It’s almost Halloween! Let’s go WAAAAYYYY back to the 1970s shall we? Little Jennifer had moved up from the trailer park to a double-wide trailer in the country (always makes me think of that Sammy Kershaw country song… This here’s the queen of my double-wide trailer with the polyester curtains and the redwood deck…)
During my prime trick-or-treating years, we lived out in the sticks in small town Michigan. That was a lot of ground to cover and not enough houses for maximum candy acquisition. 
Luckily… our Grandparents lived IN TOWN! Paydirt! The Mother Lode! They lived right in the city in the middle of blocks and blocks of houses all neatly packed together.
We would get all dressed up and have our pillowcases to make the rounds of our Grandparents’ neighborhood. We, being my brother who is only 14 months older than me, and myself. He is my only sibling not counting step-siblings. My Mom would love to get creative and come up with homemade costumes made from whatever scraps of things she could find around the house or borrowed from someone (at this age my parents were divorced and we are still in poverty, this relates to this week’s mindset tips).
For the most part, we were cool with the homemade costumes and liked to come up with ideas for what we wanted to be and Mom would somehow make it happen. BUT I started to look around at other kids… I think this happens to a lot of us around age 7 or 8 (the science shows our brainwaves actually start to change as we move out of living in pure hypnotic theta waves)… we start to notice what other kids are doing, start to compare, start to see a little outside the bubble of our own family.
In the 70s in the United States, kids would have Halloween parties at school. Wear your costume, bring some candy to share, bob for apples 
, even do a little costume parade, oh what fun! At some point, I looked around at the ‘rich kids’. In my kid brain this equaled anyone with slightly more resources than we had.
The rich kids had these STORE BOUGHT COSTUMES. Weird cheap fabric with the folds from the package still embedded, jumpsuit-type things with ties to sort of fit any kid ‘Age 5-7’. A flimsy plastic mask that cracked if you even looked at it wrong with a tiny elastic band stapled to it. I found this pic on the interwebs to jog your memory:
This picture cracks me up! I was jealous of this?? Well, this is what happens in our minds sometimes when comparison starts to pop up or unsafe, fear-based beliefs start to be formed in very early childhood. I have come a long way since envying the kids with the plastic molded princess and Casper costumes.
These days I love seeing ALL KIDS in homemade, purchased, or no costume at all making the rounds of the neighborhood, having fun, and stockpiling the crappy candy that they don’t need. I love parents who find creative ways to get rid of it or give out healthier options.
When we lived in Memphis, we would get over 300 kids! I had to learn to ration the goods and still ended up having to turn off the porch light and hide some years when we ran out. Those were fun nights. Here in Charlotte our neighborhood has a parade for the kiddos which I haven’t attended yet, but may check out this year.
P.S. My husband is British 
for those of you who don’t know. He didn’t have all of this Halloween fun as a kid. I think they burned stuff in honor of some Guy Fawkes guy. When I briefly lived in Detroit area, they liked to do that on Devil’s Night 
October 30th.
OK, moving on to wellness tips for y’all, lots of Halloween memories this week.
This Week’s Shot of MINDSET
Let’s talk about MONEY MINDSET 
after that trip down memory lane. Most of us have strange money beliefs that we inherit from childhood and from our families. Remember, the bulk of our subconscious beliefs (which run 95% of our lives) are formed from birth to age 7.
Other ways our beliefs are formed are from intensely emotional situations (positive or negative, traumatic events play a big role here) and from repetition, things like advertising, marketing, and social media.
If, like me, you grew up in poverty for some or all of your childhood, you get strange beliefs like thinking everyone is richer than you, has it easier than you, and doesn’t have to go up to the lunch lady every week and check in for free school lunches.
Or maybe you were taught beliefs around having to WORK HARD for money – money doesn’t grow on trees 
, constant ‘hustle’ is a concept thrown around these days. Maybe beliefs about not being able to hold onto money, it goes out faster than it comes in. Or hoarding money, save for a rainy day 
, tight fisted, etc. etc.
