One of the monks of Sceta said to Abbot Mateus:
?My tongue is always causing me problems. When I am amongst the faithful, I just can?t control myself and I end up condemning their wrong actions.?
The old abbot said to the distraught monk:
?If you really don?t think you are capable of controlling yourself, then leave teaching and go back to the desert. But don?t delude yourself: choosing solitude as an escape from a problem is always a proof of weakness.?
?What should I do then??
?Admit that you have some faults in order to avoid any pernicious feelings of superiority. And do your best to get things right when you can.?
Light
"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." -Edith Wharton |
I am a human being, not a human doing
Don?t equate your self-worth with how well you do things in life. You aren?t what you do. If you are what you do, then when you don?t . . . you aren?t.
Eight ways to tap into the power of intention and feel great every day
- Make meditation a regular practice in your life. You need to take time to get quiet, to go within, and from this silence make conscious contact with the source of intention. You're already connected to everything that you perceive as missing from your life; go with a realign.
- Become conscious of the foods you eat. Foods high in alkalinity such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, soy, nonyeast breads and virgin olive oil are high-energy foods and will strengthen you, while highly acidic foods such as flour-based cereals, meats, dairy and sugars lower energy and will weaken you.
- Retreat from low-energy substance. Alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, sugar and virtually all artificial drugs, legal or otherwise, lower your body's energy level and weaken you.
- Become aware of the energy level of the music you listen to. Some rap music?filled with profanity and messages about killing, for example?is an energy drain, while music that has a more soothing impact on the soul has been proven to be beneficial.
- Become aware of the energy levels of your home environment. Make your home a nurturing, cheerful and peaceful environment.
- Reduce your exposure to low-energy commercial television. Children see 12,000 simulated murders on TV before their 14th birthday! Television news puts a heavy emphasis on the bad and the ugly, leaving out the good.
- Enhance your energy field with photographs. Every photograph contains energy. Carry and display photos taken in moments of happiness, love and receptivity.
- Become conscious of the energy levels of your acquaintances, friends and extended family. Choose to be in close proximity to those who are empowering, who see the greatness in you, who feel connected to spirit.
My inner being is serene and peaceful.
Happiness, fulfillment, and purpose in life are all inner concepts. If you don?t have inner peace and serenity, then you have nothing.
Bows and Arrows
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows, are sent forth
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite
And He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far
Let our bending in the archer's hand be for gladness
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.
-Kahlil Gibran
THE CIRCLE
"Every communication is either an act of love or a cry for
help."
-from 'A Course in Miracles'
Steve Hardison is a somewhat legendary figure in the coaching world, not only for his incredible effectiveness but also for the jaw dropping fees he charges and his ability to ask pretty much anyone for pretty much anything.
One of my favorite stories about him dates back to his time as a missionary for the Mormon church. One time, Steve had gone up to a house begun speaking with a man who answered the door about the church's teachings. While no doubt he had experienced doors being slammed many times over the years, this man went a step further and actually punched him in the face and Steve's nose began to bleed. Without missing a beat, he asked the man for a towel to help stop the bleeding so they could continue their conversation.
What is it that allows one person to ask and ask and ask for what they want while others stop themselves before even popping the very first question?
One answer is that it's our ability to not take the word "no" personally, no matter how dramatically that "no" may be delivered. And one of the things which can make it considerably easier to do is to know that that response invariably comes from one of three places:
1. Fear that you will "make" them hear something they don't want to hear or do something they don't want to do
2. A lack of information or understanding of how what you're asking will be of benefit to them either directly or indirectly
3. A genuine awareness on their part that they do no want to be, do or have what you are requesting
If their response is coming from fear, you don't have to take it personally because it is about their internal state, not you or your external request. If it's coming from a lack of information, it's still impersonal - it's up to you whether or not to continue until they have enough information to make an informed decision. If they're saying "no" because they really don't want to, it's still nothing to do with you - it's simply a statement from them to them about their willingness to trust their own intuition, awareness and inner knowing.
So why do we take "no" so personally?
Because when we make our requests, we tend to put our self-image and self-esteem and even physical survival on the line along with whatever it is we are requesting. Instead of simply asking for the sale, the job, or their hand in marriage, our self-directed subtext gets rolled into the question and what we are actually asking goes a little something like this:
"Would you please do as I'm requesting *and* approve of me, affirm me as a human being, ensure I have enough money to survive and let me know I'm worthy of your acceptance?"
That's a tall order for anyone, let alone someone you've never met before!
Here's a simple exercise I call "the circle" which will help you to prepare for any request you want to make without making or taking things personally...
-------------------
Today's Experiment:
-------------------
1. Imagine you are sitting in the very center of a circle.
2. Now, imagine that all the people who love and care for you take their place in that circle and are looking directly at you in a loving way.
Don't limit yourself to "reality" - your circle can include people from your past, present and future; it can include pets, characters from books and movies, even divine beings. Keep filling the circle until you feel almost overwhelmed with an absolute knowing that no matter what you do or don't do, you are loved exactly the way that you are.
3. When you're ready, imagine someone you want to make a request of standing outside of the circle. Continue to feel the love and care of your circle as you ask them for what you want from them and for them.
Once you've got the experience of being safely inside, there are a number of fun ways of making use of the circle to recondition your thinking about how easy it can be to ask for what you want:
*From within your circle, imagine the person says "no" out of fear that you'll somehow "make" them do something. Can you see their fear? How else could you respond to put them at their ease?
*Now, imagine them saying "no" because they don't have enough information. What could you do to make sure they really know how much what you are asking will do for them, directly or indirectly?
*Imagine they are saying "no" because they simply don't want to. Tune back into the loving faces and energy in your circle until you can hear that "no" and know it cannot harm you in any way, shape or form. Then imagine yourself asking person after person again and again until some begin to enthusiastically say "yes" to your request!
*What's the worst thing you can imagine someone saying or doing in response to your request? Is it someone punching you in the face? Shouting at you? Pointing at you and laughing and whispering to their friends?
Whatever it is, connect with the energy of your circle and watch them do what they do, knowing that it is nothing to do with you and everything to do with their own unhappiness, confusion and misunderstanding.
4. Take your circle with you into the world. Tune back into it in the moments before you approach anyone about anything until you know that no matter what happens, you are safe, you are valued and you are loved.
And for those of you who want me there, I look forward to seeing you in your circle!
With love,
Michael
http://www.geniuscatalyst.com/
help."
-from 'A Course in Miracles'
Steve Hardison is a somewhat legendary figure in the coaching world, not only for his incredible effectiveness but also for the jaw dropping fees he charges and his ability to ask pretty much anyone for pretty much anything.
One of my favorite stories about him dates back to his time as a missionary for the Mormon church. One time, Steve had gone up to a house begun speaking with a man who answered the door about the church's teachings. While no doubt he had experienced doors being slammed many times over the years, this man went a step further and actually punched him in the face and Steve's nose began to bleed. Without missing a beat, he asked the man for a towel to help stop the bleeding so they could continue their conversation.
What is it that allows one person to ask and ask and ask for what they want while others stop themselves before even popping the very first question?
One answer is that it's our ability to not take the word "no" personally, no matter how dramatically that "no" may be delivered. And one of the things which can make it considerably easier to do is to know that that response invariably comes from one of three places:
1. Fear that you will "make" them hear something they don't want to hear or do something they don't want to do
2. A lack of information or understanding of how what you're asking will be of benefit to them either directly or indirectly
3. A genuine awareness on their part that they do no want to be, do or have what you are requesting
If their response is coming from fear, you don't have to take it personally because it is about their internal state, not you or your external request. If it's coming from a lack of information, it's still impersonal - it's up to you whether or not to continue until they have enough information to make an informed decision. If they're saying "no" because they really don't want to, it's still nothing to do with you - it's simply a statement from them to them about their willingness to trust their own intuition, awareness and inner knowing.
So why do we take "no" so personally?
Because when we make our requests, we tend to put our self-image and self-esteem and even physical survival on the line along with whatever it is we are requesting. Instead of simply asking for the sale, the job, or their hand in marriage, our self-directed subtext gets rolled into the question and what we are actually asking goes a little something like this:
"Would you please do as I'm requesting *and* approve of me, affirm me as a human being, ensure I have enough money to survive and let me know I'm worthy of your acceptance?"
That's a tall order for anyone, let alone someone you've never met before!
Here's a simple exercise I call "the circle" which will help you to prepare for any request you want to make without making or taking things personally...
-------------------
Today's Experiment:
-------------------
1. Imagine you are sitting in the very center of a circle.
2. Now, imagine that all the people who love and care for you take their place in that circle and are looking directly at you in a loving way.
Don't limit yourself to "reality" - your circle can include people from your past, present and future; it can include pets, characters from books and movies, even divine beings. Keep filling the circle until you feel almost overwhelmed with an absolute knowing that no matter what you do or don't do, you are loved exactly the way that you are.
3. When you're ready, imagine someone you want to make a request of standing outside of the circle. Continue to feel the love and care of your circle as you ask them for what you want from them and for them.
Once you've got the experience of being safely inside, there are a number of fun ways of making use of the circle to recondition your thinking about how easy it can be to ask for what you want:
*From within your circle, imagine the person says "no" out of fear that you'll somehow "make" them do something. Can you see their fear? How else could you respond to put them at their ease?
*Now, imagine them saying "no" because they don't have enough information. What could you do to make sure they really know how much what you are asking will do for them, directly or indirectly?
*Imagine they are saying "no" because they simply don't want to. Tune back into the loving faces and energy in your circle until you can hear that "no" and know it cannot harm you in any way, shape or form. Then imagine yourself asking person after person again and again until some begin to enthusiastically say "yes" to your request!
*What's the worst thing you can imagine someone saying or doing in response to your request? Is it someone punching you in the face? Shouting at you? Pointing at you and laughing and whispering to their friends?
Whatever it is, connect with the energy of your circle and watch them do what they do, knowing that it is nothing to do with you and everything to do with their own unhappiness, confusion and misunderstanding.
4. Take your circle with you into the world. Tune back into it in the moments before you approach anyone about anything until you know that no matter what happens, you are safe, you are valued and you are loved.
And for those of you who want me there, I look forward to seeing you in your circle!
With love,
Michael
http://www.geniuscatalyst.com/
THE WEINER QUESTION
"The greatest task before civilization at present is to make machines what they ought to be, the slaves, instead of the masters of men."
-Havelock Ellis
On a teleclass with author Gay Hendricks, I heard for the first time the story of how epistemologist Gregory Bateson had come up with the double-bind theory of schizophrenia, considered one of the first true inroads into the understanding and treatment of the illness in the 1950's.
Apparently, Bateson had been having lunch with his friend Norbert Weiner, the father of modern cybernetic science. Over lunch, Bateson attempted to explain to Weiner his problems in developing a working theory (and in so doing effect a possible cure) of the causes of schizophrenia.
After listening for a time, Weiner threw up his hands in frustration and said "I'm an engineer, not a psychologist - let me ask you a question... if I were going to build a machine which produced that result, what would the machine need to do?"
It was in attempting to answer what Hendricks affectionately calls 'the Weiner question' that Bateson developed his theory, and answering the same question can lead to wonderful insights into the many psychological barriers we put up between ourselves and the life of our dreams.
For example, one of my clients was continually overeating, no matter how hard she tried to 'be good' and lose weight. I asked a variation on the Weiner question:
"If I were going to build a machine that produced consistent overeating just the way you do it, what would the machine need to do?"
Well, she worked out that her machine would need to run non-stop advertisements for chocolate and ice-cream and pizza and cake in her brain - an endless reel of mini-movies designed to make those foods appeal to every sense.
Then, at the end of each commercial, it would show a videotape of her mother pointing at her and telling her that she couldn't eat any of the foods or she'd be in big trouble.
Finally, with her tastebuds salivating and her inner rebel aroused, the machine would whisper in her ear a litany of 'positive' affirmations, like "you work hard - you deserve a treat", "one bite won't hurt you", or my personal favorite, "it's not spiritual to focus on outer beauty".
Having designed her overeating machine, she was then able to modify it to produce a different result. Using a bit of creative visualization, she replaced the mental advertisements of food with movies showing her looking and feeling great.
Then, instead of her mother, Tony Robbins would come out, pointing at her and telling her she could do anything she wanted to do and no-one could stop her.
Finally, she wrote out a new, consciously created litany of affirmations, including 'nothing tastes as good as thin feels', 'I feel energized and alive throughout the day', and the oddly effective 'the more I speak my truth, the thinner I get'!
Thirty pounds and sixty days later, she had transformed her eating habits and perhaps more importantly, had begun speaking her truth in a variety of situations where in the past she would have 'shoved it down into her stomach'.
Ready to experiment with the Weiner question for yourself?
1. Think of a barrier to your success in one or more areas of your life. How do you get in your own way? What result do you continually produce in your life that you would like to change?
2. Now ask yourself the Weiner question:
"If I were going to build a machine which that produced that result, what would the machine need to do?"
3. Design your machine. It can be as simple or as elaborate as you make it.
4. Next, modify the design. What would you need to change about how the machine worked in order to produce a different result?
5. Implement the changes in your life!
Here's one last question for you:
If I were going to build a machine that had fun and learned heaps, what would that machine need to do?
With love,
michael
http://www.geniuscatalyst.com/
-Havelock Ellis
On a teleclass with author Gay Hendricks, I heard for the first time the story of how epistemologist Gregory Bateson had come up with the double-bind theory of schizophrenia, considered one of the first true inroads into the understanding and treatment of the illness in the 1950's.
Apparently, Bateson had been having lunch with his friend Norbert Weiner, the father of modern cybernetic science. Over lunch, Bateson attempted to explain to Weiner his problems in developing a working theory (and in so doing effect a possible cure) of the causes of schizophrenia.
After listening for a time, Weiner threw up his hands in frustration and said "I'm an engineer, not a psychologist - let me ask you a question... if I were going to build a machine which produced that result, what would the machine need to do?"
It was in attempting to answer what Hendricks affectionately calls 'the Weiner question' that Bateson developed his theory, and answering the same question can lead to wonderful insights into the many psychological barriers we put up between ourselves and the life of our dreams.
For example, one of my clients was continually overeating, no matter how hard she tried to 'be good' and lose weight. I asked a variation on the Weiner question:
"If I were going to build a machine that produced consistent overeating just the way you do it, what would the machine need to do?"
Well, she worked out that her machine would need to run non-stop advertisements for chocolate and ice-cream and pizza and cake in her brain - an endless reel of mini-movies designed to make those foods appeal to every sense.
Then, at the end of each commercial, it would show a videotape of her mother pointing at her and telling her that she couldn't eat any of the foods or she'd be in big trouble.
Finally, with her tastebuds salivating and her inner rebel aroused, the machine would whisper in her ear a litany of 'positive' affirmations, like "you work hard - you deserve a treat", "one bite won't hurt you", or my personal favorite, "it's not spiritual to focus on outer beauty".
Having designed her overeating machine, she was then able to modify it to produce a different result. Using a bit of creative visualization, she replaced the mental advertisements of food with movies showing her looking and feeling great.
Then, instead of her mother, Tony Robbins would come out, pointing at her and telling her she could do anything she wanted to do and no-one could stop her.
Finally, she wrote out a new, consciously created litany of affirmations, including 'nothing tastes as good as thin feels', 'I feel energized and alive throughout the day', and the oddly effective 'the more I speak my truth, the thinner I get'!
Thirty pounds and sixty days later, she had transformed her eating habits and perhaps more importantly, had begun speaking her truth in a variety of situations where in the past she would have 'shoved it down into her stomach'.
Ready to experiment with the Weiner question for yourself?
1. Think of a barrier to your success in one or more areas of your life. How do you get in your own way? What result do you continually produce in your life that you would like to change?
2. Now ask yourself the Weiner question:
"If I were going to build a machine which that produced that result, what would the machine need to do?"
3. Design your machine. It can be as simple or as elaborate as you make it.
4. Next, modify the design. What would you need to change about how the machine worked in order to produce a different result?
5. Implement the changes in your life!
Here's one last question for you:
If I were going to build a machine that had fun and learned heaps, what would that machine need to do?
With love,
michael
http://www.geniuscatalyst.com/
IT'S NEVER OVER UNTIL YOU SAY IT'S OVER
The power to hold on in spite of everything, to endure,
this is the quality of a winner.
Your greatest glory is not in never failing,
but in rising every time you fail.
It's your constant and determined effort
that will eventually break down all resistance
and sweep all the barriers before you.
Persistence means taking pains to overcome every obstacle,
to do all that's necessary to reach your goal.
All great achievements require time.
Endurance is the crowning quality of success.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Growing ourselves
?The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.?
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes
We are all on a life-long journey. It is a search for who we are and why we are here. It is a journey that expands our consciousness.
There is an urge within each of us to move forward in life. It is an urge to become more whole, to find more meaning, and eventually to help others. It is human nature to strive for a sense of well-being.
We all go through the same growth cycles, though our experiences may appear entirely different. By understanding the process of personal and spiritual growth, we can work more effectively with the process, instead of fighting and resisting it.
?We can learn to be the catalysts for our own change.?
-- Sarah Ban Breathnach
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
A higher perspective on time
"Be mindful of how you approach time. Watching the clock is not the same as watching the sun rise."
-- Sophia Bedford-Pierce
What would your soul consider a waste of time?
To a soul, the only real time is right NOW. Not the future or the past. It lives in connecting deeply with the rich experience of each moment. Through awareness we can be in touch with our authentic self and how it perceives all of the energies and guidance around and within us.
"Chronos is clocks, deadlines, watches, calendars, agendas, planners, schedules, beepers. Chronos is time at her worst. Chronos keeps track. ...Chronos is the world's time. Kairos is transcendence, infinity, reverence, joy, passion, love, the Sacred. Kairos is intimacy with the Real. Kairos is time at her best. ...Kairos is Spirit's time. We exist in chronos. We long for kairos. That's our duality. Chronos requires speed so that it won't be wasted. Kairos requires space so that it might be savored. We do in chronos. In kairos we're allowed to be ... It takes only a moment to cross over from chronos into kairos, but it does take a moment. All that kairos asks is our willingness to stop running long enough to hear the music of the spheres."
-- Sarah Ban Breathnach
"He who postpones the hour of living rightly is like the rustic who waits for the river to run out before he crosses."
-- Horace
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
-- Sophia Bedford-Pierce
What would your soul consider a waste of time?
To a soul, the only real time is right NOW. Not the future or the past. It lives in connecting deeply with the rich experience of each moment. Through awareness we can be in touch with our authentic self and how it perceives all of the energies and guidance around and within us.
"Chronos is clocks, deadlines, watches, calendars, agendas, planners, schedules, beepers. Chronos is time at her worst. Chronos keeps track. ...Chronos is the world's time. Kairos is transcendence, infinity, reverence, joy, passion, love, the Sacred. Kairos is intimacy with the Real. Kairos is time at her best. ...Kairos is Spirit's time. We exist in chronos. We long for kairos. That's our duality. Chronos requires speed so that it won't be wasted. Kairos requires space so that it might be savored. We do in chronos. In kairos we're allowed to be ... It takes only a moment to cross over from chronos into kairos, but it does take a moment. All that kairos asks is our willingness to stop running long enough to hear the music of the spheres."
-- Sarah Ban Breathnach
"He who postpones the hour of living rightly is like the rustic who waits for the river to run out before he crosses."
-- Horace
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
STAY IN THE GAME IF YOU WANT TO WIN
The more you try, the greater your chance of succeeding.
The law of averages is on your side.
Taking a risk is often your first necessary step toward success.
If you don't take some risks, you won't get the chance to succeed.
While you are trying, you are winning.
Never get discouraged.
Every wrong attempt is another step forward.
People that make no mistakes usually don't make anything.
Make up your mind not merely to overcome a thousand obstacles,
but to win in spite of a thousand defeats.
Your mistakes are stepping stones
to success and your installment payments to victory.
You can't be a winner and be afraid to lose.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
The law of averages is on your side.
Taking a risk is often your first necessary step toward success.
If you don't take some risks, you won't get the chance to succeed.
While you are trying, you are winning.
Never get discouraged.
Every wrong attempt is another step forward.
People that make no mistakes usually don't make anything.
Make up your mind not merely to overcome a thousand obstacles,
but to win in spite of a thousand defeats.
Your mistakes are stepping stones
to success and your installment payments to victory.
You can't be a winner and be afraid to lose.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
UNUSUAL GRATITUDE
"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice."
-Meister Eckhart
I just got back from 2 wonderful weeks away with my family and was greeted on my return with an e-mail from a magazine requesting that I send them a list of ten unusual things I am grateful for in my life.
In other words, what are you grateful for that you suspect wouldn't be likely to turn up on other people's lists?
Here are some examples received (with gratitude!) from a few of my friends:
...the fact that if Harper Lee was to write only one novel, it was "To Kill a Mockingbird."
...Monet's "Banks of the Seine."
...pizza with mushrooms and black olives.
...no lick stamps
...scientific names for unpleasant things that make them sound okay
...the passing of the disco music era
... the giddiness of creating
... the unbridled excitement my coming home unleashes with my dogs
...spray adhesive
...the fact that you never will be able to reach the end of the rainbow. But you can always try.
What makes this exercise so enjoyable is that it makes full use of one of the most basic principles of the mind:
*What you focus on, you get more of*
By directing your mind towards things which trigger feelings of gratitude in you, you not only begin to notice more things, you get to feel more good feelings. And what makes the exercise so useful is that those feelings of gratitude so often begin to trigger an inflow of more good things into your life.
------------------------------
Today's Experiment:
------------------------------
1. Make a list of ten unusual things you are grateful for in your life. If you like, jot down a few of the reasons those things make you grateful.
2. Post your list to the MNCT/Radio Show forum at: http://geniuscatalyst.com/newforums/index.php
3. Enjoy!
I've posted my list of ten on the forums to get things started...
Have fun, learn heaps, and thanks for playing!
With love,
michael
-Meister Eckhart
I just got back from 2 wonderful weeks away with my family and was greeted on my return with an e-mail from a magazine requesting that I send them a list of ten unusual things I am grateful for in my life.
In other words, what are you grateful for that you suspect wouldn't be likely to turn up on other people's lists?
Here are some examples received (with gratitude!) from a few of my friends:
...the fact that if Harper Lee was to write only one novel, it was "To Kill a Mockingbird."
...Monet's "Banks of the Seine."
...pizza with mushrooms and black olives.
...no lick stamps
...scientific names for unpleasant things that make them sound okay
...the passing of the disco music era
... the giddiness of creating
... the unbridled excitement my coming home unleashes with my dogs
...spray adhesive
...the fact that you never will be able to reach the end of the rainbow. But you can always try.
What makes this exercise so enjoyable is that it makes full use of one of the most basic principles of the mind:
*What you focus on, you get more of*
By directing your mind towards things which trigger feelings of gratitude in you, you not only begin to notice more things, you get to feel more good feelings. And what makes the exercise so useful is that those feelings of gratitude so often begin to trigger an inflow of more good things into your life.
------------------------------
Today's Experiment:
------------------------------
1. Make a list of ten unusual things you are grateful for in your life. If you like, jot down a few of the reasons those things make you grateful.
2. Post your list to the MNCT/Radio Show forum at: http://geniuscatalyst.com/newforums/index.php
3. Enjoy!
I've posted my list of ten on the forums to get things started...
Have fun, learn heaps, and thanks for playing!
With love,
michael
YOUR FUTURE IS A BIG ADVENTURE
Prepare for your future, don't live in the past.
Savor your good memories,
and use any bad ones as lessons in life.
You need to focus on your future not on your past.
Carve out a niche for yourself in your imagined future.
Think, feel and see yourself as successful.
To achieve any goal in life,
you need to project your end result.
Think of the elation, the satisfaction,
the joy you'll feel when you reach your goal.
Carry these ecstatic feelings with you every day
and they'll bring your desired goals into view.
Sooner or later, you can win, if you think you can.
The cards you are dealt in life
are less important than the way you play them.
Every day you're offered a new deal and new cards.
Success is out there for you.
Don't wait for it to come to you, go out and find it.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Savor your good memories,
and use any bad ones as lessons in life.
You need to focus on your future not on your past.
Carve out a niche for yourself in your imagined future.
Think, feel and see yourself as successful.
To achieve any goal in life,
you need to project your end result.
Think of the elation, the satisfaction,
the joy you'll feel when you reach your goal.
Carry these ecstatic feelings with you every day
and they'll bring your desired goals into view.
Sooner or later, you can win, if you think you can.
The cards you are dealt in life
are less important than the way you play them.
Every day you're offered a new deal and new cards.
Success is out there for you.
Don't wait for it to come to you, go out and find it.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Conscious communication
?If we want to be compassionate we must be conscious of the words we use. We must both speak and listen from the heart.?
-- Marshall B. Rosenberg
Conscious communication requires us to be truly present to what is occurring. When we are unconscious, we both speak to and react to others out of habit. And in the face of what we perceive as someone?s judgment and criticism, we automatically (and unconsciously) defend, withdraw or attack.
To communicate consciously requires attention to two areas:
I need to speak from awareness of what I am perceiving, feeling and needing, and
Through watching and listening, I need to be aware of those same needs in others.
?When we focus on clarifying what is being observed, felt, and needed rather than on diagnosing and judging, we discover the depth of our own compassion.?
-- Marshall B. Rosenberg
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These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
-- Marshall B. Rosenberg
Conscious communication requires us to be truly present to what is occurring. When we are unconscious, we both speak to and react to others out of habit. And in the face of what we perceive as someone?s judgment and criticism, we automatically (and unconsciously) defend, withdraw or attack.
To communicate consciously requires attention to two areas:
I need to speak from awareness of what I am perceiving, feeling and needing, and
Through watching and listening, I need to be aware of those same needs in others.
?When we focus on clarifying what is being observed, felt, and needed rather than on diagnosing and judging, we discover the depth of our own compassion.?
-- Marshall B. Rosenberg
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
How much of this is mine?
"The collective energy generated from the feelings, thoughts, and attitudes of the almost six billion people on this planet creates an atmosphere or 'consciousness climate.' Surrounding us like the air we breathe, this consciousness climate affects us most strongly on energetic and emotional levels."
-- Doc Childre and Howard Martin
Feeling angry, sad or anxious? You might ask, 'How much of this is mine'?
Those of us who are sensitive sometimes pick up on emotional, mental or physical energy in the environment. It feels like ours ? we really do feel the emotions or physical or mental symptoms. But really, we are processing 'generic' energies that belong to others or to humanity as a whole.
Opening to the possibility that our experiences may not be completely ours helps us detach from them. When we don?t completely identify with our thoughts and feelings, we gain power over them.
"If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear ' as it is, infinite.'
-- William Blake
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These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
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Self Love
Greetings,
The following guidelines and follow-through are crucial for self-love, confidence
and self esteem.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5 of the 50 Guidelines for Self Love and Follow Through
Exclusive excerpt from:
Dear God, How Can I Finally Love Myself?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5 of the 50 Guidelines for Self Love
Book Cover, Dear God, How Can I Finally Love Myself? [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=fuquddcab.0.489qrnbab.gn8ivwn6.12756&ts=S0264&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.borntoinspire.com%2Fid3.html]
1. I never explain my personal views or spiritual preferences to people who cannot
relate. I share what I choose to share only with people who can be supportive rather
than arguing with me to negate my truth.
2. I admit my true feelings to myself rather than fighting them and trying to make
them go away. They are trying to tell me something I need to acknowledge and know.
3. I create my life's work and purpose based solely on heartfelt inspiration. Passion,
not outcomes, fuels my purpose.
4. I remember that no matter how successful a person may be, the truest form of success
is a loving and pure heart. That is priceless and eternal.
5. I fully trust that when something does not work out the way my personality wanted
it to, ultimately, it worked out for my highest good.
Follow Through for You
The most important aspect of pure self-love is follow-through.
Follow-through means that what you think, feel, say, and do are all congruent. They
are all perfectly aligned to match your real truth.
For example, if you think you do not like your job, then the action that would reflect
your truth would be to leave that job. You would then either create your own business
or move into the general area of work that fills you with excitement.
When you follow through in that way, you will begin to feel your true worth from
the inside out.
The same is true for every aspect of your life, including relationships, what you
do in any given day, and every decision you make each moment of your life.
The key is to follow through in your actions because once you do, you will come to
feel pure and genuine confidence. That confidence is built from the inside out, one
decision at a time.
I can only share with you that once I started to follow through on my own truth,
and stopped allowing others to guide me in a direction that was completely opposite
of how I felt, I finally gained what had eluded me for most of my life: self-love..
As you acknowledge, honor, listen to, and follow through on your truth every second
of your life, you will come to feel all of the goodness you really are, and you will
finally love yourself.
© Copyright Barbara Rose, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.
Excerpt from the book Dear God, How Can I Finally Love Myself? (Rose Group, Oct 2006)
Immediate E-Book Download [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=fuquddcab.0.8mf57rbab.gn8ivwn6.12756&ts=S0264&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.borntoinspire.com%2Fid58.html]
View on Amazon [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=fuquddcab.0.k7r94ybab.gn8ivwn6.12756&ts=S0264&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2F0974145769%2Fref%3Dase_barbaroseborn-20%2F]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Barbara Rose, Ph.D.
The Rose Group
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following guidelines and follow-through are crucial for self-love, confidence
and self esteem.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5 of the 50 Guidelines for Self Love and Follow Through
Exclusive excerpt from:
Dear God, How Can I Finally Love Myself?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5 of the 50 Guidelines for Self Love
Book Cover, Dear God, How Can I Finally Love Myself? [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=fuquddcab.0.489qrnbab.gn8ivwn6.12756&ts=S0264&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.borntoinspire.com%2Fid3.html]
1. I never explain my personal views or spiritual preferences to people who cannot
relate. I share what I choose to share only with people who can be supportive rather
than arguing with me to negate my truth.
2. I admit my true feelings to myself rather than fighting them and trying to make
them go away. They are trying to tell me something I need to acknowledge and know.
3. I create my life's work and purpose based solely on heartfelt inspiration. Passion,
not outcomes, fuels my purpose.
4. I remember that no matter how successful a person may be, the truest form of success
is a loving and pure heart. That is priceless and eternal.
5. I fully trust that when something does not work out the way my personality wanted
it to, ultimately, it worked out for my highest good.
Follow Through for You
The most important aspect of pure self-love is follow-through.
Follow-through means that what you think, feel, say, and do are all congruent. They
are all perfectly aligned to match your real truth.
For example, if you think you do not like your job, then the action that would reflect
your truth would be to leave that job. You would then either create your own business
or move into the general area of work that fills you with excitement.
When you follow through in that way, you will begin to feel your true worth from
the inside out.
The same is true for every aspect of your life, including relationships, what you
do in any given day, and every decision you make each moment of your life.
The key is to follow through in your actions because once you do, you will come to
feel pure and genuine confidence. That confidence is built from the inside out, one
decision at a time.
I can only share with you that once I started to follow through on my own truth,
and stopped allowing others to guide me in a direction that was completely opposite
of how I felt, I finally gained what had eluded me for most of my life: self-love..
As you acknowledge, honor, listen to, and follow through on your truth every second
of your life, you will come to feel all of the goodness you really are, and you will
finally love yourself.
© Copyright Barbara Rose, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.
Excerpt from the book Dear God, How Can I Finally Love Myself? (Rose Group, Oct 2006)
Immediate E-Book Download [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=fuquddcab.0.8mf57rbab.gn8ivwn6.12756&ts=S0264&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.borntoinspire.com%2Fid58.html]
View on Amazon [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=fuquddcab.0.k7r94ybab.gn8ivwn6.12756&ts=S0264&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2F0974145769%2Fref%3Dase_barbaroseborn-20%2F]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Barbara Rose, Ph.D.
The Rose Group
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to Become a Shower of Love
By Jafree & Margot
http://www.EnlightenedBeings.com
Your heart is a powerful manifesting vehicle. The more love your heart radiates, the faster you will attract those experiences that make your life worth living. This may surprise you, yet as long as your heart is open and loving, you cannot get hurt in any situation or relationship. Having an open heart that is radiating love to everyone is the most certain way to remain safe, empowered, abundant and truly free. If you have a partner, friend or family member who is throwing negativity on you, as long as your heart is open you'll have compassion for their issue and your experience with them will remain positive. It's only when you close off your heart that your mind starts protecting your ego from pain that causes negative experiences to occur for you.
Here is a powerful technique that will keep your heart open to love:
Imagine that right now, connected to your heart there is a knob sticking out of your chest with the words "Love" written on it. This valve/knob measures how much love you are giving and receiving with the world. It ranges from 1 to 100. Check and see how open your heart is right now to receiving love. Now see how open it is to giving love.
Are they the same? If your heart is less than 100%, you are missing out on the greatest experience of your life! So slowly turn up your valve (with your imagination) and notice what happens inside your body. No matter how distracted your mind becomes, keeping turning it up all the way to 100! For just a few seconds, get a real taste of what its like to have your heart fully open to love!
Now, here's the fun part! For the next 24 hours, check in with your heart valve and notice when it closes. When it does, focus on turning it up to 100 again and again and again! Keep opening it all day long and imagine love (light) is flowing out of it into everyone that you meet and everything that you see. When you see someon you know, or even think about someone, imagine that they are RECEIVING a warm gentle flowing loving sensation inside their heart from your heart.
Become a shower of love for everyone you see physically or even appears in your mind. Practice doing this exercise with people you "don't know", perhaps its the person in the car in front of you, your neighbor, your boss, spouse, co-workers, or the grocery store clerk.
You will be amazed at how you feel after just a few hours of consciously doing this exercise out in the world...Enjoy!!
"The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love,
and to let it come in.” ~Morrie Schwartz
If you find it challenging to let love into your body, mind or heart you will find it easier with our Guided Self Love Meditation. Merge with your Divine Essence within 30 minutes using this powerful audio experience at:
http://www.enlightenedbeings.com/estore/product_info.php?products_id=69
Sending much Love to you!
Margot & Jafree
http://www.EnlightenedBeings.com
Did Anyone Ever Tell You..
The darkest times in life are followed by the brightest
times?
Did anyone ever tell you..
Every seeming obstacle is there to actually HELP you?
You are in this life to soar.
What is required is your decision, backed with your
determination.
Anything you are wholeheartedly determined to
transform,
Must first be transformed within your mind.
Then, the outer follows suit.
Transformation is using your will in the highest
form.
Bringing out the best you have inside does require
Your full will in ACTION.
You can transform what seems impossible.
Oh Yes you Can!
© Copyright 2007 Barbara Rose, Ph.D.
http://www.borntoinspire.com
Barbara Rose, Ph.D. and
The Rose Group
TALKING YOUR WALK
"The greatest gift we can give our children is a yes that means yes and a no that means no."
-Bill Cumming
Many times, in our desire to leave options open or in an effort to be polite, we say "maybe" to things we know in our hearts we do not really want to do (or will simply not follow through and do).
The problem with saying "maybe" when we actually mean "no" is that we begin to learn that what we say is not to be trusted - that far from our word being our bond, it's just "noise in the machine".
How would your relationships with others (and your relationship with yourself) change if you suddenly began to not only mean what you say but also to say what you mean - that is, if you not only walked your talk but began to talk your walk?
--------------------
Today's Experiment:
--------------------
1. Choose a day this week where you do not have any "earth-shattering meetings" during which changing your habitual communication patterns might be hazardous to your long-term future.
2. When that day arrives, resolve to speak ONLY when you can put yourself 100% behind each and every word you utter.
3. Decide when else it might be appropriate to experiment with the power of your word.
As my friend and mentor Bill Cumming says, "If someone doesn't get that you mean what you say when you say "No", they won't think you mean what you say when you say, "I love you."
Have fun, learn heaps, and talk your walk!
With love,
Michael
The problem and its cause
The tree and its fruits
A warrior remembers the past. He knows man?s Spiritual Quest, knows that this has accounted for some of the best pages in History. And also some of its worst chapters; massacres, sacrifices, obscurantism. The Quest has been used for private ends and its ideals have served as a shield for terrible scheming. The warrior has already heard comments of the type: "how am I to know if this is the right path?" He has seen many people give up the Quest because they did not know how to answer that question. The warrior, however, has no doubts; he follows an infallible formula. "By its fruits you shall know the tree," said Jesus. He follows this rule, and it never fails.
A prophet arrived at a large city in Persia and crowds gathered around him every morning. But time passed and his presence was no longer a novelty. ?We already know all that you had to teach us,? they said, going to look for a new prophet to show them the way. Even without anyone to listen to him, the prophet continued to go to the square to deliver his sermon. ?Why do you insist on continuing here?? asked a boy. ?Don?t you see you?re talking to yourself?? ?Those who have the courage to say what they feel in their soul are in touch with God. I try to listen to Him when I am talking. "The fact that now and again I have an audience does not change a thing."
