Relaxation Technique # 1

Morning all! Sorry for the lack of posts the last few days.

Spring Fever has hit and I’ve got the Spring Cleaning Bug. These are the first beautiful spring days in New York and I have been taking total advantage of them.

I could tell how much I have gotten accomplished by the aches and pains I have been experiencing at night and in the morning so I have been using an old technique I learned years ago to help relax my muscles, (which gave me the inspiration to write today‘s post).

Ironically this a technique I learned in 8th grade gym class (many years before my “spiritual study quest“) but it always worked so well for me that I find I am still using it after all these years.

This is an especially good technique to use before bedtime because it is so relaxing it will often put you to sleep. So it is not recommended for the middle of the day if energy is what you are looking for.

If you have problems falling asleep at night however due to stress or restlessness this is the perfect exercise for you.

It is an exercise where you tense and relax all of your muscles until you feel them disappear.

Start by lying flat on your back in bed, hands at your sides. (Your head on a pillow of coarse is fine if you are shooting to fall asleep).

Close your eyes and take a few deep breathes in through your nose until you feel your abdomen rise (not just air in your chest) then release the breathes gently out through your mouth.

Start by tensing both of your feet as tight as you possibly can as you steadily count to the number 8 - when you reach 8 slowly start releasing the muscles in your feet as you steadily count back down to 1. When you reach 1 imagine that your feet have totally disappeared and now the only body parts you can feel is from your head to your calves. Imagine your feet have disappeared into oblivion.

So it is going to be tense, tense, tense, to number 8, release, release, release back to number 1 then “disappear“.

Take another 2 or 3 deep breathes. Now tense up both your calves and count up to 8 and back down until they disappear. Now all you will feel of your body is from the top of your head to your knees. The rest has disappeared into oblivion. A few more deep breathes.

Continue to do this with your knees, thighs, butt, stomach, chest, arms, hands, shoulders, neck, head and even face.

By the time you are done with every body part, you will get the most awesome feeling of having “no body” - that you are just breath. Now just keep deep breathing and focus on “being”. As if you are simply “presence” itself. If you find your mind starting to wander anywhere just focus on the color black as you continue to breathe.

This usually has me asleep within 3 minutes time. I’ve told a few others about this exercise and they have confirmed that it works just as well for them.

So if you are looking for a quick easy way to relax and sleep at night or even if you are attempting to nap during the day, give this a try.

It works wonders.

Happy Creating!

You Can Never Get It Wrong and You Can Never Get It Done

“You can never get it wrong and you can never get it done.” - Abraham-Hicks

This is another great quote of Abraham-Hicks that really clicked for me the first time I heard it and it still does today.

It is as simple as that. No matter what choices you make in your life, you can never get it wrong and no matter how many tasks you have accomplished you can never get it all done.

Once you really get the true beauty of this quote you will be able to relax and maybe for the first time in your life just simply “be”.

You see, every decision that you make is the “right” one due to the time and the circumstances that you make it as well as the person you are in that moment. The only mistake that we make is when we attempt to look back and say to ourselves well if only I had done such and such things would be so different.

And yes they probably would be different, but it still doesn’t mean it was the choice you should have made at that moment.

As you have probably realized by now, everything “happens” for a reason. Every road we choose leads us to a new experience which births a new desire and that is exactly as it should be.

The problem begins if we find ourselves in circumstances that we are less than thrilled at and we make the mistake of looking back and saying “it is only due to this mistake that I am here now” as opposed to saying to ourselves “O.K. - This is where I am. Where do I want to go from here?“

For example, if you had a choice between two jobs. And you chose one that you eventually end up disliking. Do you make the mistake of saying “I knew I should have taken the other one!“ Well, my question to you is how do you know? There is obviously a “reason” you took this one at the time that you made the decision, even if at the moment you were unaware of what it was.

Instead of spending your time having regrets, figure out now what that reason is. Maybe you end up making a life long friend out of a co-worker you wouldn‘t have met otherwise, maybe you will be making a connection with someone you will end up doing business with in the future, maybe you simply just needed to “kill some time here” as the perfect job is being set up for you and the day you decide to quit this one - the new one will be ready.

If you start realizing that you can’t get it wrong, and start realizing there is no rule book that you are supposed to follow, you start to understand that where you are right now is exactly where you are supposed to be and the pressure is off. Which leads us to part 2 of the quote.

You never get it done.

It is very simple. You don’t. The day you do not have a goal you would like to accomplish or a manifestation that you wish to create, is the day you are ready to leave this planet. But even then it is not done. Because even when you are in the non-physical you will be getting busy planning your next lifetime.

We are creative beings. We can only know all that we are capable of by every new creation we create. And as we accomplish one creation we just naturally birth a desire for a better and greater one. And that is what existence is all about and it goes on eternally.

We learn, we discover, we create which teaches us more to learn and discover and create.

