Authors: Eldon Taylor

Choices and Illusions (31 page)

and thoughts of being not good enough were the powerful motivator

that encouraged me to make the most regrettable choice of my life.

A year after I started down the path that I thought would lead

me to the bright lights of Broadway, I quit college. My vocal professor, the “Ice Queen,” as I called her, stopped me at the door. “dede, what are you doing? You are one of my most promising students!”

But I couldn’t hear her—didn’t want to hear her, I suppose. I just

wanted to get out, away from the fear that overshadowed my talent

and corrupted my dream.

now, as I look back with wisdom honed by experience, it never

dawned on me to turn around and question the validity of those

fears. It never dawned on me to just feel those fears and keep on

going. no, I just wanted relief, and to me, relief meant I had to get away and forget about my dream.

What was I to do with my life now? I’m confused. I’m angry.

I’m sad. I’m depressed. I’m lost.

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Figuratively, I snapped my fingers. “Wait! I’ve got it! I’ll go make money! Everyone knows having money makes you feel powerful,

beautiful, accepted, and happy. And maybe, just maybe, I will

finally feel like a star!”

avoiding pain

So that’s what I did. I got myself a starring role as a sales executive, and man, did the money ever come rolling in. I had the big

house, the nice car, fabulous clothes, and
status.
I had everything I just knew would make me feel everything I wanted to feel.

But dreams don’t die so easily, and the dede I left behind,

the dede I tried to push down and tried to ignore, was still very

vibrant, alive, and “vocal,” some might say outspoken. She kept

calling out to me, “dede, hey, we can still do this. We can still live our dream. It’s not too late! dede, damn it, wake up!”

did she really think I could to go back there, go back to pain

and discomfort? no way! Has she lost her mind? She had to be

drowned out. I had to shut her up before she did the unthinkable—

wake me up and cause me to look at the truth of my life. I had to

do something quick!

So I outsmarted her, you see. That is when I fell in love with Mr.

Cabernet Sauvignon. Big, bold, charming, and suave Mr. Cabernet!

I couldn’t get enough. I had to have him every single night. In fact, for the next 24 years we would stay attached at the hip, smashed

cheek-to-cheek, taking the world by storm! That chatty, chatty

dede would finally be silenced!

She did stay silent for a very long time, that is, until early 2007.

It was a Friday the 13th, and my fiancé and I were at a business

conference in Austin, Texas. In two months we would be in Mexico

at our beautiful oceanfront wedding. The problem was that I was

still very much involved with Mr. Cabernet. due to my unwilling-

ness to end this threesome, tensions were mounting. We were like

a rubber band, stretched to its limit. now, 13 must be my lucky

number. like I said, it was a Friday the 13th, I was born on the 13th, and I had 13 glasses of wine that night. Yes, 13! don’t try this at home—it’s for professionals only! not pretty!

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CHOICES AND ILLUSIONS

Silence Is Deafening

I didn’t know it, but I was about to get the wakeup call of my

life. You see, the morning after my pass-out-under-the-table, act-

like-a-fool, 13-glasses-of-wine drink fest, everything had changed.

My fiancé had had enough. He was done talking—no more beg-

ging, no more pleading, only silence. You know the silence that is

just deafening? He was done. He had let go. And like a rubber band

when it’s released, it hit me so hard that I was snapped completely out of my 24-year, self-made illusion. life as I knew it was over,

and so was my relationship with Mr. Cabernet. It was one of the

toughest things I’ve ever done, but I threw him out with nothing

but the cork he popped in with!

By the way, my fiancé did stick with me, and we did have that

beautiful oceanfront wedding. He is the spark that ignited my “snap power” and one of the main reasons I am living my dream today!

So, yes, I know very well how choices and illusions do indeed

shape our lives. The question is, can we become willing to honestly look at the illusions fueling our choices? Can we wake up to the

pain that led us to medicate, sedate, and control our lives, even to the point that we’re now but a fragment of who we were born to

be, who we really are? Can we become willing to make a different

choice, especially when it’s uncomfortable and unfamiliar? It took

me 24 years to wake up and stand up, but now I know the answer

is a resounding yes!

Eldon Taylor’s InnerTalk work has been an integral part of my

life for as long as I can remember. during my sales career, I pur-

chased many InnerTalk programs like
Ultra Enthusiasm, Extreme

Confidence,
and
Visualizing for Success
until I actually became a success even while I was still an alcoholic.

true recovery!

When I decided to let go of my chosen painkiller, the one that

was killing me rather than taking away the pain, I knew I needed

to walk through some incredibly uncomfortable feelings and start

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reprogramming my mind, body, and soul. not an easy task, so

once again I turned to Eldon’s InnerTalk Cds. I purchased
Ending
Self-Destructive Patterns, Overcoming Alcoholism, Manifesting Your
Vision,
and
Infinitely Creative.
I committed to listening to one of these programs every day for at least one hour.

My results were astounding, nothing short of a miracle! In

2008, the anesthetized dede finally woke up, and she stood up and

snapped back to life! She was alive. She could actually feel again.

Yes, I finally integrated my two dede’s. My creativity and cour-

age began to explode. My passion for singing and entertaining was

back in full force. I have no illusions about some of the techniques that aided me on my path. The daily listening to Eldon’s InnerTalk programs significantly influenced my thinking and helped

changed the direction of my life.

