Why LEGO is the BEST Company in the World

Its an incredible story of how a young boy saved ALL of his pocket, birthday and Christmas money to save up for the Lego set he really wanted. After 2 years of saving he sadly discovered that the train set was no longer in stock. Until he got this letter from letter from Lego........



This little guy has Aspergers ... read the commentary following the video. 

A life-defining experience for this little guy.

Glenda

The Woman in the Mirror

Milestone Birthday:

The Woman in the Mirror
by Marilyn Jenett







Today, my birthday, December 7th, represents a milestone in history — Pearl Harbor Day. It also happens to be a shockingly clear milestone in my life. I won't reveal how many miles, but trust me, it's lots of stones indicating lots of miles.

The image in the mirror belies those travels, but the image in my mind and heart makes it pretty clear that our visit to this dimension is not indefinite (of course most teenagers will argue that fact).

It's become increasingly clear in my recent years that the most important benefit we can derive from these milestones is the ability to open ourselves to some greater meaning to our time here. Some people do this naturally and early. Most people are too darn busy with making money, making families, making careers, or just trying to make sense of it all to focus on a greater meaning for their existence.

I don't think I'm alone in wanting to make my time on this planet serve some purpose beyond myself. As I become aware of the multitudes of people who are opting out of passionless careers to enter some form of "healing" work, I know I'm not alone. And I don't mean healing from the standpoint of physical health, although that could be included. I'm talking about healing people's minds and spirits (and bank accounts), healing animals, healing the environment and the planet. The Universal parent that encompasses all of the above is...healing consciousness. And it all starts with healing our own.

Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror expressed this beautifully. He didn't write the lyrics but no other talent could have offered us the song with such brilliance. It represents a profound understanding of our individual capacity to care about others on a global level and to initiate change in the world by making the change within ourselves first. Below is the link to the performance that only Michael could deliver. It highlights some of the greatest people in our history who have changed our world (as well as some fainting teenagers).

Today we remember Pearl Harbor, but I'd also like to remember the "pearl harbored" by Michael's song.

This is all about becoming aware of what's transpiring beyond ourselves and our needs. This doesn't mean setting aside our own needs. To the contrary, I've discovered that not only by healing my consciousness can I heal others — but remarkably, by healing others, I heal myself!

We don't need to be a great talent or historical figure or even famous or global to do healing while we are here. A line from the Talmud, the book of Jewish law, reads: "Save one life, save the world." I don't know the Talmud, I've only heard of that line, but I think I now understand its meaning. I felt when I began to teach the Feel Free to Prosper program nine years ago, that if I could only help one person change their life for the better, it would all be worth it. It would be worth giving up a business making tens of thousands of dollars on a single corporate event in order to help individuals with the knowledge of how I changed my own life for the better. I became driven with the desire to give meaning to the time I have left here. I didn't forego the idea of making sizable profits. I merely decided to find a way to make those profits in a way that was consistent with my spiritually maturing values. I have no issues about even taking my teachings into the corporate world. Only the purpose now would be to prosper businesses with prosperity teachings, not elaborate partying (my former corporate business).

Today on this milestone birthday, I am taking a good look at the Woman in the Mirror and asking Infinite Intelligence for the guidance and direction to continue my chosen mission and further its success. I am asking for the ability to make the changes in my own consciousness that will make a difference for others too.

The Woman in the Mirror knows that success is not based on the latest brouhaha over marketing tools and networking skills or following every fad or trend like a lemming. She knows that success is born of a mother — Prosperity Consciousness — and a father — a Wisdom and Intelligence beyond our own. The rest are just details.

Anyone can talk to the Man or Woman in the Mirror. Milestone birthday optional.


 

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
 
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place

Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change

— Man In the Mirror
www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9Nh84lfvW0

 

REPRINT PERMISSION

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, as long as the following text is included and the article appears in its entirety and unchanged.

© Copyright 2012 Marilyn Jenett, Feel Free to Prosper
All rights reserved

Marilyn Jenett, an accomplished business owner in the corporate arena, founded the Feel Free to Prosper program to mentor and teach others to become aligned with Universal laws and accept their right to prosper. For more information, visit www.FeelFreetoProsper.com.

Money

by Randy Gage

6
inShare

Okay it’s been a while since we talked about money. Probably the biggest mind virus you encounter today about money is that it is not spiritual.



Technically that is true, because money is not inherently spiritual or inherently evil. It is a resource that can be used for either positive or negative ends. And even though technically this is true, in practicality, personally I do see money as inherently spiritual.

This is because I view money as God in action for what it allows us to do. And while people can use money for negative things, when they do so, they are out of accord with the nature of the universe. As a result, they’re always going to face resistance, while people who use money in accord with universal laws will always prosper.

Poverty is a sin because it separates people from their true nature and glorious potential.

People who are worried about making the rent or providing groceries for their family aren’t using contemplating higher spiritual matters – they are immersed in their struggle for survival.
When they get the money thing out of the way – which means they morally and ethically create enough wealth to exceed their needs – they now can evolve into the delicious existence of contribution on a greater scale. And that’s when things really get sexy…

You up for it?
-RG

Randy Gage Blog Link "Money"

Radiant Heart Energy

Radiant Heart Energy
by Owen Waters

The gateway to spiritual consciousness is through the heart.

The Creator designed the human experience to consist of twelve stages of evolving consciousness. As I detailed from the original research in my first book, The Shift: The Revolution in Human Consciousness, these range all the way from basic survival to the ultimate state of spiritual consciousness.

Much of the 20th century was devoted to the fifth stage of human consciousness, which is intellectual development. Today, people are migrating in droves to the next stage of human growth, which is heart-centered consciousness.

When a person focuses their intellect through the lens of heart-centered consciousness, they see how much the world needs help and healing rather than the old ways of competition and destruction. The initial stage of heart-centered consciousness produces a constructive, global outlook. It also places a person just one short step from the later stage of heart-centered consciousness and the dawning of spiritual awareness.

“Love your neighbor as yourself” is a guideline that has been with us since the early days of human development. Today, it’s no longer a distant ideal to be sought. The mass shift to heart-centered consciousness means that unconditional love now comes to people naturally.

The complete love and acceptance of yourself and others is the heartbeat of the New Reality.

Feeling unconditional love towards others is the key to successful, meaningful interactions with everyone with whom you meet in any situation. Feeling unconditional love towards yourself fosters a healthy sense of self-esteem which builds a positive reality based upon mutual support.

Even if there are outer behaviors that need improvement in yourself or others, it is unconditional love that is the key that will find the solutions that will bring positive transformation to those behaviors.

Once you begin to think with an open heart, you are stepping from basic human consciousness into the spiritual stages of human development. This is exactly what we came to earth to accomplish because finding spirituality is fundamental to the human experience. It may take courage to move into heart-centered consciousness, but once you acquire the expanded view of a life filled with love, you will never want to step back to the way things were.

You will soon find that any worries or fears that arise in your life can be transformed by the greatest power in the universe – that of unconditional love. It is the power of love that holds the universe together. It is a force of attraction that permeates every cell of your body and constantly reminds you of the love of the Creator for all of life.


*If you enjoyed today's article, forward it to a friend! They will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Owen Waters is the author of Spirituality Made Simple, which is available both as a paperback and a downloadable e-book, at:

http://www.infinitebeing.com/ebooks/simple.htm

The Pages Long Forgotten

The Pages Long Forgotten

Mike stepped into the used bookstore, smelled the age of old pages and smiled.

Here was a wealth of old stories, history waiting to be read, and a host of other joys. On a back shelf, he found what he was looking for, two tiers crammed with the forgotten. They'd served their use to those who once held them dear, but now gathered dust in the darkest corner of the store.

There were Italian, American, French and Greek. They contained secrets from around the world. There were collections of chicken, beef, pastries, bread, and desserts. They waited, hidden in a little explored part of the store, and hoped someone discovered their treasures.