So if that is the case…where is your finish line? There simply isn’t one. But what happens if you spend your whole life looking for one? What happens when you keep telling yourself when I accomplish this….then I will be happy. When you are in high school then you will be happy, when you graduate then you will be happy, when you are in college, then when you graduate, when you get your first job, then when you get your promotion, when you get married, then buy a house, then have kids, then have the kids old enough to be out of the house, when you retire…

If you keep waiting for all of these things to be accomplished in order for you to be happy…then you are completely missing it! Missing Life! Missing the joy of the process of creating! Missing some of the best moments of your life that I can promise you will look back some day on and wish you had appreciated more.

So start now! Appreciate now! Get excited when a new idea pops into your head. Love the process - the inspiration that comes as you go along creating. Don’t wait to be happy - be happy now! Remember…

You can never get it wrong and you never get it done.

Happy Creating!

My Grateful List - April 2008

I decided this morning as I emptied my awesome dishwasher that it is time again for me to do my grateful list.

If you have studied the Law of Attraction for any length of time you have probably realized that gratefulness and thankfulness are two of the strongest emotions you can use to get into a higher vibrational level for what you are wanting to create in the future.

I started using it on a regular basis anytime I found myself wanting to create something new. Doing the list always raised my vibration and put me in a much better place to attract what I was wanting.

Quite by accident however, I found out that not only does it help bring me what I want easier and faster, it simply made me feel good during and after I did it.

If this is the first time you are hearing of the Grateful List there is an article that explains it in more detail here.

So while there isn’t anything material I am particularly wanting at this moment, I am in the mood for a spiritual boost; so here I go.

1. I am grateful to be alive and give this life thing another shot today. Who knows what surprises are in store for me today?

2. I am SO grateful for my mother’s feeling better. She was in the hospital with pneumonia but is healing perfectly and will be going home today.

3. I am very grateful for my husband, who understands me and works hard so we can live in this awesome place.

4. I am so grateful for my gorgeous, healthy son, who makes me laugh at the same time he is driving me crazy.

5. I am so grateful for my health. I can walk today, talk today, see today, hear today and am completely pain free. What an awesome vehicle I have to help me accomplish whatever I choose to do today.

6. I am grateful for the weather today. It is the first 70 degree day in New York this Spring -- Perfect day to wash down the backyard furniture.

7. I am grateful for my dishwasher. After years of living without one I love how it saves me an hour a day in washing and drying. I love how efficiently it works and the soothing sound of it doing all the work while I sit here peacefully typing this list.

8. I am just as grateful for my washer and dryer in the house. No more quarters! No more lugging my laundry out of the house. I can do my laundry anytime I want - how cool is that?

9. I am grateful for my coffee maker. What an awesome way to start the morning with the smell and taste of that addictive brew and I don‘t even have to leave my house to get it.

10. I am grateful for my wonderful shower with plenty of clean, hot water.

11. I am grateful for water itself. I consider it “liquid health” when I drink it. It makes my body run more efficiently and tastes awesome when it is cold and I am lucky enough to be able to simply turn a tap to get it.

12. I am grateful for the bed I just got out of that gave me a great nights sleep last night on fresh sheets I just put on it yesterday.

13. I am grateful for all the neighbors and friends who have been calling regarding my mother. It’s awesome to know that people care.

14. I am grateful for this computer and the internet. There are so many things I use it for everyday. What did I ever do without it?

15. I am grateful that my son has school today. As much as I enjoy him, I also enjoy the time alone I have to wash the backyard furniture listening to music I like!!!

16. I am grateful for my awesome running truck. I love how comfortable and reliable it is and realize how difficult life could be if I didn’t have it.

17. I am grateful for the electricity in my house today. I can use this computer, run my dishwasher, and my son can watch television before school all at the same time.

18. I am even grateful for occasional blackouts - because they help me to appreciate my electricity when I have it.

19. I am grateful for my cable television and my great working T.V. Over 300 channels! Wow! What did I do in the old days when there was only 7 channels and no remote control?

20. I am grateful for cell phones! I can talk to anyone I need to anytime I need to because they all have cell phones too! How cool is that?

Well, I have reached my spiritual high for today - and also my time limit to get the little one ready for school! Life is just so cool nowadays. There are so many things we have that our relatives and ancestors didn’t have that make life so much easier. I could probably write another 50 things right now effortlessly, but seeing as I am short on time, I will just think about them mentally as I go through the day.

If you would like to experience your own “spiritual high” today I can’t think of a faster way to do it than by doing your own grateful list. It is quick, easy, and costs nothing but a few minutes of your time. But the difference it can make in your mood is incredible.

Until tomorrow….Happy Creating!

Manifestation Exercise # 12: How To Attract And Create A Happier Love Relationship

Ahhh…Relationships. They can provide the highest of highs or the lowest of lows. They can be so addicting…contain so much emotion…and sometimes cause you so many problems you want to scream!

Everyone knows how it is at the beginning of a relationship. The incredible surge of energy you send each others way!

When a relationship first begins you are each giving 100% of your energy to the other person. 100% of your energy surges with those first kisses, 100% of energy surges when you hear their voice on the answering machine, the butterflies start flying in your stomach as they are on their way to see you! The other person is all you think about and vice versa. It is one of the most incredible highs in the world and it feels like nothing can bring you down! Until one day something does.

