Fulfilled at Any Age – Blog 469

April 30, 2023

“As long as you’re only focused on YOU, you’re not going to be fulfilled. The next level of your destiny is connected to helping someone else.” – Joel Osteen

One of our Women’s Manifesting Mastermind members recently posed a fascinating question: “How do you maintain your energy and enthusiasm for life as you grow older?” 

The group came up with a wide variety of suggestions, including getting involved in a physical activity such as yoga, pilates or pickleball; learning a new skill or taking up a hobby, as one member recently discovered a real talent for creating pottery; widening your circle of friends or seeking a new romantic mate; exploring new types of cultural events; and finding a new mid-life career or side gig.

These are all great ideas, but I believe there is one sure-fire answer for both men and women of any age. A guaranteed way to regain a zest for life and feel purposeful is highlighted in a YouTube talk by my favorite positive-thinking pastor, Joel Osteen, titled “Living Cause Driven.”

Joel says, “You were created to help someone else.  You need to have a cause you’re passionate about.  If you’re only focused on yourself, you won’t reach your highest potential.”

A few ways he suggested to do this: volunteer, mentor, support worthy organizations or help one individual get what they need.

Joel went on to say, “Get involved in making a difference.  When you’re cause-driven, you’ll see promotion, doors open, the right people show up.

“It’s good to have your dreams, your goals, but you need to be a part of something bigger than just you.  When your dream is connected to helping others, you’re not only helping them; you’re helping yourself…. You can’t help others without God helping you… The greatness God put in you is going to come out of the cause.”

It’s good to raise your family, do good work on your job, give to charity, help a friend when they need support.  But when you apply your unique gifts and abilities to a CAUSE – a problem that needs to be solved or an injustice you want to see righted – it brings out the BEST in you and often pushes you past whatever self-imposed limits you may have. You will stay focused and persevere when you face seemingly-insurmountable odds or opposition.  You will get up and get going when you feel like staying on the couch because the cause is worth it.

That extra drive we have when we are pursuing a cause bigger than ourselves was beautifully demonstrated in the story of the Jeansonne Family that was the subject of the last blog (You Brought the Blessing – Blog 468).  Many of my cherished readers and I donated to the “Be Love Days” fundraising campaign that was the brainstorm of one of my favorite past clients, Andrea Schaff, and her dear friend, Kristy Jeansonne. Kristy’s husband Brian was diagnosed with ALS on April 14, 2020 and as his condition has progressed, he has required professional caregiving, which is a big out-of-pocket expense not covered by insurance.

Kristy told Andrea she was not sure how they would survive if they had to come up with an extra $110,000 a year for Brian’s care, so they brainstormed together and came up with the idea of asking everyone they knew to donate $14 (or more) on April 14, 2023 AND to spread the word to 10 or more personal contacts.  Within days, over 1250 individual donations had rolled in, amounting to over $118,000 and still climbing.

All this happened because two women were Cause-Driven and didn’t let anything stop them.  Now, they and a group of volunteers plan to make it an annual event. I have a strong feeling it is going to grow into something much BIGGER than even they can now imagine, spreading beyond the worthy Jeansonne Family.

Another one of my longtime coaching clients, Diane, tragically had her son Kevin Natale pass away of cancer at the age of 44 last year. She told me she now has a new passion for growing her direct sales business because she has a new “Why” beyond just making extra money for a comfortable retirement: She wants to help many more people with her skin care products and business opportunity so she can carry on the work of the Founded on Forgiveness Foundation Kevin started.

Kevin’s foundation is dedicated to spreading forgiveness because he learned first-hand how forgiveness changed his life when he was finally able to forgive the man who shot and paralyzed him when he was just 14 years old.  Thousands of others who have heard Kevin’s story have been inspired to forgive the “unforgiveable” too.

Now that Diane is inspired by a cause bigger than herself, she isn’t stopped by fatigue or fear of rejection.  She gets up and gets after it each day because she wants her son’s memory to live on and his story to change thousands and thousands of lives far into the future.

As for me, about a year ago, I became a volunteer daily dog walker for six rescue pups that are fostered by The Little Red Dog, a local grassroots rescue that saves dogs shelters would ordinarily euthanize because of the breed (pit bulls, chihuahuas, etc.), injuries, disabilities or just fear and shyness making them difficult to adopt.

I am not an experienced dog walker by any means, but I have learned a lot from other volunteers who are.  It’s a joy to see the dogs come out of their shell and respond to kindness and gentle but firm direction.  It’s such an honor to be someone they can count on to show up and to believe they will find a forever home eventually.

The most impactful personal “cause” I had was my very first walking assignment: “Rhino,” an aptly-named gray pit bull mix, overweight at about 65 pounds, super strong and sometimes overly-enthusiastic.

Rhino is sweet with people, but was fearful of other dogs, which made him behave aggressively as a defense tactic.  When there were no other dogs around, he was placid.  But if he spotted another dog, he would go nuts. Once, when a small white dog barked at him from behind a wrought iron gate, Rhino charged, pulling me off my feet, and dragging me on my stomach across the lawn until I was finally able to put the brakes on him.

Not surprisingly, TLRD had fostered Rhino for several years.  He was adopted and returned three times by people who instantly gave up on him.  I finally asked TLRD co-founder Steve McClain if Rhino could be taken temporarily out of his foster home with an elderly couple who gave him love but no discipline so he could be re-trained by a professional.

Steve told me he would love to, but even if a trainer re-habilitated him (which wouldn’t be hard), if he went back to the same foster situation, it would all be for nothing without consistent reinforcement.

So I continued to walk and believe in Rhino and I literally prayed for a “Christmas Miracle” that he would be adopted by a couple with no dogs who could give him the training and patience and love he needed.  Within two weeks, Steve got a call from a couple whose adopted dog had just passed, asking if TLRD had any “hard to place” dogs because they were up for the challenge.  Because I had talked to Steve, I believe, he suggested Rhino and they took him on.

Rhino now lives in a great home and seems like a completely different pup.  He has lost weight, and looks happy and relaxed doing various fun activities and living the life he deserves on his Instagram page at rhino.daug.

Rhino was my #1 cause within the bigger cause of supporting animal rescue, and I will always think of him whenever something looks “hopeless.” He proved that miracles really CAN happen when we just keep believing, do the best we can, and leave the HOW up to God.

Joel Osteen says when you live cause-driven, “You’ll go beyond what you think you’re capable of.  You go beyond the ordinary into the uncommon.” And I promise it will infuse your life with a new energy, joie de vivre and sense of purpose and fulfillment beyond what you can now imagine.  Beyond pickleball even!

PLEASE NOTE: The blog is taking next weekend off to celebrate Rick’s and my 16^th wedding anniversary. Look for your next Cup of Caroll on May 14, and I hope you will celebrate those heroes who deserve recognition EVERY day: Teacher Appreciation Week is May 8-12!

If you or your friends would like your own free subscription to receive this blog three Sundays a month, just go to https://www.practicalprosperitycoach.com and enter your name and email at the top.