Mike knew what to do. He picked one up, held the spine in his hand and let the book fall open. They always opened to the most used pages, the recipes loved by lost generations. The page in front of him was for a recipe called, "Beef-filled cornbread". The picture showed a delicious layer of meat and cheese, layered with cornbread and covered with a hot sauce. The pages were stained with splatters of tomato sauce. It was obviously a favorite of the previous owners. He'd try this one.

Those used the most are the best.

He found several other books, each with its own marked pages, carried them to the counter and made his purchase.

"I hope you found something you like." The cashier said.

"Oh yes. Very much! I'm sure these are exactly to my taste."

He paid for his purchase, left the store and carried them in a bag on his way to work.

In the locker room, he placed his books on the top shelf and changed into his scrubs. The recipes would wait. He had a duty.

Freshly dressed, he walked his floor. "Hello, Mrs. Smith!" He smiled at the elderly lady sitting in the sun-room reading a book. In her day, she must have been a beautiful woman. She still was, for a woman in her eighties. "How was your day?"

"Horrible!" she growled. He sat beside her, held her hand and looked into her eyes. "My grandson didn't visit me," she continued. "He promised me he'd be here today." She adjusted her shawl and tried to hide the tears about to spill from her wizened eyes.

"Maybe tomorrow." he replied. "You know how busy these young people are." He noted the tear in the corner of her eye and changed subject. "Mrs. Smith, didn't you tell me you lived during the great depression?"

A smile came to her face. "Oh, yes. What a time that was. There was no work, ya know. But we survived."

"How did you get by?"

"Well, we all worked together. Everyone worked together. We helped each other." She frowned. "It's not like today, where people are too busy to worry about anyone but themselves. In those days, we worked together. If you didn't, you starved."

"It must have been a hard time, Mrs. Smith. I don't know how you did it."

"I didn't." she grinned. "We did. We did it together, the neighbors and my family."

He left her smiling and hoped her grandson paid a visit the next day.

He moved down the hall and stepped into Mr. Walker's room. "Hey, Walk! How's things?" He used the name Walk, as all the others in the center called him. It made Walk feel comfortable.

Mr. Walker looked up from a puzzle he leaned over. "Could be better, Mike. This damn puzzle has me stumped. These eyes aren't what they used to be."

"I know, Walk. Just take your time. There's no rush."

"There is too." Walk chuckled. "I need to finish it before I die."

"Not too soon I hope." Mike said.

"Soon enough. Be glad not to have to work on this darn thing anymore anyway. Say! Have I told you about the guy who walks into a bar with a giraffe under his arm?"

Mike chuckled. Walk loved a good joke. "I don't believe you have."

Walk's face broke out in a smile. "You see, this guy walks into a bar with a giraffe under his arm. He has a few beers. The giraffe falls asleep on the floor. The bartender looks down, sees the giraffe and asks, 'What's that lying on the floor?'

"The guy says, 'That's not a lion! That's a giraffe.'"

Walk broke into a laugh that turned into a coughing spell. Mike slapped him on the back. "Come on, Walk. Cough it up."

Walk got himself under control. "Thought I wasn't going to finish this damn puzzle after all."

"You're OK now. I got your back."

I know about covering someone's back." Walk sat straight his seat. "I was in WWII ya know."

"I heard that. Did you have a hard time?" Mike asked.

"Mike, you have no idea. It was the winter of '41, or was it '42. I can't remember now. Snow was up to here." Walk pointed to his thigh. "We were on the front. The enemy was close ."

Thirty minutes later, Mike said, "WOW! That's a story, Walk." He paused. "Walk, I knew you were in the war, but I don't think I ever thanked you. I want to say, 'Thank you.' You made us safe."

"Ah, stop it. It was nothing." Walk turned to his puzzle, too embarrassed to continue their talk. He and others knew what they did, but don't want to take credit. It's an unspoken rule between the veterans. They did what they had to.

Mike continued on his rounds, held hands, shared hugs and listened.

Here they were, like the cookbooks, sitting in dark corners, ignored. Mike knew what to do. He held them, let their hearts fall open, and found the pages stained with use.

They are the most valued. They are the pages long forgotten.


Michael T. Smith


Michael lives with his lovely wife, Ginny, in Caldwell, Idaho. He works as a project manager in Telecommunications and in his spare time writes inspiration stories. He has recently been published in two Chicken Soup for the Soul Books (All in the Family and Things I Learned from My Cat), in "Thin Threads - Life Changing Moments" and in Catholic Digest.

To sign up for Michael's stories go to: http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?m=1101828445578&p=oi

To read more of his stories, go to: http://ourecho.com/biography-353-Michael-Timothy-Smith.shtml#stories

drop 40: perception… the intellectual changeling

I should have done it this way! You are doing it wrong! My way really works, do it now! You can’t be an expert without a degree. They really aren’t working very hard. That was a stupid answer.

One of our 6 intellectual gifts – perception – is the one that is always changing based on new information. The six are perception, intuition, imagination, memory, reason and will. Perception, or our point of view, changes constantly! When we judge another by our standards and ideas (perception/point of view) we are saying ‘our way of doing things is the best way.’ But it’s not forever and in many cases it is only momentary.

Perception like the other gifts must be exercised – exercised like a muscle. When it is weak, we don’t even see it is changing and rely on our old point of view in judging situations. When strong, we can track the changes in our perception and take action based on the change in real-time.

We each have our own distinct perception of everything and anything. No two points of view are precisely alike. And I believe my way works for me and you believe your way works for you. So should you judge another by your perception, just know that they are not using your point of view, but their own.


How does one ‘exercise’ the mental muscle of perception? For it is via exercise that we begin to see that there is never a reason to judge someone by our own point of view. Often telling another they should do it a certain way, has them feel that you are ‘making them wrong.’ Why they feel this way is about their limiting beliefs, which I have written about in the archives of this newsletter.

If you accept the law of polarity (one of the universal laws) you know that for every yes, there is a no. For every up there is a down. No outside, unless you have an inside, and so forth. Whether you embrace this law or not, it does work each and every time without fail, like gravity. If someone is doing something you consider ‘wrong,’ remember it is ‘right’ for them.

If you can ‘catch’ yourself judging another by your perception, that is a start. Just realizing you are doing it is step one. Even if you would bet a week’s salary you are RIGHT about this topic, STOP and say nothing. Remind yourself that your being right only works for you… no one else. With tens of thousands of bits of information coming to us via our five senses every day, catching yourself once a day is perfect.

Because repetition is the first law of learning, haphazard practice or exercise of this mental muscle does not work. You must actively make an effort each day, or every other day, or 3 times a week in spaced intervals to take this action. Now and then is a waste of your time, it doesn’t ‘stick,’ or become a habit for you – the habit of grace – letting others have their own way of doing things!

If you commit to doing this consistently over 90 days, you will find you no longer push your point of view or perspective on others because 1) you know they have their own unique perspective, 2) you see your own point of view changing as you get new information, and 3) you can then open the door to a discussion about both your points of view for a synergistic effect.

No one likes to feel they did are doing something wrong. It feels bad. And to be in harmony with the abundance of the universe is to feel good – our natural state. Before you speak to judge another – smile, stop yourself, (bite your tongue if you must) and just listen to the other person. Then you can pat yourself on the back because you have just taken your first step in developing that mental muscle – perception – which distinguishes you from more than 90% of people who are simply unaware of this gift and how it can be developed.

Leslie Flowers

Drops of Awareness and the Leslie Flowers Logo are registered trademarks of Leslie Flowers Enterprises Inc.

Leslie Flowers Enterprises - 232 Hanover Place, Cary, NC 27511 ph 919-271-4948

Reader’s story: The perfect heart

Paulo Coelho's Blog
Sent by Priya Sher

A young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a flaw in it.

But an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said,
“Your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine.”

The crowd and the young man looked at the old man’s heart. It was beating strongly but full of scars. It had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in … but they didn’t fit quite right and there were several jagged edges. The young man looked at the old man’s heart and laughed.