You see, the problems begin when you get addicted to that initial energy. Because it feels so great in the beginning you want that feeling to go on forever. When it doesn‘t however, you start to feel as if someone let the air out of your balloon.

If you were able to look at the situation clearly (i.e., without emotion) you would be able to see that nobody can maintain that kind of energy flow forever.

Yes, while at the beginning of the relationship the relationship itself is getting 100% of each of your attention and energies, eventually “real life” has got to come back into the picture. Eventually problems at work are going to need both of your attentions as well. So will money matters, family matters, car repair matters, etc.

And this is where many of the problems begin.

Another pitfall that occurs due to this initial energy surge is you start to believe that your partner now somehow holds your future happiness in their hands. Seeing as they were the ones responsible for making you feel so good in the beginning, you now subconsciously or unconsciously believe it is their responsibility to continue to make you feel good in the future; and if for some reason you do not feel good, than it must somehow be their fault.

The following exercise is designed for anyone who is currently in a relationship that might be having problems or for anyone who might be looking to enter a new relationship. It is an exercise to help you regain your personal power and shows you how to make yourself feel better regardless of what is happening in your relationship.

Grab a piece of paper or open up a word document and write down an answer to the following questions. It is probably better to copy the questions and keep them in a word document so you can easily refer back to them during any weaker relationship moments.
Questions:

1. Do I put the responsibility of my happiness or unhappiness in my partners hands?

2. When something goes wrong in my life or I am unhappy, do I go out of my way to blame the person I am with and somehow make it their fault?

3. Why have I given this person so much control over my happiness?

4. Do I see our relationship as two emotionally healthy people deciding to share our lives together or do I see this person as part of my own identity?

5. Do I try to make this person do anything they don’t want to do?

6. Do they try to make me do anything I don’t want to do?

7. Why do we do that?

8. Didn’t I have a life before they were in it?

9. Have I stopped doing anything I used to enjoy doing since I have been with this person?

10. Why have I allowed myself to do that?

11. Isn’t it possible that this person really does love me - but just doesn’t have the time or ability to see to 100% of all my needs all the time?

12. Do I really think it should be their responsibility to think about me and only me all of the time?

13. If I do…why do I think that?

14. Didn’t I come down to this planet to create the best life for my “self” that I can create?

15. Didn’t they come down to do the same?

16. Where did we get the idea that it is either of our responsibilities to make the other person happy?

17. Is it even possible to make someone else happy if deep down they are not?

18. Is there anything I can do to make myself feel better regardless of what they do or do not do?

19. If this person was not in my life right now, would I be doing anything different to make myself happy (other than dating other people of coarse)?

20. What about this relationship is keeping me from doing that now?

The point of this exercise is to remember that you are indeed your OWN person.

Only you have the ability to make yourself happy or unhappy. Only you have the ability to control how and what you think.

You came down to this Earth to create your own life experience. If you choose to include someone to enjoy that experience with you - great. But if suddenly the life you are trying to create is dependent on what the other person says or does, than you have some tweaking to do.

It is simply a bad habit you have let yourself fall into if you let your happiness depend on another and it is simply time to reclaim your own happiness creating abilities.

So how do you do this?

The first thing to do is remember that believe it or not you DID used to have a life of your own before this person was in it. Now I don’t mean that in a negative way as if you should get rid of the person, but I mean it as a simple fact.

Yes there were actually times in your life that you laughed before they were there. There were times you felt good about yourself, felt confident, felt competent, felt happy.
Yes, once upon a time you did attend parties, celebrate holidays, have friends, worked at jobs and even ate meals before this person was in your life so you obviously do not need this person to survive or to make you happy.

The second thing to remember is that you have chosen this person to be in your life and they have done the same. It is not an obligation on either or your parts. Forget any ridiculous outside pressure that makes you feel you need to do or be a certain way in a relationship or that once in a relationship you are “too far in” to get out of it.

You came here to create the life you desire and other people have the same responsibility to create theirs. Not only are neither of you responsible for each others happiness, it is impossible to deliver it even if you wanted to. As you may have discovered, no matter what you can do for someone or what they do for you “it just never seems to be enough.” This is simply because you can’t find happiness outside of yourself. Only you can bring yourself complete fulfillment.

The last thing to remember is that if you have made the mistake of losing yourself in past relationships, your current one or are even thinking about entering a new one, you need to remember to keep your own identity. Remember what you want in life, what you enjoy doing, what your interests are.

If you find that you are losing yourself in the relationship, start reclaiming yourself by making a conscious effort to do things you enjoy doing -- and yes -- you can do them on your own if your partner is not interested. Go alone or call a friend. Actually doing things apart from each other is healthy. It helps you to maintain your own independence and identity and gives you interesting things to talk about.

Not to mention if the worst does happen and the relationship does end, you still have a life to go back to.

Relationships can be awesome. When you are with someone you can laugh and share with, someone you can respect and have fun with and yes someone you can depend on at times to help you get through some of the rougher spots in life.

As long as you don’t lose yourself along the way or forget who is really responsible for your happiness you can be together for many happy years to come.

Happy Creating!

It Isn't Good - It Isn't Bad - It Just "Is"

Hi Everyone!

