Quick reminder: Enrollment for the School of Upliftment closes at the end of this week. School starts October 1st. You’re invited: https://school.soultour.com

Now it’s time for Transformation Tuesday. Here’s the AUDIO. Enjoy!

I’m in New York this week, speaking and working and playing, too. On the flight here I learned something I thought I’d share with you. The work-till-you-drop culture on many American college campuses has inspired researchers to create a new name for an old problem: They call it “Duck Syndrome.”

Duck Syndrome is when you glide through the world, day in and day out, looking calm, serene and effortless on the surface, while you are paddling desperately just to stay afloat, beneath the water.

For many ambitious, smart, successful people, Duck Syndrome is just how life goes. It didn’t start in college, and it doesn’t end there, either.

At a work lunch awhile back, my companion stopped our conversation, waved her arm to indicate all the well-heeled, well-behaved, shiny and successful people in the room, and asked, “Do you see how everyone is walking around, just acting like everything’s okay, when everything is really so hard?!” She asked, “Why does just act like everything’s good all the time, when they know things are actually really difficult?”

The struggle is real, is what she was saying.

And it’s true that for many people, the struggle feels real. It’s also true that most of those people are acting like everything’s A-OK.

But neither the struggle nor the acting is true for everyone. As I see it, Duck Syndrome suggests a simple 2×2 into which all people fall:

Exhibit A: The Duck Syndrome Framework

As you can see, there are at least three strategies to get out of the deep bondage and self-repression of Duck Syndrome (which probably does describe the largest number of ambitious people in our culture).

Let’s go clockwise from the top left of the 2×2:

Duck Syndrome Elimination Strategy #1: Struggle Honestly.

People who fall into this category let themselves feel the stress and strain of the struggle, and they also fully express that they’re struggling outwardly. This at least eliminates the internal power struggle of trying to push the unwanted emotion away and keep it hidden. And it may invite support or help. In some ways, this is preferable to Duck Syndrome, even though it’s not fun.

This is maybe the second largest group of folks. These are the people who can often be heard to say “the struggle is real” or “adulting is hard.” This is also true sometimes on some subjects for people who generally try to live in Strategy #3.

Duck Syndrome Elimination Strategy #2: Not Struggling, but Acting Like They Are.

The people in this category have stopped the struggle. They’ve found ways to make life easier. Or they weren’t really struggling that hard in the first place. These people aren’t struggling that hard, but they’re still acting like they are, sort of like a reverse Duck Syndrome.

You might be wondering: Why on earth would someone do this?

People do this because our families, our culture and many workplaces reward the well-publicized struggle, making people feel like they’re only worthy and deserving if they are chronically overbooked, overwhelmed or are overcoming something. Anything.

Our culture builds monuments to glorify the struggle… and loves to hate on those to whom great things seem to flow with ease.

It’s noteworthy that these people may not even know they’re doing this. They might even tell themselves that their life is harder than it actually is, because they believe there’s extra credit for doing things the hard way, or because “struggle” is a long-ingrained part of their identity, individually or culturally.

Duck Syndrome Elimination Strategy #3: Deactivate the Struggle.

This is the smallest group of all: The group that lives most of the time free of both the struggle and the facade.

And you can become one of them. You can learn how to de-chaos your nervous system, how to envision and embody your desires and dreams, how to invite and receive inspiration and how to act on that inspiration when it comes.

You can learn how to receive assistance for doing your dreams from the Infinite Intelligence, the Limitless Love and the Creative Power that formed and fuels this world.

In this way, you can get out of reactive mode, recalibrate and tap back into your natural strength and power. You can realize that the struggle feels real, but it might not actually be true, or even necessary, anywhere near as often as everyone else seems to think.

It is a counter-culture way to live, but you can flip the struggle switch off.

If you practice Strategy #3, I’m not saying you’ll never have a hard day, never need to put in focused effort, or never have a struggle again in life. I’m not even saying you can go from Duck Syndrome to struggle-free in every area of your life at the same time.

But I am saying this life is possible: A life of ever-increasing ease and flow in your transitions, and in the journey of life. A life that harnesses the leverage of inspired action. A life of lighthearted playfulness and—to quote one of my favorite Daily Declarations these days—choosing to see it as a treasure when you find a limiting belief, habit or script in your own head to release.

How do you create that life? It’s a process. It’s like building a muscle. It’s like building a body full of muscles, more accurately.

• You do daily practices that cleanse, soothe and cushion your spirit from the chaos and toxicity of everyday life in our culture.
• You learn how to spot and release your inner roadblocks—the beliefs that limit you.
• You upgrade your whole belief system, and line up your beliefs with your desires and your dreams.
• And then you make moves in life, knowing you can’t get it wrong: Every step you make gets you closer to fulfillment or more clear on what will get you closer to fulfillment.

So you learn, over time, to have fun with this life journey, as you peel back the layers of family, social, cultural and life conditioning to return to the pure, worthy perfection of who you really are and what you’re really here, on this planet, to create.

This is the exact same process we apply to flip the struggle switch off in every area of our lives in my School of Upliftment. Enrollment is now open.

⇒ Learn more or join us, here: https://school.soultour.com ⇐

Here’s what students say about the School:

Santosha said: “I have had so many breakthroughs in this program.”

“I am getting clarity on what it is that I want. My daily thinking patterns are changing from seeing the world through a very negative scope to being positive and learning to cope with things that show up as disappointments. I am learning how to do life.”

Aparna said: “The prompts and declarations have been powerful and I find the live calls so impactful.”

“Instead of over-analyzing what I have or haven’t done, I’m living in greater acceptance and reflecting on what the change might mean for my greater well-being.”

Dr. Evelyn wrote: “The declarations replace my limiting thoughts with expansive and empowering ones.”

Meredith said: “I would have less direction and momentum without the School of Upliftment.”

And Corinne described it as “So worthwhile. The School of Upliftment is the greatest gift you can give to yourself if you’re ready to change your life.

The progress has a ripple effect. Each bit I learn, gain insight into, understand and incorporate into my inner being, the more I see outside in my life. I have shifted to a better place and my life is reflecting this.”

REMINDER: Enrollment for the School of Upliftment closes at the end of this week, and the next session of School starts Monday, October 1.

You can spend as much or as little time in the School as you have during a given week. It’s sort of like your spiritual filling station, or newspaper. It’s always there for you. It meets you wherever you are that day. You can never fall behind and you never have to catch up.

If you like the idea that the struggle might not be as real as it feels, please join us. I created this program for you.

⇒ Learn more or join us, here: https://school.soultour.com ⇐

Head up + heart out,

TNN

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