Thu, 14 February 2008  What Are You Waiting for?
Welcome back! This week we'll investigate the important connection between visualizing your success and actually creating your success. Much focus has been placed upon the notion that YOU have the powerful ability to actively participate in manifesting that which you desire.
In other words, a great deal is being uncovered about how to strengthen and eventually master your ultimate creative capacity. It's important that you first understand that, before you can move toward exploring and exercising your creative talents, you must first arrive at the absolute understanding that you HAVE that capacity in the first place.
That's to say that recognizing your capacity for success precedes your ability to succeed. Ask yourself if you believe that other people have such skill, luck or privilege but you don't and never will. If that's the case, then you’re consciously giving up the right to own your creative capacity and then utilize your creative ability with wonderful results.
Let me say this: if you maintain a belief system that set limits on what can or cannot be for your life, then you may very well avoid taking action at all. It seems to me that THAT pretty well describes failure; failure to do, failure to live amidst what’s possible and total failure to enjoy your sumptuous and just desserts.
This leads me to my question "What are you waiting for?" I mean haven't you postponed and procrastinated long enough? Haven’t you patiently longed for what could happen one day, some day when your dreams awake to brilliant reality?
If you discover yourself at the beginning of this creative process there are two things worth pointing out. First of all, you're not alone. Secondly, the process of learning to leverage your creative abilities is neither lofty nor complicated. In fact, it's really quite simple.
To illustrate that simplicity, I'm going to share a very easy formula for success with you. You may want to make a note of my formula and post it where you'll see it often. Here it is: INTENTION + ACTION + REPETITION = SUCCESS!
Let's bring that formula to life with the following example: Imagine yourself lying in bed as you do each morning. Recall how you gradually come to an alert state. One of the first conscious thoughts you may have is "I'm awake" which is typically followed by a series of thoughts about what it is that you need to get done on any given day.
Within your internal field of vision, with eyes either open or shut, you may begin to imagine each subsequent task on your to-do list. Perhaps you see yourself brushing your teeth or getting dressed for the day. Then maybe you envision yourself at work attending to phone calls or running errands. In a way, this kind of common exercise can be called daydreaming or even creative visualization. It’s something like self-generated time travel during which you experience yourself making specific accomplishments at some point in the future.
You do this day after day. In fact, this kind of mental imagery occurs so frequently that it becomes habitual and unconscious. Another way of saying that is that when you go through this type of creative exercise, the tasks at hand are generally so mundane that you're not always aware of this creative phenomenon and how it works.
When the goal is simple or common, your mind has no reason to disbelieve that you'll accomplish your intended result. In that frame of mind, you’re engaged in POSSIBILITY thinking. These are the things you do day after day without a second thought.
But guess what… the creative skill required to achieve a results like making yourself breakfast are the same creative skills required to make your life what you really want it to be. It’s true! You begin by visualizing yourself taking specific actions and then you proceed to take those actions in real life until they eventually arrive at a specific destination.
Here’s the point where I want you to pay close attention: When you begin by seeing yourself accomplishing a goal and then proceed to act upon that intention without your mind’s interference, you are living FROM your desired outcome. The keyword in that sentence is from.
When you're living from the outcome, you've actually placed yourself in that final destination through the power of your creativity. And creativity my friend is not a privilege but a right that only you can exercise. Having said that, it's important that you be aware that creativity can be used both positively and negatively. Indeed, worry is a perfect example of living FROM a negative or undesirable outcome. Worrying is just another way to place yourself in a final destination. Therefore, it's up to you to determine if you'll use your creative ability for your benefit or your detriment.
So... if you've decided once and for all to use your creative ability for your own good then it's imperative that you stop hoping, praying and wishing for your life to change. It’s customary for people just like you to engage in those behaviors as a way of overcoming your disbelief. You see, in your mind, you can accomplish what you’ve always accomplished without undermining thoughts getting in the way. And if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting the results you’ve always gotten.
It happens every day. It happens when your thoughts hit the invisible ceiling of what can be. When your thoughts hit the place of CAN’T or impossibility, you seek to overcome the hurdle by hoping, praying and wishing. Those are examples of what it means to dream OF your potential instead of living FROM your potential. Dreaming OF is a mental process and living FROM is a measurable action.
That distinction is critical to creating success. To live FROM your potential means that the actions you take and the persona you express today agree with your hopes for tomorrow. More specifically, it's not about presently achieving the means with which to empower a better life for your self. It's about recognizing that there is seldom a reason or a lack of means that would actually prevent you from expressing your absolute best self this very minute.
So, if you're tired of waiting, then stop waiting. Right now, you can choose to move beyond the means that you thought were necessary for your highest expression. Let go of creating conditions. Let go of mastering your circumstances and step into and live FROM who you've always known you could be, and would be, if given the chance. THIS is your chance so take it!
This anonymous quote says it perfectly:
Here’s my 7-day challenge for you: Using my simple formula for success, take a few minutes and fill in the blanks with your own specifics. What’s your INTENTION? What ACTION will you take to realizing your intention? How often will you repeat that action and for how long? Remember that REPETITION is a matter of both frequency and duration. Finally, what are your SUCCESSES and how will you celebrate them? I’d love to hear about your wins large and small so feel free to email me at feedback@peaceofprosperity.com
Please join me next time for what’s bound to be a thoroughly provocative episode when I ask “Are you a terrorist?”
