A Humorous Look at Your Ego – Blog 84

I wasn’t going to write a blog this week, because Sue Koch and I are very busy preparing for our upcoming four-week tele-seminar we call Resolution Breakthrough: Designing Your Fresh Start for 2010. But when I received this email, forwarded from a fellow True Purpose Coach ™, I couldn’t resist sharing it with you.  It’s a spot-on and very funny look at what the Ego can do to us when we aren’t fully conscious of its role. 

Please, don’t get me wrong, though.  This does NOT say, and I do not believe, that the Ego is “bad.”  As a Certified True Purposed Coach ™, my job is to help my clients discover their Life Purpose.  Along the way, I also must help them get their Soul’s desire to lead a life of fulfillment and purpose into partnership with their Ego’s desires for acknowledgment, material comfort and lots of other, sometimes less beneficial outcomes.  Try as you might, you cannot ignore your Ego, because, as this poem so cleverly reveals, it has a LOT of influence in your life.  It is your Ego that “drives the car.”  Your Soul (or Higher Self, if you prefer) can’t walk and talk and sign checks, but your Ego can!  So your Soul absolutely needs the help of your Ego in order to carry out your Life’s Purpose in the world. 

Your Ego’s primary job is to keep you safe – to make sure you survive.  But, as Mr. Kalechstein points out, it also has a lot of OTHER things on its agenda, including the four basic human emotional needs: Certainty, Variety, Significance and Love/Connection.  Getting these emotional needs met is your Ego’s non-stop quest!  

My goal as a True Purpose Coach is to have your Soul and Ego “play nice” together, so that each gets what it wants for you. When they are in partnership, you will be a happy, healthy, wealthy and emotionally satisfied human being! Your Soul gets what it wants when you are doing what you were meant to do in this world: expressing the unique quality that only YOU express in just the particular way that YOU do.  And your Ego gets to ride in the “passenger seat” and enjoy all the riches and honor life can offer — and there’s nothing wrong with that! 

Oh, The Places Your Ego Will Go
By Scott Kalechstein
 
Your ego will travel with you on this earth
And be your companion for worser or worse
It pretends it’s your friend, your bestest amigo
And it makes you feel guilty, that’s the job of the ego
It has good judgment and will help you be strong
So it has to remind you you’ve done it all wrong
You’re weak and you’re lazy and you can’t get a clue
That’s the voice of the ego trying to motivate you
Oh, the places you’ll go and the guilt trips you’ll travel
As the ego plays judge and bangs down on its gavel
 
But you always can get some relief from your shame
By projecting it on to the others you’ll blame
For that is the ego at its beastiest best
It nurses its grievances close to its chest
It milks every upset for things to complain about
And turns molehills to mountains to put you in pain about
No trust is a must you must constantly worry
No peace till deceased you must stay in a hurry
 
Oh, the places you’ll go and the people you’ll see
All through the lens of “What’s in it for me?”
For the ego believes there is something it lacks
And until it is found it won’t let you relax
You’ve got to keep moving at speeds that are blinding
Keep searching and searching but not really finding
Perhaps you will find it in the next one you’ll date
True love at first sight with a soul kind of mate
It’s great for a while till the egos take hold
Cause when two halves combine they do not make a whole
It’s hot at the start but it will turn to cold
For when two halves collide they cannot make a whole
 
So the ego moves on ever constantly striving
Addicted to seeking and afraid of arriving
You’re traveling fast at the speed of surviving
With fear in the drivers seat doing the driving
The joys of each moment go swishing on by
As the ego keeps reaching for pies in the sky
Reaching and reaching with arms that are flailing
And the ego loves giving you F for your failings
 
Or perhaps you are on the fast track to success
You’re constantly driven to be great, better, best!
You’re a mover, a shaker, a big time achiever
You’re a real self-made man, a dazzling diva
You’re rich and you’re famous and make quite a splash
You’re on top of the world and you’re rolling in cash
You drive the right car and you’ve married the right spouse
Today you’re on Oprah, this evening the White House
 
But at night insecurity pays you a call
Cause you know anytime that you could lose it all
Your shrink says to rest and your spouse sure agrees
Your doctor says, “Ulcers, take fourteen of these.”
You know you should slow it down sooner or later
But your foot is just glued to the accelerator
Your ego consoles, “Well, at least we’re successful
It’s a sign of success to be constantly stressful
You’ve made it to prime time and everyone loves you.”
(But your self-esteem’s built on what others think of you) 
 
One day when you’ve failed and succeeded enough
You witness your ego exposed in the buff
And you realize without all its protective clothing
That the ego is simply a state of self-loathing
And beyond that you find out the biggest of deals
That you’ve dreamt up the ego, it’s not even real!
So for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health
You commit to the journey of loving yourself
You take back the projections you placed upon others
And find through forgiveness real peace is discovered
You realize the glory you searched for outside you
Is what you are made of and can’t be denied you
So you give up your plans and your potions and pills
And you practice contentment and learn how to chill
Your old superstitions have gone up in smoke
(Like you can’t rest in peace until after you croak)
 
While resting in peacefulness you get inspired
To go out in the world with some newfound desires
Desires that spring from your heart and your soul
And wherever they take you you’re going there whole
Cause your ego is now in the passenger seat
It rolls down the window and takes in the treats
You’re not in a hurry you’re taking it slow
Cause the journey’s as rich as the places you’ll go
Where you are going you don’t need to know
For the journey’s as rich as the places you’ll go. 
 
Scott Kalechstein is a writer, an entertainer, a traveling minister, a counselor and coach, a modern day troubadour and inspirational speaker. He lives with his partner and daughter in Marin, California and loves presenting at conferences, giving talks, concerts and workshops.  In his phone counseling practice, he is a relationship specialist, helping both individuals and couples enjoy more conscious relationships. You can visit www.scottsongs.com <http://www.scottsongs.com> to read more about his work, to hear his talks or to sample songs from his nine CD’s. Send him an email to receive writings like this one on a semi-occasional basis.
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Get one hour of F.R.E.E. Coaching on Goal-Setting

If you missed the F.R.E.E. Tele-class I did with Lifestyle and Design Coach Sue Koch on January 20, there’s still time to hear the replay!  Go to this link, and listen to the streaming audio near the bottom of the page: http://myjanuaryjumpstart.com 

We hope once you hear this very valuable information showing you how to set the RIGHT goals for yourself – High Quality Goals – you will want to actually SET and FULFILL them in 2010!  

Our upcoming four-part Tele-seminar, Resolution Breakthrough: Designing Your Fresh Start for 2010, which begins at 6pm PST on Wednesday February 3, is 100% GUARANTEED to do just that! If you aren’t in action on your #1 Big Goal for 2010 by the end of February, we will give you your money back, no questions asked!  So what have you got to lose? 

Go to the replay NOW and learn the secrets to avoiding resolution resignation in 2010.  If you do it by 12 midnight this Wednesday, you can get $50 OFF the registration price for the Tele-seminar, so don’t delay!  

Your questions and comments are always welcome!  Please contact me at: caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com

 

 

Make This Your Year to Prosper – Blog 83

Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes, but no plans. – Peter F. Drucker 

In the last blog, we looked at the importance of completing your old year before you can create your new year.  Once you have laid to rest your coulda-woulda-shoulda’s, any lingering resentments, incompletions and regrets over what did or didn’t happen for you last year, you will be ready to create a whole NEW year to be just the way you want it to be.   

Of course, 2009 was an unusually challenging year by anybody’s standards.  While many of my dreams were delivered, I can’t say it turned out the way I had envisioned in every area of my life.  Nevertheless, as I re-read what I set out to create, I see that despite some difficult outer circumstances, much of what I truly wanted did come true.  And what turned out differently than I had hoped, I know will ultimately bring me my Highest Good because that’s the way the Universe works!  

(By the way, if you haven’t yet requested the “Relfections Exercise” that my coaching colleage, Sue Koch, and I designed to help you powerfully complete 2009 and create the mental and emotional space for a year of new manifestations, please register for our F.R.E.E. 60-minute tele-class that will help you better understand how to use this powerful tool.  See the end of the blog for more details.) 

Once you have gotten complete with the old, you are ready for a brand new year of creating your life to be just the way YOU want it to be!  Every January, I ask my coaching clients to do an exercise that I want to share with you now. It is a very effective technique for creating your year on your own terms, rather than waiting anxiously to see how it all “turns out.” You can ASK for what you want – and GET it! 

This fun exercise is called CREATING YOUR YEAR.  I’ve been doing this myself for the past six years and the results have been truly amazing.  Almost everything I set out to create in each of those years actually happened, including declaring at the start of 2006 that I would be engaged by the end of the year – despite not having any prospects for a date, let alone a husband.  And did I mention that I was 53 at the time?  And twice divorced? Yes, that was a pretty bold declaration.  But it worked. With this process, it usually does. 

