5 Steps to Snap Out of a Bad Mood Fast

Among the most searched terms on Google you're certain to find these keywords: 'how to get out of a bad mood fast', and for good reason. Scientists, psychologists, and clergymen/women alike have all confirmed time and time again that negative energy is one of the most all-consuming forces known to man. It's proven to be the leading cause of all stress-related illnesses in our society leaving, in its wake, an array of unfavorable diseases ranging from depression and addiction to unhealthy relationships and even death. It would seem there is no hope for humanity and we blindly accept what's presented to us believing we have no control. But that is a lie

The good news is our world and our bodies are both based on balance. This means wherever there is negative, there is also positive. Where there is up, there is down. Where there is right.. you get the point. This realization should feel good to you. It proves that no matter how bad of a mood you're in and no matter how much negative energy you've managed to become entangled with, as little as a few seconds of allowing even the smallest iota of positive energy into your mind can set you right-side up on a path that feels better to you. And that's what we're all after: reasons to feel better.

If you're like me and you've literally tried just about everything else to feel better or live a more fulfilling life and it didn't work then you have nothing to lose by hearing me out and deciding for yourself whether this is a croc of shit or if you found value in it as I did.

When you find yourself in a bad mood, snapping out of it is simpler than you realize. Of course, when you're in that negative headspace, nothing seems possible and all hope appears lost. I've been there, too. Rock, meet bottom. However, you'll come to find—just like myself and millions of others have—by the end of this article that your mind is more powerful than the best supercomputer known to man; capable of adapting and evolving and, with the right training, becoming a vital tool in easily shifting your energy to one that is more beneficial to your overall health and well-being at a cellular level.

Step 1: Acknowledge How You're Feeling

It goes without saying that I'm no therapist, doctor, or Masters Degree holder in Quantum Physics. The information in this blog is based on my own personal life experience that is continuously evolving and growing. I'm a human, just like you, who has struggled through certain parts of life wanting to be a good person who enjoys good things and who can be free from poverty, depression, stress, and anxiety.

It just so happens that along my journey, I've found some things that work like a charm to bring me what I want; things which I've decided to share. Your decision to read and/or act on anything I share including any possible results—whether favorable or otherwise—you agree, are totally yours and yours alone.

The first and—some would argue—most meaningful step I've found in this short process to feeling better is to acknowledge how you feel. Focusing inward, admit that you're feeling an emotion be it depression, anger, sadness, frustration, doubt, or fear. Calling it out by name puts you back in the drivers' seat so that you may address and confront the emotion. Without this step, the ability to feel better will seem out of your reach—with it comes empowerment.

Many will agree that no issue can be resolved unless there is first an admission that there is indeed a problem. From the problem, the solution is born. If your pipes in your home burst (for instance) and you ignore it, the problem compounds; it gets worse. On the other hand, if you admit that the pipes have burst, then the solution to call a plumber, for example, is the next logical step. So, negativity blocks logic while optimism invites it. Nice!

Admitting how you feel is as easy as taking a moment to feel your emotion and say, "I'm ticked off right now," or "my anxiety is very high right now," or even something like, "this person is annoying my spirit right now," or "I'm so numb right now,". This is not intended to make you feel worse. Quite the contrary. This is where you begin to reclaim your own power over your emotions and you may even feel a slight shift upward in your mood as you realize the truth in that statement. This is progress.

Step 2: What Are Emotions For (Emotional Guidance System)

Once you've called out the negative emotion, it's time to take a moment to determine where you are on the Emotional Scale. For those who are unfamiliar, this useful scale (pictured below) grades every emotion we as humans have the capability of feeling—from the most positive or empowering (Joy/Appreciation/Love) to the most negative or disempowering (Fear/Depression/Victimhood) and everything in between.

There are approximately 22 emotions collectively on this particular scale which were specially curated to help you pinpoint your precise emotional location on it—a piece of critical information which will ultimately reveal upcoming steps in this process; steps that include moving upward toward more positive emotions and sustaining them for as long as you desire. We all want positive emotions that last a long time and this scale can help you achieve just that.

In order to benefit from this Emotional Scale, however, it is imperative that you realize the purpose of your emotions or 'Emotional Guidance System'. Many of us were taught that emotions are finicky and untrustworthy while logic is a symbol of fortification and dependability. Though many of us have built our entire lives around this idea, the ideology that our minds are stronger than our energy is way off. After all, where do you think the electrical signals inside of the brain originate from?

Here comes a rhetorical question: Have you ever had what's referred to as a "gut feeling"? Of course you have! We all have. A "gut feeling" is that impulse from within that triggers an emotion which will verify whether something you're thinking about or doing is a good idea or a not so good idea.

