Tuesday, June 8, 2010
An Ocean of Abundance
Lately I've been receiving a ton of coaching requests for people who want to work on attracting more money into their lives. Not surprising considering that money is typically one of people's biggest concerns! Lucky for me, I have a pretty good grasp on my money vibe and I'm able to show others how to attract it quickly and easily. (For more details about coaching with me, go here.)
One of my favorite ways for increasing the money flow in my life is doing the exercise below on a regular basis. This particular description comes from Louise Hay's newest book, Modern-Day Miracles, but I've actually spoken about this before ("Are You Open to Receiving?").
From Louise Hay:
Your prosperity consciousness is not dependent on money; your flow of money is dependent upon your prosperity consciousness. As you are able to conceive of more, more will come into your life.
"Visualize standing at the seashore, looking out at the vast ocean and knowing that it reflects the abundance that is available to you. Look down at your hands and see what sort of container you’re holding. Is it a teaspoon, a thimble with a hole in it, a paper cup, a glad, a tumbler, a pitcher, a bucket, a washtub—or perhaps you have a pipeline connected to this ocean of abundance? Look around you and notice that no matter how many people there are and no matter what kind of container they have, there is plenty for everyone. You cannot rob another, and they cannot rob you. And in no way can you drain the ocean dry. Your container is your consciousness, and it can always be exchanged for a larger container."
Do this exercise often to experience feelings of expansion and unlimited supply.
Now let me ask you:
How did you feel doing that exercise?
What sort of container did you see yourself holding?
Were you able to really feel the abundance pouring into your body and your life, or did you notice yourself trying to push it away and resist it?
I've been having great success using the pipeline image, but don't beat yourself up if you're not there yet. I tried a similar exercise a year ago, and didn't feel comfortable accepting that much abundance into my life. The more often you do this exercise, the more comfortable you'll get holding a larger container, which will lead to larger and larger amounts of money and abundance flowing into your life!
The truth is, there is already a constant flow of money and abundance in our world, which surrounds us at all times and is ready to be tapped into. However, WE are the ones who are preventing it from reaching us, by our constant preoccupation with not having enough and our focus on lack.
Remember, what we focus on is what we create!
Therefore, the more you focus on not having enough money, worrying about how you'll pay your bills at the end of the month, anticipating that you'll run out of funds, etc., the more you will continue to create that in your world.
Trust me, though: You can experience abundance at all times, no matter what the economy is doing, no matter what type of job you have, etc., by keeping your attention on HAVING abundance, rather than lacking it. This is easier said than done, but by spending time visualizing unlimited prosperity and really feeling like there is always enough to go around (like you did in the exercise above), you will begin to manifest that exact same scenario in your life!
You can also use this exercise with respect to love, if that's something you'd like to see more of in your reality. Rather than imagining an ocean of abundance, simply imagine an ocean of love that is overflowing, unending, and just pouring into your life. As long as you are open to accepting it, it will be yours!
For a really great resource on attracting more money into your life, I highly recommend Money Mojo Magic, by master law of attraction coach, Jeannette Maw. This is a super affordable resource that explains exactly how to change your energy in order to quickly create more wealth in your life. And it really works: I literally started making more money the exact same night I finished the ebook! Get more details here.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Are You Playing Small?
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us."
~Marianne Williamson
I think it’s fair to assume that most people on the spiritual path (and several people not on the path) have heard or read the above quote by Marianne Williamson. I love it so much that it appears in part at the top of the homepage on my website, because I want everyone who visits my site to see it!
However, it’s scary for some of us to shine our lights as brightly as we are capable, and I’d even venture to say that the majority of people out there struggle with this issue at some point in their lives. In fact, I’ll even go so far as to say that a lot of the unhappiness and dissatisfaction in the world today comes from an unwillingness or inability to shine one’s light and truly express the greatness that we each are. We hold ourselves back from being all that we can be, and yet inside we are growing more and more unhappy because we are not expressing our potential and pursuing our passions.
If this resonates with you at all, I’d like to suggest trying the exercise below.