Declaring in January 2006 that I would be engaged by the end of the year spurred me to get off the fence and take ACTION. So, at a friend’s urging, I registered on the relationship website, eHarmony. Within two weeks, I was “matched” for compatibility with a handsome widower by the name of Rick Schwartz.  We corresponded for a few weeks by email, had our first “meet date” at the beginning of March and were engaged by September 2006.  We got married the following May in a lovely wedding and reception with all our friends and family present. This January finds us still crazy about each other, nearly four years after our “meet date.” 

So how does this amazing dreams-come-true process actually work? 

STEP ONE: Create a “theme” for the year. How you would like to have this year show up for YOUR life?  Make it catchy so you can remember it on a daily basis.

My past themes have been:

2005: Living as Cleopatra. 2006: The Year of Effortless Abundance and Nurturing. 2007: The Year of Miraculous Manifesting. 2008: The Year of Fabulous Fulfillment. 2009:The Year of Dreams Delivered. And I am declaring that 2010 is going to be “The Year of the Miraculous Comeback” …for the whole WORLD, I hope!  

STEP TWO: Create a list of attributes to describe how YOU want to show up for the world in 2010. State it in the present tense, as though it’s ALREADY a fact, and it soon will be: 

In 2010, I am: A Messenger of Prosperity and Hope: Irresistible, Confident, Creative, Peaceful, Joyous, Patient, Humble, A Good Listener, Loving and Giving.  I attract effortlessly WHO I AM and everything I want! 

By declaring who you are in writing, you will actually see yourself begin to become this person. And these qualities and attributes will attract to you “who you are” and “everything you want.”  As the Law of Attraction, states, “Energy attracts like energy.”  Whatever you cultivate in yourself will show up in others who will be attracted to you – in business, in friendship, in relationship — you name it.  

STEP THREE: List the main areas of life that are important to you.  Then simply state what you intend to have show up in each area in 2010.  No, you don’t have to know HOW you are going to get it.  Each item is simply a declaration to the Universe that this is what you WANT – stated in the present tense, as thought it’s already happened. 

 It’s up to the Universe to show you the “How.” It’s your job to listen for the direction and then take ACTION.  That’s what I did when I joined eHarmony.  I took an appropriate action step, based on what I declared that I wanted.  I had no way of knowing whether it was going to turn out to be the perfect action. I just knew I had to try. There are no guarantees. But if you stay open and receptive to the Universe sending you an inspired idea through your own imagination or a helpful suggestion from another person, it is quite likely to eventually produce great results. 

Here are examples from three of my own key areas of life of what I have asked the Universe to manifest for me this year:

Beauty/Well-Being:  I am at my ideal weight, confident in my appearance, strong, fit and healthy.  I enjoy regular exercise and healthy eating.  I maintain my fitness with EASE and honor my worth with adequate sleep and regular self-care. 

Career: I am a full-time, in-demand coach who loves her work.  I enjoy working from home, speaking, writing and giving tele-seminars.  I am building a thriving career as a True Purpose Coach and Practical Prosperity Coach.  I gain recognition as The Practical Prosperity Coach and help thousands of people create the life of their dreams.  The right people are drawn to me effortlessly. 

Balance: Rick and I take time each week to play, relax and spend lots of quality time together.  This rejuvenates me and I stay young and have great energy and focus for my work.  I coach 4 ½ days a week and 3 weeks a month.  The rest of the time, we play, travel and handle our paperwork, marketing and accounting in a timely manner.  Our life together is full of EASE and ORDER.  I take time each day to exercise, pray, relax, read good books and have quiet time for myself. 

You get the idea.  The other areas of life in which I am creating what I want for 2010 are Love, Finances, Home, Giving Back, Spiritual Fulfillment and Loved Ones.  

What matters most to YOU right now?  Believe that you can create your 2010 YOUR way in each of those areas and it WILL show up for you. 

What it takes is reading your Year Creation list on a regular basis – at least weekly. And, most importantly, you must express GRATITUDE for all of it in advance, because that demonstrates your belief that the Universe really IS going to deliver it. The more you can truly feel the emotion of gratitude for what you know is on its way, the sooner it will arrive. That’s the Law of Attraction in action! 

So don’t delay! The Best Year of your life to date is just waiting for you to create it.

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 Get a F.R.E.E. “JANUARY JUMP START”

This month, Coach Sue Koch and I will present a F.R.E.E. tele-class entitled January Jump Start: Creating Goals that Matter.  In one powerful hour, we will show you how to wipe the slate clean and get a Fresh Start on your new year!  

Don’t miss this opportunity, if you are ready to…

• Clean out the “junk drawer” of the past year to make room for exhilarating new possibilities
• Discover the biggest resolution mistakes and how to eliminate them forever
• Learn the secret to making your New Year’s resolutions turn out successfully – with ease
• Crash through the roadblocks to success once and for all
• Find out how to make your dreams come true and have FUN doing it! 

Please join us on Wednesday, January 20 at 6pm Pacific for this invaluable F.R.E.E. information to help you make 2010 the BEST year of your life yet!

A special invitation will be sent to you shortly with a link to register for this class at NO charge.  As soon as you have registered, we will send you the Reflections Exercise and the call-in information.  Even if you can’t be with us live, be sure to register and you will be sent the Reflections Exercise and a replay link for the call.  

NOTE: Because I am co-leading this special class, I have postponed the first Create Prosperity Now tele-class of 2010 until the last week of February.  Please email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com to receive future call invitations and replay links.

 

A New Window on Prosperity – Blog 82

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson 

Happy New Year!  Happy New Decade!! Doesn’t it feel great to have the challenges of 2009 safely behind you and a clean slate before you for creating a new, more abundant life?  It sure feels that way to me.  

More on my own clean slate in a minute, but first I want to acknowledge that I had planned to write a different blog this week.  My plan was to share with you my template for creating your new year your way, as I did last January and the January before that. 

I changed my mind when I was given a valuable reminder by one of my accomplished coaching colleagues, Sue Koch (pronounced “coach” –how perfect is that?).  Coach Koch reminded me that it’s essential to clear out the clutter in your energetic space before attempting to put something new into it.  I’ve written about this very topic in past blogs and taught it in my Create Prosperity Now ™ tele-class.  Trying to create the life of your dreams on top of a lot of incompletions is like trying to cram a whole new wardrobe into a closet that is already jammed with last decade’s clothes you no longer wear.  

Untruths you never fessed up to, times you’ve broken your word to someone without apologizing, or the literal clutter you have allowed to pile up in your home, car or office are all forms of incompletions.  In other words, when you are not behaving in alignment with your own values, the resulting mental and physical clutter gums up the energetic “clearing” necessary for the Universe to be able to deliver what you ask it for. 

The bottom line: You can’t begin to create your 2010 your way until you have completed 2009 for yourself – mentally, emotionally and physically.  The most effective way to begin the completion process is to answer a series of questions that will cause you to think back over 2009 and identify the major things that you accomplished, failed to accomplish, are proud of yourself for, and not so proud of yourself for, need to apologize to someone for and need to let go of in order to complete the past and open an energetic “clearing” for all the good things you intend to create for yourself starting NOW. 

Back to me and my feelings about the year just ended.  For my family and me, 2009 was exactly like the opening line of Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities: It was both “the best of times” AND “the worst of times.”  

The “worst” of times: Some things we had planned didn’t go the way we’d hoped, particularly in the area of finances.  Through no fault of his own, my realtor husband found his income severely cut almost overnight when the U.S. housing bubble burst. We were hoping for a quick recovery; instead, nearly all his clients who had been planning to buy their very first home, invest in a second home, or move up to a bigger home found themselves either without a job or scared they might soon lose it.  

After having invested heavily in remodeling the new home we bought together in 2006, while holding onto Rick’s smaller home as a rental income property — which we planned to move back to when Rick’s son Matthew was out of college — we found ourselves facing a growing stack of bills, as our household income was cut dramatically.  Eventually, we came to the realization that we simply couldn’t keep piling up debt, when we owed far more on both homes than either was now worth. So, with some regret but also much gratitude and relief, we are now packing and preparing to move back to our smaller home a few years ahead of schedule. Rick helped our renters find a lovely new place at the same price, and we are sleeping much sounder these days, as we watch our debt diminish and learn the joys of cutting up credit cards and paying as we go!  

The “best” of times: Well, just about all the rest of our life is the “best.” Almost four years after we met on e-Harmony, Rick and I are still crazy about each other and enjoying a very happy family life with Matthew, who turns 19 in February. Matt continues to grow into a wonderful young man with a good head on his shoulders, who is excitedly pursuing his dream of a career in law enforcement.  

Our health is also excellent.  Just ask someone who has struggled with health problems or watched a loved one suffer or pass away, and they will certainly tell you that good health really IS everything.  We are profoundly grateful to be a happy, healthy family who are each doing exactly what we want to do with our lives. 