Until then, I leave you with abundant peace. Comments[0] | ||
Sat, 26 January 2008 Is It Time To Get A Grip? Welcome back! This week we’ll take a closer look at whether or not it’s time to get a grip on your life. If you feel increasingly out-of-control, if you've got the tiger by the tail and there's no hope of things turning around, then you might very well wish that you did have a better grip; hoping that your life in some way resembled the images you see around you everyday … like the perfectly calm and organized moms and dads on TV whose houses are tidy, whose bills are paid and whose children play in their manicured backyard while Mom prepares a nutritious dinner indoors. Perhaps getting a grip on your life means that you first have to get real. It might mean admitting to yourself that those highly-manipulated images of perfection to which you compare yourself are, in reality, a copious blend of jive, sham, and shuck… in other words, being in that kind of control of your life is a load of B.S. . Getting a grip may very well depend upon repeatedly acknowledging that you are, in fact, human and that any striving on your part to achieve and/or maintain some ideal lifestyle is actually quite UNdesirable. Why, you may be asking, is that undesirable? Because at best, being in control maintains a belief in a way of being that’s not grounded in reality. In the worst-case, pursuing perfection of that kind is not even attainable. And, if you remain focused on maintaining such control, the majority of your time and energy fixes you to that commitment to having it seemingly all together. And the point of being on this planet is NOT to have it all together, but to be fulfilled, joyful and enlightened in a way that allows you contribute your best self for the benefit of the world. You see, to be alive is to be in motion. Living is a verb. It’s fluctuation, action, and reaction. It’s not standing still, maintaining balance or getting things in order and then keeping them that way. The funny thing is, I know you know it's true, but I also know that you’re probably still trying to achieve what is essentially unachievable. For example, have you ever cleaned your kitchen spic and span and then told your family that they were no longer allowed in your fresh, clean kitchen? Did you ever just want to have a situation stay exactly as it was… like savoring the most rich and tender part of a cookie that you save for last or relishing a few moments of deep connection to another that you wish would go on forever? The reality is that, as quickly as these moments come, they also go. That's what it means to go with the flow because the mounting evidence suggests that the more tightly you grasp to the minutiae of life, the more suffering you’ll endure. Eventually, clutching of that sort will strangle the life right out of the wonderful possibility that exists for all of us, even you. The truth is that you’re not living as a separate entity. By virtue of your being human, you’re inextricably connected to an uncontainable and therefore, uncontrollable web of life. When an unforeseen event is introduced to that web, chaos may ensue. One strand pulls and stretches those surrounding it. The interconnectedness simply cannot be avoided. So... the very best you can ever hope to achieve is to hone your skills at coping with and accommodating the never-ending introduction of change. Control isn’t possible but responsibility is. And if what you want is to be responsible for the success of your life, then what you’re obligated to do is exercise your ABILITY to RESPOND to life. That’s true RESPONSIBILITY. What a simple yet powerful awareness! Now that you have that understanding, I’d like you to picture for a moment the beauty of your two hands. Look at them and admire them even with scars or wrinkles or other evidence of what life has wrought. Thank your hands. Honor them for serving you so consistently and well. Recognize them as the powerful tools of creation that they are. Understand that your hands have both great skill and great responsibility for they turn ideas into realities and reach out for that which sustains you and brings you joy. Your hands however, if tightly gripped about the stuff of your current reality, the stuff that is, cannot perform their most vital function. If your hands are indeed grasping the illusion of control, they are precluded from opening, receiving and accepting that which exists beyond your control. Yes my friend, to keep your hands open means letting go and assuming an available, receptive, trusting position. It means saying to your self, perhaps I don’t have to fix this situation. Perhaps all I need to do is observe and see what happens on its own. And just maybe, if you were to do that, were to let go completely, you might create the space necessary for something bigger and better to enter. The juiciest part of this is that you won’t know if you don’t try. Beloved poet Pablo Neruda wrote the following piece that I’d like to share with you because it so beautifully conveys how letting go of control and releasing your grip on life ushers in a void of endless possibility. He wrote: Here’s my 7-day challenge for you: Rather than of getting a grip on your life, I suggest that you get perspective instead. One of the ways that has proven so useful to putting my own life in perspective is to put it on paper. Journaling or other forms of self-expression serve to free your energy by discharging it out of your system and giving it a new form. That new form will then exist outside of you, providing the distance that’s essential to objectivity and ultimately, receptivity. Writing releases and opens; allowing mental, emotional and spiritual energies to flow, letting ideas flow, and prosperity flow. As you invite the details of life to flow outward you are also welcoming the potential of life to flow inward. Therefore, giving up control includes being ready and willing to receive inspiration at any time and in any place. To give you an example, the idea for this essay came to me around 3 a.m. one morning. So instead of resisting it or telling myself I could remember the idea the next day, I got up and grabbed the notebook off my headboard and began to make notes. As I did, seeds for another 10 or 11 essays came through clearly at the same time. It's really just a matter of being absolutely open for the only perfect time and place to receive divine direction is right now. Please join me next time when I ask "What are you waiting for?" Until then, I leave you with abundant peace. Comments[0] | ||
Sun, 13 January 2008 Parlez-Vous Prosperity? Welcome back! As I prepare this week's episode, I'm aware that at the outset of an election year, popular media has unleashed its great storm of political coverage including waves of endless, divisive language. The point of using divisive methodologies is to create dissension or discord. In other words, you don't have to look far to see how language, when used destructively, will necessarily divide groups of people by perpetuating the either/or paradigm which you’ve heard me mention time and again. In this case, that paradigm can be thought of as red states versus blue states, Republicans versus Democrats and so forth. The real point of using divisive language is to separate “us” from “them” in a way that polarizes people into specific parties and predictable voting lines. I bring this up because it specifically relates to this episode’s question “Parlez-Vous Prosperity?" In order to answer that, I want to relate a very important, and perhaps transformational, idea to you as it relates to my own conception of what constitutes prosperity or success whether it be political or personal in nature. Some years ago, I had the great fortune of attending a signing of a just-released book entitled ‘The Soul of Money’ by Lynn Twist. With her book, Twist succeeded in fundamentally altering my relationship with money by demonstrating to me that money is ultimately representational. What that means is that money represents value; the value of earth's resources, our collective human resources and so on. I know you understand this because if you're in pursuit of money, chances are that what you actually want is the powerful effect that money exerts in our culture. Ever heard the term ‘money is power’? Of course you have! So you see, when it comes right down to it, money represents energy. And that's clearly evidenced in your experience I'm sure because people with great energy tend to attract their own prosperity whether that takes the form of valuable friends and business connections or it shows up as having great personal or financial influence in one's life. Before I go any further, I want to take you back to an earlier remark about the fact that language can be and is used destructively all around us. However, when you're committed to the and/both awareness, you’re conscious of the fact that language can also be used CONSTRUCTIVELY! And when you use words in a constructive way, you’ll most decidedly begin to speak the language of true prosperity. For many of you listening, speaking prosperity may not come naturally. It may in fact not be your native tongue but something of a second language that you must practice consistently in order to gain any real fluency. Let me give you an example of what I mean. In the past I've mentioned that I consider my true passion to be healing the epidemic of scarcity consciousness. The instrument of that healing for me comes in the form of words. As I set out to share the peace of prosperity with a worldwide audience, I did so with a very clear intent. The intent was to create healing and inspirational content for everyone, regardless of upbringing or circumstances. To accomplish that, I intentionally use those words that are innately inclusive rather than exclusive. It’s language that welcomes and provides sustenance for all through the use of compassionate and constructive communication thereby breaking the pervasive pattern we see throughout popular media. Compassionate communication is that which recognizes the humanity in each and every one of us. Constructive communication is that which builds connections and community in a way that fosters real progress. And if you go back and review all of my episodes, you'll see this strong theme of inclusivity in all that I publish. It's my practice. It's how I'm learning to speak prosperous and life-giving language to myself which then allows me to teach that to you and to everyone who's ready to dramatically alter the status quo. So... will you accept my invitation to speak success? Will you honor the fact that words have meaning, that they represent intent and that words, just like money, have an ENERGY all their own? It's true! The spoken word holds great power. Have you ever had someone do something unkind to you only to turn around and offer an insincere apology like " I'm sorry..."? Don't you always know whether or not someone is being really genuine? Isn't part of growing up learning to distinguish what is authentic from what is not? Here's the big take away: the words you use contain considerable power; the power to create success and the power to prevent success. And this power has particular impact when it comes to the words you speak inwardly, even silently. Therefore, criticizing or condemning yourself in any way will necessarily impact your own ability to affect positive change.
