Listen to the audio companion of “What’s in Your Psychic Fuel Tank?” You choose whether you are being fueled by the Counterfeit Self or your Authentic Self.
A house fan runs on electricity, a car runs on a fuel tank of gasoline, our bodies run on food-fuel, and our psychology runs on a fuel tank of emotions.
You require an emotional life to feel the thrust of aliveness. I’ve pointed out, in my new book – A Second Chance At Success – that positive emotions support inspiring addictions, which make you feel invigoratingly alive. When feeling positive, you are confident and enthusiastic.
Student: What do an emotionless existence or negative emotions do to me?
Teacher: When you suppress all emotions, your life is boring and you feel listless – there’s no thrust. When you are emotionally alive with negative emotions, life is threatening and the thrust is one of nervousness.
You require an emotional life to feel alive at all.
What common negative emotions make you nervous?
1. Worry
2. Anxiety
3. Resentment
It’s your turn:
4. _____________
5. _____________
What positive emotions make you feel invigoratingly alive?
1. Joyfulness
2. Gratitude
3. Hopefulness
It’s your turn:
4. _____________
5. _____________
Every one of us needs to fill our psychic fuel tank with positive emotions. When we are alive with positive emotions – we thrive. When our psychic fuel tank is empty of positive emotions – we barely survive.
“There is nothing more useful to man than that which most agrees with his own nature.” – Spinoza.
How do I know that positive emotions most agree with my own nature? I notice that when I am feeling positive about myself and life – I sleep well, I am productive, I am happy and I am effective with the action I take to accomplish my dreams. I also experience harmonious relationships everywhere I go.
What happens when I am not filling my psychic fuel tank with positive emotions? I can be certain that negative emotions are pouring in. The World-Voice (the news media), will give me plenty of negative world-conditions, circumstances and events to think about.
Negative emotions tell us that our psychic gas tank is empty. Fear, worry and anxiety are indicators that joy, confidence and peacefulness are absent.
Illuminating Tip:
An abundance of negative emotions signals us that our
psychic fuel tank is empty of positive emotions.
Student: How do we fill our psychic gas tank with positive emotions?
Teacher: As written in Rob’s book, A Second Chance At Success, we must call an MD.
The way to call an MD (a Marvelous Denial on the negative thoughts that are influencing you), is to Return to the truth.
1. Return to the truth – you are a marvelously made being and worthy of all that is good and beautiful.
2. Return to the truth – there is more in the world to support you than to oppose you.
3. Return to the truth – you are capable of handling all problems and difficulties that arise in your life.
It’s your turn:
3. Return to the truth – _________________________________________________
4. Return to the truth – _________________________________________________
If you are proud of the fact that you are ‘marvelously made’ – this is great. This is what gives you strength and courage and confidence. Take a moment now to feel the pride that comes with being ‘marvelously made’. What a great, positive feeling!
If you are happy to know that ‘there is more in the world to support you than oppose you’ – this is great. This has you stop feeling inferior to anything or anyone. Rid yourself of the feeling of inferiority, and an inspiring thought will come to you. What a great positive feeling this thought will bring with it!
If you are confident that ‘you can handle all problems and difficulties in your life’ – this is great. The fires of joy and enthusiastic passion rekindle within you. Now, those are incredibly powerful positive emotions, aren’t they!
Notice what happens when you start thinking from the point of view that you are marvelously made … that the world supports you … that you can handle whatever life hands you. What comes up for you when you think this way?
1. How do you feel emotionally __________________?
2. What vision of a past success presences itself in your memory __________________?
3. What dream or aspiration does it bring to mind _________________?
All of your emotions move you. Even anger and revenge move you, but usually in the wrong direction. However, there can be guidance in anger and revenge. Look at the negative emotion from a positive perspective:
A. Perhaps what angers you can inspire you to try to change things for the better?
B. Perhaps you can use the energy of revenge to seek to make amends?
Your emotions open the floodgates of life to you. What strategy do you use to convert negative emotions into positive activity?
1. When I feel angry because of a suggestion of inferiority or weakness, I consider the anger coming from a higher and nobler source. This source is telling me to set myself free from such foolish insinuations. I then respond lovingly, and consider this an expression of my emotional sovereignty. I convert the emotions from a perspective of ‘WOE is me’ to one of ‘WOW is me’. Sweet victory! There’s a whole chapter on this in my book, A Second Chance At Success.