During a dinner at the Sceta monastery, the oldest priest rose to serve the others water. He moved from table to table with considerable effort, but none of the priests accepted. "We are unworthy of the service of this saint," they thought. When the old man reached Abbot Little John?s table, he was asked to fill his glass to the very brim. The other monks looked on in horror. At the end of dinner, they surrounded Little John: ?How can you deem yourself worthy of accepting that water? Didn?t you notice the sacrifice he was making to serve you?? ?How can I stop good from manifesting itself? You who take yourselves for saints did not have the humility to receive, and deprived the poor man of the joy of giving.?
Sufi tradition tells the story of a king who looked for good painters to decorate his palace. Two teams ? one Greek and one Chinese ? appeared with their best artists, trying to obtain some work that would earn them thousands of gold pieces. As a test, the king asked each of them to decorate a wall of one of the rooms. To prevent one group from seeing the work of the other, he chose opposite walls and hung a curtain in the middle. The Chinese painted their wall with the utmost care, whereas the Greeks spent the whole time polishing the surface of the other wall over and over again. Finally the day arrived when the king decided to remove the curtain and compare the results. On one side he saw the beautiful Chinese painting. On the other wall, which had been polished until it turned into a mirror, the king also saw the beautiful Chinese painting ? but with his own image in the middle. ?This is the better,? said the king. And the Greeks won the contract, because they knew how to deal with the fruits hidden in the human heart. | ||
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|
Admit the Truth
We've all had bad things happen to us. And, being the complex humans that we are, we often compound our suffering by pushing away, denying the importance of, and rejecting people and experiences that have been important to us. But there is another way and what it requires are open eyes, an open mind, and -- ultimately -- an open heart.
We have to open up to the whole -- the all-encompassing pain and beauty -- and see how we can use that perspective to learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others. We must find the gifts and take responsibility. There's no other option unless we want to be filled with anguish and misery and diminished by our losses.
When we end a relationship, why do we find it so difficult to reach inside of ourselves and contact the love that brought us together with that person in the first place? It's so human to cut ourselves off. Why do we have to destroy something in order to create something else? Although we are a part of nature, we're different than a forest of trees. We don't have to have a blazing fire to generate new growth. Look at how many people cheat on their partner or spouse rather than say what's true, that they're ready to move on. Think about how people will sabotage a job rather than quit or stockpile toxic resentments rather than tell the truth about what they need and want.
Rather than allowing unexpressed emotions to wreak havoc and force everyone around us to deal with the truth through distress and heartache, we can take the high road. And we can travel in the direction of integrity and honesty.
Integrity is being able to admit what's true. When we're being in integrity, we're honoring the whole. We're not just looking through our own upsets, pain, and the ego needs that haven't been met. When we're looking through the eyes of the divine whole, we're able to see the perfection. That's being in integrity rather than justifying, twisting, and making wrong.
When we can see the whole, we don't need to wish our past out of existence. We're able to simultaneously admit to what we've lost and what we have gained. However, when we reject people and invalidate circumstances as a way to move on, we pay a high price.
To deny what has been important to us in the past is to not see it for the spiritual gift that it is. There is a gift. And it's our job to find it. And how we'll know that we've found it is that we'll bless it. We'll honor its existence. And regarding the people involved in helping us to find that gift -- a lover, boss, friend, employee, child, parent, or partner -- we will wish them well.
At a deep level, the emotional freedom that comes with that acknowledgment and honoring is the most
extraordinary bonus gift imaginable.
Transformational Action Step
Really look and see, who or what are you making wrong right now and why are you making them wrong? What are pushing away and denying? Take the time to explore your motivations, see what new choices you can make, and make a list of all that you're grateful for about that person or situation.
With love and blessings,
8 Principles for Living Each Day with More Contentment and Happiness!
Part One of Two
Have you ever climbed into bed wondering, "Where did the day go?" Have you ever felt you were on a treadmill--trying to a "somewhere" that never arrives? In our busy world, we often find ourselves living on auto-pilot with one day blurring into the next.
Several years ago, I implement "7 Challenge Life Principles" into my daily routine. These Principles take very little time and so simple to implement--you could start using them tomorrow if you like. The Principles have allowed me to realize great contentment, happiness and meaning in every day. The days of auto-pilot living have been replaced by purpose-filled living through the application of the Challenge Life Principles.
Challenge Life Principle 1 ~ Good Morning: The first thing I do after opening my eyes each morning is say (aloud or to myself): Something great is going to happen today--I can't wait to see what it is! When I started this practice, it was a bit awkward--perhaps, because I was at a low-point and didn't fully believe the words. I said it anyway. Everyday. Soon after, great things started happening. Why? ... because I was looking for them.
If we awake thinking about stressful events, the tough day ahead, everything we need to get done, we start the day "on defense." We prime our life for a stressful day--we expect it--and we usually find it. Even when little or large blessing bestow us, we often miss them. After all, we aren't look for blessings--we are looking for stress.
Starting my day with this affirmation has proven an effective method for turning my attention to blessings instead of barriers.
Challenge Life Principle 2 The 3-Step Action List: For those who have taken the Change Your Life Challenge: A 70 Day Life Makeover Program for Women, the 3-Step Action List will be familiar. Each day, I choose three to complete during the day MAKE TODAY MATTER... even if everything else goes astray. We all know how life can interrupt our well-made to-do lists. Narrowing our focus to three priority action steps helps us focus and prioritize our day. The items on this list needn't be mountains to overcome or extremely time consuming; ... they simply need to MATTER and move us forward.
I began this practice when I realized how busy my life had become. I was always BUSY! BUSY! BUSY! Boy was I busy. What was even more amazing than how busy I was.....is how LITTLE I was getting done! We often confuse BUSYNESS with ACTION! We can be very busy and not move forward.... (just look at hamster)!
When we carefully choose 3 things that matter each day...we end up with over 1,000 things done each year! Things that matter! How many people can say this confidentially: Last year I completed over 1,000 task that mattered or moved me forward... and I am doing it again this year.
You can have a mile-long to-do list if you like, but mark three things! Stay focused! Life will interrupt and when it does, you will be ready for it!
People often ask--what about when you are sick or not feeling well? I still have a 3 step list. Every single day. On those days, examples of 3 things I might choose to make the day matter and move me forward might be:
1. Take my vitamins
2. Get extra rest!
3. Feel good for taking care of myself.
In August, I will be running a full newsletter on the 3-Step-Action List and how to personality it to me your needs.
Challenge Life Principle 3 ~ Each Day, LEARN or TRY something new. This "something" can be little. You don't have learn a second language or anything, but each day learn something new, try something new, or see something you have not yet seen.
Examples include learning...
1 a new word...
1 a piece of trivia...
1 see something you haven't seen before on the drive home....
1 try driving a different route,
1 try a different store,
1 try a different recipe,
1 try a different type of book,
1 read a book on a topic that interests you,
1 do something fun--
1 finger paint,
1 color,
1 make a snow angel
1 stop and look at the sunset versus walking (or driving) past it
1 go stand under a tree in your yard and look at it from below
1 make up a constellation, try to find it every night
We often get caught up in the same ol, same ol, and forget about how exciting each day can be (if we let it be)! When we learn, try or see something new, we awaken our senses to gather many of life's riches.
Challenge Life Principle 4 ~ At least once each day or twice if you are a parent, say YES instead of NO, or I CAN instead of I CAN'T.
NO and I CAN'T have become auto-responses for many of us.
Can you come make a snow angel?
No, I can't.
Can you play a game?
No, I can't.
Can you meet me for dinner?
Sorry, I can't, I'm busy.
While it is good to say NO to those who cross our boundaries, when we are with those in our inner circle, or with our self, we need to let go of these auto-barriers and say YES and I CAN!
I discovered this principle because I actually became tired of hearing myself say "no" to my daughter when she was younger. When she went through her "threes" she would ask if she could do something. I would say "no," on autopilot. She would ask: Why? I didn't have a good answer. Since "NO" didn't seemed to be a good reply, I tried "yes" instead.
By really being present and adding daily spontaneity, my life changed. What a magical world kids (and pets) live in! I was so happy to finally climb down from autopilot world and see that perspective!
Challenge Life Principle 5 ~ Enhance Your Immediate World: Whenever you leave the house---or come into contact with another person ask yourself: What can I do to make a positive difference?
My mom raised me with very few rules in our single parent home. However, one rule she engrained (and boy did she engrain it LOL) was: Leave everything touch you better than when you came into contact with it.
Now, she didn't mean be a perfectionist, what she meant, was to give within reason, to leave our special touch. Unfortunately, we live in a world where many people walk around and wonder.. "What's in this for me?" Today's high-expectation world is much different than the world of our great grandparents! When we begin looking for opportunities to give back in the littlest ways, we start a ripple effect.
Kindness is contagious--like the "smile syndrome." Have you ever noticed what happens when someone smiles at you? You smile back! This starts a chain. If everyone who read this today smiled at everyone they met (stranger or friends), can you imagine the smiles that would spread in a single day?
We can make the days a bit better through very simple actions. When you check out at the grocery store, instead of digging through your purse or checking your missed calls, why not sincerely engage the cashier? Whenever you pay for something, why not place the money in the person's hand and look them in the eye and smile? When a person is grumpy.. Why not treat them even better? Resist the temptation to spread the negativity--it's too contagious to let into your life. Why not open the door for a stranger?
Why not take the other person's cart back to the store since you are walking that way anyway? Why not help someone with their extra bag on an escalator? (Thank you to all those who have helped me LOL!) Why not do something kind, knowing that one simple act of kindness, creates waves.
Challenge Life Principle 6: Do a Nightly "Make Today Matter" check. When you are done with the day... BEFORE climbing into bed, ask yourself-- What is one more thing I can do to make today matter?
I started doing this after I lost my brother suddenly. I realized how magical each day was. Instead of putting something off for tomorrow, I embraced one last thing each day.
Some days, I would get online and find a site to email a solider. Just took 3-4 minutes. Sometimes I would just get something ready for the next day. Sometimes I would make a quick call or jot a quick note. I took one last moment to appreciate and live that day before climbing into bed!
Challenge Life Principle 7: At Night.. Let it All Go!
While you are preparing for bed, think of all the things that happened that were stressful during the day. They have something to teach you-- even if you don't know what it is-- thank them, then LET THEM GO! (Thanking them doesn't mean you like them... and letting go doesn't mean you are happy about them.) Take any upsets and do the same.
Then take all the good things and wonderful things, be thankful for them, write them in your gratitude journal, and then let them go, too! It is VERY important to appreciate, remember, but let go. This allows us to focus fresh each day.
There is a quote, "Never let yesterday use up too much of today." We don't live in the past. When we accept and appreciate each day for everything it is or isn't... and then let it go, we clear ourselves to live fully the next day.
Challenge Life Principle 8 - End as You Began:
Once you are in bed, imagine yourself waking, saying your affirmation, identifying your list, moving smoothly throughout the day--feeling confident, feeling beautiful and strong. Imagine yourself handling what needs to be handled, reacting in appropriate ways, handling any stressors with calm assurance.
Imagine yourself achieving your goals, interacting with others. See yourself having dinner, enjoying family. Then let your mind rest!!!!
Studies have shown time and time again that those who visualize the day ahead have a MUCH HIGHER success ration of achieving what they see. It is a science they actually study now in athletes. When compared groups who visualize versus practice for two hours do better in competition.
All-in-All:
Living the life we want, living in contentment and happiness begins in our mind, and then in our choices. Each day we can choose auto-pilot or we can choose to enrich our lives. We don't remember days, we remember moments. This Living the Challenge formula helps to turn off autopilot and plant seeds for wonder-filled moments.
Your Weekly Challenge: Try adding 1 of these simple routines do your day each week. Once you have one down, return to the list and add another.
(c) 2007 Brook Noel. All rights reserved. www.changeyourlifechallenge.com
It All Works Out Perfectly in the End
Written by Margot Zaher and Jafree Ozwald
www.EnlightenedBeings.com
It really doesn't matter when something negative happens to you on any one specific day. It is all blessed fuel for your spiritual awakening. Your ego will of course be judging your experience as wrong, terrible or consider it to be the dramatic victim of all creation (if you allow it to do so). Anything that arises that is not in perfect alignment with what is ?supposed? to happen (according to the ego) the mind throws a mini or major fit. So when you get triggered by something or someone, you can stop and re-center yourself on the thought that, "everything works out perfectly in the end". The contracted experience you are having will all of a sudden feel easier to handle and you will more consciously work with the feelings that are arising in that moment.
?We live the perfect process created by the Universe, and we do that perfectly?whether we realize it or not." ~ Osho
The strangest thing about life is that it really all does work out perfectly in the end. In the midst of suffering your mind will not trust, believe or agree with this. Yet, the truth is that from the vantage point of your soul, everything is always divinely orchestrated to perfection no matter what happens. The whole Universe is conspiring in awakening you to experience the truth of who you are, and sometimes will attempt to give you a growth experience that your ego doesn't like at all! The only reason we ever experience things are not working out in life is because the mind/ego cannot always see the bigger picture from the perspective of one?s soul.
The truth is that everything always works out perfectly in the end. When you hold onto this thought for an extended period of time, it soon becomes a mood, attitude and an approach to life. By diving into the feeling that everything in the future will work out to divine perfection, you can relax, explore your spiritual essence deeper and actually enjoy your life! With practice you will discover the hidden blessing that any challenging situation was trying to offer you, and the opportunity for the growth that was buried within it.
"Grace is the thread that weaves my life together seamlessly." ~Jessica Hall Upchurch
Recently, I (Margot) had a powerful experience of how everything does work out perfectly. Thanks to Grace, God, the Universe (or whatever you want to call this awesome Divine Presence that blesses us all), a few weeks ago I discovered the very night before taking an early morning flight to Vancouver, Canada for a spiritual retreat that my passport had newly expired. I called the airlines and they said that they would not let me on the plane without a valid passport because of newly passed laws. Immediately, I felt my ego start to freak out, and create massive drama. I knew I had to pull myself together and re-center in my trusting nature. After several hours of talking with people at the airlines (who only gave me the same negative answer), I decided to surrender and decided that it would all eventually work itself out perfectly in the end. Once I let go of my negative thought and emotions around the issue, the actual problem instantly dissolved itself.
This is where I feel that Grace stepped in and really supported me. I reached a ticketing agent that was truly angelic. She heard about my plight, and told me that she knew how to get me on the plane to ! She had read that the Canadian officials would accept an expired passport with a birth certificate, but that I would have greater trouble getting back into the . She said that she would document this case in the computer system and it should notify everyone to let me on the plane! The next day I presented myself at the airport and three people told me that I could NOT get on that plane today with an expired passport. I simply told them to check their computer. They all let me through thanks to the note in their system. I stepped on the plane to and got through the border without any problem!
It really did work itself out perfectly in the end. The most beautiful thing about this experience is that it powerfully reminded me that the moment I let go and surrendered to trusting a higher divine power is running the show, the Universe was finally able to guide and support me. We had such a powerful time at this retreat that I was not worried for one second about getting back in the country. And the amazing thing is that I got back into the with an expired passport and not even ONE person mentioned that it was expired.
"Everything is perfect in the universe, even your desire to improve it." ~ Wayne Dyer
We will all be blessed from time to time with situations that are threatening to the well-being of our ego. When these circumstances arise, you can easily remember to relax and remember that in the future the deeper understanding of why this situation had to emerge for you will show itself clearly. Deep down inside your infinite Divine Self knows that every experience in life is perfect because there does not exist a ?wrong? experience.
Everything is part of the play on the stage of life which your soul has chosen to participate in as an observer, actor and producer. Your ego may sometimes love the scene, while other times reject it completely. Just know that everything is temporary, and that suffering only occurs when you are overly attached to how a scene ?should? be happening. Everything is divine. You are here to explore it all and enjoy the large diverse variety of experiences that arise.
Discover the secrets to maintaining a positive, loving, empowering mindset 24 hours a day at www.ManifestingVibration.com
Many blessings to you,
Margot Zaher and Jafree Ozwald
www.EnlightenedBeings.com
Enlightenment
"Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water."--Zen Proverb
When people come up to me at my live events, I frequently hear from them (and you may have even been one): "When I get to this point in my career, I will..." Or, "When I get to this income level, I will..." Or, "When I achieve this reward, then I will..."
These statements are always followed by some action or behavior that they're going to put into practice after they achieve or acquire their "magic bullet."
When I hear these types of comments, regardless of the context or the promise being made, I typically think, "No, you probably won't." Why? Because if the habit has not yet been developed, it won't be acted upon. Life doesn't miraculously change until YOU change.
The Zen proverb above is telling us that success, happiness or Harmonic Wealth® (you choose the term) is not a destination but a process.
You and I both know that no award, no income, no new toy, no promotion will make us happy and/or successful.
Life will not miraculously change when your next goal is attained. You'll still chop wood and carry water, or maybe you'll still pay bills and sometimes wonder where the money is going to come from.
The difference comes in the attitude with which you do these things. When true happiness and fulfillment is reached, you'll learn that the journey is the adventure, the excitement and the fun of life.
The journey is Harmonic Wealth, and the journey never ends...
Here's how you can start experiencing happiness and fulfillment starting right now:
- A great quote from A Course in Miracles says, "I can choose peace rather than this." Choose to be at peace and enjoy what life is giving you right now...
- The amateur hopes and wishes... The professional knows. When asked, "Do you believe in God?" Carl Jung answered, "I don't believe. I know." Knowing is power! Know that whatever is happening right now is part of a larger plan happening perfectly for your own personal growth, development and betterment.
- Develop good habits now. Live and invest in the things that you say are important to you. Make your beliefs, your habits and your actions congruent. Don't do them "someday." Do them today.
- Realize that you never own anything. Every "thing" you have will someday belong to someone else when you're gone. You're only using "your things" for a time. Enjoy them while you have them, but don't let them own you.
- Fulfillment and happiness is not some means to eliminate life's daily tasks. You'll always be (at some level) chopping wood and carrying water. Allow your work to be your passion and your love made manifest through action.
Make your life magnificent and enjoy the process.
To your continued wealth and happiness,
James Arthur Ray
President/CEO
James Ray International
Spiritual pathways
"In any way that men love me in that same way they find my love: for many are the paths of men, but they all in the end come to me."
-- Song of God, Bhagavad Gita
Spirit - the life force - exists in everything. It follows, then, that ANY path, any encounter is spiritual if we have the awareness to see it as such. Going deeper, going higher, emptying, connecting, believing or disbelieving, bouncing off the bottom, experiencing the heights, in pain, in ecstasy ....
Too often, we search afar for our own purpose when it is in our lives all the time, waiting for us to express it more openly. Bring greater awareness to each encounter and situation in life. Tune in to what you are inspired to do, who you are inspired to be. Your answers are waiting for you to pay attention - every moment!
"...focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it."
-- Greg Anderson
Is It Really just A Coincidence?
A
Quick
60-second Story ....
Pan back with me, over 12 years ago ....
I'm sitting in this restaurant, 100 yards from the Ocean in Virginia Beach. It's called Rigatoni's Italian Kitchen.
I went in there many times over about a 4 year period because, Ralphie Balsamo - the chef who ran the Kitchen for many years - was just one cool dude.
He left in '99 after a 15-year stint orchestrating some very good Italian cuisine.
From lessons about life, jokes, business insight, Ralphie had it all.
So, one day, he spins his fork in a plate of linguine and tomato sauce and holds the small cocoon of pasta motionless in front of his face for a few seconds, just long enough to explain the meaning of the word
"synchronicity."
He tells me, "It's when everything seems to come together perfectly ... people, places, events, and especially timing - they all converge under the best of circumstances for the best possible results."
Yes, Ralphie was a wise, and humorous, man.
As I told one of the mentors featured in Vol 1 of our "Conversations With the World's Top Manifestation Mentors,"
Ralphie would often walk around the Kitchen and restaurant saying:
"Luck is for the Irish. This is synchronicity, as Italian as home-made cannelloni."
To learn more about this spiritual kinda
cannelloni, read the latest blog post:
Excert from ?The Synchronicity Luck Program?
Many see coincidences as embedded in a higher, transcendental force, a cosmic ?glue,? as it were, which binds random events together in a meaningful and coherent pattern. The question has always been: could such a harmonizing principle actually exist?
Or are skeptics right in regarding this as a product of wishful thinking, a consoling myth spawned by the intellectual discomfort and capriciousness of chance?
Mathematician Warren Weaver, in his book, Lady Luck: The Theory of Probability, recounts a fascinating tale of coincidence that stretches our traditional notions of chance to their breaking point.
The story originally appeared in Life magazine. Weaver writes:
All fifteen members of a church choir in Beatrice, Nebraska, due at practice at 7:20, were late on the evening of March 1, 1950.
The minister and his wife and daughter had one reason (his wife delayed to iron the daughter?s dress) one girl waited to finish a geometry problem; one couldn?t start her car; two lingered to hear the end of an especially exciting radio program; one mother and daughter were late because the mother had to call the daughter twice to wake her from a nap; and so on.
The reasons seemed rather ordinary. But there were ten separate and quite unconnected reasons for the lateness of the fifteen persons. It was rather fortunate that none of the fifteen arrived on time at 7:20, for at 7:25 the church building was destroyed in an explosion.
The members of the choir, Life reported, wondered if their delay was ?an act of God.? Weaver calculates the staggering odds against chance for this uncanny event as about one chance in a million.
Coincidences such as these, some say, are almost too purposeful, too orderly, to be a product of random chance, which strains somewhat to accommodate them.
But then how do we explain them?
Another definition for SYNCHRONICITY
Synchronicity at this point can be defined as a series of seemingly unrelated events which are connected via a hidden agenda.
The recent publication of the SUPERSTRING theory indicates that there may well be ten dimensions in existence, not merely the four that ones senses are currently aware of. (Length, breadth, width, time)
There is now considerable mathematical proof to indicate that ten dimensions exist. And most quantum physicists have given serious consideration to this theory. It would appear that the ?hidden agenda? of synchronistic events may be transparent and obvious in one or more of these ten dimensions, but become opaque and difficult to fathom when viewed in our current restricted four dimensions.
And there is now at last a small amount of evidence to indicate that when an individuals subconscious mind-set is modified to encourage positive PK synchronistic events (luck) then synchronistic elements may be set into play which materialistic as PK Luck events in our ?real time? dimension.
And conversely when a person becomes aware of a series of synchronistic events they can use this special knowledge to trigger a burst of luck.
What has been definitely proven however is that the mind-set of an individual influences their interaction with the environment, to an extent which can leave a person ?stunned? at the positive results.
What I have discovered over the past 4 years is that if I call up a dream program to ?induce? synchronistic events in my waking life ?.then instruct my mind to consciously recognize these events as a synchronistic train?.I can usually recognize where they are leading to and be there at the right time and place to take advantage of them.
I have personally had at least a dozen of these recognizable synchronicity trains in the past 3 years and each one has bought me sometimes quite incredible luck. So much so that friends here in Vanuatu keep telling me how lucky I am!!
????????????????????
This was taken from ?The Synchronicity Luck Program? -
part of the fascinating free 7 part ecourse available at:
The Extraordinary Magic of Self Love!
Written By Margot Zaher and Jafree Ozwald
http://www.EnlightenedBeings.com
"Love gives you the first insight into eternity. Love is the only experience that transcends time. That's why lovers are not afraid of death. Love knows no death."
~Osho
How often do you have unconditional love and deep acceptance for yourself just they way you are? Many of us get wrapped up in looking for approval, appreciation, acceptance and love from the outer world, and don't realize that there is a vast infinite supply of it already within. Self love is one of the most powerful habits and healing gifts that you can learn to give yourself. You are truly the only one who can be there 100% for you, and accept who you are no matter what happens in your life. While other people may have a deep appreciation for you, only you have the power to let in their love and feel it inside. The interesting thing is that you are only able to feel another person's love for you when self love is present in your life.
By loving yourself, you allow in love from "outside" yourself.
"Appreciation of others and the appreciation of your self is the closest vibrational match to your Source Energy of anything that we've ever witnessed anywhere."
~Abraham-Hicks
When you activate the habit of letting in deeper feelings of self acceptance and self love, the world becomes a truly magical place. By bathing in the vibration of love, you actually experience the entire world from a softer more empowered perspective. The mundane becomes sacred, and everyone you meet feels deeply connected with the Divine.
The simplest of experiences you have each day become doorways to the Divine. There is a higher awareness in you of a natural effortless connection with your Divine Essence. This helps you to receive the most loving relationships, abundant wealth, peak health, and most satisfying career in your life!
One of the magical aspects of practicing Self Love is that it becomes super easy to manifest anything you want into your life. The vibration of love is the foundation for manifesting the highest levels of success in this material world. When you completely love and accept all aspects of yourself, you send out such a strong energetic vibration into the Universe that you become a massive manifesting magnet! You'll experience that everyone and everything around you simply wants more of whatever you'e got! Even if someone just receives one brief glance flowing from this deeper self loving feeling inside, they can be intimately impacted for the rest of their life.
The energy of love physically vibrates at a much higher frequency than any other emotion we can choose. Those lower vibrational feelings such as fear, greed, lack, impatience, or frustration only block you from manifesting everything your heart desires. Through increased levels of Self love you will naturally shift the vibration within your mind-body, transforming yourself into a powerful Source of magnetic energy that attracts those divine experiences, relationships, and financial opportunities into your life! We've found that the more love you shower onto yourself, the more the Universe showers its abundance of every kind onto you.
"You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."
~ Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha)
The people who don't make loving themselves a priority in their day are usually caught in a belief that loving yourself is selfish and egotistical. This type of self love we're referring to is not egocentric, yet one that truly goes beyond the ego and can heal every needy, wounded, angry, prideful part inside you. This true self love is more heart-centered, and is about moving through those feelings of being a separate needy ego. It's about finding that direct connection to the infinite source at the very core of your being.
Discovering this true Self Love is like believing you were the moon, who needed light and warmth from others on the outside, so that you could reflect that energy back to everyone. Then one day you realized that this love is not coming from outside you, but inside, and that you are truly the Sun who is always radiating, and shining its light onto everyone and everything. When you turn you attention to WHERE the source of love is right now, you simply find out that you were always the Sun and forever will be this brilliant loving light.
"If the light is in one room, the only way to light up the other room is to open the door. The only way to discover new things is to open your mind."
~Allen Steble
What's even more interesting about loving yourself is the physical impact it has on your health. The vibration of love has also been scientifically proven to alter the shape and structure of actual water molecules. Since your physical body is made up of more than 70% water, it is continuously impacted by vibrations of negative or positive words you send into it. According to many scientific studies done on water molecules, your physical body is directly affected by the words, sounds and thoughts it is exposed to. Check our new webpage below for actual photographs of water crystals impacted by love vs. hated. You'll notice there is a world of difference! When you send your body loving thoughts and energy, each cell in your body actually relaxes and takes on a healthier more powerful configuration. It has also been proven that strong states of Self love boost the immune system in our body, allowing us to more effectively fight off invading mirco-organisms and viruses.
"Love is letting go of fear." Gerald Jampolsky
You may equate imbuing your body-mind with Self love like putting high performance rocket fuel into your body's engine. It supports the entire organism in running more smoothly and operating at a peak state of health and well-being. Self love will literally create a physical healing in the body. The more loving energy you send towards yourself and towards each cell in your body, the healthier you will be and the more energy you will have.
Struggling with a decision?
"You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn't exist anywhere except in the mind."
-- Dale Carnegie
My anxiety level spiked the other day as I wrestled with whether to choose option A or option B. I was so afraid of making the wrong choice!
And then I remembered, with deep gratitude, Susan Jeffers? sage advice: There are no wrong decisions! Whatever we might choose in life will bring valuable experiences if we are open to receive them.
?Lighten up! Whatever happens as a result of your decision, you?ll handle it!?
-- Susan Jeffers
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These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
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OPPORTUNITY IS ALL AROUND YOU
The people that really succeed in the world
are the people who look for the circumstances they want, and,
if they can't find them, they make them.
The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive.
The great opportunity in your life is where you are right now.
Properly perceived, every situation becomes an opportunity for you.
Your destiny is not a matter of chance,
it's a matter of the choices you make.
Being successful is not something you wait for,
but rather something you achieve with effort.
Things won't turn up in this world until you turn them up.
You develop your opportunities
by applying persistence to your possibilities.
THE DAILY GURU
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©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
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are the people who look for the circumstances they want, and,
if they can't find them, they make them.
The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive.
The great opportunity in your life is where you are right now.
Properly perceived, every situation becomes an opportunity for you.
Your destiny is not a matter of chance,
it's a matter of the choices you make.
Being successful is not something you wait for,
but rather something you achieve with effort.
Things won't turn up in this world until you turn them up.
You develop your opportunities
by applying persistence to your possibilities.
THE DAILY GURU
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©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
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PERSONAL GROWTH IS INEVITABLE
What happens to you is not as important
as how you react to what happens.
Everything you'll experience "good or bad" has value.
You experience personal growth on the road to success.
All growth means change and change involves risk.
You grow because you struggle, learn and overcome your obstacles.
Difficulties in life are the things that show you what you are.
Trouble is the common denominator of living.
It's the great equalizer of life.
Only when you are no longer afraid will you begin to live.
THE DAILY GURU
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©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
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Ego's tricks
"One of the great dangers of transformational work is that the ego attempts to sidestep deep psychological work by leaping into the transcendent too soon. This is because the ego always fancies itself much more ?advanced? than it actually is."
-- Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson
The Tibetan teacher, Chogyam Trungpa, warned of the trap of spiritual materialism. He says we must be ever diligent to spot the ego?s use of the spiritual journey to further its own ends.
We may think it?s spiritual to yearn for divine connection. And yet, if the longing is to fill an emptiness inside, just how does this differ from the one who yearns for money or possessions to fill the inner void? Do we look to our spiritual practices as proof of our evolved consciousness or as protection against fears?
Any time we use spiritual disciplines to maintain our identity and security, we are not yet on the path of genuine spiritual development.
"Enlightenment is ego?s ultimate disappointment."
-- Chögyam Trungpa
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These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
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WHOSE LIFE IS IT ANYWAY?
"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it."
-George Bernard Shaw
Have you ever been in a stressful situation? Seen a powerful movie? Read a sad novel? Listened to an inspiring radio show?
Many people are surprised when I point out that regardless of their initial answer, they have never done any of these things. Now before you think I've gone nuts, let me explain...
Situations can't be stressful, movie's can't be powerful, novel's can't be sad and radio shows can't be inspiring (even mine :-). That's because each one of those qualities - stress, power, sadness and inspiration - are actually inside you, not the event you are attributing them to. You are the one experiencing the stress, power, sadness and inspiration, and in fact, biochemically speaking, you're even the one creating them.
Why does this matter?
Because of this:
*Until you are willing to responsibility for your experience, you will experience yourself as a victim. The minute you take responsibility for your experience, you take ownership of your life.*
Here's an example from one of my clients, who I'll call "Fred" for the purposes of this tip:
Fred was successful, but couldn't really understand why. Although he made a lot of money by most people's standards, he lived in constant fear of not having enough and losing what little he had. When I asked him to tell me a little bit more, he explained that "making money is hard", "managing money is stressful", and "losing money would be terrifying". His goal for our coaching was for me to "help him make a lot more money so he wouldn't have to worry about it any more".
I shared the distinction from today's tip and asked him to rephrase his statements, taking responsibility for his experience of money. Here's what he came up with:
*I find it hard to make money
*I find it stressful to manage money
*I find the thought of losing money terrifying
Just for fun, I asked him to take it a step further and think of himself as the creator of his experience. In addition, I pointed out that our experience of things is rarely constant, although we often describe it as if it were. Here was his third iteration:
*I often create the experience of difficulty when I do what I do
to make money
*I often stress myself out when I think about managing my money
*I often terrify myself by thinking about losing what I have and projecting into the future
This then gave us our new goals to work on in our coaching:
1. To experience more ease and well-being in his work
2. To experience happiness and well-being while managing his money
3. To motivate himself to make smart financial decisions by inspiring himself instead of terrifying himself
4. To experience himself as the owner of his life, creator of his experience and capable of creating pleasure, satisfaction and meaning in everything he did.
Not only was he able to transform his experience around money over the course of the first few months, within a year he was making more, worrying less and in his words, "creating a wonderful experience of being alive".
-------------------
Today's experiment:
-------------------
1. Write a paragraph or two about a situation or area of your life where you would like things to be different.
Example:
"My relationship is just awful. I thought I'd found myself a great guy, but I obviously got that one wrong - he's obsessive and moody and impossible to spend time around."
2. Go back through what you have written and circle any phrases where you have attributed qualities of being (stress, ease, difficulty, fear, etc.) with other people or external events.
3. Rewrite your story as if those qualities are things you bring to your experience, not get from it. If you like, take into account that most experiences are temporary and changeable.
Example:
"I'm really not enjoying my relationship with Bob at the moment. I really like a lot of things about him, but I find it difficult to cope when he seems to be up in his head instead of fully present with me."
4. Just for fun, rewrite your story as if you are the creator of your experience. What are your goals/intentions for creating more of what you want?
Example:
"Whenever I see Bob frowning or ask him a question and only get a grunt in response, I go up into my head and create nightmare scenarios of how awful this would be in twenty years time. I make myself really sad and angry, hoping that if I can just get angry enough I'll find the courage to either talk to him about it or move on with my life."
"What I really want is to feel happy in myself regardless of what's going on with Bob, and to be there for him if he wants me to be. If he really doesn't want to change, I want to feel ready and able to move on."
Have fun, learn heaps, and happy exploring!
With love,
Michael
To learn more or join the club, go here:
http://www.geniuscatalyst.com/public/wealthclub.php
Paul Potts sings Nessun Dorma
Connie sings Over The Rainbow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWNoiVrJDsE&mode=related&search=
"Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see."
--William Newton Clarke
"Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see."
--William Newton Clarke
GREAT EXPECTATIONS PRECEDE GREAT SUCCESS
High expectation always precedes high achievement.
You're as small as your controlling desires,
or as great as your dominant aspirations.
Once your mind stretches to a new idea
it never goes back to its original dimensions.
Think little goals and you can expect little achievement.
Think big goals and you'll win big success.
The first ingredient of your success is to dream a great dream.
You must dream big and think big to be big.
THE DAILY GURU
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©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
You're as small as your controlling desires,
or as great as your dominant aspirations.
Once your mind stretches to a new idea
it never goes back to its original dimensions.
Think little goals and you can expect little achievement.
Think big goals and you'll win big success.
The first ingredient of your success is to dream a great dream.
You must dream big and think big to be big.
THE DAILY GURU
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©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
Won't Let You Fall
I?ll never let you go
So, never let me go
I will be your journey
And you will be my road
Down the stormy path
Love will never come to pass
It will be an anchor
Although the winds may blow
And through the depths of high and low
Wherever you will go, I?ll follow
To the end, back again
You know
Won?t let you fall
Fall out of love
?Cause together we?ll be holding on
?Cause all we have is us
Won?t let you go
Go away again
Because life don?t mean nothing at all
If I don?t have your love
I will dry your tears
Take away your fears
Let me be your shelter
Your heart is safe in here
So beautiful and pure
There?s nothing I would not endure
Oh, love as got me blinded
I see it all so clear
I?m down for you for whatever
Anything you going through
What?s mine is yours
Every little thing
I got you
Even when winds will change
Come smashing down and crashing on you
SUCCESS IS ATTAINED ONE STEP AT A TIME
There is no sudden leap to greatness.
Your success lies in doing, day by day.
Your upward reach comes from working well and carefully.
Good work done little by little becomes great work.
Your house of success will be built brick by brick.
Adopt the pace of nature.
The secret is patience.
A bottle fills drop by drop.
THE DAILY GURU
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©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
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Your success lies in doing, day by day.
Your upward reach comes from working well and carefully.
Good work done little by little becomes great work.
Your house of success will be built brick by brick.
Adopt the pace of nature.
The secret is patience.