Indeed, your subconscious mind never stops listening to what you have to say to yourself. And it’s that mind that ultimately directs your conscious thought and actions. That being said, it's imperative that you actively choose to speak the language of prosperity in a way that’s absorbed at the cellular level. Yes, when you speak to your SELF, you're speaking to your CELLS! And what you say is what you then embody. It's just like the expression ‘You are what you eat’, Now that you understand that, you're brought to a thrilling new opportunity to express your highest self by practicing the language of prosperity, of compassion, of UNITY! There's a wonderful quote that sums this up perfectly: "People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel." Here's my 7- day challenge for you: Examine all that you say inwardly and outwardly. As you become aware of your own use of polarizing language and its impact, take a moment to understand the energy behind the words. When you recognize your use of such language, begin to create your own personal lexicon, your own vocabulary of unity. And as you incorporate and master this new and prosperous language, notice how the compelling affect of this new way of speaking both creates and maintains a dynamic connection between yourself and success. Please join me next time when I ask "Is it time to get a grip?" Until then, I leave you with abundant peace. Comments[0] | ||
Wed, 2 January 2008 What’s Your Resolution? Welcome back! It's that time again when you might consider making some important changes in the year ahead. So what's your resolution? A resolution is the act of determining a course of action either privately or as a public expression of intent.
Are you ready to do or be something "different"? Will you strive for self-improvement... to be more fit or more focused, or perhaps more consistent and more organized? Are you one of those people that makes secret resolutions because you're afraid that if you tell somebody what you want to achieve and then don't do it, that you’ll only add embarrassment to the shame you might already feel? One thing's for sure, whatever you do, you're going to do it with real purpose and commitment this time. Right?
But guess what? Yours truly, the ever-reliable source of optimism, is here to share the harsh reality about resolutions. The truth is that 72% of resolutions fail. It's incredible I know but, if you've ever resolved to make changes in your life, then you've probably also fallen short of your goals.
So, in my ongoing effort to shift away from either/or thinking, I’d like you to consider the possibility that you make NO resolutions whatsoever this year. That's not to say that personal development isn't valuable. It is to say that growth and progress are not exclusive to your level of self-control and determination.
I agree that discipline has its proper place. Within this context, I'm suggesting to you that discipline might come in the form of exercising your right to actively avoid resolution making of any kind.
Consider this: Is what you really want for your future based on some form of self criticism? Is moving your goal from ideation to realization just a means to an end? Is it a byproduct of permission-based living? Or could it be a matter of your creating those conditions upon which you allow yourself approval and kindness?
It's a lot to think about I know. But it's important that you consider the source of that which you find undesirable in yourself or otherwise deem worthy of change. Because when you fully grasp the big WHY behind your resolutions, only then can you invite something new with the requisite self-knowledge and self-acceptance that allows change to occur with any permanency.
So... I hope you'll join me this year in making NO resolutions. I hope you'll share my path as I explore the alternatives to inviting positive and lasting change.
A friend of mine recently shared with me that she felt as though her life has no more surprises in store. She said it with a sense of sadness and loss. And my response to her was this: Life is absolutely full of surprises but, if you become hyper-focused on pre-determined outcomes, you'll certainly miss the unexpected opportunities that arise. When opportunity does knock, you might answer the door to discover something that doesn’t at all resemble the image in your mind. How many possibilities have been rejected or altogether thrown away because they don’t match the picture of how it’s SUPPOSED TO look?
So the question then for everyone in my audience is "Are you ready to let go of that perfect picture of what you think life SHOULD be?" Letting go means remaining open and present to the sometimes subtle surprises that make life so exciting! Letting go is much easier when you recognize the critically important difference between surrender and capitulation.
Surrendering can be thought of as giving up whereas capitulating can be likened to giving IN. To give up is to stop trying and acknowledge defeat; an ending of sorts. So it's no wonder that no one wants to surrender because no one wants to believe that their dreams are impossible or that they’re a failure.
On the other hand, when you capitulate, you give in to the natural ebb and flow that IS life! You finally stop resisting and wasting your precious energy on struggle. To give into the ever-present current of life is not an ending but a significant BEGINNING. From that point of beginning, you're consciously positioning yourself as agent of change; a conduit through which the unexpected may now take place. Remember, it's not about making good things happen but letting good things happen.
Letting the good stuff in requires that you give into the power of NOW. Being in the now and achieving that level of presence is to stop dreaming about what could be or trying to figure out what you're supposed to do next. Actually, the true task at hand is to honor curiosity.
