Expanding the Boundaries of Your Life

"The 'self-image' sets the boundaries of individual accomplishment. It defines what you can and cannot do. Expand the self-image and you expand the 'area of the possible'."
~Dr Maxwell Maltz, Psycho-Cybernetics

You will never be more successful than how you see yourself being. If you see yourself as fat, you will struggle to lose weight. If you see yourself as shy, you will struggle in your interactions with others. If you see yourself as poor, you will struggle financially. If you see yourself as a harried individual living a highly stressful life, that will be your experience day in and day out.

Don't believe me? Take a look at the areas of your life where you struggle. How do you see yourself in those areas? Then compare that to the areas of your life where you are more successful and how you see yourself in those areas. Do you see a difference? I am willing to bet that you don't have a negative view of yourself in those areas that you consistently do well in.

Now, some of you may argue that you see yourself more positively in those areas because you have done well. I propose that you have done well because you saw yourself more positively in those areas. If you don't believe me, give it the following 90 day test:

• Take an area of your life that you struggle and evaluate how you see yourself in this area.


• Create a better image for yourself in that area. The best way of doing this is to look at someone who is already successful in that area and transfer their characteristics to your self-image. (After all, if they did it, so can you!)


• Every morning when you get up and every night when you go to bed, visualize and see yourself as being successful in that area. Really experience the emotion and gratitude of being the success you've always dreamed of. Do this every morning and every night for 90 days!


• Then throughout the day, walk the walk and talk the talk of the success you are becoming!

Compare your life at the end of the 90 days to how it was when it started. I guarantee it will be vastly better!

Traitors to the Cause

"Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might gain by fearing to attempt."

~ William Shakespeare

Are You Being Robbed?

"It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets of yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves that rob us of today. "
~Robert Hastings

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #11

Author: Jack Canfield

MESSAGE: Abundance is your natural state of being. Anything you wish for can flow effortlessly into your life if you understand, apply and “live into” the Law of Attraction.

We live in a world that seems to emphasize scarcity and lack, and yet the truth is, this is an abundant universe. There is no scarcity, there is no lack. There is more than enough food, money, joy, happiness, spiritual fulfillment, and love for everyone.

If you want to create an abundance of love in your life, then focus on love. Be the love you want to attract. Become more loving and generous with others and with yourself.

By creating the vibration of love, you will automatically draw more love into your life. Focus on whatever it is that you want to create more of in your life, and remember to be grateful for that which you already have.

Gratitude itself is a form of abundance, and the vibrational frequency of gratitude and appreciation will automatically attract even more to be grateful for.

If you want to create financial abundance in your life, then start by focusing on prosperity and money flowing into your life. Envision the checks coming in the mail. Write yourself a check for the sum of money you wish to manifest this year, and post it in a visible location.

Every time you see it, believe that it is possible. Make a donation to your favorite charity, and know that you can afford it. You must be willing to give in order to receive. Imagine just how amazing it will feel to have complete financial freedom.

Envision the various things you will do, the places you will go, and how it will change your life. Really let yourself feel it as though it were already so. Now, think of how you will use your financial prosperity to contribute and give back within your community.

Imagine how good it will feel to help others and to really make a difference in their lives. Remember to take a moment to be thankful for everything that you already have. By doing this, you are creating a vibrational match for the financial abundance that you want to attract into your future life.

The entire universe will support you abundantly in every way when you are moving with this kind of purpose and intention in the direction of your dreams. It will respond to the vibration of your passion and commitment.

So, start paying attention to the many synchronicities in your life and become aware of all the opportunities, ideas, people, and resources that you are attracting. Be open to them, and be willing to think outside the box. New opportunities will often present themselves in surprising ways. Do what you love to do, be passionate about it, and believe in yourself.

If you are willing to invest yourself wholeheartedly in your dreams, then all the necessary resources, including the money, will follow.

ACTION: Ask yourself how you can have more ABUNDANCE with your health. Can you take the stairs instead of an elevator when the opportunity presents itself? Can you drink a few more glasses of water, or perhaps take on a yoga practice?

BENEFIT: When you think and act more ABUNDANTLY about your physical health, you’ll find that other parts of your life automatically improve for the better. You’ll think more clearly, have more energy and do everything you normally do with a little more intensity.