A bottle fills drop by drop.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
The Sign
Once upon a time there was a wise man called Sidi Mehrez. He was very annoyed with the place where he lived, a beautiful town on the Mediterranean Sea where men and women lived in depraved fashion, and money was the only value that mattered. As Mehrez was also a saint and worked miracles, he decided to enfold Tunis in his long scarf and toss it into the ocean. Buildings began to tumble, the ground rose up, the inhabitants started to panic on seeing that they were being hurled towards their death. In despair, they decided to ask for help from a friend of Mehrez, called Sidi Ben Arous. Ben Arous managed to convince the strict saint to interrupt the destruction, but ever since then the streets of Tunis have been rough and uneven. I stroll through the bazaar of this African city, borne by the winds of this pilgrimage to celebrate the 20th anniversary of my first walk to Santiago in 1986. I am accompanied by Adam Fathi and Samir Benali, two local writers; fifteen kilometers away stand the ruins of Carthage, which in the remote past was capable of challenging powerful Rome. We discuss the epic of Hannibal, one of the city?s warriors: the Romans expected a sea battle (the two cities were separated only by a few hundred sea kilometers), but Hannibal braved the desert, crossed the straits of Gibraltar with an enormous army, marched through Spain and France, climbed the Alps with soldiers and elephants, and attacked the Empire from the North. He defeated all the enemies in his path and then suddenly, without anyone knowing exactly why, he stopped before Rome and did not attack it at the opportune moment. The resu! lt of this indecision was that Carthage was scored off the map by the Roman ships. We pass by a beautiful building: in 1754, one brother murdered another and their father decided to erect this palace to house a school that would keep alive the memory of his murdered son. I comment that by doing so, the murdered son would also be remembered. ?That?s not quite true,? answers Samil. ?In our culture, the criminal shares the blame with all those who allowed him to commit the crime. When a man is executed, the one who sold him the arm is also responsible before God. The only way for the father to correct what he considered a fault was by changing the tragedy into something that can help others: instead of vengeance limited to punishment, the school has enabled instruction and wisdom to be transmitted for over two centuries.? On one of the doors of the old wall hangs a lantern. Fathi comments that I am a well-known writer, whereas he is still struggling for recognition: ?Here we have the origin of one of the most famous of Arab proverbs: ?light only illuminates strangers.? I reply that Jesus made the same comment: no-one is a prophet in his own country. We always tend to lend value to what comes from afar, without ever recognizing all the beauty that is around us. We go into an old palace that has been transformed into a cultural center. My two friends begin to explain to me the story of the place, but my attention is completely distracted by the sound of a piano and I begin to follow it through the labyrinths of the building. I end up in a room where a man and a woman, apparently oblivious to the world, are playing the ?Turkish March? for four hands. I remember that some years ago I saw something similar ? a pianist in a shopping center, engrossed in his music, paying no attention at all to the people who passed by talking loud or with their radios turned on. But here there are only the three of us and the two pianists. I can see the expression on both their faces: joy, sheer and utter joy. They are not there to impress an audience, but rather because they feel that this is the gift that God has given them to talk with their souls. Likewise, the souls of Adam, Samil and Paulo also end up talking to one another, and we all feel closer to the meaning of life. We listened in silence for an hour. At the end we applauded, and when I returned to the hotel I thought for a while about that lantern. Yes, it may be that it only shines on the stranger, but what difference does that make when we are possessed by this vast love for what we do? Thank God the room is packed for my talk in this African country. I am to be introduced by two local intellectuals; we have met before - one of them has a two-minute text, the other has written a quarter-hour thesis on my work. The coordinator very carefully explains that it will be impossible to read the thesis, since the meeting is to last 50 minutes at most. I imagine how hard the intellectual must have worked on his text, but I think that the coordinator is right: I am there to talk to my readers, who are the main reason for the meeting. The lecture begins. The introductions last five minutes at most, so now I have 45 minutes for an open dialogue. I say that I am not there to explain anything and that it would be interesting to try to hold a dialogue. The first question comes from a young woman: what are the signs that I speak so much about in my books? I explain that this is an extremely personal language that we develop all through our life by making mistakes and getting things right, until we understand when God is guiding us. Somebody else asks if it was a sign that brought me to this far-off country. I answer yes, I have been on a 90-day journey to celebrate the 20th anniversary of my first pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. The conversation continues, the time passes quickly, and I have to bring the talk to an end. From amid 600 people I choose a middle-aged man with a bushy moustache to ask the final question. And the man says: ?I don?t want to ask any questions. I just want to say a name.? And he says the name of a small hermitage located in the middle of nowhere thousands of kilometers from where I find myself, where one day I placed a plaque giving thanks for a miracle. And where I returned before this pilgrimage to ask the Virgin to protect my steps. I no longer know how to continue the meeting. The following words were written by Adam Fethi, one of the two writers who made up the table: ?And suddenly the Universe in that room seemed to have stopped moving. So many things happened: I saw your tears. And I saw the tears of your sweet wife when that anonymous reader said the name of a chapel lost somewhere in the world. ?You lost your voice. Your smiling face grew serious. Your eyes filled with timid tears that trembled on the edge of your eyelashes as if apologizing for being there without being invited. ?I was there too, feeling a knot in the throat and not knowing why. I looked for my wife and my daughter in the audience, they are the ones I always look for when I feel on the brink of something I don?t understand. They were there, but their eyes were fixed on you, silent like everyone else there, trying to lend you support with their eyes, as if eyes could support a man. ?So I tried to concentrate on Christina, asking for help, trying to understand what was going on, how to end that silence that seemed infinite. And I saw that she too was crying, in silence, as if you were notes of the same symphony, as if your tears were joining the two of you despite the distance. ?And for long seconds there was no longer any room, no audience, nothing at all. You and your wife had parted to a place where no-one could follow you; all that existed was the joy of living all this, which was told only in silence and emotion. ?Words are tears that have been written. Tears are words that need pouring out. Without them no joy can shine, no sadness can come to an end. So, thank you for your tears.? I should have told the young woman who asked the first question ? about signs ? that this was one of them, affirming that I found myself in the place where I should be, at the right moment, despite never properly understanding what took me there. But I think that was not necessary: she must have realized. | ||
 | |||
|
If I weren't afraid I would?
It's one of my favorite questions to ask myself when I'm feeling it's time for me to grow or when I am facing a challenge.
If I weren't afraid I would....?
If I weren't afraid I would....?
If I weren't afraid I would....?
First put your hand on your heart and then simply fill in the blank with whatever pops into your mind- no self editing- just keep answering the question over and over again- and see where it leads you... It's usually leads me to some very important and authentic answers immediately.
Leaving fear behind will do that... Leaving fear behind will free you up to the real possibilities in your life. I'd like you to leave your fear behind forever so that you can start living an authentic life, free of endless possibilities.
Honesty
"Every violation of truth is not only a sort of suicide in the liar, but is a stab at the health of human society."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
What level of honesty are you living now?
How honest are you with strangers, institutions and businesses, acquaintances, friends, family, spouse?
How honest are you with yourself?
"Our lives improve only when we take chances - and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves."
-- Walter Anderson
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
THE THREE LEVELS OF FEARLESSNESS
"Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood."
-Marie Curie
What does it mean to you when you feel scared?
Time to step back or time to step up? Time to fight or time to hide?
One of the most interesting things that I've discovered over the years is that even those people who continue to move forward in the face of their fears do so at three different levels. These are what I call "the three levels of fearlessness"; not because they don't involve fear but because they make fear less and less of a factor in the way we live our lives...
--------------------
Level One - Courage
--------------------
Level one is the level of the body, where "feel the fear and do it anyway" isn't just a book title, it's a way of life. Courage says "I think something bad is going to happen and I'm really scared but what the heck here goes nothing...!" and then leaps into action, screaming all the while.
In many ways, courage is simply a choice - an interpretation of fear which says "this incredible burst of adrenaline I'm experiencing in my body is just energy - it doesn't mean 'turn back'. In fact, if it means anything, it means 'go forward - and do it now!'"
-----------------------
Level Two - Confidence
-----------------------
At level two, the level of the mind, fear still comes up but it quickly goes down again when confidence says "Whatever happens, I'll handle it." Confidence can be faked, but seems to work best when it is earned. The most solid kind of confidence is based on solid preparation and a level of trust in your skills to deal with the situation you are walking into. In this sense, confidence is earned through experience.
While some people operate with confidence only in certain types of situation, it is possible to generalize confidence into most areas of your life. Your experience as an airline pilot does actually prepare you to deal with crises in your family; your experience as a mother of three can be excellent preparation for the high-stakes political intrigue of an executive boardroom.
----------------------
Level Three - Freedom
----------------------
Level three is the level of the spirit - that glorious place inside us where fear has become irrelevant. Freedom says "I am not my body and I am not my mind - and what I truly am is eternal, immortal, universal and infinite." Freedom knows no fear because it encompasses all possibilities. There is nothing which can possibly happen that would diminish it in any way. It is, to paraphrase Walt Whitman, vast - it contains multitudes.
The beauty and power of freedom is that it is a space which can be stepped into any time, from anywhere, in any situation. It is available to us all - and while we are in touch with it we are untouchable, fearless and strong.
As the zen teacher Cheri Huber says:
"We are desperate to control because we believe ourselves to be separate, alone, and vulnerable. When I am not separate, there is no one to protect. I am invincible - I can be defenseless."
====================
Today's Experiment:
====================
1. Get familiar with how the three levels are relevant in your own life. Come up with at least three examples each of times when you have experienced courage, confidence and freedom.
2. Practice courage. For no reason other than to remind yourself that you can, "feel the fear and do it anyway" at least one time this week.
3. Cultivate confidence. Choose something challenging coming up for you in the next few weeks and prepare twice as thoroughly as you normally would. Notice the difference in how you feel when you are actually doing the thing you prepared for, and if you like the feeling, repeat often!
4. Spend time every day experiencing freedom. If you have a meditation practice which works for you, begin bringing the fruits of your meditation out of the chair and into your life. If you find yourself inspired by certain readings, begin each day this week by reading them.
If you really have no idea what I'm talking about, practice courage by going onto the forums (http://geniuscatalyst.com/newforums/index.php) and sharing your doubts and fears. You'll find a community of supportive people waiting to be of assistance in pointing you towards your own best path to freedom and a more inspired life.
Have fun, learn heaps, and live free!
With love,
Michael
PS - A special Father's day shout out to all of you dads out there - hope your Sunday was as wonderful as mine!
Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
There's a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true
Some day I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
Some day I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?
YOU ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR PROBLEMS
Courage is the power to face your difficulties.
It comes from the reserves of your mind
that are more powerful than your outside circumstances.
When you recognize that you're bigger than your problems,
you'll gain the courage necessary to overcome anything.
Your obstacles will look large or small to you
according to whether you are large or small.
Courage is the capacity to confront what can be imagined.
It gives you the ability to rise above your present reality.
Reality is something you can rise above.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
EVERYTHING HAS A PRICE
No one has a corner on success.
Pay the price for it and it's yours.
No matter what you want from life
you've got to give up something to get it.
Nothing worthwhile will come easily to you.
Hard work will accomplish results that last.
There is no easy road to success.
You've got to work a great deal harder than most people to get it.
There is no success at bargain basement prices.
The highway to success is a toll road.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Self Love
"Loving all aspects of yourself is the greatest gift you can receive.
Self-love is the sweet Divine nectar of your soul from which spring
forth true abundance, bliss, and peace.
Shower your being with a fountain of love and deep appreciation
today!
Drink in the beauty, preciousness, and perfection of who you are.
Love yourself deeply, and you will be surprised
by the riches that enter your life.
All you have longed for can be yours when you live
from a deep and unending well of self-love."
~By Margot & Jafree
Self-love is the sweet Divine nectar of your soul from which spring
forth true abundance, bliss, and peace.
Shower your being with a fountain of love and deep appreciation
today!
Drink in the beauty, preciousness, and perfection of who you are.
Love yourself deeply, and you will be surprised
by the riches that enter your life.
All you have longed for can be yours when you live
from a deep and unending well of self-love."
~By Margot & Jafree
Transformation
"The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones."
-- William Faulkner
Longing for a miracle that will transform your life? Miracles happen, and if we don?t want that magic to disappear on us, we need to learn from each epiphany -- to integrate it, apply it, and build on it so we can permanently shift to a new level of being.
The real key to fulfillment lies in ONGOING transformation: building our awareness of daily opportunities to change our perceptions and raise our consciousness. Life is about dissolving the old and creating anew. The more we open to accepting and learning from every life experience, the more our lives transform.
"Enlightenment must come little by little -- otherwise it would overwhelm."
-- Idries Shah
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
-- William Faulkner
Longing for a miracle that will transform your life? Miracles happen, and if we don?t want that magic to disappear on us, we need to learn from each epiphany -- to integrate it, apply it, and build on it so we can permanently shift to a new level of being.
The real key to fulfillment lies in ONGOING transformation: building our awareness of daily opportunities to change our perceptions and raise our consciousness. Life is about dissolving the old and creating anew. The more we open to accepting and learning from every life experience, the more our lives transform.
"Enlightenment must come little by little -- otherwise it would overwhelm."
-- Idries Shah
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Eliminate Stressful Thinking
"Mental health is simply the healthy and helpful flow of
intelligent thought."
--Richard Carlson
Every summer I reread one of my favorite books, "Slowing Down to the Speed of Life" by Richard Carlson and Joseph Bailey. This simple book is one of the best I've read on managing the mind and eliminating stress and I love to start the summer by taking a refresher course. This week I thought I'd share some of what I've been reviewing with you.
Many of us believe that the stress we experience on a day-to-day basis is caused by outside forces -- the job that demands a ridiculous amount of time or the kids who need our nonstop attention and care, for example. Often we think that if we could just eliminate or handle the external factors, we'd experience the peace of mind we long for. But, how many times have you completed your to-do list, sent the kids off to camp, or finished a project at work, only to find yourself right back in the same stressful place ruminating over things that make you crazy?
The truth is this: your stress is always generated by your thinking, not external circumstances. Your busy schedule or endless to-do list may seem to be the culprit, but in fact it's how you *think* about them that creates your feelings of overwhelm. For example, when you start to worry about not having enough time to finish your daily work, your thinking speeds up and you start saying things to yourself like: "I can't possibly get these phone calls completed by the end of the day. How will I ever write that report with all the meetings I have to attend? There's no way I'll ever get everything done before the kids get home from school."
As these thoughts start to generate stress, it often escalates to even more unproductive thinking like: "I never have enough time to meet my deadlines. I'm always behind schedule. My office (or home) is a mess and I'm so disorganized." Pretty soon these low quality thoughts start to affect your mood and you naturally begin to feel annoyed, resentful and overwhelmed. By this point it can seem like the whole world is out to get
you.
So what to do? Here are three things to consider:
1. Understand the cycle. Your thoughts are directly linked to your feelings. If you think angry thoughts, you'll feel angry. If you think about a past relationship that ended in a painful way, you'll start to feel upset. Your emotional state always *follows* your thought patterns. So, if you want to eliminate stress, you'll need to eliminate your
stressful thoughts.
2. Let your feelings be your guide. Check in throughout the day and pay attention to how you feel. The moment you notice uncomfortable feelings, ask yourself "What am I thinking right now?" For example, if you're feeling anxious, you might notice that you're thinking about all the things you need to do within the next hour. Your hurried thoughts are creating anxious feelings. By checking in this way, you can begin to use your feeling state as a barometer for the quality of your thoughts.
3. Shift your thinking. Once you notice that your thoughts are creating uncomfortable feelings, stop thinking those thoughts. While this sounds simplistic, oftentimes the act of noticing your thoughts in and of itself will break the cycle. If not, shift your thinking by using a phrase like "I feel peaceful and calm," or focus on a relaxing image. Trust me, the moment you shift your thoughts, you'll enter into a more resourceful state and you'll be in a much better position to handle any challenging situation.
Learning to eliminate stress by managing your thoughts takes time and practice. Start with this week's "Take Action Challenge" and let the peace begin!
~*~ Take Action Challenge ~*~
This week, notice when you start to feel stressed and immediately shift your mind away from your stressful thoughts. For example, don't beat yourself up for being late, don't create a mental list of the things that are driving you crazy, or don't get caught up in blaming outside circumstances for your frustration. Gently shift your focus away from these unproductive thoughts and allow yourself to step back into the present moment. To remind yourself of this stress busting practice, put the words "High Quality Thinking" on your bathroom mirror or somewhere in
your home or office and start enjoying life!
http://www.cherylrichardson.com/
intelligent thought."
--Richard Carlson
Every summer I reread one of my favorite books, "Slowing Down to the Speed of Life" by Richard Carlson and Joseph Bailey. This simple book is one of the best I've read on managing the mind and eliminating stress and I love to start the summer by taking a refresher course. This week I thought I'd share some of what I've been reviewing with you.
Many of us believe that the stress we experience on a day-to-day basis is caused by outside forces -- the job that demands a ridiculous amount of time or the kids who need our nonstop attention and care, for example. Often we think that if we could just eliminate or handle the external factors, we'd experience the peace of mind we long for. But, how many times have you completed your to-do list, sent the kids off to camp, or finished a project at work, only to find yourself right back in the same stressful place ruminating over things that make you crazy?
The truth is this: your stress is always generated by your thinking, not external circumstances. Your busy schedule or endless to-do list may seem to be the culprit, but in fact it's how you *think* about them that creates your feelings of overwhelm. For example, when you start to worry about not having enough time to finish your daily work, your thinking speeds up and you start saying things to yourself like: "I can't possibly get these phone calls completed by the end of the day. How will I ever write that report with all the meetings I have to attend? There's no way I'll ever get everything done before the kids get home from school."
As these thoughts start to generate stress, it often escalates to even more unproductive thinking like: "I never have enough time to meet my deadlines. I'm always behind schedule. My office (or home) is a mess and I'm so disorganized." Pretty soon these low quality thoughts start to affect your mood and you naturally begin to feel annoyed, resentful and overwhelmed. By this point it can seem like the whole world is out to get
you.
So what to do? Here are three things to consider:
1. Understand the cycle. Your thoughts are directly linked to your feelings. If you think angry thoughts, you'll feel angry. If you think about a past relationship that ended in a painful way, you'll start to feel upset. Your emotional state always *follows* your thought patterns. So, if you want to eliminate stress, you'll need to eliminate your
stressful thoughts.
2. Let your feelings be your guide. Check in throughout the day and pay attention to how you feel. The moment you notice uncomfortable feelings, ask yourself "What am I thinking right now?" For example, if you're feeling anxious, you might notice that you're thinking about all the things you need to do within the next hour. Your hurried thoughts are creating anxious feelings. By checking in this way, you can begin to use your feeling state as a barometer for the quality of your thoughts.
3. Shift your thinking. Once you notice that your thoughts are creating uncomfortable feelings, stop thinking those thoughts. While this sounds simplistic, oftentimes the act of noticing your thoughts in and of itself will break the cycle. If not, shift your thinking by using a phrase like "I feel peaceful and calm," or focus on a relaxing image. Trust me, the moment you shift your thoughts, you'll enter into a more resourceful state and you'll be in a much better position to handle any challenging situation.
Learning to eliminate stress by managing your thoughts takes time and practice. Start with this week's "Take Action Challenge" and let the peace begin!
~*~ Take Action Challenge ~*~
This week, notice when you start to feel stressed and immediately shift your mind away from your stressful thoughts. For example, don't beat yourself up for being late, don't create a mental list of the things that are driving you crazy, or don't get caught up in blaming outside circumstances for your frustration. Gently shift your focus away from these unproductive thoughts and allow yourself to step back into the present moment. To remind yourself of this stress busting practice, put the words "High Quality Thinking" on your bathroom mirror or somewhere in
your home or office and start enjoying life!
http://www.cherylrichardson.com/
LIFE IN ABUNDANCE COMES ONLY THROUGH GREAT LOVE
There is no force more potent than love.
Take away love and your world is a tomb.
Your life echoes emptiness without love.
With it, your life will vibrate with warmth and meaning.
Even during hardship, love will shine through.
As you look back upon the events in your life
you will find that the moments that stand out,
the moments when you have really lived,
are the moments when you have done things in a spirit of love.
If you have it, you don't need to have anything else,
and if you don't have it,
it doesn't matter what else you have.
Therefore, search for love.
Once you have learned to love,
you will have learned to live.
Love is the most important ingredient to your success.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
YOU DETERMINE YOUR ATTITUDE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your attitude is not determined by circumstances,
but by how you respond to your circumstances.
You can respond positively or negatively to any situation.
It's how you react to events, not the events themselves,
that determines your attitude.
Any challenge facing you
is not as important as your attitude towards it,
for that will determine your success or failure.
Things turn out best for the people
who make the best of the way things turn out.
It's not your position but your disposition that counts.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Meditation walking
I arrive at Santiago de Compostela, this time by car, to celebrate my pilgrimage twenty years ago. When I was in Puente La Reina, I had the idea of holding afternoon book-signings without any elaborate preparations: just calling the next town where we were going to spend the night, ask them to put up a notice in the local bookstore, and be there at the appointed time. It worked wonderfully in the small villages, but it did take a bit more organizing in big towns, like Santiago de Compostela itself. I had an unexpected meeting with readers, and I learned that things done with love can find improvising to be a great ally. Santiago was now in front of me. And a few dozen kilometers further ahead lay the Atlantic Ocean. But I am determined to go ahead with my improvised book-signing afternoons, since my plan is to spend ninety days away from home. And since I have no intention of crossing the ocean right now, should I take a right (Santander, the Basque Country) or a left (Guimarăes, Portugal)? Better let destiny make the choice: my wife and I enter a bar and ask a man who is drinking his coffee: right or left? He says with some conviction that we should go left ? perhaps thinking we were referring to political parties. I telephone my Portuguese editor. He does not ask me if I have gone crazy, does not complain about being informed at the last moment. Two hours later he calls me back to say that he has contacted the local radio stations in Guimarăes and Fatima and that in 24 hours I can meet my readers in those cities.
6] When you walk, it is not just you that is moving, but all past and future generations. In the so-called ?real? world, time is a measure, but in the true world nothing exists beyond the present moment. Be fully aware that everything that has happened and everything that will happen is in each step you take.
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Love and Affection
"You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve
your love and affection." ~ Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha)
your love and affection." ~ Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha)
Appreciation
"Appreciation of others and the appreciation of your self is the
closest vibrational match to your Source Energy of anything that
we've ever witnessed anywhere." ~Abraham-Hicks
closest vibrational match to your Source Energy of anything that
we've ever witnessed anywhere." ~Abraham-Hicks
Open Your Mind
"If the light is in one room, the only way to light up the other room
is to open the door. The only way to discover new things is to open
your mind." ~Allen Steble
is to open the door. The only way to discover new things is to open
your mind." ~Allen Steble
Self-deception
"The first and worst of all frauds is to cheat one's self."
-- Phillip James Bailey
Are you hiding in some way from your own inner light?
I wouldn?t dream of stealing things but I do steal from my own potential. I can be a master at rationalizing, at justifying why it?s not the right time to do something challenging. My arguments seem valid but deep down, I know they?re excuses.
"The longer the excuse, the less likely it's the truth."
-- Robert Half
"When we know deep down that we?re acting with integrity despite impulses to do otherwise, we feel gates of higher energy and inspiration open inside of us."
-- Dan Millman
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
Choices and Illusions
"People everywhere want to know how to improve their lives. Typically they believe that if they had more money, more power, more success, and better relationships, then they'd be happy," Eldon explains. "There are motivational gurus on every corner and no shortage of people waiting to spend their time and money on learning the 'secrets to success.'"
"Most of us fail to recognize our own birthright and find ourselves trapped by beliefs that limit our personal possibilities."
"For me, life is about using those talents and abilities to the highest while serving an inner calling to make a difference with our lives."
"Our recognition of the good in all works like a magnet to attract the right people and things into our lives, including our most endearing and loving relationships. Our prosperity is assured, for in the moment we always have everything we need, and ironically, we keep getting more when we stop trying to just make money. We bring our best with joy to whatever our task may be and that is not only recognized but rewarded."
"Most people don't accept that within themselves is a power that can change all of those self-limiting, self-destructive beliefs, a power that can indeed result in manifesting a person so self-responsible that they walk and live above the fray in the world. This truly is your birthright. Life is not designed to be only struggle."
"We make the choice to smile, engage the world with joy and awe, do our good turns, and otherwise share the love with which we fill our hearts to overflowing. In the beginning, we may need to fake it. Sooner or later, though, the brain actually does turn on positive healthy neurochemicals as a mechanical reaction to smiling, our faking takes hold and we become what we pretend to be,"
"Life is a miracle and living a joy! You are a miracle and a gift, and you repay the gift by being all that you were created to be."
Eldon Taylor
http://promos.hayhouse.com/promos/etaylor/061207email/
BELIEF MAKES EVERYTHING POSSIBLE
In order to succeed, you must first believe you can.
The only thing that stands between you and what you want from life,
is the will to try it and the faith to believe that it's possible.
The only true limit to your realization of tomorrow
will be your doubts of today.
The moment you carry the conviction of belief,
in that moment your dream will become reality.
You can, if you think you can.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
The only thing that stands between you and what you want from life,
is the will to try it and the faith to believe that it's possible.
The only true limit to your realization of tomorrow
will be your doubts of today.
The moment you carry the conviction of belief,
in that moment your dream will become reality.
You can, if you think you can.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
The past in the present
"If you accept a limiting belief, then it will become a truth for you."
-- Louise Hay
Pick one aspect of your life, e.g. your health, your competence, your prosperity or relationships, and think back to when you were a child. What messages about this subject did you hear from adults at that time that are still playing on your subconscious tape recorder? Messages like: "Men can't be trusted." "Money doesn't grow on trees." "You're not smart enough to succeed in business."
How is your world reflecting your beliefs back to you, today?
"There are no limitations to the self except those you believe in."
-- Seth
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
Leap of Faith
Romeo og Juliet, Jon Bře Paulsen
"I took the leap of faith
from my shadow cliff of doubt
All I left behind
were the chains within my mind
I felt something softly hold me ~
God's loving hands enfold me
I knew the I AM within
was the same I AM as Him
At last I was homeward bound
My soul has leaped for joy
and finally I am wholly found."
THERE ARE NO SHORT CUTS TO SUCCESS
There's a price to pay if you want to make things better,
and a price to pay for just leaving things as they are.
Whatever you want in life, you must give up something to get it.
The greater the value, the greater the sacrifice required of you.
Nothing worthwhile ever comes easily.
Work, continuous work and hard work,
is the only way to accomplish results that last.
Use your imagination more than your memory to achieve success.
There is no success at bargain basement prices.
Everything has a price.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
and a price to pay for just leaving things as they are.
Whatever you want in life, you must give up something to get it.
The greater the value, the greater the sacrifice required of you.
Nothing worthwhile ever comes easily.
Work, continuous work and hard work,
is the only way to accomplish results that last.
Use your imagination more than your memory to achieve success.
There is no success at bargain basement prices.
Everything has a price.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Quiet Morning
What is soul consciousness?
"You are a holistic being with both nondualistic energy and the energy of the physical plane as a part of your being at your disposal."
-- Wayne Dyer
Andrew Schneider helps us understand our human experience of being soul. He says, "Soul consciousness arises when we stand facing in opposite directions at the same time - toward eternity and toward time, toward infinity and toward space, toward unity and toward complexity. We stand in that dualism without being dualistic, for in consciousness we can accommodate the opposites. We do this by identifying with both. This identification results in the experience of being an individual while at the same time being the whole, and finding no contradiction in this experience."
"Give your difference, welcome my difference, unify all difference in the larger whole -- such is the law of growth. The unifying of difference is the eternal process of life -- the creative synthesis, the highest act of creation."
-- M. P. Follett
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
YOU DETERMINE YOUR ATTITUDE
Your attitude is not determined by circumstances,
but by how you respond to your circumstances.
You can respond positively or negatively to any situation.
It's how you react to events, not the events themselves,
that determines your attitude.
Any challenge facing you
is not as important as your attitude towards it,
for that will determine your success or failure.
Things turn out best for the people
who make the best of the way things turn out.
It's not your position but your disposition that counts.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
The secret of friendship is ...
supporting a friend in the truth, no less so if it means confessing your own error.
REALITY FORMS AROUND YOUR COMMITMENTS
Desire is the starting point of achievement.
Your desires are the precursors of the things
which you are capable of doing or having.
These desires can in time externalize themselves into concrete fact.
Your intense anticipation itself will transform your possibilities into
reality.
Weak desires will bring you weak results,
just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat.
If you just care enough for any result, you'll almost certainly attain it.
Nothing has more strength than dire necessity.
The achievement of your goal is assured
the moment you commit yourself to it.
If you have the will, you'll find a way.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
THE FOUR THINGS EVERYONE WANTS
(I'm travelling today, so I've adapted a tip from the Solutions
Café archives. To learn more, go to:
http://www.geniuscatalyst.com/public/cafepublic.php)
"Unfulfilled needs motivate."
-Abraham Maslow
Most people are familiar with Abraham Maslow's "hierarchy of needs" - the idea that there are a set of "needs" that we all share, and that each one is predicated on the fulfillment of the one before.
A version of Maslow's hierarchy is as follows:
1. Physiological Survival
2. Safety and security
3. Love, affection, and belonging
4. Esteem, achievement, and recognition
5. To know, to understand, and to explore
6. Symmetry, order, and beauty
7. Self-actualization and self-fulfillment
8. Transcendence
In the mid 1950's, William J. Reilly, founder and director of the Institute for Straight Thinking (a process for integrating scientific thought into everyday life) developed a simpler four part model to encompass the universal desires of people living within our modern culture.
What follows are my own interpretations of Reilly's four universal wants and some thoughts on applying them in your own life as they relate to both goal setting and motivation.
Like Maslow's "needs", Reilly's "wants" represent those things in life that generally motivate by lack - that is, we tend to focus on them more or less in relation to how much of them we currently have in our lives.
Unlike Maslow, Reilly's wants are not hierarchical but balanced - the ideal is not to transcend each one and move on to the next but rather to create an ongoing balance and harmony between the four.
1. Money
"The trick to money is having some."
-Stuart Wilde
In over a decade of consulting, training, and coaching, I have come across only one person who appeared to be genuinely unconcerned with money. As she had lots of it, however, we'll put her to one side and deal with the rest of us!
If we purpose-fully pursue money as a part of our overall life plan, it can be an endlessly enriching source of freedom and opportunity. If we attempt to ignore the role of money in our lives or pretend that money does not matter to us, we potentially doom ourselves to a life of self-righteous lack and struggle.
2. Love
"Love cures people - the ones who receive love and the ones who give it, too."
-Karl Menninger
Whether you want to be loved by God or the cute little red headed girl next door, the desire to love and be loved is one of the great driving forces in the universe. By consciously and actively focusing on love, we increase its presence in our lives.
3. Ego Food
"The only way to keep feeding your ego is to continue to follow interesting activities...that give you a feeling of self-importance and self-respect as long as you live."
-William J. Reilly
The Webster's definition of ego is as follows:
ego (noun)
[New Latin, from Latin, I -- more at I]
First appeared 1789
1 : the self esp. as contrasted with another self or the world
While various Eastern religions extoll the virtues of a loss of self and encourage the "death" of the ego, both Western and Oceanic cultures celebrate the self, particularly in encouraging its authentic expression within the larger whole. Some Native American cultures use the metaphor that each person's life is a unique song, and that if even one person fails to live their life authentically, the universal harmony is disrupted.
4. Health
"It amazes me how many people think of health only in terms of not being sick, when there is a great range of health beyond that... Ultimately, the only sensible way to define health is by how good you feel."
-Serge Kahili King
As with each of the four universal wants, being healthy is less the purpose of one's life than a prerequisite to having a full and fulfilling life. True health encompasses not only the physical but the mental and emotional as well.
--------------------
Today's Experiment:
--------------------
1. Make a list of all the things you want (or use a list of your current goals). Next to each item on the list, write down whether your primary motivation is money, love, ego food, health, or something else.
2. Give yourself marks out of ten for how fulfilled you are in each of the four areas. Remember, whichever of your wants/needs is currently most unfulfilled will wind up motivating your behavior, consciously or unconsciously.
3. Divide a piece of paper into four rows and two columns. Label each row with one of the four universal wants - money, love, ego food, and health. Label the left hand column "What I've Got", and the right hand column "What I want".
4. Fill in the blanks! This is an excellent way of generating a simple, intrinsically fulfilling list of projects and goals to work on, as well as providing you with a visual "map" of where you are out of balance in your life as it stands.
Have fun, learn heaps, make money, live love, get healthy food for your ego, and positively supercharge your health!
With love,
Michael
The Power of Pets
"An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language."
--Martin Buber
This week I've fallen in love. After months of conversation and planning,
Michael and I adopted a kitten from a local rescue shelter. While I've
always been crazy about animals, I had no idea how much joy this decision
would bring to our lives. Our little guy is named "Poupon" (he's a
blue/gray kitten and Michael named him after the, "Pardon me, could you
please pass the Grey Poupon? slogan. He's a ball of energy who loves to
play at all hours of the day and night. We just love him!
In a short amount of time it's become obvious that the lessons to be
learned from a pet are quite remarkable. For example, when I'm with
Poupon, I'm standing right in the middle of the moment. Playing with him
forces me to remain centered on what we're doing right then and there
rather than on what I need to do next. He's also a powerful example of
what it means to be steadfast and focused. When he sets his sights on
something (like his favorite toy), he is sharp, single-minded and intent.
Nothing else exists but the object of his affection and he'll wait
patiently until he gets it.
Finally, he models good self-care skills. He sleeps when he's tired,
moves his body throughout the day, makes fun and play his number one
priority, avoids junk food, and finds joy in the simplest of places. In
just one short week, the life of a cat is starting to look pretty darn
good :).
The greatest lesson of all, however, is about love. While I've always
known that animals are a pure source of unconditional love, I'd forgotten
how good it feels to give love unconditionally every day, throughout the
day, without expecting anything in return. Cats are great teachers in
this regard. They do what they want to do when they want to do it, and
they respond to the energy of receptivity, not assertion or advances.
Caring for this little animal has become a daily spiritual practice -- a
ritual that will have a ripple affect throughout my life. I'm learning to
be a more loving woman because of Poupon.
If you're thinking about getting a pet, I'll be the first one to say "Go
for it!" And if you have one, lucky you. Both Michael and I agree that
if we had known how wonderful it would be to have a furry companion in our
lives, we would have done it long ago.
--Martin Buber
This week I've fallen in love. After months of conversation and planning,
Michael and I adopted a kitten from a local rescue shelter. While I've
always been crazy about animals, I had no idea how much joy this decision
would bring to our lives. Our little guy is named "Poupon" (he's a
blue/gray kitten and Michael named him after the, "Pardon me, could you
please pass the Grey Poupon? slogan. He's a ball of energy who loves to
play at all hours of the day and night. We just love him!
In a short amount of time it's become obvious that the lessons to be
learned from a pet are quite remarkable. For example, when I'm with
Poupon, I'm standing right in the middle of the moment. Playing with him
forces me to remain centered on what we're doing right then and there
rather than on what I need to do next. He's also a powerful example of
what it means to be steadfast and focused. When he sets his sights on
something (like his favorite toy), he is sharp, single-minded and intent.
Nothing else exists but the object of his affection and he'll wait
patiently until he gets it.
Finally, he models good self-care skills. He sleeps when he's tired,
moves his body throughout the day, makes fun and play his number one
priority, avoids junk food, and finds joy in the simplest of places. In
just one short week, the life of a cat is starting to look pretty darn
good :).
The greatest lesson of all, however, is about love. While I've always
known that animals are a pure source of unconditional love, I'd forgotten
how good it feels to give love unconditionally every day, throughout the
day, without expecting anything in return. Cats are great teachers in
this regard. They do what they want to do when they want to do it, and
they respond to the energy of receptivity, not assertion or advances.
Caring for this little animal has become a daily spiritual practice -- a
ritual that will have a ripple affect throughout my life. I'm learning to
be a more loving woman because of Poupon.
If you're thinking about getting a pet, I'll be the first one to say "Go
for it!" And if you have one, lucky you. Both Michael and I agree that
if we had known how wonderful it would be to have a furry companion in our
lives, we would have done it long ago.
YOU CAN LIVE YOUR DREAMS
The beginning of your success lies in your imagination.
Visualize all the things you want in your life.
Then make your mental blue print and begin to build.
You can make your dreams work and produce for you.
You can make every thought, every fact,
that comes into your mind pay you a dividend.
Your imagination will show you
how to turn your possibilities into reality.
The will to succeed springs from the knowledge that you can succeed.
Think of things not as they are, but as they might be.
Don't merely dream, create.
You owe it to yourself to live your dreams.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
YOU WIN, WHEN YOU AREN'T AFRAID TO LOSE
The difference between great and average is how often you take risks.
Accept risk as a normal part of living.
View risk as a part of the process of exploring your world.
Make note of the lessons you learn
with each chance you take and move on.
Forget about the consequences of taking chances.