*************** Give Yourself the Gift of Dreams Fulfilled! ******************

I want to be of service to YOU and your friends, colleagues and loved ones! To schedule a F*R*E*E, no-obligation one-hour Breakthrough Coaching session by phone that will help clarify your Big Goals and get you into ACTION on making them a reality, please email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com.

 

Turn Good into Great – Blog 465

March 26, 2023

I know I am not alone in sometimes impatiently wondering WHEN the things I have been praying for will suddenly appear, like the blossoms on the springtime tress outside. So I thought reposting this fan-favorite blog from last year would revive your belief that your perfect time IS coming!

June 12, 2022

“Out of difficulties grow miracles.” – Jean De La Bruyere

You may be suffering through a “drought” right now in your life’s garden – in your finances, love, health, creativity or joy.  If that’s the case, please know that things can and WILL improve. Or you may be enjoying an abundant harvest and filled with gratitude.  If things are good now, get prepared for GREAT.

We can’t always control what happens to us, but we have complete power over our response, and that determines what will happen next. It all starts between your ears.

One of my clients has proven this in a spectacular way. When we started coaching, she wanted to triple her income from her new job. She was ready to excel, so she engaged me to teach her how to use the Law of Attraction (“energy attracts like energy”) to rapidly build her client base by creating the right energy for success.

Right out of the gate, she loved all the positive mindset tools I gave her, used them faithfully and told me they made her feel happy and to expect the best outcome in every situation.  Pretty soon, she said she couldn’t imagine getting through a day without them.

Still, not much had improved yet in her outer circumstances.

In fact, things seemed to be going backwards at first. She quickly discovered that her new company hadn’t made the pay structure clear to her.  She thought she would have at least a modest base salary and then be rewarded with commissions when she brought in new business.  But it turned out that her income would come entirely from sales commissions.

There were quick results in gaining great industry contacts, who praised her positive energy and supported her with referrals to potential new clients. But mid-way into our four-month coaching timeframe, she was still a long way from achieving the five-figure monthly income goal she had set as her Big Intention.

Nevertheless, she kept a positive attitude, always did her BEST, and focused on being of service to others in every way she could. Most importantly, she learned to express abundant gratitude daily, not just for all the good things in her life right now, but also in ADVANCE for the outcome she was committed to creating.

Without a doubt, the hardest part about harnessing the power of The Law of Attraction is to let go of trying to control the HOW.

Your human Ego is hard-wired to try to figure out and execute a “logical” step-by-step plan to reach your goals.  Sometimes, your own smart strategy will work out fine. But if your own plan doesn’t seem to be working or working fast enough, your Inner Protector can go into fear mode, terrified that you are going to fail in your quest.

And fear is the WORST energy for attracting what you desire. Whatever you focus your attention on is going to gain strength from your concentrated thoughts and emotions and will inevitably be attracted to you.  That’s great when it’s something you want. But it’s also why the very thing you most FEAR sometimes comes to you instead.

And then your Inner Protector says, “See? I told you we were going to fail!”  It doesn’t realize that the fear energy that it created inside of you is exactly what attracted the thing it DIDN’T want. Ironic, but sadly true!

That’s why it’s critical to not worry about HOW it’s going to come to you when you are trying to manifest a Big Goal.  Set your clear, measurable intention and do consistent, daily mindset work to strengthen your belief in success. But leave the HOW up to God/The Universe, who has much faster, more efficient ways of connecting you to the people and resources that will carry you to your goal than your Inner Protector could ever imagine.

Whenever my client occasionally got discouraged, I would remind her to keep BELIEVING in her Big Goal and just keep being and doing her best. And, of course, also to keep expressing gratitude in advance for being guided to the perfect HOW to reach her big income goal.

In month three of our coaching, she got a call out of the blue from another company in a different, bigger niche within her industry.  They catered to a specialized clientele that she was very familiar with and could serve well.

They had a job opening that represented a BIG promotion and her name had been given to them by an acquaintance of her family who happened to be one of their clients.  The referrer had sung her praises, and this new company was already VERY interested in her. The nice caller asked to set up a lunch to discuss the details of the opportunity.

She was shocked and flattered, but also determined to remain unattached until she could get clarity on whether this really could be the HOW for tripling her current income.  She went to the appointment with a lot of specific questions, an open mind and expecting that the BEST would come out of it, whatever that was.

The meeting went better than she could have imagined.  The company’s mission and culture were perfectly aligned with hers and they offered a very generous benefits package and even an expense account for client development. Although the corporate office is only 30 minutes from her home, she would work remotely most of the time, until they establish a permanent branch office even closer to her home.

In the final step, a week later, she met with a number of the company leaders and instantly felt she belonged there. A few days later, she received an offer with a base salary that was double what she thought it would be and she has the opportunity to make much MORE with her added sales commissions.

So, well before the manifestation deadline we had set, my client is beginning her new position with a monthly income that promises to be much MORE than her original Big Intention. The Divine How came and found her — in a way that she never would have imagined.

If we all follow my client’s example, any of us can shift from having not enough to more than enough and from good to GREAT in record time.  It just takes belief and perseverance on our part, and a willingness to let the Source of all the good stuff handle the HOW.

COACHING RESULTS

“Where I once felt ‘stuck’ in my life, I feel in control because of the tools Caroll helped me develop. I am forever grateful for the life-changing coaching!” – J.T., Accountant

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*************** Give Yourself the Gift of Dreams Fulfilled******************

The year is galloping along! How are you doing on manifesting your Big Goals? To schedule a F*R*E*E*, no-obligation ONE HOUR Breakthrough Session of phone coaching that will help you clarify your Big Goals and get you into ACTION making them a reality, please email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com today.  Slots are limited, so please act quickly!

 

Wake Up Your Belief – Blog 463

March 5, 2023

Since next weekend begins Daylight Savings time for most of us, I thought this lightly-edited repost from last year was timely!  Enjoy this important reminder that your five senses are not ALL that you should trust.

March 20, 2022

“Don’t go by what you see; go by what you KNOW.” – Joel Osteen

Happy Spring!  While I am sure it is welcome, some of us are still recovering from the change last weekend to Daylight Savings Time.  I used to think the “spring forward” didn’t affect me much. However, this time, it gave me a critical reminder about the right mindset we need to have in order to manifest what we want in life.

Twice a year, a number of our household clocks need to be manually re-set.  But my bedside alarm clock, which I have had for over a decade, picks up an electronic signal from the atomic clock in Ft. Collins, Colorado to change automatically to DST or Standard Time when the time changes at 2:00am.  Much like the digital clock on our phones, it takes care of itself, and I never give it a second thought.

But last Sunday morning, I woke up and realized that, for the first time, my clock hadn’t changed automatically.  I thought maybe the signal was blocked in our bedroom or the clock was just wearing out, so I manually re-set it, and it seemed to keep the right time for the next 24 hours.

But then, I woke up on Tuesday and noticed it was once again back to Standard Time.  Luckily, I wake up before the alarm almost every day, so I wasn’t late, but I was annoyed that now it seemed I would have to buy a new alarm clock.  I re-set it and waited to see if it would stick this time.  It did for a couple of days, and I relaxed, thinking it just needed the new battery I put in.