“You must be joking,” he said. “Compare your heart with mine … mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears.”

” “Yes,” said the old man, “Yours is perfect looking … but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love….. I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them … and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in my heart but because the pieces aren’t exact, I have some rough edges.

“ Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away … and the other person hasn’t returned a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges … giving love is taking a chance. Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too … and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting. So now do you see what true beauty is?”

The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks. He walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart, and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man.

The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man’s heart.
It fit …. but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges.

The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man’s heart flowed into his.

Paulo Coelho's Blog: http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2010/10/04/readers-story-the-perfect-heart/

How Flexible Are YOU?

How Flexible Are You? - By Cari Murphy

Stretching Our Spiritual Flexibility Muscles

Life is absolutely filled with unexpected twists and turns that present us with challenges at each bend in the road. Our ability and our commitment to moving WITH the current while opening our hearts and minds to new ideas and options is the key to harmonious living. It is only when we resist the flow that we encounter stress, drama, and problems. When we shift our focus into the limitless realm of possibility, previously unseen doorways magically open before us and reveal the treasures that are linked together with growth and positive change.

As long as we are focused on narrow, limited views on life and living, we cannot and will not see solutions. Solutions are discovered when the mind is open, the heart is available, and the spirit is leading the way. When we approach all people and situations with eyes of love and positive expectation, we allow for the beauty of every challenge to present itself with ease. When we choose to remain flexible, we will engage a renewed sense of vitality, understanding, and compassion that allows us (previously denied) access to the necessary resources and wisdom within us to guide us through and beyond change.

The more flexible and balanced we are from a spiritual perspective, the less prone we will be to spiritual problems. Flexibility is the characteristic of being able to bend. Spiritual flexibility is the characteristic of being able to bend, to be open-minded, and teachable. Those who are not spiritually flexible are often described as being stiff necked and obstinate. The cure for this dis-ease is to listen. The person who listens is spiritually flexible. He/she is open-minded and teachable. He/she allows for growth. When we embrace the importance of being spiritually flexible and balanced, we recognize that the alternative is to be stubborn and unbalanced. An individual who is stubborn and unbalanced will not experience joy, inner peace, and spiritual victory and will find constant conflict in their relationships with others.

To integrate spiritual stretching into your daily routine, here is a quick checklist to empower you to redirect your focus and create new, more fulfilling experiences by adopting a more flexible attitude and outlook:

* Is my body tense or rigid? If so, breathe deeply and consciously relax whatever is rigid.

* Do I believe there is a steadfast rule-that something must be a certain way to work well? If so, challenge yourself to break that rule just to see that there are other possibilities.

* Am I open to making adjustments in the behaviors I am choosing so that I can learn and grow? If not, go inside and contemplate the cost of remaining resistant and inflexible.

* Am I overly invested in a certain mood or state of being to the degree that I am defined by those moods or states? If so, consciously choose to respond in a different way. Instead of being angry, choose an alternative emotional state such as compassion.

* Am I agenda driven? An example of this would be trying to persuade someone of our view points or beliefs with such rigidity that we create stress for those who are on the receiving end of our persuasive attempts.

* Do I allow myself the opportunity to expand beyond traditions to embrace new experiences and ideas outside of my psychological and cultural comfort zones? If not, challenge yourself to expand.

* Do I get easily fixated and become a creature of habit to the extent that I find it hard to shift out of certain behaviors or expectations? If so, choose new and different ways of doing things.

Often times, we develop an internal rigidity and do not realize that we have lost our flexibility until challenges in life occur. Every person and every situation is a teacher for us, offering the opportunity for growth, understanding, compassion, and healing, When we approach life in this manner, without resisting these circumstances and individuals, life takes on a broader, more expansive meaning. When we can view our challenges as beautiful covered jewels offering growth and healing, our experiences transform in phenomenal new ways.
Go out and stretch those spiritual muscles today and then notice how laughter, joy, and love flow into our experiences with ease. You deserve this.

** To comment on this article or to read comments about this article,
go here.



About the Author:

CARI MURPHY, YOUR SOUL SUCCESS COACH
Client Care Phone: 1-800-704-SOUL (Toll-Free)
Email: Cari@CariMurphy.com
Web: http://www.CariMurphy.com

Working with me as your coach is unique. I say this because I've been in this industry for over 17 years. I combine my educational and professional background in counseling psychology, my energy medicine and wellness/fitness background with my life and business coaching certification and skills, my broadcasting skills as the host of the "Create Change Now" Radio Show, and blend that with my history as a best-selling personal development author and my spiritual awareness and deep intuitive skills (heightened after my near death experience 15 years ago) to help you shift from limitation to expansion in every area of your life. I love watching my clients as they thrive and flourish in ways they never even imagined. My approach as a life and business coach is a HOLISTIC (BODY, MIND, SPIRIT) one. This provides the balance and awareness I feel is essential to creating lasting fulfillment and success that flows from the inside-out. Your expansion awaits!
Email me to set up a complimentary coaching strategy session so we can illuminate your soul's path and purpose and get you on the path to pure and authentic soul -driven success! Cari@CariMurphy.com

Believers in Small Graces

Believers in Small Graces

There are those who search God in the quiet places -- no churches, no public displays of piety, no dramatic or flamboyant rituals.

They may be found standing in humble awe before a sunset, or weeping quietly at the beauty of a Bach concerto, or filled with an overflowing of pure love at the sight of an infant in the arms of its mother.

You may meet them visiting the elderly, comforting the lonely, feeding the hungry, and caring for the sick.

The greatest among them may give away what they own in the name of compassion and goodness, while never once uttering the word “God” out loud. Or they may do no more than offer a smile or a hand to someone in need, or quietly bow their heads at a moment of beauty that passes through their lives, and say a simple prayer of gratitude to the spirit that has created us all.

They are the lovers of the quiet God, the believers in the small graces of ordinary life.

Theirs is not the grand way, the way of the mystic or the preacher or the zealot or the saint. Some would say that theirs is not a way at all. All they know for certain is that life has beauty and a joy that transcends all the darkness that surrounds us, that something ineffable lives beyond the ordinary affairs of the day, and that without this mystery our lives would not be worth living.

I honor those who search for the quiet God, who seek the spirit in the small moments of our everyday life. It is a celebration of the ordinary, a reminder that when all else is stripped away, a life lived with love is enough.

--Kent Nerbern

THE MAGIC OF RELEASING LIMITING BELIEFS

"Like each of us, I've been hired by the Universe to be myself."
- Michael Beckwith


"I AM good enough!" "I AM lovable!" "It IS OK to live my dream!" These are some of the profound declarations my clients make as they release limiting beliefs. These are extraordinary moments when they realize what's been holding them back and they release a lifetime of resistance. With a certainty that comes from the depths of their being, they declare to all the Universe: "It's MY life!" "I AM worthy!" "I AM supposed to get what I want!"

Michael Beckwith writes eloquently about his childhood realization that the boy his family saw was not the Michael he knew himself to be. "At that moment," Michael writes, "I consciously shut down my cosmic connection and began conforming myself to labels that boxed me into being someone that everyone would be comfortable around."

Our circumstances are individual and unique, but the results are often similar: We come to view ourselves the way others see us rather than Who We Really Are. We learn to live with disappointment. We acquiesce to being OK without the money, the health, the relationships we desire. We're even tempted to stop desiring altogether if only it will stop the pain. But it never feels right to do without, to settle for less, to give up on our dreams. It just never feels right.

There's a battle going on within us when we harbor limiting beliefs. On the one hand, we KNOW we came here to create what we desire. We KNOW we're supposed to have desires and the Universe is supposed to fulfill those desires. On the other hand, we've become convinced we can't really have what we want. Not really. Oh, maybe we think we can have some of what we want - but only if we work very hard and if we're very "good" or very lucky.