Fact: more than 95% of all purchasing decisions are based on emotion (the impulse we just spoke about). It's how advertisers get you to buy things you otherwise wouldn't have purchased (a misguided decision which is generally followed by 'buyers remorse'). It's how the film industry produces a movie that makes you cry, laugh, or tense up. It's also how the news can anger or frustrate you with up-to-the-minute coverage of unjust circumstances in our world. They're all playing on your emotions because they know that's what fuels every decision we make!

These outside entities have been openly influencing us all our lives with their advertisements and commercials. They do this by using the emotions they know you were never taught to control to influence you to do what they want you to do or to feel how they want you to feel. All of these different entities pulling at your emotions all day long can cause you to feel out of control and emotionally drained. Haven't you ever felt completely drained at the end of a work day? This is likely why. But take heart, though, this article was written to help you reclaim that power for yourself and make only the decisions you want to make; including how you prefer to feel.

Example

Let's say you start to feel excitement because you've met someone new. That feeling of excitement triggers a memory and you quickly recall the last time you felt excited to meet someone; a meeting that later ended with them going away and with you experiencing feelings of heartbreak. This brings about a feeling of apprehension, doubt, or even fear of this person you've just met walking away from you eventually as well.

It brings into question their true intentions, though they've done nothing to indicate they possess any mal intent toward you. That all happened inside your head. Nevertheless, it's in that instant that you begin to doubt the validity of your excitement and subsequently learn to associate things like meeting new people with negative emotions like heartbreak. It's labeled Social Anxiety.

This wasn't intentional on your part. After all, no one ever taught you how to not make that sort of negative association. But, now, you feel fear of becoming excited when meeting new people; fear that it will end badly. But—use your logic for a second—that's backwards, isn't it. Excitement is not a bad emotion.. fear is, and you know that. So, how did that knowing get turned around? Again, it's not an error you've attracted intentionally by any means. It's only a thought you've allowed into your experience for long enough that it stuck around and became a belief. It's something we all do but it can be fixed.

Now, that single thought of being afraid to meet new people, if given your attention (or focus) for more than 17 seconds, begins to pick up what's referred to as momentum. When the momentum is moving with enough force that the very thought of any encounter involving meeting new people is instantly met with the emotion of fear, it's considered a belief.

This irrational fear can now, as a belief, wield the power to shape your life and, due to its negative nature, inhibits you from being receptive to the positive emotions associated with the loyal friendship and happy relationships you desire. Instead it behaves as a magnet, drawing other negative emotions like loneliness, impatience, and longing into your experience. But, on the other hand, this also means you have the power to create and change your beliefs at their inception—for good or for bad; whether consciously or by default—and I'll show you how!

This is why there are so many who desperately are wondering why or how they keep attracting partners who are emotionally unavailable, unfaithful, or just not a good fit for them. It's not because every man or woman in the world is bad or out to take advantage of your love. It's because this tiny error of associating excitement with being a bad thing—that you weren't taught how to recognize and resolve early on—has been a part of your belief system for so long that momentum has caused it to grow into a huge ball of negative energy surrounding this false belief that's nowhere near what you really want. And that false belief, because it's so strong within you, is what keeps attracting things that match it into your life. But this can be fixed.

The Cart Before The Horse

Most folks claim to be pretty sure that their life cannot possibly be reacting to their emotions but that life is happening to them and they are having a reaction to life. I was taught the same thing growing up in a Seventh-Day Adventist home. But feel the powerlessness in that. When I began to boldly question what I was taught and decided to figure this thing out on my own, it was then that learned something that resonated so deeply I wondered how I'd been so blind to it before. After all, if what I was taught was indeed the truth then it should be able to withstand the test of investigation.

What I learned was this: the belief that "wealth is a mindset" originated from those who had proven it to be legitimate. Wealthy people do not "work hard" physically. Instead, they do mental and energetic work. They learn how to quiet their mind and meditate for at least 15 minutes per day. They do yoga or they pray in order to maintain emotional balance. Don't take my word for it. Just Google people like Will Smith (American actor), Jeff Bezos (CEO of Amazon), or Elon Musk (CEO of Tesla) to see what they say about cultivating a strong mental attitude being the conduit to how they attained their wealth.

You rarely see wealthy people in a negative mood. They always have a pleasant demeanor and an optimistic outlook on nearly everything. It's only in the movies where you see wealthy people depicted as mean or deceitful but this is not reality. In meeting several wealthy individuals myself it eventually became abundantly clear that they'll all gladly divulge the secret to their happiness isn't due to the fact that they're wealthy.

The truth is they were already happy or practicing Happiness Strategies daily and that happiness is what attracted the wealth. Money loves happy people. Good things love good people. That's the way it is. These people possess a fundamental understanding of the power of their mind and how it interacts with the world around them. They knew what they wanted and they knew they'd have it. Period. They leverage the power of this mindset/belief to draw everything they want to them. And, yes, it's as simple as learning to prioritize a positive state of being. When you possess this sort of uncontested belief, life has no choice but to respond to it in kind. It is law.