On Thursday, I woke up in the dark and glanced at my alarm clock, which read 2:00 AM. Just to be sure, I looked over at my husband’s electric clock, which has to be set manually, and it read 5:00 AM!  Wow! My clock had somehow lost THREE hours since I went to bed.  Now, I DEFINITELY needed to buy a new one.  I was just grateful that I had naturally awakened on time, since 5:00am is my normal weekday time to get up.

As I gathered my clothes and phone quietly in the dark, so as not to disturb Rick, I thought, “I must have slept a bit fitfully, because I still feel TIRED.”

When I turned on the bathroom light, I could see the time on my phone and on my wrist watch both read 2:00 AM, just like my alarm clock.  What??!  I went over to Rick’s nightstand to get a closer look and saw that he had his phone on his nightstand, which he never does.  Now, I was REALLY confused.

Just then, Rick woke up to go to the bathroom, and I asked him why he had his phone on the nightstand.  Did it have anything to do with his clock being three hours fast?  Yes, he confirmed.  He had tried to set his clock alarm in the dark, so as not to disturb me, since I was already asleep.

He realized he must have inadvertently pressed the button to change the time and pushed it three hours ahead. But he didn’t want to mess with it and risk waking me, so he set the alarm on his phone instead and put it next to his clock.  I was a bit miffed, but mostly relieved that my clock (and I) weren’t crazy after all!

There I was, fully awake, at 2:00 AM, all because I had BELIEVED my own eyes when I looked at Rick’s clock.  I was predisposed to believe what I saw because my own clock had been acting weird, so I assumed Rick’s time was right and mine was wrong.  It wasn’t until I got the corroborating evidence that I discovered what my eyes saw wasn’t the TRUTH after all.

Later in the morning, while I was doing my mindset prep for the day, I remembered the words often spoken by my favorite television pastor, Joel Osteen.  Whenever we ask God/The Universe for help with a problem or for a blessing, Joel says, “Don’t go by what you see; go by what you KNOW.” In other words, just because you don’t SEE any outer evidence (yet) that anything is changing, you must stay in faith that things ARE happening behind the scenes.  When the time is right, the perfect answer will come in the perfect way, and we will know that the Divine Mind WAS working it out for us after all.

The thing we must remember about manifesting something we want – especially if it seems far-fetched – is that having BELIEF is key.  The Law of Attraction (“energy attracts like energy”) says that we will attract the resources, circumstances and people who are a match for our energy.

If your energy is one of believing that what you want IS going to happen and you are feeling gratitude in advance — EXPECTING it to happen — you are setting this powerful attractor force to work for you.  But if you quit believing too soon, just because you don’t see any outer evidence that it is going to work out, you will stop it from manifesting.

We attract what we expect to get.  I half expected my clock to be wrong and therefore, I was easily convinced that it was.  And then I ACTED on that belief, and the result of my faulty expectation was that I woke up three hours early and was never able to go back to sleep, leaving me feeling groggy all day.

In trying to do its #1 job of keeping you safe, the “Protector” part of your human Ego is always looking for corroborating evidence for what it BELIEVES to be true. And psychologists have long known that it has a bias toward noticing mostly NEGATIVE evidence because that is what your Protector thinks is going to harm you. It doesn’t want you to fail or be disappointed or be mocked with “I told you so” by friends who thought you were crazy for going after an “impossible” goal in the first place.

But if you are going to allow God/The Universe to come up with the ideal HOW for making what you want a reality, you must trust.  Maybe the odds are long.  Maybe nobody you know has reached that particular goal before.  Maybe the time frame seems impossibly short.  But, as Joel Osteen reminds us, “God’s ways are not our ways.  God is not limited by the things that limit us.”

So just because you don’t SEE anything happening (yet), do not give up! Remember that your eyes do not always tell you the Truth.  The Truth is that there are NO limits on what you can accomplish, as long as you continue to believe in your Higher Power, yourself and your Big Dreams. The only limit on what is possible lies between your ears.

PLEASE NOTE: The blog is taking next Sunday off.  Don’t forget to SPRING AHEAD if your state is on Daylight Savings Time!  Look for your next fresh Cup of Caroll on Sunday March 19.

COACHING RESULTS

“Without a doubt, the most specific benefits of coaching with Caroll for me are the breakthroughs and the tools, having someone I can confide in, share my deepest concerns and worries with, and know that she has ONLY my best interests at heart.  Her coaching comes from a place of authenticity, gratitude and love. – D.M., direct sales Leader

****************** Give the Gift of Dreams Fulfilled! ********************

Give a friend, colleague or yourself a unique gift that can be truly life-changing: a ONE HOUR Success Breakthrough session by phone.  It is absolutely F*R*E*E* with no strings attached! To schedule this F*R*E*E* coaching session, email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com ASAP, as space is VERY limited this month.

If you would like your own F*R*E*E* subscription to receive this blog three Sundays a month, just go to my website practicalprosperitycoach.com  and fill in your name and email at the top.

 

The Worry Game – Blog 462

February 26, 2023

“Father, thank You that I do not have to keep being trapped in worry about things over which I have no control.  Thank You, that You will provide me with exactly what I need when I need it.  I choose to rest and be at peace, knowing you will work it for my good.” – Joel Osteen

For the past couple of months, I have been re-watching the entire eight seasons of the HBO series, Game of Thrones. My husband and I first watched it during the pandemic lockdown, when I finally decided to see what all the fuss was about.

For years, I tuned out anything in the media about GOT, thinking (erroneously) that it must be based on some online fantasy game like Dungeons and Dragons.  But the final season in 2019 was such a hot and controversial topic in mainstream media, it finally got my attention.  So, with nothing much else to do in the evenings during the pandemic, I decided to watch it.

Like many “assumptions,” the reality was very different from what I had imagined! It is truly an epic tale, set in a made-up medieval world of knights and castles, which have always fascinated me.  It has dragons, undead warriors, epic medieval battles, many lords and ladies vying to sit on the Iron Throne (which looked very uncomfortable), and we were hooked.

I spent much of each episode holding my breath because the many main characters, which the series took pains to get us emotionally invested in, often were in peril, and some were killed in shocking ways that went against the normal rules of storytelling. Someone you cared about could be killed at any time!  You could not relax for a minute. Plus, the story had many threads and minor characters, so it was challenging to keep up with the plot and wonder how all these different story lines were finally going to intersect.

Around the 2022 Holidays, I decided to watch GOT again from the beginning because it was just so good. I have re-read books and re-watched favorite movies and enjoyed them again, even when I already knew the ending.  But I didn’t realize how much MORE I would enjoy it the second time, for one reason: I knew what was going to happen to each character and how it was all going to turn out.

You’d think that would lessen my interest, but the opposite has been true.  Because I no longer had to hold my breath, I found myself able to really focus on the details of each scene as the story unfolded, and to appreciate how the characters grow and change (some for the better, some for the worse), as they go through their personal struggles.