This battle continues to rage every day of our lives until we root out the limiting beliefs that keep us from living what we came here knowing - that we CAN have what we want, that physical life experience is set up to inspire desire, that we're co-creating with the Universe to fulfill our desires. Of course, the Universe IS fulfilling our desires. It's just that we can't access the fulfillment of those desires until we ALLOW it in, until we BELIEVE we can, until we let go of "I can't" and re-connect with what our True Self knows for sure - "YES, I CAN!" "I get to choose!"

We know this - no matter how much we try to stuff it down with food or numb it with drugs or run away from it with distractions. It's still there, calling to us. "I really CAN have it all!" "I AM free!"

Until we release and replace limiting beliefs, they continue to undermine every thought, every choice, every decision we make. Limiting beliefs block the manifestation of our desires. Limiting beliefs block our natural state of Well-Being. As I assist my clients to shine a light on their limiting beliefs, they are able to break the chains and take back their power, their freedom, and their joy: "It IS OK to live my own life!" "I DO deserve the good things in life!" It IS OK to have money!

Once we release a negative, limiting belief, the positive, empowering "YES, I CAN!" knowing steps up quite naturally to replace it. Then, everything shifts. We click back into Who We Really Are and who we came here to be and life becomes a dance - the way we knew it could be.

We live in a Universe of abundance, limited only by our beliefs. When we change our underlying beliefs, everything changes. When we replace negative, limiting beliefs with joyful, empowering beliefs, we release resistance to our natural state of Well-Being. When we do this, the battle is over and we're re-connected with Who We Really Are. When we release limiting beliefs, we re-align with Source and are moved to passionately declare: "I AM magnificent!" "I CAN have what I want!" "YES, I CAN!"

kate@goldstarcoaching.com

The Space on the Page

While visiting Japan, I was surfing some television channels and I came upon an American baseball game. There are lots of Japanese baseball players in the U.S. major leagues now, and the Japanese are very proud of them, so they broadcast the U.S. games there. Instead of airing the games in their entirety, however, they replay recent broadcasts, edited down to the highlights. So the show jumps from the stolen base in the first inning to the home run in the fourth, to the manager's fight with the umpire in the sixth, to the Japanese player's hit in the eighth, and so on. All in all, a two-and-a-half-hour game is condensed to about 20 minutes.

While it was interesting to see all the cool plays, I found watching the compacted version far less enjoyable than viewing an entire baseball game. Somehow the innings where nothing happens make the action-packed innings more meaningful and exciting. There is something about contrast that accentuates experience.

The game of life is the same way. It is not supposed to be action packed and exciting every minute. The lulls and quiet spaces enhance the peaks and crescendos. The downs accentuate the ups, and the setbacks make the triumphs more rewarding. Hunger makes food taste better when you receive it, missing others helps you appreciate them when you see them next, and foreplay makes an orgasm worth waiting for. The system is pretty clever.

I learned a similar lesson when I submitted an ad to a graphic artist. He told me there were too many words on the page. "The space on the page is as important as the text and pictures," he explained. "It's all about balance."

The next time nothing seems to be happening or something you want does not show up immediately, do not fret. The big game is far more satisfying than the condensed version.


Alan Cohen
http://www.alancohen.com

Play the Mistake by Alan Cohen

Play the Mistake

by Alan Cohen
www.alancohen.com


Just before Christmas last year, Rob Anderson went into a convenience store to purchase three $1 Powerball lottery tickets as stocking stuffers. The clerk misunderstood Anderson’s request and erroneously printed one $3 ticket. When Anderson called the mistake to the clerk’s attention, the clerk offered to nullify the ticket. Anderson decided to just go with the current of events, he accepted the ticket, and purchased the three stocking stuffers in addition. Rob went home and tossed the mistaken ticket on his nightstand.

The day after Christmas the winning numbers were announced and Anderson figured he would check the mistaken ticket just in case. That was when he realized the mistake was no mistake. He had just won $128 million, the largest Powerball jackpot ever paid in the Kentucky lottery.

Sometimes what seems to be going wrong is really going right. From a human perspective it may appear that things are working against you, when they are really working for you. That’s why it’s important to be vigilant for what errors might lead to.

When my friend Stephanie visits her parents every year at Thanksgiving, one of the highlights of the family’s traditional meal is “Mistake Salad.” “Many years ago mom was preparing a salad using a cookbook,” Stephanie explained to me. “When mom finished, she realized that she had accidentally merged the recipes for two different salads ― one portion of the ingredients for a salad described on the left open page of the cookbook, and another portion from a different salad described on the right open page. The salad turned out better than any other salad we had had, so now she replicates it every year as the famous ‘Mistake Salad.’”

Speaking of salads, have you ever heard how the famous Caesar Salad began? Cesar Cardini was the working in a small restaurant near a tiny airport near Tijuana, Mexico. One night during a rush of customers, the kitchen ran out of salad ingredients. When the next salad order came in, Cardini threw together whatever scant ingredients he had on hand. Behold the birth of one of the world’s most popular salads! (Originally it was called “The Aviator.”)

Robert Louis Stevenson noted, “Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.” Yet what is a poor hand, but a good hand in the making? What is a minus, but half of a plus waiting for a stroke of vertical awareness? And what is an error, but something to parlay to create something far more valuable than what would have come had the error not occurred? As Ralph Waldo Emerson noted, “A weed is a plant whose virtues have not been discovered.”
All of life is interpretation. It is not the events that occur that make or break a life, but your interpretation of them. You can make anything out of anything, so why not make it what you would choose?

Years ago I was looking for a new location for my office. I found a site that was suitable but not great. In expedience I decided to rent it, and I asked the realtor to get me a contract. The realtor kept delaying and delaying, unto just a few days before I had to move. When I asked him about the contract he confessed that the owner did not want to rent to me because he had seen one of my books and he did not agree with my philosophy. I grew angry and complained about discrimination. Yet when I consulted my inner guidance, it advised me to simply let it be.

That day as I was driving home I decided to take an alternate scenic route. Along the way I noticed a storefront for rent. When I inquired, I found the owner to be a lovely woman who had been using the space for tai chi classes. We liked each other immediately and I rented the space. The facility was in a beautiful area, close to my home, with more space and far less rent than the space from which I had been turned away. Ultimately I blessed the original landlord for denying me. He was the vehicle by which I received something greater.

Life is trying to love you, and apparent mistakes may ultimately serve you. It is said that “disappointments are the hooks upon which God hangs his victories.” Nothing ever gets so bad that it cannot get good, and often the good that comes after the bad is greater than the good that came before it.

The next time you encounter a mistake, Rob Anderson would be a good guy to remember. As he deposits his annual checks for millions of dollars, he would probably suggest that we, too, do not resist errors, but let them work in our favor.

I Don't Play Hurt by Alan Cohen

I Don't Play Hurt by Alan Cohen


I am not a victim of the world I see.

- A Course in Miracles


I began to feel irritated when the limo driver was late. After a long flight on the eve of an intense book promotion tour, I was tired and anxious to get to my hotel. Finally the limo arrived and the driver emerged. He was a tall, husky African-American man who resembled a cross between George Forman and Goldfinger’s Oddjob. I decided not to get in his face.

Enroute the driver, Terry, apologized for being late because he had a minor fender bender on his way. When he asked me what I was doing in L.A., I told him I was promoting my new book, Why Your Life Sucks and What You Can Do About It. Terry chuckled, “I can use that book.”

A few minutes later I heard Terry reporting the mishap to his dispatcher over the 2-way radio. “Was there any damage to the car?” asked the dispatcher.
“None,” Terry answered curtly.
“Did you get hurt?” was the next question.
“Not really.”
After a silence, the dispatcher replied, “You know, there could be some cash in this for you.”

When I realized the dispatcher was suggesting that Terry file a false insurance claim, I awaited his response. A moment later he answered in a low, sober voice, “I don’t play hurt.”

Now there’s an affirmation to file in a conspicuous place: I don’t play hurt. That’s exactly the principle I’ve been striving to live and teach for my whole career. Stunned, I placed a hand on Terry’s shoulder and told him, “You don’t need my book, man you’re already living it.”