Curiosity is defined as being careful and diligent. In other words, it means that you stop for a few minutes and care about what's going on, really going on, in this present moment. It begins with recognizing yourself first then others, and ultimately recognizing the succulent possibilities that become visible to those who are patient enough to look closely.
In the end, it's not really a matter of changing your life but of allowing your life to change YOU! So will you have the discipline to wait and see; to serenely await guidance and goodness to enter in its own form and upon its own schedule? Your answer will most certainly be YES if you first take a moment to imagine the joy that accompanies deep satisfaction of your curiosity. Joseph Campbell, the acclaimed professor and author once wrote “We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” Here's my 7-day challenge for you: Each day for the next week make a list of those areas of your life in which you experience struggle. Instead of engaging the struggle, use your critical thinking and feeling capacity to gain an intimate understanding of what's behind the struggle. What might you be resisting and, if you are indeed resisting, what is that resistance perpetuating? Understanding conflicts allows you to move beyond them and come back to the gift of the present. Look upon every aspect of your life with genuine wonder an intense curiosity. See everything with the unassuming eyes of a child. Take in all the nourishment and knowledge available to you in any passing instant to be enriched, supported, protected and guided to the life that is waiting just for you!
Please join me next time when I ask "Parlez-vous Prosperity?"
Until then, I leave you with abundant peace.
Comments[0] | ||
Wed, 19 December 2007 Do You Believe in Miracles?
Welcome to this special holiday episode that gives you a revealing glimpse into my life and allows you to share in the wondrous joy of miracles! As always, I try to give you a very personal gift each week. In fact, it's the only gift that any of us can ever truly give another and that’s the gift of ourselves. When you invite another into the intimate inner workings of your life, as I often do in this podcast, you give the gift of your presence by allowing your fellow human beings to experience a genuine connection that fills the deep loneliness felt by so many during the holiday season and throughout the year.
I hope you'll receive my gift to you by allowing me to open my heart as never before and, in the spirit of giving, to open your heart to me in return. My question to you this week while simple is also sublime. So... do you believe in miracles? Well, I sincerely hope you do but if you don't, perhaps you will by the end of my story.
I'll begin that story at the start of this year which has turned out to be probably the single most challenging year of my life. I can say, without a doubt, that this year has had more stress and strife then any I can remember. As a coach, there's one thing I know for sure about challenge and that is that challenge has a twin. Whenever life brings difficulty, it also brings opportunity for growth.
This year began with totaling my car in a freak ice storm and injuring my leg to the extent that I can still see the bruise 10 months later. I followed that accident with getting involved in a business endeavor with what turned out to be an unscrupulous character that led me to an unresolved legal dispute. A few months later, I found myself unexpectedly pregnant and unprepared for how another child would impact my closest relationships, my career, my stamina, my living situation and the rest of my life. Finally, two weeks ago my house was flooded by the second rainiest day in Seattle history that dumped about 12 inches of rain in less than 48 hours. My old electric furnace and water heater were under a foot of water which forced me to pack up and leave my house for an entire week.
Of course there were dozens of other incidents and difficulties to endure all along the way. The chaos of my life this past year has felt utterly beyond my control. And yet what's within my control is how I respond to the seemingly incessant demands placed upon me financially, mentally, emotionally and physically.
Needless to say this has been a time of unprecedented tears. I’ve cried a river in my ongoing attempt to regain some semblance of equilibrium. Collectively, this unimaginably trying period in my life has created more financial pressure on me than I've ever felt before. To say that I've been humbled by this experience would be a real understatement. And yet this year of incessant challenge has forced me to fully integrate and demonstrate the wisdom I share with you each week. There's an expression which says that teachers teach what they need to learn and I'm certainly no exception to that truth.
Each week as I prepare this podcast for you, I'm aware that I'm not coaching you but me. At no time has this ever been more apparent. At no time have I ever been called more loudly to live by and express what I know to be so; that my ultimate prosperity is not a measure of mere money and that my true worth does not correlate to any account balance.
You see, success is not defined by or limited to the evidence we so often gather to support or deny one's value. Why not, because evidence is external and subject to constant change. The stuff outside of me and you can be altered in an instant. Just turn on the television and you'll see people's entire lives being burned to the ground or obliterated by some unforeseen and catastrophic event. As you know, shit happens.
But, what does not undergo consistent fluctuation is that which is internal. It’s the stuff of you, your human and spiritual substance. And through it all, through overcoming my fears, through standing up for myself and defending my boundaries, through the decision to embrace the new life wanting expression through me, I’ve come to have the most intimate relationship with the beautiful nature that IS my true self! I won't pretend for an instant that this has been an easy process. But... I also won't deny that my experiences have had a brilliant silver lining with such effulgence as to disappear both doubt and darkness.
Two weeks ago as I prepared the episode about the power of "Yes!", I experienced what I would call lucid writing. If any of you are writers yourself, then you know just what I mean. As I wrote the episode on saying yes unconditionally, I was clearly aware of my own thoughts and words as if I were another person watching myself write. As I put the words down, I had such deep awareness of the fact that, despite the incredible stresses I've undergone and the mounting evidence of apparent failure, saying yes to my life was absolutely necessary.
To operate out of the trust in my heart and not out of the fear in my head has consistently called me to embrace of a faith in my own divine nature as never before. This is it. This is my big, hairy, wart-covered opportunity to embody my own, private gospel. So saying yes under the current circumstances of my life means that I agree to the profound obligation to allow miracles without knowing how or when or why they’ll take place. Allowing miracles means surrendering doubt, letting go of IF they’ll happen and embracing THAT they’ll happen.
A miracle is an object of wonder. And by definition, wonder is a marvelous thing. Occupying the realm of wonder demands unyielding fidelity to the yet unknown or unexpressed capacity you contain. To live in a mindset of miracles means to live among the most powerful forces known to man: Hope, love, trust and faith. None of those forces are tangible and yet they collectively empower all that is or ever will be good.
And it was from that Almighty place we call wonder that I wrote my essay about the absolute power of YES. More than a thousand words spilled out of me quickly and effortlessly that day. I concluded my writing for the week while totally occupying both my higher self and the awareness that miracles can and do take place in the most unexpected and life-changing ways.
