Meet Krista Harrop.
Krista struggled with releasing old thought programs about money and her own worthiness of co-creating “big” things with God. However, she continued to move forward through her doubts and fears when many fall back into old patterns of thoughts and behaviors. Her willingness to share her experiences, along with her perseverance in mindset work, sets her apart from the crowd, and we are honored that she is not only a Mindset Mastery Honors Graduate, but also trained to be one of our own Rare Faith Facilitators!
Like I normally do, when Krista applied for graduation, I asked her some questions:
Q. What was your experience with the Phase 1 experiment? (The “inconsequential goal”)
I had an idea for a midterm goal from the beginning of the class that I kept thinking about wanting to try, but when it came time to set the goal, I was FLOODED with anxiety! My GMM class can attest, I was feeling a lot of fear about even deciding what I wanted my goal to be, as I felt overcome by pressure to perform and to find success, and worried about the failure that I was certain would be mine!
It’s not always easy to admit when we have anxiety and fears about even attempting to set a goal, and I appreciate her willingness to be open here with us and with her peers within her Guided Mindset Mastery group. Having a “team” while putting into practice these laws and principles can be a catalyst in our success. The Guided Mindset Mastery option is an excellent place to become a part of such a team.
I knew I needed to reverse that image, but it was so hard to get to a place of believing. But after a few days, I took the time to really work through what my fears were and why they were there, and I decided that this certain goal I had been pondering from the beginning was what I felt was right for me. I have been “testing” out these principles for years now, and I wanted to push myself a little bit by doing something that was still inconsequential, but it required a lot of faith on my part. So I set it.
This was my goal:
I decided I wanted to find a paper I wrote in college. I wrote about an experience I had accidentally driving to Kansas, on the way home to Utah from Colorado. I know, I know…I totally pulled a “Dumb and Dumber.” It was classic and one of my most embarrassing moments to this day, and what made it even more poignant was that, at the time, I was taking a class on self-deception. (It was MFHD 480 at BYU, wherein we studied the book Leadership and Self-Deception, which if any of you are familiar with the book, you know it’s absolutely phenomenal).
This story of driving 2 hours in the complete opposite direction was honestly a powerful learning experience for me. Once I got past the complete shock and utter self-denial, I was able to use this experience to learn some really powerful lessons on how we get into “self-deception,” as we discussed in class. So I used it as ideal subject matter for an essay on self-deception for my class. I have thought about that paper many times since then, and I have tried and tried to find it, repeatedly, with no luck. I know I saved it, because I knew it was something I wanted to hang on to, but no matter how hard I searched through all my external hard drives, flash drives, etc., I have never been able to find it. I can find every other paper I wrote in college EXCEPT that one!
So because I felt so committed to my faith in these principles, I really wanted to test them out with this paper. But when it came down to setting the goal, I had so much fear that it wouldn’t work, that God wouldn’t show up for me, that it was never going to happen, because it had already proved so impossible for me up until now.
But I made myself a little “stickman” model with all of the pieces I needed for this specific goal. I wrote the thoughts I needed to think, the thoughts I needed to let go of, and saw myself going through the whole process from start to finish, with this “stickman” model, personalized for my specific goal. And I taped it up on my wall, and then I focused on replacing my fear with faith and serenity that I would absolutely find this paper, somewhere, somehow, some time. I did NOT put a date on it, because that was too much of a trigger for me. So I just decided it would happen when it would happen. And I didn’t put any effort into “finding” it again for weeks, as I was just trying to let my subconscious absorb this new truth and this new faith. And I knew that God would lead me, when, where, and how to find it. And I was determined that it would be VERY EASY!
Krista demonstrates several thought principles here: letting go of an expectation of time (surrendering to the Law of Gestation), consciously replacing fear with faith (she is choosing to believe), and recognizing that it might take some additional time for these new programs to be fully accepted by her subconscious.
Finally, after weeks of not looking for it, I decided I wanted to make another attempt, reassured that I would have a new experience this time around. Last week, just very casually on a weeknight, I opened my laptop, and opened a folder into which I had transferred several files from my old hard drive years ago. I thought I might need to look elsewhere to find this, but I thought I would start with what felt easy. Even though I’d already looked several times in that folder, I thought I might be able to see with “new eyes” this time, because of all the mindset work I’ve done with this. I have adopted new beliefs: life works out easily for me, God supports me in every detail, and it’s easy to receive my desires (which combat my old fears, deeply rooted in past experiences).
Notice here how Krista had spent weeks not looking for her lost file, but she is also acknowledging “all of the mindset work” she had done. On the outside, it may appear that Krista wasn’t “doing” anything about her goal of finding her lost paper, but the reality was, she was doing the most important (and often most difficult!) part of goal achievement….the mindset work.