It might just be the thing you need to feel more comfortable shining your bright light and expressing your true gifts and talents to the world!
Here's the exercise:
Think of a particular area in life where you seem to struggle to get ahead. It’s probably an area where you know you have a lot of potential and have huge dreams, but even after months or years of effort things just don’t seem to be going the way you want them to.
Now, ask yourself this question: Who do you worry will feel upset or uncomfortable if you grow too "big for your britches?"
(This question comes from this blog post by Kendall SummerHawk.)
Next, jot down the first answer that comes to mind, even if it doesn’t make any sense. It might be a parent, spouse, sibling, friend, co-worker, etc. Write down all the people that come to mind when you ask yourself this question. At first you might not see the connection, or you may totally see the connection. Either way, the reason why you’ve been holding yourself back should begin to make sense!
If you’re struggling in a particular area where you’ve been trying to get ahead, you may be subconsciously holding yourself back because you fear that someone (often in your past) will be resentful of you or react negatively if you succeed or show your true brilliance to the world. Even if it doesn’t consciously make sense to you, or even if the person is not consciously trying to hold you back, at some point in time, on some level, it's possible you decided that in order to avoid resentment or negative feelings on their part, you would play small.
Once you've identified someone in response to the question above, see your answer begins to shine some light on the issue. This may be enough to shift the issue right then and there. Can you see how you've been holding yourself back to avoid discomfort or resentment on the part of someone else? Or maybe you simply don't want to outshine a parent or sibling, who you think might be left behind if you pursue your dreams and achieve success. Or maybe you're scared that a spouse or romantic partner may not adjust well to your new, brighter identity.
In fact, there are a variety of reasons why you may not want to grow too "big for your britches" because you're scared of the reaction of someone else, and the answer will vary with each person who tries this exercise. The key is to do the exercise and see what comes up for you. Sometimes just the awareness is enough to create resolution, but if not you may have to dig a little deeper. Regardless, the answer lies within you, and once you find it you are well on your way to shining your light in the world and creating the life of your dreams!
For more tips and techniques like the one above, be sure to check out my ebook, Secrets to Creating Your Ideal Life. It has been called "one of the most useful self-help books I have read" and "an amazing resource for anyone who wants to make big, positive changes in their life." More details here!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Keeping a Gratitude/Evidence Journal
This is a great new technique I recently came up with, although I certainly can’t take all the credit for it. It’s a combination of a few popular techniques which I’ve heard about from different sources over the years, and I’ve simply combined them into a fun and easy tool to assist you in raising your overall vibration and quickly manifesting your desires.
You’ve probably heard of gratitude journals (you might even keep one!), in which you list things in your journal every day that you are grateful for in your life. Oprah made these popular awhile back when she admitted that keeping a gratitude journal was the single biggest practice that changed her life. You may have also heard of positive evidence journals, which are popular in law of attraction circles, and used to track evidence that something you are desiring to manifest is on its way to you now.
Rather than keeping two separate journals, I decided to combine the two! I've been doing this for about two weeks now and am really noticing a difference.
Here are the instructions:
First, think of a goal or desire you'd like to try this process on. It's best to start with one desire, and once you begin getting results you can introduce new desires into the mix. Your goal or desire can either be something you’ve been trying to manifest for awhile now, or a more recent desire. It can be large or small, or something that means a lot to you or not so much (for example, the love of your life or parking spots close to your office).
Then, every night before bed (or another similar time), take out a journal you’re going to dedicate to this practice and list five things in your life that you are grateful for and that are evidence that your particular manifestation is on its way to you now. Therefore, if you’re trying to manifest more abundance in your life, you could list such things like:
• “I found a ten-dollar bill in the laundry today.”
• “My boss bought me lunch today.”
• “I received a coupon in the mail for a restaurant I have been wanting to go to.”