No more then five minutes after finishing my work, I picked up the phone to retrieve messages from my cold, abandoned house. I received a call from a woman, a former student in a class I had given months ago. Her message said that some people she knew were looking to personally help someone affected by the recent rainstorm rather than giving money to some unknown charity.
And I admit to you freely that this call and financial support came from the most unpredictable and unlikely source my mind could have ever imagined. And that's the take away from this episode. I was not in my head and therefore not constrained by the limits of who might come to my aid. I was instead in complete possession of my heart from which miracles are made manifest.
I had, through such trying circumstances, been brought to that unfamiliar place where ego was stripped away and replaced with great humility. I had asked repeatedly for help in any form, in any quantity and from any possible source. I even released the notion that I had to work for or earn what resources would come my way. I was probably as detached from the how of how miracles happen than I ever have been. It's a difficult place to describe but still, I know you know what it's like. I know you know because faith, like love, comes from some unseen place to encourage your becoming in the most beautiful way.
The powerfully affirming and miraculous phone call I received that day powerfully fortified my relationship with the invisible. And the more I remained in gratitude and possibility, the more miracles unfolded before me. Two days later I received another call from another person who I'd met just once who also offered his generous and selfless support to me without hesitation or expectation. It was enough to repair my furnace so my son and I could return home.
When I heard the words come out of his mouth, all I could do was cry. And in an amazing, ironic twist, I heard my own words of wisdom reflected back upon me by this man. You see, he too listens to this podcast and he had heard the episode about the power of Yes. And he reminded me that I was in fact in the place of saying yes to my life without condition. When I heard him say those words, they delivered me to a point of unspeakable gratitude. I managed to eke out “Thank you" through my tears.
And it is to you, yes you, that I offer my heartfelt gratitude. It is my gift to share both my trials and my triumphs with all who are really ready to receive my offering. Thank you for allowing me the privilege of sharing myself with you. Thank you for giving me a reason to rise above difficulty and allow my light to shine; to connect each week with the best expression of me in a way that encourages the best expression of you.
May you celebrate the miracle of your life this very day. May you savor the peace of prosperity that I offer you for ever and ever and always.
Until next time, I leave you with abundant peace. Comments[0] | ||
Thu, 13 December 2007 Do you feel 100%?
Welcome back! Do you feel 100%? Was that a resounding “No!”?. I suspected as much…
Let me assume for a moment that you’d actually like to feel 100% from time to time, I know I would; 100% vibrant, 100% capable, 100% content! I know that sounds pretty appealing to me and I’m guessing you’re no different.
It’s curious why it’s so rare to feel like you’re really on top of things; seldom enjoying a sense of completion in any given area of your life. As we bring this year to a close, it seems like the perfect time to talk about this subject before another year gets underway.
There’s one thing I know to be true when it comes to feeling 100% and that is… COMPLETION COMPLETES ME COMPLETELY!
But why? Because… - completion brings closure - closure brings a sense of accomplishment - accomplishment reinforces the belief that “I CAN!” - believing you CAN fosters confidence - confidence creates enthusiasm and… - enthusiasm inspires you to live the life you’re meant to live!
It’s easy to see that completion is absolutely paramount to success. So do you want that? Do you want to leave this Earth knowing that you didn’t miss the boat, didn’t fail to know who you’re really capable of being?
If completion completes you, then why is life so incredibly full of INcompletions? Because we all do way too much. We’ve all bought into the idea of having more, doing more, and being more. You’ve succumbed to the myth that ATTAINMENT is the purpose of life.
And believe me, I’m no stranger to that myth. It seems that everyone in my family suffers from an unhealthy drive to create change, businesses, obligation and stress. Talk about a work ethic…. Sheesh! Exorcizing oneself from a superman or superwoman complex takes time.
Do you want to know the funny irony of it all? If you actually do the basics and do them well, you’ll feel absolutely SUPERhuman! You know that my podcasts tend to focus on internal processes rather than external action. But, the reality is that we all have stuff to get done every single day. It’s a matter of striking a delicate balance between being and doing.
So if you have to do something, why not do it well? Why not give it your mark of excellence? Why not give yourself the elegantly simple gift of getting it done in a way that frees up your capacities for resting, reading, creating, growing or loving?
Completion creates the space for the you that exists beyond your list. Efforting towards totality enables you to stop living your list and start living your life. It’s not about accomplishing this task only to fill the vacancy with that task. The point is not to be perpetually efficient but to be EFFECTIVE; to create the effect you choose to create. Imagine the possibilities!
Florence Scovel Shinn once wrote:
I believe her words underscore the value of persistence. Take anything that needs to be done and take it all the way to home plate. Do one thing at a time and don’t compromise your sense of 100% by multitasking.
Think for a moment about the essentials of being alive. How would it feel to start your day 100% rested and 100% nourished? How would it be if you gave yourself exactly what you needed like activity and attention and respect? How could your life be dramatically changed if you did that day after day? Think about it…. It’s huge!
What if when you paid the bills you didn’t just open them but wrote the check, put the stamp on it and delivered it to the mailbox? What if when you had a miscommunication with someone that you didn’t walk away with the burden of what was not said?
My challenge to you, and even to myself, this week is to notice all those little things you do each day in a half-baked way. Each is an opportunity to push through the part you don’t feel like doing and take it to it’s natural conclusion. For instance, if you have clean laundry that’s piling up, don’t just move it from room to room. Fold it and take it to its final destination. Don’t put it on the bed, put it away. As I’ve practiced the principle of 100% living with myself, I’ve been amazed at how incredibly effective it is at producing feel-good results.
Try it for a week and you’ll discover the same results for yourself! Just try it and you’ll see that every time you completely complete even the smallest endeavor, you’ll savor peace of mind. That peace will become habit with practice. It’s a gift you can have today, right now and it’s a gift only you can give yourself!
Please join me next time for a special holiday episode when I ask “Do you believe in miracles?”
Until then, I leave you with abundant peace. Comments[0] | ||
Wed, 5 December 2007 What's the force of “Yes!”?
Welcome back! Our topic this week takes a closer look at the infinite power of "Yes!" because when you affirm your will or desire through the force of the spoken word, a host of resulting actions ensues from what you've said. And setting those actions in motion through intentional voice is exactly what we're going to discover today.
