Robert Holden - Shift Happens!: How to Live an Inspired Life...Starting Right Now!

ALSO BY ROBERT HOLDEN, PH.D.

Books

Authentic Success (formerly Success Intelligence)

Be Happy

Happiness NOW!

CD Programs

Be Happy

Follow Your Joy

Happiness NOW!

Shift Happens!

Success Intelligence

Flip Calendars

Happiness NOW!

Success NOW

All of the above are available at your local bookstore,
or may be ordered by visiting:

Hay House USA: www.hayhouse.com
Hay House Australia: www.hayhouse.com.au
Hay House UK: www.hayhouse.co.uk
Hay House South Africa: www.hayhouse.co.za
Hay House India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Copyright 2000 by Robert Holden

Revised Copyright 2011

Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast: www.raincoast.com Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Interior design: Nick C. Welch

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviewswithout prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Originally published in the United Kingdom in 2000 by Hodder &
Stoughton.
Previously published in the United States in 2006 by Jeffers Press.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011924102

ISBN: 978-1-4019-3170-4
Digital ISBN: 978-1-4019-3171-1

14 13 12 11 4 3 2 1
1st edition, September 2011

Printed in the United States of America

To Hollie, Bo, and Christopher.
I love you.

Contents

Two caterpillars were crawling along a tree branch one day when a butterfly flew overhead. One caterpillar said to the other, You will never get me up in one of those things.

Shift Happens! is about personal alchemy and inner transformation. Some people go through life; and other people grow through life. Shift Happens! celebrates your unlimited potential to grow, blossom, and evolvein spite of everything. It is a book of hope.

The term personal alchemy describes the ability to take a piece of dirt, roll it around a few times, and fashion it into a pearl. This is what an oyster does. Personal alchemy is what your grandmother called turning lemons into lemonade. It is what old wizards described as turning straw into gold.

Shift Happens! is about staying open all hours for miracles. Success, love, and happiness are only ever one thought away at most. One new perception, one fresh thought, one act of surrender, one change of heart, one leap of faith, can change your life forever.

Happiness is an
inner light with
no off switch

Dublin is a beautiful city. I am often invited to speak there. One year, I shared a platform with Dr. Deepak Chopra, the renowned spiritual teacher and author. We had a thousand people packed into the hall that day. I began with a talk entitled From Hell to Happiness: A One-way Ticket. I think I was about 20 minutes into my talk when I first heard an odd gurgling sound. As I searched for where the sound was coming from, I noticed a young mother and her small baby sitting near the front. It was the baby who was gurgling, and quite musically, too!

Now, I want you to know that I thought my talk was going quite well. I was espousing beautiful, sacred principles of truth that were undoubtedly insightful, enlightening, very wise, and a joy to behold! However, it was soon clear to me that this little baby had an audience. The musical gurgling had grown louder and was now echoing all the way down the hall. I graciously gave way.

Excuse me, I said, addressing the young mother. How old is your child?

Ten weeks old, she replied.

Girl or boy?

Boy.

He looked absolutely beautiful. Everyone was now straining their necks to take a look. Would you mind standing up so everyone can see your beautiful baby? I asked. The young mother did so without hesitation. And one thousand people sang out Ahhh! in perfect unison. We all melted. And then, guess what? One thousand people started clapping. And cheering!

When the ovation finally died down and the mother returned to her seat with her child, I was left to get on with my crummy old talk. A thought then occurred to me that I put to my audience. Do you realize, I said, that if this young mother had held up a 40-year-old man or woman, no one would have gone Ahhh! and certainly no one would have clapped and cheered? The laughter that followed made my point.

What exactly had this baby done to earn such a tumultuous ovation of love and positive regard? Surely it had nothing to do with IQ, academic excellence, rsum, business acumen, or financial status! He couldnt kick a football, he was no actor, and he was too young to have his own talk show. All he did was sleep, gurgle, dribble, and pass wind. Adults tend not to get ovations for that sort of stuff.

I believe this young baby reminded us of something about ourselves. He was a symbol for our Unconditioned Self. This Unconditioned Self is the real you. It is the essential you that outlives the body. It is the real you that promised to be the presence of love, the light of the world, and Gods angel on earth.

Your Unconditioned Self is your original potential. It is the memory of God that you forget about as you grow up and stuff happens, i.e., bumps, bruises, school grades, puberty, heartbreaks, job interviews, rejections, parking tickets, the rat race, traffic, the mortgage, a pension, etc.

Since time began, the wise ones in every culture have carried a torch for the Unconditioned Self. This Self is like an inner light with no off switch. You may lose sight of it, but it never goes out. Zen masters called this Unconditioned Self your original face; Taoists, the uncarved block; Christians, your original innocence; Hindus, the eternal bliss consciousness; Alchemists, your inner gold; St Francis of Assisi, your eternal loveliness;