Fairy Tales Can Come True

By Author: Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein
Total Articles: 22
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In private moments we may find ourselves reflecting upon our lives, what could have been, and our true potential. We often cast our hopes and dreams aside, and then experience feelings of disillusionment or emptiness. We feel cheated of our inalienable right of happiness

In this world of fast paced communications, it's very easy to become sidetracked when it comes to finding our Enchanted Self. We are constantly bombarded with images from TV, radio, magazines and newspapers telling us what to wear, how we should look and smell, or what car to drive. According to these outside options, if we follow their plan then we should be happy, right? Wrong! When we place our lives in the hands of others we lose the magical, potential for happiness that exists within each of us.

How do we begin the process of looking within? What do we look for? First, we must understand that each of us has the ability to create our own happiness and joy. Second, we need to realize that the most important tool we possess is our own unique memories. Memories don't just pop up out of nowhere; they sometimes have to be prodded or coaxed. ...
... Think of them as children playing hide and seek, hoping and waiting to be discovered. How do we coax our memories out into the open?

Experiencing the moment can trigger positive memories from your past. Learning to recognize your positive talents and strengths through memory retrieval is an important lease of the process toward discovering your Enchanted Self.

The third step is learning how to use positive memories to reinvent yourself. Recently while on vacation in Wales, Barbara met Valerie Woodall. Valerie had worked for an insurance company. She held a high position and was responsible for many employees. When her division closed, Valerie found herself out of a job. Valerie might have spent the following year searching for another job in the same field, but instead chose to make a career change. She scanned her past for events that had brought her happiness, and went back to her love of fairy tales. When she was three years old her grandmother had given her a beautiful book of fairy tales (which she still has). "I got this idea to have a fairy shop. My husband thought I was crazy, that no one would come in. Ignoring him, I found this little shop in a nice arcade and I have been swamped since we opened. Who can resist buying a magic wand or a captured fairy in a bottle for a daughter, a niece or grandchild?"

Valerie had taken the fourth step in the process of discovering her Enchanted Self. She had researched the practicality of her dream. This takes lots of time and effort. Needless to say, this paid off. Valerie is a wonderful example of someone who scanned her own past, found her latent talents and potential and then did the hard work of researching and finding a way to re-invent herself. As a result, she created a new career and a new passion for herself. Most important, she had the courage to try.

It may take a single memory or a string of memories to give you the courage to reinvent yourself. As in any worthwhile endeavor it takes practice time and effort. Remember that happiness starts within.

About the Author Dr. Holstein is the originator of The Enchanted Self and a psychologist since 1981. She is the author of two books: The Enchanted Self, A Positive Therapy and Recipes for Enchantment, The Secret Ingredient is YOU!
Dr. Holstein speaks on radio, and appears on television in NY and NJ. She gives lectures, seminars, retreats and audio interviews on LadybugLive.com and is in private practice in Long Branch, NJ with her husband, Dr. Russell Holstein.