None of us can afford to play hurt. When you do, you undermine your true strength and live a lie. Don’t play small. Don’t act like a victim. Don’t seek rewards for pain. Be magnificent. Be powerful. If you are going to play any role, play strong and whole, for that’s who you truly are.


Are you playing hurt in any area of your life?
What would you be doing differently if you played whole and strong?

I am strong, whole, and empowered. I don’t play hurt.

Reality Check: Whose Reality Is It Anyway? by Marilyn Jenett

Reality Check: Whose Reality Is It Anyway? by Marilyn Jenett


Today, President's Day in the United States , we commemorate the birthdays of the great American Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Both men expressed a quality that represents our highest nature and finest character - that of honesty and truth. Most of us have heard the story of the young boy who chopped down his father's beloved cherry tree but could not lie about it - which meant more to his father than a thousand valuable trees. And Honest Abe earned his nickname as a young store clerk who would walk miles to return a few cents if he accidently short-changed a customer and who insisted on utmost integrity later in his law career.

In the spirit of honesty, I would like to address the idea of truth vs. lies in your life and consciousness with this chapter from my upcoming book...


Reality Check: Whose Reality Is It Anyway?

In the beginning of the Feel Free to Prosper program, I ask my students to explore and share their core feelings and beliefs about their relationship to money and prosperity.

Now, this is a REAL reality check -- or we might call this a prosperity reality check.

If you think that in some way life has stacked the odds against you, if you feel that there isn't a level playing field for success, if you feel challenged in your ability to succeed, then I strongly recommend that you not only read my words carefully in this chapter, but also review the biography at the end of the chapter -- the biography of a woman who, in my opinion, is one of the greatest inspirations of all time.

Whose Reality Is It Anyway?

So, let's say that you have discovered your core belief (or beliefs) about money and prosperity. Now what are we going to do about it?

Well, first I am going to tell you the important truth about those negative beliefs. The truth is . . . your beliefs are a lie. A lie.

The interesting part is that as long as you keep accepting those beliefs, they remain YOUR lie that colors and predicts your reality, so in essence they become YOUR truth. That is, what you believe to be true. Your life experience is the outcropping of your accepted (false) truth. Your circumstances and outer appearances only serve to perpetuate this "truth" and to further "prove" that it is so. And thus the lie keeps feeding itself. You are hypnotized.

Then, when you attempt to consider the possibility of abundance and success for yourself, that's when you feel like you are lying to yourself.

Well, I have news for you. Those beliefs that you have expressed are not at all related to the real you. They are not who you are. They do not represent the talents, the abilities, the qualities or the essence of the person that you are -- the real you.

They represent negative false beliefs that you acquired throughout your lifetime and that were instilled in your mind by others, even when you were very young. You unconsciously made those beliefs your own.

The nature of the subconscious mind is that it will create and produce for you according to the ideas it has accepted as reality.

The real you has access to all of the creative forces of the universe because you are an individualized expression of universal mind, infinite intelligence, God. That intelligence gave you your talents and abilities and also gave you the means to fulfill those talents and abilities.


So I Ask You . . . Whose Reality Is It Anyway?
How do you tune in and become who you really are?

The first step to victory is to recognize those false beliefs for what they are -- the lie. They are NOT the truth about you. They are the lie. The fact that you cannot attract money or clients or success in your business is a great big lie.

I would like to go back in time here...

One of my early students was owed quite a bit of money from a former employer and they had refused to pay for over a year. Any effort she made to collect failed. Then we met and she began the Feel Free to Prosper program. Shortly after the second lesson, she was able to get a mediation date in court. I prepared her for this welcome opportunity. At the court proceeding, the insurance company for the employer adamantly refused to pay, although my student carefully kept her cool and focused her attention on prosperity thoughts as the attorneys and judge interacted. The judge finally said he would take the ruling under submission until the following week, but it was obvious that the employer's representatives were not budging.

My student had to wait for an entire week and insecurities started to set in. Her core belief was that she was meant to struggle, that "winning" this ruling in her favor would be too good to be true. She said she kept hearing an inner voice telling her this.

Although I normally endorse using only positive words in our study and don't even like to use the word lie, I found myself spontaneously telling her that what she was hearing was that old subconscious "tape" playing over and over in her mind and that she must recognize it for what it was -- it was the lie! The truth was that she is a child of the Universe and entitled to all of the supply and abundance that she could have if she could keep her mind open to receive.

That did it for her. Whenever those old conditioned thoughts would come, she would remind herself that that was the lie and she would again become centered.

Here is the story in her own words as posted on the Feel Free to Prosper Network:

"Hello fellow financial coaching groupies!

"I had a productive week in regards to our lesson plans and tangible results. Shall I say more ???!

"When I saw Marilyn's announcement of the FFTP program, I just knew that it was the perfect pole vault to take me over the top. It was just a gut feeling. I am moving into a new phase of my career and Marilyn's insight and solid lesson plans were just the right distraction to bring me to the next level. And thus far it's succeeding. Without getting into too much mundane detail, I had a leftover challenge from an employer of more than one year ago. They owed me $$, refused to pay, and I was determined not to give back my income to them by walking away because there was a clear right and wrong issue here.

"Well, after a year, I finally got my 'day in court' so to speak (more of a mediation). What was exceptional is that I had just gotten Marilyn's second lesson and had gone over half of it when this happened. The day in court was long and arduous. Also exceptional was what I did with my time. I relied heavily on my affirmations, and during long periods of time when I was alone and the pressure was on, I developed a meditation that was inspired by Marilyn and our Lesson Two. I focused on an object and really felt, thought and visualized that I was a magnet for lots of money and that the magnetic energy that I was putting out there was getting stronger and stronger. When I got nervous, I would move back into that space of just concentrating on the magnetic energy I was giving out. When negative thoughts would trickle in, I would just tell myself that they are a 'lie' because they are! That was customized by Marilyn for me and was of enormous help.

Several days later, I found out that everything was settled and I got a big chunk o'money!! Now with that chapter behind me, I can clearly focus on my career goals in terms of financial success. I can't wait for the next lessons to unfold!

"Thank you, Marilyn!"

Now, here are some more truths about your negative beliefs - one or more of these may apply to you:

You are comfortable with them. After all, they are familiar, aren't they -- even if you weren't aware of what they specifically were, they have become "second nature," haven't they?

You might feel you are stuck with these beliefs -- there is nothing you can do about them so that you might as well make the best of it.

These beliefs might provide the excuse or justification for not moving forward, even succeeding.

You might feel that if you just keep going along like you are with these beliefs, that things will just get better somehow and you might have some lucky breaks to get you where you want to go.

None of the above factors will produce money and success for you. You must now make a conscious choice to become aware of your false beliefs and recognize them for what they are -- blatant false beliefs. Lies that you no longer wish to apply to your life and that in no way serve you.

You must take the upper hand and make a stand for what you want to create in your life. It is a choice. It must no longer be an unconscious choice. It must be a conscious choice and you must now become the boss. You and only you must decide...


Whose Reality Is It Anyway?

If the following biography does not touch and inspire you in some way, then I will admit that you are beyond the scope of my abilities as a mentor. But I am certain you will understand why I am including this . . .

"Helen Keller (1880 - 1968), is an outstanding example of a person who conquered physical disabilities. A serious illness, which her doctor called 'acute congestion of the stomach and brain,' destroyed her sight and hearing at the age of about 1 ½. Because of this, she could not speak and was entirely shut off from the world. But she rose above her disabilities to gain international fame and to help disabled people live fuller lives.

"For almost five years, she grew up, as she later said, 'wild and unruly, giggling and chuckling to express pleasure; kicking, scratching, uttering the choked screams of the deaf -- mute to indicate the opposite.' Then Helen's father took her to Alexander Graham Bell. He advised Keller to write to the Perkins Institution for the Blind in Boston (now Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown , Massachusetts ). Shortly before the child was 7, Anne Sullivan arrived from Boston to teach her. Sullivan had been nearly blind during childhood, but surgery in 1881 and 1887 partially restored her sight. She later married John A. Macy, but she remained with Helen Keller until her death. Then Mary Agnes 'Polly' Thomson, who had been Keller's secretary, took Sullivan's place.