Let's go a step further. Ever heard the phrase, "ask and it is given."? So have I. And I don't know about you but I felt like the Almighty that was supposed to be generous, full of love, and doling out blessings to us in abundance was not only incredibly wrathful and unforgiving if I was ever to slip up and actually be human but had hardly ever answered my prayers that really mattered to me.

I was, instead, taught to see my "struggle" as a test of my fortitude from this same Entity or simply accept that if this Entity that I'd only ever read about didn't give me what I'd asked for it was due to the fact that I either wasn't worthy of it or—as the one who decided for me—if he'd concluded I didn't need or deserve it and had something better for me I just wouldn't get it. No clarity ever came on which reason it was when I didn't get it, though. So, I settled on whichever was the lesser evil and decided to believe that. That is until I really began to meditate and quiet my mind such that I could really hear for the first time—for myself. What was revealed to me was absolutely mind-blowing.

Ask And You Will Receive

When we ask for something, what we've asked for is given to us. The reason we don't receive it is only because we haven't put ourselves in a position mentally to receive it. Stay with me. Let's say you've finally hit the lottery by some glitch of the universe and are now filthy stinking rich with $15 billion! Your best friend jokingly asks for $5,000.

Even though you know they're joking, you decide to give it to them. You meet with them and are standing facing them handing them a stack of hundred dollar bills in the exact amount they asked for. Then they question your intentions, "are you sure," they ask twisting their face up in curiosity.

You're insulted but you reassure your friend that it's fine and you're happy to help. Still apprehensive they continue putting your sincerity through the wringer, "you know I won't be able to pay you back, right," they confess. Of course you're aware. You've been their friend for many years and you've cherished your friendship deeply.

They've been there for you through everything and you're honored to be in a position to give back to them. But, still, they hesitate to take the money from you. Short of shoving the money down their shirt, you can do nothing to force them to accept your offer can you? You can only stand there and wait, the money weighing down your proffered hand. Eventually, they convince themselves that they're just not going to take it from you.

Do you see that no matter how long you stood there holding the money out for your friend to take it they refused to believe you were for real. They refused to take it. Ultimately, they convinced themselves that it was you who didn't truly want to help them instead of accepting that they just weren't mentally in a place to receive money even though they'd asked for it.

Now, how often do you do that when you pray or ask for something in life. You ask for a chance to win the lottery but when you ask you do it from a place of lack: the acceptance that you don't have enough money instead of a place of belief that there is more than enough money. You don't do it from a place of expecting it to show up any day now. You do it from a place of believing it can neve show up. You don't truly believe that you have a chance to win the lottery. You believe winning the lottery is only for lucky people. You don't even believe that there is enough money in the world to go around, let alone enough for you to get several billion dollars to splurge on and, heaven forbid, enjoy your life with (that's sarcasm, btw). Ask yourself: is that the mindset wealthy people have?

Consider the following for a moment. Your prayers are answered the moment they leave your lips but nothing is asserted into your life, not even the things you ask for. You have to be in a place of acceptance and appreciation in life to be able to receive it. Think of it like receiving a certified package in the mail that requires a signature. If you're not there to sign for it, you can't receive it. So, if you're going to pray and ask for something, remember that you have to actually sign to receive it otherwise it's held in the back room until you come pick it up or you "call" and ask for it to be delivered again when you're ready to receive it. Do you get it? It's a metaphor.

If you can, close your eyes right now and envision yourself behind the wheel of a brand new car of your choice. Wrap your hands around the steering wheel? Which car is it? Can you sense that New Car smell? What do you feel as you start it up and press the gas pedal? Joy? Exhilaration? Hopefulness? Even if you only feel it for a second, take a moment to reflect on how good that felt. Feel it wash through you. That 17 seconds to put yourself in the moment of that brand new car in your mind is all the power you need.

Now, if you find thoughts like worry, stress, or disbelief interrupting your daydream or if you cannot envision this at all then it demonstrates why when you ask for something "big" like a car or a lot of money that you feel is out of your reach or has a belief behind it that's rooted in lack or poverty, it doesn't come to you. It would seem on your end like your prayers aren't being answered but the truth is you've just not been taught how to train your mind to receive what you've asked for. A strategy you will learn by the conclusion of this article.

You may feel stuck in this negative state of belief and I know that only because I, too, felt stuck in that negative state of belief. It had gotten so bad that the trauma I endured beginning at age 11 only escalated by the time I was 16 and continued until I made an attempt on my own life because I thought there was no other way to be free from this shit. I stand here now as a living testament to the fact that any situation can be turned around if your desire to live a better life and improve your overall mood is the most important thing to you.