Every once in awhile I come across this great message that always makes me just stop and remember. It usually seems to “appear” in a book or on a website if I am in the middle of a emotion I am trying to soothe myself out of . The message is so simple and clear and I know my life would be infinitely more peaceful if I would just remember it more consistently. The message?

“It isn’t good - it isn’t bad --it just IS!”

Anytime we suffer from what we term a “negative” emotion or situation it is simply considered negative due to some past association with it. I’ve use this example before in some of my posts and articles:

If it is raining out -- is it a good or a bad thing?

To a farmer dealing with a drought it is an awesome thing but to a bride on her wedding day -- not so much.

But the rain itself is not good or bad. It simply IS.

Sometimes Universe (or your higher self, if you prefer) has something greater or bigger in store for us that we might not be able to see in the situation right in front of us.

For example: Maybe the rain on a bride’s wedding day slowed down traffic so an accident that would have involved a family member on dry pavement didn’t happen after all. Talk about which scenario the bride would have preferred more!

The point is, by keeping this message in mind it will help take the emotion out of your current situation. It gives you a chance to take a breath and realize that the world or the Universe is not out to get you; it is simply an event that is happening. How you choose to deal with it or think about it next is up to you.

Can you find something positive in it? Find an underlying reason why it might be happening in your best interest? Is there something you can do to turn whatever is happening into a memorable event?

If you are on a first date and there is a blizzard, instead of worrying about the date being ruined can you turn it into the world’s best snowball fight? If you want to take someone out but do not have the money for an expensive dinner, can you create the world’s most romantic picnic on the beach?

So much of our personal pain occurs when we mistakenly believe something should be one way and it turns out another.

It is not the situation itself that is the problem; just our preconceived notion of what we believe it should be like that is the problem.

By remembering that something “Isn’t good or bad, it just simply IS” we can retrain ourselves to stay in the moment. We can act calmly, think clearly and take the next best step without all of our negative emotion screwing it up and making the situation worse.

So keep this message in mind the next time things don’t go the way you think they “should” go. Tell yourself it just simply “Is” and move on calmly from there. You might be surprised how much easier you get through it.

Happy Creating!

Law of Attraction Manifestation Exercise #9 - List of 100 Things

O.K. So in learning how to use the Law of Attraction you have realized the basics. Think positively - not negatively. Positive brings good results -- negative brings bad. I'm pretty sure we all have that part clear.

So the next question is...How do I think positively when many things in my life are negative right now?

The answer is purposeful mental distraction.

I have written some articles previously about using Mental Distraction but hadn't put them in exercise forms so I will do so now.

It is almost impossible to go from a very negative vibration to a very positive one. It is simply too big a jump. As you have probably also discovered for yourself, it is much harder and it takes a lot longer to accomplish any task you might need to when you are in a negative state as opposed to a strong positive one.

Therefore, it is reasonable to say that it is in your best interest to put yourself in a more positive place mentally before trying to tackle any important task. For the good of you and for the good of the task.

While there are many different ways to accomplish this mental transition, I am going to offer a quick and easy one that you can do in as little as 15 minutes.

You can either grab a pencil or paper or go right to your computer and open a word processing sheet.

The exercise is to write down 100 things that you enjoy doing. That's right enjoy doing. Not a list of what you would like to accomplish in the future (that is another exercise), but simply write down things you have enjoyed in the past and currently.

For instance:

1. Going to your favorite restaurant and enjoying your favorite meal.

2. Having a night to yourself to read a great book

3. A large snowstorm that gives you no choice but to cuddle on the couch and watch television all day.

4. A walk on the beach at sunset.

5. Bowling a great game with your teammates cheering you on

6. Winning even the smallest amount of money in a casino

7. Having a great laugh with your friends

8. Cheering on your favorite sports team when they make an unbelievable play

9. Singing and dancing around the room when no one is watching to your favorite song

10. Spending a solid hour on YouTube watching people do things you would never attempt doing
11. Getting into a warm bed on a cold night.

12. The first night with newly laundered sheets on the bed

13. Enjoying relaxing in a spotlessly clean house

14. The first taste of that hot cup of coffee in the morning

15. The refreshing taste of that tropical drink on the beach, or that cold beer after a hard days physical work

Anyway, you get the gist of it. The point is to write down things that cause you to say "Ummm, yes I do love that."

You will be surprised how much calmer and appreciative you will feel after you have mentally relived this feeling 100 times over in a 15 minute period.

The next steps are to:

1. Save the list so you can go back to it anytime you need a mental boost or when you remember something that you would like to add

2. Pick one or two that you will do in the next few days as a reward to yourself for the tasks you will accomplish today.

If you can't think of 100 things at this moment, even better. Because that means you can spend all your mental time coming up with more. Instead of thinking about upcoming bills on your ride home tonight, come up with more things you love to do. Instead of thinking about being angry at the kids for leaving their jacket in the middle of the floor, come up with more things you love to do.

The most important part of this exercise is not the actual list mind you, but the exercise of consciously redirecting your thoughts to positive things as opposed to negative. Retraining your brain, if you will.

So go now and write your list. Change your negative thoughts and thereby your negative vibrations right now. You might be surprised at the difference in the way that you feel from such a simple process.

