Steve and I just got back from the Tampa, Florida I Can Do It conference put on by Steve’s publisher, Hay House.  Although we’ve been to this conference many times in the past, this particular conference held a lot of transformation for me.  I got a lot of clarity about my future path, my message, and what obstacles I still need to overcome.  All of the speakers are amazing and informative.

Since Steve is a Hay House author now, our experience of this conference is different than when we were just attendees.  For one, Hay House pays Steve’s travel expenses and there was a Carey Limo driver waiting for us at the Tampa airport.  It was funny because while the three of us were waiting for our baggage to arrive, it suddenly dawned on our driver that he was a reader of Steve’s blog and he had listened to my podcasts, so he put two and two together and realized he knew the people he was picking up. 

At the hotel there was a vegan and raw goodie bag waiting for us, which turned out to be a blessing since finding vegan and raw snacks in the area proved challenging.  I thought it was especially thoughtful that whoever put that bag together made sure to put vegan and raw items in there for us.  I saw another author’s goodie bag and they had non-vegan items in theirs, so someone from Hay House is really on the ball!

Our days at the conference were filled with activity.  We attended breakout sessions and keynotes as often as we could.  Steve had a radio interview on Saturday with Eldon Taylor and Michael Neill, two fascinating individuals.  Steve’s presentation on Sunday went beautifully.  Even though I’ve read his book, Personal Development for Smart People, two times already and have heard this presentation before, I still found myself learning so much.  Honestly I think that’s where a big part of my transformation originated.

I also had a transformational moment while listening to Robert Holden, Ph.D. who gave a keynote on Saturday morning.  Not only is he a hilarious speaker, but quite insightful as well.  My mind was working overtime processing the information from his speech.

My third transformational component was spending time with the other psychic mediums from Hay House, specifically, John Holland, Colette Baron-Reid, and Lisa Williams.  John invited Steve and I to a private dinner with several of the other authors: Brian Weiss, Cheryl Richardson, Gary Renard, Darren Weissman, and Sandra Anne Taylor.  I was able to “talk shop” with people I respect and admire and they were all very generous with me in sharing their wisdom and experiences.  I can say that all of these authors are authentic and really walk their talk.  It was a pleasure to get to know them on a personal level.  A special thank you goes out to Sandra and her twin sister Shari for their kindness and connection with me.

We got another chance to spend time with the authors at the author dinner on Saturday night.  It was just so much fun to be ourselves, not our work, and just get to know each other and have a good time.  We met and had a lovely conversation with Dr. Wayne Dyer.  I find him so serene and pleasant.  We sat with Eldon Taylor, Peter Calhoun, and Diane Ray (one of Hay House Radio’s hosts).  Then we moved around the room until we’d met nearly everyone who attended.  My only regret is that I still haven’t met Doreen Virtue.  She is always doing a keynote during the speaker’s dinner so she doesn’t attend that.

On Thursday Steve and I were able to manifest a raw/vegan restaurant just two miles from our hotel!  How lucky is that?  We had to take a cab there and back which cost more than $20 just for that part, but it was well worth it.  The restaurant was Grass Root and they had one of the best veggie burgers I’ve ever had in my life.  It was so good I almost ordered a second one on the spot!  We didn’t get a chance to eat there twice though, more’s the pity.  I wanted to try their key lime vegan cheesecake, but they were out.  If you find yourself in Tampa, check them out.  Sunshine burger.  Good stuff!

It was wonderful meeting fans of our sites.  I introduced Steve on stage and did much better this time than I did last time.  Woo hoo!  One of the Hay House volunteers gave me some reiki to calm my nerves before I did the intro.  My sister, Nicole, also attended the conference, so it was great to hang with her too.  I know we talk about this conference a lot but it really is a great conference.  It takes some time afterward to process all the insightful information that comes through.  If you’re interested in personal growth and spirituality this is really the place for you. 

Below are some photos from the conference.

From left to right: Dr. Darren Weissman, Dr. Brian Weiss, Sandra Taylor, John Holland, Steve Pavlina, Erin Pavlina, Colette Baron-Reid, Lisa Williams, Marc Lindeman (Colette’s husband).

Steve and I before a keynote session

Steve doing his first official book signing after his presentation.

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I receive a lot of communications from people who are in deep trouble.  They’re depressed, suicidal, overcome with fear, unable to function in daily life, succumbing to abuse, or too panicked to live.  In short, they’re drowning in darkness, unable to see the light anymore.  These people often feel they are at their wit’s end, at the end of their ropes, unable to go on, ready to give up.  Their connection to the light is gone.  If you are in that place of darkness where you’ve lost all hope, this is how you find the light again…

Let people help you
Sometimes you really can’t help yourself.  That’s when it’s time to rely on the kindness of your fellow man.  Find a friend, relative, therapist, counselor, co-worker, or anyone you trust with your situation and ask them for help.  Chances are they won’t say no, and even if they did, you can just move on to someone else.  People who love you and care about you will help you if you tell them what’s wrong and ask for their help.  Even if they can’t offer much in the way of advice, sometimes just telling someone about your situation is enough to lift you back towards the light.  You may also be able to find a support group full of people who have conquered your problem and are there to support others seeking their way back from the brink.  Whatever you do, reach out.  Don’t sit in the darkness alone.

Help someone in need
When you realize that you are in a position to help someone else in trouble, often your own problem doesn’t seem so insurmountable.  Helping others is one of the kindest things you can do on this planet because it recognizes the connection we all share.  When you show compassion towards another you automatically move closer to the light.  Try it and see.  Give a homeless guy some money.  Volunteer at a shelter.  Donate clothing to a domestic violence shelter.  Send treats to an orphanage.  Or just listen to someone with a problem and offer a kind word of support.  When you see others drowning in the dark, you can help each other swim back to the light.  Gratitude is one of the highest vibrations you can give and receive.