Before I continue, I want to encourage you to take five minutes to enjoy my very first episode which is a video podcast that provides a natural segue into this episode. Even if you've seen it before, I hope you'll take the time to watch my inspirational mini-movie again as it sets the stage for the untold ways in which you can leverage the power of "Yes!" to create positive shifts in your life.
In past episodes, you may have heard me refer to the either/or paradigm. But… if you're unfamiliar with that concept, let me just say that, when you start paying attention, you'll notice that either/or thinking is our collective way of approaching just about everything you encounter; Win or lose, rich or poor, ally or enemy. The either/or consciousness informs the decisions you make each day from what you eat for breakfast, to who you put in office. The fundamental and often unnoticed trap of such thinking is duality.
Duality creates an “other”; something or someone outside of your experience or value system. Duality encourages blame by assigning responsibility to an alleged perpetrator. It’s us or them, ours or theirs, mine or yours. Duality reinforces the notion that you're somehow separate from the experience you desire from life; that happiness is out there, love is out there, and that health and wealth are things you get. Believing in that means that you become a rat in the age-old rat race because you must either pursue what you don't have or strive to protect what you believe is yours. Stay young, stay beautiful, stay busy, stay numb.
Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the either/or paradigm is that you may be immersed in it and reminded throughout the day by popular media that you live amidst real scarcity. Greed and conspicuous consumption are the ugly step-children of someone who believes that scarcity is true. And if you’ve fallen under the spell of scarcity consciousness, you'll find yourself saying "No!" instead of "Yes!" You'll say no to opportunities, no to your loved ones and no to yourself. You'll say no to your needs, no to your instincts and no to the unknown possibilities that might have otherwise existed for you.
So why do you say no? Is it because you don't have the time or energy or money with which to say yes? Is it because you haven't met some self-imposed conditions under which you might otherwise permit changes to occur? What I want you to see is that scarcity only begets more scarcity. Fear begets fear and war begets war. And is scarcity NOT the reason we go to battle with ourselves, our bosses and our fellow human beings?
So... I'm here to tell you, once and for all, that scarcity is a lie and my duty is to shed light upon the truth of abundance and how saying "Yes!" absolutely to your life empowers that abundance to be manifested in your reality.
When you give an absolute "Yes!" you'll immediately create a profound shift from either/or thinking to and/both thinking. Whenever you engage the and/both part of your awareness, you instantly enter into the realm of possibility. From the and/both awareness, there are always more than just two choices. From and/both, you become conscious of the fact that there’s something behind door #3! In that realm ANYTHING is possible. Miracles begin to take place. Good things, and I mean REALLY good things, start to happen without explanation.
YES summons the power of
But... you'll never say yes if you're waiting for just the right circumstances or right time. You won't say yes if you haven't first agreed to befriend the unknown in yourself and others. You can't say yes if you're operating out of fear but rest assured that fear dissipates when you conquer duality by saying yes I can, yes I will, YES I AM!
The unconquerable force of YES is life itself. It's the life that says yes back to you when you say yes to it. Just as in my own life when almost 2 years ago I said yes to my intuition and then found myself in a powerfully nurturing and loving relationship as a result. At the time, I couldn't possibly know where that would have taken me. Consent need not be conditional. It need not depend on some predetermined or safe outcome.
I said yes to love and that love embraced me without limit. And since that fateful day, when I agreed to the unspoken terms of a life I had yet to live, I’ve experienced massive growth and subsequent change. I'm deeply in love with a man who I would have never thought existed before I met him and found out that he’s really real. I'm living in a house that I could have never imagined would be my home and within me exists a new life, a new expression of my love for another and his for me. Yes, I’ll be a mother for the second time this coming Spring. The timing is all wrong, the situation is so far from ideal that saying yes to motherhood right now is nothing short of a radical expression of my faith in the power of possibility.
Do I know how it's all going to work? No. Do I know where the perfect solution will come from? No. But I do know that it's not my job to know how, when or why. It IS my sacred obligation to give my unconditional yes and my unconditional love and to allow the conditions to be birthed of their own volition. I’m allowing my life and while that allowing may not be at all easy, I won’t be the one to stand in its way.
Juan Gris, author of Artist's Way, one said "You are lost the instant you know what the result will be."
So, my challenge to you this week is quite simple. Begin to say yes, say it often, to the little things, then the bigger things. But say it loud and say it clear. Let me know what’s happening for you. I’d love to hear your story so drop me an email at feedback@peaceofprosperity.com
Please join me next time when I ask “Do you feel 100%?” Until then, I leave you with abundant peace.