The plot hasn’t changed, but this time through, I am relaxed, so I can savor and enjoy the great actors and all that went into making such a landmark series. I can now be fully present in each minute of the experience because I am not WORRIED about the outcome.

Wouldn’t it be great if our real lives were like that?  If we knew in advance how a big problem was going to be resolved:  How will our loved one pull through a medical challenge?  Where are we going to find the home of our dreams or meet the mate of our dreams?  Will our business or career be a success? How will our “problem child” turn around or our marriage revive?

When you experience life as a series of unforeseen challenges and hoped-for but seemingly long-shot Big Dreams, doesn’t it often feel like you are holding your breath? That’s because you don’t know HOW it is all going to work out.

But doesn’t it always work out eventually? Certainly it doesn’t always go according to your own hopes and your own strategies. But somehow, you are still standing.

Think back on some of the epic “battles” you have come through in your life.  Remember the many sleepless nights you spent worrying about how they were going to turn out?  I know I have lain awake at 3 AM, staring at the ceiling, straining to figure out my own solution to a problem too many times to count.

But here I still am. Somehow, each of those huge “insoluble” problems got resolved — often in ways I never could have imagined.  So why did I waste so much energy and put myself through such emotional pain, worrying about how I would survive it?

The How was never up to me in the first place.  The How is always up to God/The Universe.  Only when — exhausted and unable to solve the riddle, my limited human ego finally surrendered control to the Divine Mind –was my subconscious mind freed to receive the How that led to the perfect solution and timing and my desperate prayers were answered once again.

When I think back on the “Big Problems” I thought would ruin my life in my youth, I have to laugh at my naivete. If only I had known the ending in advance!  I never would have lost so much sleep and so much potential enjoyment of life to needless worry.  I realize now that for long stretches, I was not fully present to all the GOOD in my life.  My “worry blinders” kept me so focused on trying to head off disaster or force something to manifest that I thought I wanted at the time, I was missing out on enjoying my blessed life and the wonderful people in it.

I won’t claim that I never worry about any challenge I face today. But now, just reminding myself that I have a life-long history of proof that I can trust the How to God, reassures me that there WILL be a satisfying ending.

And if you look back on specific examples from your own life, I know you will come to the same conclusion: It’s OK to exhale. It’s all going to work out in the end. You can relax and enjoy life’s thrilling ride.

COACHING RESULTS

“Working with Caroll is a game changer. Her approach to business, the Law of Attraction, and her accountability tools increased my business’ structure emotionally, spiritually, and financially. Working with Caroll also boosted my business confidence, allowing me to better understand the process of the Law of Attraction, which increased my patience. Monetarily, Caroll’s success formula can be accredited to two specific projects each netting me over $5,000, which without the formula, I wouldn’t have otherwise received.” – Blake Jones, multi-platform entrepreneur and business coach.

********** MAKE THIS YOUR TIME TO SHINE ***************

Is it time for you to give yourself the priceless gift of a positive mindset tune-up?  I invite you to take advantage of a truly unique opportunity – a F.R.E.E. hour of Success Breakthrough Coaching with no strings attached.  I promise to help you gain clarity on your Big Goals and exactly what it will take for you to reach them. Slots are very limited, so contact me ASAP to schedule your F.R.E.E., no obligation phone coaching session: caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com

If you would like your own free subscription to receive this blog three Sundays a month, just go to www.practicalprosperitycoach.com and enter your name and email at the top.

 

Make it So – Blog 451

October 23, 2022

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” – Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Why do some people seem to attract good things over and over, while others seem to get one bad break after another?  Is it some character flaw or cosmic curse?  No, but their mindset does have a lot to do with it.

I have been reading a delightful book, Thank and Grow Rich, by Pam Grout (author of the international best-seller E-Squared) that explains the reason behind some people’s consistent “good luck” and others’ seemingly intractable “bad luck.” The book presents a month-long “challenge” designed to increase your appreciation for EVERYTHING in your life, because gratitude is a recognized magnetic energy for attracting more good things to you. 

This makes perfect sense because the Law of Attraction says that “energy attracts like energy,” so whatever you love and appreciate, you are going to attract MORE of into your life.  But on the flip side, whatever you consistently focus on that is NEGATIVE, you are ALSO going to attract to you.  Pam is trying to get us to focus on only the positive things that we are grateful for, and as the book points out, there is limitless good in our everyday lives to love and appreciate.

In one chapter entitled “Decide the Kind of Day You’re Going to Have,” she sums up the power of your expectation to create your experience each and every day:

“If you have Netflix, you’ll notice a category called ‘Because you watched…’ that lists all the movies or TV shows or documentaries that fall into the same genre.  Netflix assumes you’d appreciate these offerings because, well, they’re quite similar to options you chose earlier.

“Likewise, Amazon recommends books and products that are related to items you’ve bought and viewed in the past.

“This is exactly how the universe works.  It continually sends people, ideas, and events that mirror the frequency you emit, the channel you’ve chosen to speak for your life.

“It doesn’t charge for these gifts that match what you’ve previously selected.  But it also doesn’t discriminate.  It doesn’t judge or doubt that what you’ve chosen in the past is what you still want.  It doesn’t think, ‘Well, her parents and her culture obviously had it wrong, so I’m going to send her different kind of stuff.’

“No, it sends an exact match.

“So if you’ve tuned in to lack, spent your life focusing on what might go wrong, that’s what the universe will happily continue to send.

“But when you tune yourself in to a new channel, start watching a different type of movie – a movie that brings you joy [as gratitude does] – you will get people, ideas and events that mirror the upgraded frequency.”

I know, it sounds unbelievably simple, right?  But this really IS what’s behind the consistent “good luck” and “bad luck” different people seem to have.  They are attracting MORE “because you thought about…” things, people and circumstances to them, whether they were thinking about the BEST or thinking about the WORST that had or could happen.

One of my clients is a prime example of this phenomenon.  She used to expect the worst, especially when it came to money, because she had experienced lack many times in the past.  Whenever she would get ahead financially, the funds would quickly “evaporate” through poor spending choices, bad breaks in employment, unexpected expenses, etc. And her “feast or famine” financial roller coaster continued for a long time. 

Finally, she decided to STOP that negative pattern.  When we began coaching, she completely embraced all the positive mindset tools I gave her, especially a powerful self-coaching affirmation I created years ago that I call “The Best,” which starts with the declaration, “I claim, accept and expect The BEST from myself and others 100% of the time.”

Anything you repeatedly think about or speak about is eventually going to take hold in your subconscious mind and begin to attract more of whatever you are obsessing about. As she repeated this affirmation over and over in different situations during her daily life, she saw that whatever she told her subconscious mind to EXPECT was what it eventually delivered (in partnership with God/The Universe, of course). 

Very soon, an avalanche of unexpected “good breaks” began to come her way. First, a recruiter called her out of the blue and offered her a much better job in her field with much better pay and benefits.  She did nothing to cause this to happen; her name was offered by an acquaintance who knew the company was looking to fill a position that perfectly fit her unique skill set and experience.

While she was happily settling into the new job, again unsolicited, a neighbor offered to buy her house and ranch property at a very good price.  She and her husband hadn’t even thought about putting it on the market, but the offer was too good to turn down. It meant they could purchase land and build their “dream home” now that they had believed was years in the future.

