In overcoming fear and sharing our stories with others, we find the truth about who we really are – and discover we’re not alone. – Lisa Hammond
Well, you might have noticed I took another week off. As I predicted, we were having TOO much fun for my husband’s birthday week to pause long enough for me to write the blog.
But that is me walking my talk — entirely in keeping with my intention for this summer, which I call the Summer of Time Prosperity. That is, I promised myself at the beginning of June to pause often for the next three months to enjoy fun, adventure and relaxation, and not miss the special wonders of my favorite time of year.
And I hope that YOU, too, have been stopping to smell the roses lately because it won’t be long now until autumn raises its spectacular red- and gold-leafed head, leaving yet another summer as just a lovely memory! I am happy to report that most of my clients have been taking a break too, and I say, “BRAVO” to them. One of the most precious forms of PROSPERITY is simply having “balance” in life, isn’t it? The one thing nobody can buy, no matter how much money they have, is more TIME. We’re all equal in that gift from the Universe. The same 24 hours a day is available to you and everyone else – so, what will YOU do with it?
Continuing my practice of taking ample time each week to do all the things I love to do in this favorite season of mine, I have spotlighted a number of “guest hosts” for the blog throughout the summer, which is a Win-Win for both of us. It gives YOU the opportunity to learn tips and tools for creating a life of abundance from some of my favorite Master Manifesters, and it provides ME the opportunity to enjoy my favorite time of year without guilt!
My final guest columnist writes about a topic that I feel is often overlooked by those seeking to use the Law of Attraction (which states that energy attracts like energy) to draw more of the things they want to them with EASE. Everything in life has a price that must be paid for it. And I believe the #1 price we have to pay for having what we want is to constantly be aware and make sure that we are IN INTEGRITY.
From my considerable study of the topic of what it takes to live “in integrity,” which can be defined as being “whole and complete,” I have come to believe that there are three crucial aspects to living a life of integrity:
1) Always keep your WORD to yourself and others. This includes paying your outstanding debts or making specific arrangements about when you will pay them if you can’t pay them now. It also means doing what you said you would do — on time and to the very best of your ability. However, if something prevents you from doing that, you must immediately let the person impacted know that you won’t be doing what you said you would do – and then re-promising by when you will do it (or helping to find a replacement to carry out your promised accountability.)
2) Clean up any “messes” you have created and complete all incompletions. This is the solid foundation upon which to build a life of abundance, freedom and peace of mind: You must empty out the “closet” of your life of all clutter from the past and make energetic “room” for more good things to flow to you. This step can be anything from cleaning out the garage, as you have been promising your partner for months now, to contacting the IRS to work out a way to pay the taxes you still owe from last year, to sincerely apologizing to someone you know you hurt in some way.
3) ALWAYS tell the truth, no matter what. This includes actions like admitting when you have made a mistake, resisting the temptation to embellish your resume to make yourself look better, or overcoming your fear of conflict to finally say something you really need to say to someone. Remember, the truth always comes out eventually, so you are always better off telling the truth now, rather than getting caught in a lie later — no matter how well-meaning it was. The truth is defined as what is purely FACTUAL. Therefore, there is no such thing as a little white lie. A statement you make is either “the truth and nothing but the truth” (i.e., what you believe to be factual) or it isn’t.
This week’s guest author, Joan Gattuso, explains this last aspect of integrity succinctly and memorably in wonderful little article published in a magazine put together by Unity called Survival Guide for the Soul, Part II. Here is her article in its entirety:
“How to Be Honest When the Truth May HURT”
By Joan Gattuso
“According to an ancient Hindu teaching, if you can only speak the truth and tell no lies – either miniscule or outrageous – for 12 consecutive years, you can attain enlightenment. This is no easy assignment.
Most of us perceive ourselves to be honest and forthright, never intentionally lying, but most of us have been taught through life’s experiences to mask our true thoughts, pad our words, or simply avoid a response. We attempt to convince ourselves that a “little white lie” doesn’t matter.
The spiritual truth is: Everything matters.
A friend was recently sharing how her single sister had traveled to Europe alone and was e-mailing photos back regularly. These two are 10 years apart in age, live on opposite coasts, and see each other once every two or three years at most.
As the younger one who was the traveler sent photos with herself in them, she would regularly ask, ‘How do I look?’ My friend chuckled as she told me that she thought her sister looked way too skinny and had way too many lines in her face. That was the truth as she saw it. But what she wrote back was, ‘In each picture you look like you are having the time of your life. I am so happy to see you looking so happy.’ That was the truth also, although a kinder expression of the truth.
Many people, however, are unclear as to what the truth is, because they haven’t told the truth to themselves for so long that they no longer recognize what the truth is. They say it doesn’t matter when it does, convincing themselves that no one will notice or everyone cheats just a little. All such justifications are ignoble thoughts and behaviors.
A spiritual principle I have taught and know to always be true is: The truth will always emerge. And when you tell the truth, there is a whole lot less to remember.
A noble being will always tell the truth. Do you? Begin now with the first step of simply noticing if you do tell the truth immediately, or if your first instinct is to pad or alter the facts a bit.
If you notice you are regularly withholding the complete truth, resolve to be honest with yourself and others starting today. Know it is safe to be truthful. Like many lifestyle changes, resolve to tell the truth one day at a time.
And after 4,383 days you just may become enlightened.”
WOW! What great wisdom, huh? Now, I must excuse myself again…I’m off to begin a fabulous end to my summer: the combined 39th & 40th reunion celebration of the Newport Harbor High School classes of 1970 and 1971! My two best girlfriends from high school, now living in Northern California and Oregon, are renting a beach house and we and another local high school girlfriend are all getting together for a whole week of fun in the late-summer sun, sand and surf (and shopping malls and restaurants) of Newport Beach! Just the thought of a week of time freedom and fun, laughing and enjoying this beautiful vacation destination with people I love makes me I feel positively RICH! Feeling prosperous often costs a whole lot LESS than we imagine, doesn’t it?
I hope you also plan to get outside where YOU live and enjoy a fabulous time of abundance, freedom and joy in these last two weeks leading up to the “unofficial” end of summer — Labor Day. That’s when I will begin writing a new series of original blogs spotlighting some remarkable clients of mine whose stories of creating miraculous prosperity for themselves will absolutely amaze you, while teaching you the principles they used to do it!
Your comments and questions are always welcome! You can contact me at: caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com.
