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.

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!