Once you’ve done that part of the exercise, then list five things you are grateful for IN ADVANCE of your manifestation coming true. This is where you get to use your creativity and imagination to go to the future and think about things you would like to come true with respect to the particular desire you are focusing on for this exercise. So if your manifestation had already happened, what would you be grateful for? Returning to the example of manifesting more abundance, you might list things like:
• “My boss told me I'm getting a raise! (Even though this hasn't happened yet in your reality, it is something you hope to create.)
• "My husband got an expected bonus at work!"
• "My ebook is selling hundreds of copies per month!"
This exercise is extremely powerful and its potential is huge, so don’t underestimate its simplicity. By focusing on evidence you have noticed in your life, no matter how large or small, you are focusing on the fact that your dream or desire IS in fact on its way to you. This is particularly helpful on those days when you begin to doubt that what you want will ever come true,and will help keep you focused on what you want to attract.
Furthermore, by being grateful for things in advance, you are not only raising your overall vibration, but you are actually setting the stage for those things to come to pass in your life. What you focus on consistently becomes your reality, so the more you focus on what you want to create, the quicker and easier those things can come to you. Finally, gratitude or appreciation are some of the highest vibrations you can flow.
Doing the above will already go a long way in helping you manifest your goal or desire, but to *really* add some juice to this exercise, mix up the two categories when you list them rather than listing the two categories separately. This means that instead of listing five things you're grateful for now, and then five things you're grateful for in your future manifestation, mix them up in one list so there's no division between the two. This actually tricks your subconscious into thinking every single thing on your list has already come true, and as a result your subconscious gets busy creating results in your life ASAP. Once you start doing this on a regular basis, your goal or desire is practically a done deal!
I have been doing this exercise for a few weeks now, and have been getting so much out of it I've decided to do it permanently. I hope you'll join me and report back to me on the fabulous results you're getting!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Allowing Miracles
If you saw my last blog post, then you know I was recently in South Africa for work. I headed over there for two weeks to visit our South Africa office, and assist with a particular project that was falling behind schedule. However, the couple who runs the office was out of town for their anniversary and had no access to phones or email. Therefore, they had no idea I was coming, and more importantly, I had no idea if anyone would be there to pick me up at the airport or if I would even have a hotel room when I arrived!
Needless to say, as I prepared for my trip, several people around me were very anxious and asking a lot of questions:
• Where would I stay?
• What city in particular was I going to?
• How would I get around?
• What about security issues?
• Would I have a security guard?
• Would I get to visit any of the national parks?
I didn’t know the answers to these questions, and quite frankly I didn’t care. I was super excited, packed my bags, and got ready for a grand adventure! I literally boarded the plane not knowing which specific city I was going to in South Africa, or if anyone would be at the airport on the other end to pick me up.
When I arrived, after a long 15-hour flight, I was thrilled to find that not only were there people at the airport to pick me up, but they were absolutely delightful and what ensued was two wonderful weeks that I will never forget. They were great people to work with on a daily basis, and they truly treated me as part of their family. I know I will be life-long friends with them.
In addition to feeling so loved by them, they showed me all around their city, treated me to outdoor barbeques to sample all the local food, and even took me on an all-day safari on their dime, where we had the pleasure of seeing an elephant up close as he walked down the road directly in front of our jeep for a good thirty minutes (that's him above!). Not to mention, they drove me around every day, made sure I had everything I needed, and even taught me a few key phrases in Afrikaans.
I tell this story because before I left, I honestly had no idea what to expect. I’d never been to South Africa before, but more importantly, I wasn’t really provided a lot of information about my trip. No one from my office had ever been, so in all fairness no one had much information to give me. It was just expected that I would get over there and figure it all out!
However, and this is important, I TRUSTED that all would work out for me. And it did! There is not a single thing I would change about my trip. I had a fabulous time, met some great people, and have memories to last a lifetime. I was open to experiencing miracles, and I did! Unfortunately, this is a quality I notice is missing in a lot of people who are not currently living lives they love or are very excited about.