2. It’s your turn; how do you convert negative emotions into positive activity: ___________________________________________________________________
I am happy and productive when I take the time to fill my psychic fuel tank with positive emotions. Life invites me to enjoy it’s true brightness, but I cannot take that bright life-journey if my psychic fuel tank is empty of positive emotions. Can you?
I hope you will participate in this pop quiz. I give myself pop quizzes all of the time. The teacher is his own best student. Please leave a comment to help others learn from your answers.
Thank you and blessings
“Best Comment of the Week.” This weeks best comments come from Angry Ramone and SaltySailorMan. Thank you for your heartfelt sharing. See their comments here. Illustrations by nick
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/wroar/
On a side note: If you are in Boston, you cannot afford to miss our next Mind Adventure Meetup. Space is very limited. More info here.
It’s NOT ME … I loooove that! It’s soooo NOT me the counterfeit self! I’m so sick and tired of that other self raising his stupid head!
I’m glad I listened to the whole show because I got my gold nugget for the week! So so true and I am glad I’m not alone feeling like I have 2 selves constantly chewing my ears off! I guess everyone is just is confused as I am how one minute I can feel like I’m going to take over the world (via Manhattan 
) and in the next minute feel like I should start looking on craigslist for more roommates to pay the rent! But not discouraged. I’m more encouraged than ever! I fell like I can let that counterfeit self blah blah blah all day long and know, deep inside that it is NOT ME! I say let it quack away like Duck in the fog. I Know where the True Kara is going and the counterfeit self is just one little hurdle on my way to the top… OK maybe a big hurdle but a hurdle nonetheless. 
To answer the blog.. what makes me nervous is looking Stupid ( with a capital S). What makes me feel invigorated? Saying I TOLD YOU SO all you doubters and haters! Thanks for the inspiring conversation everyone 
XO.
Hi Kara. I love you advice, “let the counterfeit self chatter on like a quaking dug lost in the fog.” Very well spoken. Already you have some clearness of mind when you see the counterfeit self’s chatter as a nervous quaking duck. Powerful metaphor that makes an illuminating point. Thank you
This idea of the other self and the true self I differentiate as “she” and “me”. It was interesting to observe myself listening to the radio show since “she” was squirming being reminded of church and “me” told her to shut up and let me listen. So it was happening as you were speaking of it…and I was noticing.
The questions you ask in the blog are as poignant as I let them be and to help me take them in I’d like to share my answers.
What common negative emotions make you nervous?
embarassment, feeling taken for granted. (how many ways can we say ‘not good enough’?)
What positive emotions make you feel invigoratingly alive?
loving, action, self discipline
Return to the truth – together in love we are divine (Gilbran)
your opinion of me is not more important than my opinion of me
How do you convert negative emotions into positive activity: I ask myself “do I want to be right or do I want to win?”
I read the rules I have collected from my life experiences that keep me from repeating past mistakes.
Look at the negative emotion from a positive perspective: I find that as I am learning to use these tools my respect for myself is continually reinforced.
I had an experience this week with a tenant that I had gone out of my way to be kind and understanding to with whom I was in court. The frustration I felt from her ‘ungratefulness’ had me so angry! I recognized that the reason I had extended more kindness that business would allow was that she reminded me of my “she”, trying to insist she was right by perfection. I was able to step back and decide to focus on winning rather than proving my ‘rightness’ and while I haven’t yet gotten the judges decision, I was able to leave feeling good about how I had presented myself. In my mind, just being in court means everyone lost…so there is still room for improvement. Seeing the difference in who I am showing up as, is affirmation that I am on a true path. (The quest for perfect is the road to hell)…Have a great week everybody!!
Hi Sylvia. Nice life lesson in your tenant story. Thank you. Embarassment is a negative emotion that makes you nervous. Great insight. There is one thing, more than anything else, that throws us off balance … and that’s thinking that others are thinking bad things about us. Feeling embarassed is the consequence of that kind of negative thinking. And being independent of that kind of negative thinking abolishes all feelings of embarassment, doesn’t it. Can we do this. YES, we can. Thank you
Yeah, each person always deserve with good things, and have ability to do anything.
Let try to do anything that help you happy and success more.
I choose business that help I talk, make friend, give for other people everyday. Everyday I talk more and more with people. That fun process. And you can do something else that same.