Risk opens you to only a temporary change in direction
that can set you straight for your next success.
If you're brave enough to risk,
to temporarily live outside of your comfort zone
for a short period of time, you're big enough to win.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Accept risk as a normal part of living.
View risk as a part of the process of exploring your world.
Make note of the lessons you learn
with each chance you take and move on.
Forget about the consequences of taking chances.
Risk opens you to only a temporary change in direction
that can set you straight for your next success.
If you're brave enough to risk,
to temporarily live outside of your comfort zone
for a short period of time, you're big enough to win.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Divine Perfection
"Divine perfection is always here now.
Breathe in this perfection...FEEL IT!!
It is what surrounds and permeates you.
Every fiber of your being is exquisitely perfect and beautiful.
Just relax into this understanding.
Let yourself merge with this perfection."
~ Margot Zaher
Breathe in this perfection...FEEL IT!!
It is what surrounds and permeates you.
Every fiber of your being is exquisitely perfect and beautiful.
Just relax into this understanding.
Let yourself merge with this perfection."
~ Margot Zaher
You are bigger than you think
"He who would be serene and pure needs but one thing, detachment."
-- Meister Eckhart
We are the ocean -- vast, deep, powerful and rich. Nourishing and nurturing. Dive down into the dark stillness of being. Sense the rising and falling of surface thoughts and emotions, sometimes gentle, sometimes violent. Always shifting. Always in motion. Draw back and watch the waves of your life at play. Know you are the unfathomable depths -- surface agitations can?t disturb you. Know that you are bigger than the little things that aggravate you.
"The bird of paradise alights only on the hand that does not grasp."
-- John Berry
"It?s best not to get too excited or too depressed by the ups and downs of life."
-- Dalai Lama
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
NO? YES?
What do you need to say NO to,
to say YES to creating a life that you truly love?
Write these beliefs down on paper.
Notice who you would become if you invited in the
courage to let go of just ONE of those beliefs?
to say YES to creating a life that you truly love?
Write these beliefs down on paper.
Notice who you would become if you invited in the
courage to let go of just ONE of those beliefs?
YOUR MIND SETS YOUR LIMITS
Everything is possible when you believe it's possible.
What you envision you can do, you can do.
What your mind can conceive and believe,
your mind can achieve.
Success is actually a state of mind.
Start thinking of yourself as a success.
Know in your heart that you can do the job you've set out to do.
Believe in yourself.
If you think you can, you can..
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Seek your limits and beyond
"If you're proactive, you don't have to wait for circumstances or other people to create perspective expanding experiences. You can consciously create your own."
-- Stephen Covey
Connect with the edge, the unknown, of your experience. Allow this pull towards unexplored territory to take you to new dimensions of yourself. Allow life to touch you in new ways. For this is how we truly live life. Become more alive as you grow through your consciousness barriers. Ask questions that seek answers beyond yourself. The depth of life is revealed as you go further into it.
Nothing is lost upon a man who is bent upon growth; nothing wasted on one who is always preparing for - life by keeping eyes, mind and heart open to nature, men, books, experience - and what he gathers serves him at unexpected moments in unforeseen ways."
-- Hamilton Wright Mabie
"Nurture great thoughts, for you will never go higher than your thoughts."
--Benjamin Disraeli
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
Water wisdom
"When flowing water ... meets with obstacles on its path, a blockage in its journey, it pauses. It increases in volume and strength, filling up in front of the obstacle and eventually spilling past it....
"Do not turn and run, for there is nowhere worthwhile for you to go. Do not attempt to push ahead into the danger ... emulate the example of the water: Pause and build up your strength until the obstacle no longer represents a blockage."
-- from the ?I Ching,?presented in
?To Build the Life You Want, Create the
Work You Love: The Spiritual Dimension
of Entrepreneuring? by Marsha Sinetar
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
SUCCESS IS A DETERMINED ACTION AWAY
Foolish people with all their other thoughts, have this one too:
They are always getting ready to live, but never living.
Your success will start when you begin to pursue it.
To reach your goal or to attain success,
you don't need to know all of the answers in advance.
You just need to have a clear idea of what your goal is.
Don't procrastinate when faced with difficult problems.
Break your problems into parts, and handle one part at a time.
Develop tendencies toward taking action.
You can make something happen right now.
Divide your big plan into small steps and take the first step right away.
Everyone who ever got where they are had to begin where they were.
Your big opportunity is where you are right now.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Take it.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Go for depth
"Mastery does not come from dabbling. We have to be prepared to pay the price. We need to have the sustained enthusiasm that motivates us to give our best."
-- Eknath Easwaran
Our world now offers us a smorgasbord of opportunities. In the personal growth field alone, there are myriads of books and products, all promising relief from what ails us. It?s easy to flip quickly from one program to another when something new captures our imagination.
If I long for change in my life, however, I need to do more than skim the surface. I need to make time and take time to both learn new approaches and then -- most importantly -- to apply what I?ve learned. If I jump around to new techniques too rapidly, I won?t benefit from any of them.
"Genius is only the power of making continuous efforts."
-- Elbert Hubbard
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
WHEN PANIC ATTACKS!
(Today's tip is excerpted from my new book, Feel Happy Now!, available in the UK now and in the US from January 2008. See the 'Want to Learn More?' section at the end of the tip to learn more...)
When I first learned NLP, I worked in a more directly therapeutic role than I do now. For whatever reason, I wound up seeing a lot of clients who had 'panic attacks'. The structure of a panic attack is an interesting thing. In nearly every case I came across, there was a defining incident - a time where things had been truly painful on the inside. It might have been a time of being out of control or when the person felt as though something was happening to their body and they had no control over it.
The actual panic attack, however, came anytime they felt what they believed to be the onset of another 'out-of-control' experience. In other words, what made the experience so uncomfortable was the attempt to shut it down. It was actually the fear of fear - panicking now about the possibility of panicking in the future.
I remember one particular client who came to me with such bad panic attacks that she arrived at my office lying down on the back seat of her boyfriend's car with a coat over her head. I asked her to come in, gave her a cup of tea and then told her I was taking a poll and needed to know the answer to a very important question: what are the two silliest words in the English language?
After a bit of confusion and some curious thought, she came up with the words 'French fry' and 'parka'. When it came time to take her case history, I asked her to tell me all about her problem with one caveat - instead of the phrase 'panic attack', which I explained was much too scary a term for me, she was to substitute the word 'French fry'.Instead of telling me about the out-of-control feeling, would she mind substituting the word 'parka'?
We then had a fascinating, fun and funny time discussing how many times a week she had 'French fries' and what it was about 'French fries' she found most scary, and eventually I had her tell me about her first 'French fry'.
In addition, she talked about that horrible 'parka' feeling and how whenever she felt herself begin to 'parka' she would immediately begin having a 'French fry'.
Sometimes when I tell this story people think I was being disrespectful, but think about this - for two years this woman had been unable to leave her home without a coat over her head, and within 10 minutes she was laughing about it. She was beginning to access her own good feelings in relation to the problem situation - and those good feelings would be the key to her finding her own solutions.
Here is an exercise you can do to notice the incredible difference introducing good feelings into 'bad' situations can make. Be kind to yourself by doing it with something that's only a little bit uncomfortable until you get the hang of it.
======================================================================
DISCLAIMER - if you're dealing with something really traumatic, only do this with a qualified (and open-minded!) helping professional.
=======================================================================
--------------------
Today's Experiment:
--------------------
1. Choose something you would like to feel better about in your life. On a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is awful/terrible/helpless and 10 is wonderful and completely resourceful, how do you feel in relation to it?
2. Talk out loud about it for at least three minutes in a high, squeaky 'Mickey Mouse' voice. Be sure to really go for it - 'slightly squeaky' won't do the trick.
If you feel silly talking in a Mickey Mouse voice, you might hop about on one leg instead. If that still feels too silly for something as serious as your problem, talk in the Mickey Mouse voice while hopping about on one leg!
3. Notice what's different when you think about the situation now. How do you feel about it on a scale from 1 to 10?
With love,
Michael
PS - I used these techniques (and others) recently when working with a woman who suffered from panic attacks in London. The story was featured in The Daily Express in an article entitled "Mr. Happy Changed Our Lives" - you can read the text of the article here:
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/6657
If you would like to read the preface and introduction to 'Feel Happy Now' online, click here:
http://www.geniuscatalyst.com/public/feelhappynow.php
Smile!
"Smile, it's free therapy."
-- Doug Horton
I?ve learned that if I put a smile on my face when I?m feeling down, my spirits will automatically lift. The body knows that a smile means happiness.
Knowing this doesn?t mean I?m always willing to do it. Many times, I have absolutely refused to cheer myself up. Isn?t that interesting!
It?s a clue that sometimes the ego positively enjoys being miserable. It can be enlightening to explore the pay-offs we get from our black moods.
"Depend upon it that if a man talks of his misfortunes there is something in them that is not disagreeable to him; for where there is nothing but pure misery there is never any recourse to the mention of it."
-- Samuel Johnson
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
Recognizing abundance
"If your everyday life seems poor, don't blame it; blame yourself; admit to yourself that you are not enough of a poet to call forth its riches; because for the creator there is no poverty and no indifferent place."
-- Rainer Maria Rilke
Where do you now experience abundance in your life?
If you are hard-pressed to find abundance in your finances or possessions, look to spiritual qualities. Do you experience abundance in a special relationship? In a quiet moment in a park? In a good laugh with a friend? The more you acknowledge abundance in your spirit, the richer your life will become.
"Not what we have but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance."
-- John Petit-Senn
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
How To Shine Your Light Like The Sun!
You are a divine radiant being who has sooooo much to offer this world! The Universe has blessed you with a plethora of gifts, talents, and love to shine on everyone. The question is, "How to access this light and let it shine onto the world?" To become a beacon of light and love to those around you, simply recognize all of the amazing riches that the Universe has already given you. First start with thinking about what you DO have instead of what you DON'T have. What are you truly grateful for in your life today? Then ask yourself, "Who am I to receive these divine blessings?". You must already be divine if you are receiving such goodies! All it takes for you to step into your power is for you to open yourself up and receive what is already being offered to you.
"Some other things are like shooting stars, they shoot bright for asecond and then pfft. We are like the sun shining, we shine forever."
~ Ziggy Marley
Many people are stuck in waiting for something "wonderful" to happen. They just keep wondering when the Universe is going to bless them with that golden lottery ticket. They spend their lives hoping that something better will come along, and longing for something that will allow them to step into their power and shine like the sun! It's time to wake up here. You have already won the lottery!! The Universe is your lottery and it is yours for the taking. It has already given you everything you need to feel loved, full of joy, enthusiasm, and truly successful. The light inside you is already on and shining for others. Yet, because you're not looking at your own light you may be missing it.
Perhaps you may be taking your life for granted or obsessing about the past or future which blinds you from seeing the beauty of your magnificent presence. Old wounding or traumas can cause clouds to form around the light of your being and tempt you to buy into the propaganda of others' limiting thinking patterns. Who you truly are is even more powerful and glorious than the Sun!! You can manifest anything you desire! The secret to clearing away these clouds of limiting beliefs and negative thoughts INSTANTLY is looking at your simple sweet Divine presence that's here now. Yes, at the core of your being resides an internal flame of light, love, and radiance. Sit with this focus for 5-10 minutes. It's worth your time. This is who you truly are. It is easy to part the clouds of the mind and see the light at the core of your being. This will allow others to see the magnificence inside you as well.
"Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine"
~ Dwight L. Moody
The interesting thing is that the more you pay attention to your inner light and presence, the easier things manifest for you. The more frequent you let this light shine through, the faster you manifest those amazing things you deeply desire into your physical world. Just like the Sun has a magnetic field that keeps all 9 planets magnetized to it, so too does your inner sun attract beautiful experiences to you. The radiant nature of your core is extremely powerful, beautiful, and unstoppable. When you let it shine on others, they are drawn to you like a moth to a candle flame. Once this shining power is unleashed, the entire world magically starts conspiring to help manifest your dreams into reality.
You may sometimes dim your inner light as a way of playing small so as to not threaten other beings who are near and dear to your heart. It's time to stop playing small, and start playing big. When you let your inner light shine, and fully step into your power, you automatically empower others to do the same. One powerful secret to being a guiding light for others is to write down your greatest desires and dreams. Yes, you may have many dreams that you have kept safely locked away, hiding behind the guards of fear and doubt. You can unlock these dreams and open the door to the magestic wonderland of infinite potentiality! Behind every hidden dream abides the potential energy to harvest and manifest that specific dream. Bringing them out to the surface allows the full radiant power of your being to shine its passion and excitement on them. This also causes your dreams to re-ignite, giving you even more motivation to manifest them.
Your dreams are a type of fuel which bring your inner fire to shine brighter for yourself and everyone else. When you let your BIGGEST, craziest, wildest dreams resurface you give others permission to spark up their dreams too! This causes a mass ignition of everyone's dreams in the world...leading the planet to a higher state of En-light-enment. If one by one, we all let our inner light shine brightly for others to see, we create a wave of light that will soon spread across the world and shine as brilliantly as the sun. Shining your light proudly and brightly for all to see is the surest and fastest way to enlightened the world around you. So let's all take off our lampshades, and let everybody see how truly brilliant and magnificent we are.
"And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."
~ Marianne Willamson
Discover the most powerful, effective manifesting secrets for creating an unstoppable life that you love! Instantly download our Super Manifesting Package Deal today and receive 33% OFF the normal price at:
http://www.ManifestingVibration.com/manifesting-super-package.html
P.S. Please feel free to forward our emails onto your friends, co-workers, distant relatives, neighbors and of course your family....we love you!!
May you easily and effortlessly let your brilliant light shine!
Margot Zaher and Jafree Ozwald
http://www.EnlightenedBeings.com
"Some other things are like shooting stars, they shoot bright for asecond and then pfft. We are like the sun shining, we shine forever."
~ Ziggy Marley
Many people are stuck in waiting for something "wonderful" to happen. They just keep wondering when the Universe is going to bless them with that golden lottery ticket. They spend their lives hoping that something better will come along, and longing for something that will allow them to step into their power and shine like the sun! It's time to wake up here. You have already won the lottery!! The Universe is your lottery and it is yours for the taking. It has already given you everything you need to feel loved, full of joy, enthusiasm, and truly successful. The light inside you is already on and shining for others. Yet, because you're not looking at your own light you may be missing it.
Perhaps you may be taking your life for granted or obsessing about the past or future which blinds you from seeing the beauty of your magnificent presence. Old wounding or traumas can cause clouds to form around the light of your being and tempt you to buy into the propaganda of others' limiting thinking patterns. Who you truly are is even more powerful and glorious than the Sun!! You can manifest anything you desire! The secret to clearing away these clouds of limiting beliefs and negative thoughts INSTANTLY is looking at your simple sweet Divine presence that's here now. Yes, at the core of your being resides an internal flame of light, love, and radiance. Sit with this focus for 5-10 minutes. It's worth your time. This is who you truly are. It is easy to part the clouds of the mind and see the light at the core of your being. This will allow others to see the magnificence inside you as well.
"Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine"
~ Dwight L. Moody
The interesting thing is that the more you pay attention to your inner light and presence, the easier things manifest for you. The more frequent you let this light shine through, the faster you manifest those amazing things you deeply desire into your physical world. Just like the Sun has a magnetic field that keeps all 9 planets magnetized to it, so too does your inner sun attract beautiful experiences to you. The radiant nature of your core is extremely powerful, beautiful, and unstoppable. When you let it shine on others, they are drawn to you like a moth to a candle flame. Once this shining power is unleashed, the entire world magically starts conspiring to help manifest your dreams into reality.
You may sometimes dim your inner light as a way of playing small so as to not threaten other beings who are near and dear to your heart. It's time to stop playing small, and start playing big. When you let your inner light shine, and fully step into your power, you automatically empower others to do the same. One powerful secret to being a guiding light for others is to write down your greatest desires and dreams. Yes, you may have many dreams that you have kept safely locked away, hiding behind the guards of fear and doubt. You can unlock these dreams and open the door to the magestic wonderland of infinite potentiality! Behind every hidden dream abides the potential energy to harvest and manifest that specific dream. Bringing them out to the surface allows the full radiant power of your being to shine its passion and excitement on them. This also causes your dreams to re-ignite, giving you even more motivation to manifest them.
Your dreams are a type of fuel which bring your inner fire to shine brighter for yourself and everyone else. When you let your BIGGEST, craziest, wildest dreams resurface you give others permission to spark up their dreams too! This causes a mass ignition of everyone's dreams in the world...leading the planet to a higher state of En-light-enment. If one by one, we all let our inner light shine brightly for others to see, we create a wave of light that will soon spread across the world and shine as brilliantly as the sun. Shining your light proudly and brightly for all to see is the surest and fastest way to enlightened the world around you. So let's all take off our lampshades, and let everybody see how truly brilliant and magnificent we are.
"And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."
~ Marianne Willamson
Discover the most powerful, effective manifesting secrets for creating an unstoppable life that you love! Instantly download our Super Manifesting Package Deal today and receive 33% OFF the normal price at:
http://www.ManifestingVibration.com/manifesting-super-package.html
P.S. Please feel free to forward our emails onto your friends, co-workers, distant relatives, neighbors and of course your family....we love you!!
May you easily and effortlessly let your brilliant light shine!
Margot Zaher and Jafree Ozwald
http://www.EnlightenedBeings.com
Days to Simplicity.
To learn more please visit
http://clicks.aweber.com/z/ct/?ta7Wy7hcxoEdN3bcj_HoQA
Have you ever felt controlled by life's external circumstances and responsibilities?
Do you ever feel there is so much stuff in your house that you'll never get organized?
Do paperwork, finances, budgeting and bills loom?
Does time seem like a hard to find commodity?
Are your days so filled with commitments that they blend one into another?
If so, you're not alone. Millions of Americans are suffering from today's demanding lifestyles. And more and more people are joining a new trend. The trend of simplifying one's life. Over commitment and overburden lead to stress, frustration and a sense of being "out of control."
The following tips can help you narrow-in on the clutter chaos and create a more calming life.
The closet.
Start by visiting your grocery store and bringing home a few big boxes. These are your garage sale or donation boxes. Start with your closet. Most of us have more than we can possibly wear or clothes that haven't been worn because we don't feel comfortable or confident in them. All of those can go. Donate them, or have a rummage sale and use the proceeds to buy a few pieces you will wear.
Do you need more than one?
How many books do you have right now that you have been meaning to read?
How many books can you read at one time?
If you have stacks of unread books you are only adding clutter to your life. You may also be wasting money if, by the time you are ready to read those books, your interests change and there is a new book you would rather read. Simplifying is all about one thing at a time.
Tackling the stuff. George Carlin once said, "Think of it. That's all your house is. It's a place to keep your stuff. If you didn't have so much stuff, you wouldn't need a house. That's all your house is. A pile of stuff with a cover on it. It's a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff!"
As you look at all the stuff in your home, remember this formula--stuff equals stress. The more stuff you have the more you have to maintain, clean and repair. The basic key to simplifying your life is to simplify your stuff.
Think of everything you do in terms of priorities. What are your priorities in life? Do you long to have more time with your children? Is there an unfulfilled dream you would like to pursue? Identify your top few priorities and then observe how your actions affect them.
For example, if your top priority is spending time with your children, does buying a new outfit achieve that? If you have a comparable outfit, could that money be better spent?
Cutting down. Simplifying isn't about being frugal. It's about deciding what is important to you and what makes you feel batter about yourself and your life. It's about doing more of the things that make you feel good--by cutting out the things that don't offer as much gratification.
Let's examine the following situation. Let's say you grab a cup of coffee every day on your way to work. It's become a ritual. Do you get excited as you pull up to that drive-through? Probably not. You might glance at your watch and think, I wish they would hurry up. I need my coffee and I still have to get through rush hour. What if you brewed coffee at home, but, to start off your week on Monday mornings, you treated yourself to meeting a friend for a coffee?
Which would give you more gratification? Which would simplify and enhance your life?
Same with dinner. If you bring home fast food on a regular basis, why not make it just a couple of times each month--but make it more special by taking the kids for an extra hour in the playland?
Trap of the free item. I was amazed when I looked around my office at how many things I had collected just because they were free. Newspapers, brochures, catalogs--enough to wallpaper my office twice.
As I looked through the items, a few were valuable, but most just took up space and took extra time to organize and weed through. (Not to mention that it certainly was not environmentally friendly for me to take items that I wouldn't use.) Now, when I see something free, I think twice and don't take it unless it's something I'm positive I'll use.
A CRASH COURSE IN SIMPLIFICATION:
o "Use it or lose it" is the golden rule of simplifying one's life.
o If you can't figure out what a gizmo or gadget does, then all
it's doing is taking up space.
o Take ten minutes every night to un-clutter. Have a race with your
kids to put everything away. If you do this nightly as part of your
bedtime routine you avoid the danger of letting your house get "out
of control."
o Tackle one project at a time. Whether the project is cleaning,
organizing, reading a book or working on a craft project, finish
each project completely before purchasing or starting another.
o Limit junk drawers to one in your entire home.
o Teach "the art of simplicity" to your kids.
o If you don't have a place to put something, don't buy it. Avoid
making space for more clutter.
o Don't keep catalogs. They are not only clutter-building, they are
a temptation to spend money.
o Donate your books to the local library when you are finished with
them. (Ask for a receipt as the donation may be tax-deductible.)
o Don't become obsessed with saving everything for a later use. How
many plastic and paper bags does one person need?
o When you are organizing and come across something you kind of
like, but don't really us, try to think of someone who not only
likes the item, but also will use it. Make that person's day by
giving it to them.
o Every couple of months, tackle the sock drawer. If there isn't a
match now, there probably won't be one later. Toss solo socks or
make sock puppets with your kids for some inexpensive family
entertainment.
o Don't waste time looking for warranties, manuals or important
receipts. Create a special drawer where only these things are kept.
Using a drawer eliminates the chance of the papers never making it
to a file or being misfiled.
Bill systems. Try the following for a quick way to manage your incoming mail and bills. Purchase three magnetic envelope size holders. Place these on the side of your refrigerator. Use the top one for bills you need to pay with your first paycheck each month. Use the second for the bills that come out of your second paycheck.
The third is for all outgoing mail and a roll of stamps. When you pick up your mail each day, sort it right by the bill-holders. Throw out envelopes, special offers and all the clutter that comes with bills these days. When it comes time to pay your bills, remove the top holder and find a quiet place to do your paperwork. Then return that holder below the other one and make it for your next paycheck.
Your Weekly Challenge:
After reading through this week's article, what steps can you take
to simplify?
http://clicks.aweber.com/z/ct/?ta7Wy7hcxoEdN3bcj_HoQA
Have you ever felt controlled by life's external circumstances and responsibilities?
Do you ever feel there is so much stuff in your house that you'll never get organized?
Do paperwork, finances, budgeting and bills loom?
Does time seem like a hard to find commodity?
Are your days so filled with commitments that they blend one into another?
If so, you're not alone. Millions of Americans are suffering from today's demanding lifestyles. And more and more people are joining a new trend. The trend of simplifying one's life. Over commitment and overburden lead to stress, frustration and a sense of being "out of control."
The following tips can help you narrow-in on the clutter chaos and create a more calming life.
The closet.
Start by visiting your grocery store and bringing home a few big boxes. These are your garage sale or donation boxes. Start with your closet. Most of us have more than we can possibly wear or clothes that haven't been worn because we don't feel comfortable or confident in them. All of those can go. Donate them, or have a rummage sale and use the proceeds to buy a few pieces you will wear.
Do you need more than one?
How many books do you have right now that you have been meaning to read?
How many books can you read at one time?
If you have stacks of unread books you are only adding clutter to your life. You may also be wasting money if, by the time you are ready to read those books, your interests change and there is a new book you would rather read. Simplifying is all about one thing at a time.
Tackling the stuff. George Carlin once said, "Think of it. That's all your house is. It's a place to keep your stuff. If you didn't have so much stuff, you wouldn't need a house. That's all your house is. A pile of stuff with a cover on it. It's a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff!"
As you look at all the stuff in your home, remember this formula--stuff equals stress. The more stuff you have the more you have to maintain, clean and repair. The basic key to simplifying your life is to simplify your stuff.
Think of everything you do in terms of priorities. What are your priorities in life? Do you long to have more time with your children? Is there an unfulfilled dream you would like to pursue? Identify your top few priorities and then observe how your actions affect them.
For example, if your top priority is spending time with your children, does buying a new outfit achieve that? If you have a comparable outfit, could that money be better spent?
Cutting down. Simplifying isn't about being frugal. It's about deciding what is important to you and what makes you feel batter about yourself and your life. It's about doing more of the things that make you feel good--by cutting out the things that don't offer as much gratification.
Let's examine the following situation. Let's say you grab a cup of coffee every day on your way to work. It's become a ritual. Do you get excited as you pull up to that drive-through? Probably not. You might glance at your watch and think, I wish they would hurry up. I need my coffee and I still have to get through rush hour. What if you brewed coffee at home, but, to start off your week on Monday mornings, you treated yourself to meeting a friend for a coffee?
Which would give you more gratification? Which would simplify and enhance your life?
Same with dinner. If you bring home fast food on a regular basis, why not make it just a couple of times each month--but make it more special by taking the kids for an extra hour in the playland?
Trap of the free item. I was amazed when I looked around my office at how many things I had collected just because they were free. Newspapers, brochures, catalogs--enough to wallpaper my office twice.
As I looked through the items, a few were valuable, but most just took up space and took extra time to organize and weed through. (Not to mention that it certainly was not environmentally friendly for me to take items that I wouldn't use.) Now, when I see something free, I think twice and don't take it unless it's something I'm positive I'll use.
A CRASH COURSE IN SIMPLIFICATION:
o "Use it or lose it" is the golden rule of simplifying one's life.
o If you can't figure out what a gizmo or gadget does, then all
it's doing is taking up space.
o Take ten minutes every night to un-clutter. Have a race with your
kids to put everything away. If you do this nightly as part of your
bedtime routine you avoid the danger of letting your house get "out
of control."
o Tackle one project at a time. Whether the project is cleaning,
organizing, reading a book or working on a craft project, finish
each project completely before purchasing or starting another.
o Limit junk drawers to one in your entire home.
o Teach "the art of simplicity" to your kids.
o If you don't have a place to put something, don't buy it. Avoid
making space for more clutter.
o Don't keep catalogs. They are not only clutter-building, they are
a temptation to spend money.
o Donate your books to the local library when you are finished with
them. (Ask for a receipt as the donation may be tax-deductible.)
o Don't become obsessed with saving everything for a later use. How
many plastic and paper bags does one person need?
o When you are organizing and come across something you kind of
like, but don't really us, try to think of someone who not only
likes the item, but also will use it. Make that person's day by
giving it to them.
o Every couple of months, tackle the sock drawer. If there isn't a
match now, there probably won't be one later. Toss solo socks or
make sock puppets with your kids for some inexpensive family
entertainment.
o Don't waste time looking for warranties, manuals or important
receipts. Create a special drawer where only these things are kept.
Using a drawer eliminates the chance of the papers never making it
to a file or being misfiled.
Bill systems. Try the following for a quick way to manage your incoming mail and bills. Purchase three magnetic envelope size holders. Place these on the side of your refrigerator. Use the top one for bills you need to pay with your first paycheck each month. Use the second for the bills that come out of your second paycheck.
The third is for all outgoing mail and a roll of stamps. When you pick up your mail each day, sort it right by the bill-holders. Throw out envelopes, special offers and all the clutter that comes with bills these days. When it comes time to pay your bills, remove the top holder and find a quiet place to do your paperwork. Then return that holder below the other one and make it for your next paycheck.
Your Weekly Challenge:
After reading through this week's article, what steps can you take
to simplify?
Here's your challenge:
"Attack every day with a ferocious desire to
end it a better person than you were when
you got up. Create the mindset to live life
more fully than you have in the past. Decide
right now that simply because the herd settles
for mediocrity, appeasement, and existence,
you will challenge your self to do, have, and
become more.
"Set aside 30 minutes each morning for personal
growth time and make this a sacred practice.
Don't make excuses about how early you work,
the kids you have to get ready for school, the
dog you have to walk, the breakfast you have
to prepare, or the person you are a caretaker for.
"These things simply make this selfish personal
development time all the more imperative. Start
each day doing something that nurtures your mind,
body or soul. Or all three.
"Then go forth in each day and seek out challenge,
evolution, and exploration. Make a difference to
those around you, but most importantly, make a
difference for yourself!"
Two stories about mountains
Here where I stand After having won many archery competitions, the town champion sought out the Zen master. ?I am the best of all,? he said. ?I did not learn religion, I did not look for help from the monks, and I have been considered the best archer in the whole region. I heard that some time ago you were the best archer in the area, so I ask you: did you have to become a monk to learn to shoot arrows? ?No,? answered the Zen master. But the champion was not satisfied: he took out an arrow, placed it in his bow, fired, and hit a cherry at a considerable distance. He smiled, as if to say: ?You could have saved your time and just dedicated yourself to technique.? And he said: ?I doubt if you can do the same.? Without demonstrating the least concern, the master took his bow and began to walk towards a nearby mountain. On the way there was an abyss that could only be crossed by an old rotting rope bridge that was almost falling down: with the utmost calm, the Zen master went to the middle of the bridge, took his bow, placed an arrow, aimed at a tree on the other side of the gulch, and hit the target. ?Now it?s your turn,? he said gently to the young man as he walked back to safe ground. In trepidation, looking at the abyss below him, the young man went to the indicated spot and fired an arrow, but it landed very far from the target. ?That?s what one gets from discipline and practicing meditation,? concluded the master when the young man re-appeared at his side. ?You can be very skilled with the instrument you have chosen to earn a living, but it?s all useless if you can?t manage to master the mind that uses the instrument.? Contemplating the desert Three people who were passing in a small caravan saw a man contemplating the sunset in the Sahara desert from the top of a mountain. ?It must be a shepherd who has lost a sheep and is trying to find it,? said the first. ?No, I don?t think he is looking for something, especially not at sunset - that confuses your vision. I think he is waiting for a friend.? ?I bet he?s a holy man looking for enlightenment,? commented the third. They began to discuss what the man was doing, and got so involved in the discussion that they nearly ended up fighting with one another. Finally, to find out who was right, they decided to climb the mountain and ask the man. ?Are you looking for your sheep?? asked the first. ?No, I don?t have a flock.? ?Then you must be waiting for someone,? claimed the second. ?I am a lonely man who lives in the desert,? was the answer. ?Since you live in the desert, and in solitude, then we have to believe that you are a holy man in search of God, and you are meditating!? asserted the third man, content with this conclusion. ?Does everything on Earth need to have an explanation? So let me explain: I am here just looking at the sunset: isn?t that enough to lend a meaning to our lives? "The Witch of Portobello" will be released in the UK on 4/23/07, in India on 4/18/07 and in the United States in May of 2007. If you wish to read the first chapters of the book, click here. | ||
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HAVE AN AVERAGE DAY!
"Happiness and a meaningful life come from making differences.
But this is the most important rule to follow: always make the
differences you can make, not the differences you would prefer
to make but can't."
-Lyndon Duke
I was talking to my friend and mentor Steve Chandler once when
he said to me "have an average day!" A bit taken aback, I asked
him what he meant. After all, isn't the idea to have "great"
days, or even "exceptional" ones?
He then told me the story of one of his mentors, a man named
Lyndon Duke who studied something called "the linguistics of
suicide". After receiving a doctorate from two separate
universities, Duke began analyzing suicide notes to look for
linguistic clues which could be used to predict and prevent
suicidal behavior in teenagers.
What he learned was startling - that the enemy of happiness was
what he called "the curse of exceptionality". In a world where
everyone is trying to be exceptional, two things happen. The
first is that nearly everyone fails, because by definition if
too many people become exceptional, the exceptional becomes
commonplace. The second is that those few who do succeed feel
even more isolated and estranged from their peers than before.
Consequently you have a few people feeling envied, misunderstood
and alone and tens of thousands of others feeling like failures
for not being "______ enough" - "good enough", "special
enough", "rich enough" or even "happy enough."
When I was in the midst of the thickest cloud of my own suicidal
thoughts at university, I remember wishing I could run away
from my Presidential Scholarship and hide, perhaps changing my
name to "Bob" and taking a job at pumping gas at a full-service
station somewhere in the midwest. Only in my fantasy, sooner
or later people would start to notice that there was something
special about me. They would begin driving miles out of their
way to have their cars filled up by "Bob the service guy" and
exchange a few words with him, leaving the station oddly
uplifted and with a renewed sense of optimism and purpose.
Before long, someone would discover how exceptional I was and I
would have to run away from their expectations all over again.
I was, to my way of thinking, doomed to succeed.
Delusions of grandeur? Quite possibly. Depressed, hopeless and
miserable? Absolutely!
One of Lyndon Duke's major breakthroughs came when he was
dealing with his own unhappiness and heard the sound of a
neighbor singing while mowing his lawn. He realized then that's
what was missing from his life - the simple pleasures of an
average life.
The very next weekend, he went to visit his son who was
struggling to excel in his first term at university. He sat him
down and told him about his revised expectations for him:
"I expect you to be a straight "C" student, young man," Duke
said. "I want you to complete your unremarkable academic
career, meet an ordinary young woman and if you choose to, get
married and live a completely average life!"
His son, of course, thought Dad had finally flipped, but did
take the pressure off himself to be quite so "exceptional". A
month later he phoned his father to apologize. He had gotten
"A"s on all his exams, but it was OK because he had only done an
"average" amount of studying.
And this is the paradoxical promise of the "average day"
philosophy - the cumulative effect of a series of average days
spent doing an average amount of what one loves and wants to do
is actually quite extraordinary!
Let's put this thought together with another one of Duke's
discoveries - that many of the young people he studied felt as
though their lives had no meaning and made no difference to the
world or anyone in it. As a practical philosopher, he realized
that the meaning of our lives actually *comes* from the
differences we make with them. And that those differences need
not be huge to be profound in their impact on both ourselves
and others.
When we combine those two ideas we have what may well be the
ultimate goal for a happy and productive life:
*To be an average, happy person making a bit of a positive
difference and having a happy, average day.*
In doing this, you create the kind of "exceptionality" that can
be shared by everyone.
--------------------
Today's experiment:
--------------------
1. Choose an area of your life you have been trying to excel in.
Examples:
Writing, Sales, Being a mom
2. What would constitute an average day in that area? Not
*typical*, but average (as in neither exceptionally good nor
exceptionally bad)?
Examples:
Writing - 90 minutes a day
Sales - Speaking with 5 new prospects
Being a mom - Spending at least half an hour before school and
half an hour after school focused 100% on being with the kids
3. Project forward into the future - if you did nothing but
repeat your "average day" 5 days a week, how much of a
difference will you have made in 3 months? A year? 5 years? A
lifetime?
Examples:
Writing 100 or so hours in a 3 month period would probably be
enough to complete an entire book; 400 hours in a year would be
2 books, some poetry and a screenplay; Over 2000 hours over a 5
year period would make me prolific!
Speaking with 100+ people a month about the difference I can
make for them would definitely lead to some sales; over 1200
difference making conversations a year would lead to numerous
sales (and an incredible amount of skill development); over 6000
difference-making conversations in a 5 year period would make
me rich!
Spending at least an hour a day with my kids seven days a week
is over 125 hours in 3 months; that's more than enough time to
really get to know them and tune in to their wants and needs.
500+ focused hours of time spent with my children over the
course of a year will create an incredible level of friendly
intimacy and positive familiarity; if I make even a tiny
difference in each one of nearly 3000 hours over a 5 year
period, the impact on their lives and sense of meaning in mine
will be anything but average!
4. Do 3 things today that make a small difference - they can be
as simple as a kind word to a friend, a warm smile to a
stranger or picking up your children's socks without secretly
wanting to kill them. :-) Repeat daily for as often as you
like.
Have fun, learn heaps, and have an average day!
With love,
Michael
Making Friendships Matter
http://www.cherylrichardson.com/
"My friends are my estate."
--Emily Dickinson
~*~ Topic of the Week - Making Friendships Matter ~*~
Two months ago, as part of a decision to create more support in our lives,
my best friend Max and I agreed to start meeting for dinner once a week.
Like many friends, our lives would often get so busy that our
well-intentioned plans to see each other more would end up relegated to an
occasional long phone conversation just to catch up. As we've gotten
older (and wiser), we've both decided that we want more.
After making the decision to meet, we first chose a town that was located
mid-way between our homes (we live almost an hour from each other). Then,
we decided to vary the day and time during the week to accommodate our
changing schedules since we're both self-employed. We've made it fun by
trying a different restaurant each week. What started out as a
girlfriend's get-together has turned into an important commitment that we
both value and cherish -- every single week.
