{"id":279,"date":"2012-11-14T21:59:02","date_gmt":"2012-11-15T02:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/spiritjunkie\/?p=279"},"modified":"2012-11-14T22:02:18","modified_gmt":"2012-11-15T03:02:18","slug":"what-i-learned-from-oprah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/spiritjunkie\/2012\/11\/what-i-learned-from-oprah.html","title":{"rendered":"What I Learned From Oprah"},"content":{"rendered":"

This Sunday I\u2019ll be featured on Oprah\u2019s Super Soul Sunday<\/a>. Mastin Kipp and Marie Forleo accompanied me for a segment on next-generation thought leaders. Sitting next to Oprah for this hour-long interview, I was able to understand the magnitude of her mission. Learn more about my experience in today\u2019s video and the blog below.
\nhttp:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XAZCh_W5LCA&feature=plcp<\/a><\/p>\n

Last Monday I got a frantic call from my mother. She breathlessly told me, \u201cThere\u2019s someone on your Facebook fan page writing nasty things about you! But don\u2019t worry, honey, I responded and set her straight.\u201d I laughed and said, \u201cThanks for sticking up for me, Mom, but that\u2019s not how I handle negativity on the Internet.\u201d I went on to explain that as a spiritual student and teacher I must practice what I preach. By bringing my spiritual practice to these situations I intuitively know how to handle haters on the Internet. I helped my mother understand that engaging in the negativity only invests in the negativity. Rather than defend myself and fight back, I\u2019ve learned to see these encounters as divine spiritual assignments. Through compassion, defenselessness and forgiveness, I\u2019ve come to see how mindfully dealing with Internet haters can only strengthen my spiritual faith.<\/p>\n

As the Universe would have it, that wouldn\u2019t be my only conversation about Internet haters that week. The following day I was in Chicago, shooting a segment of Oprah\u2019s Super Soul Sunday<\/a>. What was one of Oprah\u2019s first questions to my panel? She asked how we handle haters on the Internet! My immediate responses was, \u201cForgive and delete.\u201d I explained how I use forgiveness and several other spiritual principles to shine light on the darkness of the Internet.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re anything like my mother, it\u2019s time to put down the boxing gloves and use my three spiritual tools for handling haters online.<\/p>\n

Step 1: It\u2019s Not About You<\/strong>
\nWhen people attack us on the Internet, many of us immediately assume that the attack has merit and means there\u2019s something wrong with us. I choose to have a different perspective\u2014I like to have compassion for these folks. Let\u2019s face it: A happy person won\u2019t waste their time posting negativity on positive people\u2019s pages. Therefore, we must have a tremendous amount of compassion for these people. Anyone who wastes their time and energy spreading negativity clearly needs more light in their life. Begin your practice by saying a prayer for the person. Simply say, \u201cI pray for you to release your negativity and see love instead. I pray for you to be happy.\u201d This prayer will immediately reconnect you to a sense of compassion and help you let go of your anger.
\n
\nStep 2: \u201cIn My Defenselessness My Safety Lies\u201d<\/strong>
\nAs a student and a teacher of the metaphysical text A Course in Miracles, I\u2019ve come to learn that \u201cinsistence means investment.\u201d When we invest in the illusions of others by defending ourselves or fighting back, we only invest deeper into the craziness. Engaging in negativity creates more of it. Therefore, instead of fighting back or becoming defensive, I remind myself of the Course\u2019s message, \u201cIn my defenselessness my safety lies.\u201d Choosing to release defensiveness helps us steer far away from creating more drama. Fighting back is like yelling at a barking dog. There\u2019s no good outcome. Instead, practice defenselessness and witness how much energy and time you save avoiding more drama.
\n
\nStep 3: Forgive and Delete<\/strong>
\nThe final step is the clutch move. As I said to Oprah, we must forgive and delete. Oprah was pretty psyched to learn that we can actually manage our social media fans. Though we don\u2019t have full control over what people say, we can block nasty people and hide hateful comments. But rather than block and hide with an energy of resentment, let\u2019s forgive first. Forgiveness helps us detach from the negative energy cord that can live even through the Twittersphere or the Facebook universe. Energy is in everything. If we don\u2019t clean up our energy through forgiveness, we\u2019ll continue to carry negativity. In the case of handling haters on the Internet, it\u2019s imperative that you practice the F word and forgive.<\/p>\n

Steps one and two will prime for forgiveness. Compassion will reconnect you to a sense of oneness and defenselessness, which will help you put down the boxing gloves and settle into a new perspective. The final step is to let go fully and forgive. In this step you\u2019ll use prayer once again. Simply say, \u201cI pray to forgive you and release you.\u201d Then feel free to block the user or hide the comment. If you have the power to clear the feed, let that become part of your practice. There\u2019s no reason to let negative comments linger. Simply forgive and delete.<\/p>\n

Practice Positive Posting<\/strong>
\nThese three steps will help you navigate negative comments on the Internet, but what\u2019s most important is to practice raising the positive energy around you. Where there is darkness we need to bring more light. Therefore, join me in 30 Days of Positive Posting. Commit to refrain completely from negative posts and only share positivity. Post your favorite quotes, retweet inspiring nuggets of wisdom, Instagram enlightening photos, and pin beautiful pictures that make you smile. Our greatest response to negative posts is a positive one. If we all join together to share more positivity and love on the Internet, the energy of love will heighten. And when love spreads, there\u2019s less space for negativity. Join us on November 18 for Super Soul Sunday and keep us posted on how your 30 days of positive posting shifts your energy and your life.<\/p>\n

Join me this Sunday 11\/18 for my interview with Oprah on her Emmy-winning show, Super Soul Sunday. Details here<\/a>
\nFor my free guided meditations and lectures visit Gabbyb.tv.<\/a>
\nAnd when you pre-order my new book May Cause Miracles you get awesome gifts & free coaching! Details here. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This Sunday I\u2019ll be featured on Oprah\u2019s Super Soul Sunday. Mastin Kipp and Marie Forleo accompanied me for a segment on next-generation thought leaders. Sitting next to Oprah for this hour-long interview, I was able to understand the magnitude of her mission. Learn more about my experience in today\u2019s video and the blog below. 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