So many people spend the majority of their days worried or scared, about money, their boss, their job, their parents, their kids, their next vacation, and on and on and on. And yes, there are of course several things in our world and our lives that could go wrong on a daily basis. There are, however, also several things that could go RIGHT in our world and our lives on a daily basis, if we would just open ourselves up to them. Opportunities and miracles are everywhere, if we just allow them!
I had no idea what to expect when I agreed to go to South Africa. In fact, the reason the trip was offered to me in the first place was because the person who was originally supposed to go backed out at the last minute. Rather than being scared about my trip and overly worried about the details, though, I trusted in the Universe and myself to make things work out for the best. I always expect things to work out for me in the best possible way, and they usually do! I expect to always be provided with enough money at the right time, and I am!
Some might call this luck, but it’s really not luck at all. Our thoughts create our realities, and the more you focus on positive thoughts and expectations, the more positive experiences you will create in your life. This is not to say that sometimes you don’t have to exercise caution or common sense. However, in my world I would rather have a positive expectation that things will work out and deal with any issues that arise, versus always being on the lookout for things that could wrong. What about you?
If you read my last post, you’ll see that on my way home from South Africa I had planned to stop over in Paris for three days and take a bit of a vacation. Due to the volcano in Iceland, this turned into eight days! That’s an entire story in itself so I won’t go into the details here, but needless to say I had another chance to trust in the Universe and expect that everything would work out for me. And it did, just like magic! ;)
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Creating a Life You Love!
If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been the past month or so, there's been a lot going on! I took a last minute two-week business trip to South Africa, and then ended up having an "extended" vacation in Paris due to the volcano in Iceland. During my almost month-long sabbatical from my regular life, I learned many very important and beneficial life lessons and will be posting several blogs in the upcoming weeks about what I learned. Keep your eyes on this space if you’re interested. Above all, I learned that LIFE IS GOOD and just keeps getting better!
To make a long story short, I was returning to the States from South Africa and was planning on spending three days in Paris on the way home. Three days turned into eight days due to the volcano that closed down virtually all airports in Western Europe! After adjusting to the shock that I was literally “stuck” in Paris, I spent an additional five days creating an absolutely magical vacation. What better way to turn an absolutely absurd situation into an excuse for loving myself and creating my ideal life!
I *LOVE* Paris, absolutely love it. I'm a real Francophile and always have been. I lived there for two years following college and when I'm there things just fall into place for me like you would not believe. (More details in my ebook if you're interested). I feel more connected to who I really am while in Paris, and part of me secretly wonders if I was French in a former life!
However, I also noticed something interesting the other week while I was there. In addition to feeling extremely fulfilled every time I'm in Paris, I also go out of my way to create a life I love when I'm there. I'm out of my hotel super early every morning and don't come home until super late. I spend the days going to outdoor cafes, browsing in shops I love, dining at my favorite restaurants, journaling and relaxing in parks and gardens, taking pictures of the blooming flowers, etc. Everything I do in Paris is a *sensory* experience, from eating my favorite foods, to visiting museums and admiring the artwork, to sitting on the side of the Seine and really soaking in the atmosphere. I make every minute count, and the same was true when I lived there, not just when I’m there on vacation.
It got me thinking about my current life in Washington, DC. Just because I live in DC and not Paris, there’s no reason I can’t create a life I love here in DC just like I do when I’m in Paris! In many ways Washington is very similar to Paris, especially the particular neighborhood I live in. There are cafes, shops, bars, restaurants, outdoor markets, museums, giant cathedrals, parks, beautiful flowers, etc. However, I don't currently spend a lot of time actually enjoying these things and taking advantage of them like I do when I'm in Paris. That's when it hit me: it's time I stop wishing I lived in Paris and start revelling in my life here, right now!
Let me ask you this: How many of you are actively creating a life you love on a daily basis, versus feeling sorry for yourself because you’re not currently experiencing your ideal career, or relationship, or living situation, or weight, etc? That’s no excuse to not be creating your ideal life! There are things you could be doing right now to enhance your enjoyment of life, even before that thing or situation you are wanting arrives. So start doing those things! Sure, it might not be *exactly* the same as if you were truly already living your ideal life, but it’s a start… a great start, in fact!