Impulses

Impulses are the physical manifestation of your Emotional Guidance System. It's how the system gets your attention. Similarly your Immune System gets your attention by manifesting cold symptoms (i.e. sneezing, coughing, fever), your Endocrine System gets your attention by manifesting hormonal imbalances (i.e. diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism), and your Cardiovascular System gets your attention by manifesting heart or blood trouble (i.e. heart disease, blood cancers, cardiac arrest). When these systems alert you to a problem, you go see the appropriate doctor to rebalance your system.

Similarly, these impulses generated by your Emotional Guidance System are a surge of energy which are intricately tied to your survival instincts in order to keep your emotional well-being in balance. If 95% of our decisions are based on how we feel, then having some form of control over the balance of our emotions or at least understanding how our Emotional Guidance System works—just like we've learned over time how our Immune, Endocrine, and Cardiovascular Systems all work—will have a positive impact in our overall health and well-being.

Some folks already know this. Research has shown that more than 46% of all adults are predicted to have some form of emotional or mental illness in their lifetime. How on earth can they predict that? Because certain industries make it their business to understand how the Emotional Guidance System within each of us, as a potential buyer, works. Think about it. Amazon, Walmart, and McDonald's all have remarkable marketing teams who specialize in learning how to market products to consumers just like you and me. How do they do it? By targeting the one thing they know drives 95% of our decisions: our emotions!

Classified as "Buyers Psychology" marketing teams around the world develop specific guidelines geared specifically toward targeting the emotions of the buyer. They accomplish this with their advertisements which are created using explicit color patterns, angles, images, text, and more, all to influence you in the exact place where they know you're the most vulnerable: your emotions.

With the American Medical Association being among one of the many organizations admitting to stress being the direct cause of more than 60% of disease and illness in the world (including Heart Disease and, in particular, the stress surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic), one can safely conclude that a comprehensive understanding of our Emotional Guidance System and how to release thoughts and emotions that cause stress is not only of the utmost importance, but can actually save our lives!

To summarize, the true purpose of our Emotional Guidance System is to keep us emotionally balanced. You see, our natural state of being is to feel good. Think about it. Babies aren't born pissed off, angry, or sad. They're naturally happy. We refer to them as "bundles of joy" for crying out loud! Why? Because they remind us that joy is our natural state of being. It's only over time and as we grow and observe those around us that we learn other emotions such as sadness, anger, or depression. But this is not who were were created to be and we're all capable of remembering who we really are and how we're truly created to feel: Good.

When we feel anything other than good, our Emotional Guidance System lets us know something is off by sending an impulse with a corresponding emotion to our nervous system. Hey, you're feeling angry right now, fix it. Hey, you're feeling depressed right now, fix it. Hey, you're feeling bored right now, fix it. Our job? Fix it!

The purpose of the impulse is to make us aware of the imbalance and give us an opportunity to choose to do something about it by reaching toward thoughts that feel better. When we are feeling good, this System alerts us once more by sending impulses of inspired thoughts or actions in the same vein as the positive emotion we're currently experiencing. It does all of this in order to maintain a positive emotional balance.

Step 3: Understanding the Emotional Guidance Scale

Now that you know the true purpose of your Emotional Guidance System, you are more equipped to understand the function of the Emotional Scale. Since the purpose of our Emotional Guidance System is to maintain our emotional balance, when we fall out of balance (which is guaranteed to happen, don't stress it), this System—like other systems of the body—lets us know by manifesting an impulse tied to a negative emotion. The Emotional Scale was designed to help you determine your current emotional state and provide clear direction on which emotion you'd prefer to feel so you can begin moving in that direction.

Example

Let's say you're bored. Following the steps from above, you've admitted that you're experiencing Boredom (emotion number 8 on the scale). It's not a terribly negative emotion, but it's not the absolute best either. When you're bored, you know you want to feel better. This generally involves finding something fun to do. Why? Because boredom feels stagnant and unproductive. Doing something fun will make you feel better. Since the goal is to move upward toward any emotion that feels better to you, the Emotional Guidance Scale will help track your progress.

The next emotion up from Boredom is number 7, Contentment. Is there anything—whether it be related to your current situation or not—that you are completely Content with? Sure! You could be content with the weather today or the sound of the birds outside your window or (even more generally speaking) a laughing baby or horses running in a large field or butterflies. None of these things directly impact your personal life and, so, you're content with them being whatever they are wherever they are.

Thinking on the things you're content with in a general way is easier than you thought and that helps move you up the emotional scale easily. Think of yourself like a radio. Radios work through radio frequencies. In order to play a specific station on your radio, you must first tune it to the correct frequency. So, if you'd like to hear what's being broadcast from the radio tower on 98.2FM, you won't hear it if you tune to 104.3FM. You understand that the frequencies must match up before you can hear what you desire to hear.