Before they had to move, they found the perfect parcel, complete with a foundation the previous owners had started, but abandoned.  With slight modifications, they could build their custom home right there.

Next, she had to find a temporary place for the family to live while their dream home was being built.  All of the rentals in the area were grungy and depressing.  But one day she mentioned on social media that she was looking for a temporary rental, and a friend replied that they knew of one.  The friend recommended her to the owners, and she instantly jumped to the head of the long line of potential tenants and got the nice rental property for her family.

But she and her husband still needed to secure a construction loan.  The first builder she went to quoted them a price far above what they could afford.  She was concerned at first that inflation might have already priced them out of their dream home. But then she remembered to say “The Best” affirmation and simply focus on believing the ideal builder would come to them, leaving the “How” up to God/the Universe. At a networking event for her work she met someone who had used a builder they thought would be less expensive. My client got a great bid from that builder at the perfect price and secured the loan.

All in a few short months, one great outcome after another came her way effortlessly. Finally, I had to ask her what specifically she was thinking and/or doing that was attracting all that good stuff to her.  Her answer was as simple as Pam Grout promises: “I just stopped focusing on what I was afraid would happen and started focusing on what I WANT to happen.”

My client is proof that we can change our “luck” when we change our thinking.  Whatever you have been attracting into your life so far, you don’t have to keep manifesting, unless it is something GOOD.  You can start today focusing your powerful creative energy on expecting “The Best” to come to you at the perfect time and in the perfect way. Pam Grout offers two mantras in her book that I now repeat aloud and write in my Gratitude Journal daily:

• “Something Amazingly Awesome is going to happen to me today.”
• And the OPPOSITE of Murphy’s Law: “If something can go RIGHT, it will.”

I invite you to do the same and watch what happens!

PLEASE NOTE: The blog is taking next Sunday off. Look for your next fresh Cup of Caroll on Sunday November 6.

If you or your friends would like your own F*R*E*E* subscription to receive this blog three Sundays a month, just go to https://practicalprosperitycoach.com and enter your name and email at the top.

*************** Give Yourself the Gift of Dreams Fulfilled******************

It’s the last quarter of the year!  Are you confident that you will reach your Big Goals for 2022? To schedule a F*R*E*E*, no-obligation one-hour Breakthrough Session of phone coaching that will help you clarify exactly what you need to do and get you into ACTION to make it happen, please email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com today.  Slots are limited, so please act quickly!

 

Celebrate Small Victories – Blog 441

July 17, 2022

“A strong positive attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.” – Patricia Neal

What does it take to cultivate a “strong positive attitude” as an habitual way of looking at the world and dealing with whatever life brings you? One fun and easy way I have found is by noticing and celebrating the little “wins” that happen for all of us on a regular basis.

An article published in January by the Good News Network titled “The Small Victories that Make a Huge Difference in Our Daily Lives” is all about that.  Here are some excerpts from it:

“From finding a $20 bill in an old jacket to finally finishing a TV series on the watchlist, the average person has four small wins a day, or 1,460 every year, according to a new survey.

“A poll of 2,004 Americans delved into the impact of life’s little successes and found that four in five have become more conscious of their small wins since the start of the [COVID-19] pandemic.

“Baby boomers said completing chores, decorating for the season, and other home-related goals, are the most satisfying type of small wins to achieve.

“When it comes to self-care, 92% of all respondents have been exploring different methods of maintaining personal wellness – and 87% said recognizing any small wins each day is a crucial form of self-care.

“Respondents also listed things such as paying off a bill or hitting a savings goal (56%), and sweet surprises like getting a free cup of coffee or finding a great parking spot (53%) as other small wins worth celebrating.

“No matter the achievement, however, 82% said there’s no such thing as a win being ‘too small’ to celebrate.

“Best ways to celebrate small wins?

Fifty-four percent said telling friends and family about small successes is the best way to savor it.

Half said treating yourself to a special dinner or a cocktail is another great way to celebrate.”

In one of my favorite Law of Attraction books, The Gratitude Formula, author May McCarthy suggests keeping a pocket notebook with you and jotting down any small victories, breakthroughs, or unexpected windfalls that come your way each day.

Then she suggests you reach out via text or phone to a friend who has agreed to be your “Celebration Partner” to tell them about your “win” and how it makes you feel.  It really gives you an extra feeling of gratitude and acknowledgment when you can share your small victories with someone else.

It also makes you notice the GOOD things that show up in your life more easily. As a form of self-preservation, our brains come hard-wired to notice negative things more readily than positive things, in order to warn us of possible harm.

The Law of Attraction says that “energy attracts like energy.” Which means we really do have to make an effort to focus on POSITIVE things that happen to and around us, because whatever we focus our energy and attention on is going to attract MORE of itself to us.

That’s why in our twice-monthly women’s Manifesting Mastermind Zoom meetings, I always have each member share a recent “Win” so we can all give her an “Atta Girl” to reinforce her belief that she really IS attracting good things into her world. Last week, I shared that I unexpectedly got two attractive new pairs of prescription eyeglasses for FREE because I had a $350 credit that I didn’t even know about.  It made me feel even MORE blessed by this windfall when I shared it with my Manifesting sisters.

“Top ways Americans have practiced self-care since the start of the pandemic:

Spending quality time with loved ones (48%)

Not taking anything for granted (42%)

Writing down goals, small wins, big successes in a journal (42%)

Exercising/doing yoga (42%)

Spending time outdoors (40%)

Having more celebrations, even for small things (40%)

Unplugging from social media (32%)”

While we don’t know exactly when the pandemic will truly be over, these responses remind us that it has produced some positive new habits and attitudes in many of us.  Let’s hope we make the effort to stay conscious to, express gratitude for, and never again take for granted all the big and little “wins” that life presents us.  If we do, we surely will experience more and more of them.

If you or your friends would like your own free subscription to receive this A Cup of Caroll blog three Sundays a month, just go to https://www.practicalprosperitycoach.com and enter your name and email at the top.

 ****************Give Yourself the Gift of Dreams Fulfilled******************

SUMMER SPECIAL!  New clients who begin coaching in either July or August will receive 50% OFF your first month’s investment, so HURRY! This offer won’t be repeated this year, so if you have a Big Goal you want to pursue – either business or personal — I urge you to schedule a no-obligation, F*R*E*E hour of phone coaching with me ASAP that will help you clarify what you want and get you into action to make it a reality: Email caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com to schedule a chat TODAY! 

 

Get Ready for Great – Blog 437

June 12, 2022

“Out of difficulties grow miracles.” – Jean De La Bruyere

You may be suffering through a “drought” right now in your life’s garden – in your finances, love, health, creativity or joy.  If that’s the case, please know that things can and WILL improve. Or you may be enjoying an abundant harvest and filled with gratitude.  If things are good now, get prepared for GREAT.

We can’t always control what happens to us, but we have complete power over our response, and that determines what will happen next. It all starts between your ears.