Thank you
Hi Chu Nam. Surrounding ourselves with positive people is always the right choice. And how can you help yourself when under the avalanche of negative people who are saying, “NO, NO, NO”? Simply do not surrender your mind to their conversation … you can win. Can’t you, Chu? Thank you
Worry, worry worry… that’s the bane of my existence. Somedays it seems as though that everything I do is just a way to escape worrying. If there is a job I need to get done, all I hear is my customer nagging me and am motivated to get it done to avoid that conflict. My point is I hate being motivated by worry. There has to be a better way to getting things done than having that awful nagging worry follow me everywhere I go. I think it more of the Counterfeit Self driving me than it is the Authentic Self. There is a difference. When I am motivated to do something for my daughter it is out of love. There is not a lot of worry but it is more fun. I think it is odd how my counterfeit self is actually effective at getting things done. I just wish I could get all the same things done but be able to escape the anxious worrying that comes with work.
Hi Roger. How do you free yourself of the anxious worry that comes with work? With psychic awakening (becoming aware of the counterfeit self and its constant chatter), nervousness from work related projects fades away. It’s takes work to succed with this aim, but it is very possible, isn’t it, Roger. Thank you.
The surprise is always that we get more energy, by doing more, not less. By doing more of what we love.
Whenever I feel my life force running out, I make it a point to do something little, and do something daily. The little daily victories build momentum, and opportunities spring in serendipitous ways.
When we play well, we work well, and when we stretch ourselves, we bounce back higher.
Hi J.D. I like the distinction you make: “we get more energy, by doing more, not less. By doing more of what we love.” It’s fun to work hard when we work hard at what we love, isn’t it J.D. And that’s because when we work hard at what we love,it doesn’t feel like hard work; it feels like play, and we are energized. Thanks for bringing this up.
Hi Rob, I love what you said about “hard work” in the radio show. You are like me, I love working hard! I love being motivated and driven. When I don’t have something driving me I feel listless. It makes me think about the Olympians this year. I think that is the most inspring thing; to see all these athletes that are “marvelously obsessed” with being the best they can be. They dedicate everyday and every waking minute to perfecting their sport. And most of them know that they have no shot at winning a medal, yet are still just as motivated to fulfill their potential. I’ve learned that life is long and what fuels me today may not fuel me tomorrow. The most important thing is to have a dream and aspiration always on the radar. This way I am able to convert the negative emotion of “listlessness” into passion and drive.
hi Carol Anne. YES, having a dream on one’s radar is a sure fire cure for ridding oneself of the feeling of listlessness. You can be sure of performing right action when the dream is clear and on the radar because you can see that you are already there and always have been. Thank you.
Hi Rob,
Wonderful, as usual!
What you wrote reminded me of something I’ve been pondering on recently. This is that all the supporting structures are in place, once we decide to make changes in our lives. This is a very powerful realisation, and it seems nature is that way. We can use this to our advantage, as one other way to help remove the negative barriers that we have created for ourselves, in certain aspects of life.
Your new book sounds very exciting!
Hi Hiten. YES, when the supporting structures are in place, it means to be without our negative opinions and memorized ideas about ‘maybe failing’. Now we are up to something with nothing to stop us. Thank you for bringing this up. Blessings
Hi there Robert. Anger has actually been a big motivator throughout my life. When I was young I was angered by injustice. This motivated me to become politically active and take stances on issues that impacted real lives. I like being riled up. To this day I keep my finger on the pulse of social issues and politics and do whatever I can to effect positive changes in the world. There are certain universal truths that transcend political lines and I get riled up when politicians can’t see beyond their own self interest. I don’t think this is going to change anytime soon so there will be enough fuel to keep me fired up until the day I die.
Hi Salty. Anger can be a powerful motivator when it comes from righteous indignation about something of value – like saving the seals, feeding the hungry, or ending insane wars. I can see how this carries you through from year to year. It’s one way. Not the only way, but certainly one way. Thank you.
Great step by step process–theory and application. Anger is interesting. I have had several great discussions recently about whether righteous anger is ever justified. I’ve come to the conclusion in my own life that it never is. I can be just as motivated by compassion as by anger. Compassion can still motivate action but it keeps my heart open. Anger, even if it is righteous, involves judgment and separation, seeing someone else as “other.”