In fact, Rick and I are both doing well in our careers by focusing on being of service to others in ways that fulfill us.  When the real estate market took a dive, Rick found a second job selling flooring, which greatly benefited our finances. Not only does he enjoy driving around Southern California, meeting new people and helping them beautify their homes, but he has also gained several new real estate clients as he measured their rooms for carpet. Talk about a silver lining! We never imagined his part-time job would turn out to be a great source of referrals for his real estate business. 

My coaching continues to be a joy and I have had the privilege of helping scores of people make their dreams a reality in 2009.  If you didn’t catch the Create Prosperity Now ™ tele-class for December, you must email me for the replay link!  The true stories I shared on that call about my clients’ triumphs in using the Law of Attraction to manifest new homes, new careers, new romances and new financial prosperity will inspire you to create your own amazingly abundant life, I guarantee it! 

While we’re on the subject of completion, I also want to update you on a story I shared in blog number 72, Make the Leap, about my newlywed young relative who was unjustly accused of stealing merchandise from the retail store where he worked. On the flimsiest of evidence, he was arrested and then quickly released, but was fired from his job anyway.  He finally reached out for temporary financial help from his family and friends when, after seven months of applying for jobs, he had found it impossible to overcome the fallout from this outrageous injustice.  Time after time, he found himself on the verge of being hired, when a routine background check would reveal the arrest (which I learned remains forever on one’s record, even after charges are dropped), after which he never heard from the prospective employer again.  

At the time I wrote that blog, I didn’t know for sure how it would all turn out for this fine young man who seemed to get such a lousy break, but now I do.  In the course of telling me the story, he also admitted something I had never known about his heart’s most purposeful desire.  He wrote, “I’ve been butting my head up against this job thing for 7 months now.  It’s interesting that four different people have told me at various times, including my wife and mother, that they’ve felt in prayer that perhaps God’s plan isn’t for me to get another job, but to throw myself into full-time ministry.  It’s tough because I know we have bills that aren’t getting paid and we can’t stay afloat on just my wife’s income, but mom said something to me the other day that struck me.  She said, ‘sometimes God’s provision doesn’t come until we fully commit.’ I’ve been waiting for God to work things out so I can be secure in going into full-time ministry, but that would require no faith, so perhaps what I am supposed to be doing is just taking the step of faith.  I would love not to have to get another regular job and just put all of myself into the ministry He has called me to and put in my heart, but it’s a big decision.” 

All I could offer him at the time was my steadfast belief that when one of life’s doors  closes, the Universe always opens up a window, and that events that first appear to be tragedies often turn out to be for our Highest Good after all.  But we must have the courage to ASK for what we really want, BELIEVE that it is possible for us to have it (even if we have no idea HOW to get it), and then step back and allow the Universe to unfold the perfect plan for delivering it to us.  And, as his mother so wisely reminded him, we have to truly commit to our stated desire before the Universe sends us the “How.” And we aren’t really committed until we are willing to ACT on our desire, even before there is any external evidence that it will turn out.  As soon as we prove our commitment by taking action, the Universe invariably sends us all kinds of wonderful resources, people, and “happy coincidences” to help us make our desire a reality.  My mentor Tim Kelley calls this phenomenon “the Universe’s matching funds program.” 

This week, I got another email from my young relative.  This time, he was asking for a different kind of financial support.  Instead of short-term assistance, he and his wife are seeking investors in their new business venture: doing event photography, videography and family portraits.  These talented amateur photographers decided to COMMIT to their dream by launching Genesis Photography.  Financial backers who help them buy some upgraded equipment will get their loans paid back quickly from the early profits of the business.  They’ve already done a few weddings and events, and he says it’s going really well.  (I’m thinking it can’t hurt to have an “in” at his church, too!) 

He found the perfect source for needed extra income in doing something he already loves to do, yet probably never would have considered as a business without the “tragedy” of being unjustly fired.  The “window” the Universe opened for him now allows him to set his own hours and income level, with plenty of time to work as the Youth Minister of his church.  

OK, back to YOU and your completions. What do you need to do to complete the past year and be ready to create some amazing opportunities for yourself this year?  Sue Koch and I have developed a “Reflections Exercise” that includes a list of specific questions designed to help you thoughtfully examine the past year and identify what went right and what didn’t go as well as you’d hoped, learn from your mistakes, celebrate your successes, and determine the areas where you want to grow and improve during next 12 months.  This completion exercise will set you up to powerfully create the next year of your life exactly the way you want it to be. 

If you would like a complimentary copy of the Reflections Exercise, just email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com and I will send it to you. Or better yet, join Sue Koch and me for a life-changing F.R.E.E. tele-class entitled January Jump Start: Creating Goals that Matter, which we have designed to show you exactly how to break through your usual “resolution resignation” to effectively SET and REACH the personal goals that will make a difference for you — not just this year, but for the rest of your life. 

The Reflections Exercise is part of the January Jump Start tele-class, along with some tried and true guidance for how to make the most of your opportunities for the New Year and far beyond! (See below for details.) 

Next blog: My template for how to create your new year YOUR way!______________________________________________________________________

Get a F.R.E.E. “JANUARY JUMP START” 

This month, Coach Sue Koch and I will present a F.R.E.E. tele-class entitled January Jump Start: Creating Goals that Matter.  In one powerful hour, we will show you how to wipe the slate clean and get a Fresh Start on your new year!  

Don’t miss this opportunity, if you are ready to…

• Clean out the “junk drawer” of the past year to make room for exhilarating new possibilities
• Discover the biggest resolution mistakes and how to eliminate them forever
• Learn the secret to making your New Year’s resolutions turn out successfully – with ease
• Crash through the roadblocks to success once and for all
• Find out how to make your dreams come true and have FUN doing it! 

Please join us on Wednesday, January 20 at 6pm Pacific for this invaluable F.R.E.E. information to help you make 2010 the BEST year of your life yet!  Just email me to register and we will send you the Reflections Exercise and the call-in information.  Even if you can’t be with us live, be sure to register and you will be sent the Reflections Exercise and a replay link for the call.  

NOTE: Because I am co-leading this special class, I have postponed the first Create Prosperity Now tele-class of 2010 until the last week of February.  Please email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com to receive future call invitations and replay links.

 

A Cup of Kindness – Blog 81

 Give the world the best you have and the best will come back to you. – Madeline Bridges 

With Christmas less than a week away, I wanted to share with you a touching reminder I recently received that generosity is a powerful force that can bring joy to your own life, as well as the lives of those to whom you give. 

It doesn’t matter whether or not you are a Christian. On December 25, all of us can find comfort and inspiration in the story of a baby born in a lowly stable who grew up to be a powerful Messenger bringing peace, love and hope to a troubled world. More than two thousand years later, the world is still troubled, yet millions worldwide continue to gain hope from His message. To express our gratitude for the miracle of His birth, we give our Christmas gifts to the people we love most and also to worthy causes that provide critical help to needy strangers.  

When we give our holiday presents, we are, of course, emulating the three Wise Men who, after traveling far to find the Christ child, honored him by bestowing the most precious gifts of that time – gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Although kings could obviously afford to give “the best,” one of our most beloved Christmas songs commemorates the delight the baby Jesus supposedly took in the simple gift of a poor child who honored Him the only way he could – by playing his drum. 

The lesson I got this week was that no act of heartfelt generosity is too small to make a difference for someone. And no expression of sincere gratitude offered in return is to be taken lightly.  Together, generosity and gratitude create a powerful energy that attracts abundance — to us and to others — no matter how difficult outer circumstances may appear. 

As is true of many of my most impactful lessons this year, this one came to me from my friend “Mitch” who is incarcerated in prison. In committing his crime, he used the Internet, automatically making it a federal offense.  As he has told me, there’s no tougher time you can do than “federal time.”  I’m often shocked and dismayed at the stories he relates to me of the conditions inmates must endure – far more serious than “overcrowding.”  The food is terrible, to the point that Mitch considers it a four-star meal when I buy him a packaged sandwich and chips from the vending machines on my monthly visit.  

This time, Mitch’s letter told me about another inmate whose need was even greater than his own and the life-changing gift Mitch was able to give him, despite his own limited means.  You see, inmates must buy ALL the necessities of daily life from the prison commissary, such as razors, soap, aspirin, boots — everything except their three awful meals a day, bedding and uniforms.  Yet, while these items cost just as much as they do at your neighborhood grocery store, the wages inmates make from their prison jobs such as carpentry, laundry, food preparation, etc., are miniscule.  Some men make only $5 a month.  So, if an inmate doesn’t have friends or family to send them additional funds, they are pretty much relegated to living like someone in a Third-World country.  

Mitch is very grateful to have the financial and emotional support of friends and family, who know him to be a kind, loving and intelligent young man who made a very stupid mistake, took responsibility for what he did, and is now trying to live the best life he can and help those around him as much as he can for the duration of his sentence. He is also a trained Life Coach, which helps him enormously with managing his emotions and attitude. He also has the tremendous incentive of a loving fiancé and adorable two-year-old child who visit him regularly and are counting the remaining months until Mitch can rejoin them. 