Keep your perspective
Sometimes we’re slammed with something horrible.  The death of a loved one, a divorce, the loss of a job, a financial crisis, bad health news.  It can feel like someone tied concrete to your feet and threw you in the river.  But keep your perspective.  Are you really at the end of your rope or did you just slide down a few feet – okay maybe a few hundred feet?  Never let go of that rope, even if you slid all the way to the bottom.  Keep climbing.  While there is still life in you, there is strength to keep climbing.  One inch at a time if necessary.  Still have a roof over your head?  Still have friends who care about you?  Still have enough money in your wallet to buy your next meal?  Is there a cure for your illness?  You’re way ahead of some people, so keep your perspective and keep climbing.  There are thousands, possibly millions of people, in the world who would gladly take your problems over theirs, so keep your problem in the proper perspective if you can.

Find one positive thought
I can’t stress this one enough.  When all you can see is darkness, sometimes you have to create your own light.  Lost your job?  “Well at least I can sleep in tomorrow.”  Been told you have cancer?  “At least others who have had this can guide me back to health.”  Death of a loved one? “I was very lucky to have loved someone so deeply.”  I know that you can sometimes feel utterly buried by bad news or a bad situation.  I think we’ve all had that feeling of totally losing our life energy to devastating news or a devastating situation, but you can always, always choose how you will interpret it.  So you can allow those dark waters to drag you under or you can choose to keep your head above water and start swimming back to shore.  It’s a choice, even if it doesn’t always feel like one.  My friend, Aimmee Riley, who wrote the awesome book, Tears of Hope, always says to me, “At least I am still breathing, so I’m okay.”  She’s a woman who really knows how to persevere in the face of adversity.

Count your blessings
When you’re sitting in the dark and can’t find the light it’s always helpful to count your blessings.  My advice is to literally write them down and keep them somewhere that you can see often.  Turn your attention to the things in your life that are still positive and forget your problem, even if just for a moment.  You’ve got to break the cycle, cut the chain that ties you to that block of concrete, so you can begin to swim back to the surface.  You need to get your power back, so take a serious inventory of what you still have going for you and use those blessings like stairs – climb them.

Remember your are never truly alone
When I’m doing an intuitive reading for someone in crisis I always see angels around them.  In fact, when I see the angels that’s how I know my sitter is going through a really tough time either emotionally or physically.  You are never truly alone.  Behind and beside you walk beings of light whose job it is to help you when you cannot help yourself.  You may not see them or detect them, but they are there when you need them the most.  Just like that poem, “Footprints” about the guy who was walking with God and saw two sets of footprints in the sand, and when he was in trouble he only saw one set and thought God had abandoned him.  “No,” said God, “that was when I carried you.”  If you open yourself to their energy, you will feel their loving comfort.  Some people use prayer to connect with these unseen energies, some use meditation.  Find your angels and let their light infuse you.

Find the humor in your situation
Probably the last thing you want to do when you are devastated is laugh, but laughter truly is the best medicine.  Being in a state of joy or amusement is a really high vibration that can cut through the darkness like a knife through butter.  Find something to laugh at.  Find something amusing in your situation.  If you can’t find amusement in your situation, then find amusement in something else.  Catch a comedy show, watch a funny movie, go to YouTube.com and type in the name of your favorite comedian.  It’s okay to laugh even when you feel like you have nothing to be happy about.  Laughter cuts away the darkness and allows you to think more clearly and find good solutions to your problem.

Don’t make decisions in the dark
When life throws you a curve you automatically go into problem-solving mode.  How will I deal with this?  What will I do now?  How will I survive?  How will I get through this?  When you’re in panic-mode, however, you don’t always come up with the best solutions.  In fact, sometimes you can’t see a way out of your plight.  I have learned that if I am in crisis mode that my ability to make good decisions goes out the door.  So I’ve learned not to make decisions while in crisis mode.  I raise my vibration first.  I count my blessings.  I put my problem in perspective.  I find the humor in the situation.  I ask for help.  Then solutions begin to appear when my mind is ready for them.  If you need time to wallow in your misery, take it, but don’t tarry there too long or you will drown in that darkness.  When you’re ready, begin making a plan that will free you from those dark waters.

Just breathe
When all else fails, breathe.  What’s the first thing we do when we arrive in this world?  We take a breath.  When you literally feel like your world is falling apart then it’s time to go back to the beginning.  Just breathe.  Find a comfortable spot and concentrate on your breath.  Don’t let other thoughts enter your mind.  If they do, gently escort them out the back door.  And then concentrate on your breathing, be in the present, get centered.  Keep breathing until you find peace.  Use that time to connect yourself with the universal energy that fills us all.  Be supported by that energy.  Let it carry you for a while.  Submit yourself to its embrace.  Then, when you’re ready, open your eyes and see the light ahead of you.  Move towards it, one step at a time.  Don’t take your eyes off that light.  Don’t look behind you, always look forward.  As long as you’re breathing, you’re okay.

If someone you know is in crisis right now, help them.  Care for them.  Guide them back to the light.  If you’re the one in crisis, I highly recommend a visit to the forums.  There you will find compassionate, caring individuals who will help you sort through your situation and offer advice for dealing with it.

Have comments or questions on this article or topic? We're discussing this article in the Erin Pavlina forum. Please join us.

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