Terry Cole-Whittaker - What You Think of Me Is None of My Business

Terry Cole-Whittaker dares to believe that you can allow yourself to be physically beautiful and abundantly prosperous while pursuing the ineffable goals of spiritual advancement. For my money, thats terrific!

Lisa See, Emmy Magazine

In allying self-help and human-potential philosophies with spiritual value, Cole-Whittaker obviously practices what she preached!

Booklist

BERKLEY

An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

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Copyright 1979 by Terry Cole-Whittaker

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BERKLEY and the BERKLEY & B colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

Ebook ISBN: 9780593333082

Oak Tree Publications edition / 1979

Jove mass-market edition / April 1988

Cover design by Olivia Braito

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I dedicate this book to my spiritual partner, my most beautiful, talented, brilliant daughter, Rebecca Austin Cole-Wiesehan

It is customary in the writing of books for authors to acknowledge those who have aided them in their labors. I have been fortunate to receive the support of many in my living and in my writing, and I wish to use this space to thank Barbara Crawford and Adam Reich, my parents, for their willingness to create and love a new person; Suzanne Cole and Rebecca Cole, my children, for showing me that they are wise beyond me and for being my best friends; Guy Loraine for giving me my first opportunity to speak; Lloyd Tupper, Gene Graves, and Don McArt; my office staff for their continuing support on a daily basis; and my congregation for their love and encouragement.

Also deserving of my gratitude are Sarito, who refused to let me settle for mediocrity; Edith Hunio, whose amazing ability to organize freed me to do what I do best; Anne Wayman and Bill Glasgow, who worked diligently with me on this book; and Cindy and Charles Tillinghast, whose faith and support as publishers made it a reality.

I acknowledge the immeasurable contribution of all the people who have supported me as a person and as a teacherincluding those who appeared to obstruct mebecause, ultimately, everyone in our lives supports our spiritual enlightenment and personal magnificence.

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves...

Julius Caesar

I, ii, 134

This is a book about power and how you can use it to be what you want to be, to do what you want to do, and to have what you want in life.

The unsettling fact is that, though each of us is born with this power, there are often times in later life when we seem headed downhill. One purpose of this book is to explain why this happens and why failures, both personal and material, are unnecessary and, in fact, unnatural.

The power that each of us is born with is a part of God, the spiritual aspect of our being, which is perfect. This power is a creator, or generator, of energy that is either potential or kinetic. Potential energy is passive energy, energy that is stored, waiting to be used. Kinetic energy is active energy, energy that is being used. As active energy, this power is neutral and may be used to create sickness, loneliness, poverty, crime, or waror good health, wealth, peace, friendship, happiness, and fulfillment.

God has given us what some call free will, but what I prefer to call the option of choice. We have the choice to use our power positively or negatively, constructively or destructively. If that is so, you may ask, why on earth would anyone choose the negative? No one would consciously make such a choice. And thats the point! Most of our choices are made unconsciously. It is another purpose of this book to teach you how to heighten your consciousness, your self-awareness, so that you can choose consciously.

The mechanism by which this energy becomes implemented is our mind, our mental attitudes, which, in turn, determine our belief systems, the way we perceive things. As the power is implementedas our ideas take form, if you willthey become the reality in our lives, the reality of failure or the reality of success.

Think of your mind as the mold or blueprint that determines the shape the power takes, the form in which it expresses itself. This mold or blueprint is made up of your beliefs which, in a sense, are your memories and interpretations of very early life experiences or even prenatal existence. Unfortunately, we misinterpret many of these early experiences and bury these misinterpretations in our unconscious mind, where they become the basis for the beliefs that cause us so much trouble later in our lives.

And it is not accidental that we make these misinterpretations because, from the moment of birth, we are surrounded by other people who are imposing their misinterpretations upon us. They usually do so unconsciously because they, too, are not aware of how the power and the universe work. Because we get so caught up in trying to please these people, we spend a large part of our time worrying about what they think of us. So it is that these mistaken belief systems, with all of their attendant misery, are handed down from generation to generation.

Fortunately, our minds are designed so that we can change them, and it is the central purpose of this book to show each of us how we can break the vicious circle of mistaken beliefs that presently go from parent to child and, in turn, to parent.

The marvelous thing is that the universe is designed so that you can be joyful, abundant, fully self-expressed, loving, and loved. The game of life is rigged in your favor, and the power is within you to change your life. It has always been there, but you must learn to accept it and to use it. One caution: only you can do it. This book can show you how, but the responsibility for acceptance and implementation is totally yours.

The principles are simple, for the rule of life is that ideas create forms or, put another way, that what you believe creates your reality. Simple? Yes! Easy? No! Yet, there are people right now who, through the application of these principles, are transcending their lives and becoming an inspiration to others seeking the way.

As you look around you, notice that no two people have identical lives. Some people seem to have it all: life goes their way. Others struggle and never seem to get their act together. Is it just luck or an act of God that disease and loneliness are dished out to some while others receive health and happiness? You may not have discovered it yet, but life is not fair. Yet life is just. Your life is in your hands. The power is there. The potential is there waiting for you to direct it.