of any past issues that arise to limit their success in any way. They learned how to be relentless in forgiving and the importance of being present.

5.    They have had to take accountability. They have had to apologize, admit when they were wrong, and take accountability for all of the discord they have created in their lives. This means that they had to get VERY honest and raw with themselves.

6.    They had to get healthy. At some point, they recognized that the health of their body affects everything. They understand that if the body is not clear from toxins and addictions, it doesn’t function physically, emotionally, or cognitively. This will spill over into how they conduct themselves in business and relationships and block creativity and motivation.

7.    They have had to acquire a personal relationship to a higher source, one that is completely outside of scripture or another person’s experience of the Divine. They have had very deep, honest, authentic conversations with God and have even faced their anger and fears about Him. They may have even rejected the idea of a God in order to start over and develop a more authentic relationship where the old one may have been based on fear and misunderstandings.

8.    They have been empowered. At a basic level, the term 'empowerment' simply means 'becoming powerful'.  Building personal empowerment involved reflecting on their personal values, skills and goals and being prepared to adjust their behavior in order to achieve goals. Personal empowerment also means being aware that other people have their own set of values and goals which may different than theirs.

9.    They have felt the calling to contribute. They see where problems exist and they use their out of the box, woo woo mentality to solve them.  

10.  They have changed their language. Woo woo people talk differently because they know how powerful words are. They understand that what you put out there, you get back. Therefore, they tend to use positive, uplifting verbiage and are careful not to listen to negativity either. Rarely do they use low vibration words that are slang or crude.  They are very intentional in their speech, honoring their words as law.

11.  They have had to forgive those who stay in the box of “normal.” Being judged, disowned, scoffed and laughed at is simply a rite of passage for those who decide they want more out of life. Interestingly enough, it is completely within the “high standards” of the box of “normal” to shame, guilt, fight, and make fun of others. A lot of “normal” people see the world of woo woo as weak when they have no idea that it actually takes more strength to commit to peace than to war.

So, where’s all the quackery?  I thought we were explaining the weirdo hippies who talk to angels and dance naked in the forest! The things on that list are too benign, that can’t be woo-woo!

What we in the woo woo world do in order to achieve the results we desire and are inspired to achieve are no matter to those who are within the box. We know that in order to live a truly authentic, forgiving, innovative, creative, connected, fun, and clear life you gotta get a little weird and that’s okay. Who cares if somebody wants to use a deck of oracle cards instead of a book to get inspiration? What does it matter if they choose to sit under a tree and fish on a Sunday because they recognize the need to spend time where they feel totally at peace? And what of the person climbing the mountain to speak to the shaman in a sweat lodge? These are simply signs of self discovery that lead to self actualization. What these weird woo woos bring back to our simple and closed minded society are colorful stories, painted awareness, rich experiences, and innovative world changing ideas that will undoubtedly shake another person out of the box. The world of woo woo is juicy, fun, and liberating. It is also long hard nights of sweat and tears as we shed the old life of pain and emerge with wings spread wide. It is daring to be who we were before the world told us who to be, and living that so fiercely that we no longer care what others think. It is taking the leap of faith and doing that which scares us but calls to us at the same time. It is having the honest conversations, first with ourselves and then with others. And ya, it’s clearing our energy, meditating, doing yoga, and eating weird healthy stuff. Most of all, it’s learning how to mind our own business and stay out of the way of someone climbing Maslow’s Triangle in their own style and flare. If the end result produces a balanced, happy, successful individual who is doing what they were born to do, then woo woo!

For more information on all my woo woo stuff, visit my website at www.clarityistheway.com 

Find me on your favorite social platform @clarityistheway

Follow me on Periscope for LIVE motivation!