So while I was just scrolling through these files again, I started seeing things that looked close, and several times, I clicked on something I thought was it, and thought: ‘Oh my goodness, here it is!!!’ And I felt surges of excitement swelling within me, but I still hadn’t found it. But then… I DID find it!!! And I’m so thrilled to say that now, but honestly, in that moment, it was a bit of a letdown, simply because, as others often say about rare faith goal achievement, I had already felt the emotion, and it was almost absent when it finally did happen. And not only that, it was different from what I had expected to find. I thought I had written a several page essay, but it wasn’t. It was disguised as an answer to a question on my final exam. It was an extensive answer, but it wasn’t its OWN document, which is why I think I stumbled so much in trying to find it before.
There is a direct link between Krista sitting down this time to look with her newly-adopted belief that life works out easy for her, and her finding her document somewhere unexpected (a different kind of file than she was originally looking for). Letting go of “the squeeze” allows our mind to see and pick up on things that we would miss otherwise.
But now that my goal is accomplished, I DO feel a lot of fulfillment! I feel excited to have found the paper, because I really wanted to remember what I had written, when that experience was fresh, and re-learn those lessons. It’s so fun and such a relief to have found it! But even more than that, I think I needed this experience to break through a lot of fear (those darn terror barriers) tied to getting results I seek in life. I think that has been a huge stumbling block for me in setting goals of rare faith. Not to say that I don’t have more to work through, but this was a HUGE victory for me, and I’m so excited to be on the other side of it.
Letting go of fear and past programs IS a huge victory, Krista, and we are so proud of you!
Q. What was your bite-sized Phase 2 “difficult, meaningful, or important” goal?
Yes, it was difficult, meaningful, AND important for me!!! [But I learned that] Big things can happen for me too!!!
I took Mindset Mastery course for a few reasons, but one of them was that I believe in these principles of Rare Faith—I have for a long time now—and I decided it was time to see results! I have seen the principles work in my life in many ways, but I never witnessed anything BIG, or I guess what I would call “big.” I have heard amazing stories all my life: miracles in the scriptures, amazing stories told by friends and family, and success stories I’ve read about in books and such. And they always inspire me, they always increase my faith, increase my faith that God can do ANYTHING… that God does perform miracles for people… but I wondered why those “big things never happen for me.”
I guess I subconsciously answered that question with: I’m not sure I’m worthy, I’m not sure I have enough faith, I’m not sure if I’m important enough, I’m not sure if I know enough, I must not have the right “qualifications,” etc. And recently, when I realized I must have this belief that “big things don’t work for me,” I concluded that I was ready to let go of that and make room for something different: “BIG THINGS CAN HAPPEN FOR ME.” And I was confident Mindset Mastery could help me get there. Plus, more than anything, I want to teach others how use these principles, and I desired to master these principles better myself!
So for my short-term goal, I chose to believe that God would help us obtain an SUV. Both my husband and I grew up boating with our families, and we are anxious to create similar memories for our family. My parents own a boat that they are happy to have us use; however, we don’t have a car to pull it with, so even though we tried borrowing cars a couple times last summer, it was stressful and messy. And so we decided we would really love to have an SUV that could pull the boat so that we could go boating as a family this summer.
However, we didn’t have the money to simply go buy the car. Money has been an area in which I’ve struggled to receive, so I thought this was the perfect goal to stretch me. It was difficult for me to “see” how this could happen, because I was so afraid the money would not show up. I’ve had some miserably frustrating experiences in the past where I couldn’t get it right. But, after working through a lot of these fears, I let go of doubt, and I set the goal with confidence. Even though I didn’t see my way forward, I held on to trust that it would happen somehow.
Money itself is often a place where our students find it difficult to receive, and Krista is no different. She not only has fear attached to believing that money will come to her, but she also describes remembering previous experiences that ended in “failure.” However, she continued to push through those fears, thinking truth in spite of past experiences, and trusted that what she couldn’t see (yet), was on its way.
(If you want to quickly learn how how to think truth in spite of appearances too, join us for Genius Bootcamp!)
Initially I really struggled with my “bite-sized” piece. It wasn’t until Leslie helped me understand it wasn’t meant to be “an act of the will,” but it should be something that was “out of my control” and requiring Rare Faith to achieve.
Rather than a “to-do” list, Leslie encouraged me to make a list of all I needed to get the SUV. Really, this was mostly money. So I wrote a list of all the ways (some inspired, some maybe crazy, but all realistic) I could think of to receive chunks of money…here a little, there a little (or a LOT!) If they all happened, I would have more than enough to get the car.
This process was a turning point for me. It helped me believe it was possible. It helped me to see how “easy” it could be, even though previously, it seemed so far out of reach. I was VERY hesitant to presume to tell God how to do His job, but then I realized that this was a sort of “What would ye have me do?” kind of exercise, which helped fuel my enthusiasm and excitement.
Yes! God desires for us to co-create with Him, and He often sits back and waits for us to use our own creative muscles and present to HIM our creative ideas.
I visualized each of these items on the list, and then my bite-sized goal was to witness ONE of those things happening that was on the list, or something even better. I focused my energies on the ones that seemed most likely to happen sooner than later, and after a month, nothing on the list had happened, which was surprising.
The idea behind the bite-sized goal was that it should be something that could happen in just a few days, and I really thought it would only take a week or less for something to happen. And so I started to worry that it wasn’t working, but I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on staying positive.