Many inmates, of course, are not as lucky as Mitch, having neither emotional nor financial support from anyone on the outside.  Their belief that nobody cares about them has made them bitter and cynical and often hair-trigger dangerous.  But there are a number of others, like Mitch, who are trying hard to stay positive and just do their time with as little suffering as possible until they can regain their freedom.  

Mitch wrote me last week about the big impact that his small act of generosity had on one of these inmates.  He has given me permission to share it with you: 

“Tonight is commissary night and people are milling about, waiting to get called.  I join a group who were complaining about conditions. One guy is saying he shopped already, but at a Grade IV ($17 per month) pay level, he only as $1 left.  He is frustrated because what he earns is all he gets here.  

Someone mentions in our group that a new 22-ounce size plastic cup with a handle is for sale.  This is a big deal.  Unfortunately, he doesn’t have one because they are too expensive.  Then I remember that I have an extra cup.  It’s older, not in great shape.  It was given to me before I bought a larger one.  

This guy goes on to say he currently uses a peanut jar to drink his coffee in the morning.  This is the universal ‘cup’ of federal prison.  Someone else recommended using the jelly container, which he jokingly called his ‘jelly coffee.’  I remember using peanut jars and they’re awful.  First, you have got to eat salty peanuts for over a week.  Then, you wash it out.  When you drink out of it, it dribbles all over because of the large diameter opening. 

I offer the guy my old cup and he says, “OK!”  I run back and give it to him.  His face LIGHTS UP – I’ve never seen someone so excited!  It’s like in coaching when you ask someone to change their body posture to see how it changes the way they feel.  This guy stands tall and says, ‘I don’t care about (whatever the group had been complaining about) – I have a CUP!’  It’s an absurd sentence, if you are on the outside. To you, the equivalent would be if I handed you a $50 bill for no reason.  

I found out he won’t be going home any time soon.  He ‘broke off a 20 piece,’ as they say – a 20-year sentence.  So that cup found a permanent home and I made a difference.  I walked away saying to myself, ‘It was only a cup.’  But to someone who can’t afford a cup I gave him the key to the city, so to speak.” 

The impact on that man’s life – both physically and emotionally — from Mitch’s simple “cup of kindness” is proof to me that the little drummer boy makes just as important a contribution to the world as the wisest king.  It’s not the size of your gift that matters to someone; it’s your generosity of spirit that transforms their world. 

In closing, I want to pass along a poem that my minister shared with us last Sunday about how your simple acts of generosity can create more abundance in your own life: 

It is More Blessed to Give

By Helen Steiner Rice 

The more you give, the more you get.

The more you laugh, the less you fret.

The more you do unselfishly, the more you live abundantly.

The more of everything you share, the more you’ll always have to spare.

The more you love, the more you’ll find

That life is good and friends are kind.

For only what we give away enriches us from day to day.

 I wish you and your loved ones a peaceful, healthy and very prosperous Holiday Season and New Year!  I will speak with you again on January 4 about how you can create your 2010 to be everything you want it to be!________________________________________________________________________________________

TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR MY SPECIAL HOLIDAY DEAL! 

Between now and midnight PST on Wednesday, December 23, all you have to do is email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com to schedule an absolutely F.R.E.E., no obligation consultation to discuss how YOU can manifest exactly what you have been longing for –and have it become real in your life before the New Year is even a month old!  

And, as my special Holiday gift, you will get your heart’s desire fulfilled at a VERY special price!  If you decide to do Practical Prosperity Coaching ©, you will receive a discount of $275 OFF the regular price of private coaching!  That’s an amazing deal that won’t be offered for another 12 months, so don’t delay.  

Remaining consultation slots are very limited, and it’s first-come, first-served to schedule with me. Don’t risk disappointment – email me TODAY at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com ! (This offer is also explained in more detail on the December 2 Create Prosperity Now Tele-class replay.)

F.R.E.E. Prosperity Coaching 

In the last of my 2009 F.R.E.E. monthly Create Prosperity Now Tele-classes, held on December 2, I shared the inspiring true-life stories of four of my Practical Prosperity Coaching © clients.  All four had jaw-dropping results in manifesting their dreams, despite the many doom and gloom predictions we’ve all been bombarded with this year.  Simply by putting the Law of Attraction into action, regular people just like you were able to create the perfect career, an amazing romantic relationship, an “impossible” new home and LOTS of money against very long odds.   

If you missed the live class and want to hear the replay, this and all previous audios are still available for download to listen to at your convenience. This year-long series of 60-minute live classes was created to teach you exactly how to put the Law of Attraction into action in your own life, so take advantage of this wealth of F.R. E. E. prosperity information!  

And be sure to mark your 2010 calendar now to join us on Wednesday, January 27 for the first Create Prosperity Now tele-class of the new decade!  Don’t wait another year to have the prosperity you want and deserve – tune in and learn the useful secrets that I have to share with you! 

Please email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com to receive future call invitations and replay links.

 

Learn to be Lucky Part II – Blog 80

“I don’t know anything about luck.  I’ve never banked on it, and I’m afraid of people who do.  Luck to me is something else; hard work and realizing what is opportunity and what isn’t.” – Arnold Bennett 

“Well, Punk, do you feel lucky?”  — Dirty Harry 

In last week’s blog, I shared with you part of the fascinating psychological explanation given by Dr. Richard Wiseman for why some people appear to be inherently “lucky,” while others seem to be constantly plagued with one bad break after another. What some call “luck” is actually a learned behavior, and therefore you can learn to be lucky! 

Dr. Richard Wiseman, you will recall, is the psychologist at the University of Hertforshire in England who created a study he called The Luck Project, in which he scientifically explored why some people seem to live such charmed lives. His aim was to develop techniques to enable others to enhance their own good fortune. The main findings from his research have been published in Prof. Wiseman’s book The Luck Factor.  What follows is the final excerpt from a short paper he published on the Internet in 2003 in which he explained the key concepts of his findings.  

In the second half, I also quote Dr. Wiseman’s words verbatim, although I use American spellings, have re-formatted the text for clarity, and added my own bolding for emphasis: 

“My research revealed that lucky people generate good fortune via four basic principles:

1) They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities

2) They make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition

3) They create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations

4) They adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good. 

I wondered whether these four principles could be used to increase the amount of good luck that people encounter in their lives.  To find out, I created a ‘luck school’ – a simple experiment that examined whether people’s luck can be enhanced by getting them to think and behave like a lucky person.

 I asked a group of lucky and unlucky volunteers to spend a month carrying out exercises designed to help them think and behave like a lucky person.  These exercises helped them spot chance opportunities, listen to their intuition, expect to be lucky, and be more resilient to bad luck. 

One month later, the volunteers returned and described what had happened.  The results were dramatic: 80 percent of people were now happier, more satisfied with their lives and, perhaps most important of all, luckier.  While lucky people became luckier, the unlucky had become lucky.  Take Carolyn, whom I introduced at the start of this article. [See Blog 79 for details].  After graduating from ‘luck school,’ she had passed her driving test after three years of trying, was no longer accident-prone and became more confident. 

In the wake of these studies, I think there are three easy techniques that can help to maximize good fortune: 

1)     Unlucky people often fail to follow their intuition when making a choice, whereas lucky people tend to respect hunches.  Lucky people are interested in how they both think and feel about the various options, rather than simply looking at the rationale side of the situation.  I think this helps them because gut feelings act as an alarm bell – a reason to consider a decision carefully.

2)     Unlucky people tend to be creatures of routine.  They tend to take the same route to and from work and talk to the same types of people at parties.  In contrast, many lucky people try to introduce variety into their lives.  For example, one person described how he thought of a color before arriving at a party and then introduced himself to people wearing that color.  This kind of behavior boosts the likelihood of chance opportunities by introducing variety.

3)     Lucky people tend to see the positive side of their ill fortune.  They imagine how things could have been worse.  In one interview, a lucky volunteer arrived with his leg in a plaster cast and described how he had fallen down a flight of stairs.  I asked him whether he still felt lucky and he cheerfully explained that he felt luckier than before.  As he pointed out, he could have broken his neck.” 

There you have it:  Some very interesting science-based observations to help us understand what “luck” really is.  Far from being the result of blind chance or the Universe favoring one person over another, what really causes “lucky” people to get all the “good breaks” stems from a few logical, easily-learned techniques. 

Dr. Wiseman’s explanation also helps me better understand the reason for the amazing success record of the simple system I have developed to help my Practical Prosperity Coaching © clients create something they deeply desire, based on the Law of Attraction’s three simple steps for manifesting: 

1)     ASK for what you want, clearly and specifically.

2)     BELIEVE that it is possible, and don’t worry about HOW it will come to you.

3)     Be willing to RECEIVE it when it comes, and it often comes in unexpected “packages” at unexpected times. 