One of my clients has proven this in a spectacular way. When we started coaching, she wanted to triple her income from her new job. She was ready to excel, so she engaged me to teach her how to use the Law of Attraction (“energy attracts like energy”) to rapidly build her client base by creating the right energy for success.

Right out of the gate, she loved all the positive mindset tools I gave her, used them faithfully and told me they made her feel happy and made her expect the best.  Pretty soon, she said she couldn’t imagine getting through a day without them.

Still, not much had improved yet in her outer circumstances.

In fact, things seemed to be going backwards at first. She quickly discovered that her new company hadn’t made the pay structure clear to her.  She thought she would have at least a modest base salary and then be rewarded with commissions when she brought in new business.  But it turned out that her income would come entirely from sales commissions.

There were quick results in gaining great industry contacts, who praised her positive energy and supported her with referrals to potential new clients. But mid-way into our four-month coaching timeframe, she was still a long way from achieving the five-figure monthly income goal she had set as her Big Intention.

Nevertheless, she kept a positive attitude, always did her BEST, and focused on being of service to others in every way she could. Most importantly, she learned to express abundant gratitude daily, not just for all the good things in her life right now, but also in ADVANCE for the outcome she was committed to creating.

Without a doubt, the hardest part about harnessing the power of The Law of Attraction is to let go of trying to control the HOW.

Your human Ego is hard-wired to try to figure out and execute a “logical” step-by-step plan to reach your goals.  Sometimes, your own smart plan will work out fine. But if your own plan doesn’t seem to be working or working fast enough, your Inner Protector can go into fear mode, terrified that you are going to fail in your quest.

And fear is the WORST energy for attracting what you desire. Whatever you focus your attention on is going to gain strength from your concentrated thoughts and emotions and will inevitably be attracted to you.  That’s great when it’s something you want. But it’s also why the very thing you most FEAR sometimes comes to you instead.

And then your Inner Protector says, “See? I told you we were going to fail!”  It doesn’t realize that the fear energy that it created inside of you is exactly what attracted the thing it DIDN’T want. Ironic but true, sadly!

That’s why it’s critical to not worry about HOW it’s going to come to you when you are trying to manifest a Big Goal.  Set your clear, measurable intention and do consistent, daily mindset work to strengthen your belief in success. But leave the HOW up to God/The Universe, who has much better, faster, more efficient ways of connecting you to the people and resources that will carry you to your goal than your Inner Protector could ever imagine.

Whenever my client occasionally got discouraged, I would remind her to keep BELIEVING in her Big Goal and just keep being and doing her BEST. And, of course, also to keep expressing GRATITUDE in advance for being guided to the perfect HOW for her big income goal.

In month three of our coaching, she got a call out of the blue from another company in a different niche within her industry.  They catered to a very different clientele that she happened to be very familiar with and could serve well.

They had a job opening that represented a BIG promotion and her name had been given to them by an acquaintance of her family who happened to be one of their clients.  The referrer had sung her praises, and this new company was already very interested in her. The nice caller asked to set up a lunch to discuss the details of the opportunity.

She was shocked and flattered, but also determined to remain unattached until she could get clarity on whether this really could be the HOW for tripling her current income.  She went to the appointment with a lot of specific questions, an open mind and expecting that the BEST would come out of it, whatever that was.

The meeting went better than she could have imagined.  The company’s mission and culture were perfectly aligned with hers and they offered a very generous benefits package and even an expense account for client development. Although the corporate office is only 30 minutes from her home, she would work remotely most of the time, until they establish a permanent branch office even closer to her home.

In the final step, a week later, she met with a number of the company leaders and instantly felt she belonged. A few days later, she received an offer with a base salary that was double what she thought it would be and she has the opportunity to make much more with her added sales commissions.

Ultimately, well before her June 30 deadline, my client begins her new position this week with a monthly income that promises to be much MORE than the Big Intention she had set. The Divine How came and found her — in a way that she never would have imagined.

If we simply follow my client’s example, any of us can shift from having not enough to more than enough and go from good to GREAT in a short time.  It just takes belief and perseverance on our part, and a willingness to let the Source of ALL the good stuff handle the HOW.

COACHING RESULTS

“Where I once felt ‘stuck’ in my life, I feel in control because of the tools Caroll helped me develop. I am forever grateful for the life-changing coaching!” – J.T., Accountant

If you or your friends would like your own F*R*E*E* subscription to receive this blog three Sundays a month, just go to http://practicalprosperitycoach.com and click on the Prosperity Tips button at the top to enter your name and email.

*************** Give Yourself the Gift of Dreams Fulfilled******************

To schedule a F*R*E*E*, no-obligation ONE HOUR Breakthrough Session of phone coaching that will help you clarify your Big Goals and get you into ACTION to make them a reality, please email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com today.  Slots are limited, so please act quickly!

 

Give Freely – Blog 435

May 15, 2022

“Give freely to the world these gifts of love and compassion.  Do not concern yourself with how much you receive in return.  Just know in your heart it will be returned.” – Steve Maraboli

One of those “pivot points” in life that happen to each of us, changing the direction of our life forever, happened to me on a plane in the late 1990s.  It was my introduction to intentionally manifesting something I REALLY wanted using the Law of Attraction (“energy attracts like energy”) and it was also the inception of my coaching career, although I didn’t realize it at the time.

I have shared it with my clients and have written about it before. Yet, I often gloss over the one little detail that I now realize was actually what caused the whole momentous story to unfold.  I feel it’s important to share that little secret with you now because you also will face a life-changing opportunity at some point and I wouldn’t want it to pass you by.

I was boarding a return flight from a leadership retreat in Hawaii for the direct sales company that I was in at the time.  The flight attendants had announced it was a full flight. Right after I sat down, a family boarded together. One parent sat in the row in front of me and the other family members were seated next to me.

The parent in the row ahead of me turned and asked if I would be willing to switch seats so they could all sit together. I had a window seat, and of course the view leaving Hawaii is pretty spectacular, but I didn’t hesitate to do this small favor for them. That’s how I ended up with an aisle seat one row forward from my assigned seat.

During the flight, a petite woman walked down the aisle from first-class and perched on the arm rest of the seat directly across the aisle from me.  After she kissed the gentleman in that seat (who I learned was her then-husband), she turned around and looked right at me.

I instantly recognized her as our keynote speaker, Marcia Wieder, who was known as “America’s Dream Coach.”  (Marcia now goes by Maya Marcia Wieder and is living HER dream, coaching dreamers across the globe online from her home in Portugal!)

All of us at the leadership retreat found her talk very inspiring about how we could make our biggest dreams come true if we only BELIEVED in them, stopped worrying about the “How,” took some small initial steps and then let our Higher Power direct us from there.

I was stunned to be looking right into her eyes.  She smiled at me and said, “I know you. You were at the retreat.”  (I was one of the emerging leaders who were acknowledged onstage.)

Then she stunned me by proclaiming, “You should come back to Maui in a few months for my first-ever Dream University® retreat!  It is going to be amazing. Just 30 participants and I am bringing all my best stuff that I’ve never taught anywhere else.  You will get so much out of it.”