Our culture and lexicon are full of all sorts of ideas about money, some helpful, some… not so much. I have a lot of clients work with me at the subconscious level to clear out the old programs around this big topic of MONEY 
and choose, new, positive, supportive beliefs about their relationship with money. Some examples:
- Money is a wonderful tool that I use to create possibility for myself and others.
- The Universe is a friendly place and willingly provides whatever I need.
- It is OK to have more money than I need. (This one is triggering for some people who are concerned for those who have less. I gently remind them you being poor doesn’t really help everybody else get rich.)
- I am worthy of the best that love and life have to offer. (Money often gets tied up with self-worth and self-esteem.)
- I consistently take inspired action for my business and I trust the results will come.
Money issues and concerns often come front and center when people leave jobs with steady paychecks and go out on their own to create something as an entrepreneur. This has been part of my journey. What helps me a lot is finding gratitude and peace with everything I DO have and separating my self-worth from money.
Something in me at a very young age made a strong vow that I WILL NEVER LIVE IN POVERTY. And I haven’t. Ever. As an adult. But it doesn’t make me any more or less as a person. Little 5 year old Jennifer in her homemade costume and double-wide trailer was every bit as loved and worthy as the adult financially sound Jennifer. 
We are born worthy and nothing can ever take it away from any of us. We just have to weave our way through webs 
of twisted beliefs that get in the way sometimes. Mindset and subconscious belief work help clear out those webs and create new beliefs about money, self-worth, and all sorts of areas of our lives.
I will leave you with this quote from Esther Hicks / Abraham which I have saved for a reason. Remind yourself of this often:
Mining the moment for something that feels good, something to
appreciate, something to savor, something to take in, that’s what your
moments are about. They’re not about justifying your existence. It’s
justified. You exist. It’s not about proving your worthiness. It’s done.
You’re worthy. It’s not about achieving success. You never get it done.
This Week’s Shot of HEALTH
Let’s go for the trifecta of Halloween references and talk about SUGAR BINGEING 
! Ugh. Do you remember how bloated, puffy, and inflamed you feel after overindulging on Halloween candy as a kid or in your adult life? Half of the candy ends up at work or passed around as ‘treats’ for all of the adults too.
I am sure you have heard the statistic that sugar is more addictive than cocaine 
Eating sugar actually releases dopamine and opioids in our body. The feel good, pain relieving chemicals. This is what sugar does for me, sort of soothes and numbs it all. I find my hand in the sweets when I am anxious, stressed, or even bored.
I have FINALLY given up my daily hit of sugary vegan coffee creamer because it messes up my fasting and makes me crave more chocolate and baked goods all day long. I will occasionally have a sweet treat, but I have broken the habit. I make healthy whole foods plant based dessert recipes mainly with erythritol, a sugar-free sweetener that is easier on the body and proven to be quite safe.
I am learning to love fruit as a dessert. 
I know. Lame. But it does hit the spot once you’ve created some space between you and the pints of Ben & Jerry’s. I was addicted to Ben & Jerry’s cookie dough 
ice cream when it first came out in the 90s. I have had a life-long love affair with cookie dough from my Mom warning me not to eat it raw as a kid (and doing it anyways) to the days of vegan gluten-free cookie dough, which is unfortunately still loaded with sugar.
After you wrap up Halloween and toss the cheap chemical-laden candy in the trash or eat whatever you need, consider reducing the amount of sugar in your life. Your body will thank you immensely.
This article has a list of helpful ideas which I have used and can get you started:
- Retrain your taste buds by cutting down slowly
- Choose good-for-you sweets like healthy homemade desserts and fruit
- Eat more fruits & vegetables in general
- Drink more water
- Check food labels, be aware of the gadzillion code names for sugar
- Up the protein and fiber in your diet to crowd out the sugar
- Get outside, go for a walk, get some sunshine
I work with lots of clients to transform their health. I always incorporate mindset and subconscious belief work to help them achieve their goals. I do this for myself with PSYCH-K®, journaling, and thought work. It’s been a journey for me and my cookie dough, but I have made great strides. Let me know if you need a little assistance with health goals as we move into ‘The Holidays’ which are chock full of sugary treats and traditions.
 Jennifer Parsley |
I love hearing from you, so don’t be shy about commenting once in a while, especially if you have any questions.