I always explain to my clients that when they adhere to these steps, they are opening themselves up to receiving new, synergistic, easy and elegant answers to how to fulfill their Intention.  But they must stop blindly following their habitual, ROUTINE way of thinking and acting, and begin consciously opening their minds up to brand new possibilities.  They must turn on their manifesting radar and tune into their inner wisdom and intuition in order to receive the messages the Universe is trying to send them about HOW they can most easily and effortlessly fulfill their Intention. People who are stuck in a mental “rut” cannot pick up these subtle messages that can come from their own intuition speaking quietly to them, or even a stranger they meet by seemingly “random chance.” 

For a long time, a client of mine had been seeking an exciting and financially rewarding career or business opportunity, but with “ no luck.”  As a result, he had fallen into quite a rut of daily routine, doing minimal work that paid the bills but didn’t excite or fulfill him. One of the few things that got him off the couch was socializing with his wide network of friends. A couple of months ago, he attended a friend’s party, where he struck up a conversation with a stranger. 

As they chatted about the gentleman’s very upscale, unusual business, my client gradually realized that he himself possessed exactly the unique combination of bi-lingual language skills, intimate cultural understanding and personal contacts that this businessman needed to introduce his product to China — a huge potential market, but one fraught with peril for Westerners who do not understand the language and customs. And China is virtually impenetrable without a friendly personal contact to help one navigate its complex political and social system. 

My client pursued the project, and just returned from a trip to China with the businessman to begin exploring the possibilities of introducing his unique product there. If the deal goes through, my client stands to make a lot of money, but even more important to him, he is enjoying using his unique skill set and loves the challenge of the project. When my client went to that party, business was the last thing on his mind, but he created his own “luck” when he seized an unexpected opportunity that suddenly presented itself. 

People who are open and receptive and willing to set aside their preconceived notions of exactly how and when  their desire should come to them are often very pleasantly surprised by the “lucky breaks” and “happy coincidences” that seem to befall them as soon as they simply focus on their Intention, believe that it will come at the perfect time, and leave the “How” to the Universe. 

The last point Dr. Wiseman makes about how lucky people tend to reframe apparent setbacks, is also a very important tip for manifesting your desires.  Because the Law of Attraction tells us that “energy attracts like energy,” people who moan and complain about every temporary setback — taking it as yet another sign that they are cursed with bad luck — are actually creating a self-fulfilling prophesy. Their own negative thoughts and emotions send a negative energy out into the world that inevitably finds its match in other negative people and difficult circumstances and attracts those to them. When more “bad luck” follows, it only makes these “unlucky” people even more certain that they are, indeed, cursed with bad luck.  Fortunately for “lucky” people, this vicious cycle is easily broken, simply by looking for a positive aspect or necessary life lesson inside of every life circumstance, which sends out a positive energy that soon attracts positive people and circumstances that assist them in reaching their goals. 

So, you see, you CAN learn to be “lucky”… Just like getting to Carnegie Hall, all it takes is practice! 

If you want to learn more about Dr. Wiseman’s work, check out hi s website: http://www.psy.herts.ac.uk/wiseman/research/luckfactor.html 

___________________________________________________________________

 LIMITED TIME SPECIAL HOLIDAY DEAL 

This might be YOUR “lucky day”! Between now and midnight PST on Wednesday, December 23, all you have to do is email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com to schedule an absolutely F.R.E.E., no obligation consultation to discuss how YOU can manifest exactly what you have been longing for –and have it become real in your life before the New Year is even a month old!  

And, as my special Holiday gift, you will get your heart’s desire fulfilled at a very special price!  If you decide to do Practical Prosperity Coaching ©, you will receive a discount of $275 OFF the regular price of private coaching!  That’s an amazing deal that won’t be offered for another 12 months, so don’t delay.  

Remaining consultation slots are very limited, and it’s first-come, first-served to schedule with me. Don’t risk disappointment – email me TODAY at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com ! (This offer is also explained in more detail on the December 2 Prosperity call replay.)

F.R.E.E. Prosperity Coaching 

In the last of my 2009 F.R.E.E. monthly Create Prosperity Now Tele-classes, held on December 2, I shared the inspiring true-life stories of four of my Practical Prosperity Coaching © clients.  All four had jaw-dropping results in manifesting their dreams, despite the many doom and gloom predictions we’ve all been bombarded with this year.  Simply by putting the Law of Attraction into action, regular people just like you were able to create the perfect career, an amazing romantic relationship, an “impossible” new home and LOTS of money against very long odds.   

If you missed the live class and want to hear the replay, this and all previous audios are still available for download to listen to at your convenience. This year-long series of 60-minute live classes was created to teach you exactly how to put the Law of Attraction into action in your own life, so take advantage of this wealth of F.R. E. E. prosperity information!  

And be sure to mark your calendar now to join us on Wednesday, January 27 for the first Create Prosperity Now tele-class of 2010.  Don’t wait another year to have the prosperity you want and deserve – tune in and learn the useful secrets that I have to share with you! 

Please email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com to receive future call invitations and replay links.

 

Learn to be Lucky – Blog 79

“The world is your mirror and your mind is a magnet.  What you perceive in this world is largely a reflection of your own attitudes and beliefs.  Life will give you what you attract with your thoughts; act and talk negatively and your world will be negative.  Think and act and talk with enthusiasm and you will attract positive results.”  — Michael LeBeuf 

Do you consider yourself to be generally “lucky” or “unlucky”? 

Having been a longtime student of the power of positive thinking and especially of the Law of Attraction, I have come to the conclusion that our thoughts and beliefs have a powerful influence on whether or not life unfolds smoothly and successfully for us.  And I definitely believe that we create our own good outcomes, which sometimes might be interpreted by others as just random “lucky breaks.” 

Recently, one of my coaching clients shared with me a fascinating psychological explanation for why some people appear to be inherently “lucky,” while others seem to be constantly plagued with one “bad break” after another in life.  I wanted to share it with you because I believe it gives objective, rational support for the view that “luck” does not come from mere random chance. According to a fairly large and long-term research study, “good luck” actually stems from the consistent ways in which some people think and behave that logically cause the positive outcomes they experience.  What some call “luck” is actually a learned behavior, and therefore you can learn to be lucky! 

Dr. Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at the University of Hertforshire in England, created a study he called The Luck Project, in which he scientifically explored why some people seem to live such charmed lives, with the aim of developing techniques to enable others to enhance their own good fortune. The main findings from this research have been published in Prof. Wiseman’s book The Luck Factor.  What follows are excerpts from a short paper he published on the Internet in 2003 in which he explained the key concepts of his findings.  

I quote Dr. Wiseman’s words verbatim from the Internet, although I did use American spellings, and added my own bolding for emphasis: 

“A decade ago, I set out to investigate luck.  I wanted to examine the impact on people’s lives of chance opportunities, lucky breaks and being in the right place at the right time.  After many experiments, I believe that I now understand why some people are luckier than others and that it is possible to become luckier. 

To launch my study, I placed advertisements in national newspapers and magazines, asking for people who felt consistently lucky or unlucky to contact me.  Over the years, 400 extraordinary men and women volunteered for my research from all walks of life: the youngest is an 18-year-old student, the oldest an 84-year-old retired accountant. 

Jessica, a 42-year-old forensic scientist, is typical of the lucky group.  As she explained: ‘I have my dream job, two wonderful children and a great guy whom I love very much.  It’s amazing when I look back at my life, I realize I have been lucky in just about every area.” 

In contrast, Carolyn, a 34-year-old care assistant, is typical of the unlucky group.  She is accident-prone.  In one week, she twisted her ankle in a pothole, injured her back in another fall and reversed her car into a tree during a driving lesson.  She was also unlucky in love and felt she was always in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Over the years, I interviewed these volunteers, asked them to complete diaries, questionnaires and intelligence tests, and invited them to participate in experiments.  The findings have revealed that although unlucky people have almost no insight into the real causes of their good and bad luck, their thoughts and behavior are responsible for much of their fortune. 

Take the case of chance opportunities.  Lucky people consistently encounter such opportunities, whereas unlucky people do not.  I carried out a simple experiment to discover whether this was due to differences in their ability to spot such opportunities. 

I gave both lucky and unlucky people a newspaper, and asked them to look through it and tell me how many photographs were inside.  On average, the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs, whereas the lucky people took just seconds.  Why? Because the second page of the newspaper contained the message: ‘Stop counting.  There are 43 photographs in this newspaper.’  This message took up half of the page and was written in type that was more than 2 inches high.  It was staring everyone straight in the face, but the unlucky people tended to miss it and the lucky people tended to spot it. 

For fun, I placed a second large message halfway through the newspaper: ‘Stop counting.  Tell the experimenter you have seen this and win [$500].   Again the unlucky, people missed the opportunity because they were still too busy looking for photographs. 

Personality tests revealed that unlucky people are generally much more tense than lucky people, and research has shown that anxiety disrupts people’s ability to notice the unexpected.  In one experiment, people were asked to watch a moving dot in the center of a computer screen.  Without warning, large dots would occasionally be flashed at the edges of the screen.  Nearly all participants noticed these large dots. 