About the Author:

This year, after two years of research and work, Jack Canfield released a phenomenal new product to the world – it’s called the Dream Big System. A longtime success and self-esteem coach for people around the world, Jack Canfield is also renowned for his role as Co-Founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul (the most successful publishing empire in history) and Master Teacher in the blockbuster movie, The Secret.http://www.thekeytobetterlife.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #11

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #10

Author: Jack Canfield

MESSAGE: Make a conscious decision right now to focus on the positive. The Law of Attraction doesn’t filter out the information we provide. It doesn’t decide what is better for us.

You have free will, and you decide where you want to focus our energy and our attention. The universe just reflects it back to us. If you focus your attention on something (either positively or negatively), it will simply respond with more of it. Doesn’t that make sense?

So, it’s really important to focus on what you do want, not on what you don’t want. State your desires in a positive way. Your mind works in pictures, so if you say “I don’t want to be mad,” you are creating the picture and the vibration of being “mad.”

The universe only receives the frequency of “mad” and responds to that. You must focus on the opposite of what you don’t want. In this case, it would be a better choice to say “I want to be more loving and accepting of the way things are.”

Stop sending mixed signals to the universe and those around you. They will hinder your ability to attract and manifest in a clear and powerful way.

When you claim to be “against” something, you are actually recreating it. You are creating more of the very thing that you want to eliminate! If you want to think “anti-war,” think again.

The operative word here is “war,” and that is exactly what you will get more of. A better choice is to be “pro-peace.” The universe will receive the vibration of “peace” and respond accordingly.

The war on terrorism has created more terrorism. Violence attracts violence, and love attracts more love. Make this simple change in your life.

Make a conscious effort to restructure the way you think and speak, and avoid giving any unnecessary energy to the things you don’t want in your life. Whenever possible, avoid subjecting yourself, your thoughts, and your emotions to the negative people and influences in your life.

ACTION: Think of one reoccurring NEGATIVE thought you have repeatedly each day. What is it? How did it come to be? Okay, when you have it in mind, think up what POSITIVE thought you could have to replace it.

Now I’m not asking you to actually replace that positive thought yet, just practice doing it in your mind as if you were going to do it for real. Just practice now and see how it works for you … how it feels. If it feels good enough, you might want to try a few times for real…

BENEFIT: There’s a profound benefit with the power of substitution, you can quickly and almost effortlessly replace your NEGATIVE thoughts with POSITIVE ones.

If you do this enough times, it may become a habit and maybe even a daily ritual so that pretty soon, you won’t have many NEGATIVE thoughts at all.

About the Author:

This year, after two years of research and work, Jack Canfield released a phenomenal new product to the world – it’s called the Dream Big System. A longtime success and self-esteem coach for people around the world, Jack Canfield is also renowned for his role as Co-Founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul (the most successful publishing empire in history) and Master Teacher in the blockbuster movie, The Secret.http://www.thekeytobetterlife.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #10

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #6

Author: Jack Canfield

MESSAGE: Most of us are fairly aware of our conscious thoughts, but it is important to become aware of our subconscious thoughts as well. Our subconscious mind is pretty much running the show, and since most of us have a constant negative tape playing in our heads, we are continually sending out negative messages.

Practically anyone can learn how to reprogram their subconscious mind and transform negative internal thoughts into healthy, positive ones. It can be quite easy actually, and it all starts by looking closely at your beliefs and self-image.

It’s true; you can work on eliminating any limiting or negative ideas. This negative self-talk is like a type of static, or interference on a phone call. It will interfere with, distort, and even block the frequencies of your positive intentions. If not removed, it will reduce your ability to create and manifest the future you desire.

Take a moment and think about trying to drive a car with the parking brake on. No matter how much you try to accelerate, the parking brake will keep slowing you down, but as soon as you release it—you will automatically and effortlessly go faster.

Your limiting thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are like a negative type of psychological parking brake. They will drag you down and slow you down unless you make a committed effort to let them go and replace them with more positive thoughts and beliefs.

You must be willing to release your negative mental programming and step out of your comfort zone in order to make room for a positive, healthy self-image and belief system.