Hi Galen. Indeed, righteous indignation also includes alienation, and that can be a problem. Compassion brings inner illumination and spiritual advancement much faster than does righteous indignation – nice distinction. Thank you
Hey brother man. It’s all about the positive vibrations baby! It’s scary how many people go through the day fueled by angry resentful emotions. You See them all the time walking around with a scowl on their face. They really have no idea about themselves and have no idea about what life is really about… Its just so sad sad sad. That’s why i think it’s my job just to spread my love out there, fuel myself up and fuel everyone that comes across my path that needs a boost. Positive emotions are the greatest natural resource we have. We could run the whole world on that old fuel! And the good news is you can never run out of it, it’s inexhaustible. You just have to know how to mine it. And you are darn right when you talk about “Returning to the truth.” We got it all within – there is no big search OUT THERE. We have to go deep with in and Mine the natural resources we have.
Hi Rus. Your philosophy is right on tarket. You’ve advanced up the spiritual ladder, haven’t you. Seek spiritual advancement for it always has true and satisfying value, doesn’t it. Thank you.
Hi Rob, I like how you put it here today. It’s true. When I run out of positive emotions it like it creates a vacuum and the negative emotions rush in. I hate that. I never thought of trying to keep myself fueled up with positivity. I think I thought thats just the way things go. Sometimes I feel great but I know I’m going to run out of energy and get low. I’ve just accepted that as a way of life. You know, its like when 3:00 rolls around, I’m getting tired and just want to ease the pain of living and go take a nap. It happens like clockwork everyday. I would love to be able to just blow through the day, steamrolling ahead like I do when I come in in the morning. Maybe I’m just not paying attention to crap I accumulate through out the day? I come in fresh as a daisy, but then little annoyances and agitations start to accumulate. Then I get a little tired and all of a sudden life stinks and everything sucks!
Does that ever happen to you? Or are you just soaring around all day? It makes me nervous to think that I have to go through that negative BS everyday for rest of my working life. If I can learn how to turn the negativity of my slumps into something positive perhaps I could break that pattern. Maybe I can start scheduling massages or something 
Hi Alan. Am I soaring all day long? I live in a world of polarity, where opposites exist. The opposites include my up and down feelings. If I was soaring all day long, I’d not have the experience of soaring; without an occassional ‘down’ there is no experience of ‘up’, is there, Alan. Awareness of how quickly life can hit us and push us downward is one of the first lessons in Life 101. Thank you
Ya know its funny, Rob. I think the whole creative process is driven by a strange anxiety. For me I get a weird anxiety when I am not creating or am in a slump. It’s like I got all this stuff in side of that is dying to get out, but it just can’t get out! It’s a bad feeling. When I feel like I am on target and living life to the fullest is when I am creating feverishly and all consumed with my music. It’s hard exhausting work, for sure. But like you point out in the show, when you love what you do it is a labor of life. Ya know, maybe life is easier than we all make it out to be. We just have to work hard at something. So, in a strange way my own anxiety gets me off my ass, then once my obsession takes over I forget about everything and just dive in. The counterfeit self that was tagging along all day suddenly disapears. And, yeah, it is like there are two people. When I am authentic me consumed with my art, I wonder who in the hell the other guy was. And when I am the counterfeit self that walks around all depressed, I wonder how or if I will ever get back to that Authentic Me. It’s like a wild swing day to day. I’d love to be the Authentic me all day, but I don’t think thats realistic. I’ve learned that I can have my apex’s of creativity without the nadir of depression. And so it goes…
Hi john. Indeed when you use negative emotions to motivate you – anxiety gets you off your ass – you do not submit, but rather you take command of your mind in spite of any nay-saying emotions. Any time you question the necessity of a troubling emotion, you weaken its grip on you. Thank you
Hi Rob, I’m not sure I really “get it”… I’m somebody who just stays upbeat and positive all day. Even when I’m down or fall into a slump I repeat my affirmations to get me out of it. I especially love “I Am a rich and majestic child…” Maybe I’m just on an upswing because I can’t really imagine falling back to the needy, reliant counterfeit self that made me codependent and whiny!
I’d love to be able to say I am done with that and am moving into to a new phase in life. These days my psychic fuel tanks is filled with olympic aspirations (for me)… which simply means creating a life for myself independent of my old reliances, and crutches. Thanks for keeping me on target. I know that just because I am soaring today, does not mean I will not be wilting tomorrow! 