Happy Creating!

Law of Attraction - Sometimes When Life Gets Too Crazy It is Time To "Just Float"

It's funny how sometimes a line from a movie can stick with you practically forever.

Like "Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli" from The Godfather. My guy friends have sometimes found the strangest circumstances to pull that line out and while I admit it is usually pretty funny, I would never admit it to them. I usually just give them the old eye roll.

One of my favorite lines from a movie and one that I personally use all the time is "Just Float."

I heard it one of my all time favorite holiday movies Home For The Holidays. A great Thanksgiving movie that makes you feel better knowing that you are not the only one who has to deal with the crazy relatives during the holiday season.

The main character is played by Holly Hunter who is having a really bad week.

She loses her job, stupidly kissed her boss, finds out her teenage daughter is planning on having sex for the first time while she will be away, catches a horrible cold and to top it all off has to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with her off-the-wall parents. It is not one of her better weeks.

Just as she is about to completely lose it, her teenage daughter gives her some advice when dropping her at the airport.

She reminds her mother of when they went on a tropical vacation together and went snorkeling. She tells her mother to remember how calm and peaceful it was when they were just gently floating among the beautiful tropical fish without a care in the world. She told her mother to remember that feeling when the world seems to be going crazy around her. "Just Float, Remember to Just Float."

I have used that line myself ever since. When I've just gotten off the phone with a customer service agent who refuses to hear what I am saying or my young son who is also very good at blocking me out, I say to myself "Just Float" When I am fighting with some mechanical device that refuses to cooperate or can't make head or tails of instructions that are supposed to be "so easy a child could do it" I tell myself to "Just Float".

I truly believe that we aren't meant to paddle furiously all of the time. Sometimes it is our job to "Just Float". To remain calm; to rise to the surface. To quietly observe; to gain back our perspective. To remain unaffected as life's waves move gently beneath us, until we catch our breath; until an easier way is presented to us.

So the next time you find yourself paddling upstream to the point where you want to scream take a deep breath, exhale and "Just Float."

Happy Creating!

How Two Great Lines From A Holiday Movie Can Help Put Your Life Into Perspective

There is a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday movie out titled Home for the Holidays. Directed by Penny Marshall and starring Holly Hunter and at least 8 other great movie stars, I consider it a classic and am surprised it is not played as often around Thanksgiving as the movie A Christmas Story is played at Christmas time.

The story is about a woman going home on the Thanksgiving holiday and having to deal with her crazy family as well as all the chaos going on in her life.

Two scenes from the movie really stick with me; not only during the holidays, but truly all year long. I find myself using them time and time again during stressful times.

The first is a scene when Holly Hunter’s character asks the guy she is interested in how he does it. How he keeps so calm when life is so filled with chaos? He answers by singing a line from a Diana Krall song; “ I pick myself up, dust myself off..and start all over again.” She is so impressed with that thought that she sings it to herself as well. I find myself often singing that line to myself when I find myself hitting one of life’s “brick walls”.

The second scene I think about often is when Holly’s teenage daughter gives her own advice to her mother before she leaves for her stressful trip.

She reminds her mother of when they went on a tropical vacation together and went snorkeling. She tells her mother to remember how calm and peaceful it was when they were just gently floating among the beautiful tropical fish without a care in the world. She told her mother to remember that feeling when the rest of her world starts driving her nuts. “Just Float.”

I love “Just Float”. I use it all the time. When I’ve just gotten off the phone with a customer service agent who refuses to hear what I am saying or my young son who is also very good at blocking me out, I say to myself “Just Float” When I am fighting with some mechanical device that refuses to cooperate or can’t make head or tails of instructions that are supposed to be “so easy a child could do it” I tell myself to “Just Float“.

I truly believe that sometimes we aren’t meant to paddle all of the time. Sometimes it is our job to “Just Float”. To remain calm; to rise to the surface. To quietly observe; to gain back our perspective. To remain unaffected as life’s waves move gently beneath us, until we catch our breath; until an easier way is presented to us.

So the next time you find yourself paddling upstream to the point where you want to scream take a deep breath, exhale and “Just Float.”

Till Tomorrow and Happy Creating!

If You Want To Remain Positive, Watch What You Watch

O.K. I am about to start this article with a shocking statement. I don't ever watch the news or read the newspaper. Whew! -- There I said it!

I used to -- every day. I would watch at least one full hour of news on television and read at least one full newspaper. I didn't want to miss out on a single current important news story.

Then again, those were also the days I walked around worried about everything in the world I could do nothing about. The days I would go into work cranky, or snap at my husband after work. The days I wondered why I found it so hard to remain positive and upbeat like all of the Law of Attraction books I had been reading back then were telling me to be.

That was before I realized how much of an effect that negative people and news could have on my entire mental outlook.

It is not just enough for us to only focus on the negative thoughts that go through our minds if we want to learn how to effectively use the Law of Attraction. It is just as important that we are conscious of the people who surround us, and the information we take in on a conscious and subconscious basis.