This will shift your energy vibration and allow you to more easily and effectively attract the positive energy and experiences that you desire in your life.

Beliefs are just your habitual thoughts, and they can be changed through affirmations, positive self-talk, behavioral changes, and visualizations you make with the help of your Vision Book.

As Dr. Maxwell Maltz once said, “Within you right now is the power to do things you never dreamed possible. This power becomes available to you just as soon as you can change your beliefs.”

Now let’s take a moment to compare and contrast your conscious and subconscious mind.

The conscious mind is the part of you that thinks and reasons—it’s the part of your mind that you use to make everyday decisions. Your free will is within your conscious mind so you can decide just what you want to create in your life. With this part of your mind you can accept or reject any idea.

Although your conscious mind is powerful, it is the more limited part of your mind. The scientifically validated data reveals that your conscious mind has limited processing capacity.

The conscious mind provides you with short term memory (just about 20 seconds). It gives you the ability to manage only 1 to 3 events at a time. Impulses travel at only 120 to 140 mph with an average processing speed of 2,000 bits of information per second.

Your subconscious mind is actually much more spectacular. It is frequently referred to as your spiritual or universal mind, and it knows no limits except for those that you consciously choose.

Your self-image and your habits live in your subconscious mind. It functions in every single cell of your body.

This is the part of your mind that is connected to your Higher Self at a much greater level than your conscious mind. It is your connection to God, your connection to Source and Universal Infinite Intelligence.

Your subconscious mind has a far greater processing capacity than your conscious mind. Long term memory of past experiences, your attitudes, you values, and beliefs all reside in your subconscious mind.

In fact, it has the awesome ability to manage thousands of events at a time with impulses that travel at over 100,000 mph and the ability to process an average of 4,000,000,000 bits of information per second!

Remarkable, isn't it?

That's why I encourage you to make it your goal to “live into” the vast power of our subconscious mind in order to use it to our advantage. We must create room in each day to “check in” with our subconscious spiritual mind. Daily time spent quietly without any external distractions will strengthen our connection to who we really are.

You can connect with our subconscious mind through the utilization of affirmations, prayer, contemplation and meditation, gratitude and visualization through the help of your Vision Book.

Your subconscious mind can take us where you want to go and help you reach more of your goals faster, better and with less conscious effort!

By at last connecting utilizing the amazing speed, power, and agility of your subconscious minds, you can begin to use the Law of Attraction in a more intentional way to more effectively attract and create the results you desire!

ACTION: Think of the last time you tied your shoe. Can you remember when it was? Did you tie your right shoe or left shoe first?

The reason I’m asking you this question is because if you’re like most people who were lace-up shoes, the process of tying shoes is handled by your subconscious mind … you unconsciously competent at it, right?

Now let’s think about what else are you unconsciously competent at? How about talking, reading, driving a stick shift or any other skill you’ve learned and eventually mastered over the years.

What’s interesting is that before you can become unconsciously competent at any new skill, you must first be consciously incompetent … as for tying shoes … that would have been around age 5 or 6.

As a young child, you were incompetent at a lot of things such as tying shoes, walking, reading even speaking … but you didn’t give up, did you?

Of course not!

You’re not still crawling because you gave up, right? I want you to treat any new skill as an adult in the same way. Rather than giving up, or worse, being fearful of ever trying … I want you to keep practicing until you get it right and it becomes unconsciously competent … just like tying your shoes.

BENEFIT: Practice doesn’t make perfect … practice makes permanent and if you choose progress over perfection, you’ll learn more skills, faster, better and with less stress and worry.

About the Author:

This year, after two years of research and work, Jack Canfield released a phenomenal new product to the world – it’s called the Dream Big System. A longtime success and self-esteem coach for people around the world, Jack Canfield is also renowned for his role as Co-Founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul (the most successful publishing empire in history) and Master Teacher in the blockbuster movie, The Secret.http://www.thekeytobetterlife.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #6

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #5

Author: Jack Canfield

MESSAGE: My simple, yet often misunderstood message to you in this lesson can be summed-up in these 3 words: "Thoughts are things."

Your thoughts are not just wispy little clouds drifting through your head. Your thoughts are things. They are actually measure-able units of energy.

Thoughts are biochemical electrical impulses. They are waves of energy that, as far as we can tell, penetrate all time and space.