Similarly, if you are currently feeling Boredom but you prefer to feel Contentment you must tune to Contentment. You accomplish this by being more general about what you're thinking. General thoughts you know you're content with (or have neutral feelings about) automatically closes the tuner to anything Boredom-related and is wide open for everything to do with Contentment. The reason for this is that your attention (or focus) can only be directed to one thing at a time. Attention to one or the other tunes to it and, therefore, attracts it.

Practical Application

Since Boredom is where you are, and Contentment is where you want to be, ask yourself what can you do or what general ideas can you think about that will help you experience feelings of contentment? Go for a drive? Take a walk? Rub your pet's head? Watch a movie or TV show? Listen to music? Take a hot shower or bath? At this point the world is your oyster! Your only focus should be which one feels best to you. This is the one with the most power!

So, what feels better to you? Taking a hot bath? Good choice. Decide on that because it helps drive the point home. When you make that decision, it's time to line up with it so that it feels even better! What I personally do is decide to give it what I like to call 'Maximum Effort' (only Deadpool fans will understand). Essentially this means where we were initially being very general in order to move up the scale to the next better-feeling emotion, now that we've decided, it's time to hone in and get more specific. This is also referred to as "milking it" and it's so satisfying.

Note that you should only milk it as long as you're feeling good. If you find that your mind is beginning to contest it with negative thoughts or feelings, back off it for a while or go back to the previous thought that felt better.

Maximum Effort

Think about how you can make your bath even more enjoyable. Literally anything goes but since you're a beginner, I'll help you out. You can grab a pen and paper to write down your ideas also (which is fun to re-read later once you get the hang of this). Here are a few suggestions:

• Run the water nice and hot being sure to keep it consistent with a temperature you're comfortable with. This will provide a prolonged ultimate relaxation benefit by relieving aching muscles or soreness for up to an hour.
• Grab some bath salts and fragrant oils to add to your bath. Aromatherapy (things that smell good to you) adds another layer of positivity and relaxation to your soak. The soothing element in the bath salts will soften your skin and soothe your aches deep down
• Set up your tablet/phone to watch a movie/TV show you'd been wanting to check out or turn on some music you can absolutely vibe to so you have something relaxing and positive to focus your attention on
• As an added element of refreshment turn off the lights and ignite some scented (or unscented) candles. The soft warm glow will enhance the comfort in the atmosphere
• Finally, ease your aching body into your royal bath and let the enjoyment commence!

Do you see how exciting something so seemingly simple as a bath can be when you put in the work? That's the "work" by-the-way: choosing where you want to focus and then getting more specific if it feels good and going more general if it doesn't. You can do this on any subject that feels good to you. This is how you exercise your mind and cultivate that Wealth Mindset we spoke of earlier. Personally, I choose to see this "work" as a game and this is the game I play on a daily basis.

I no longer loathe negative emotions because I understand the intention of a negative emotion is to alert me that what I'm currently thinking or doing is out of alignment with who I really am and what I truly want. My only work is to distract myself so-to-speak and reach for thoughts that feel better to me in order to shift my mood (energy) and get back into alignment.

When you are low on gas, for example, your car alerts you so you can put more gas in. When you're baking something, you set the stove so it can alert you when it's cooked to perfection. When someone you follow on Social Media posts some content, you receive an alert so you can be one of the first to go check it out. Nearly everything in your life alerts you of things you want and don't want. Your Emotional Guidance System is no different.

Consistency Is Key

Will you achieve the better-feeling emotion every time? No. Sometimes, as with strong negative emotion such as grief or depression, the negative momentum has been active for so long that it cannot be released in one try. It's in these instances when you're not experiencing any upward movement or are feeling worse rather than better that you want to give it a rest (get off the subject and do something else) until you decide you're ready to give it another try. If it's a mountain to you, chipping away at it works best than to blow it up with TNT. You feel me?

Be consistent, though. Play the game often but remember to be easy about it. You don't want to push yourself unintentionally into a negative place or into a falsely perceived "positive" place. Any movement should feel good. It should be the next logical step rather than something forced. Be kind to yourself and decide you can always try again later if you're not getting the results you desire right now.

Remember, some negative emotions are tied to our beliefs and changing a belief, while not impossible, is quite challenging for anyone who is just learning the purpose of their Emotional Guidance System and is desiring to reclaim that control. You can and will get the hang of it, though. As with anything else you're just learning, practice makes perfect and consistency is key. Take heart in knowing you can always try again.