Now I know this may be hard for a lot of people to digest. I've even had people say something to the effect of "People like you are the reason why the country is the way it is today. Not being properly informed of what is going on in the world is being totally irresponsible."

While on the outside I accept the criticism with a smile and an "everyone is entitled to their own opinion" look, on the inside I am actually incredulous and laughing.

First of all, what is printed in the media is not even close to what is really going on in the world today! By the time a story has passed through the filter of what our government will allow it to print, the political party slant given to it depending on the news organization that is putting it out, the frequent errors of journalists regarding the facts, and the dramatization of the headlines and lead-ins created by the publishers in order to outsell their competitors, the real story does not even resemble what the "unbiased" truth is.

Maybe once upon a time, but not anymore.

Secondly, if I am the one who is going to control and create a peaceful life for myself and my family, I am aware that one of the first things that needs to go is the fear factor.

Fear is a great motivator used by others to get what they want. And there are certain groups that wield it well. Like the IRS, our current government administration, the drug companies, the television news shows and all print media; they dedicate all of their resources into feeding into our fears in order to get us to do or buy what they want.

Ever catch one of those lead ins for the nightly news? Something like "Is the dinner you are eating right now killing your family?! Tune in tonight at 11:00 to find out!" Heck by 11 o'clock my family could already be dead.

Then there are the drug company commercials that start with "did you know 1 out of every 3 people will suffer from this in their lifetime? Or 1 out of 2 men are diagnosed with this? According to them, what are the chances that you are not someday going to have to end up on one of those lists?

And of coarse there are the depression commercials. I get depressed just listening to them. The low drawling sympathetic voice asking if you are tired, feeling overwhelmed, having trouble concentrating...you might be suffering from depression. Well if I wasn't before, I certainly am now after hearing your commercial.

When I first started really understanding how the Law of Attraction worked, these news stories and ads got me angry. The power of suggestion is strong, and it angered me that they could possibly be making many people ill just subjected them to these subconscious fears on a daily basis; all in order to draw ratings and customers.

Until I realized the simple solution was to just not watch anymore. I decided to experiment and give it a break for a few weeks. I would pop in dvd's like The Secret or What The Bleep while I was getting ready in the morning for background noise instead of the news. I would listen to inspirational tapes instead of news reports on the radio and I would go to inspirational websites every morning while having coffee, instead of reading the newspaper.

I can't tell you the miraculous difference it made! Where I used to walk out of the house depressed and fearful at the 8 horrible news stories I just heard, I now found myself walking out feeling great and optimistic after hearing a dvd tell me for an entire half hour that I can be or create anything I want to!

The one fear I had when I first gave up the news, was that I might actually miss out on a news report that was important and could effect me personally. Such as a food or toy recall, traffic accident causing backups, etc. But I found to my delight that Law of Attraction being what it is, if there was something I needed to be made aware of, Universe found a way for me to hear about it. Be it from a co-worker or the man at the deli. A friend or family member. Sometimes even an email. Universe always made sure (and still does of coarse) that I somehow found out about anything that might concern me directly.

What little thrill bumps that always gives me in itself!

What started out as an experiment has now become my new way of life. And I can honestly say I don't miss a single minute of it. Instead of being glued to the set when the news comes on nowadays, I find myself jumping for the remote to change it immediately. I don't want to be afraid anymore. I want to create a peaceful and positive life.

So why don't you give it a try? Even for as little as 2 weeks and watch the difference it can make in your life. See how much calmer, confident and better you feel when you constantly feed yourself positive messages instead of negative ones. I'm willing to bet you won't want to go back either!

Happy Creating!

Manifestation Exercise #8 - Tapping Into Your Higher Self

This exercise is designed to remind you of who you really are. A different kind of meditation technique if you will, to help you get more used to connecting with your Higher Self on a daily basis and to get in touch with the loving, peaceful being that you really are, as opposed to the false identity your ego is trying to convince you that you are. .

It only takes about 5 minutes but the effects can be everlasting.

The first thing you need to do is close your eyes. Now imagine the higher loving part of you takes one giant step backwards out of your body and rises about two feet above you. (as if you were standing at the bottom of a staircase facing forward and there was a person directly on the step above you)

Now envision this absolutely non judgmental being smiles down at the top of your head and puts their hands on your shoulders.

This higher loving self has been with you since the beginning of all time. It absolutely loves you unconditionally. It is never angry with you. It is never critical. It understands every decision you have every made and the reason why you made it.

It laughs at your antics; the funny things you do. It smiles in loving encouragement as you stumble your way through things, having no doubt you will find the solution as soon as you look in the right direction.

This higher being is All That Is. While you may sometimes forget your connection, it never does. It knows every life you have ever lived and every one that you will in the future. It sees the overall picture. While your ego self might not know why you were supposed to meet a particular person today or be in a certain place at a certain time, this higher self knows exactly why. Knows exactly the sequence of events that are going to stem from it that will bring you what you are wanting.

There is nothing for you to ever have to say or do to earn its love and guidance. It is there unconditionally and always. It sees you for the perfection that you are and can be called on at anytime to help remind you of it. It has a greater love for you than any human on this planet is capable of. It is a love bigger than any parent, child, spouse or partner can give you all combined. You are never alone in this world and will never lack the feeling of being loved when you are reminded that this self is always with you.