Look, every single thought you have is a statement of your desires to the universe. Every single thought you have generates a physiological change in your body. You are a product of all of the thoughts you have thought, feelings you have felt, and actions you have taken up until now.

And . . . the thoughts you think today, feelings you feel today, and actions you take today will determine your experiences tomorrow. So it is imperative that you learn to think and behave in a positive way that is in alignment with what you ultimately want to be, do, and experience in life.

Thoughts affect your body. Albert Einstein noted that thoughts influence the body more than we may give them credit for.

And because our thoughts affect our body it is so important to think as positively as possible. Negative thoughts are toxic, and they affect your body in a negative way.

Negative thoughts actually weaken you … physically! Negative thoughts can make you perspire, create muscular tension, and even create a more acidic environment within your body.

They can increase the likelihood of cancer (cancer cells thrive in an acidic environment) and other disease. They also send out a negative energy vibration and attract more experiences of the same vibration.

Positive thoughts, on the other hand, will affect your body in a positive way. They will make you feel more relaxed, more centered and alert. They stimulate the release of endorphins in your brain, reducing pain and increasing pleasure.

In addition to this, positive, affirmative thoughts send out a positive energy vibration that will attract more positive experiences back into your life and to those you interact with.

Whenever you face the choice to have a positive or negative thought about a specific experience you've had in your past, consider the advice of my good friend Reverend Michael Beckwith who says, "One affirmative thought is hundreds of times more powerful than a negative thought."

ACTION: Okay, now I want you t0 think of one reoccurring NEGATIVE thought you have repeatedly each day. What is it? How did it come to be?

When you have it in mind, think up what POSITIVE thought you could have to replace it. I know it may not be so easy at first, but give it a try because I'm going to ask you to do this little experiment again in about 4 or 5 lessons from now ;-)

Now I'm not asking you to actually replace that positive thought yet, just practice doing it in your mind as if you were going to do it for real : Practice now and see how it works for you … how it feels. If it feels good enough, you might want to try a few times for real…

BENEFIT: There's a profound benefit with the power of substitution, you can quickly and almost effortlessly replace your NEGATIVE thoughts with POSITIVE ones.

If you do this enough times, it may become a habit and maybe even a daily ritual so that pretty soon, you won't have many NEGATIVE thoughts at all.

About the Author:

This year, after two years of research and work, Jack Canfield released a phenomenal new product to the world – it’s called the Dream Big System. A longtime success and self-esteem coach for people around the world, Jack Canfield is also renowned for his role as Co-Founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul (the most successful publishing empire in history) and Master Teacher in the blockbuster movie, The Secret.http://www.thekeytobetterlife.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #5

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #4

Author: Jack Canfield

MESSAGE: Right now, I want you to think of yourself as a magnet. You are a living magnet. You literally attract the things, people, ideas, and circumstances to you that vibrate and resonate at the same energy frequency as yours.

And it gets better because your energy field changes constantly, based on your thoughts and feelings, and the universe acts like a mirror, sending back a reflection of the energy that you are projecting.

The stronger and more intense your thoughts and emotions are, the greater the magnetic pull becomes. Now, this is not a process that requires any real effort; a magnet doesn't "try" to attract anything-it simply does, and so do you! You are always in the process of attracting something into your life.

Do you realize that your life at this very moment is the result of everything that you have ever thought, done, believed, or felt up until now? You can start right now to consciously and deliberately attract whatever you desire in this lifetime.

Buddha once said, "All that we are is the result of what we have thought." You are really that powerful!

My friend, you are far more powerful than you realize because whether you want to believe it or not, you really are creating everything in your life. And once you fully acknowledge this, and take responsibility for it, you can do anything that you set your mind to.

Above all, you are truly the author of your own life, and you can choose to take it in any direction you wish. You have the ability to change your life.
You have the ability to create your desired future. And most importantly, you have always had unlimited potential!

If you ever doubt that you hold this power in your mind and in your heart, just remember these words of Ralph Waldo Emerson … he said, "Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen."

ACTION: I want you to think of one situation at work, at home or with a friend when you felt unstoppably decisive. What was it about that decision that made you feel powerful? What would happen if you were that decisive in every part of your life?