If the negative emotion has too much momentum or if you feel like you're falling out of a plane without a parachute, just give it up for a little bit and maybe take a nap. Sleeping stops all thought and, as a result, puts you in a neutral state where you effortlessly realign with your natural state of being again. Sleep is like a reset button for your mind and body. When you wake up, you have a better chance of reaching for a good-feeling thought than before because everything you thought or felt was released as you slept and you have a clean slate now.

Some may argue this point saying they wake up and still think the same thoughts or feel the same feelings sometimes and this is the case only because when you woke up you allowed yourself to think on these things again. Choosing different thoughts is possible and easy so long as you try. If you have a bad day and you wake up the following morning with a desire to feel better and have a better day then your chances are infinitely maximized for accomplishing this rather than if you wake up and focus on how bad the day before was.

Keep in mind that our thoughts have the ability to become beliefs if we permit them to remain active for so long that they build up that momentum. If, within the first two minutes of having a thought you aren't particularly fond of, you can catch yourself and decide you're going to think of something else that feels better, as time goes on that negative thought will lose momentum while your other positive thoughts will gain momentum. Before long, your thoughts will be primarily positive. Again, this takes work and focus but is absolutely possible to master for those of us who truly desire to be master of our emotions.

The Other Side of the Coin

So, back to our example about remaining in Contentment or deciding to move upward. Let's say I decide not to take a bath but would prefer to move to emotion number 6 on the scale, Hopefulness. I would then repeat the previous step of choosing general thoughts that have emotions of Hopefulness attached to them. For example:

Every day the sun will rise in the eastern sky

According to the ASPCA "approximately 3.2 million shelter animals" find new homes every year

There are at least 15 places on earth where no human being has set foot

There are about 250 babies born every minute

These things, although not personally a part of your experience nor particularly exciting, are general enough occurrences or broad enough subjects that offer you the new emotion of Hope that you desired. It's easy to feel hopeful with these general and broad facts. This, of course, feels better to you than Contentment. And, at this point, you can play the game any way you want. If you're feeling confident in Hopefulness, you can choose to reach for the next step (Optimism) or you can remain at Hopefulness and give that Maximum Effort for a while just like we did in the above example.

We All Just Want to Feel Better

The Emotional Scale is the only sure way you can recognize how you're feeling in the moment and determine how to get to the better-feeling emotions you desire one step at a time. After all, everything we want in life is because we believe we will feel better by having it. A new car, a relationship, more money. We want these things because we believe we will feel better once we have them. But that mentality is only partially correct.

While the car, relationship, or money are nice, they're not what we truly want. Your first instinct may be to argue with me because you can list 500 reasons you want a new car in ten seconds, but hear me out. Think about what energy is behind the car, relationship, or money. It's a desire to feel better. Think about it. If you had a newer car, you'd feel better. If you were in a relationship with a compatible partner who was faithful and brought joy to your life, you'd feel better. If you had more money at your disposal, you'd feel better.

It stands to reason, then, that feeling better is the true desire here and the car, relationship, and money are only the means to that end. That makes this easier because chances are good you can't afford a new car right now, are afraid of commitment or are single or are already in an unfulfilling relationship, or you believe you're dead broke right now. Taking all of those off the table, then, what are we left with? A desire to feel better.

Feeling better is emotionally based and now that you know what your Emotional Guidance System is for and how to use the Emotional Scale to feel as good as you want, you have the power to feel better without ever buying a car, being in a relationship, or having money. Achieving a more positive state of being is the power that's necessary before you can reap the benefits of a new car, loving relationship, or money and the next step explains how.

Step 4: Achieving a More Positive State of Being

A desire to feel better means you want to experience a more positive emotional state of being. Why? Because feeling good feels good. Period. Society has taught us that we must have a justifiable reason for feeling good or that we must earn our sense of happiness but that is just flat out false. Feeling good for the sake of feeling good is reason enough and as long as you're confident in this without allowing society to dictate your decisions, your life will reward you handsomely for your new state of being.

It's common knowledge that our thoughts trigger our emotions. Just think about a laughing baby for a moment. Feels good, right? Now, think about someone bumping into you and making you spill your drink all over your new shirt. Doesn't feel so good, right? Those were just thoughts. But those thoughts triggered an emotion within you.

According to News Hub, the average person processes more than 6000 thoughts per day. That's more than 2.1 million very year! Since we obviously cannot control our thoughts, by understanding the purpose of our Emotional Guidance System and then deciding to move up the Emotional Scale, we can achieve a more positive emotional state of being without the physical manifestation—the car, relationship, or money—being here right this minute.

That's how it works. The thought comes first, the emotion follows, and that emotion by its very nature has a vibe (vibrational frequency) or energy which attracts the physical manifestation (something real in your life that you can experience with your senses). After all, we live in a physical world. So, of course we want to enjoy the wonderful physical things in this physical world. We want to experience them with our eyes, hands, ears, mouth, and nose. We want the car, the relationship, the fine dining, and the money. So, how does achieving a better emotional state of being get you those physical manifestations? Let's explore it.