The experiment was then repeated with a second group of people, who were offered a large financial reward for accurately watching the center dot, creating more anxiety.  They became focused on the center dot and more than a third of them missed the large dots when they appeared on the screen.  The harder they looked, the less they saw. 

And so it is with luck – unlucky people miss chance opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else.  They go to parties intent on finding their perfect partner and so miss opportunities to make good friends.  They look through newspapers determined to find certain types of job advertisements and as a result miss other types of jobs.   Lucky people are more related and open, and therefore see what is there rather than just what they are looking for.” 

I got very excited when I read this part of Dr. Wiseman’s explanation as to why some people seem to get the “lucky breaks,” because I realized that this is the driving force behind a key concept that I teach in my Practical Prosperity Coaching© system.  As you have heard me say before, you must begin the manifesting process using the Law of Attraction by ASKING for exactly what you want, clearly and specifically.  But the next step is often very difficult for many people: After you ask for it, you must then RELEASE your Intention and allow the creative force of the Universe to come up with the best possible means for delivering it, which I call the HOW. 

I have witnessed over 150 of my clients succeed in manifesting their heart’s desire, often 30 days or less, when they follow this precept, and now I know why.  Dr. Wiseman would say it is because they are being “related and open” to the Universe, rather than scared and attached to focusing on what they already know to do and where they think the answer will be found.  

I always tell my Practical Prosperity Coaching© clients: If you already knew the perfect means for manifesting your Intention, you would already have it.  So give up being attached to your own ideas of how it will come, and instead be open and receptive to any NEW possibility that your intuition suddenly pops into your own mind, as well as to information brought to you by someone else.  Chase every seeming “happy coincidence” that crosses your path, and don’t prejudge ANY potential means for manifesting your desire – no matter how unconventional or far-fetched it may seem to you — without fully investigating it.  It just might be the very How that the Universe has chosen to easily and elegantly manifest what you ASKED it to bring you.  

I believe that ALL of our requests are eventually answered by the Universe (provided they are for our Highest Good), but we sometimes miss the signals and then complain that the Universe didn’t help us.  It responded with something we weren’t expecting and so we were blind to it, just like the “unlucky” people in Dr. Wiseman’s experiment who missed all the “big dots” because they were focusing on one “little dot,” which represents their own pre-determined and very limited approach to fulfilling their need or desire. 

Next week, I will share the fascinating outcome of Dr. Wiseman’s study — his finding that  “…lucky people generate good fortune via four basic principles” and the three easy techniques he developed that can help you to maximize your good fortune.  Stay tuned!

If you want to learn more about Dr. Wiseman’s work in the meantime, check out http://www.psy.herts.ac.uk/wiseman/research/luckfactor.html

___________________________________________________________________

 F.R.E.E. Prosperity Coaching 

In the last of my 2009 F.R.E.E. monthly Create Prosperity Now Tele-classes, held on December 2, I shared the inspiring true-life stories of four of my Practical Prosperity Coaching © clients.  All four had jaw-dropping results in manifesting their dreams, despite the many doom and gloom predictions we’ve all been bombarded with this year.  Simply by putting the Law of Attraction into action, regular people just like you were able to create the perfect career, an amazing romantic relationship, an “impossible” new home and LOTS of money very quickly, against apparently long odds.   

If you missed the live class and want to hear the replay, this and all previous audios are still available for download to listen to at your convenience. My year-long series of 60-minute live classes was created to teach you exactly how to put the Law of Attraction into action in your own life, so take advantage of the wealth of prosperity information it provides at no cost whatsoever!  

And be sure to mark your calendar now to join us on Wednesday, January 27 for the first Create Prosperity Now tele-class of 2010.  Don’t let another year go by without experiencing the abundance of prosperity you want and deserve – tune in and learn the useful secrets that I have to share with you! 

EXTRA-SPECIAL HOLIDAY DEAL 

Between now and midnight PST on Wednesday, December 23, all you have to do is email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com to schedule an absolutely F.R.E.E., no obligation phone consultation to discuss how YOU can manifest exactly what  you have been longing for –and have it become real in your life before the New Year is even a month old! 

And, as my special Holiday gift, you will get your heart’s desire fulfilled at a very special price!  If you decide to do Practical Prosperity Coaching ©, you will receive a discount of $275 OFF the regular price of private coaching. This amazing deal won’t be offered for at least another 12 months, so don’t delay!

NOTE: Remaining consultation slots are very limited, and it’s first-come, first-served, so don’t risk disappointment – email me TODAY at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com to schedule a time to talk. (This offer is also explained in detail on the December 2 Prosperity call replay.) 

Please email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com to receive future call invitations and replay links.

 

Gratitude Brings More Good – Blog 78

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” – Cicero 

This Thanksgiving week provides us with an opportunity to step away from our concerns, worries and uncertainty about the future and focus on the good we have in the NOW.  

This Thursday, those of us living in the United States will gather with our loved ones to celebrate with a feast of GRATITUDE that focuses on all the GOOD already in our lives, instead of on whatever we think we lack.  Of course, this is exactly what we should be doing every day, if we want to live a life filled with abundance and joy.   

Now is the perfect time to pause and thank the Universe for our GOOD, which opens the way for even MORE good to come to us!  I offer up this past blog as a gentle reminder that we all have much, much more to be grateful for than we ever take the time to acknowledge:

It seems counterintuitive, but the truth is that when your circumstances have you gripped by fear or worry or anger – when your world seems anything but abundant and joyful – the most important thing you can do to change your outer circumstances is to start thinking about all that you have to be GRATEFUL for. 

Gratitude has been acknowledged by every Master of Manifestation I have studied for the past two decades to be one of the most powerful forces for igniting the Law of Attraction to bring you what you desire.  If you can’t be grateful for what you already have — however little that may appear to be at the moment — there is no way the Universe is going to send you more good stuff. What it WILL send you is more circumstances that are a perfect match for the negative energy you are sending out into the world.  

What you focus on expands.  Thoughts become things.  Like attracts like. These classic affirmations express accurately how the Law of Attraction works.  You can’t attract more of what you want into your life until your thoughts and emotions become a vibrational match for what you desire.  Being grateful for the good that is already present in your life is the quickest way I know of to put your emotional energy into positive alignment with your new desire. 

At least once in our coaching relationship, virtually all of my clients come to our coaching session in the grip of a negative emotion they feel powerless to release. Often it is the fear of what could happen to them if their outer circumstances don’t change soon.  Many of them are self-employed and the economy seems to be beating them up badly right now.  They don’t know where their next mortgage payment is coming from.  What I know as their coach is that if they remain focused on their fear of what might happen — feeding powerful energy to that negative possibility — they are dramatically upping the odds that the very thing they fear WILL come about. 

The fastest, most effective way I have found to help my clients shift their focus off of their negative circumstances and onto the positive outcome they desire is to give them this simple assignment: “List 50 things you are grateful for in your life and email me the list.”  Could be that you had a good cup of coffee this morning or your phone bill was smaller than expected or you are enjoying the beautiful weather – it can be anything.  Just find something you can honestly say you feel grateful for and write it down. 

Once they start, they rarely stop at 50.  They are feeling so good by then, they just keep going.  Universally, they tell me that writing down what they are grateful for shifts their belief about what is possible for them.  When they acknowledge how much good they already have in their lives — their loved ones, their warm home, enough to eat, good health, clients who appreciate them, etc. – it makes them believe that even more good is possible for them. And without BELIEF, nothing is possible. So, even when nothing has changed in their outer circumstances, simply by shifting their attitude, they have taken the most important first step in making their “long-shot” desire a reality. 

If you want more good things to come into your life, I highly recommend keeping a daily Gratitude Journal.  I start each morning listing 10 things I am grateful for in my life that day.  (My husband Rick is always first on the list, and my perfect health is always second.  Both are irreplaceable, so I make sure to express my gratitude to the Source that sent them to me every day.)  

Writing down my big and little appreciations also reminds me daily that the life I live as a middle-class American makes me look like royalty to most of the rest of the world.  It reminds me there are people on this planet who miraculously manage to survive for a year on what I make in a week.  There are individuals who cannot walk or hear or see but who manage to find joy in living.  There are growing numbers of people whose lives and finances have been decimated by the fight to keep someone they love alive for one more day, only to lose the fight in the end and have to go on living without them — somehow.  There are gentle souls who are persecuted daily for their skin color, gender, tribal affiliation, sexual orientation, or religion, yet manage to live lives full of dignity and quiet courage. 

So what could I possibly find to complain about???  My life is charmed.  My life is abundant beyond measure.  My life is a Dream Come True! I should express gratitude ALL day, EVERY day for the countless precious gifts the Universe has bestowed on me that are beyond what I once could have imagined, yet now accept almost as a matter of course. 

What I am very grateful for at this moment is that I have the opportunity to show my appreciation for your listening and to “pay it forward” to YOU by expressing the fundamental truths I have learned about Gratitude:

•  
  1. Gratitude is Power. 
  2. Gratitude brings Joy. 
  3. Gratitude speeds up the process of creating what you want, bringing even more for you to be grateful for.
  4. Gratitude is absolutely essential for putting the Law of Attraction into ACTION in your life. 