Comments[0] | ||
Fri, 30 November 2007 What’s the secret to manifestation? Welcome back! This week we're going to delve into a topic that's getting lots of press these days. You may have seen or heard about a movie called The Secret which served to take the popular Laws of Attraction into mainstream thinking. The movie and its corresponding book were even featured on Oprah and sales of The Secret skyrocketed as a result. In fact, there are coaches and even podcasts entirely dedicated to teaching the fundamentals of attraction. The term ‘attraction’ in this case doesn’t refer to physical attraction or the opposite sex. Instead it's about attracting or manifesting what you deeply desire for your life from a wonderful relationship to a rewarding career. But this podcast isn’t really about that. But if you're unfamiliar with The Secret, I definitely think it’s worth seeing. For myself, I've had some pretty remarkable things happen in my life, particularly in the last two years. For a period of about six months, I was manifesting great changes left and right. I was on a roll and I couldn't quite explain it. Even now, I'm working to understand the circumstances or mindset that was in place and how I can re-create that situation in a away that fosters even greater success than I've already had. On that note, one major element to aligning yourself with unforeseen blessings is the power of gratitude. So, in a spirit of thanksgiving, I'd like to offer my deepest thanks because in the last year, this podcast has grown wildly and is now in the top 12 of ITunes under the heading of Life Coach. And believe it or not, I’ve done literally nothing to promote my podcast other than deliver what I honestly believe is quality content. Thanks to you, my audience has grown beyond what I thought was even possible in just a year’s time. So… what I believe, from my own experience, is the secret between who you are now and who you wish to become is ALLOWING. Allowing is the key to manifesting greatness, great love, and great influence over what can be in your life. Allowing isn't action. It's not something you do but something you choose. And the frequency of your choosing to allow is truly significant. You've got to CHOOSE again and again because allowing, as a necessary precedent to manifesting, takes a I realize that this might be either unfamiliar or confusing to you so let me deepen your understanding. First of all, the word ‘manifest’ is one of my very favorites. People who are close to me and know me to have a powerful, albeit inconsistent, ability to manifest unimagined goodness have often asked me "How do you do it?" The etymology or origin of the word manifest is so telling and I love the look on people's faces when I tell them what it really means. Manifest is actually a combination of two words. The first part is ‘manus’ which is the Latin word for hand. The second part is the verb ‘festus’ which means to strike. So put them together and the word manifest literally translates into hand-struck which means that the actions of your hands are explicitly connected to outcome. Understanding that, it's easy to dispel the notion that manifesting is merely a matter of sitting around and really, really, really wanting something… and I mean wanting it BAD! I've repeatedly seen people discount their own ability to invite success through the power of manifestation because they falsely attribute it to some airy-fairy, hocus-pocus idea that intention is all you need. Most of us have an inherent understanding that action is a necessary step to reaching your goals. And that understanding is largely responsible for the fact that we live in a go-go, do-do society. But you don't have to look far to see that all the nuttiness, all the incessant doing and lists making has led us collectively to a not-so-happy place. Here we are, forever trying to squeeze just another tiny drop of blood from the proverbial turnip. So clearly, manifesting is not entirely about action. And as I said before, while action does play a significant role, it's always preceded by allowing. Here's what I mean by ALLOWING. - Allowing yourself to move beyond entertaining the possible and begin to entertain the impossible. - By giving up the idea that blessings come to you in a rational or predictable fashion. - By letting go of any attachments to having your dreams be realized in a certain shape, color or size…. or by some timeline dictated by you. - By acknowledging that sometimes you don't have to DO anything at all. You don’t have to earn it or prove your worthiness. Sometimes all you have to do to create miracles is to believe in them. - By surrendering the old story that perhaps you don't really deserve to be happy. What you may have noticed as a common thread running through all of those variations on allowing is that they’re all internal processes relating to your right to choose your destiny. By the way, the word destiny isn’t some preordained story of how your life turns out. In fact, the true origins of destiny are to ‘make firm or establish’. And to establish your own sweet success is to play an active part in designing genuine delight just for you! As you follow the path of allowing, remember that it’s always necessary and always unseen; an invisible process of germination that must be permitted to unfold at its own pace if the seed is to ever blossom. Germination requires trust in yourself which comes from acknowledging and expressing gratitude to the supreme force that brought you to this life of delicious opportunity. You see, my purpose is to remind you over and over like a patient friend and ally that your life can blossom in splendid techni-color. You can be a living work of art when you allow yourself the time and space to gently unfold in this garden of humanity. 18th Century painter and sculptor Giorgio DeChirico once said: "To become truly immortal, a work of art must escape all human limits; logic and common sense will only interfere. But, once these barriers are broken, it will enter the realms of childhood visions and dreams." Here's my 7-day challenge for you: Keep your self from perpetual motion. Start taking note of any urges to move into habitual action. Instead of doing, identify any ideas to which your rational mind is attached. Release the rules, surrender conditions and be still; floating gently amid the waves of something far greater than your mind could possibly contain. Please join me next time when I ask “What’s the force-; of “Yes”?” Until then, I leave you with abundant peace. Comments[0] | ||
Wed, 21 November 2007 Do You Have The Power To Heal? Welcome back! I’ve got an exciting topic for you this week so let me jump right in and ask “Do you have the power to heal?” I believe that healing presents itself in countless ways. It takes so many forms on so many levels that once you start looking for the experience of healing energy, you become attuned to the myriad ways we encounter that energy each day; a smile, a giggle, a greeting card, a hug, a phone call, or even a sanctuary that can contain you and hold you in its soothing embrace. My garden is just that way; calming me, connecting me to the world outside of my thoughts and holding a space conducive to my absolute wellness. I’m sure you have just such a place that’s equally healing to you. To heal is to make whole, sound or well. And I believe that we ALL have that capacity. So do you have the power to heal? I can answer that with an unqualified YES! But do you KNOW that you have the power to heal? My guess is that most of you don’t. If you were raised in the midst of westernized medicine, you were taught to put your faith in doctors, pills and science. And even those of you who receive alternative therapies, you’re often reminded that there’s someone other than you who holds the ability and wisdom to facilitate your healing. You’re forever told to let others play God in your life when it comes to your health. You’re taught to trust the hero or the authority and not yourself. My own beliefs about the nature of healing were dramatically impacted by my two-year herbal apprenticeship following the Wise Woman tradition. I grew and tended and harvested green allies. I learned about the energetics of plant medicines and how the power of the natural world is available in abundance to serve our needs if only we know how to benefit from them. Most importantly, I learned how to listen to my body and to respond to its call. That’s an exquisetly intimate process of deepening my listening skills on a visceral level. In other words, I had to be able to discern what was happening physically by using all of my sensory powers to collect information. That skill is one I continue to hone as I help others listen to themselves in the deepest possible way. It was during my apprenticeship that I came to understand that the foundation of all healing modalities is UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. As the group of us discussed the affect and meaning of that term, I found myself really questioning whether or not unconditional love was possible. By virtue of my asking that question, it was clear that I’d never experienced it for myself. As a result, I didn’t have that to offer to others in my healing practice. I said, “I don’t get it. There are people in the world who do unspeakable things, evil things to children and animals. They cause suffering and unbelievable harm. How am I supposed to extend unconditional love to people like that?” My mentor told me “You don’t understand. It’s not about them, it’s about YOU!” Oh my God. I got it! Only when I could love myself beyond reason and outside of my ideas of perfection could I access my own power to heal. It made perfect sense. I had to heal myself and, in doing so, I would cultivate my own ability to foster that in others. That’s it. That what this podcast and the passionate work of my life is all about. That’s why I stay up late until it’s done because I am a healer and SO ARE YOU! We all posess the ability to heal ourselves; to become whole again and again through the intentional use of our consciousness by excercising the power of love. Your willingness to do that is a life-giving act. Your willingness to be physically, emotionally, and spiritually well sets the stage for healing. When you occupy your healthier, higher self you’re a living example to the hundreds or thousands of people you encounter each day. Your healed and healing self creates a terrifically nourishing environment for the billions of people who only need to be shown how to do it for themselves. It’s not about what you say, but about who you ARE. By allowing unconditional love for yourself, you permit that in others. It’s not about fixing someone else, but about fostering the conditions for them to harness their OWN ability to love and thereby heal. That is my chosen path. And my true vocation is not to use plants as a means to make others sound but to use words. Words have an immeasurable ability to cause harm but they also have a vast capacity to heal. Words are timeless, borderless, and their force is universal. And what I’ve decided to heal with words is the epidemic of scarcity consciousness; the pervasive belief that you don’t have enough, will never get enough or will ever be enough. I choose to approach my form of healing consisentently and deliberately. I choose to heal myself, by speaking the loving language of abundance to me and to invite you to listen in on my private process. I know that I’m first obligated to practice what it means to be “enough” if I’m to guide others like you to that same deep knowing. You see, the more often you know it, the more it becomes what’s real. The knowing begins to take place on a cellular level. And when you embody that knowing, it becomes wisdom. That wisdom informs every thought, every choice and action. It changes the world starting with you, beginning with me. So you see I love you as you are because I love me as I am. I love you in your perfect humanness because I love the humanness in me. I love that you want to do it all and I know that you’re only one person. I know you have limits and challenges and pain. I know you cry and hurt and long for someone to see you radiant and beautiful as you are. I know it in my own soul and I know we’re all connected. This is the unconditional love from which the entire planet will be restored because each of us is made whole by love’s healing power. Love is the only reason for which we are alive and the only reason to live.