During dinner we talk about anything and everything -- beauty, aging, the
stock market, what's currently driving us crazy, or the plans we have for
our businesses and our future. We laugh like crazy and also offer each
other heartfelt guidance by listening carefully and providing feedback
about the personal things that challenge our daily lives. We also discuss
practical things -- technology tricks and shortcuts, recently found
resources in the form of products or services, and our favorite movie
picks from Netflix (I especially love this part :)
After two months of holding our dinner dates as sacred, here's what I've
learned:
~*~ While email and phone calls keep people connected, nothing replaces
the richness of face-to-face time. Nothing.
~*~ The more you meet, the closer you feel, and the more motivated you
are to make your friendship a priority.
~*~ As close as two friends might be, there's a missed opportunity for so
much more when you don't meet regularly.
~*~ The more you put into a friendship, the more you get out.
~*~ Seeing a good friend on a regular basis wraps you in a feeling of
closeness and belonging that stays with you long after the dinner has
ended.
Most important, my weekly meeting with Max has shown me that there's
something magical that happens when two people get together with the
expressed intention to support each other. During each meal we've both
had the experience of tapping into a collective pool of wisdom and insight
that takes our lives to a whole new level -- a place that we couldn't have
accessed on our own.
Finally, the commitment to invest in this friendship has also taught me
once again about the importance of putting action behind my words. If I
say I care about you and that our relationship matters, then I need to
back up that statement with action. Finding a way to make a regular date
in a busy schedule is a small price to pay for the one thing that will
matter most when we come to the end of our lives -- our precious
relationships. I hope my experience inspires you to call a good friend
this week to add a new level of richness to your life, too. There's
nothing like it in the world . . .
~*~ Take Action Challenge ~*~
This week, take the time to invest in a friendship that matters to you.
Call and have a conversation about how you'll see each other more.
Schedule time in your calendar to meet regularly over three months instead
of only scheduling one visit. Then, do what you have to to make it work.
You'll be surprised by how quickly you wonder why you hadn't done it long
ago.
OPPORTUNITY LIES IN THE MIDST OF DIFFICULTY
Every problem you encounter has hidden in it
an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem.
The greatest success stories were created by people
who recognized a problem and turned it into an opportunity.
You'll find that every situation,
properly perceived, offers you an opportunity.
As fast as each opportunity presents itself, use it.
No matter how tiny an opportunity it may be, use it.
You'll discover new directions
when you have an open mind and a willing hand.
Successful people didn't achieve their distinction
by having some new talent or opportunity presented to them.
They developed an opportunity that was at hand.
You must make your own opportunities if you want to be successful.
Opportunity is all around you.
bargain basement prices.
Everything has a price.
THE DAILY GURU
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©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Imagine your ideal future
"Your imagination is your preview to life?s coming attractions."
-- Albert Einstein
If you were to create an ideal future for yourself, what would it be like?
All things that now exist in form were once simply ideas in consciousness. We each hold the power to manifest different circumstances for our lives. If we wish to manifest a new reality for ourselves, we need to consistently focus our imagination on the ideals we seek to realize.
Remember to explore your ideal in terms of qualities, not people or things. What qualities do you most want in life? Freedom? Respect? Playfulness? Abundance? Whatever qualities you seek, imagine experiencing them now and be open to new ways to discover those qualities appearing in your life.
"Change is created by those whose imaginations are bigger than their circumstances"
-- Unknown source
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
THE NECTAR OF THE GODS
(Today's tip is adapted from my forthcoming book, 'Feel Happy Now' - see the 'Want to Learn More?' section at the end of the book to learn more...)
'You would then reach into your bag and pull out a Fuzzy the size of a child's hand. As soon as the Fuzzy saw the light of day it would smile and blossom into a large, shaggy, Warm Fuzzy. When you laid the Warm Fuzzy on the person's head, shoulder or lap it would snuggle up and melt right against their skin and make them feel good all over.'
-From "A Warm Fuzzy Tale" by Claude M. Steiner
In the early 1970s, a graduate student named Candace Pert discovered that every cell in our body contained what she called 'opiate receptors'. She found these receptors were particularly in tune with one special kind of chemical messenger called 'endogenous morphines', more commonly known as 'endorphins'. Endorphins (or, as my four year old calls them, 'en-dolphins') are your body's natural opiates, the neurotransmitters that control pain and create pleasure. They are the biochemical source of that happy, glowing feeling that Claude Steiner calls 'the Warm Fuzzy'.
Whenever you feel a warm glow after sex, the sweet feeling of looking at an extremely cute puppy or baby, or even the release and relaxation of climbing into a warm bath at the end of a hard day, what you're feeling is endorphins swimming happily through your bloodstream. You get a natural endorphin release when you do physical exercise, make love, laugh a lot and relax deeply. And not only does the presence of endorphins in your system make you feel better, but it can make you smarter and more capable as well.
As Paul McKenna says in his book Change Your Life in Seven Days:
'Because endorphins are neuro-transmitters, they create more bonding in the brain, so every time you experience an endorphin release, they actually make you more intelligent. And every cell in your body has receptors for endorphins. How great a design feature is that?
Not only can every cell in our body experience happiness, but the more often we choose to be happy, the more intelligent we become!
The best thing about understanding the phenomenal role of endorphins in our health, happiness and well-being is that we don't have to wait for spontaneous releases of endorphins in order to experience their benefits - we can cultivate the endorphin response through practice.'
Let's do a quick experiment so you can experience this for yourself:
Imagine your body is filled with golden light. (It can actually be whatever colour you like - any colour that brings a smile to your face when you think about it.) Now imagine that light flowing throughout your body like a warm liquid, nourishing every cell and organ along the way.
If you look closely, you can see tiny little 'en-dolphins' swimming in the light. Each en-dolphin is a carrier of joy. Imagine yourself diving into the light and swimming with the en-dolphins. You can continue doing this for as long as it feels good...
You will find that over time, just thinking about swimming with your own endorphins will bring a wave of good feelings to your body and mind!
Have fun, learn heaps, and happy exploring!
With love,
Michael
======================
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
======================
Here are some of my favorite resources for learning more about how to create good feelings inside your body...
Books
*The Endorphin Effect by William Bloom
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0749921587/geniuscatalys-20
*Feel Happy Now! by Michael Neill (pre-order)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1401915302/geniuscatalys-21
*The Pleasure Zone by Stella Resnick
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1567315518/geniuscatalys-20
*Using Your Brain for a Change by Richard Bandler
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0911226273/geniuscatalys-20
*You Can Have What You Want by Michael Neill
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1401911838/geniuscatalys-20
How to Be Free From Survival Mode
Written by Margot Zaher and Jafree Ozwald
http://www.EnlightenedBeings.com
"Go confidently in the direction of your Dreams. Live the life you've
imagined!" ~ Henry David Thoreau
You are the creator of your world. You are the one who has manifested
everything in your life and will continue to manifest everything you
experience in the future. So you might be asking yourself, "Why
haven't I manifested only that which I want?" One of the reasons is
that your mind is caught in the habit of focusing on what it doesn't
want and feeling disconnected from its divine infinite nature. The
most common block to manifesting is dwelling on what you "don't want"
in your life. This habitual feeling is all based on the need for
survival. From the moment we were born, our mind was programmed to
survive. This was the most important thing at birth. As we grew up we
saw people in survival mode, working long hours to make enough money
for food, clothing, and shelter. We bought into the fear-based
program and started living from it. Years went by and an ironic thing
occurred. The more the mind continued to focus on survival, the more
it felt it could never do or have enough to truly rest and stop
trying to survive.
Even when your primary physical needs are already met you will notice
the mind obsesses about surviving. Since your mind has already been
programmed with this over-exaggerated survival reflex, it will
continue to look for better ways to ensure your future is safe. The
only way it can discover freedom from this survival addiction is to
know that no matter what happens, YOU will always be O.K. This
realization occurs when you discover who you truly are is a soul that
never dies. Relaxing into this realization and the essence of your
being is the key to uplifting your consciousness beyond survival
mode. Deep down you know that Universe will provide for you, it does
for all the animals everyday throughout this world, and it will take
care of every need you have too.
"Awakening to the truth is a deep realization of what you are as an
experience. What is it that is listening? What is it that is feeling?
Feel it. Sense it. Welcome it." ~ Adyashanti
When you are living everyday in a habitual cave of survival
consciousness, you are buying into the biggest cosmic joke in the
Universe. You are pretending to be a beggar when in reality you are
not just an affluent king, but The Creator and divine manifestor of
everything in your world. It is as if you were desperate to find a
few gold coins on the street when beneath your property at home is an
entire goldmine! The truth is that you have just temporarily
forgotten that YOU are this goldmine, this vast richness that never
dies, and were only distracted by the idea of a few small shiny
coins. The good news is that you can shift your focus back to that
which will unlock this richness inside you. You have the ability to
consciously live free from fear and KNOW that you can create whatever
you want. Every choice you make right now is an opportunity to go
deeper, and truly sink into this relaxed confident being who is free
from fear. This moment now is your chance to KNOW you are capable of
manifesting ANYTHING your heart desires.
"Whatever the conscious mind thinks and believes, the subconscious
identically creates." ~ Brian Adams
When you surrender to fully embracing your most basic spiritual
essence inside, you see that you already are a powerful conscious
creator of your world. No matter what happens in your outer world you
KNOW you will be attracting the most divine outcome possible. Your
outer world is simply a reflection of the consciousness within. It
mirrors back where you are on your path and what depth of
understanding of your Self you have tended to embody up to this
moment. Once you shift your state of consciousness towards KNOWING
you are the conscious creator, creativity and creation, your outer
world will hold you in the highest vibration possible. Then you will
experience an entire new level of love, abundance, energy and
prosperity in your life. So, to stop focusing on surviving in this
world, start looking at who is it that thinks he/she is not eternal.
What is the big risk that an infinite divine soul has in this world?
None. What experience isn't worth the risk in taking? None. As an
infinite being, you are free from the seemingly negative outcomes of
risks. Trust your heart. Take risks! This will blast you FAR away
from survival mentality. You know which risks will make your heart
sing. Do them! The worst thing you can do in this life is not take
risks. So start today. Focus ONLY on what you want to consciously
manifest and go do it.
Here are 3 powerful techniques to support you into fully embodying
that powerful creator that you already are, and will always be.
1. Become Aware of Habitual Survival Thinking.
The more you notice when you are in Survival Consciousness, the
faster you can shift into Thriving Consciousness. As you go through
your day, notice which thoughts and actions come from a place of
surviving and fear. One of the most common places in your life where
you may be plagued by survival thinking is in the area of your
career. You may view your career as a way of surviving instead of as
an avenue for thriving and consciously manifest whatever you do
desire. You may say to yourself, "I have to go to work today so that
I can pay the mortgage" instead of "I get to use my mind and my
creativity to conscious create more abundance in my life." Take out a
piece of paper and just for today, write down all of the survival
thoughts that you have and burn them. You will be amazed at how much
of your thinking is released from simply creating more awareness
around this limiting mindset.
2. Bathe in the Awesome Energy of Gratitude.
It is impossible to worry about survival when you are in the healing
energy of gratitude. Gratitude is one of the most powerful and
transformational energies on the planet. Every time you are
spontaneously grateful for how the Universe has blessed you, you send
out a high vibrational energy that starts magnetizing even more
abundance into your life! Whenever you are bathing in the energy of
gratitude, you have FULL access to a deeper knowingness that you are
abundant, loved and free! All thoughts of surviving literally
disappear. Yes, gratitude is the most powerful vehicle that allows
you to tap into your own abundance consciousness and creative energy.
When you embrace gratitude as a way of being you naturally know the
truth of your soul's path and mission, and that you are already
blessed with everything you need. From this place, you then become a
massive magnet for attracting even more success, love, abundance and
divine beings into your life. Whenever you start going into survival
mode, refocus on gratitude and you'll begin feeling more liberated to
receive anything you want in your world.
3. Establish a Firm Realization that You Are a Conscious Creator.
As you go through your day, repeat to yourself one or all of these
statements, "I am a conscious and powerful creator in my world. I'm
always manifesting what I most desire. Everything is perfect in my
world." Just keep chanting this mind-altering mantra slowly. Your
mind-body will eventually be reprogrammed with this truth. It may
take a few days or weeks depending on your ulterior beliefs, yet soon
you will deeply KNOW in your heart of hearts that you are consciously
manifesting whatever you want in each moment. You are truly that
powerful.
"Keep your face to the Sunshine and you will not see the Shadows."
~Helen Keller
Learn the most powerful techniques and tools to re-awaken the
conscious creator within you! Our 90 Day Manifesting Program is
proven to be extremely effective. Receive this program for FREE and
jumpstart your creative energies with a personal manifesting session
from Margot or Jafree. Sign up today at:
http://www.enlightenedbeings.com/manifesting-sessions.html#order
Importantly, on Sunday April 22nd at midnight EST, the price of one
manifesting session will increase by 25%. Session slot times are
limited...today is the day to take action!
May you consciously create your dream life this week!
Margot and Jafree
http://www.EnlightenedBeings.com
Calm the mind
"All man's miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone."
-- Blaise Pascal
Meditation calms our minds and makes it easier for us to pay attention to the reality around and within us. Meditation breaks through the masks that have built up as our identity. It helps us see through our defences and connect with unacknowledged and unloved aspects of ourselves. It opens us to higher mind and the voice of intuition.
We can consciously choose meditation as a way to become more aware of who we truly are. If we don?t take the initiative to open to our authentic selves, we can be certain that deep challenge and pain from life experience will push us to awaken.
"Meditation helps me feel the shape, the texture of my inner life. Here, in the quiet, I can begin to taste what Buddhists would call my true nature, what Jews call the still, small voice, what Christians call the holy spirit."
-- Wayne Muller
"In a world filled with noise, we need to quiet ourselves to hear God?s voice."
--Paul Borthwick
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
REALITY IS SOMETHING YOU RISE ABOVE
Courage is a special kind of knowledge.
It's the knowledge of how to fear what should be feared
and how not to fear what should not be feared.
A brave mind is always impregnable.
True courage is the result of reasoning.
You're more important than your problems.
You're bigger than anything that can happen to you.
Great things are accomplished when you believe
that what's inside of you is superior to your circumstances.
What you have outside you counts less than what you have inside you.
Nothing external to you has power over you.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
It's the knowledge of how to fear what should be feared
and how not to fear what should not be feared.
A brave mind is always impregnable.
True courage is the result of reasoning.
You're more important than your problems.
You're bigger than anything that can happen to you.
Great things are accomplished when you believe
that what's inside of you is superior to your circumstances.
What you have outside you counts less than what you have inside you.
Nothing external to you has power over you.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
A Hidden Meaning...
"Whatever relationships you have attracted in your life at this
moment, are precisely the ones you need in your life at this moment.
There is a hidden meaning behind all events, and this hidden meaning
is serving your own evolution." ~ Deepak Chopra
moment, are precisely the ones you need in your life at this moment.
There is a hidden meaning behind all events, and this hidden meaning
is serving your own evolution." ~ Deepak Chopra
RICHES LIE WITHIN YOU, NOT IN YOUR MATERIAL POSSESSIONS
Wealth without enjoyment is little consolation.
Your real riches in life are riches of the head and heart.
Satisfaction comes when you appreciate what you have.
While success is getting what you want,
true happiness is wanting what you get.
It's not how much you have,
but how much you enjoy that truly matters.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
What's off balance?
"To do great work a man must be very idle as well as very industrious."
-- Samuel Butler
Spirit requires a balance of female and male energy, yin and yang, receptiveness and expression. Are you sensitive to intuition and inner guidance? Are you able to act on the guidance you receive? Seek to find a balance in being and doing in all areas of your life.
"The balanced energy is the birthing energy. I used to say that the birthing energy was all feminine -- it?s not. You have to push and you have to be. It?s such a potent example of the dance of the feminine and masculine together, the dance that is the creative energy of life!"
-- Joyce Irvine
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These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
Rediscover your sense of smell
"Smell is a potent wizard that transports us across thousands of miles and all the years we have lived."
-- Helen Keller
Many of us are so wrapped up in our thinking and activity that we have lost touch with our senses. Sensing brings us fully into the moment. Only when we are aware and conscious can we receive the gifts of experience our senses continually bring us.
Today, set an intention to be aware of smells. Focus on your nose and awaken to its sensitivity. As you smell more consciously, let go of your judgment of the aromas. Don?t label them good or bad; simply experience them for their individual qualities. Also note when smells revive old memories.
"When you start using senses you?ve neglected, your reward is to see the world with completely fresh eyes."
-- Barbara Sher
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
-- Helen Keller
Many of us are so wrapped up in our thinking and activity that we have lost touch with our senses. Sensing brings us fully into the moment. Only when we are aware and conscious can we receive the gifts of experience our senses continually bring us.
Today, set an intention to be aware of smells. Focus on your nose and awaken to its sensitivity. As you smell more consciously, let go of your judgment of the aromas. Don?t label them good or bad; simply experience them for their individual qualities. Also note when smells revive old memories.
"When you start using senses you?ve neglected, your reward is to see the world with completely fresh eyes."
-- Barbara Sher
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
...
Be consistent and live what you believe
LIVE AND ACT IN A SPIRIT OF LOVE
The place to begin to improve the world
is in your own heart, head and hands.
To get along with others,
love them without forcing your love upon them.
Imposing your beliefs on people will not bring you peace.
Have concern for others, respect their rights and freedoms,
and let them be themselves.
Do this and you will enjoy peace.
Having consideration for others is the basis of a good life.
Most people are not against you, they are merely for themselves.
Let differing ideas clash, but not those of the heart.
Peace comes to you when you live and act in a spirit of love.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
is in your own heart, head and hands.
To get along with others,
love them without forcing your love upon them.
Imposing your beliefs on people will not bring you peace.
Have concern for others, respect their rights and freedoms,
and let them be themselves.
Do this and you will enjoy peace.
Having consideration for others is the basis of a good life.
Most people are not against you, they are merely for themselves.
Let differing ideas clash, but not those of the heart.
Peace comes to you when you live and act in a spirit of love.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Use down time to good advantage
"The affairs of the world will go on forever. Do not delay the practice of meditation."
-- Milarepa
In our busy schedules, we can often complain that we don't have time to meditate. But if we are sincere in our desire to go inside, we can create our own moments of stillness in the midst of our activity.
Stopped at a traffic light? Do some deep breathing. Waiting in line at the bank or grocery store? Repeat an uplifting word such as 'love' or 'peace.' Riding the bus to and from work... Value these times as an opportunity to close your eyes and go within or to say a little prayer.
"Wherever you go in the midst of movement and activity, carry your stillness within you. Then the chaotic movement around you will never overshadow your access to the reservoir of creativity, the field of pure potentiality."
-- Deepak Chopra
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
Manual for conserving paths
| 1] The path begins with a crossroads. There you can stop and think what direction to follow. But don?t spend too much time thinking or you?ll never leave the spot. Ask yourself the classic Castańeda question: which of these paths has a heart? Reflect a lot on the choices that lie ahead, but once you have taken the first step, forget the crossroads for ever or else you will always torture yourself with the useless question: ?did I take the right path?? If you listened to your heart before making the first movement, you chose the right path.
11] Love your path. Without this, nothing makes any sense. "The Witch of Portobello" will be released in the UK on 4/23/07, in India on 4/18/07 and in the United States in May of 2007. If you wish to read the first chapters of the book, click here. | |
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Finding Grace in Hard Times
http://www.cherylrichardson.com/newsletter/help-for-caregivers-15.html
"In the United States, botanists joke that even the greatest oak
was once a little nut."
The last few months have been pretty stressful for my family. My husband
Michael has had some health-related problems and our lives have been
filled with long doctor visits, trips to the health food store, and all
kinds of healing regimens necessary to get him better. In addition to
providing him with care, I've had to pick up a lot of the slack regarding
the construction of our new home, along with the normal daily routine of
running our community and keeping things moving. As many of you who have
taken care of loved ones know, it can be quite a challenge. It's been a
valuable reminder of the importance of asking for help -- whether it's
comfortable to do so or not :).
While most days I'm able to stay in the moment and do what I need to do,
there have been times over the last few weeks when I've felt completely
overwhelmed and exhausted. One day, feeling totally spent while driving
to a meeting, I started to pray. I asked God to support me, to give me
the energy I needed to keep going, and to show me clear signs that I'm not
alone. After several deep breaths and a few tears, I continued on my way,
feeling better. That afternoon, when I arrived home, I noticed a tiny
acorn sitting in the middle of my kitchen floor. As I walked over and
picked it up, I thought to myself "Hmm, I wonder how this got in here?"
and quickly tossed it in the garbage.
The next morning, I left early for an appointment with my doctor. When I
arrived at her office, I was ushered into the exam room, where I kicked
off my sandals and sat on the table waiting for her to come in. A few
minutes later, as we were catching up on our lives, she looked beyond me
and said "Hey, is that an acorn in your shoe?" I turned around and looked
over at my rubber soled sandals, and sure enough, stuck in a hole at the
bottom of one of the shoes was a small acorn. I chuckled to myself and
immediately thought of the one in my kitchen. I made a mental note to
look up the meaning of "acorn" on the web when I got home. Unfortunately,
by the time I finished running my errands later that day, I completely
forgot about the incident.
Two days later, as I returned from the grocery store, I walked through the
front door with bags in hand and turned to close the door behind me. When
I couldn't get it to shut completely, I looked down at the threshold and,
much to my surprise, found another acorn. Perched proudly in the middle
of the threshold, the little nut was preventing the door from closing all
the way (note the symbolism). I reached down and picked it up, placed my
bags in the kitchen, and went straight to my office to look up the meaning
of acorn. Among several items, here's what I found:
"Acorns appear only on adult trees, and thus are often a symbol of
patience and the fruition of long, hard labor."
I felt the touch of grace in that moment. Reading that line made me feel
comforted in some way. It gave me hope and provided me with a reminder
that I'm stronger than I give myself credit for.
While the acorn symbol meant something to me personally, the bigger
message was also clear. When we find ourselves in times of great need,
wondering whether or not we have what it takes to go on, it's the perfect
time to enlist a little Divine support. Whether you write a prayer in
your journal asking for help, sit quietly and ask for guidance, or scream
out loud in the car begging for relief, experience has shown me that your
request will be heard. If you pay close attention, there's a good chance
you, too, will start to see the signs.
One way to recognize messages of grace is to notice what keeps showing up
in your life. For example, you might watch for . . .
~*~ Objects -- Are there certain objects that keep crossing your path? If
so, go online and check out the symbolism of those objects.
~*~ Songs -- Do you keep hearing the same song while driving in the car,
watching TV, or shopping in a store? Listen closely to the words or pay
attention to the feeling the song inspires.
~*~ Messages -- Do you find that certain phrases, words, or slogans keep
appearing while you're reading the newspaper, surfing the web, or having
conversations with others? What might they be trying to tell you?
~*~ Grace Cards -- If you use our Grace Cards or the "Touch of Grace"
button on our homepage, does the same card keeping showing up? Remember,
the online grace button has all 50 cards programmed into it, so if you get
the same card, it's a clear indication that you need to pay attention to
its message. During the first month of Michael being sick, just about
every time I pulled a Grace Card I'd get "Support."
These are just a few of the ways that we get signs of grace in times of
great need. If you keep your eyes open, you might be surprised by how
quickly they show up.
Last week I visited a friend's gift shop in downtown Boston. As I walked
up to the register to pay for my items, guess what I found? That's right.
A big basket of silver-plated acorns with a sign that said something like:
"Acorns are a reminder of strength and longevity." After sharing my story
with the owner, he placed an acorn in my package. "Here, hold onto this,"
he said, "let it remind you that you are never alone."
Sounds Divine to me . . .
"In the United States, botanists joke that even the greatest oak
was once a little nut."
The last few months have been pretty stressful for my family. My husband
Michael has had some health-related problems and our lives have been
filled with long doctor visits, trips to the health food store, and all
kinds of healing regimens necessary to get him better. In addition to
providing him with care, I've had to pick up a lot of the slack regarding
the construction of our new home, along with the normal daily routine of
running our community and keeping things moving. As many of you who have
taken care of loved ones know, it can be quite a challenge. It's been a
valuable reminder of the importance of asking for help -- whether it's
comfortable to do so or not :).
While most days I'm able to stay in the moment and do what I need to do,
there have been times over the last few weeks when I've felt completely
overwhelmed and exhausted. One day, feeling totally spent while driving
to a meeting, I started to pray. I asked God to support me, to give me
the energy I needed to keep going, and to show me clear signs that I'm not
alone. After several deep breaths and a few tears, I continued on my way,
feeling better. That afternoon, when I arrived home, I noticed a tiny
acorn sitting in the middle of my kitchen floor. As I walked over and
picked it up, I thought to myself "Hmm, I wonder how this got in here?"
and quickly tossed it in the garbage.
The next morning, I left early for an appointment with my doctor. When I
arrived at her office, I was ushered into the exam room, where I kicked
off my sandals and sat on the table waiting for her to come in. A few
minutes later, as we were catching up on our lives, she looked beyond me
and said "Hey, is that an acorn in your shoe?" I turned around and looked
over at my rubber soled sandals, and sure enough, stuck in a hole at the
bottom of one of the shoes was a small acorn. I chuckled to myself and
immediately thought of the one in my kitchen. I made a mental note to
look up the meaning of "acorn" on the web when I got home. Unfortunately,
by the time I finished running my errands later that day, I completely
forgot about the incident.
Two days later, as I returned from the grocery store, I walked through the
front door with bags in hand and turned to close the door behind me. When
I couldn't get it to shut completely, I looked down at the threshold and,
much to my surprise, found another acorn. Perched proudly in the middle
of the threshold, the little nut was preventing the door from closing all
the way (note the symbolism). I reached down and picked it up, placed my
bags in the kitchen, and went straight to my office to look up the meaning
of acorn. Among several items, here's what I found:
"Acorns appear only on adult trees, and thus are often a symbol of
patience and the fruition of long, hard labor."
I felt the touch of grace in that moment. Reading that line made me feel
comforted in some way. It gave me hope and provided me with a reminder
that I'm stronger than I give myself credit for.
While the acorn symbol meant something to me personally, the bigger
message was also clear. When we find ourselves in times of great need,
wondering whether or not we have what it takes to go on, it's the perfect
time to enlist a little Divine support. Whether you write a prayer in
your journal asking for help, sit quietly and ask for guidance, or scream
out loud in the car begging for relief, experience has shown me that your
request will be heard. If you pay close attention, there's a good chance
you, too, will start to see the signs.
One way to recognize messages of grace is to notice what keeps showing up
in your life. For example, you might watch for . . .
~*~ Objects -- Are there certain objects that keep crossing your path? If
so, go online and check out the symbolism of those objects.
~*~ Songs -- Do you keep hearing the same song while driving in the car,
watching TV, or shopping in a store? Listen closely to the words or pay
attention to the feeling the song inspires.
~*~ Messages -- Do you find that certain phrases, words, or slogans keep
appearing while you're reading the newspaper, surfing the web, or having
conversations with others? What might they be trying to tell you?
~*~ Grace Cards -- If you use our Grace Cards or the "Touch of Grace"
button on our homepage, does the same card keeping showing up? Remember,
the online grace button has all 50 cards programmed into it, so if you get
the same card, it's a clear indication that you need to pay attention to
its message. During the first month of Michael being sick, just about
every time I pulled a Grace Card I'd get "Support."
These are just a few of the ways that we get signs of grace in times of
great need. If you keep your eyes open, you might be surprised by how
quickly they show up.
Last week I visited a friend's gift shop in downtown Boston. As I walked
up to the register to pay for my items, guess what I found? That's right.
A big basket of silver-plated acorns with a sign that said something like:
"Acorns are a reminder of strength and longevity." After sharing my story
with the owner, he placed an acorn in my package. "Here, hold onto this,"
he said, "let it remind you that you are never alone."
Sounds Divine to me . . .
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO NLP, part two
======================================
"I am by calling a dealer in words - and words are, of course,
the most powerful drug used by mankind."
-Rudyard Kipling
In last week's tip, we reviewed two of the structures we use to
create our subjective experience - the way we use our body and
the maps we make in our head.
The third structure we use to create our subjective experience
is language. Language is another mapping tool - one we use to create,
describe and share our experiences with one another. We do this
primarily by telling ourselves (and others) stories about what
we have experienced.
In a recent cover story from New Scientist magazine, Helen
Phillips wrote:
"There is certainly plenty of evidence that much of what we do
is the result of unconscious brain processing, and that our
consciousness seems to be interpreting what has happened, rather
than driving it....
Our senses may take in more than 11 million pieces of
information each second, whereas even the most liberal estimates
suggest that we are conscious of just 40 of these....
It is an unsettling thought that perhaps all our conscious mind
ever does is dream up stories in an attempt to make sense of
our world."
Our story is the meaning we give to the facts of our life - our
interpretation of reality. If we make the facts of our life
mean good things about us and the future, we will feel happy
about them; if we make them mean bad things, we will feel
unhappy about them. Either way, we're the ones making the
meaning.
On my live trainings, I often do an exercise with participants
where I invite them to come up with multiple meanings for a
significant life event by repeatedly asking the question: 'What
else could this mean?'
For example, if someone says their partner has left them, most
people will assume that's a bad thing and will respond
accordingly with a blend of sympathy and encouragement. But what
else could it mean?
Here are some typical answers from seminar participants - you'll
notice that some make it a good thing, some bad and some
relatively neutral:
*Now they're free to meet someone who's really right for them.
*They'll never meet anyone else and they'll be alone - and
miserable - for the rest of their lives.
*What they learn from the experience will make them a more
loving partner in the future.
*They're scarred for life and will never experience love again.
*It's an opportunity to fight to win their partner back.
*It's life's way of saying 'Time to move on.'
After a few rounds of the game, it becomes clear that it's
possible to make up hundreds of different meanings for any given
event. The more optimistic the meaning, the better the
accompanying feelings; the less optimistic, the worse the story
feels.
But when you've played the game long enough a new, even more
useful question emerges:
What do you want it to mean?
When you realize that you are literally making up the meaning of
even the most significant 'facts' of your life, you can begin
deliberately choosing the meanings which feel good and empower
positive action. As I say to my clients:
*As long as you're going to make stuff up, make up good stuff.*
Challenging your stories of impending doom is not only powerful,
it's fun - and it serves as an ongoing reminder that no matter
how detailed or practiced your story is, it's still only a
story.
In today's experiment, you can put together the three elements
which make up the structure of your subjective experience to
give yourself a good feeling in your body, right where you are
sitting now...
-------------------
Today's Experiment:
-------------------
1. Notice how you're feeling in your body right now.
2. Shift your body until you're feeling just a little bit
better. You could do this by sitting up straighter or getting up
and giving yourself a gentle stretch, smiling up into your eyes
and down into your body, or simply taking a deep breath and
feeling it spread into every part of yourself.
3. Next, talk to yourself in a friendly voice. Tell yourself
something you genuinely want to hear. Offer yourself a sincere
compliment or remember a time where you received a compliment
and you knew it was sincere. Enjoy the good feelings that come
with receiving that sincere compliment.
4. Make a picture of yourself in your mind as you would look if
you were just a little bit happier than you are right now. When
you've got it, step into the picture and enjoy the good
feelings.
5. Repeat each of the steps above until you have successfully
created a smile on your face and a good feeling in your body!
With love,
Michael
http://www.geniuscatalyst.com/public/live.php
The secret of friendship is ...
...expressing kindness with your eyes and through the tone of your voice, not only with words.
WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET
Life at any time can become difficult.
Life at any time can become easy.
It all depends upon how you adjust yourself to life.
You cannot always control your circumstances.
But you can always think positive thoughts.
The realities of life result from many outside factors,
none of which you can control.
Your attitude, however, reflects the way
in which you evaluate what's happening to you.
It is not your situation,
it's your reaction to the situation that's important.
Things always seem to turn out best for those people
who can make the best out of the way things turn out.
There is nothing either good or bad,
only your thinking makes it so.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Life at any time can become easy.
It all depends upon how you adjust yourself to life.
You cannot always control your circumstances.
But you can always think positive thoughts.
The realities of life result from many outside factors,
none of which you can control.
Your attitude, however, reflects the way
in which you evaluate what's happening to you.
It is not your situation,
it's your reaction to the situation that's important.
Things always seem to turn out best for those people
who can make the best out of the way things turn out.
There is nothing either good or bad,
only your thinking makes it so.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Then and now
"Time is not a line, but a series of now points."
-- Taisen Deshimaru
We understand time as a continuum. Our memories link the moments of the past and our imaginations draw on the patterns of our memories to project the future.
If we leave the movies of the mind behind, time can only be experienced now -- moment by precious moment. Open in awareness to what is happening right now. Appreciate all that is. Immerse yourself in the joy and wonder of every now and life will be a gift.
"The responsibility for both present and future is in our own hands. If we live right today, then tomorrow has to be right."
-- Eknath Easwaran
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
LIFE IN ABUNDANCE COMES ONLY THROUGH LOVE
Love is the most important ingredient of your success.
There is no force more potent than love.
Take away love and your world is a tomb.
Without love, your life echoes emptiness.
With it, your life will vibrate with warmth and meaning.
Even during great hardship, love shines through.
If you have love,
you don't need to have anything else,
and if you don't have love,
it doesn't matter what else you have.
As you look back on the events in your life
you will find that the moments that stand out,
the moments when you have really lived,
are the moments when you have done things in a spirit of love.
Therefore, search for love.
Once you have learned to love,
you will have learned to live.
As water is to a flower,
so is love to the heart of another.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
There is no force more potent than love.
Take away love and your world is a tomb.
Without love, your life echoes emptiness.
With it, your life will vibrate with warmth and meaning.
Even during great hardship, love shines through.
If you have love,
you don't need to have anything else,
and if you don't have love,
it doesn't matter what else you have.
As you look back on the events in your life
you will find that the moments that stand out,
the moments when you have really lived,
are the moments when you have done things in a spirit of love.
Therefore, search for love.
Once you have learned to love,
you will have learned to live.
As water is to a flower,
so is love to the heart of another.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Star connections
"The interchangeability of matter and spirit means the starlit magic of the outermost life of our universe becomes the soul- light magic of the innermost life of our self. The energy of the stars becomes us. We become the energy of the stars. Stardust and spirit unite and we begin: One with the universe. Whole and holy."
-- Dennis J. Kucinich
Ponder the spectre of yourself as one human being in the over six billion people on Earth. See Earth as one tiny planet in a galaxy of billions of stars, and that galaxy as just one of billions of galaxies in our expanding universe. We are so minute as to be nonexistent. And yet, we have the power to visualize, to imagine the entirety of the cosmos.
In your journal, write about the paradox of being both microscopic and immense.
"I think we would be able to live in this world more peaceably if our spirituality were to come from looking not just into infinity but very closely at the world around us -- and appreciating its depth and divinity."
-- Thomas Moore
"I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it."
-- Harry Emerson Fosdick
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE IF YOU BELIEVE
There are no real barriers to your success.
You must simply overcome any doubts you have about your ability.
Your self image prescribes the limits for your accomplishments.
It prescribes the area of what is possible for you.
Don't be afraid of living.
If you believe that life is worth living
you will create that fact around you.
If you see yourself as prosperous, you will be.
If you see yourself as broke,
that's exactly what you will be.
You will never succeed until you believe you can succeed.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
You must simply overcome any doubts you have about your ability.
Your self image prescribes the limits for your accomplishments.
It prescribes the area of what is possible for you.
Don't be afraid of living.
If you believe that life is worth living
you will create that fact around you.
If you see yourself as prosperous, you will be.
If you see yourself as broke,
that's exactly what you will be.
You will never succeed until you believe you can succeed.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Self talk is revealing
"If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words."
-- Chinese Proverb
What passes over your lips each day?
Are your words typically negative, critical, gossiping, deceptive, illusory, justifying, blaming, manipulative and argumentative? Are they more uplifting, inspirational, positive, questioning, beautiful, loving, universal, truthful, accepting and supportive?
The throat is our center of expression. Who we are sneaks out in our attitudes and in what we say.
"Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs."
-- Pearl Strachan Hurd
"The wise weigh their words on a scale with gold."
-- Bible
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
-- Chinese Proverb
What passes over your lips each day?
Are your words typically negative, critical, gossiping, deceptive, illusory, justifying, blaming, manipulative and argumentative? Are they more uplifting, inspirational, positive, questioning, beautiful, loving, universal, truthful, accepting and supportive?