I wish you MUCH MORE to be grateful for in the months and years ahead!

 

Build Soul Equity – Blog 77

“Each experience through which we pass operates ultimately for our good. This is the correct attitude to adopt and we must be able to see it in that light.” – Raymond Holliwell

“No matter what an experience looks like on the outside, there’s soul gold in there somewhere. Find it.” – Victoria Moran

In last week’s blog, I shared with you the amazing experience of a friend of mine who transformed what seemed to be a tragic life experience into a triumph for himself through a simple shift of attitude. This week, I couldn’t resist sharing with you another Victoria Moran piece on the same issue, but from an even bigger-picture perspective. She says, and I firmly believe, that life continuously presents you with many such opportunities because they are intended for your soul’s training and development.

As a Certified True Purpose Coach ™, I spend much of my coaching time helping my clients find their Life Purpose, the essential quality they embody and the unique and special blessing they are meant to give to the world. (My own “essence” is Transformational Love and my blessing to the world is to teach people to love themselves.) One of the tenets of True Purpose Coaching ™ is that everything that happens to you from the day you are born is meant for your soul’s training and development, thus enabling you to live your Life Purpose at a higher level.

That is why I completely agree with Victoria’s point of view that life’s ups and downs are all meant to bring us our Highest Good. What follows is Chapter 66 of her wonderful little book of wisdom entitled Creating a Charmed Life:

Build Soul Equity by Victoria Moran

Everything around us has varying degrees of worth. The house you live in, for example, has a certain appraised valuation, but the replacement value given it by your insurance company is higher. And if two of your children were born there, you and your [spouse or partner] added on the art studio with your own labor, and your oldest daughter had her wedding there last spring, its perceived value to you is immeasurable.

Just as a realtor, an insurance adjuster, and a homeowner can place different values on a house, our ego and our soul place different values on our daily activities. It is tempting for the ego to let the boring, difficult and unpleasant aspects of our lives convince us that life is largely boring, difficult, and unpleasant.

The soul – our animating, motivating, inner essence – can use the trials and the tedium to its benefit. It can celebrate the very circumstances that jar the ego; enduring a lengthy traffic jam or an interminable meeting, having no time to ourselves or spending too many Saturday nights alone. Living through these, and learning through them, builds soul equity that’s worth more than money in the bank.

Once you’re convinced that you’re here to learn and grow and expand your capacity to love, know, and experience life, you’ll start to value everything you do and everything that happens to you in terms of soul equity. Then you’ll feel less pressure to radically alter your life or yourself. Uncovering the intangible treasures within the obligations you already have and within the [person] you already are becomes much more appealing.

You build soul equity by learning the lesson within every experience, remembering it, and applying your expanded insight to a similar circumstance when it comes up later. Soul equity increases as you search out the meaning inherent in the simplest goings-on of daily life. If seeing a squirrel collecting acorns for the winter reminds you that you really ought to be saving more for your retirement, don’t brush it off because you’re not supposed to get investment advice from wildlife. Look for the metaphors around you, majestic truths packaged inside modest events.

From time to time, take stock of the soul equity you’ve capitalized to date. What did it take to acquire the patience, perseverance, wisdom, humor and faith you have today? Whatever your process has been, you have priceless assets to show for it.

The soul equity abundant in a charmed life is not accrued only on uphill climbs. It also comes from the joys of your life, provided you’re totally present to them. The paradox here is that being alert for the good things is guaranteed only when you’re willing to be an equal-opportunity experiencer. You have to suit up and show up every day – whether you’re taking a vacation or taking inventory, whether you have a five-year-old who’s a nonstop delight or a teenager you sometimes wish would join a traveling circus.

No matter what an experience looks like on the outside, there’s soul gold in there somewhere. Find it. Appreciate it. Let it figure prominently in your net worth. ___________________________________________________________________ If you have missed any of this year’s F.R.E.E. monthly Create Prosperity Now tele-classes, all the audios are still available for download to listen to at your convenience. This series of 60-minute live classes will teach you exactly how to put the Law of Attraction into ACTION in your life. Mark your calendar now to join us on Wednesday, December 2 at 6:00pm PST for the last class of the year, “Dreams Delivered!” You won’t want to miss these jaw-dropping true stories from my coaching clients who created prosperity for themselves in record time, simply by putting the Law of Attraction to work for them!

Please email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com to receive future call invitations and replay links.

Your questions and comments are most welcome! To find out how Practical Prosperity Coaching © can help you create the life of YOUR dreams in 30 days or less, contact me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com to request a complimentary, no-obligation phone consultation.

 

Flip it Upside Down – Blog 76

Without the difficulty of being hemmed in, the tree in the forest would not be forced to marshal its power to grow toward the light.  It must truly bring forth all its inner strength to spread its branches.  If it becomes grand, it is in part because of its suffering.  Thus the times of adversity can be crucial to the development of one’s inner personality. – The Tao 

I have said many times in my blogs and monthly Create Prosperity Now tele-classes that I believe everything that happens to us will ultimately prove to be for our Highest Good.  That doesn’t mean there won’t be some pretty rugged challenges along the way to receiving your Highest Good!  But holding to your faith that every adversity will ultimately benefit you can help you weather life’s storms and appreciate the sunshine when it comes. 

Wally “Famous” Amos, of chocolate chip cookie fame, has experienced his share of adversity in life.  He went from rags to riches with his cookies, only to lose control of his company to a mega-corporation and have to start all over.  But Wally Amos has never let adversity divert him from his goal of creating prosperity and happiness for himself and others, so he has now made a whole new fortune with “Uncle Wally’s Muffin Mix.” 

This is a man who has lived through some “tough economic times” before these still facing many in our nation and in the world.  His philosophy reflects what I believe to be true about the Law of Attraction: You can use it consciously to help you manifest what you WANT or unconsciously allow it to manifest what you DON’T want. It’s all about your own focus and attitude! Therefore, I think what Wally has to say about the proper attitude to adopt toward adversity is worth heeding: 

“By now, we all know we are in ‘tough economic times.’  It is a phrase that has become a permanent part of our language.  I believe it is also a phrase that prevents us from climbing out of a negative situation.  We are focused on tough economic times, not on answers and solutions.  What you give attention to grows.  I have learned through my personal challenges that the only way we can move through adversity is to maintain a strong, positive mental attitude, regardless.  It is not a sign of weakness.  A positive attitude is as strong as steel.  It will consistently lead you to the answers and solutions you need to move through challenging situations. 

We have been conditioned to believe that adversity is negative.  Overcoming adverse situations is how we gain strength and character.  It forces us to get on top of the circumstances and not lie down under them.  Adversity reminds us that we are stronger than we could ever imagine.  It’s a mind-set that actually helps us to flip a situation upside down.” 

This week, I received some concrete proof that what Wally says is absolutely true – you CAN “flip a situation upside down,” through faith that there is always an opportunity waiting for you inside every adversity and that the Universe always aligns circumstances to produce your Highest Good. 

The proof came in a letter from my friend “Mitch,” whom I have written about several times before in this blog because he so often inspires me with his “look for the good in adversity” attitude.  This young man lives in one of the most challenging daily circumstances I can imagine — federal prison.  His non-violent, self-destructive crime stemmed from his fundamentally good but somewhat naïve and immature personality. Mitch has always wanted to help others, but couldn’t help himself, and got arrested for a crime that involved using the internet, which made it a federal offense.  As I have learned through our correspondence, federal time is hard time.  Things you and I do and say without thinking on the “outside” as a matter of course, could get us killed on the “inside.” As a result, Mitch has grown up very fast in the past year he has been incarcerated.

 I send him a copy of my blog every week, and he sometimes writes back about how it helped him maintain the right attitude in a challenging situation.  This week, he wrote his entire letter about how he used the belief I hold that every adversity contains the seeds of opportunity to take a personal disaster and “flip it upside down.” The following is an excerpt from his letter, which he has given me permission to share with you: 

“This past week has been a whirlwind.  I told my Dad that things never change in prison. But are constantly changing.  It is a weird paradox/phenomenon. 

The first of the changes is that I was fired from my job in Electrical.  Like 90% of everything around here, it was over stupid politics.” 

I should pause to say that Mitch made about $26 a month in prison wages at his job as an electrician.  Some of his fellow inmates have jobs that earn them just $5 a month.  Yet, ALL of them must purchase their toiletries and other supplies in the prison commissary at the same prices you and I would pay at the local drug store.  The prison job an inmate can secure is critical because the higher paying the job, the better the living conditions it buys. For example, for his first couple of months there, Mitch wore his hair very long, while he saved up enough for a haircut.  Right now, he’s saving for new boots because his old ones fill up with water when it rains. Mitch is fortunate to have friends and family who help by sending him a little extra money each month, enabling him to make a phone call and write a letter or two to friends and family each week. 

