2. Once Upon a Time There Was You Three Magic Secrets to Finding Your Real Self by Maia Merril Berens Th e Exercises and Tools © 2010 Maia Merril Berens Advanced Personal Development Program

3. Lesson 1 © 2010 Maia Merril Berens Advanced Personal Development Program To navigate through each slide, any time it seems like something should be coming onto the screen, use the arrows on your keyboard unless you are using the pdf version which may use a different form of navigation.

4. Following are explanations and exercises for you to do so that you can incorporate these three magic tools – the Three Magic Secrets - into your life. By doing so, you will begin the journey toward a more authentic life – becoming your Real Self. The movie you saw, Once Upon a Time There Was You: Three Magic Secrets to Finding Your Real Self, was my story. Your story is different. Wherever you come from, whatever your past, it too has been affected by your parents, your teachers, your peers, the media, the culture and the events of your life - big and small - more influences than you can even name. Not everyone has to leave their family or a bad relationship like I did. Wherever your story has led you, if you will apply the Three Magic Secrets as I have done, you too will continue to grow in happiness and purpose throughout your life. You will feel the spark in you that has been there since you were born. © 2010 Maia Merril Berens Advanced Personal Development Program

5. When you complete Lesson 5 , you’ll look a little more closely at what you learned from the story told in the movie. You’ll be looking at what helped the Woman-Who-Was-the-Girl-Who-Was-the-Light to make her life more meaningful using the many tools and exercises learned and used in the first 5 lessons . This will help you to integrate the Three Magic Secrets into your life. Once embarked upon, this journey to finding your Real Self is lifelong. It will not end when you complete this program. If you are anything like me, you will get good at using these tools and then you’ll be looking to add more to your spiritual and personal growth repertoire. © 2010 Maia Merril Berens Advanced Personal Development Program

6. You’ll remember that Magic Secret #1 , Life Is a School is both a tool and perspective that will change your life forever. By adopting it as a daily practice, you can’t help but succeed on this path toward uncovering your Real Self. And Magic Secret #3, My Cup Runneth Over, “ an attitude of gratitude,” can get you out of many low points including mild depression and feeling sorry for yourself. Magic Secret #2, Friend In-Deed is the use of a Special Buddy in the form of a friend, a life coach, a therapist, 12-Step sponsor or any combination of those people who is there for you indeed (“Certainly!” “In-deed!” meaning an action performed consciously) while you go through this process of uncovering your Real Self. It is fundamental that you gain support from and be completely honest with at least one other person, and, in so doing, your passage on the road to your Real Self will be greatly aided. (for the purposes of this Advanced program, you will have a life coach) © 2010 Maia Merril Berens Advanced Personal Development Program

7. With a “learn from everything” attitude, life becomes a revealing adventure. You see that everything that happens, seemingly negative or positive, is a gift or a blessing. Instead of experiencing your existence as random chaos, life becomes cohesive and purposeful. Adopting the belief that Life Is a School allows you to feel like you’re sitting on top of your life instead of your life sitting on top of you! Magic Secret #1 - Life Is a School Learn from Everything Why are we here? What is our purpose on earth? The day someone said to me “life is a school” is the day life really started to have meaning for me. I have found that adopting this point of view has brought about the most revolutionary changes and learning on my journey to re-discovering my Real Self. The exercises in this section are designed to expand your opportunities for self-discovery and provide the keys to meeting challenges that might otherwise elude you. They will give you ease with this point-of-view and a way to start practicing it immediately. © 2010 Maia Merril Berens Advanced Personal Development Program

10. Find-the-Gift Exercise Instructions Step 1 Instructions Write what I call your Current Picture in 3 sentences or less. The current picture is a situation in the present or something from the past that still has a negative charge, i.e. something that still elicits a negative emotional reaction when you think of it, or when you are in the presence of that person or situation. Following is and example with complete sample follows instructions. Maia’s Current Picture We moved to Las Vegas because my husband got a great job opportunity following the breakup of the Mars Venus organization. It’s one of the last places on earth we would have chosen to live. Moving away from most of my closest support system was very difficult because I’m a gregarious person. © 2010 Maia Merril Berens Advanced Personal Development Program

11. Step 2 Instructions 1. In your journal or on a piece of paper, draw a line across the middle of a page. Title the top part, “ Negatives ” and the bottom part, “ Learnings, Blessings and Gifts ”. 2. Now write four or five negatives about the situation in the “Current Picture”. 3. Then, on the bottom, four or five things you learned, can see were blessings in disguise and/or gifts you received from the situation. 4. A gift may be an actual object, but, most likely, it will be an unexpected benefit or something you’ve learned about yourself or life. 5. The number of negatives, blessings and learning/gifts may or may not be equal and are not necessarily related to the negatives listed above. 6. If you are having trouble finding any gifts or positives in the situation, ask yourself, “If I did learn anything from this, what would it be?” Sometimes phrasing things in this way “tricks” your denial system into allowing you to see what was previously hidden from our awareness. © 2010 Maia Merril Berens Advanced Personal Development Program

13. Step 3 After you finish your chart, a recap of the learning and gifts can be helpful. At this point in the process you will be taking the negative view you once held and transforming it into a more positive one. That’s called the New Picture . Take a moment to recap your learning now or let it emerge in the ensuing hours, days or weeks and then go back to write it down. Maia’s New Picture Living in Las Vegas is serving me perfectly to find more of my Real Self. It has made even the 120 degree heat seem ideal for this business of changing my life. If I begin to slip into or get stuck in any groans and moans, I easily get my positive attitude back by using this tool again. Much of the time, it has become second nature to me. If I find myself resistant to using this tool, I ask my Special Buddy or life coach for help. © 2010 Maia Merril Berens Advanced Personal Development Program

14. Now It’s Your Turn Using the instructions and previous sample, go ahead and do the same thing with a small or large situation in your life with which you are not happy. Since you’re in charge of how fast you go through this course and you may not want to spend a lot of time, it would be a great idea if you got a piece of paper or a notebook right now and do this exercise at least once before you move on. Don’t worry. We’ll wait. © 2010 Maia Merril Berens Advanced Personal Development Program

16. In the Lesson 2 you will continue to do more Find-the-Gift Follow-Ups. It will arrive in your inbox the day after tomorrow. © 2010 Maia Merril Berens Advanced Personal Development Program