The throat is our center of expression. Who we are sneaks out in our attitudes and in what we say.
"Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs."
-- Pearl Strachan Hurd
"The wise weigh their words on a scale with gold."
-- Bible
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
YOUR FUTURE IS A BIG ADVENTURE
Focus on your future, not your past.
Prepare for your future, don't live in the past.
Relish your good memories
and use any bad ones as lessons in life.
Sooner or later, those who win
are those who think they can.
The cards you're dealt in life are less important
than the way you play them.
Every day you face a new deck and new cards.
Carve out a niche for yourself in your imagined future.
Begin immediately to think and feel yourself as successful.
To achieve your goal in life, you need to project your end result.
Think of the elation, the satisfaction,
the joy you'll feel when you've achieved your objective.
Carry these ecstatic feelings with you every day
and they will bring your desired goals into view.
Success is waiting for you.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Angel of Mine
When I first saw you I already knew
There was something inside of you
Something I thought that I would never find
Angel of Mine
I look at you looking at me
Now I know why they say the best things are free
Gonna love you boy you are so fine
Angel of Mine
How you changed my world you'll never know
I'm here for now, you helped me grow
You came into my life
Sent from above
When I lost the hope
You show my love
I'm checkin for you
Boy your right on time
Angel of Mine
Nothing means more to me then what we share
No one in this world can ever compare
Last night the way you moved is still on my mind
Angel of Mine
What you mean to me you'll never know
Deep inside I need to show
I never knew I could feel each moment
As if they were new
Every breath that I take
The love that we make
I only share it with you
You, You, You, You
When I first saw you I already knew
There was something inside of you
Something I thought that I would never find
Angel of Mine
How you changed my world you'll never know
I'm here for now you helped me grow
I look at you looking at me
Now I know why they say the best things are free
Checkin' for you boy your right on time
Angel of Mine
Why? Why? Why?
"As long as one keeps searching, the answers come."
-- Joan Baez
Asking ourselves 'why?' helps us delve deeply into our main motives -- why we do what we do. This process helps us go deeper into our reasoning, habits and unconscious beliefs. Once we become aware of our underlying motives, we can choose to change them, if we wish.
Regularly ask yourself, 'Why am I...?' Listen closely for the answer that surfaces in your mind, and write it down. Now look at your answer and ask why again. Continue with this process to reach the true source of your motivation.
"Men are more accountable for their motives, than for anything else...."
-- Archibald Alexander
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
Seventh deadly sin: Sloth
| Here we are, almost in the middle of the year. I?ve never believed in coincidences, but feel that having written the series about cardinal sins without thinking about the calendar, and noting that sloth ends up being published when many of our decisions on January 1 are already underway or abandoned, should be a sign for all of us.
Delighted, Juan did everything he had dreamt of during life. After many years of pleasures, he looked for the person in white: ?I?ve already done everything I wanted to?, he said. ?Now I need some work, to feel useful?. ?I?m very sorry?, said the person in white, ?but this is the only thing that I cannot get for you. Here there is no work?. ?To spend eternity dying of tedium? I would prefer a thousand times to be in hell!? The person in white came up, and said in a low voice: ?Where do you think you are??
Sociology of sloth: Both he who overworks, and those that refuse to work, are reacting in the same way ? trying to get away from the natural problems of any human being, avoiding thinking about the close reality and about the responsibilities inherent to a normal life (Source: The compulsive worker, Oxford, 2001)
A warrior of the light understands that awakening is a long process, and that it is necessary to balance contemplation and work to get where one wants. It is not reflecting on what one did not get that he will change; quite the contrary, in these questions is the germ of inaction, of lack of incentive. Yes, perhaps we have done everything right and the results are not visible, but I am certain: there are results. They will surely be revealed as we go along? if we do not give up now.
|
| www.warriorofthelight.com | Copyright @ 2007 by Paulo Coelho |
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO NLP, part one
======================================
"NLP is a meta-disciplinary field - a field about other fields.
Our job is to create excellence in the performance of human
beings, no matter what they do."
-Dr. Richard Bandler, co-creator of NLP
I have been studying, practicing and teaching NLP
(Neuro-Linguistic Programming) since 1989. In all that time,
the question I have been asked most frequently by everyone from
doctors to therapists to television interviewers to my own
mother is this:
"What the heck is NLP?"
My response is generally to give people both a technical
definition and an experiential one. The technical definition is
simple:
"NLP is the study of the structure of subjective experience."
In other words, NLP is the study of how we create our experience
of being alive, and how we can make changes in that experience
to experience less fear, more freedom and greater aliveness.
For the experiential definition, here is part one of an excerpt
from my soon to be released new book, Feel Happy Now! (see the
"Want to learn more?" section at the end of this tip to learn
more)...
There are essentially three variables which comprise the
structure of our subjective experience:
1. The way we use our body.
2. The maps we make in our head.
3. The stories we tell ourselves.
This model was first developed by Dr Richard Bandler in the
field of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and it can be used
to make sense of how we create all our experiences.
Let's take a closer look at each of these three elements:
---------------------------
1. The way we use our body
---------------------------
An exercise I used to do at the beginning of my trainings was to
ask each person in the group to stand up tall, look up towards
the ceiling, put a big toothy grin on their face - and feel
depressed!
No matter how long they stood there, if they continued standing
up straight and tall, eyes up, with an embarrassingly silly,
toothy grin on their faces, they found themselves utterly unable
to depress themselves. (Though they were often capable of
making themselves extremely angry with me afterwards for asking
them to do something quite so silly!)
You can test the connection between how you use your body and
how you feel inside right now...
Go ahead and sit the way you would be sitting if reading this
tip were the most boring thing you've ever had to do.
(Hopefully, you shifted your body in some way to do it - if not,
stop reading immediately and go get yourself a different tip!)
Now move so that you are sitting the way you would be sitting if
you were curious about what I was about to say, in the way that
you might be curious about what was inside your presents on
your birthday...
Finally, shift your body until you are sitting the way you would
be sitting if you knew that the very next thing I will tell you
in this tip is the key to a lifetime of happiness and will also
enable you to achieve all your most important goals and
single-handedly bring about world peace...
Got it?
Good.
Now stay that way as you read through the rest of this tip!
While I'm obviously not expecting you to actually do this, it's
interesting to think about how much more enjoyable your
experience might be if you decide to give it a try...
--------------------------------
2. The maps we make in our head
--------------------------------
In order to make sense of the world, we re-present the
information we take
in through our five senses internally - that is, we make an
internal
representation of the information, sort of like an inner map. We
then make decisions and choose our actions based on those inner
maps.
Of course, in order to make a map you need to leave things out
(otherwise the map would be as large as the territory), make
generalizations (all water is blue, all parks are green, etc.)
and distort perspectives to make everything fit. This is what
makes a map useful, but it is also what creates problems.
Here's the key:
*What we perceive to be problems in our lives are nothing to do
with what is
happening in the world and everything to do with the limitations
of our mental maps.*
When you understand this, you can understand how changing your
mind (i.e. your map) can literally change your life.
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, take a look at this one...
Think of a (small) problem you've been having. It can be one
you've been dealing with for a long time or a brand new one. (I
love brand new problems - they're so shiny!) Notice where in
space you represent the problem. If you're not sure, just point
to where you think it might be.
Next, notice if you're looking at the problem through your own
eyes or if you can see yourself in the image. Is it moving or
still? Clear or fuzzy? Large or small?
Now, take the problem picture and if you were looking through
your own eyes, step out of it so that you can see yourself in
it. Push the picture a comfortable distance away. If it was
moving (like a film), make it still (like a photograph). If it
was clear, make it fuzzy. If it was large, shrink it down until
it's the size of a postage stamp. Then stick it on an envelope
and post it to someone you think can handle it. I'll wait...
Now think about the 'problem' again. For most of you, it won't
feel as
significant as it did before you began. If it does, continue to
play with the details of your representation until you've given
yourself a new perspective.
In next week's tip, I'll continue this brief introduction to NLP
with an exploration of the third critical element - the stories
we tell ourselves and how they can make our lives into a living
hell or the happiest place on earth.
Until then, have fun, learn heaps, and happy exploring!
With love,
Michael
For more info, visit
http://www.geniuscatalyst.com/public/live.php
Making a difference
"The spiritual life is a call to action. But it is a call to ... action without any selfish attachment to the results."
-- Eknath Easwaran
Many of us feel deeply that we want to make a difference -- we want our lives to mean something in the bigger scheme of life. While this is a noble motive, we might want to explore what lies at its root.
Does the drive to make a difference arise from ego?s need to feel worthy? If my ego is not convinced that I matter, I may want visible proof that I do by making some kind of impact on life.
Soul doesn?t need proof that it?s worthy. Soul thrives in being awake and connected. Perhaps if we let go of the pressure we feel from our ego?s need to be recognized, we will be more open and able to simply live soulfully. And by doing that, we WILL make a difference!
"A person?s worth is contingent upon who he is, not upon what he does, or how much he has. The worth of a person, or a thing, or an idea, is in being, not in doing, not in having."
-- Alice Mary Hilton
-- Eknath Easwaran
Many of us feel deeply that we want to make a difference -- we want our lives to mean something in the bigger scheme of life. While this is a noble motive, we might want to explore what lies at its root.
Does the drive to make a difference arise from ego?s need to feel worthy? If my ego is not convinced that I matter, I may want visible proof that I do by making some kind of impact on life.
Soul doesn?t need proof that it?s worthy. Soul thrives in being awake and connected. Perhaps if we let go of the pressure we feel from our ego?s need to be recognized, we will be more open and able to simply live soulfully. And by doing that, we WILL make a difference!
"A person?s worth is contingent upon who he is, not upon what he does, or how much he has. The worth of a person, or a thing, or an idea, is in being, not in doing, not in having."
-- Alice Mary Hilton
The Pursuit of Happiness...
As we head into the first few weeks of spring we can?t help but feel a shift happening?-the days are suddenly longer, the air is fresh and alive, the birds are starting to come home to rebuild their nests, and the warm long hazy days of summer will soon be here. Life unfolds whether we ask it to or not.
?Life,? as described in the movie Jurassic Park, ?will always find a way. We can try to bury it, douse it, or squash it" and yet nothing can take away the unstoppable force of life.
Your life is the same. You can try to bury it, douse it, or squash it (we, unconsciously, do this all the time to ourselves) and yet it, too, will always find a way.
Like the tulips that are beginning to poke their sleepy heads from the cold brown earth, your spirit is in a constant pursuit of happiness ? to blossom and shine its magnificence onto the world. And just as April showers will bring May flowers, you, too, can manifest a miraculous spring and summer, even if your past few months, or even years, have felt stormy and dark.
I coach people from all walks of life?from celebrities, to medical doctors, to stay-at-home moms?to step into their power; to work with what ?is?; and to understand that it is not life that is working against them ... but rather they who are working against life.
The Universal Laws and Principals that govern us?-that govern our ability to feel contentment, success, serenity, achievement, security, and joy?-are the same laws that govern aerodynamics, gravity, and motion. And although it is rocket science, it doesn?t have to be that difficult to apply in your own life. For you are a part of the Universe and you have the perfect innate navigational tools to soar in your own life. You just might need a little help to learn how to use them properly! And although my coaching-system is far more in-depth than just teaching Universal Laws, (I also show you how your core beliefs, childhood experiences, underlying commitments, nutritional deficiencies, energetic resonance, and your "readiness/willingness factor" to change all impact your success), today I want to leave you with a simple yet significant idea that I often share with my own clients:
Most of us focus on the ?means to the end? rather than ?the end?. We focus on the ?things? that we think will make us feel good, i.e. "l want to lose weight, make more money and get a bigger house". We then fall into a daily drive of pushing, trying, forcing, working, comparing, competing, hustling, bustling, resenting, exhausting ... all in the pursuit, we think, of happiness. (What a great movie, by the way!)
And while a great body, money in the bank, and the big house are certainly wonderful, it is really the feeling of confidence, security, and accomplishment that we are after. We think we will feel confident, secure and accomplished if we have a great body, more money and a bigger house. Yet haven't you ever attained "things" but still don't feel happy? Haven't you ever felt like the pressure you've put yourself under to have the "perfect" body, the memories you've missed out on to make more money, and the stress you've created to keep up the big house, all end up making you feel less confident, secure, or accomplished??? So it can't be the "things" we are after. It must be the feeling that we are after ... Feeling confident, secure, and accomplished. Or maybe better said it is the "idea" of what we think we will feel that drives us. We call this the ?end value? and it is different for each of us.
Your end value could be a feeling of adoration, affection and closeness. Or maybe it is excitement, exhilaration and adventure that you are after. It could just as easily and appropriately be a feeling of financial freedom, security, and achievement that lights you up.
I don't know what will make you happy (and no one can ever tell you that!) but what I do know, for certain, is that your "happiness" will only come once you really understand what drives you (is it "soul-driven" or "ego-driven"?), what really matters to you, and then to make daily choices that align with your own personal values (and not the values that someone else believes is right for you). This comes from "thinking from the end" and then having the courage to honor your "end values".
Values are never "right or wrong" ... and they certainly aren't based upon some "moral religious code". Values simply "are." They change throughout our lives as we change. They change throughout our lives as we evolve consciously. They change throughout our lives as our needs change. And, truth be told, only you know what is right for you! Only you know what truly lights you up or spurs you on!
So, today, why not take a few minutes to think from the end? To think about what you are in the pursuit of and see if it really aligns with your spirit -- with what truly lights you up and stirs your soul? An easy way to know if you are on track is to see if you wake up each morning feeling excited, motivated, healthy and energized?
Too many of us say we know what we want but then flip and flop like a fish out of water, without any clear direction or plan. Or even worse, we wake up one day to discover we've been one-track-minded for most of our lives, almost living in auto-pilot mode, doing what we've been told to do or what someone else thought we should do, that we barely recognize the person staring back at us. The reason this happens is that we really never knew what we wanted and we've never taken the time to get quiet enough to ask oursleves. And so instead, we distract ourselves with "things, people, and events", convincing ourselves that they'll will make us happy. They rarely do. Not for the long-term anyway...
Once you know the way you want to to feel it is much easier to figure out what you need to do to get there!! And, it is usually far easier than you think!
Once you know what lights you up -- what MATTERS TO YOU -- take an honest look at your reality through clear lenses and have the courage to make the decision to do whatever it takes to align your choices with your ?oh, so important? personal values. (And never the other way around!)
Think about the top 5 values (FEELINGS) that matter to YOU, right now, in your life. For example,
- If respect is what you say matters most than respect yourself, and your spirit, beginning right now, and make the decision to align all of your daily choices to respect yourself, no matter how difficult those choices might be and no matter who doesn't agree with it, and then celebrate yourself for honoring yourself.
- If intimacy and love matters most to you than look at your relationship (if you are in one) and be honest about the ways you've disconnected and then find news ways, today, to re-connect with your mate ... to reach out ... let down your walls ... pour out your love and be open and willing to receive love and intimacy back?(Don?t wait for him/her to give you what you want and need). If you are single then commit yourself today to nourishing yourself with acts of love, tenderness, kindness, and intimacy. Be what it is you want! Treat yourself the way you want to be treated!!
- If security matters most to you look at your life, right now, to see where you have given away your security or made irresponsible choices, and then step it up now for yourself to make the choice to eliminate the obvious stressors, while seeking out more secure investments, relationships, and situations.
- If serenity matters most to you than choose right now to create serenity?go for a walk outside, put on soft music, clean up your desk, light a few candles, and make the decision to eliminate the things that add choas, stress, and confusion to your life. Your outer world is merely a reflection of your inner world -- so be sure to do the inner work of finding self-acceptance.
Life will find a way, regardless, so why not get back in the driver's seat? Why not listen to the stirrings of your own soul and work with life rather than against it? You do know what you want if you'd take the time to listen. And once you have the courage to honor your wishes you'll feel yourself shift from the pursuit of an illusive quest to a knowingness that you've already arrived. All you have to do is enjoy. It is all about the choices that we make!
Should you need some extra help with this I?m always here!
Warmly,
P.S. I have a Sensational Springtime Coaching Sale that is on for this week only! Buy ONE coaching session with me and get ONE FREE - (see below) or CLICK HERE for more details!
IF YOU WANT IT, YOU CAN HAVE IT
If you're willing to pay the price,
any of your circumstances will change.
If you want something badly enough,
you're sure to get it.
The key to success is desire.
Obstacles don't matter very much.
Pain, circumstances or other challenges can be there.
But if you want to do something bad enough,
you'll find a way to get it done.
Your desire will in time externalize itself into concrete fact.
Your reality will form around your commitment to succeed.
You only have to love a thing greatly to get it.
Desire is the fire of life.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Appreciate the mystery
"The mystery of life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced."
-- Aart Van Der Leeuw
"I believe there is no source of deception in the investigation of nature which can compare with a fixed belief that certain kinds of phenomena are impossible."
-- William James
"Your theory is crazy, but it's not crazy enough to be true."
-- Niels Bohr
"To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge."
-- Copernicus
"Curiouser and curiouser!"
-- Lewis Carroll
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
EXPECTATION COMES BEFORE ACHIEVEMENT
Your aspirations are your possibilities.
If you want to be big, you have to think big.
Your only limits are those of vision.
The more you can dream, the more you can be.
Don't ever stop dreaming.
For when you cease dreaming,
you cease living.
Cherish your dreams for they are the blueprints
to your ultimate success.
If you don't have a dream,
how are you going to make it come true?
The greatest achievements always take place
in the framework of great expectations.
Big thinking will always come before big achievement.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
YOU ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR PROBLEMS
Your obstacles will always look large or small to you
according to whether you are large or small.
Understanding this will give you the courage
necessary to overcome your problems.
Courage gives you the capacity
to confront what can be imagined.
It gives you the ability to rise above reality.
Face your difficulties directly and you'll always win.
You are bigger than your problems.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
HAPPINESS LIES IN THE JOY OF ACHIEVEMENT
You were built to conquer your environment,
solve problems, and achieve goals.
You'll find no real satisfaction or happiness in life
without obstacles to conquer and goals to achieve.
True happiness lies in activity.
It's a running river not a stagnant pond.
Happiness is not in having or being,
it's in doing something you love.
The secret of happiness is in having something to do.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Counsciousness
"Man's chief delusion is his conviction that there are causes other
than his own state of consciousness. All that befalls a man - all
that is done by him - all that comes from him - happens as a result
of his state of consciousness. A man's consciousness is all that he
thinks and desires and loves, all that he believes is true and
consents to. That is why a change of consciousness is necessary
before you can change your outer world."
~Neville Goddard
"The Lily and the Dandylion"
At first I did not notice it but slowly it grew stronger. The motion of the flower compelled my eyes to look. It spoke to me, whispering lightly, stroking my cheek, breathing its sweet scent upon my brow. I shuddered with anticipation but sooner pulled away. Flowers lay strewn before mine eyes. Nothing left for me to do but choose a favorite blossom. Bewilderment. Why can I not choose between the Lily and the Danylion? The Lily is more handsome; 'tis beautiful, breathtaking; yet the Dandylion has caught mine eye. I cannot pry myself from the simplicity of this weed 'Tis just like me; common and well known, but does it know itself? If the Danylion were a Lily, would it choose a Lily or a Dandylion? |
Deeper communication
Once a human being has arrived on this earth, communication is the largest single factor determining what kinds of relationships he makes with others and what happens to him in the world about him."
-- Virginia Satir
How do you typically communicate? Is it through words, gestures, emotions, thoughts, desires, needs, truths, direct perception or intuition? Do you focus more on the other person or on yourself? Do you typically tell, ask or listen?
For a few days, set an intention to be aware of your communication styles and skills. After you?ve spent some time talking with someone, reflect on what your underlying motives were and what level of depth you reached. Write your insights in your journal. This exercise will help you become more aware and conscious of who you are and why you do what you do.
"We need people in our lives with whom we can be as open as possible. To have real conversation with people may seem like such a simple, obvious suggestion, but it involves courage and risk."
-- Thomas Moore
"You must speak straight so that your words may go as sunlight to our hearts."
-- Cochise
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
APPLY PERSISTENCE TO YOUR POSSIBILITIES
Your success is not a matter of idle chance,
it's a matter of making the right choices.
Success is not something you wait for,
but rather something you achieve with effort.
Things won't turn up in this world until you turn them up.
Success is neither magical nor mysterious.
The people that truly succeed in the world
are the people who look for the circumstances they want,
and, if they can't find them, they make them.
Don't sit on the sidelines, get in the game.
Your access to success has no real limits.
The great opportunity in your life is where you are right now.
Every situation, properly perceived, becomes an opportunity for you.
You have grand opportunities all around you.
Open your eyes, and you will find it.
If you have the desire, you have the power to be successful.
Taking continuous action is all that is required.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
it's a matter of making the right choices.
Success is not something you wait for,
but rather something you achieve with effort.
Things won't turn up in this world until you turn them up.
Success is neither magical nor mysterious.
The people that truly succeed in the world
are the people who look for the circumstances they want,
and, if they can't find them, they make them.
Don't sit on the sidelines, get in the game.
Your access to success has no real limits.
The great opportunity in your life is where you are right now.
Every situation, properly perceived, becomes an opportunity for you.
You have grand opportunities all around you.
Open your eyes, and you will find it.
If you have the desire, you have the power to be successful.
Taking continuous action is all that is required.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Forgiveness brings joy
"The greatest evil that can befall man is that he should come to think ill of himself."
-- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Do you feel worthy of having joy? Do you feel you deserve it?
The first step to activating our inner joy is to eliminate the blocks to it. We can start by truly forgiving ourselves and all others. Forgiveness calls for a shift in our perception. It is easier to forgive ourselves and others when we really understand that each of us has always done the very best we knew to do at that time.
"If we don?t forgive ourselves for our mistakes, and others for the wounds they have inflicted upon us, we end up crippled with guilt. And the soul cannot grow under a blanket of guilt, because guilt is isolating, while growth is a gradual process of reconnection to ourselves, to other people, and to a larger whole."
-- Joan Borysenko
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
As Long As He Needs Me
As longs as he needs me
I know where I must be
I'll cling on steadfastly
As longs as he needs me
As long as life is long
I'll love him, right or wrong
And somehow I'll be strong
As long as he needs me
If you are lonely then you will know
When someone needs you you love them so
I won't betray his trust
Though people say I must
I've got to stay true just
As longs as he needs me
If you are lonely then you will know
When someone needs you you love them so
I won't betray his trust
Though people say I must
I've got to stay true just
As longs as he needs me
Watch Your Thoughts
?There are always flowers for those who want to see them.?
--Henri Matisse
~*~ Topic of the Week - Watch Your Thoughts ~*~
While sitting in my sunroom this morning, I remembered a very interesting
dream. Here in the States, the police have a mechanism for checking how
fast people drive in busy neighborhoods by using something called a radar
speed sign -- a sign that flashes your speed as you drive by. In my
dream, I was driving down a neighborhood street when I came upon one of
these signs. However, as I drove toward it, the sign didn't flash my
speed, it flashed my thoughts -- the actual thoughts I was thinking in
that very moment (anxious thoughts about being late for an appointment).
I was so amazed by what I saw that I wondered if it was my imagination.
So I turned around to drive by again. Sure enough, as I pulled up, the
sign flashed my actual thoughts: "I can't believe what I'm seeing."
When I woke from the dream I laid in bed for a long time thinking about
what life would be like if each of us had a flashing "thought meter" on
our street. Just imagine. Each day, as we traveled to work or to and
from errands, we'd be able to catch a glimpse of what we're thinking. As
you consider this idea, what thoughts would you see on most days? Would a
majority of them be positive, life-enhancing thoughts, or worrisome ones
that steal your energy?
If you find yourself in the latter category, don't be alarmed. The truth
is most people live with a majority of less-than-desirable thoughts
running around in their heads. Rather than beat yourself up, better to
slow down and focus on getting a better reading on the meter :). This
plan begins with awareness.
Here's something to keep in mind: Awareness raises consciousness. Read
that last line again because it's important. Just becoming aware of your
typical thought patterns will actually stimulate a move toward emotional
health and balance. That's because the moment you notice a negative
thought, you then have the ability to shift to something more positive.
And then the fun begins. When you focus your mind on something good, it
creates a good feeling, and that good feeling fuels you to make better
choices. Better choices in turn, give you a better life. Let's look at
an example to see what I mean.
Let's imagine that you're worried about paying your bills, and once you
turn on your thought meter, you notice that your thoughts are focused on
how little money you have. If you make a choice to shift these thoughts
to something like "I have the power within me to improve my financial
health," and you keep returning to this thought, it automatically makes
you feel empowered to change your circumstances. This feeling of being
empowered -- a life-affirming feeling -- will lead you to find actions you
can take right now to improve your situation. Then, once you identify an
action and take it, you not only change the course of your life, you
reinforce your positive thoughts and the cycle starts all over again.
So, the first step toward success is to turn on your thought meter. To
that end, check out this week's Take Action Challenge for three ways to do
just that :-).
~*~ Take Action Challenge ~*~
Ready to monitor your thoughts? Here are three things you can do to
create your own thought meter right now:
1. Set an alarm on your computer, your wristwatch, or a nearby clock for
every 30 minutes, and when it goes off, notice what you're thinking.
2. Purchase a big sheet of colored stickers with fun images on them and
place these stickers around your home and office. Then, each time you see
one, stop and take note of your thoughts.
3. Place several check marks on your daily calendar (or in your PDA) at
various times throughout the day and when you come upon one, stop and
monitor your thoughts.
Once you become aware of any negative thoughts, choose one area that feels
most overwhelming and develop a simple phrase that will start to
counteract these unhelpful thinking patterns. Start with just one area of
your life and watch what happens.
http://www.cherylrichardson.com/
--Henri Matisse
~*~ Topic of the Week - Watch Your Thoughts ~*~
While sitting in my sunroom this morning, I remembered a very interesting
dream. Here in the States, the police have a mechanism for checking how
fast people drive in busy neighborhoods by using something called a radar
speed sign -- a sign that flashes your speed as you drive by. In my
dream, I was driving down a neighborhood street when I came upon one of
these signs. However, as I drove toward it, the sign didn't flash my
speed, it flashed my thoughts -- the actual thoughts I was thinking in
that very moment (anxious thoughts about being late for an appointment).
I was so amazed by what I saw that I wondered if it was my imagination.
So I turned around to drive by again. Sure enough, as I pulled up, the
sign flashed my actual thoughts: "I can't believe what I'm seeing."
When I woke from the dream I laid in bed for a long time thinking about
what life would be like if each of us had a flashing "thought meter" on
our street. Just imagine. Each day, as we traveled to work or to and
from errands, we'd be able to catch a glimpse of what we're thinking. As
you consider this idea, what thoughts would you see on most days? Would a
majority of them be positive, life-enhancing thoughts, or worrisome ones
that steal your energy?
If you find yourself in the latter category, don't be alarmed. The truth
is most people live with a majority of less-than-desirable thoughts
running around in their heads. Rather than beat yourself up, better to
slow down and focus on getting a better reading on the meter :). This
plan begins with awareness.
Here's something to keep in mind: Awareness raises consciousness. Read
that last line again because it's important. Just becoming aware of your
typical thought patterns will actually stimulate a move toward emotional
health and balance. That's because the moment you notice a negative
thought, you then have the ability to shift to something more positive.
And then the fun begins. When you focus your mind on something good, it
creates a good feeling, and that good feeling fuels you to make better
choices. Better choices in turn, give you a better life. Let's look at
an example to see what I mean.
Let's imagine that you're worried about paying your bills, and once you
turn on your thought meter, you notice that your thoughts are focused on
how little money you have. If you make a choice to shift these thoughts
to something like "I have the power within me to improve my financial
health," and you keep returning to this thought, it automatically makes
you feel empowered to change your circumstances. This feeling of being
empowered -- a life-affirming feeling -- will lead you to find actions you
can take right now to improve your situation. Then, once you identify an
action and take it, you not only change the course of your life, you
reinforce your positive thoughts and the cycle starts all over again.
So, the first step toward success is to turn on your thought meter. To
that end, check out this week's Take Action Challenge for three ways to do
just that :-).
~*~ Take Action Challenge ~*~
Ready to monitor your thoughts? Here are three things you can do to
create your own thought meter right now:
1. Set an alarm on your computer, your wristwatch, or a nearby clock for
every 30 minutes, and when it goes off, notice what you're thinking.
2. Purchase a big sheet of colored stickers with fun images on them and
place these stickers around your home and office. Then, each time you see
one, stop and take note of your thoughts.
3. Place several check marks on your daily calendar (or in your PDA) at
various times throughout the day and when you come upon one, stop and
monitor your thoughts.
Once you become aware of any negative thoughts, choose one area that feels
most overwhelming and develop a simple phrase that will start to
counteract these unhelpful thinking patterns. Start with just one area of
your life and watch what happens.
http://www.cherylrichardson.com/
Positive...
"Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts become your
actions. Keep your actions positive because your actions become your
habits. Keep your habits positive because habits become your values.
Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny."
~Gandhi
actions. Keep your actions positive because your actions become your
habits. Keep your habits positive because habits become your values.
Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny."
~Gandhi
YOUR LIFE WILL RESPOND TO YOUR OUTLOOK
Life is largely a matter of expectation.
If you want to succeed, you must expect to succeed.
When you expect things to happen,
strangely enough, they do happen.
Expectation energizes your goals and give them momentum.
When you believe something good can happen, it will happen.
Set your goals high.
If you want to succeed beyond your wildest expectations
you have to begin with some wild expectations.
The dreams you believe in come to be.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
SUCCESS IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK
Every situation, properly perceived, becomes an opportunity.
But you have to act on them if you're going to be successful.
Distant pastures always look greener than those close at hand,
but real opportunities are right where you are.
You must simply take advantage of them when they appear.
You can start where you are at any time.
Success is all around you.
It's not in your environment,
it's not in luck or chance,
or in the help of others.
Success is in yourself alone.
You don't need more strength
or more ability or greater opportunity.
What you need is to use what you have.
Learn to seize good fortune,
for it is always around you.
You must go to success,
it doesn't come to you.
Open your own doors to opportunity.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
AT ANY MOMENT, YOU CAN CHANGE COURSE
A Paragraph to Remember
From IF GOD WAS LIKE MAN
If you go to a restaurant and place an order, and then
the waiter goes around the table taking other orders,
don?t you have the right to change your preference at
any time? Yes, you do. And when you change your
preference, don?t you expect to receive what you
ordered last as opposed to what you ordered first?
Yes, of course. And don?t you think that when the
waiter gives your order to the kitchen, you will get
exactly what you desired, requested, and expect? Yes,
you will. So this universe is your kitchen, and I am your
waiter. So if God were like man, would he beg the
waiter when placing an order? Would he say: "Oh,
pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease give me what I
want. Please. I?ll give you anything, I?ll do anything.
Please show me a sign. Oh, pleeeeeeeease give it to
me. I am begging you!"
Would God do this if he were man sitting in a
restaurant placing a food order? I ask you. I ask you
because this is what you do to me. And I do not mind.
But I do say to you now, why do you beg? Simply ask.
Ask and ye shall receive!
© Copyright by Barbara Rose, Ph.D. All Rights
Reserved. Excerpt from the book If God Was
Like Man: A Message from God to All of
Humanity.
Barbara Rose, Ph.D. and
The Rose Group
Uplifting Humanity One Book at a Time
------------------------------------------------------------
email: info@borntoinspire.com
web: http://www.borntoinspire.com
------------------------------------------------------------
A LITTLE PIECE OF QUIET
========================
(Today's tip is adapted from my new book, 'Feel Happy Now!',
coming from Hay House publishers in April/May 2007...)
"If you are the voice that is talking, then who is listening?"
-Don Miguel Ruiz
Until I came across the field of NLP, nobody had ever told me
you can turn down the volume on the voices in your head. As soon
as I found the control knob (mine is about 6" in
front of my forehead, slightly to the left, but yours might be
positioned somewhere else), I was able to turn the volume right
up loud and then all the way down until I was left with the
experience of true quiet for the first time.
Later, I came to learn that there are any number of meditation
and concentration exercises that enable you to achieve a similar
result, and it's well worth your while to experiment with some
of these until you find the one or ones which work best for
you.
Here's one of my favorites you can use any time you want to
quiet your mind and re-focus your attention on the task at
hand...
1. Count ten breaths from one up to ten. A simple way to do
this is to silently say the word 'in' for each in breath and
'out' for each out breath. Follow up each word with the number
- for example 'in(1), out(1);in(2), out (2) etc.
2. If you lose count before you get to ten (and yes, pretty much
everyone does the first few times they do this), simply begin
again at 1.
3. When you get to ten, smile down into your heart and enjoy the
precious present.
I often ask my clients to do this exercise towards the beginning
of a session if they seem overwhelmed. They almost never want
to do it and they nearly always thank me afterwards. In fact,
the first few times you try it for yourself you may find it
extraordinary how difficult it actually is to get all the way up
to ten.
Once you're back in the now, here are some simple tools you can
use to go out of your mind and lessen the impact of the
storyteller (that voice inside your head) on your happiness and
wellbeing...
* Write it down *
When I'm working on things which are outside my comfort zone, my
inner storyteller kicks into overdrive. What I've noticed is
that if I stayed engaged in the process long enough, the
storyteller goes quiet.
One day, just for fun, I decided to catalogue the many things
that voice inside my head had to say about why I should give up
on a project I was working on:
Variations on "I want to quit" = 4
Variations on "I can't do this" = 6
Variations on "I hate this (the business, networking, life,
myself, etc.)" = 12
Variations on "I'm not good enough/I'm not worthy/I suck/etc." =
16
By simply writing these things down as they came up, I was able
to hear each thought without buying in to its message. That
gave me the freedom to give myself some better feelings and
carry on taking action.
* Move it around *
One technique that works extremely well when your inner
storyteller is speaking in 'you' messages instead of 'I'
messages (i.e. 'you're a loser', 'you can't do this', 'who do
you think you're kidding', etc.) is to change its location.
First, notice where you currently hear it - is it in the back of
your head? Whispering in your ear? Screaming in your temples?
Next, experiment with putting it in the very center of your
throat, as if you were about to speak whatever it says out loud.
People often report that when they do this, the message changes
from a 'you' to an 'I' and the voice changes from someone in
your past (often a critical parent or teacher) to your own.
Finally, place the voice outside your body where you can
dialogue with it from a comfortable distance. (If you ever see
me having an animated conversation with my big toe, you'll know
why!)
* Re-dub It *
Have you ever noticed that Mickey Mouse always plays the hero?
One of the reasons he has so scrupulously maintained his
"squeaky clean" image is that it would be very difficult for
anyone to take him seriously as a villain. Imagine Mickey Mouse
as Dracula, attempting to terrify the heroine by shouting out
in a high-pitched Transylvanian accent, 'I've come to drink your
blood!' Or what if Mickey had replaced Arnold Schwarzenegger
in The Terminator and had to squeak the immortal words, 'I'll be
back!'
One of the reasons that voice inside our heads always sounds so
reasonable and compelling is that it sounds almost like us
speaking. By re-dubbing our inner dialogue in the voice of our
favorite cartoon characters, we can create a completely
different experience.
Imagine Sylvester the Cat complaining that 'Nobody understands
me!'. Or Elmer Fudd bemoaning the fact that 'I'm sooooo
depressed.' Not only would we not take their stories seriously,
we would laugh at how ridiculous they sounded. And in that
space of laughter, we would potentially be able to help them
change their story!
* Comfort it *
One of my most successful clients swears by telling that voice
inside his head to '#%@&! off" at every opportunity. For those
of you who like me find that a bit harsh, 'thank you for
sharing' works nicely, as does my personal variation - a gentle,
soothing 'shhhhh...', like comforting a distraught child.
Here are a few ways of practicing these techniques and
integrating them into your day...
1. Throughout the day today, listen for your inner storyteller -
'that voice inside your head'. Jot down what you hear as you
hear it. At the end of the day, look for any patterns in the
kinds of things you've written down. If there's something which
has a strong emotional charge, take the time to dispute it
using the ABC's of happiness exercise in the next section.
2. The next time you go to the cinema (or are watching a movie
on TV), alternate between 'losing yourself' in the world of the
film and 'coming back to your senses' and reminding yourself
you're just watching a movie. When you get good at this, try the
same thing with your inner thoughts and stories.
3. Experiment with moving your critical self-talk to different
locations outside your head. It can also help to externalize it
by speaking it out loud.
4. Experiment with turning the volume up and down on the voices
inside your head. If you're not aware of any voices inside your
head, notice what happens when you turn down the sound
anyways.