"She Learns to Write. Sullivan was able to make contact with the girl's mind through the sense of touch. She used a manual alphabet by which she spelled out words on Helen's hand. Gradually, the child was able to connect words with objects. Once she understood, her progress was rapid. Within three years, she knew the alphabet and could read and write in Braille.

"She Learns to Speak. Until she was 10 years old, Keller could talk only with sign language. She decided she would learn to speak and took lessons from a teacher of the deaf. By the time she was 16, she could communicate well enough to go to preparatory school and to college. She chose Radcliffe, from which she graduated in 1904 with honors. Sullivan stayed with her through these years, interpreting lectures and class discussions for her.

"She Helps Others. After college, Keller became concerned with the conditions of the blind and the deaf -- blind. She became active on the staffs of the American Foundation for the Blind and of the American Foundation for Overseas Blind. She appeared before legislatures, gave lectures, and wrote many books and articles. She started the Helen Keller Endowment Fund and asked for funds from wealthy people.

"Keller became especially interested in bettering conditions for the blind in developing and war -- ravaged nations. An enthusiastic and untiring traveler, she lectured in their behalf in over 25 nations throughout the world. During World War II (1939-1945), Keller worked with soldiers who had been blinded in the war. Wherever she appeared, she brought new courage to blind people.

"Keller received many awards of great distinction. They included the Chevalier's ribbon of the French Legion of Honor, the Alumni Achievement Award of Radcliffe College, and decorations from many governments.

"Keller's books have been translated into more than 50 languages. They include The Story of My Life (1902); Optimism (1903); The World I Live In (1908); The Song of the Stone Wall (1910); Out of the Dark (1913); My Religion (1929); and Midstream: My Later Life (1930). Teacher (1955) tells of Sullivan. The motion picture Helen Keller in Her Story told the story of Keller's life. The play The Miracle Worker (1959) and its motion-picture adaptation (1962) described how Sullivan made contact with Keller through the sense of touch. Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia , Alabama . She died on June 1, 1968." [1]

Again I Ask...Whose Reality Is It Anyway?

~ Marilyn

The Law of Allowing and The Law of Giving by Christy Whitman

The Law of Allowing and The Law of Giving by Christy Whitman


The Law of Allowing

The Law of Allowing is one of the most important laws, but usually the hardest for people to grasp. You may be working with the Law of Attraction, and Deliberate Creation, but if you do not master the Law of Allowing you will not have your desires realized. You will continue to struggle focusing on affirmations, meditations, and vision boards only to be left feeling more frustrated and confused. This is the law that will leave you saying, "Why does this stuff work for other people, but not me?"

Do you think that if someone with beliefs opposed to yours gets their way, you can't have your way? Or do you believe there's room for it all?

The truth is, there is freedom in allowing circumstances to be what they are and people to be who they are, whether you agree with them or not.

So, how in the world do you accept situations and people that stand for something you don't? Or that want the opposite of what you want?

We tend to think we can't have it both ways. So what do we do? We push back! We hold protest marches against war, we organize campaigns against drugs, we battle disease. And yet, understanding the Law of Attraction -- that whatever you are focused on you attract more of -- when you are focused on what you do not want in an effort to defeat it or resist it, you are not allowing what you do want to flow to you.

The Law of Allowing is about relaxing - having a relaxed, but positively focused mind - and allowing the universe to deliver to you what you're wanting. When you say yes to something, you attract more of that into your life, because that is what you are focused on. When you say no to something, you attract more of that into your life, because that is what you are focused on. So in order to allow what you want to flow to you, you must allow others to focus on what they want - even if you don't agree with it. When you understand these principles and put them to use consciously, intentionally and deliberately, you put yourself in a place of nonresistance.

How do you know if you're allowing? By noticing how you feel.

Your emotions are always your guide. Whenever you are in a place of feeling good, you are in a place of allowing. Nothing is more important than that you feel good!

So what happens if someone is in your life is acting inappropriate? Does that mean you take the abuse, disrespect, and the negativity? NO! You are allowed to set your boundaries, and when someone is crossing them, you can say "No more". This means trying not to change them, but respectfully telling them what is your truth.

We had a lady that we had to ask to leave the Goddess weekend, because she was inappropriate, disrespectful, and didn't play well with others. We allowed her to be who she was, but after her attitude and behavior was so disruptive, we had to set our boundaries and ask her to leave. Having her there, did not feel good. Asking her to leave did not feel good. But after she left, it felt amazing.

She is allowed to be herself. We did not try to change her. But we respectfully ask that she be herself somewhere else.

The Law of Giving

Why is The Law of Giving important? This is a law that most people forget about. This is a key in creating abundance. To give is to receive. Giving and receiving are the two opposite seats on the see-saw of life. Every relationship is one of give and take. Everything in the Universe is energy. Energy is continually being exchanged in the Universe as it flows from gas to liquid to solid, from solid to liquid to gas. The circulation, the flow of energy means that something or someone is always giving energy one moment in one form and receiving energy the next moment in another form. It is when you give that you also receive. The intention behind the giving, if it is to create happiness for the receiver and the giver, will ensure it generates increase. Happiness is expansive because it supports life and sustains life. It adds to, or increases, life. The giver also benefits from this exp ansiveness, this increase in life. The Law of Giving says if you want to receive something first give it to others. The best way to get what you want is to help others get what they want. Giving and receiving, with the correct intention, allows the flow of energies in the Universe to provide for the Giver and for the Receiver. For as long as you give you will be receiving.

Giving is an esoteric science that never fails to produce results if it is done with love and joy, because the Law will shower you with ten-fold return.

The Thank You Game by Cheryl Richardson

The Thank You Game by Cheryl Richardson


I love this time of year and I'm always excited to announce the "Thank You Game," during Thanksgiving week here in the States. Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, saying "thank you" to the people in your life is not only a wonderful way to bring some unexpected kindness to others, it's also a way to share the wealth of gratitude and to feel the power of connection. Showing your appreciation is like shining a bright, nourishing light on a beautiful flower - it causes people to open their hearts and smile.

So here's the deal. The object of the "Thank You Game" is to find a creative and inexpensive way to thank or acknowledge those people in your life who often get overlooked. Here are ten examples of what you might do...

1. Send a "thanks for being a great mom or dad" card to a busy parent and acknowledge them for contributing to humanity in a powerful way.

2. Offer thanks to a military family in your community. You could send a small gift of gratitude, help out with work around the house, or offer to take someone to lunch. Some of these folks have been away from their loved ones for months and months and they could really use your loving kindness.

3. Speak to the boss of an administrative assistant who has provided you with exceptional care and let him or her know how great you were treated.

4. Send a thank you card to someone who would least expect it like your auto mechanic, lawyer, accountant, dental hygienist, or doctor. If you own a deck of Grace Cards or Self-Care Cards, include a card, too. Trust me, you'll make their day!

5. Bring a box of goodies to the post office, your local fire department, or police station, and let the employees know that you appreciate them. From what I'm told, they rarely get this kind of acknowledgment, and seeing the surprised look on their faces is so much fun!

6. Leave a larger than normal tip hidden under a cup for your favorite restaurant server.

7. Send a free "Self-Care Card" or "Grace Card" via our new iPhone app to thank someone special.

8. Write the words "thank you" on the bills you pay this month (and include a Grace or Self Care Card, too). I've actually gotten calls from strangers about the cards they've received with my bills. You never know what a difference a small gesture of gratitude can make.

9. Bring some cookies to a local Veteran's or Nursing home.

10. Send a note of thanks to the teacher who takes good care of your son or daughter.

Whatever you decide to do, unleash your creative spirit and have some fun. As you play "The Thank You Game," you'll probably discover that saying thank you and giving to others feels so good you'll want to do it all year long!