With a rueful smile, I said, “I would love to. I wish I could, but I can’t afford it right now.”

Marcia gave a little frown and asked, “Did you hear my talk?  Which are you more committed to: your Dream or your current Reality?”  Ooof — A punch to the gut!

I will quote the rest of the story as Marcia tells it in her book Making Your Dreams Come True:

“Then Caroll angrily declared that she was sick of hearing herself say those words. The next thing she said surprised us both: ‘I’m coming to Dream U. I don’t know how I will afford it, but it’s time for a breakthrough in my life around money.’  She asked me to be on her Dream Team. ‘Fine. Call me in a week with your credit card number.’

“She called me the next day.  She had received a financial statement in the mail.  One of her bonds was losing money, so she decided to sell it.  Then she had enough money to pay her tuition in full and to cover her airfare to that particular [Dream U] retreat, which was to be held in Maui.

“Caroll came to the workshop, and over and over she kept seeing where she had said no, where her limiting beliefs were causing her to play it safe, and where she was killing off any new possibilities.  After a week of this, she rewired her internal circuitry.

“When she returned home, everything appeared different because Caroll herself had changed.  Within six months her business doubled, she received a big promotion and was praised by the president of the company in front of all her colleagues.  In her personal life, she decided she wanted the perfect relationship and the person she wanted it with was herself. She spent the next year and a half learning more about herself and how to relate to others….

“Caroll recently told me that she has never been happier.  She feels totally free and is facing unlimited horizons for her career and her personal life. Releasing the burden of carrying around a boisterous [inner] Doubter can free you to find your true power and essence.”

It WAS incredible to discover the unstoppable power of the Law of Attraction to bring me whatever I needed to make my dreams a reality, just by believing it was possible, even without knowing the HOW in advance. I returned two more times to Marcia’s Dream University® in Maui as her assistant, and ultimately became a Certified Dream Coach ®, which launched my coaching career.

But I often forget to mention that NONE of this would have happened if I had not changed my seat on that plane. I would have been sitting by the window a row back from where Marcia sat on her husband’s arm rest and we would not have caught each other’s eye. From one small decision, made casually in a few seconds, so many life-changing events unfolded for me over many years!

So, what’s the lesson for all of us?

First, be KIND.  Whenever you can do a small favor for someone, do it!  I believe that the giving energy I sent out by allowing that family to sit together on their long flight home was what attracted ALL that good stuff to me.

And secondly, know that life’s biggest opportunities often come to us when we least expect them. That’s why you have to do a few minutes of mindset preparation DAILY. This opens your subconscious mind to receive Divine Direction, which can come as an inspired idea or a strong urge to do something that may not make sense to your Ego, or even through a few words spoken by a stranger.

Bottom Line: When you get one of those strong inner signals or God sends you a kindness opportunity, my advice is JUST DO IT!

PLEASE NOTE: The blog will take next week off and will return on Sunday May 29.

COACHING RESULTS: 

Caroll’s approach to business is quite powerful. Not only has she helped my business growth, she’s a lot of fun to work with.  Her personality is inviting, which causes me to let down my walls with ease so she can identify my areas of opportunity. When Caroll challenges my perspective, she does so with respect, ensuring I am most open to feedback, causing me to not get defensive.  She makes you think!” – Blake Jones, multi-platform entrepreneur and marketing coach.

If you or your friends would like your own free subscription to receive this blog three Sundays a month, just go to https://practicalprosperitycoach.com and enter your name and email at the top of the page.

*************** Give Yourself the Gift of Dreams Fulfilled! ******************

To schedule a F.R.E.E., no-obligation, ONE HOUR Breakthrough Session of phone coaching that will help clarify your Big Goals and get you into ACTION to make them a reality, please email me at caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com Slots are limited so please act quickly!

 

A Mindset for Miracles – Blog 432

April 24, 2022

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

One of the things I love most about being a Personal Success Coach is that I get a front-row seat to witness my clients’ transformation in their beliefs about themselves and what is possible for them. Once their mindset changes, their life invariably changes for the better, too.

The greatest inner and outer transformation I have seen in a long time has been happening for one of my most recent clients, a woman who is relatively new to the mortgage industry.

When one of my past clients introduced us, nothing about her seemed extraordinary. She is a positive thinker who was eager to create more prosperity for herself and her family.  As is often the case, she was understandably nervous at first, because she wasn’t sure the results would be worth the financial investment and she wasn’t sure she was capable of transforming her limiting beliefs. Nevertheless, she showed real courage and commitment to her Big Goals by taking a risk and betting on herself. Most importantly, she promised to be 100% coachable and she was.

Our first step was to create her personalized tool kit of mindset transformation tools that I call the “Daily Success Script” to put the Law of Attraction (“energy attracts like energy”) to work attracting her ideal clients with greater speed and ease. For the first time, this busy working mom began to make it a habit to start her day with a half hour of quiet “me” time to read something inspiring and do her mindset transformation work of personalized affirmations, new empowering beliefs and positive visualizations.

She also started keeping a Daily Gratitude Formula journal, based on the book by May McCarthy, that helps her connect more easily to Divine Guidance. She said it puts her in tune with her intuition so she can work “smarter, not harder” as she pursues her success goals. As many Master Manifesters have taught us, GRATITUDE is the most positive force that exists for attracting more of what you want to you.

I promised my client at the outset that, while we were focusing on creating increased income as her main intention, her mindset work would naturally transform other areas of her life as well.  The positive energy that attracts ideal new clients and prosperity to us also will attract great new relationships, better health, and many other opportunities for growth and happiness in our lives.

She had barely begun using her daily mindset tools when she started receiving all kinds of new leads and referrals to potential clients, being introduced to top real estate agents who could send her more business, and even was offered a new workspace that was perfect for her needs.

Soon, her worries about making the coaching investment were overshadowed by avalanches of abundance flowing into her personal life, as well.  A long-held dream she and her husband have of buying a property and building their “dream home” suddenly became a much shorter-term reality when a neighbor unexpectedly made them an offer to buy their property that was far greater than what they imagined was possible – and it wasn’t even on the market!

Yes, big and little miracles seem to keep on coming  to my client almost daily, and she is delighted!  When I asked her what she believes is the biggest factor in attracting all that good, she didn’t hesitate.  She said, “Now, I am focusing on what I WANT instead of what I am afraid could happen and amazing things are happening!  I am also getting better at receiving and believing that I am worthy of having all this good come to me.” 

She is 100% right! Whatever we FOCUS the unlimited creative power of our mind on grows stronger and inevitably attracts more of itself into our life. That is the #1 SECRET to success and the #1 mindset transformation that all my clients must make in order to reach their goals!

Each of us must train our own subconscious mind to focus only on what we WANT– instead of what we DON’T want.  If you focus on what you fear, the thing you fear WILL show up. Then your negative response will send you down a slippery slope of negative energy attracting even MORE negative things to you.