The law of attraction brings you more of whatever you spend the majority of your time focusing on and feeling. Therefore, the more time you spend in delicious feelings of happiness and fulfillment while entertaining thoughts about how much you love your life, the more the Universe will bring to you to match these thoughts and emotions, including your ideal job, weight, financial situation, relationship, etc. Isn't this great news?!
So I invite you to stop feeling sorry for yourself and start creating a life you love, right this very minute! Especially with summer right around the corner, now's a great time to commit to creating a life you're absolutely ecstatic about. Why not take the next few months to concentrate on doing activities that bring you joy and fill you with a sense of fulfillment and enjoyment, every single day? I'll definitely be doing this, and I encourage you to do the same!
And be sure to check out my ebook, Secrets to Creating Your Ideal Life, to learn more about how I manifested my ideal life in Paris for two years straight out of college. It's all I could think about the other week when I was there!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Practicing Meaningful Habits
I’ll be honest, there are times when I don’t want to write a blog post. Actually, it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s that I can’t think of anything in particular that’s inspiring me to write an entire post.
I always try to write about something that’s relevant to my life and hopefully to yours, and some days (or weeks!) I’m really just not feeling it. But (and this is a big BUT), I know that if I don’t write a post I will ultimately end up feeling worse than if I had just dug a little deeper to find an interesting topic to write about. Here, let me explain!
Expressing myself creatively and speaking/writing about topics relating to creating your ideal life are true passions of mine. They jazz me up and fill me with a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. Also, connecting with other like-minded souls (like the people who read my blog) is very essential to my overall happiness. I don’t get a lot of one-on-one interaction in my “real” life with people who are as into these topics as I am, so connecting with people on-line is especially important to me. And during those weeks when I don’t publish a blog post or get a newsletter out I can really feel a difference! I just feel off, a little sluggish, and less in-tune with my authentic self and overall purpose.
So I’d like to use this opportunity to ask you: What are the things you do in your life that fill you up, inspire you, and allow you to express who you really are? First and foremost, do you have things like that in your life? If not, get busy discovering some! And more importantly, are you making these things an integral part of your life?
Sure, we all lead super busy lives and situations pop up constantly that demand our time and attention. That’s a given. But the thing separates those who are merely surviving on a day-to-day basis from those who are really thriving on a daily basis is a commitment to doing things that really fill you up and give you a sense of joy!
Take working out, for example. Anyone who works out knows that there are days when you just do NOT feel like exercising. Maybe you’re tired from a long day at the office, or you don’t want to get sweaty, or your energy is just really low. We’ve all been there. From years of experience, though, I know that if I give into my exhaustion and skip my workouts too many times in a row I will ultimately end up feeling worse than if I just exerted a little extra effort and did the workout. I do yoga 2-3 times a week these days, and even though there are days when I would honestly rather stay home and lounge on the couch, I know that I'll feel better after I do yoga than I would if I just stayed home and relaxed.
The point of this blog post is to point out that yes, often in life there are things we don’t feel like doing. It would be so much easier to expend less energy and take the easy way out. But ask yourself how fulfilled you are living that way. I have a full-time job in addition to running my website and blog, and there are definitely times when it all gets to feel like too much. I also know, however, that I feel the most alive and fulfilled when I work on my website and blog. When I let that go I can tell a huge difference in my energy levels, happiness, and overall satisfaction with life.
If you are truly committed to living your ideal life (and I know you are since you are visiting my blog!), then you’ll want to find a way to include meaningful activities in your life that give you a sense of purpose, no matter how difficult you think that might be. If you have to reprioritize your schedule or cut certain activities out of your day all together, then go ahead and do that. If you have to let go of old friendships that are no longer adding anything to your growth and expansion, then that might be the path to take. Maybe you can start reading uplifting books on your subway commute to work in the morning, or for ten minutes every night before you go to bed. The point is, find a way to include things in your life that fill you up and give you a sense of aliveness. It make take a little more schedule juggling on your part, but you will be so glad you did!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Finding the Hidden Benefits
This post is for those of you who’ve been trying to create something in your life for awhile now, but just can’t seem to make it happen. Rather than staying stuck in a place of sheer frustration, this post will show you how to take responsibility for the circumstances you've been experiencing and move out of them once and for all!