Now imagine that this higher being gives your shoulders a gentle loving squeeze before stepping back down and back into your body. A reminder that it is always with you. Within You. It is never floating in the skies above out of reach - never outside of you - but within you always.

Now that it is back inside your body release any other thoughts that might be running through your head and focus on its love. Imagine now that the same being that was behind you a moment ago is now in the back of your head. You can actually feel a tingle when you think about it. It is still smiling, still loving. Always peaceful and calm. You might start to feel the tingle run down the back of your neck or your back as you acknowledge this awesome beings presence. This is you - your true self.

Try this exercise a few times a day the first days that you use it. Eventually you will not need to imagine your higher self stepping in and out. Eventually you will feel the tingle and knowingness in the back of your head always quite naturally.

Eliminate your thoughts and just focus on this loving, all-knowing being back there smiling and encouraging. Silently listen to anything it might tell you. Know it will happily answer all of your questions if you take your ego thoughts away and give it silent space to come in.

Remember that it always sees the bigger picture. It is never worried about silly little things like bills, or work or troubled relationships. It is so big and so knowing that those little things are nothing but a tiny little speck in comparison to how big you really are and this part of you knows it with certainty. It is always peaceful and when you focus on it you can feel the peace and hear the words "That is what you are worried about, you silly thing? We are so much bigger than that."

After awhile you will find that you can call on this feeling at will. The minute any tensions might arise you will learn to immediately go to the back of your head and feel the deep peaceful feeling inside and you too will remember the bigger picture.

Happy Creating!

Manifestation Exercise # 7 - Eliminate The Negative Past and Get A Fresh Start

Imagine that you have this friend. Your best friend. A friend who has been through everything with you in life, all of your ups and downs.

Now at times you think this friend is great! Who would you be without this friend? There is just one little thing though about this friend that drives you crazy. He or she just lives to criticize you.

They remind you of every embarrassing thing you have ever done, every mistake that you have ever made. They can make you feel guilty, jealous, and angry like no one else on the planet can.

They tell you that you will never be more than you are now. That you should just be grateful for what you have because what makes you think that you are so special and entitled to anything more?

They tell you to get real. That you will never get that dream girl or guy, they are way out of your league. They say you will never get that promotion because you are just not smart enough.

On and on they go everyday telling you what you cannot be, have or do.

Now you might be thinking, who on Earth would want a friend like that?

The answer is you if you are still letting that pesky thing called Ego run your life. Read the above statements again and see if that "friend" sounds familiar to you.

We originally created the Ego to help us stay focused on our own unique experiences while on Earth. Because we are in fact All One, we needed a sort of tuner to help keep us focused on our own station and have a way to "tune out" all the other traffic out there. Otherwise we would just be hearing all the other gibberish from all the other parts of ourselves (the millions of other people on our planet right now).

The problem however began when we started giving that Ego too much power and mistakenly started to believe that the tuner was in fact our "identity". When we started to believe everything it told us was truth.

Our next mistake was in believing that everything that has happened up in our lives until today has now defined who we are going to be tomorrow. Another trick of that pesky Ego. It has now established our identity and it doesn't want to give it up easily. It likes itself just where it is. It feels safe and easy...even if you are miserable.

So now when you say "I'm going to lose weight and get in shape over the next few months" the Ego says "Uh. Uh, Uhhhh. No we are not. I am comfortable here. I don't like change. We have now established ourselves as a "slightly overweight person" and I don't feel comfortable changing that label." And then it goes into a whole bunch of reasons why you won't be able to do it. It will tell you things like "You've tried it a million times before and it's never worked so why even bother." Or "you're never going to find time to go to the gym a couple of times a week." or "Eating food that is good for you is boring" or any of the one million things it will try to come up with. I am sure you can fill in any blanks from your own pesky little voice.

So now...what do you do?

You need to shake that little sucker up. Throw it off its tracks. Shock the heck out of it!

How do you do this?


You focus on the moment of NOW!


You see, the Ego can only survive on the past. All of the criticism, guilt, negative talk and thoughts all stem from things that it has made connections with from your past.

If you choose to live in this NOW moment there is nothing for it to feed off of anymore.

You can be a new person as of this MOMENT. It does not matter a lick what happened in your childhood, or past relationships. It doesn't matter how many mistakes you have made or how many failures you have had. That is in the Past. It's over. There is nothing that can be done about any of that.

All that matters is right NOW. This moment. Right NOW you can be anything you want to be! And there is no one to tell you differently.

So what is the exercise?

Grab a pad or open a fresh page on your word processor.

Imagine that you just arrived on this Earth for the first time this morning.

You have absolutely no preconceived notions about anything.

Everything around you is fresh and new. You are amazed at all the unbelievable experiences you can have while you here on this planet. It is like the biggest playground you have ever seen!

Write down all your impressions. Even the smallest thing. Imagine you were writing someone "back home" and explaining all of the wonderful things down here on this planet there are to experience.