We're going to dive deep now. Can you swim?

How Energy Attracts Physical Things

If you take a piece of wood and put it under a very powerful microscope, you will uncover very tiny particles that seem to always be moving or vibrating. You'll see the exact same thing if you look at any human cell under that same microscope. What this means is that at the core of everything in our world (both the things we can and cannot see with our physical eyes) are atoms.

Stay with me. I'm not a science teacher so I'll make this as simple as I can based on how I understand it. Everything around you is considered Matter. Your home, your clothes, and even the air you're breathing all fall under the category of Matter because they either have a physical weight to them and/or they take up some sort of space. Yes, even air takes up space. An empty jar is never an empty jar. There's air inside, we just can't see the air... but it's there.

Atoms are the smallest units that all Matter is composed of (that we've been able to see with a microscope). So, if you take any piece of matter (i.e. a cracker, a stone, or a drop of water) and put it under a powerful microscope, you will see the smallest part of the matter—atoms.

Now, atoms are composed of subatomic (smaller than atoms) particles called a nucleus (a little ball of energy containing protons (positively charged particles) and neutrons (neutrally or particles with no charge)); a nucleus which is orbited by electrons (a negatively charged subatomic particle). These atoms are always vibrating; always in motion. It's just like the electrical current that powers your lights or devices. You can't' see it but you will definitely know it if you feel it's electrical charge. Similarly, our atoms are always in motion and always offering a vibration. For that reason, they have the ability to emit an electric charge!

The cool part is we are the ones who can control what vibration or electrical charge we emit with our thoughts. Thoughts trigger emotion. Emotion is produced by the electrical charge of our atoms. That's how we're able to feel our emotions. Now, this is all very technical and if you weren't one to pay attention in Science class then this may be a bit tougher to understand so bear with my analogies and examples as I attempt to make this as simple as I can.

You're absolutely free to Google the information for a deeper understanding, however. But, the long and short of it is that everything in our world, including us, is composed of these balls of vibrating positive energy (atoms) at our very core (on a cellular level) which are capable of emitting an electrical signal. This signal, what it does, and how to focus it where you want is important and the next section explains why.

The Law of Attraction

According to the Theory of Electromagnetism (Law of Attraction) two objects (pieces of Matter) that are alike in their energy (or vibration or frequency) at that cellular level (the atoms) are drawn or attracted to one another. This means everything in our universe, including us, is composed of this energy at its core and whatever frequency we are "vibrating" at (or whatever electrical signal we are broadcasting) is exactly what we will attract. This is why Karma (the belief that what you give is what you get) is so real. Like energy is drawn unto itself.

We know that people have vibrations. We've all felt drawn to someone without being capable of explaining why. Concurrently, we've all experienced people who have a negative vibe that repelled us or made us feel as though some force was pushing us away from them. I, personally, used to get physically sick to my stomach if I was around someone who had energy that didn't match my own. This is also common in relationships where the two argue incessantly. The reason is that their vibrations are on different frequencies. Their energy doesn't match. They're unequally yoked. Everything in our universe has a vibration in this exact way. Money has a vibration as well.

Question: do you think the vibration of money is one of fear (negative) or one of joy (positive)?

Your answer to the question above is pivotal. All things in our universe have an innate positive energy and all sorts of Matter are being drawn to one another constantly, both desired and undesired. Why undesired? Well, that's fair, isn't it? If we were put in a Universe that only contained good things, we'd never grow or evolve. What did you learn about someone who is spoiled? They'd never know the joy of working for and achieving something if everything is just handed to them. The same concept applies to these undesired things.

Those seemingly bad things are really just referred to as Contrast. Contrast is anything you do not desire. Remember, our world is based on balance. Where there is good, there is also the not so good but the natural state of all things is positive. This is evident by the fact that the nucleus of each atom has a positive charge (protons and neutrons). This is why your natural state of being is a positive one. It's also the reason every form of Matter in our universe has a permanent positive state of being.

That being the case, if you choose to believe money to be bad or evil then you'll repel it with that negative belief since money is inherently positive and your belief toward it is negative. Again, the energy doesn't match. If you believed money to be good, however, then you'd have no resistance to its energy and it would flow into your experience freely. Think back to those wealthy individuals we mentioned earlier. They believe money to be good and so it flows freely to them.

In other words, ask yourself this simple question: are you going to use money for bad things? No, of course not. Chances are good you're going to use it to pay bills, get a new car you'd love, cover the cost of child care, buy a beautiful home, take a trip you'd been eager to take, splurge on a few family members who deserve it, or treat yourself with a shopping spree. Most, if not all, humans are this way. We all just want to feel good and be happy and we want those we love and care about to feel the same way. Perception is key.