Hi Joan. You are an upbeat individual because you have taught yourself an essential lesson to remaining optimistic = you realize that higher forces are always trying to reach and support you, so you make it a habit to notice when you’re having a NO-Attack, and you immediately take command of your mind so you may make a 180. NICE! Thank you
YO yo YO yOOOO RObbyb-bobby. Honestly… don’t get all this Authentic/ counterfeit stuff!!1 For real.. why come people just can’t git their shiz together and be who they is. I KNOW you don’t wake up in AM feeling like I have to pretend to be somebody else… Thats why I GOT YOU TRUE… you are just like me SON! You say what you want, you say what you mean and you mean what you SAY!!!! RIght??? I mean what else is there??!!!! Thats just way I am 24/7. Once you start feeling you have to hide shiz or bee somebody else you are too far GONE to have any hope of makn your milllIONZ!! or Making your way in this world. Yo … I took this POP quiz and I past with FLYN colors! WHY ?? The answers are more obvious than a fortune cookies at 2:30AM HAHAHH….. you know what it means and you know its true and you SWEAR its gonna change you but chances are you just forget that SHIZ when you wake up. If you be forgotten you revelations…. THey AINt REVELATIONS!!!! I never forget what I’m up to because its all the same to ME. I’m just be my own ReALL self ALLL the time…. there aint time to be Counterfetin and gaming the system. So check it… my advice to anyone who can’t see the diff between they’re COunterfeti self and their reaLL Self they best get back to basics and KILL them themselves an d sTART OVAH… Cuz dudes like me are gist too far ahead of the game for you to compete! HAHAHAHAH…. yo I may sound cocky or whatever but you know thats TRUE…. either you got that shiz or you DOOOO NOOOOAAAAT!!! if you aint got it yo better get ready to cut UR lawn every weekend and trim your lame ass hedges CUz thats the yes YOU, You gonna be unless you start HANGING your FN Soul out to dRyYYY . HHHHAAA. PAX OUttt my MAN!!!
Hi Magic. The fact of the matter is that we collapse when we are shakily supported with ideas of sufficiency. You have a firm support system of opinions about your sufficient self that prevents you from collapsing. It is apparent in your comments. This is a gift that you have bestowed upon yourself. Now nice of you to be nice to youself. Thank you
hi Rob
i like the way you slowly change the mindset of people and help them become more positive. loved the post
Hi Farouk. Thank you for your kind words. My teachings offer a unique kind of psychic food that provide inner nutrition, if folks are willing to digest it. Blessings
What positive emotions make you feel invigoratingly alive? Hmmm… thats a good one and tougher than it first may seem on the surface. I always feel alive when I am agitated and worried. When I’m happy and relaxed I start to worry that I’m happy and relaxed! How crazy is that? It’s like finally I feel like nothing bothers me… and that bothers me! Maybe that why I’m so driven and bound and determinded to do something extraordinary with my retirement years. Maybe that is wrong thinking after all? Why cant I just relax. I’ve worked goddamned hard and if I want to sleep in and go to starbucks at 10 am and shuffle around with the other peaceful retirees … why not!? I’m a bit all over the place this week. Some things have not panned out the way I expected. Maybe I’m just not really serious about feeling “invigorating alive” these days. I have grandkids, and season ticketts to the red sox. For most people thats enough. I have to admit, I am still on the fence about whether I should be upsetting the retirement apple cart or whether I should find a way to find peace and relax for once in my 65+ years of busting my butt.
Hi Georgie. Whenever you are on the fence about anything – if your search for the right decision is diligent, you will one day soon find an answer that will not deceive you. Blessings
Hi Rob, this is fantastic! I’ve been returning to the truth of me all week. I like the WROAR this week. It hit home. I felt like you were talking directly to me. And then to follow up with returning to the Truth of my authentic self on the blog has helped me make it real especially pertinent: Return to the truth – you are capable of handling all problems and difficulties that arise in your life. Great! I go through my day just encounter stupid problem after stupid problem. They all seem like ginormous barriers that keep me from feeling like that “rich and majestic child” that I am. Lately when these problems come up I am able to see them for what they are. It is just the counterfeit me distracting me from my dreams! Why should I get so worked up about somebody who drives like a jerk, when I should be focusing on my goals of immersing myself in the world of organic farming? Then answer is my authentic self does not know how serious I am… If get 1000% serious I would bet my life that I no longer see small anoynaces like discourteous drivers and so forth
Hi Alicia. Being 1,000% committed requires a Wonderful Obsession. This is something you have experienced in the past (a Wonderful Obsession), and if you can do it once, you can do it twice … and if you can do it twice, you can do it a thousand times … and if you can do it a thousand times, you can do it for a lifetime. You’re doing fine. Thank you.