I'm going to be honest with you and cut to the chase: If there’s something you’ve been wanting for a long time but nothing has changed in your life, it’s possible that some part of you doesn’t really want that thing or situation you’re trying to create! Obviously, this assumes that you’ve actually been expending energy and effort trying to get this thing to work, otherwise your lack of effort is the reason behind why you’re not succeeding.
But if you’ve been making an honest attempt at trying to lose those last five lbs., or trying to make more money on-line from your website, or deepening your relationship with your spouse or children, or attracting new like-minded individuals into your life, etc., and still nothing is budging, then that usually means that something inside of you is not entirely on-board with whatever it is you think you’re wanting.
I know what you’re thinking! You're convinced there’s no possible way this is true. After all, you want this thing or situation SO badly, so it can’t possibly be true that part of you *doesn’t* want it. However, while this is not necessarily a case of self-sabotage, it is likely that there’s a hidden subconscious reason why you’re not making as much progress with your particular goal as you'd like. So let's take a closer look at these subconscious motivations and bring conscious awareness to why you might be staying stuck in an experience you thought you so desperately wanted out of!
Even though I get asked out regularly on my fair share of dates, I’ve been single (not in a serious relationship) for awhile now. And even though it would be pretty easy to blame this on the fact that I’m just not getting asked out by the “right” guys, I’m also not doing a whole heck of a lot to put myself out there to meet my match! Ultimately I do think I would like to be married and have a family, but I also wonder if there’s some part of me that isn’t entirely committed to being in a long-term relationship. Otherwise, I would probably already be in one!
Can you relate to this? Maybe it’s not in the area of relationships, but in some area of your life where you think you’re committed to one thing but the results seem to show otherwise?
So, what to do when this happens? Hint: beating yourself up is not the answer!
Instead, spend some time investigating whether there are any hidden benefits to your situation being the way it is now. Take out your journal or a piece of paper and at the top write, “Benefits of My Current Situation.” Next, list as many benefits (at least 5) as you can come up with regarding your situation as it is right now. You might have to stretch your mind a little at first and look at your situation in a whole new light, but go ahead and do that! Not only will doing this exercise help you uncover (possible) hidden motives behind your desires, but it will also help release any resistance you may be flowing around this particular area of your life.
For example, in my case it might look like:
Benefits of My Current Situation:
• I have complete freedom to spend my time however I want
• I don’t have to check in with anyone
• I don’t have to worry about anyone but myself
Oftentimes just uncovering the hidden motivations are enough to clear up the issue. By bringing them to light, you are able to see things you weren't previously aware of.
If this exercise doesn't clear things up, however, you'll want to find a way to reconcile what you are ultimately trying to create with the benefits you are experiencing from your current situation. For example, in my situation I am enjoying being single because it allows me to experience freedom, but that doesn't mean I have to forego relationships all together! It just means I would be well-served to find a relationship that provides me with a great deal of freedom, as well as closeness.
If you've been trying to lose weight but uncover some hidden benefits of staying your current size (maybe you don't want to have to buy all new clothes to fit your new size!), then you'll want to find a way to reconcile your overall desire to lose weight with your desire to not have to buy a whole new wardrobe. For example, maybe your sister is the same size as your desired size and you can take over some of her old clothes. Be creative and find ways to reconcile your two desires!
Whether we want to admit it or not, there is always some reason why we are in the situations we are in, and it's usually not because the Universe is against us! Even if our motivations are subconscious and hidden from us, they are always there, driving our behavior. If you're finding that the actions you're taking are not lining up with the results you had hoped to achieve, do the exercise above to see if you have any hidden benefits to your current situation that might be preventing you from moving forward. You might be surprised by what you find!
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