Take Action Challenge


Stop for a moment and browse through your address book to identify the people who serve you, keep you safe, or help make your life easier in some way. Then, consider the people in your neighborhood, community, family or friends. Who could use a special "thank you" this week? Make a list of at least five people and thank one special person every day. Happy Thanksgiving!

Living a Five Star Life by Betty Mahalik

An excerpt from

Living a Five Star Life
by Betty Mahalik

I've watched the movie Chicken Run at least a half-dozen times. Just beneath the surface of its simplistic look and story line lie a number of wonderful messages told through the eyes of a bunch of Claymation chickens trying to break out of their chicken-wire world to escape their fate at the chopping block. Their freedom leader, a feisty little hen named Ginger, comments profoundly in one scene: "the fences are all in your mind." She reminds her fellow chickens (and us), that a bigger obstacle than the physical fences they're surrounded by are the mental fences that hold them captive.

It’s been a good reminder for me on those occasions when I’ve been dealing my own mental fences...those created by self-doubt, uncertainty, fear. Can you relate? Where have you fenced yourself in mentally in recent days or weeks? Perhaps your mental fence is procrastination, a deadening habit that keeps you stuck. Maybe yours, like mine, is related to self-doubt, and the on-going internal noise it produces that keeps you immobilized. Perhaps yours is the belief that you don't deserve success, so you sabotage yourself to avoid having to find out how successful you could be. There are a million variations of the theme, but the result is still the same: we stay stuck like the chickens in the movie.

One of the key questions in the Best Year Yet® program is: "How do I limit myself and how can I stop?" Those limitations are never external. They always live inside us. The antidote to being trapped by our mental fences is to create a compelling enough vision that, like Ginger and her flock of chicken friends, we're willing to resort to amazing measures to break out. The formula:

VISION + CONSISTENT ACTION = FREEDOM!
I challenge you to take some bold, even outrageous steps to break free of your mental fences. If it's procrastination, declare a "freedom day" and take action on everything you've been putting off: from cleaning your office to making phone calls or responding to emails you've avoided.

If it's self-doubt, sit down and write out everything you value and why it's important. Then challenge yourself to eliminate anything that doesn't absolutely reflect your values, or add something that is a profound statement of who you are.

FREEDOM IS JUST THE OTHER SIDE OF ACTION.
Recognize that your mental fences can only keep you stuck as long as you're looking at them. They can only contain you as long as you're not taking actions consistent with your vision. Go ahead, take the action you've avoided and leap into a future filled with possibilities. And remember, the fences are all in your mind!

Dr. Wayne Dyer: Rewards Through Service by Marie-Louise Cook

SUCCESS Legend Series:
Dr. Wayne W. Dyer Rewards Through Service

by Marie-Louise Cook

Shoveling snow for neighbors and carrying their grocery bags is probably not taught as a success strategy by many business schools, but for Wayne W. Dyer, best-selling author and the owner of a multimillion-dollar business, it represents fundamental principles of success in business and life.

“I’ve run a business that’s been very, very successful. I run it on a very simple principle: I’m here to serve,” Dyer tells SUCCESS in an interview from his Maui, Hawaii, home.

While many business owners pay lip service to the idea of running a customer-focused company, few take it to the level that Dyer or his employees do. “If anybody writes me a bad check, I send them a gift. I send them something and remind them of that, and then I just drop it and I let it be in them. If we’re selling books at the back of a room, and somebody doesn’t have the money, we give the book to them. Always. When people make requests—‘Can we have this?’ or ‘Can you donate to this?’—the answer is always yes.”

Dyer’s approach to business may be unorthodox, but it has earned the psychoanalyst tremendous financial success, as well as a legion of intensely loyal fans around the world, during a career spanning more than 30 years. “

It makes sense to me to be generous, to be thoughtful, and to extend as much service as you possibly can and to suspend thoughts of what’s in it for you. It’s so simple. It’s not ‘He who has the gold makes the rules.’ It’s the other way around. Treat people the way you would like to be treated. That, to me, is a formula not just for business, but for life,” says Dyer, 69. “Lao Tzu [the ancient Chinese philosopher] says if you want to have meaning in your life, return to your original nature. He had what he called the ‘cardinal virtues,’ which is to have reverence for all of life, to practice gentleness and kindness to all beings, and to extend service. Instead of thinking about yourself, tame the ego. That’s how I live my life; that’s what I teach. I believe that businesses who do that will thrive.”

Philosophies Born Early

Dyer uses meditation to keep this philosophy at the forefront of his life and work. Even before a speaking engagement, in meditation, he asks, “How may I serve? How may I serve?” he says. “This helps me to keep my ego out of my talk. It keeps my attention off ‘What’s in it for me?’ or ‘How well am I going to do?’ or ‘How much money am I going to make?’ or ‘Are they going to like me?’ I meditate to let go of all of that and to really get into the moment of what it is that I am doing.”

Dyer’s belief in offering service stems from his early years, mostly spent in orphanages and foster homes in his native Detroit. He also learned self-reliance and the power of thought when he was very young.

“A woman once told me, ‘Wayne, if you don’t want something bad to happen, or if you want good things for yourself in your life, be careful about what you think, for you will become what you think as sure as the dawn follows night. Always remember, thoughts are things.’ Wow, the entire world wrapped up in those three magic words: Thoughts are things! A thought is the most powerful force in the universe. You can make of your life whatever you wish if you learn to make your thoughts work for you,” he says.

“I grew up in the east side of Detroit in an area where there was very little, except for a lot of scarcity, poverty and hunger, but I never woke up saying, ‘I’m an orphan again today, isn’t this terrible? Poor me.’ I never ever felt that I was unfairly treated. I’ve never been a complainer. There were a couple of very affl uent neighborhoods nearby, but I never thought for one second that those people had more than I had. It just seemed that they got what they were entitled to, and if I really wanted those things, then I would have them, too.”

Attracting Abundance

From the age of 4, Dyer discovered that service brought rewards. “I just knew how to attract abundance or prosperity or money into my life,” he recalls. “I was the richest kid in the orphanage. It was very simple: When it snowed, I’d go out and shovel the walks along the street. I didn’t ask for anything. I’d just go back and tell people, ‘I shoveled your walk.’ People would always give me money. I’d go to the grocery store down the street and help people carry their bags out. We had coal furnaces in those days, and I’d help people take the ashes out and park them in the alley. When I found out that an empty soda pop bottle was worth 2 cents when it was returned, I used to follow people around and ask them, ‘Are you through with that? When you’re done, I’ll take it off your hands.’ ”

After high school, Dyer enlisted in the U.S. Navy for four years’ service. The experience convinced him that he wanted to have control of his own life, so he enrolled at Wayne State University in Detroit. He went on to get a master’s degree in school counseling and later enrolled in a doctorate program in psychotherapy.

After six years of teaching, Dyer was 36, had a successful private therapy practice and was an associate professor at St. John’s University in New York. His lectures on positive thinking and motivational speaking techniques caught the attention of a literary agent who persuaded Dyer to write a book. The result was Your Erroneous Zones, published in 1976, which gave readers a step-by-step method for escaping the trap of negative thinking and taking control of their lives.

The following year, disappointed with the book’s initial sales and intent on preventing it from sliding into publishing oblivion, Dyer resigned from his teaching position to promote the book. He loaded up his station wagon with cartons of books for a nationwide tour lasting more than a year, calling radio stations, newspapers, TV stations and bookstores in each city he visited.

Hard-Earned Success

His effort earned his book a place on the New York Times bestseller list (where it stayed for 64 weeks) and resulted in invitations to appear on several TV talk shows, including The Tonight Show. The book has since sold 35 million copies in 47 languages and has become one of the best-selling books of all time.

Dyer has since written more than 30 books, created audio and video programs, and appeared in the movie The Shift. His most recent work is the New York Times best-seller Excuses Begone!