5. Which voice does your inner storyteller use when it really
wants you to pay attention? Write out a list of positive
compliments about yourself and have your story teller read you
the list in that tone of voice.
6. Make a list of all the things you know would take you in the
direction of your biggest dream. As that voice inside your head
begins to scream, practice re-dubbing it with the voice of your
favorite cartoon character.
7. Finally, when all else fails, just say 'shhhhh'
Have fun, learn heaps, and enjoy what my daughter calls 'a
little piece of quiet'!
With love,
Michael
Be willing to repeat
"Change is the constant, the signal for rebirth, the egg of the phoenix."
-- Christina Baldwin
Sometimes we repeat the Inner Journey messages in the series. Please guard against saying, "I?ve seen this one -- I don?t need to read it again."
The truth is: we are always changing. Who you are now is different from who you were when you read the message the first time. The circumstances of your life have changed as well. As a result, you may be open to new perspectives this time around.
Our ego is prone to think it knows it all, but life always offers us fresh and new experiences.
"It all depends on how we look at things and not on how they are in themselves."
-- C.G. Jung
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These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
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The secret of friendship is ...
...never belittling a friend?s enthusiasms.
Be true to yourself
"In the final analysis, we count for something only because of the essential we embody, and if we do not embody that, life is wasted."
-- C.G. Jung
Where are you not being true to yourself?
All blocks arise when we?re not being authentic, when we?re not being true to ourselves. We know we?re not being authentic when we feel discomfort of any kind.
When our thoughts, feelings and actions align with our essence, we express the qualities of soul. Always trust that your soul knows what?s best for you.
Believe in yourself and act on your ideas. Give yourself permission to do what you want with your life. Take the initiative to set meaningful goals for yourself and achieve them. Begin to tell yourself why you CAN have what you want!
"A true knowledge of ourselves is knowledge of our power."
-- Mark Rutherford
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These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
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YOU ARE WHAT YOU REPEATEDLY DO
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First you make your habits, and then your habits make you.
You become a slave to your constantly repeated acts.
What at first you choose, at last compels.
Your habits are either the best of servants or the worst of masters.
Your thoughts lead you on to a purpose,
your purposes go forth in action.
Your actions form your habits.
Your habits determine your character,
and your character fixes your destiny.
Once in motion, a pattern stays in motion.
THE DAILY GURU
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©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
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ALL KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
The most successful people in life
are the ones with the best information.
People with power are people who know how to get things done.
Knowing how to do something is sometimes
virtually the same as having done it.
Knowledge will come to you
when your eyes and mind are always open.
There is no knowledge that is not power.
Power is the product of understanding.
You'll build the power to accomplish your goals by educating yourself.
This power comes from knowing how to do something.
In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.
THE DAILY GURU
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©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
are the ones with the best information.
People with power are people who know how to get things done.
Knowing how to do something is sometimes
virtually the same as having done it.
Knowledge will come to you
when your eyes and mind are always open.
There is no knowledge that is not power.
Power is the product of understanding.
You'll build the power to accomplish your goals by educating yourself.
This power comes from knowing how to do something.
In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.
THE DAILY GURU
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©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
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Enlightenment
Enlightenment happens when you are in a state of no-mind, where the
mind is so calm and at ease that it seems to disappear... and only
the witnesser remains. The mind is our greatest cause of suffering,
and yet is also the mechanism needed to transcend the mind and
discover enlightenment.
mind is so calm and at ease that it seems to disappear... and only
the witnesser remains. The mind is our greatest cause of suffering,
and yet is also the mechanism needed to transcend the mind and
discover enlightenment.
On death and dying
"Don't strew me with roses after I'm dead.
When Death claims the light of my brow
No flowers of life will cheer me: instead
You may give me my roses now!"
-- Thomas F. Healey
"The call of death is a call of love. Death can be sweet if we answer it in the affirmative, if we accept it as one of the great eternal forms of life and transformation."
-- Hermann Hesse
"What is here is also there; what is there, is also here. Who sees multiplicity but not the one indivisible Self must wander on and on from death to death."
-- Katha Upanishad
"Is death the last step? No, it is the final awakening."
-- Sir Walter Scott
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These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
RICHES LIE WITHIN YOU, NOT IN YOUR MATERIAL POSSESSIONS
Wealth without enjoyment is little consolation.
Your real riches in life are riches of the head and heart.
Satisfaction comes when you appreciate what you have.
While success is getting what you want,
true happiness is wanting what you get.
It's not how much you have,
but how much you enjoy that truly matters.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Your real riches in life are riches of the head and heart.
Satisfaction comes when you appreciate what you have.
While success is getting what you want,
true happiness is wanting what you get.
It's not how much you have,
but how much you enjoy that truly matters.
THE DAILY GURU
*************************************************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
*************************************************************************
Walking away
"How do you walk away from someone you love
And take the road of friend;
Can you reroute the course you have taken
And start over once again?
I don't really want to let you go
But inside me I know I must;
The times we've loved . . . the times you've left
My heart says stay . . . but it's my mind I must trust.
We have shared so much together
Laughter . . . fun times . . . tears;
Yet sometimes we can't turn back time
We must walk away, and allow ourselves to heal.
I know one day you will be happy
And your soulmate you will find;
I know we each have one out there
Even if for now . . . only in our minds.
May life be gentle with you
May God's best come your way;
And on some quiet tomorrow"
And take the road of friend;
Can you reroute the course you have taken
And start over once again?
I don't really want to let you go
But inside me I know I must;
The times we've loved . . . the times you've left
My heart says stay . . . but it's my mind I must trust.
We have shared so much together
Laughter . . . fun times . . . tears;
Yet sometimes we can't turn back time
We must walk away, and allow ourselves to heal.
I know one day you will be happy
And your soulmate you will find;
I know we each have one out there
Even if for now . . . only in our minds.
May life be gentle with you
May God's best come your way;
And on some quiet tomorrow"
Unleash the Power of Forgiveness
"If we really want to love, we must learn how to forgive." ~Mother Theresa
Spring is a great time of year to practice the beautiful and liberating art of forgiveness. If you are carrying a grudge against anybody, be it big or small you are in essence carry a heavy burden in your heart that is negatively impacting you on many levels. Yes, continuing to be angry or upset with somebody else because they have wronged you only hurts you in the long run. When you hold on to how someone has hurt you, you actually tie up part of your energy in the past. This holding on to the past combined with negative feelings about the experience lower your overall frequency at which you vibrate, hindering your ability on some level to manifest more "goodies" into your life.
Forgiveness is derived from the word to "give". Forgiveness is one of the greatest gifts that you can give yourself. The act of forgiving another will liberate your energy, and set you free to experience more of the beauty of life. The act of forgiveness dramatically increases the energetic frequency at which you body-mind vibrates, allowing you to attract into your life more of those amazing situations and experiences that you have been desiring. Since it takes much energy to hold on to the past, the moment you let go of an "ugly" past event through the act of forgiveness, a ton of energy is freed up to focus on manifesting what you desire in this now moment. Unleash the power behind forgiveness today by taking these two powerful steps:
1. Release those Repressed Feelings
When you hold onto a grudge, you are often holding onto the negative emotions that are attached to that experience. Many of us do not have the ability or opportunity to fully feel and release negative feelings that arise when someone mistreats or hurts us. As a culture we have been taught to repress our feelings, put on a brave face, and go on with our life. The problem is that these feelings fester deep inside of us, and cause us to continue to carry a grudge about the past. The first step in forgiving is letting go of these negative feelings. There are many techniques that can help you release pent up emotions from the past. One simple way you can do this on your own is emotional release journaling. Just write about the past event without censoring. Write until you have emptied everything out. Do not read it once you have finished. Then burn what you have journaled and proclaim out-loud "I let this go". If your repressed emotions are very strong or feel overwhelming, it may be best to get the support of a trained professional to help you let them go. Margot is a powerful healer and can lead you through her special healing process where you will release these pent up emotions so that you can begin to forgive.
2. Consciously Choose Forgiveness
In every moment, you have the opportunity to choose forgiveness over resentment. Choosing forgiveneness means choosing freedom and liberation from the past. Once you decide that you are going to forgive, proclaim this forgiveness outloud to the Universe. The easiest way to do this is to visualize the person in front of you, and say outloud, "I forgive you completely for the past." Just feel what it is like to make this proclaimation. Notice the powerful shift in your energetic body that arises once you committ to forgiveness. You will be amazed out how this declaration will start to create a snowball of high vibrational feeling states in your mindbody, resulting in the manifestation of more positive and desired experiences into your life.
If you are having difficulty letting go, healing or forgiving somebody in your life, Margot can help lead you through a powerful proven healing process (over the phone) that truly works! You will let go of any blocked old emotions, free your heart, and liberate your manifesting energy. If you are interested, contact Margot directly at Margot@EnlightenedBeings.com to arrange a free 10 minute phone conversation to see how her healing technique can work for you!
"Forgiveness is the final form of love". ~Reinhold Niebuhr
May You Forgive Easily and Joyously!
Margot and Jafree
www.EnlightenedBeings.com
Life comes with problems
"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin -- real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."
-- Fr. Alfred D?Souza
Life always brings problems. We really can?t live without them.
And so it helps to shift our perspective. We can stop trying to avoid the problems. We can stop feeling victimized by what?s happening. Instead, we can consciously work with the challenge of the moment to learn more about ourselves and the world. When we make this shift in attitude, we discover ourselves to be strong and powerful.
"Every lesson is a widening and deepening of consciousness. It is a stretching of the mind beyond its conceptual limits and a stretching of the heart beyond its emotional boundaries. It is a bringing of unconscious material into consciousness, a healing of past wounds, and a discovery of new faith and trust."
-- Paul Ferrini
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These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
-- Fr. Alfred D?Souza
Life always brings problems. We really can?t live without them.
And so it helps to shift our perspective. We can stop trying to avoid the problems. We can stop feeling victimized by what?s happening. Instead, we can consciously work with the challenge of the moment to learn more about ourselves and the world. When we make this shift in attitude, we discover ourselves to be strong and powerful.
"Every lesson is a widening and deepening of consciousness. It is a stretching of the mind beyond its conceptual limits and a stretching of the heart beyond its emotional boundaries. It is a bringing of unconscious material into consciousness, a healing of past wounds, and a discovery of new faith and trust."
-- Paul Ferrini
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
*************************************************************************
Beyond the Limits of Perception
As Toltecs we are on the path to personal freedom, peace and moving through life with fearlessness. One of the biggest challenges to our freedom is our need to cling to our perceptions and believe that they’re truth. But before I continue with our dialogue, let’s agree for the purpose of our conversation, that freedom is a state of being where we experience lack of restraints, confinement or controls of any kind.
So why would I bring up the idea of freedom in reference to perception – what’s the connection?
From a scientific point of view, we can say we are beings of perception. We exist to take in light from our surroundings and interpret it according to the limits and possibilities of the machine that is translating that information.
On the other hand, we become trapped when we believe that the machine’s conclusions are definitive truth. If we do not have the awareness of this process we will automatically be subject to the restrains and restrictions of the machine rather than moving past them to the freedom of absolute consciousness.
Let’s take a moment to put this into practical terms. Imagine you’ve just finished grocery shopping and as you’re pulling out of your parking spot, the person in the car behind you quickly pulls out at the exact same time and hits your car. You jump out of your car ready to scream at that person for driving like an idiot, smashing your car, being reckless and blind as a bat.
However, when the person gets out of their car they are crying and deeply upset. The person relates to you that they just received a call that their mother had passed away and they were stricken by grief. They didn’t see that there was someone pulling out behind them because of all the tears in their eyes.
In that moment all your anger drains away, and you offer to assist them in any way you can.
So what just happened here? In our imaginary story your eyes and ears took in light and your brain translated that into a picture or virtual reality where your car intersected with another car. Your mind told you that this situation is bad and further judged the other person to be wrong and irresponsible. The result of this interpretation was anger and resentment. In that moment you were trapped by the limitations of your machine – and fell for the conclusions your mind came to in this situation. You lost your peace because you believed what your mind was telling you – you thought it was truth and you trusted it. As a result, you lost your personal freedom and were at the mercy of your fear-based emotions.
In Buddhism, the Diamond Sutra says, “Where there is perception, there is deception.” As students of spirituality we must use our awareness to transcend the way we’ve been trained to perceive, and to learn to see without the machine’s constraints and preconceptions. This is true freedom, having the ability to interact within this reality without being bound to our own points of view, opinions and prejudices.
This month I challenge you to ask yourself “Is this truth?” whenever you are in a situation where you are tempted to believe yourself. See what happens!
With all my love, Sheri
www.sherirosenthal.com
So why would I bring up the idea of freedom in reference to perception – what’s the connection?
From a scientific point of view, we can say we are beings of perception. We exist to take in light from our surroundings and interpret it according to the limits and possibilities of the machine that is translating that information.
On the other hand, we become trapped when we believe that the machine’s conclusions are definitive truth. If we do not have the awareness of this process we will automatically be subject to the restrains and restrictions of the machine rather than moving past them to the freedom of absolute consciousness.
Let’s take a moment to put this into practical terms. Imagine you’ve just finished grocery shopping and as you’re pulling out of your parking spot, the person in the car behind you quickly pulls out at the exact same time and hits your car. You jump out of your car ready to scream at that person for driving like an idiot, smashing your car, being reckless and blind as a bat.
However, when the person gets out of their car they are crying and deeply upset. The person relates to you that they just received a call that their mother had passed away and they were stricken by grief. They didn’t see that there was someone pulling out behind them because of all the tears in their eyes.
In that moment all your anger drains away, and you offer to assist them in any way you can.
So what just happened here? In our imaginary story your eyes and ears took in light and your brain translated that into a picture or virtual reality where your car intersected with another car. Your mind told you that this situation is bad and further judged the other person to be wrong and irresponsible. The result of this interpretation was anger and resentment. In that moment you were trapped by the limitations of your machine – and fell for the conclusions your mind came to in this situation. You lost your peace because you believed what your mind was telling you – you thought it was truth and you trusted it. As a result, you lost your personal freedom and were at the mercy of your fear-based emotions.
In Buddhism, the Diamond Sutra says, “Where there is perception, there is deception.” As students of spirituality we must use our awareness to transcend the way we’ve been trained to perceive, and to learn to see without the machine’s constraints and preconceptions. This is true freedom, having the ability to interact within this reality without being bound to our own points of view, opinions and prejudices.
This month I challenge you to ask yourself “Is this truth?” whenever you are in a situation where you are tempted to believe yourself. See what happens!
With all my love, Sheri
www.sherirosenthal.com
The Outrageous Power of The Blue Room
Would you like to effortlessly manifest something FABULOUS into your life from "out of the blue"? People often think that it's miraculous or unexplainable when something shows up that they desired for no apparent reason at all. The truth is that science and spirituality are finally coming back together (after being separated over 500 years ago) to reveal the greatest secret in history. These quantum scientists of today are now proving that we are all truly powerful manifesting beings...naturally! Recent studies in Quantum physics have proven two important facts:
1. Every subatomic particle of energy/matter in the Universe is connected to every other particle by a kind of holographic energetic matrix.
2. You can change the behavior of these quantum particles by directing your attention, feelings, and thoughts.
This means that when you see and feel something happening in one part of the Universe, you are actually directly impacting the energetic particles in another part of the Universe! This happens because everything is energetically connected. You are always impacting the quantum particles around you, the real question is...are you projecting these particles onto the thoughts of what you want or don't want?
"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions." ~Albert Einstein
We've found that it is much easier to manifest one's desires through entering this energetic matrix of the Universe by meeting in an etheric room found within the deepest levels of your inner world. This is a brilliant cobalt blue room filled with light, where souls meet to come to an aligned state and create new agreements here on Earth. When people say that something just manifested for them "out of the blue", this is exactly where it is being manifested from! Perhaps you want to establish a more empowering relationship with someone you already know, attract a new person into your life to be part of a business deal, or get your boss to agree to promote you at work. You can manifest whatever experience or thing you desire in your life, especially if it seems far-fetched! Yes, through aligning with your higher mind, anything is possible!
How does the Blue Room work? Every time that you visit the Blue Room and deeply feel that an agreement has been made with another person, you start to actually allow it to manifest into the physical world. This is from the power of your energy field, and the inner-connectedness of all matter. In fact, when you make a new agreement in inner world of the Blue Room, you are energetically shifting the subatomic particles around you AND this other person. Then, these quantum particles (that make up all matter) start sending out a NEW energetic code to the Universe which "educates" the Universe to magnetize this positive new agreement and experience back to you!
The key to creating outrageous outcomes in your life depends on the vibrational state at which your body-mind is vibrating at. The positive energy and vibrations available in the blue room are FAR beyond that which you'll find on Earth. The light etheric blue energy that emanates from this truly magical place is very healing, inspiring and powerful. The blue light automatically improves the current of energy flowing through your body/mind, which in turn opens up any situations that may be stuck in your life. This room is full of some of the highest vibrations in the Universe, and allows you to access tremendous feelings of abundance, joy, and empowerment. When you step into the blue room you'll automatically feel lighter, more abundant and free! This in turn improves your mind-body's overall vibration and attitude. It is the most effective place for creating manifestations in the physical world.
"Imagination creates reality... Man is all imagination!" ~Neville
The empowering freeing feelings that you'll find in your blue room are the secret to manifesting new agreements with people you currently know like your spouse or parents. These expansive feelings also will start attracting new people into your life to complete business or personal transactions like selling a home. The reason we even need to visit the blue room at all is because many of us were taught as children to believe that we all function independently of each other, and that we have little ability to influence other people's behaviors, especially complete strangers that we have never met. The truth is that our presence, thoughts, and feelings ALWAYS influence the energy field around us, impacting everybody that we consciously or unconsciously meet. Yes, you have the power to shape-shift people's lives and attract influential people to help you out. If you can help them create what they want, they will help you manifest what you want!
"You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want." ~Zig Ziglar
We understand that it can be challenging to focus the mind in one consistent direction for any length of time, so we have created a manifesting meditation to assist you in finding and entering the Blue Room. This 24 minute guided audio journey will take you into your inner world to discover your own Blue Room! Here you can create new empowering agreements with others that will soon manifest into the physical world. By experiencing this powerful manifesting technology you will be able to effortlessly attract a specific amount of money, a new relationship, or the physical situation that you desire into your life!
Read how one woman manifested $50,000 thanks to The Blue Room Manifesting Meditation!! Instantly download the Blue Room Manifesting Meditation at this link...enjoy!
http://www.enlightenedbeings.com/blue-room-manifesting-meditation.html
Many abundant blessings to you,
Margot Zaher & Jafree Ozwald
www.EnlightenedBeings.com
Third deadly sin: Lust
Dictionary definition: Feminine noun, derived from the Latin Luxuria. Lechery, sensuality, lasciviousness. It can also be defined as luxuriance in plants, or exuberance of sap.
They reached the banks of a river. There, a beautiful woman was waiting to cross the river. Chu picked her up in his arms, carried to the other side and continued his journey with his friend. At a certain point, Wu said: "We talked about temptation and you picked up that woman in your arms. It provided an opportunity for sin to enter your soul". Chu answered: "My dear Wu, I behaved naturally. I took that woman across and left her on the other side of the river. But you continued carrying her in your thoughts – and for that reason you are closer to sin”.
Eleven minutes. The world revolves around something that takes only eleven minutes. It is because of these eleven minutes in a 24-hour day (considering that all make love with their wives, every day, which is truly absurd and a complete lie), that they marry, sustain a family, put up with the children crying, overdo themselves in explanations when they arrive home late, look at dozens or hundred of other women with whom they would like to stroll around Lake Geneva, buy expensive clothes for themselves, and even more expensive clothes for their wives, pay prostitutes to make up for what was missing without knowing what it is, sustain a gigantic industry of cosmetics, diets, gymnastics, pornography, power – and when they get together with other men, contrary to what the myth says, never talk about women. They talk about jobs, money and sport. There is something very wrong with civilization.
Control the vital force, so that you will be transformed again into a newborn child. When you banish mysterious visions from your imagination you may, then, become unblemished. Purify yourself and don’t look for intellectual answers for the Mystery. When discernment penetrates the four regions, perhaps you will not recognize what gives life and sustains it. That which gives life does not claim any possession. It benefits, but does not demand gratitude. It commands, but does not exercise authority. That is what is called “mysterious quality”. (next: Wrath) | ||
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Second deadly sin: Greed
Dictionary definition: from the Latin Avaritia, a feminine noun: Excessive fondness for money, stinginess, meanness.
The abbot asked the disciple to accompany him on a visit to a sick person who needed extreme unction. After comforting the family, the abbot noticed that in one of the corners of the house there was a trunk. "What is inside it?” he asked. "Clothes that my uncle never used", said the sick man’s nephew." He bought everything, always thinking that the right occasion would arise to wear them, but they ended up rotting inside it". "Don’t forget that trunk", said the Father Abbot to his disciple, when they left. "If you have spiritual treasures in your heart, put them into practice now. Or they will rot away."
“They belong to me, they are my slaves”, replied Greed. “I have nothing to deliver to you.” Death then touched the water with his magic rod and poisoned it. Little by little, all who were there began dying. “Why did you steal all my slaves?” shouted Greed, angrily. “Because you didn’t want to give me any”, was the answer. In a speech: because of its inability to produce, the Jewish people are parasites, and their aim is to enslave other peoples. They use greed to manipulate the stupidity of the middle class (Adolf Hitler, preparing the ground for the Holocaust, which cost the lives of six million Jews). Many centuries before, the Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon used to say: The Lord sent to Man his messengers, called diseases. Eternal Providence put me in charge of caring for their health. Let the love for what I do guide me at every moment. Never let greed, or the thirst for power, or the desire for recognition, blind me and make me forget that a man’s objective is to give the best of what he has to another man.
Goods hard to get cause wounds because of dangerous obstacles. For that reason (...) the wise man rejects the superficial and prefers to dive into the deep. (next: Lust) | ||
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Why meditate?
"Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom."
-- Buddha
Meditation is considered an essential practice for those who seek self-knowledge and self-mastery. Why? Basically, meditation brings awareness of how our minds work. Over time, we become watchers, able to detach from the thoughts and emotions that play out in our minds.
With this detachment, we gain the freedom to choose whether or not to act on our thoughts and emotions. We learn to distinguish between objective reality and our mental and emotional dramas.
"Only in quiet waters things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world."
-- Hans Margolius
-- Buddha
Meditation is considered an essential practice for those who seek self-knowledge and self-mastery. Why? Basically, meditation brings awareness of how our minds work. Over time, we become watchers, able to detach from the thoughts and emotions that play out in our minds.
With this detachment, we gain the freedom to choose whether or not to act on our thoughts and emotions. We learn to distinguish between objective reality and our mental and emotional dramas.
"Only in quiet waters things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world."
-- Hans Margolius
Message from Mary
Message from Mary - Mejudorje 25th October 2006
And in the morning
dawn will come,
and the
rising will continue.
So feel the beat
of the
heavenly drum,
and the dance of the spirit within
you.
Oh my children
can't you
feel
the tide that passes through you?
Tis a
tide of love,
tis a tide of joy,
to wash away
your sorrow, to bring a new tomorrow.
The
time has come to see again
the passing of an
era.
So let it flow, this river of love
and it will
bring you nearer.
The heart so pure, so still, so
true,
its rhythm makes all clearer.
And in the
dawn the light will shine
and the earth shall rise
into heavenly arms
as the call of the soul gets
louder.
So my children, heed the
sound
of the voice that is deep within
you.
Feel its song and know its heart
and the
pulse that lies deep within it.
For in the darkness
is a light
that brings a gentle tremor
til all
stand still and all will weep
at the sight, and feel,
of the inner splendour.
Happiness Is A Voyage
Please view the "Happiness Is A Voyage" powerpoint presenation. It is for free, and it is truly beautiful.
I thought you would appreciate it. It takes a minute or so to download, but it is well worth it.
Click here to view:-
www.thedailyguru.com/Happiness-Is-A-Voyage.pps
Spiritually Yours....The Daily Guru
I thought you would appreciate it. It takes a minute or so to download, but it is well worth it.
Click here to view:-
www.thedailyguru.com/Happiness-Is-A-Voyage.pps
Spiritually Yours....The Daily Guru
T be like a river flowing...
Celebrate differences
“Souls don’t have races or sexes or religions. They are beyond artificial divisions.”
-- Brian Weiss
Intolerance of differences always exists in people who don’t know who they are, people who don’t have a strong sense of their own authentic self, the soul within.
Intolerance is rooted in fear.
The basis for having a strong sense of self-esteem is to replace our unconscious idea of basic unworthiness with a conscious knowing of our fundamental inherent goodness. As Matthew Fox argues in Original Blessing, the notion of ‘original sin’ must be replaced with the truth of ‘original blessing.’
Being in touch with our essential goodness, we can see the essential goodness in others as well.
“Beliefs separate. Loving thoughts unite.”
-- Paul Ferrini
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These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
How to Make Your Manifesting Garden Grow
One of the most important secrets to cultivating a successful garden
is creating a rich environment in which the seeds can grow. Seeds can
only germinate in soil that has the perfect amount of nutrients,
light and water. In order for the seeds of your dreams to blossom and
manifest into the world, it is vital that you create the most ideal
environment for these seeds with the proper amount of nutrients,
light, and water to germinate. When it comes to manifesting, your
dreams and desires are the seeds, and the soil is the energetic
frequency at which your bodymind is vibrating at. If you are
vibrating at a lower frequency, your soil may be brittle or lack
nutrients, which may cause certain BIG dreams seeds to need more
attention or they will dry out and whither away.
The light that you shower upon your seeds is the light of your own
conscious awareness. By simply shining your attention on the seeds
which you most want to manifest, they will immediately begin to
receive more energy and begin to grow. You mind is the like the
greenhouse that tends to filter the light and re-focus it so you can
let in the right amount of light and heat. With the right manifesting
mindset you will see your greenhouse become a utopian garden where
your dream seeds naturally grow bigger than any weeds that may get in
your way.
When you are vibrating at an energetic frequency that is in alignment
with what you want to manifest, your dream seeds have the proper rich
soil in which to sprout and grow into healthy plants and flowers. So
what does it take to create this rich soil? One element that makes
soil inhospitable is limiting beliefs and thoughts. Take a moment to
look deep inside and ask yourself, "What negative beliefs or thoughts
are stopping my dreams from germinating today?" The easiest way to
shift these beliefs and enrich your manifesting soil is to do The
Gremlin removal exercise described in chapter one of "How to Raise
Your Manifesting Vibration." If you don't already have this powerful
e-book, you can download the first chapter for free at
http://www.ManifestingMagnet.com/freechapter.php
Another key to cultivating a successful manifesting garden is a
consistent watering schedule. The best way to water your dream seeds
is to start your day with a manifesting routine
<http://www.manifestingvibration.com%3e/; that supports your bodymind and
soul in becoming more energetically aligned with your desired end
result and manifestation. Each time you follow the manifesting
routine and do a guided manifesting meditation/visualization, you in
essence are watering your seeds so that they germinate and bloom!
Just as gardens love to be watered so do your dream seeds love to be
nurtured with daily visual and emotional positive focus and energy.
The more often you can focus upon and FEEL that your seeds are being
cared for, the faster your dreams will grow into what you truly
desire! Soon you will manifest a garden full of lush nutrient rich
plants ready for you to harvest and enjoy!
To start enriching your inner garden today, you can instantly
download our 90 day Manifesting Program to learn specific techniques,
exercises and, the 8 habits manifesting routine that will help you
cultivate the perfect manifesting conditions. Your dream seeds are
worth you taking the time and energy to learn how to grow them into
beautiful manifestations that you love and cherish. Find out more at
http://www.manifestingvibration.com/
Many blessings to you!
Jafree & Margot
http://www.enlightenedbeings.com/
Accepting reality
“...self-contempt never inspires lasting change.”
-- Jane R. Hirschmann and Carol H. Munter
I can suck myself down into a deep, black hole when I focus on what I think I SHOULD be… more loving, sexy, productive, whatever. Thinking I should be something else means I’m not good enough now. This is poverty thinking and a guaranteed way to be miserable.
I can let go of this suffering by accepting WHAT IS. I can say, “This is how I am right now and that’s okay.”
When I first tried this, I could say it but not believe it. Then I began to experience the freedom this perspective brings – just by changing my mind! Now I’m beginning to believe it. What a gift!
“When we stop opposing reality, action becomes simple, fluid, kind, and fearless.”
-- Byron Katie
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These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
YOU ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR PROBLEMS
Courage is the power to face your difficulties.
It comes from the reserves of your mind
that are more powerful than your outside circumstances.
When you recognize that you're bigger than your problems,
you'll gain the courage necessary to overcome anything.
Your obstacles will look large or small to you
according to whether you are large or small.
Courage is the capacity to confront what can be imagined.
It gives you the ability to rise above your present reality.
Reality is something you can rise above.
THE DAILY GURU
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©2006 by Max Steingart
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
Judgment creates
“Judge not by appearances, but judge righteous judgment.”
-- Jesus
We know the power of thoughts to create. Consider, then, the impact of our judgments. When we judge someone critically, those judgments have the power to affect the one being judged, if they are open to our perceptions. This is the case even when we don’t say what we’re thinking.
For example, if I judge someone to be fat, and that individual perceives him or herself to be fat and is sensitive to the opinions of others, my thoughts will reinforce their ‘fat’ experience.
Being aware of the impact of our judgments helps us let go of our tendency to judge.
“There are three kinds of violence: one, through our deeds; two, through our words; and three, through our thoughts. …The root of all violence is in the world of thoughts, and that is why training the mind is so important.”
-- Eknath Easwaran
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These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
-- Jesus
We know the power of thoughts to create. Consider, then, the impact of our judgments. When we judge someone critically, those judgments have the power to affect the one being judged, if they are open to our perceptions. This is the case even when we don’t say what we’re thinking.
For example, if I judge someone to be fat, and that individual perceives him or herself to be fat and is sensitive to the opinions of others, my thoughts will reinforce their ‘fat’ experience.
Being aware of the impact of our judgments helps us let go of our tendency to judge.
“There are three kinds of violence: one, through our deeds; two, through our words; and three, through our thoughts. …The root of all violence is in the world of thoughts, and that is why training the mind is so important.”
-- Eknath Easwaran
*************************************************************************
These quotes are supplied courtesy of Higher Awareness. They offer inspiring, thought-provoking self development programs to help you clearly understand how life and natural laws work, whilst enhancing intuition and creating the future you desire.
Click Here For More Information:-
http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm
YOUR SUCCESS DEPENDS ON THE SUPPORT OF OTHERS
You do not exist for yourself.
The only hurdle between you and what you want to be,
is the support of others.
Put yourself in another's place,
and you'll know why they think and do certain things.
You can succeed fastest by helping others to succeed.
Always think in terms of what the other person wants.
You'll get everything in life that you want
if you'll help enough other people get what they want.
Doing things for others always pays dividends.
You're not an isolated island.
You're a piece of the planet, a piece of the universe.
Personal relationships are the fertile soil from which all advancement,
all success, all achievement in real life grows.
Help someone's boat across a river and you'll find
your own boat has reached the shore too.
THE DAILY GURU
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©2006 by Max Steingart
I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU ...
....THE FIVE MOST POWERFUL TOOLS YOU NEED IN LIFE FOR ESSENTIAL LIFE WISDOM.
Everyone wants to be able to change their lives in some way: to heal something, to move forward on a project, to initiate a discipline like an exercise program, to change a personal habit, to find a romantic partner, to get divorced and begin a new life, to lose weight, to get to their 'highest potential', to finish unfinished business, to develop their intuition, to understand their Sacred Contract.
Every one has a next step, and everyone ' absolutely everyone ' has trouble accomplishing these goals. I've worked with people for over twenty years and I am very familiar with all the reasons and excuses we give ourselves for not moving forward.
Not moving forward is extremely painful for everyone and not just because you're frustrated with yourself. The desire you have to change a habit or begin a new life comes from the soul, not just from a reservoir of frustration that accumulates over months or years of coping with the same dysfunctional patterns of self-sabotage.
In response to this very real challenge that faces so many people, I've created this workshop as a 'wisdom resource' that will be of great help to every one who takes this workshop for the rest of their lives.
I have always developed my material to emphasize practical instruction combined with inspiration because for me, that is the combination that generates the most effective and empowering life alchemy.
With that in mind, the following topics will be explored in depth, all of which combined equal a tool box of essential life wisdom:
1: Humbleness versus the fear of being Humiliated: Most people are controlled their entire lives by the fear of being humiliated and that fear alone holds them back from moving forward in their lives. At the same time, few understand the liberation that accompanies what it means to be humble in this world. How do you get over the paralyzing fear of being humiliating and always worrying about 'what others are going to say?'That's up for discussion in this workshop.
2. Theory, Fact or Fiction? Which category fits your life and your dreams? A discussion of the qualities of people who have managed to make their life plans happen versus those who continue to live in fiction, fantasy and theory. Plus I'll give a check list of items to help you identify which category fits your habits and profile the most: Are you living a life of 'theory': 'I intend to do this or that AS SOON AS...'.Or a life of 'fiction': 'Someday I would really like to....'but IN FACT what you are really doing and probably know you will never really change is ---This segment of the workshop is a real eye-opener, to say the least.
3. Understanding the four stages of conscious growth and where you are stuck: Revolution-Involution-Narcissism-Evolution. It's been my observation that the pattern of significant change, whether cosmic or personal, follows those four stages, which I will go into in great detail. You can't avoid experiencing these stages even when you are going through shifts in relationships, much less major life changes, or even entering into the spiritual crisis of the dark night of the soul. These four stages represent an archetypal journey. Most people get stuck in the one of these stages. I'll go into a description of each pattern with strategies of how to move forward.
4. Are you suffering from 'Guidance Overload'? Guidance Overload is a very real psychic condition that comes from asking for help from too many people but never acting on any of the information that you have poured into your psychic field. This segment of the workshop involves a discussion of the symptoms and remedies for having too much guidance working on your psychic field.
5. The call to Mystical Service 'the new archetype at work in the world: I will close with this most important segment that delves into the 'mystical renaissance' going on in our world today. Many people are being 'called' into 'mystical service' in this world, but because they are unfamiliar with the nature of mysticism and dialoging with their soul, they are unable to de-code the guidance that is stirring in their interior.
This segment will include defining mysticism, discussing the classics mystics such as Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Avila, and John of the Cross (among others), in order to understand the characteristics of what makes someone a mystic.
In brief, a mystic is a person called by God to change the world through the power of their souls, working in intimate union with the Divine. This classic archetype of the mystic is being revisited or revised for our contemporary spiritual community because the world is now the monastery and many are being called into 'mystical service'.
These individuals need to; 1) recognize that they are being 'called', 2) learn to build a soul with stamina, a soul able to channel grace and heal through prayer, individually and at a distance and 3) to change the world in silence, invisibly through the power of their souls.
This special workshop will close with a healing session in which the group will channel grace to those in need of healing, to our planet, and finally, to our personal needs.
I do hope you will join me for this intensive, and it will be intensive, workshop. Each of these segments has been scripted to be a life transforming skill unto itself.
My deep belief is that we have spent enough time on our healing. We need to become active channels of grace in this world because that is what this age of spiritual transformation was intended to initiate.
It's time to consider that you may well be a 'mystic without a monastery' being called into mystical service in a world in need of channels for grace and healing, which is the highest potential of a soul with genuine stamina.
Do join me as I share the 5 Most Powerful Tools for Essential Life Wisdom,
Caroline Myss
A Tree...
"A tree without roots is only a piece of wood. You should never forget your place. I read that once and it's true."