The good news is that we are all 100% in charge of our own thoughts and emotions – it’s a CHOICE we make.  Your beliefs are not the “truth,” but just a personal interpretation of a set of facts that you CHOOSE to make.  If you choose to release an Old, Limiting Belief and instead adopt a New, Empowering Belief, you can nip any negativity in the bud and instead cause an avalanche of abundance to chase you down.

As my client quickly discovered, daily consistent repetition and visualization of your positive GOALS will reprogram your thoughts, beliefs and emotions and make the Law of Attraction work FOR you.  The great news is, once the first “miracle” shows up and you are delighted with it and grateful for it, your positive energy will naturally attract ANOTHER good thing and another — and pretty soon, you are on a roll!

You and I have the same innate power my client discovered in herself.  We can soon be on a roll toward attracting good things to us, as well.  It’s all about making it a HABIT at the start of each day to prepare your mind for success and express gratitude for all the good in your life and all the good yet to come!

COACHING RESULTS

“Caroll has been a powerful catalyst for positive change in my life, both personal and professional.  She has helped me recognize spiraling negative emotions and behaviors and guide me to a more powerful, positive place.  She has shown me the power of positive, grateful thinking that has resonated with and changed me and even the people around me.” – J.T., accountant

If you would like your own free subscription to receive this blog three Sundays a month, just go to my website www.practicalprosperitycoach.com and enter your name and email at the top.

****************** Give the Gift of Dreams Fulfilled! ********************

I invite you to give yourself, a friend, colleague or loved one a truly unique gift that can change their life — ONE HOUR of a Success Breakthrough session with me.  It is absolutely F*R*E*E* with no obligation and no strings attached!  You can gift this to as many people who will really appreciate it as you wish.  (Feel free to claim it for YOURSELF, too!)

To schedule a F*R*E*E* HOUR of phone coaching that will help them clarify their Big Goals and get into ACTION to make this their BEST year yet, have them email caroll@practicalprosperitycoach.com

 

Wake Up Call – Blog 429

March 20, 2022

“Don’t be moved by what you see; be moved by what you know.” – Joel Osteen

Happy Spring!  While I am sure Spring is welcome, some of us are still recovering from the change last weekend to Daylight Savings Time.  I used to think the “spring forward” didn’t affect me much. However, this time, it gave me a critical reminder about the right mindset we need to have in order to manifest what we want in life.

Twice a year, a number of our household clocks need to be manually re-set.  But my bedside alarm clock, which I have had for nearly 15 years, picks up a signal from the national atomic clock in Boulder, Colorado to change automatically to DST or Standard Time when the time changes at 2:00am.  Much like the digital clock on our phones, it takes care of itself, and I never give it a second thought.

But last Sunday morning, I woke up and realized that, for the first time, my clock hadn’t changed automatically.  I thought maybe the signal was blocked in our bedroom or the clock was just wearing out, so I manually re-set it, and it seemed to keep the right time for the next 24 hours.

But then, I woke up on Tuesday and noticed it was once again back to Standard Time.  Luckily, I wake up before the alarm almost every day, so I wasn’t late, but I was annoyed that now it seemed I would have to buy a new alarm clock.  I re-set it and waited to see if it would stick this time.  It did for a couple of days, and I relaxed, thinking it just needed the new battery I put in.

On Thursday, I woke up in the dark and glanced at my alarm clock, which read 2:00 AM. Just to be sure, I looked over at my husband’s electric clock, which has to be set manually, and it read 5:00 AM.  Wow! My clock had somehow lost THREE hours since I went to bed.  Now, I DEFINITELY need to buy a new one.  I was just grateful that I had awakened on time, since 5:00 AM is my normal weekday time to get up.

As I quietly gathered my clothes and phone in the dark, so as not to disturb Rick, I thought, “I must have slept fitfully, because I still feel tired.”

When I turned on the bathroom light, I could see the time on my phone and on my wrist watch both read 2:00 AM, just like my alarm clock.  What??!  I went over to Rick’s nightstand to get a closer look and saw that he had his phone on his nightstand, which he never does.  Now, I was REALLY confused.

Just then, Rick woke up to go to the bathroom, and I asked him why he had his phone on the nightstand.  Did it have anything to do with his clock being three hours FAST?  Yes, he confirmed.  He had tried to set his clock alarm in the dark, so as not to disturb me, since I was already asleep.

He realized he must have inadvertently pressed the button to change the time and pushed it three hours ahead. But he didn’t want to mess with it and risk waking me, so he set the alarm on his phone instead and put it next to his clock.  I was a bit miffed, but mostly relieved, that my clock (and I) weren’t going crazy after all!

There I was, fully awake at 2:00 AM, all because I had BELIEVED my own eyes when I looked at Rick’s clock.  I was predisposed to believe what I saw because my own clock had been acting weird, so I assumed Rick’s time was right and mine was wrong.  It wasn’t until I got the corroborating evidence that I discovered what my eyes saw wasn’t the TRUTH after all.

Later in the morning, while I was doing my mindset prep for the day, I remembered the words often spoken by my favorite television pastor, Joel Osteen.  Whenever we ask God/The Universe for help with a problem or for a blessing, Joel says, “Don’t be moved by what you see; be moved by what you know.” In other words, if you don’t SEE any outer evidence that anything is happening, you must stay in faith that things ARE coming together behind the scenes.  When the time is right, the perfect answer will be delivered in the perfect way, and you will know that Divine Mind WAS working it out for you, after all.

The thing we must remember about manifesting something we want – especially if it seems like a real stretch – is that our BELIEF is key.  The Law of Attraction (“energy attracts like energy”) says that we will attract the resources, circumstances and people who are a match for our energy.

If your energy is one of BELIEF that what you want IS going to happen and you are EXPECTING it to happen and feeling GRATEFUL in advance, then you are setting this powerful force to work on your behalf.  But if you quit believing too soon, just because you don’t see any outer evidence that it is going to work out, you will stop it from manifesting.

Bottom line: We attract what we EXPECT to get.  I expected my clock to be wrong and therefore, I was easily convinced that it was.  And then I ACTED on that belief and the result of my faulty expectation was that I needlessly got up three hours early and was never able to go back to sleep.

In trying to do its #1 job of keeping you safe, the Protector part of your psyche is always looking for corroborating evidence for what it BELIEVES to be true. And psychologists have long known that it has a bias toward noticing NEGATIVE evidence because that is what your Protector thinks is going to harm you. It doesn’t want you to fail or be disappointed or be taunted by those who thought you were crazy for going after an “impossible” goal in the first place.

But if you are going to allow God/The Universe to come up with the ideal HOW for making what you want a reality, you must TRUST. Maybe the odds are long.  Maybe nobody you know has reached that particular goal before.  Maybe the time frame seems impossibly short.  But, as Joel Osteen reminds us, “God’s ways are not our ways.  God is not limited by the things that limit us.”

So just because you don’t see anything happening (yet), do not give up! Remember that your eyes do not always tell you the Truth.  The Truth is that there are NO limits on what you can accomplish, as long as you continue to believe in your Higher Power, yourself and your Big Dreams. The only limit on what is possible lies between your ears.

PLEASE NOTE: The blog is taking next weekend off.  Look for your next fresh Cup of Caroll on April 3. 

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