Employing his philosophies has contributed to his success. “One of the reasons most people are not good at solving problems and manifesting or attracting into their life what they want is because their thoughts are always focused on what’s wrong and on what’s missing and on the problem,” he says. “

To change the way you think about your life and create success for yourself, you need to put your attention not on what you want so much as on what you intend—what you intend to create, what you intend to manifest. When I sit down to write a book, I always have the publishers create a jacket for the book with the title on it, and I wrap it around a book that’s already written and I sit it on my writing space, and every single day, I assume this book is already completed. I think from the end always, and then I allow whatever needs to come through to complete it, to come through—that’s my secret. Use your imagination to assume the feeling of having your wish fulfilled. Begin with the end in mind,” Dyer says. “

There are endless ways to attract prosperity. Most people fall into that trap of believing negative things— that the economy is going into the toilet or things are going to get worse. If you buy into that, you become what you think about whether you want it or not. Why not pick the thoughts that are at least going to lead you where you want to go?”

Wayne W. Dyer’s books include Your Erroneous Zones; 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace; The Power of Intention ; Change Your Thoughts—Change Your Life; There’s A Spiritual Solution to Every Problem; You’ll See It When You Believe It and Excuses Begone! He also appears on PBS and in the film The Shift.

What You Want is Waiting For You! by Sugandhi Iyer

What You Want is Waiting For You!


What you want is waiting for you to get aligned to it.

Think about it this way-

You are here at point A, and you notice something that you decide
you definitely 'don't' want.

From noticing what you don't want, you have a thought of what you
really want, and it feels good to you.

For example, maybe one day you get into a restaurant where they
serve you food that is not fresh. From this experience of bad food,
you get a desire to eat better tasting/quality food. Your task now
is to let go of the experience of the unfresh (is this a valid
word? My spell check does not think so :-)) food, and move towards
the food that you will really like to taste. You may discover
another restaurant that you really like, or it could also be that
the same restaurant starts to serve you what you like- great
tasting food.

After all, anything is possible in this world of infinite
possibilities. I see such things happen all the time in my line of
work!

While thinking of the unfresh food, and talking and feeling bad
about it, you cannot really start to give out the vibrations that
you require to give out to have the experience of amazingly fresh
tasting food because your vibrations don't match up to what you'd
really like.

Your first job therefore is to let go of this contrasting
experience and start to get aligned with the food that you know you
will really like to have. Start to feel what it would feel like if
you could taste and enjoy this amazing food. Sometimes even a small
wish with some letting go, will allow the good stuff in.

Even though the above sounds simple enough, here is where the
problem lies for many people.

Having tasted the contrast and identifying what they don't like,
and from that discovering a desire for an improved situation,
people find it difficult to let go of the contrasting experience
and focus instead on the feelings they would really like to have,
and that is of a vastly improved situation.

This is where you have to learn the ropes and skills of creation.

Your mind, and especially your sub-conscious mind, has to get
trained and you then start to move towards what you want with rapid
speed.

It happens quickly once your mind is trained to get out of what you
don't want, and get into what you really want. You also need to
'see through' situations, and look at the truth of anything. Your
perception of the situation has to change.

While holding onto a cup full of bad coffee and sipping from it,
all the while feeling bad about it, you cannot make room for the
good smelling and tasting coffee that is just waiting for you.

But first you must know that this amazing coffee is waiting for
you. Just let go of the cup of bad coffee and make your way with
total determination towards the cup of aromatic coffee waiting for
you to take a sip.

Every wish and contrasting experience you've had till now resulted
in your desires already being fulfilled, ready and waiting for you.
While standing outside the space of the fulfilled desire, you
cannot experience it. Get in with these fulfilled desires and start
to enjoy them. No more waiting outside. After all when you see
people dancing, you don't wait outside do you? Your natural
tendency will be to get in and dance with your favorite partner. So
do get in, and do enjoy your dance. Your partner and everything
else is waiting.

Just get aligned to it. It's easy!



Lots of Love to you!

Love and Light, Sugandhi Iyer

Stay Focused on Your Core Genius by Jack Canfield

Stay Focused on Your Core Genius
by Jack Canfield

I believe you have inside of you a core genius... some one thing that you love to do, and do so well, that you hardly feel like doing anything else. It’s effortless for you and a whole lot of fun. And if you could make money doing it, you’d make it your lifetime’s work.

In most cases, your Core Genius is directly tied to your passions and life-purpose.

Successful people believe this, too. That's why they put their core genius first. They focus on it—and delegate everything else to other people on their team.

For me, my core genius lies in the area of teaching, training, coaching and motivating. Another core genius is writing and compiling books. Over my 35 year career, I have written, co-authored, compiled and edited more than 150 books, and I love to do it! I do it well, and people report that they get great value from it.

Compare that to the other people in the world who go through life doing everything, even those tasks they’re bad at or that could be done more cheaply, better, and faster by someone else.

They simply can’t find the time to focus on their core genius because they fail to delegate even the most menial of tasks.

When you delegate the grunt work—the things you hate doing or those tasks that are so painful, you end up putting them off—you get to concentrate on what you love to do. You free up your time so that you can be more productive. And you get to enjoy life more.

So why is delegating routine tasks and unwanted projects so difficult for most people?

Surprisingly, most people are afraid of looking wasteful or being judged as being above everyone else. They are afraid to give up control or reluctant to spend the money to pay for help. Deep down, most people simply don't want to let go.

Others (potentially you) have simply fallen into the habit of doing everything themselves. "It's too time-consuming to explain it to someone," you say. "I can do it more quickly and better myself anyway." But can you?

Delegate Completely!

If you’re a professional earning $75 per hour and you pay a neighborhood kid $10 an hour to cut the grass, you save the effort of doing it yourself on the weekend and gain one extra hour when you could profit by $65. Of course, while one hour does’t seem like much, multiply that by 52 weekends a year and you discover you’Ave gained 52 hours a year at $65 per hour —or an extra $3,380 in potential earnings.

Similarly, if you’re a real estate agent, you need to list houses, gather information for the multiple listings, attend open houses, do showings, put keys in lock boxes, write offers and make appointments. And, if you’re lucky, you eventually get to close a deal.

But let’s say that you’re the best closer in the area.

Why would you want to waste your time writing listings, doing lead generation, placing lock boxes, and making videos of the property when you could have a staff of colleagues and assistants doing all that, thus freeing you up to do more closing? Instead of doing just one deal a week, you could be doing three deals because you had delegated what you’re less good at.

One of the strategies I use and teach is complete delegation. It simply means that you delegate a task once and completely - rather than delegating it each time it needs to be done.

When my niece came to stay with us one year while she attended the local community college, we made a complete delegation - the grocery shopping. We told her she could have unlimited use of our van if she would buy the groceries every week. We provided her with a list of staples that we always want in the house (eggs, butter, milk, ketchup, and so on), and her job was to check every week and replace anything that was running low.

In addition, my wife planned meals and let her know which items she wanted for the main courses (fish, chicken, broccoli, avocados, and so on). The task was delegated once and saved us hundreds of hours that year that could be devoted to writing, exercise, family time, and recreation.

Most entrepreneurs spend less than 30% of their time focusing on their core genius and unique abilities.

In fact, by the time they've launched a business, it often seems entrepreneurs are doing everything but the one thing they went into business for in the first place.

Many salespeople, for example, spend more time on account administration than they do on the phone or in the field making sales, when they could hire a part-time administrator (or share the cost with another salesperson) to do this time-consuming detail work. In most cases, in a fraction of the time it would take them and at a fraction of the cost.

Most female executives spend too much time running their household, when they could easily and inexpensively delegate this task to a cleaning service or part-time mother's helper, freeing them to focus on their career or spend more quality time with their family.

Don't let this be your fate!

Identify your core genius, then delegate completely to free up more time to focus on what you love to do.

I believe that you can trade, barter, pay for and find volunteer help to do almost everything you don't want to do, leaving you to do what you are best at - and which will ultimately make you the most money and bring you the most happiness.


© 2009 Jack Canfield