What about those who use money (or other stuff) for bad things? Well, think about it. To these people buying a gun to shoot someone or deciding to rob someone for one reason or another doesn't feel bad. It feels good to them. They align with it and so they attract cooperative components for it to manifest into their reality. Remember, our universe is fair. Whatever someone aligns with they attract whether good or bad.

What about the victim in that situation? Are you saying they deserve to be robbed because some madman felt good about it? No, not at all. What is evident, however, is that the victim unconsciously aligned with being robbed by fearing it. Once more, whatever you focus on, you align with and you end up attracting into your life. So, if you fear being robbed for long enough, you give that fear so much air time that eventually you and someone who feels good about robbing people will be on the same frequency and you'll attract one another. You'll be robbed.

As you move through this journey you'll gain a deeper understanding on why this system is a fair system and that there is nothing to prove the contrary. It's the way things are and it's a good thing because it means we can begin to train ourselves and new generations the way things are so they can be happier people who get along better. After all, we won't be here forever. We'll eventually pass on and one thing I want to be able to teach my children is their innate power to affect the world around them so they have a chance at living a fulfilling life as well. They deserve that much.

It's others in your life and society who taught you that money is not good. We're taught that wanting or appreciating money is considered to be greed. Having too much money is perceived to be a bad things but nobody ever tells you why that is. Why is having money bad when we need it and work to have it in order to function in our society? Why is it bad for someone to earn money doing something they love but good to earn money for doing something you hate? Make it make sense! You can't.

If you perceived money for what it is—a tool that you trade with others in order to obtain things you desire in life—understanding that money has a positive vibration of its own, then the energy between you and money would match and you'd be at the same vibrational frequency as money just like other wealthy folks. This being the case, it would act like the radio broadcast used in our previous example. You'd be tuned to the frequency of money and, therefore, there would be nothing stopping it from flowing to you.

"Well," you may ask, "how do I change my perspective and vibration toward money so it can flow to me easily?" Hold on there, Toots. The subject of money can be tough for most people to change their negative beliefs about because what we were taught about money being "bad" contradicts the fact that we all need or benefit from bartering with money in our society for basic survival like food, fuel, electricity, and water. There's discord on that subject for some and for that reason they find the subject challenging to work through. It can be done, however, if one is ready to make that shift.

I'm happy to explain it in great detail but in order to prep for that discussion, you must first have a good handle on your emotions. If you feel that you're ready, though, and you'd like a more detailed explanation of what the true purpose of money is and how you can learn to enjoy money more without feeling guilt or distress, or if you found value in any part of this blog, please let me know by dropping a ♥. This way, I know you find value in this information and can curate a detailed explanation which will help you learn how to release resistance to money so it can flow to you easily.

Step 5: Practice Makes Perfect

When you're moving up the Emotional Guidance Scale, bear in mind that you cannot control your thoughts and that this Scale is in no way intended to help you accomplish that impossible feat. Be okay knowing you're human and you will stumble from time to time as you work toward achieving your emotional balance again, and that's ok. We all stumble with this because none of us are perfect and sometimes that can be difficult to remember. But be reminded that falling short is not the same as failing and you can always give it a rest and try again later.

Whenever you experience a negative emotion going forward, you can pull out this guide and begin to work your way up the emotional scale until you experience an emotion you desire. At that point, you're free to decide whether you want to milk that emotion or move further up the scale. Be easy about it. If you're like me then you may choose to perceive it as a game. Wake up and allocate only 15 minutes (no more than that) toward focusing on things you enjoy—whether you achieve a better vibration in that timeframe or not. You may begin by acknowledging how comfortable your bed is, taking a deep breath, and smiling as the good feelings move through you.

Fact: although negative emotion is quite strong, positive emotion is millions of times more powerful than the negative. That means the more positive emotions you can feel in a day, the better your chances of attracting the things you actually want. If your negative emotions seem to be spiraling out of control, it only means you're giving them too much of your focus. In other words, if you're afraid your significant other will leave you then what you're saying with your energy is you want them to leave. Why? Because them leaving you is what you're giving your focus to. If you'd focus instead on reasons you appreciate them, they're more likely to stick around. But that's another discussion for another blog.

Remember, feelings of fear and grief are disempowering. They are out of alignment with how we're really intended to feel. Joy or appreciation or love are the epitome of how we're designed to feel. If it were not so, negative emotion wouldn't feel so sucky and good emotions wouldn't feel so good. Good feels good. Bad feels bad. The difference is some of us know how to play this game with the Emotional Guidance Scale in order to feel better quickly and others do not. Imagine if those of us who have the knowledge would teach those who do not.

Be Well

-Meg