When you believe in you, when you believe you can, that’s

when miracles happen. I often think about the difference between

that girl who drank for 24 years and this new girl today. There is

really only one difference: her mind. My talents and my abilities

lay within me always, just waiting for me to wake up and believe.

Since waking up, standing up, and snapping out of it, I have

been experiencing some incredibly fulfilling opportunities and

projects. In 2008, I created a highly successful interview-style radio show called
The Snap Out of It! Show
and then established my own radio network, the Snap Out of It! Radio network, to showcase my

program and others. I’ve interviewed hundreds of luminaries from

all walks of life. In 2009, I released an album of songs titled
I Believe.

I wrote the book
Wisdom Wedgies & Life’s Little Zingers.
I’ve written countless articles and been a guest on dozens of radio shows.

I also launched my speaking career and produced the “Snap Out

of It!” Women’s Conference. In 2011, I fulfilled a lifelong dream

of singing for my beloved new York Yankees in Yankee Stadium. I

regularly sing for such top organizations as the nBA’s Oklahoma

City Thunder and the MlB’s Houston Astros.

Plans are underway for my one-woman show,
If I Stop, Then

Who Am I?
an autobiographical musical journey about the illusion of distractions and addictions that asks the question: If we stop and 189

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CHOICES AND ILLUSIONS

let go of all that we currently believe to be true about who we are and what we are, then who will we be?

life is indeed full of choices and illusions. What I know today

is this: If we do not examine our illusions, they can take us far, far away from our intended path. I also know, however, that it’s never

too late to make a different choice, never too late to question what we currently believe to be true, and certainly never too late to lean into and accept the unfamiliar and the unknown.

I thank God every day for the works of Eldon Taylor, for he

has helped me to reshape, reprogram, and regain my courage and

confidence, which ultimately helped me to see who I truly am.

You could say he helped me wake up, stand up, and snap out of it!

DeDe Murcer Moffett,

keynote speaker/author/talk-show host/recording artist

www.dedemurcermoffett.com

Wake Up, Stand Up & Snap Out of It!

My Warm, Fuzzy Feelings

let me share with you some other stories from people seeking

improvement in their lives who have worked with InnerTalk. These

represent a partial source of some of my own warm, fuzzy feelings,

but hopefully you will relate to at least one and gain the confidence necessary to take that step called change. We have run the studies, dozens of them, as I mentioned earlier. Still, there is truth in the words of nathanael Emmons: “Any fact is better established by two

or three good testimonials, than by a thousand arguments.”

“I deserve!” They are the two most life-changing and

most precious words in the English language. When you

say, “I deserve” and really mean it in your heart, your

life will change forever, permanently, and for the better!

When you feel that “you deserve,” you will no longer eat

yourself senseless and numb, because you know that “you

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deserve” to treat yourself with kindness and with compas-

sion. When you feel like “you deserve,” you will honor

yourself and respect others and no longer be a doormat

for the convenience of friends and family. When you state

loudly and proudly to the Universe, to God, and to the an-

gels that “you deserve,” you open yourself up to unlimited

possibilities. I know what I am talking about!

I Do Deserve Better

A few years ago my life was a living hell, but once I

summoned the courage and told myself that I do indeed

deserve better, my life was on the road to healing and

to new discovery! With the help of Eldon Taylor and his

Inner Talk programs, I was able to transform my life from

the inside out! I was once trapped in an abusive marriage,

thinking I deserved to be treated like dirt. I weighed 350

pounds and ate all of my frustration and my rage. I knew

deep down that I was smart, funny, and could do any-

thing, but I was verbally beaten down so badly that I for-

got who I was.

That all changed the moment it hit me that I really do

deserve. no one could take this step for me! I had to reach

out for help, and Eldon Taylor had the tools for the inner

change that I was praying for! The very first program that

I ordered was
Weight Loss Now.
I thought that being fat

was my problem, but being obese was just a symptom of

my low self-esteem. I listened to the InnerTalk programs

religiously, and slowly I began to see a change in how I

viewed food. I began losing weight, and I gained more

self-esteem, but I still felt like I needed more encourage-

ment. This time I ordered
Releasing Co-Dependent Patterns.

I learned that my husband could not abuse me without my

permission, and once I withdrew my permission, my life

really started to take off! For the first time in a long while,

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CHOICES AND ILLUSIONS

I felt worthwhile and worth the work that I was doing to

change my behavior.

Become Your Own hero

I continued listening to the programs, and I added to

my InnerTalk library. I ordered
Soaring Self-Esteem, Personal

Power, Releasing Anger,
and the most powerful program in

my arsenal,
Ending Self-Destructive Patterns.
I slowly was changing and finally had the courage to divorce my husband and to take on my own life. You see, when you de-

cide to take personal responsibility for yourself, and for

your actions, you become your own hero! I finally realized

that I had the power all along but needed the help from

InnerTalk to help me on my journey!

When I listened to these fine audio programs, I found

out that I was living under false programming—false pro-

gramming that I was calling my life! I took the first step

and called dr. Taylor for help.

Now I am happier, healthier, calmer,

thinner (150 pounds lighter),

but most important—I feel whole!

now, it is up to you to realize that you can take on your