Remaining in perfect alignment with the laws of thought is an unrealistic expectation of ourselves, so Krista demonstrates how she used her conscious mind to push out doubts and worries, and return her focus to remaining positive. Excellent work, Krista!
Then, one Thursday evening, only a short while later, it happened! It was so sudden and in fact, just before it happened, I thought, oh my goodness, I wonder if this is happening, and then it DID!!! I was amazed, but not that surprised, because I had already seen it happen. It’s a little too personal to share the specific details, but it was something “BIG!” It was $10,000 big!!!
That night, I went home and read the visual I had written out weeks earlier, and it was word for word how it happened. I was stunned! I’ve heard so many stories about things like that happening, and I really wanted to experience that. I wanted to see that it was possible for ME! And that night, I did! It was an incredible feeling.
I felt like my dreams were important and recognized.
Your dreams ARE important, and they ARE recognized!
I was SO EXCITED about the money, because I knew we were so close to getting our SUV now, but even more than that, I was elated that something REALLY BIG happened for little old me. I used the Rare Faith principles and it worked!!! And now I have a story! I felt like shouting it from the rooftops!
So for any others who are doubting that “big things can happen for you,” I am here to attest that they CAN!!! You just have to choose to really believe it and allow it to be. It was a BIG HURDLE for me, and I thank you for letting me share my victory with all of you. It’s such a privilege to be part of this amazing group of people, all seeking to develop this “Rare Faith” of co-creation with God. It’s awe-inspiring to be with you!
Q. What was your experience facing a fear from assignment/lesson 18? How effective were you at being able to think truth in spite of appearances?
I just went and re-read the fears I had written down, and it was so good to read through that and see that I had truly let go of those fears. It was a powerful release for me to write it all down and get it out, so it wasn’t keeping me stuck.
So in answer to this question, I feel like I was able to think truth in spite of appearances very well, and probably better than I expected. Going back and reading through that made me realize that where I was at that time is a very different place from where I am now! I’m so grateful to be where I am. I feel so blessed to have experienced some success!! It definitely has given me deeper understanding of and greater confidence in these principles!
Writing is a powerful way to not only create what we desire, but also to release things such as doubt and fear that are not serving us. As Krista finds here, reading that tangible evidence of where she used to be (full of fears and doubts) to where she is (full of gratitude for what she and God had accomplished together), she was given a boost of confidence that will carry her into future goal experiences.
Q. Did you experience a Terror Barrier Breakthrough during the course?
Yes, I feel like I broke through several. There are 2 that stand out for me above the rest. The first is that I was so afraid that the Lord would abandon me. I put a LOT of effort and speed into a “seemingly” inconsequential goal early on in the course that gave me a sour result, and it left me feeling very disheartened and feeling as though the Lord didn’t care enough to help me or to pay attention to my needs.
That fear was again triggered at Genius Bootcamp in January, and I recognized that I had this fear of abandonment from previous experiences. This made my midterm goal VERY difficult, because I was terrified that it wouldn’t work. That the Lord wouldn’t come through for me, but I had to take a couple of days and release a lot of emotion, and replace it with words, images, and thoughts of faith…which is when I wrote up a very personalized stickman figure and put it on my wall to remind me what was happening behind the scenes, to help me trust that “it was on its way.” And that helped me tremendously to set that goal, and in turn, achieve it.
Secondly, with my short term goal being a money goal, I had a LOT of fear show up around money. I have tried so many times to receive money…or other monetary things like a fridge, a car, a new job, and other things that have never gone very well, and it has been difficult to believe that money could show up for me like it does for others.
And it wasn’t even about the money so much, as it was about learning how to make it work! I want to teach it, so I want to make sure I know how to do it, and that I CAN do it! And my worst fear was that I would never successfully figure it out and of course, another fear told me that that meant I wouldn’t be a successful teacher/facilitator, but again, I had to continually walk through that one, over and over, as I continued to search for evidence that my goal was working, and then finally it did!
That was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in a long time!!!
Great job, Krista! Your demonstration of continuing to actively search for evidence that your goal was on its way to you and believing that the laws were working for you is inspiring. Well done!
Q. What would you tell someone who is facing their fear right now?
I would tell them that #1: it will be so helpful to write down, talk to a friend, get it out some how all the fear and emotion they are feeling…live through the worst case scenario, like Leslie suggests (answer the what if questions), and then the fear has less of a hold on you, #2: Keep smiling, keep finding things to smile about, and allow yourself to choose joy each day; forget about what you’re trying to achieve, and do something that relaxes you, do something that you enjoy, that fills you with light and love and lifts your soul! and #3: What you want wants you!
Be patient while the roots of your dream are growing…unseen energy and help are in the process of building your dream, of getting your order right, and you don’t want an “undercooked dream.” Hang on and trust that it IS HAPPENING for you!
This is all excellent advice, and these things you have learned and then put into action is exactly what makes us proud to have you as part of our Rare Faith Facilitator Family. Thank you Krista for your example and for sharing your experiences with us!
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- The Rare Faith Book – Part 1 - November 20, 2024
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