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Wed, 14 November 2007 Welcome back! My podcast this week is about satisfying my curiosity because I sincerely want to know... Are you really, really ready to succeed? Are you really ready to have that magical relationship, to discover work that you’re passionate about or to otherwise make that shift from hoping to having? If you're at all like me, then you're probably saying "Yes! I am, I’m so, so ready to create miracles in my life and I've been ready for a very long time!" "But (you might add), I'm still waiting for what I want and I don't know what I'm doing wrong." So, if your intention is clear and your desire is absolute, then why haven't your dreams come true? I'd like you to consider that any delays separating you from your prosperity are significantly impacted by your success aptitude. The word ‘aptitude’, like countless other words, has more than one meaning. I'm not using the definition of aptitude that refers to ability because I'm convinced that everyone has ability to a lesser or greater degree. So the question is not "Can you succeed?" but "Will you?" That's a perfect segue into another variation of aptitude that you may not be familiar with. Its secondary meaning refers to ‘a state of readiness’. And when you’re truly ready, your WILL works in beautiful concert with your ABILITY. And when you combine what you can do with what you will do, you form a powerful synergy that constitutes the force of change. These small but critical distinctions became very clear to me recently as I found myself struggling to achieve the goals I'd set for myself. In the midst of that challenge, I realized how much I really needed support, encouragement and perspective. So, I called a dear friend of mine who's a gifted coach in her own right. She knows me intimately. She knows my history and my heart. But most of all, she understands the difference between what's real and the self-limiting stories I tell myself in the midst of my own practice of prosperity. The “aha” moment for me in that conversation was when she helped me to understand exactly what was preventing me from having the experience of my life that I truly and deeply wanted. I wasn't doing anything wrong per se because it wasn't about action in this case. Actually, the problem wasn't what I was doing but what I was being. And what I was being was afraid. Can you relate? Can you think of the time when you were going through the motions that logically should have resulted in the outcome you sought but never actually realized? Can you remember making consistent effort while hoping and praying you would get what you wanted? Most importantly, are you also able to recognize that fear was a constant partner to your desire? That's precisely where I found myself. Yes, I was doing what I could and I believed that I was certainly ready to succeed as never before and yet, I was privately afraid that it would never come and that I wouldn’t realize my most deeply held dreams. The point is that fear is an invisible shield with stealthy properties for its ability to repel what might be realized in its absence. Fear surrounds you like a bottomless moat, trapping and preventing you from reaching your intended destination. And the most interesting thing about living with fear, even if you don’t realize it, is that fear is almost invariably an illusion fabricated by your mind. Most of all, fear is entirely antithetical to aptitude which means the two cannot co-exist because they’re opposing forces. When I researched the origins of the word ‘fear’ I learned that it’s connected to the words harm, distress and deception. And those early meanings underscore my point that operating out of fear is fundamentally illusionary. It seems then that our common task is to repeatedly lift this veil of foreboding in order to clearly see and reach out for that which exists beyond fear. It's not really a matter eliminating fear, but of the acting in spite of it. It means to simply acknowledge fear without succumbing to its deceptive ways. To do that is to illuminate the self-deceit that occurs in your mind; obliterating any false image that precludes your best life from being realized. You see fear has many disguises including frustration, anger, doubt, despair and worry. When you find yourself dealing with any of those feelings, it's a clear indication that your mind is where your consciousness is currently centered. Knowing that, you may actively shift that consciousness downward, to the center of your heart from which all creativity is born and in which fear cannot survive. To operate from courage means to be fully occupying your heart. And from that place, you’ll enjoy fortitude, integrity and power. From heart-centeredness comes aptitude; the readiness to fully receive your much-deserved success. In the words of Alice M. Swain:
Here's my 7-day challenge for you: When you find yourself experiencing doubt, frustration, worry or any variation of fear, immediately take five minutes of stillness and solitude. Examine the nature of your fear and continue past it until you’re clear on the underlying desire or dream that lives at the base of your fear. Hold your wish confidently. Allow it to grow from the center of your body until it fills every inch of you including that space occupied by your mind. You have the power to intentionally expand what is conceptual in a way that allows you to embody the power of your intention. And when you’re the consistent embodiment of such enchanted possibility, the veil of fear is forcibly raised and put aside by you, for you and because of you. Please join next time when I ask "Do you have the power to heal?" Until then, I leave you with abundant peace. Comments[0] | ||