Tell them about the food! You discover there are at least 25 different places you can eat with hundreds of food choices within blocks of you. Tell them about the people! There are so many you can meet, have fun with, laugh with, share things with. Tell them about all the millions of ways people have to make money while they are here. Explain how you can't imagine anyone not being able to earn a fantastic living while here doing something they love because there are just so many options!

How about where you live? Explain how cool your house and apartment are. Explain about cell phones, televisions, computers, etc.

For the next few days keep acting like everything you see around you is brand new Everything is possible for you because "you have never tried them before".

And if that pesky ego tries to thwart your fun be sure to say to it "I don't know who you are or where you get your pessimistic ideas little fellow but I know that I am entitled to experience every good thing down here just be being here. So I think you better move on and find someone to tell your silly fantasies to.

You will be amazed at how differently you will see the world and all of your possibilities when you look at them with fresh eyes.

Happy Creating!

Manifestation Exercise #2 - Prepaving What You Want

The Law of Attraction is the Law of the Universe that states that what you think about and focus on is what you bring into your life to experience.

While most people understand the concept of thinking positively of things they want to create down the line such as a great relationship, more money, successful career, dream house etc., they quite often don't realize how powerful thinking, or pre-paving, if you will, can be used on a moment to moment basis to make their daily lives flow more effortlessly.

Too often they let subconscious negative thoughts about certain experiences rule their day, and as a result, end up with their days filled with ups and downs like a roller-coaster instead of smoothly like a flowing river.

For instance, do any of these thoughts sound familiar to you?

I hate going to the mall on a Saturday; it's always so crowded and I can never find a parking space.
I can't stand when I have to go to my dentists office; I always have to sit in the waiting room for at least two hours.
I hate going to the bank on my lunch hour; the line is always so long.
I don't know why I shop in this store; they never have what I am looking for.
I have a ton of things to do today; I'll never get them all done.
It's horrible when it rains, my commute to work takes forever and I always get in late.

These are just a few of the thoughts that many people have on a daily basis that makes life far more bumpy than it needs to be.

Be it due to past experiences that they have had, or things they have heard from others, they subconsciously accept these ideas as foregone conclusions and sure enough by their belief in them, their day plays out exactly the way they expected them to. Filled with tension and turmoil.

The important thing to realize is that none of the statements above (or the ones you have yourself) are in fact true. And they do not have to play out the same old tired way. You have the power to create your day as smoothly as you want, you just need to be more aware of what you are thinking about.

This is where pre-paving comes in.

Pre-paving is where you mentally plan out your day to run smoothly as possible. When you step by step see things going easily and effortlessly at even the smallest of tasks.

The first thing you need to do is become aware of the negative thoughts that pop into your head automatically regarding any task you need to take on. In other words if you have an errand you normally believe is a pain in the butt to deal with, you need to take notice of that negative thought.

Then you need to realize that this negative thought is not set in stone, and the experience does not have to play out as it always has in the past. You have the ability to change the experience into anything you want to.

Finally you need to pre-pave what you would like to happen in your mind and know with surety that it will happen exactly that way.

For instance, last Halloween, time got away from me. I usually buy my son's costume about a month in advance because he always seems to be into the "character" of the year and if I didn't purchase it early enough there was a good chance I wouldn't get it at all.

Sure enough, last year I didn't make it out to get his costume until 2 days before Halloween. He wanted to be Jack Sparrow from The Pirates of The Caribbean and it was the hot costume of the year. When I had mentioned to people that I still hadn't gotten it, they told me to forget about it. There was no way I was going to be able to get it at such a late date.

I had even been about to tell my son to come up with anther idea, when suddenly I realized Who says it has to be difficult or impossible to find it? I create my own reality. So I choose to create that I find it quite easily. Actually I decide to find it in the first store I look. As I went through the rest of my day at work I just kept envisioning that I would find it effortlessly in the first store that I looked in, even thought I wasn't even sure what store I was going to go to.

After work I decided to drive to a Party Place store that went crazy with costumes at Halloween time, figuring that was my best bet. On the way there however, I saw a sign advertising that Kmart was having a 40% off Halloween sale and had a sudden urge to turn into their lot. Kmart had not even entered my mind as a costume place option.

Sure enough I found the entire costume there. The costume in the bag in his size; even the wig, hat and sword that was sold separately. And I got it for 40% off! And I only had to travel half the distance! Oh I love those thrill bumps when things like that happen!

Ever since then, I try to remember to pre-pave how I want my day to go on almost a daily basis.

I picture easy and close parking spaces to the stores I need to visit. I picture short lines that move smoothly. I envision smooth working days and commutes to wherever I am going.

It has made an amazing difference in how much calmer I feel all during the day and how much more effective I have become in getting much more done in much less time.

So start pre-paving your day today. Write out or envision exactly how you want your day to go, how you want your day at work to be, how easy you want your commute to be, how easily your errands will be run. How cooperative your kids or spouse are going to be. How effortless your presentation at work; you get the idea.

You will be amazed at how this works. Because the more often you do it, the more often it works. The more often it works, the easier you believe it will work. The more you believe that it will work, the more often you will want to do it.

Start creating the peaceful, easy-going life you crave. By pre-planning it one step at a time.

Happy Creating!