Jean-Christophe Novelli
Jean-Christophe Novelli
A Baker's Dozen of Inspirational Thoughts
from Dr. Wayne Dyer | |
| Share these pearls of wisdom with your Grad, your Dad, or anyone who may benefit from this practical advice for living a successful, positive life—everyday! Excerpted from Everyday Wisdom for Success. | |
 | Chasing success is like trying to squeeze a handful of water. The tighter you squeeze, the less water you get. When you chase it, your life becomes the chase, and you become a victim of always wanting more. |
 | If you refuse to change your job (if you don’t like it), the only sensible thing you can do is practice loving it every day. |
 | Enjoy everything that happens in your life, but never make your happiness or success dependent on an attachment to any person, place, or thing. |
 | The more you see yourself as what you’d like to become, and act as if what you want is already there, the more you’ll activate those dormant forces that will collaborate to transform your dream into your reality. |
 | Most people are searching for happiness outside of themselves. That’s a fundamental mistake. Happiness is something you are, and it comes from the way you think. |
 | You are in a partnership with all other human beings, not a contest to be judged better than some and worse than others. |
 | Life is never boring, but some people choose to be bored . . . boredom is a choice. |
 | Treat yourself and others with kindness when you eat, exercise, play, work, love, and everything else. |
 | Money—like health, love, happiness, and all forms of success that you want to create for yourself—is the result of living purposefully. It is not a goal unto itself. |
 | The opposite of courage is not so much fear as it is conformity. |
 | Try viewing everyone who comes into your life as a teacher. |
 | Forgiveness is the most powerful thing you can do for yourself. If you can’t learn to forgive, you can forget about achieving true success in your life. |
 | There are limits to material growth, but there are no limits to inner enlightenment. |
| You can find these and more than 200 similar gems in Dr. Dyer's Everyday Wisdom for Success—available everywhere books are sold. You can also order online from Hay House. Forward this to a friend by clicking here. If these insights intrigue you, then you're certain to enjoy Dr. Dyer's thought-provoking book 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace. The ten principles presented especially apply to young people who are just beginning their journey of discovery. Dr. Dyer urges us to listen with an open heart. By doing so, we’ll learn to feel the peace of God that truly defines success. 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace is available in both hardcover book and audio CD formats. | |
Make this a truthful day!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I act with purposeful awareness of trust. I show up and
speak my truth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ABOUT TODAY'S AFFIRMATION
For most people, "truth" is likely to be on their list of
top ten values. Yet, so often, people do not speak their
truth. So often, they do not even show up! You can hold
the idea of the importance of truth, yet sometimes find it
difficult to act from that idea. You might have past
associations of "telling the truth" as tattling or informing
authorities about your siblings or peers. Or "telling the
truth" may be associated with a punishment that followed the
act of telling or not telling the truth. Trust and truth
are closely related -- you can be purposefully aware of both
as you act.
ABOUT YOUR PROCESS
Identify something that you have difficulty telling your
truth about. This might be a very private exercise -- no
one has to know about it but you. Tell your truth to
yourself and trust yourself to know when it is the
appropriate time to show up and speak your truth to others
involved. Be courageous and wise. Above all else, trust
yourself.
ABOUT RELATED ARTICLES
Among our articles, we particularly recommend:
"Moving Through Puddles"
http://www.mhmail.com/articles/personal-development.html
"Resonating with the Light with Jeanie Marshall"
http://www.mhmail.com/articles/resonating-with-light.html
ABOUT THE NEXT TYPE OF AFFIRMATIONS
This is the last of the Acting/Claiming Affirmations this
month. During the next three days, we focus on
integrating and embodying trust and the affirmations that
we have worked with throughout the month. This is a
good day to re-visit your over-arching intention that I
suggested you establish at the beginning of the month
or, if you joined during the month, when you joined.
ABOUT OUR AUTHOR AND SPONSORS
Sent in the consciousness of Trust by Marshall House
and publisher of "Affirmations: A Pathway to Transformation."
By Jeanie Marshall, Copyright 1994-2006 Marshall House
Marshall House, 1223 Wilshire Boulevard, #300
Santa Monica, CA 90403-5400 (310) 392-1987
Marshall House Web Site, http://www.mhmail.com
YOUR FINANCIAL THERMOSTAT
===========================
'There are three types of people in the world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who say, "What happened?"'
-John Newbern
One of my favorite metaphors when it comes to exploring financial abundance is the value of both a thermometer, which provides a (hopefully) accurate measure of the current temperature, and a thermostat, which creates changes in the environment based on the difference between the current temperature and the desired temperature.
In order for your system to work properly, you need to not only set the thermostat to your desired temperature, you also need to link it to an accurate thermometer.
Now imagine that your finances work on a similar thermostat. If your current level of income/net worth is below the setting on your thermostat, your engine runs on overtime to generate the heat for action; if it is above the setting on your thermostat (i.e. you have 'more money than you know what to do with'), your thermostat will switch off and the fuel for action will tend to switch off with it.
Worse still, if you have 'internal financial air conditioning', you will actively find ways to lose the extra money until your financial temperature gets down to a comfortable level!
This is why so many of us seem to get stuck at a certain level of financial success - we either never turn up our financial thermostat or we set the thermostat on high but never link it to an accurate thermometer.
Here are three things you can do to improve your financial environment, starting today...
-------------------------------------------------------
1. Learn to Read your Financial Thermostat
-------------------------------------------------------
There are two primary ways to read your financial thermostat. The easiest is to jot down your income and/or current net worth. Unless those numbers have radically changed over the past three years, chances are that's just about exactly what your thermostat is set for.
For example, if you earned $50,000 two years ago, $60,000 last year, and are on track to earn $55,000 this year, your thermostat is set in the $50K -$60K zone. Provided you don't earn radically more or less than this amount, you will feel financially 'comfortable'. (Ironically, this can be true even if you are panicked about being in debt. While it would no doubt be a relief to earn enough to pay down or even off your debts, check for yourself to see if you would really be comfortable earning considerably more than you currently are...)
The second way to read your financial thermostat is the 'five closest friends' method. Add up the income of your five closest friends and divide by five. You may be surprised to find that your current income is pretty near to that number, even if you have some friends who earn considerably more than you and others who earn considerably less.
If you do the same thing with net worth (and let's face it, your five closest friends are pretty much the only ones liable to share that information with you!), you'll find that once again, your own current net worth matches up pretty closely.
(The one exception to the 'five closest friends' method I have seen is if you are currently in a transition period, shooting up or falling down the financial ladder.)
----------------------------------
2. Fix your Financial Thermometer
----------------------------------
A strategy that is often overlooked is making sure your financial thermometer is working properly. If you didn't know your current net worth (or your income over the past few years), chances are that yours isn't.
Fortunately, fixing your thermometer is simple - either start tracking every penny which goes in and out or hire someone else to do it for you. And if your assuming you can't afford to hire a bookkeeper, the fact that you don't know for sure is a sure sign that it will pay off for you!
Once you have an accurate ongoing mechanism for financial feedback, making more money becomes instantly easier and considerably more fun. As in any endeavor, the speed with which you are able to notice the results is a primary factor in your ability to experience flow and optimal states while pursuing it. (See the 'Want to Learn More?' section at the end of this tip to learn more.)
------------------------------------
3. Reset your Financial Thermostat
------------------------------------
There are essentially two ways to reset your thermostat:
a. Change your intention
To better understand the difference between wishing you had more money and intending to have more, imagine you are in a nightclub. Across the room is a gorgeous man or woman you would love to get to know better. 'Wishing' is like staring at them all night and then going home bemoaning the fact that 'you could never meet someone like that'; 'Intending' is walking over and asking them to dance. You may still go home alone, but it won't be for lack of intention!
In today's experiment, I will share one of my favorite ways of 'turning up the heat' on your financial intentions, but for now, just consider what amount of financial abundance seems to you to be a worthy goal and notice what happens on the inside when you declare your intention out loud and take at least one action step towards it.
b. Change your associations
There is no question that one of the quickest ways to turn up your financial thermostat is to begin spending time with people who are comfortable earning and having more than you currently do. However, while 'taking a millionaire to lunch' is always fun, you may want to change your associations more incrementally.
I still remember the first time I tagged along with Nina (now my wife!) and her friends almost 18 years ago. We spent the day on her brother's boat on the Thames, then all went out to eat at a 'fancy' restaurant. I phoned my parents that night to tell them that I'd met the most wonderful group of people, but I would only be able to afford to hang out with them about once a year!
Fortunately, I was interested in them because I liked them (as opposed to 'because they were rich'), and while I didn't join them for all their excursions, I got to spend enough time with them to become comfortable with a whole new level of financial abundance.
--------------------------
Today's Experiment:
--------------------------
1. Take the time to figure out where your financial thermostat is currently set. For most people this will be a range (i.e. $50K - $60K or 'between 5 - 10 million') as opposed to a specific number.
Think about how you would react emotionally if you suddenly found out you were going to earn a bit more or less than that amount. When you start to become fearful or elated, you've gone past the edge of your current thermostat setting.
2. If you don't already have an accurate picture of how much money comes in, goes out and stays behind each week (or at least each month), consider investing at least 10 hours and/or $1000 this month in setting up a system to find out.
Once your system is up and running, you will be able to maintain it in less than an hour a month (and in most cases for less than $100).
3. Imagine an actual financial thermostat in your mind - this can be a digital thermostat where you press buttons to reset it or an old fashioned 'dial' thermostat.
Just for fun, turn the financial temperature way up - at least ten times what it's currently set for. What would it be like if this was just 'normal' for you?
When you've got a real sense of what it might be like to be comfortable with that much more money than you're used to having, turn your thermostat back down to a more comfortable level, but make sure it's at least a couple of degrees (perhaps 10K or 20K) higher than where you started. If you listen carefully, you will hear the sound of your financial heater starting up...
Play with these imagination exercises as often as you like. The more comfortable you can get with having more, the easier it will be to have.
4. Think about any people you may have been avoiding hanging out with because they have more than you. Notice if you are carrying any resentment towards them, and if so, do your best to let it go. It's very difficult to become what you hate, no matter how much you think you want to.
If appropriate, arrange to spend some time with them in either a work or social setting. After having spent a bit of time with them, decide whether or not this is a relationship you would like to cultivate. Remember, a good rule of thumb is to check and see if you actually enjoy their company... :-)
Have fun, learn heaps, and get comfortable with having more than you may ever have thought possible!
With love,
michael
PS - Last chance to book on 'Relationships Made Fun' on the 28th of May!
If you would you like to enhance the quality of your most important relationships and have fun doing it, phone (0207)371-9191 or e-mail info@mindbodyspirit.co.uk for advanced booking information.
To learn more, visit:
http://www.mindbodyspirit.co.uk/presenters.asp?pid=85
ARE YOU DOING THE WRONG JOB?
(Today's tip is adapted from an article I wrote for the Daily Mirror newspaper in the UK - you can read it in its original form at http://www.geniuscatalyst.com/dailymirror.php)
'Life is like a penis - it's not so much how long it is as what you do with it.'
-Paul Pearsall
Are you doing what you came here to do? Are you doing what you love and want to do with your one and only life?
If you're like many of the thousands of people I speak with each year in my role as a writer and success coach, these questions may seem ridiculous. 'I can't afford to ask myself things like that,' one man said to me. 'I've got mouths to feed and a mortgage to pay.'
But just because it's a difficult question doesn't mean it's not worth answering. And the question becomes more and more important as you get older.
As I've written before, to try to 'make yourself' do what feels wrong to you is like walking in whatever direction you are facing and forcing the needle in your compass towards north. While it may work for a while, as soon as you let up the pressure for even a moment, the compass will begin to self-correct and you'll see that you're off-track, maybe even headed 180 degrees away from your own best life. And the cumulative stress that comes with forcing yourself to do what you don't want to do each day can lead not only to strain in your marriage and trouble with your kids but also to physical illness.
Ironically, many people who recover from serious illness wind up reporting that in a strange way, getting sick was a 'blessing in disguise'. Post-illness, they are more willing to take a chance on doing things they are genuinely interested in or excited by. Financial reward takes a back seat to family time and personal satisfaction. Having faced up to the uncertainty and finiteness of their lives, they recognise that when you don't know how many days you've got left, the quality of those days becomes more important than quantity.
Now if you've spent a lifetime ignoring your feelings and quite literally 'making the best of a bad job', it may seem like it's too late (or too scary) to do anything about it. But chances are that the changes you need to make are nowhere near as dramatic as you think. So don't go quitting your job, selling your things and joining the circus or nunnery or even a Fortune 500 company just yet. Because even if dramatic changes are called for, you don't have to make them in a dramatic way.
Here are three simple changes you can make that will make a major change in how you feel about your working life:
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1. Become self-employed while you're still at your job.
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If you've begun saving money for your retirement, chances are you've done it by withholding money from your paycheque each month. A more effective strategy is to have all your money paid into a central 'reservoir' account. This can be a savings or even a home equity account. Then 'deduct' the money for your monthly expenses into a checking account.
Now instead of taking money away from yourself in order to save, you are having to take money away from yourself in order to spend. And for most people, when you see your reservoir of cash begin to grow, you will become less interested in spending and more interested in the freedom that comes with not being dependent on your job for your income.
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2. Get noticeably better at whatever it is you do.
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Extensive research into optimal experience at work shows that people who challenge themselves to continually improve at what they do not only increase their value in the marketplace, they enjoy their jobs considerably more than those who just do the minimum required to get by. While further training may or may not be a practical option for you, there are always ways to enhance your skills on the job.
One simple trick is to imagine you are training your replacement - if you had to teach someone to do what you do, how would you do it? In thinking about how to teach someone else to do your job, you will invariably find little improvements you can make that not only make you better, they make the job more enjoyable.
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3. Begin exploring new possibilities
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Many people fear that if they begin exploring other options, they will become more and more discontented and miserable about what they are currently doing. But only one of two things can really happen. Either you will find out that what you're doing isn't as bad as you thought when you compare it to what else is out there, in which case you'll begin to appreciate and enjoy it more, or you'll find out that there really is a job or career path that's calling to you.
And if you are fortunate enough to find a job that's also a calling, you will never have to work another day in your life!
--------------------
Today's Experiment:
--------------------
Answer these 5 questions - then add up your scores and see how you come out on the score card below...
1. How many days each week do you look forward to going in to work?
(1 - 5)
2. Do you feel like you're 'on track' to be where you want to be in your life in the next five years?
(1 - Not at all, 2 - A bit, 3 - Sometimes, 4 - Mostly, 5 - Completely)
3. How often do you daydream about 'escaping' from your job?
(1 - Always, 2 - Often, 3 - Sometimes, 4 - Occasionally, 5 - Never)
4. Does your experience at work negatively impact your experience at home?
(1 - Always, 2 - Often, 3 - Sometimes, 4 - Occasionally, 5 - Never)
5. Would you enthusiastically recommend your job to someone you loved or cared about?
(1 - Not at all, 2 - A bit, 3 - Sometimes, 4 - Mostly, 5 - Completely)
If you scored...
20 - 25
Congratulations - you've found your calling!
15 - 19
Your job is probably fine for now - follow the three steps above and you may find yourself doing what you love sooner than you think.
Less than 15
You are in the wrong job for you - and the sooner you begin addressing it, the sooner everything else in your life will begin to improve as well.
Have fun, learn heaps, and may all your success be fun!
With love,
michael
Comments? Feedback?
Check out the discussion forums at:
http://www.geniuscatalyst.com/forums/index.php
PS - Yet more new reviews for 'You Can Have What You Want' up on Amazon.co.uk - you can read them at:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1401910785/geniuscatalys-21
You can read also read the introduction and qualify to read chapter one immediately at:
http://www.geniuscatalyst.com/public/whatyouwant.php
If you haven't been following along with my adventures promoting the book, you can catch up on all the news at http://www.projectbestseller.blogspot.com
====================
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
====================
Here are some of my favorite resources for finding work you love and want to do:
Books
Bear Hunt: Earn your living by doing what you love by Malcolm McClean
Doing Work You Love by Cheryl Gilman
I Could Do Anything (If I only knew what it was) by Barbara Sher
Making a Living without a Job by Barbara J. Winter
The Money is the Gravy by John Clark
Travelling Free by Mandy Evans
You Can Have What You Want by Michael Neill (UK edition now available!)
How to Get in Touch with your Magnificence
By Jafree Ozwald
http://www.EnlightenedBeings.com
Most people spend their entire lives focusing on where they fall
short, or how other people are not the way they should be. They are
constantly noticing what is missing, wrong, or not good enough in
others and in themselves. By thinking that they are incomplete or
never “good enough”, they waste precious time and energy
that could be consciously spent realizing and relaxing into the
Divine Magnificent Being that they are right now.
The first step in experiencing your own Magnificence is to redirect
your awareness towards it. So where is it? It’s found in a
place that you would least expect it. It’s so close that you
overlook it. Nearer than your next breath of air, it can be found by
listening to the silence between each heartbeat. Listen closely.
There is something absolutely magnificent inside!
Consciously use your mind to get curious about what this magnificence
is inside you, where it shows up in your life the strongest, how it
feels, and what it is like to surrender to it fully right now. When
you can learn the art of surrendering to this silence deep inside
you, you will discover this experience of magnificence! The divine
soul that you truly are is not far away. It only feels far away
because the achieving mind tends to think it must DO something to
become its divine self.
The second step to connect with your magnificent nature is to release
any addiction you may have to other people's opinions or (and) to
YOUR own opinions. The person who is in touch with his or her true
magnificence is not attached to any opinions at all. He or she
realizes that these are just thoughts, and will always come and go.
They are devoted to receiving and FEELING the Infinite Intelligence
and Divine Presence that is available here now. When the attachment
to others' opinions of you drops completely, you can be truly present
to the amazing divine being you are right Now, and experience this
profound blissful state of magnificence that is already deep within
you.
Experience more insights to finding your magnificence by reading our
90 Day Manifesting Program at: http://www.ManifestingVibration.com
We have a great meditation that will help you relax to find this
inner silence with ease at:
http://www.EnlightenedBeings.com/healing-meditation.html
Blessings to you,
Jafree & Margot
http://www.EnlightenedBeings.com
Stepping Off the Excuse Treadmill
I am continually amazed to discover that no matter how hard some people
are working to make their lives great, no matter how much they have
accomplished or how good they feel about themselves, there is almost
always one area of their lives where they feel powerless to create the
next level of success. If we examine this area, we will undoubtedly find
one or more excuses - excuses which override their commitment to their
stated goals.
Our excuses are automatic; they take no thinking or creativity. We all
have them, we all use them, and we all pretend that we are rendered
powerless by them. Some of our excuses are obvious and some are so
subtle that it takes a very keen eye to expose them. Some scream their
limiting messages loud enough for all to hear, while others whisper
quietly in our ears: It's not my fault. I couldn't help it. My family
needed me. I need_____________to do their part before I can do mine. I
can't do it. It's too big. I don't have enough money. I'm too stressed
out. I have a headache. Business is bad all over. I'll do it next week.
I'll start tomorrow. The variations are truly endless.
Excuses like these are the proverbial "back door" that we leave open in
case the pursuit of our goals is harder than we anticipated and we want
to take a time-out. They are literally our attempt to "excuse" ourselves
from fulfilling our objectives and being the responsible, powerful,
creative human beings that we are. Excuses transfer all of our inner
power over to outer circumstances and strip away our ability to create
results. They sabotage our dreams for the future and keep us tethered to
the past. When camouflaged as the truth, our excuses have the ability to
thwart our best-laid plans and rob us of having a life we love.
If you look back to a time when you produced breakthrough results -
whether in your personal life or in your career - you will most likely
find that your success was won because you didn't allow yourself to use
the excuses that had stopped you in the past. You could see them, and
were perhaps momentarily seduced by them, but ultimately you chose not
to use them. You consciously or unconsciously declared that area of your
life as an "excuse-free" zone. While you may have had moments when your
progress was halted by your excuses, in the end you remained more
committed to your vision than to your reasons and justifications. And if
you really look, you'll see that having a current vision for your life -
one that is big enough for you and that deeply inspires you right here
and now - is the best antidote to the chronic use of excuses. I cannot
stress enough the power and energy - and choices and options - that are
instantly available to you when you create a vibrant and alive vision
for your life! Suddenly there is something MORE important than trying to
stay safe inside the familiar world of your excuses.
Take Action Now!
This week, I challenge you to take on the area of your life where you're
not making the progress you desire and identify the top five excuses you
use to justify your current reality. Remind yourself that at every
moment you have a choice to align with your greatest vision for your
life or to align with your excuses. Then stand up tall, take back your
power, and consciously claim this area of your life as an "excuse-free"
zone.
With love and blessings,
Debbie
http://www.spws1.net/debbieford/images/shim_alpha.gif>;
Tuning Into The Divine
In each moment of life, we are constantly tuning ourselves like a
radio, to our favorite station, or our not so favorite station.
Playing the inner music that we like or don't like in the Universe.
Whatever our experience of life is, we are either in a harmony or a
dis-harmony with our life.
We make bold attempts everyday to find the "right" frequency,
thinking that THEN we will find happiness. The fact however is that
happiness is not found through having the "correct" thoughts, its
found when we tune into the silence that is beneath them. It's the
silence in between the notes that actually makes the music. When we
are tuned into this silent space we are relaxing and resonating WITH
the Universe. The most amazing experiences are available in each
moment. Just stop...relax and listen closely to the stillness beneath
it all. Life is offering itself fully for you to consume it and let
it radiate through you!
It's good to remember that even if you don't see or feel any kind of
divine spiritual energy, it is still always there and available.
Simply concentrate on just being here now, and allow yourself to
receive what is "here now" in your life. A higher vibration and
consciousness will begin to bubble up and come through. Everywhere
you look you'll then find that everything and everyone contains this
higher consciousness. The world is always our mirror. The instant you
allow yourself to receive this, you automatically move into harmony
with your inner and outer world.
When you are fully committed to seeing the truly sacred and divine
energy within all beings, (including yourself) then you will feel
connected with something incredibly Divine. This is the sacred art of
consciously attuning yourself into your greatest potentiality. This
is where communication with others becomes communion. With practice
you will soon see that every moment of your day, you are truly alive
and enjoying the ride!
Have an amazing and enlightening day!
Jafree & Margot
Tap into your natural Manifesting Vibration, and watch your
Manifesting Abilities SkyRocket Through the ROOF!
http://www.ManifestingVibration.com
"Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." ~Helen Keller
"Nothing can bring you peace but yourself."...
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
~*~ Topic of the Week ~*~
Building a new home provides such an amazing opportunity for personal
growth (says the undying optimist :). As Michael and I enter the finish
carpentry stage, it's become clear that, once again, our move-in date will
need to be pushed back a bit because of product availability. At this
point, I can honestly say that I'm getting used to the lesson in patience.
The bigger lesson however, has to do with something even harder --
learning to let go of those things we have no control over.
I'm sure you have something happening (or not happening) in your life
right now that you'd like to control -- your teenager's summer plans, a
job search process, whether or not you land that new client, or the
outcome of a relationship, for example. We can drive ourselves crazy in
the "wait and see" stage if we lack the necessary skills to let go once
we've done all we can. When we attempt to control an uncontrollable
situation we not only waste precious energy, we clog up our mental
bandwidth with junk -- worry, assumptions, fearful thoughts, etc.
Oftentimes we even waste valuable creative power by having imaginary
debates with the people involved before we even know the outcome!
How do you know when you need to let go of your controlling behavior?
When you are:
~*~ Chronically complaining about something that can't be changed.
~*~ Getting angry at others who are simply doing the best they can.
~*~ Obsessively worrying about the outcome of a situation.
~*~ Stuck in a victim position firmly believing that your well-being is in
the hands of someone else.
The cost of trying to control the things you can't change is steep.
There's the missed sleep, the lack of presence in our most valued
relationships, the inertia that comes from feeling stuck, or the
exhaustion you feel from the constant stress of being on edge. There are
opportunity costs as well. Filling our minds with worry takes up space
for far more valuable planning -- setting goals, holding a positive
intention, or visualizing our highest and best future.
So, this week, stop and ask yourself the following question:
"Where am I investing my precious mental energy in those things that I
have no control over?"
Then, once you have an example, try one or more of these three ideas:
1. Use the old elastic band trick. Put an elastic band around your wrist
and each time you find yourself obsessively thinking about the event,
gently snap the band to remind yourself to stop. Before you know it, the
association with pain will shift your thinking and you'll stop worrying
about the situation.
2. Put the worry away. Take out a small piece of paper and write down a
brief description of the situation. Include any fears, concerns, worries,
etc., and then fold the paper into a tiny square. Next, either burn it,
put it in God Jar to be handled by a higher power, or bury it in your
backyard. When you find yourself thinking about it again, simply redirect
your thoughts to something positive -- an action you can take toward an
important goal, a favorite quote, or the next tip . . .
3. Use the Serenity Prayer. One of the best ways I know to stop the
obsessive practice of trying to control something you can't change is to
use the power of the Serenity Prayer: "God, grant me the serenity to
accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and
wisdom to know the difference."
I keep this prayer in a document on my computer and when I find myself
overly focused on an uncertain outcome, I print it out in big letters and
hang it in a place where I'll see it everyday. Each time I repeat the
prayer, I imagine myself getting out of the way so Grace can works its
magic in my life. It may just be time for you to get out of the way, too!
At a time on the planet when life feels more chaotic and uncertain than
ever, we all get caught up in the illusion that we can control our world.
Release the grip that control has on you by putting your attention toward
those things you can change -- your thoughts and attitude.
~ Take Action Challenge ~*~
Cut and paste the Serenity Prayer into a file on your computer and label
it "Mental Freedom." Then, print it out in at least 24 point font and
repeat it several times a day. Before you know it, you'll free up your
mental bandwidth for far greater things . . . .
Cheryl Richardson
http://www.cherylrichardson.com.
Exercising your Manifesting Muscles
Are you a manifesting coach potato? While you may already be manifesting some of the things you want, there is another level of manifesting you could experience if only you just started training your manifesting muscles. Your manifesting muscles will get weak when you do not exercise them regularly. Some indications that you may be suffering from flabby degenerating manifesting muscles are vague intentions, feeling stuck in the same situations, incessant laziness, feeling like you’re wasting time, and just not manifesting a truly enjoyable life that you love. It's spring now and time to turn off the T.V, get off that cozy coach, and start having more FUN!
The secret to strengthening your manifesting muscles is to work them out on a daily basis. In fact, just like exercising at the gym, it is important to create a daily manifesting workout routine. What does this look like? One of the first steps in starting your manifesting workout is starting your day with a BIG YES! Wake and begin focusing your attention on the energy of "yes" instead of "no". If you’re getting up thinking about what you don't want to do, who you don’t want to be with, instead of what/who you do want… then your manifesting muscles are getting weaker and flabbier!
The very instant you wake up, start by saying “YES” to who you are, where you are in your life today, the people in your life, to your past exactly as it is, and to any future experiences you want to create!! Feeling excited about your life exactly as it is right now, is what this YES is all about. If you can, start saying YES out loud! It is a super positive, life empowering energy that will sink into your subconscious and echo throughout your day. It is the word that every powerful and magical manifesting being uses, and is the one vibration that cannot be repeated too much.
As you speak or think “YES”, let your mind also focus on that which you have trouble saying “YES” to in your life. Perhaps it’s your current financial situation, an event buried in your past, something in your future, your body, a family member, an enemy who was once a friend, a lover, anything and everything you have ANY resistance to! Whatever we resist persists, and saying YES to existence exactly the way it is will empower you to transcend the small items holding you back energetically and create a new relationship with them. Saying YES is a way to let go of your current attachment to the way you think your life “should” be, and become totally free to attract what you truly want! The more you practice saying "yes" to life, the more you strengthen you ability to attract what you want and desire.
As you speak or think “YES”, let your mind also focus on that which you have trouble saying “YES” to in your life. Perhaps it’s your current financial situation, an event buried in your past, something in your future, your body, a family member, an enemy who was once a friend, a lover, anything and everything you have ANY resistance to! Whatever we resist persists, and saying YES to existence exactly the way it is will empower you to transcend the small items holding you back energetically and create a new relationship with them. Saying YES is a way to let go of your current attachment to the way you think your life “should” be, and become totally free to attract what you truly want! The more you practice saying "yes" to life, the more you strengthen you ability to attract what you want and desire.
In our 90 day manifesting program, we outline all 8 daily habits that will make your manifesting muscles look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Go to www.ManifestingVibration.com to download our FREE chapter of the Manifesting Manual and start in on the 90 Day Manifesting Program! Soon you’ll strengthen your manifesting muscles enough to become an unstoppable Manifesting Magnet! Enjoy!
Big Blessings to you,
Margot & Jafree
www.EnlightenedBeings.com
Big Blessings to you,
Margot & Jafree
www.EnlightenedBeings.com
The Eight Styles of Contribution
================================================
Contribution (n)
1: any one of a number of individual efforts in a common endeavor
2: a voluntary gift (as of money or service or ideas) made to some worthwhile cause
3: act of giving in common with others for a common purpose
4: an amount of money contributed
Let's say that you've decided you want to make a difference in the world. Perhaps you want to express your gratitude for all that you've got by giving back to your community or to the world at large. Perhaps you just want to know for yourself that you have something to offer, and that your life can be of service to Life, or God, or humanity, or the greater good.
But given that there are so many ways to contribute, and so many seemingly good causes and worthy places to give of your time, your money, and yourself, how do you decide where, when, and how to make your contribution?
When exploring these questions for myself, I came across the work of the 12th century Jewish scholar Maimonedes, who identified what he called 'the 8 levels of charity'. While he initially presented them as a hierarchy, for me it's important to remember that at whatever level you are making your contribution to the world, it's still a contribution!
With that in mind, here is my adaptation of those eight levels - eight 'styles of contribution' to make a difference in your world.
1. The Grudging Gift
We are taught from such an early age that it is better to give than to receive that most of us have great difficulty receiving gifts at any time other than 'official gift giving days' like birthdays and Christmas. Another result of this emphasis on seeing generosity as an obligation rather than a joyous opportunity is to turn us into 'grudging givers' - making supposedly charitable contributions with the miserly attitude of an Ebeneezer Scrooge.
In fact, the root of the word charity can be translated as 'affection for a friend' or 'high regard'. Perhaps the most charitable contribution we can make in any situation is to see the strangers we are contributing to as friends we haven't met. In the words of author Byron Katie, "I know that every person I meet loves me. I just don't expect them to realize that yet!"
2. Outer Scarcity, Inner Abundance
Sometimes, even if we give less than is needed, or less than we could (or feel we should) in a situation, we can still find a way to give it with an inner smile. At this level the tangible gift you are contributing means less than the gift of your being - you are giving with love and adding your positive energy to the situation and to the world.
3. Ask, and You Shall Receive
I have met two millionaires who credited their success to the practice of giving something to everyone that asks, even if it is only a small amount.
Their reasoning?
Each gift acts as an affirmation that:
a) You have enough time/money/energy to spare.
and
b) When it's your turn to ask, the universe may look more favorably on your request!
4. Because It's There
A funny thing happened the other day - I emptied the dishwasher. Now this may not seem an extraordinary contribution to anyone but my wife, but what made it noteworthy to me was that it wasn't 'my turn', I wasn't trying to please anyone, and no one had asked me to do it. I just noticed that there were dishes to be put away and decided to make it my job to do it. When you see a need and address it not because you have to but because you choose to, you flip your contributions from the effect of suffering to the cause of joy.
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Because she noticed a family of ducks struggling on the other side and she decided to be of service to them!
5. No Strings Attached
One of my more recent wakeup calls was when confronted with a drunken woman outside a sandwich shop in downtown Los Angeles. Her breath wreaking of alcohol, she asked me if I could spare some change, to which I smugly replied "I'd be happy to buy you a sandwich." She looked me right in the eye and said "I don't want a sandwich. I want some change."
In that moment, I had an epiphany. My proposed 'gift' of a sandwich wasn't a gift at all, but a not so subtle attempt to control her behavior. In effect, it was my way of my saying 'I'm smarter than you - I know what's best for you, and you don't. If you do as I say, I'll feed you.'
Floored by my own arrogance, I handed her some money and wished her well. While I have no idea what she did with the money, I know what giving it gave to me - the chance to drop a few more conditions from my own personal brand of 'unconditional' love.
6. Secret Service
The third highest level of charity, according to Maimonedes, is to give the charity anonymously. It is my belief that the practice of 'secret service' is the most reliable source of true self-esteem available on the planet today.
Here is all you need to do:
Each day, do at least one act of kindness without being found out.
If someone sees you do it, acknowledges you for doing it, or if you're so excited that you can't resist telling somebody about it, it doesn't count!
7. Universal Flow
In ancient times, there was a tradition in some churches and temples of an open charity box where those that had could anonymously contribute money and then those in need could anonymously take what they needed. While this may seem a ridiculous system to those of us steeped in the values of a 'me first' culture, it worked remarkably well.
In fact, a simple version of this 'pay it forward' style of contribution takes place daily in gas stations and convenience stores throughout America and the UK. The next time you see a little box by the cash register that says - "Have a penny? Leave it behind...Need a penny? Help yourself! ", know this style of contribution is one of the highest levels of charity in action!
8. Teaching People to Fish...
'Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day; teach him how to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime'
To not just offer your hand to a person in need but to strengthen their hand until they no longer need yours was considered by Maimonedes to be the pinnacle of charity. While my life has been contributed to by many, many people, my gratitude is most with those who have believed in me and supported me as I've grown into myself (a process which I hasten to add is still unfolding daily!).
This is how Jack Doueck, author of 'The Gift of Chesed' puts it:
"The highest level of charity is to uphold (a person). This occurs when you help find a poor man a job, or when you give him a job, or when you make a partnership with him, or give him a loan. These methods preserve the person's dignity.
The goal is to get the man to "stand on his own two feet" and eventually be able to support himself- to strengthen him, so he will never have to ask for charity again. This is truly to uphold him. Even if you "uphold" a poor man, by purchasing something from him, you have done a great Chesed (blessing)."
--------------------
Today's Experiment:
--------------------
1. Make a list of as many people as you can think of who have contributed to your life in meaningful ways. For each person, consider which of the 8 styles of contribution they made and how it felt to be contributed to in this way.
Examples:
a. Early in my career, a work colleague helped me out of a jam financially with a 'grudging gift'. While I know I should feel grateful for it, it takes my being in a really centered place in myself for it not to rankle.
b. When my father died, I needed to get a flight back from London to Massachusetts to be at the funeral. Despite the fact that I was crying so hard I was incoherent, a wonderful woman at the airline offered me 'no strings attached' assistance and handled every detail of my travel arrangements. Although I have no idea who she was, to this day I think of her as an example of everything that's right about the world.
2. Find at least one example of each of the styles of contribution that you have received and/or given in your own life.
3. How many people have you contributed to in the last month? (Hint - it's invariably far more than you will think of on your first attempt!) What style of contribution have you habitually practiced?
4. Resolve today to contribute daily, at whatever level you can and want to do it.
Have fun, learn heaps, and whatever your style, add your contribution and 'repair the world'!
To find out more, visit the Café at:
http://www.geniuscatalyst.com/public/cafepublic.php
=========================================================
To subscribe to the MNCT, simply send a blank e-mail to subscribe@geniuscatalyst.com or visit us online at http://www.geniuscatalyst.com
©2006 Michael Neill All Rights Reserved
Asking God for Advance Information and Guidance
By Barbara Rose, Ph.D.
It is important to differentiate between asking God, your Higher Self, for advance guidance and information that can help you versus asking for predictions and outcomes.
When you are involved in an ongoing situation, whether it be a family matter such as how to best handle a situation with your children, or relative with whom there may be difficulties that you are uncertain about how to best handle, or a situation involving a co-worker, no matter what it is about, you can ask God in writing to guide you as to what the best way to handle the situation would be.
As long as your motive is pure, and you have a true heartfelt desire for the best possible guidance, you will receive it in writing.
For example, you can write something such as, Dear God, please guide me as to how to best handle the situation with my aunt the next time she calls me, and what would be the best thing for me to say that is for each of our highest good?
You can apply this to any situation in your life that is weighing on your heart and mind. This is the whole purpose of Higher Self Communication, so you are no longer wondering what you should do, how to handle a certain person, what the best thing to say would be. Why wonder when you can ask God?
You will be amazed at the objective clarity you receive. What will also astound you is how the pure truth will be contained within the answers you receive.
Many times when we do things on our own accord, strictly operating from the five-sensory personality level, we may not be aware that the manner in which we are expressing our feelings might bring more upset to a situation. Alternatively, when we ask God in writing what the best possible thing to say would be, we will always receive the answers that reflect our highest and deepest truth, while simultaneously bringing clarity, resolution and peace to a situation.
I would never guide you to ask for predictions and outcomes as this is entirely disempowering. Moreover, you will not receive them from God because life is meant to be lived and experienced in the moment. It is in the moment that you need the guidance. Naturally, one moment will lead to the next.
Please always remember that whenever you are not sure about what to do in any situation, or concerning any event, such as what to do when so and so comes over to your house a few days from now, you can always ask for advance information to guide you concerning that situation. This is not asking about an outcome. This is asking for guidance about a situation facing you, and one that you may either be upset over or unsure about now.
Always and under all circumstances, take out a note pad and pen and ask God to guide you whenever you are not crystal clear and certain about anything that is happening in your life. Once you get into this habit on a regular basis, just like many people may phone a friend and ask, "What do you think I should do?" This is what you will do far better asking God in writing. When you re-read the answers and guidance you've received, you will know in no uncertain terms that you are rece