I’ll paraphrase a bit, as his letter continues: 

“One of the Christian brothers I was associated with and helped me get this job was promoted to the ‘Lead’ position in electrical.  Hierarchy is based on pay grades – Grade 5 at the bottom and Grade 1 at the top.  Everybody starts at Grade 5, at $5.25/month and works their way up.  I made it to Grade 3 ($26-27/month).  Grade 1’s, by the way, make $50-70 a month.  

This guy who was promoted to Lead wanted me off the team because I associate with a person he does not like.  The two used to be friends, but had a falling out.  Our new Lead wanted me and the guy he had a falling out with fired, and he convinced our Foreman in charge of our team to get rid of us. 

I’ve seen this script/routine before and I was concerned.  I got to talk to my boss and he lets me know he is ‘letting me go because there are too many members on the team.’  It was ‘nothing I did’ but he was ‘too top heavy’ and needed to ‘trim the fat.’ By the way, three hours after my firing, due to being ‘overstaffed,’ the boss hired a new electrician.  I was livid. 

Then the guy who pushed to get me off the team started to spread rumors about me. He is a congenial, affable man and people tend to believe him.  My reputation was tarnished as a result, and while on the outside I wouldn’t care, here it’s a big deal.  I could be looking for a job and my reputation would follow me…” 

At this point in reading Mitch’s letter, I was beginning to get pretty livid myself, and was  wondering what advice I could possibly offer to help him triumph over what seems to be a hopelessly broken, unjust and corrupt system in which the Bad Guys often appear to win. 

But just then Mitch’s tale of  “adversity” began to take an unexpected turn: 

“Reading your blog, you say that all things our life happen for our Greatest Good.  This firing out of my control was the Universe’s way of acting for my Greatest Good.  I’m looking for a job and I close my eyes and ask, ‘Universe, guide me in the direction to show me the optimal job for me.’ Within 30 seconds, I see a guy I know.  I ask him if there are any openings in his shop.  He thinks so, but says to talk to the Grade 1 (aka #1) guy and ask him it it’s OK.  The #1 could agree or not.  And if he does agree, he puts in a ‘good word’ for you, which speaks volumes… 

The #1 of this crew happens to be my bunkmate.  It’s common courtesy to help your bunkmate, whether it be for soup or for a job.  If the #1 says ‘Hire this boy,’ he gets hired, and I did – in the carpentry shop.  I am now a carpenter, which is 180 degrees different than an electrician.  While Electrical runs on scarcity, Carpentry runs on abundance.  Electrical is fearful to train because that person could use his new knowledge to usurp power, while Carpentry embraces training…In the following 72 hours, I learned more in Carpentry than I did in 11 months in Electrical…I always work with my Bunkie, who gives me things to do.  Now, I actually look forward to work!  What can I learn?  I also signed up for the carpentry class and got a carpentry book I am studying. 

So many good things came out of this, that I don’t have space to write it all.  I’ve made many mistakes, but unlike Electrical, I don’t get chided and blamed for the project failure.  I’m working hard and I’ve got something to prove – that the rumors about me are false and, more importantly, that I can do this!  I’m not a bookworm/nerd, but I can craft or make something with my hands. 

The Big Lesson: My arrest was bad and traumatic.  But it ultimately is for my Greatest Good.  When I was livid about being fired, I didn’t realize that it was the opening for me to have this job I love.  What does this mean when I get out?  I don’t know – but I can’t wait to find out!” 

Thank you, dear “Mitch,” for reminding us that the Law of Attraction is ALWAYS working to attract to us whatever we choose to focus on.  And the Universe is ALWAYS working to deliver our Highest Good – regardless of the adverse circumstances we temporarily find ourselves in – provided we are willing to ASK for help, BELIEVE it will be delivered, and then RECEIVE the answer (and ACT on it) when it comes. 

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If you have missed any of this year’s series of F.R.E.E. monthly Create Prosperity Now Tele-classes, all the audios are still available for download to listen to at your convenience. These 60-minute live classes can teach you exactly how to put the Law of Attraction into ACTION in your life. Mark your calendar now to join us on Wednesday, December 2 at 6:00pm PST for the final one of the year, which is entitled, “Dreams Delivered!” Please email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com to receive future call invitations and replay links. 

Your questions and comments are most welcome!  To find out how Practical Prosperity Coaching © can help you create the life of YOUR dreams in 30 days or less, contact me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com to request a complimentary, no-obligation phone consultation.

 

Cooperate with Benevolence – Blog 75

Look for the good – in yourself and all around you. Positive thinking may not be a panacea, but it is the most basic way we have to cooperate with benevolence. – Victoria Moran 

There are two reasons that I am excited to share with you another wonderful chapter from Victoria Moran’s amazing little book Creating a Charmed Life: 

1)     It allows me to give you great value while saving myself about half a day’s writing, as I must attend to some important personal matters this weekend. 

2)     It provides a beautiful lead-in to this month’s Create Prosperity Now tele-class that I am in the midst of preparing, which teaches you a very powerful technique for ensuring that the Universe delivers only its very BEST to you. 

Victoria and I are so much on the same wavelength, it is as much a pleasure for me to share her thoughts and suggestions with you, as it is to share my own.  I hope you enjoy this chapter and that you will take a moment to actually DO her suggested exercise.  It has an effect similar to keeping a Gratitude Journal, but even more powerful! 

Creating a Charmed Life, Chapter 49:

Cooperate With Benevolence 

By Victoria Moran 

It doesn’t take any more time to think in a way that makes your life better than it does to think in a way that makes your life miserable.  People whose inner spirit spills over into  their lives in the real world look for the good, and their days flow smoothly most of the time.  When you ask how they are and they tell you they’re fine, they mean it.  This isn’t the kind of positive thinking that’s regimented and enforced, but simply a nod to the good given often enough that it becomes natural. 

We tend to get what we look for.  But just as it’s easier to let our bodies sag than to exercise consistently, it’s easier to let our thinking slump into negativity than to jog it up to something better.  Some will even argue that there are certain benefits to awaiting doomsday: if it doesn’t happen, you get to feel terrific.  There’s also a kind of superstition around expecting something awful and somehow willing the dreaded event away.  You could think of it as prophylactic worry. 

Nevertheless, truly spiritual people and truly happy people (those particular demographic groups tend to overlap) expect the best to the point of annoying everyone else.  It’s even more annoying when marvelous things keep happening for them, which they generally do.  The point is to learn how to be just as annoying as they are. 

From a purely mathematical viewpoint, you’re better off expecting a positive outcome, because that’s what usually happens.  Life has a vested interest in perpetuating itself.  Therefore, it tends to come through for its participants the majority of the time.  This is not to deny the existence of delay, disappointment, loss and sadness.  Even these, however, when you can stand apart and view them in retrospect, are often part of a progression toward greater good. 

Help yourself get comfortable with expecting the good by making a positive precedents time line.  Go back over your life and bring to mind your successes, your growth spurts, and your victories.  List them.  Stick with events you remember, not those that you were told.  How far back you’re able to go isn’t important.  The abridged time line of a fifty year old might include the following: “Age 4: wrote name.  Age 7: rode two-wheeler.  Age 12: sang solo in group assembly.  Age 17: won scholarship.  Age 28: stopped drinking.  Age 31: son born.  Age 42: master’s degree.  Age 50: silver wedding anniversary.” 

A positive precedents time line is visual evidence of both your capabilities and life’s generosity.  It’s human nature to focus on the ways we’ve fallen short and extrapolate from these evidence for continued failure.  Realizing that we have set some extremely positive precedents is solid backing for thinking well of the future. 

Look for the good – in yourself and all around you. Positive thinking may not be a panacea, but it is the most basic way we have to cooperate with benevolence.

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Don’t miss my “Fall into Prosperity” special for the month of October!  You can have a specific dream come true, often in 30 days or less — 100% satisfaction guaranteed or your money back!  I’ve helped over 150 clients so far to get what they want using my patented Practical Prosperity Coaching (c) system, and I know I can help you, too! But you must call or email me by October 31 to schedule a F.R.E.E. no-obligation phone consultation.  

Once we determine what your specific 30-day goal is, we can decide together whether Practical Prosperity Coaching (c) can help you get it!  

And if you contact me by the end of this month, you can have private, one-on-one coaching at LESS than half of my normal coaching fee!  

This great offer won’t be repeated this year, so don’t delay!  Contact me for all the details and to schedule a complimentary consultation: caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com or toll free (888) 503-8145.

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If you have missed any of this year’s series of F.R.E.E. monthly Create Prosperity Now Tele-classes, all the audios are still available for download to listen to at your convenience. These 60-minute live classes, which teach you exactly how to put the Law of Attraction into ACTION in your life, are held the last Wednesday of each month at 6pm Pacific. I hope you’ll join us on October 28 to learn “How to Get The Best in Life.”  Please email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com to receive future call invitations and replay links. 

As always, your questions and comments are most welcome!