BENEFIT: When you're decisive, you "cut-0ff" opportunities that don't support you. The word "decisive" literally means to "cut off." And it is my wish for you that you "cut-off" possibilities that don't support you. Your true power comes from your decision making ability, so the more decisive you become the more you'll attract what you want.

About the Author:

This year, after two years of research and work, Jack Canfield released a phenomenal new product to the world – it’s called the Dream Big System. A longtime success and self-esteem coach for people around the world, Jack Canfield is also renowned for his role as Co-Founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul (the most successful publishing empire in history) and Master Teacher in the blockbuster movie, The Secret.http://www.thekeytobetterlife.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #4

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #3

Author: Jack Canfield

MESSAGE: Listen to this: You are all made up of the same stuff as the sun, the moon, and the stars. You are a walking, talking bundle of intelligent energy in the form of a human body.

You are made up of cells, which are made up of atoms, which are made up of subatomic particles. What are subatomic particles? ENERGY!

Everything is energy. All matter is energy. Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It is the cause and effect of itself. It is evenly present in all places, at all times. Energy is in constant motion and never rests. It is forever moving from one form to another.

As Deepak Chopra says, "There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle."

So you are connected. You are connected to everything and to the rest of us. You are a completely unique piece of a much greater whole, an integral part of the cosmos. You are a ball of energy in a much larger energy field.

Think of the Internet. You can't see it or touch it but you know that it is there. It is real. It is an invisible energy connection that links us all to each other. You are connected to everyone and everything in the same way.

Have you ever found that with people you are close to, you can sometimes finish a sentence for them, or that you both say the same thing at exactly the same time? This is not coincidence, it's a connection! This is a perfect example of how connected we really are to those around us.

We've all had the experience of starting to think about someone, perhaps someone we haven't even seen or spoken to in years, and then several minutes later the phone rings, and it is them on the other end of the line. "I was just thinking about you," we exclaim in wonder.

We were actually picking up on their intention to call us before they had even acted upon it. Our thoughts travel through time and space at an amazing speed.

Through your connection you were able to pick up on the energy of their thoughts and intentions before they even dialed the number, or perhaps it was your thinking about them that stimulated them to call you.

ACTION: Think of one person who makes you laugh the moment you spend time with him or her. Is it a friend, is it a colleague, is it a loved-one? There are some people in our lives that just make us smile … right now, think of who that person is, ok? What do you both have in common? What is it about him or her that makes you smile, or just feel good.

BENEFIT: When you know who your "feel good" people are, you are one phone call away from experiencing feelings of joy. Those whom we feel most connected to are often the ones who empower us to feel happier.

About the Author:

This year, after two years of research and work, Jack Canfield released a phenomenal new product to the world – it’s called the Dream Big System. A longtime success and self-esteem coach for people around the world, Jack Canfield is also renowned for his role as Co-Founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul (the most successful publishing empire in history) and Master Teacher in the blockbuster movie, The Secret.http://www.thekeytobetterlife.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #3

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #2

Author: Jack Canfield

MESSAGE: If you are feeling excited, enthusiastic, passionate, happy, joyful, appreciative, or abundant, then you are sending out positive energy. On the other hand, if you are feeling bored, anxious, stressed out, angry, resentful, or sad, you are sending out negative energy.

The universe, through the Law of Attraction, will respond enthusiastically to both of these vibrations. It doesn’t decide which one is better for you, it just responds to whatever energy you are creating, and it gives you more of the same. You get back exactly what you put out there.

Whatever you are thinking and feeling at any given time is basically your request to the universe for more of the same. This is because your energy vibrations will attract energy back to you of the same frequencies, you need to make sure that you are continually sending out energy, thoughts, and feelings that resonate with what you want to become, do, and experience.

Your energy frequencies need to be in tune with what you want to attract in your life. If love and joy are what you want to attract, then the vibrational frequencies of love and joy are what you want to create.

You can learn to manage your thoughts and emotions and maintain a vibrational match for what you want to attract by learning to respond instead of just reacting to the situations in your life. Most of us go through life just reacting automatically and unconsciously to the things and events that take place around us.

Perhaps you’re having a rough day, you’ve gotten a flat tire, or maybe someone has treated you unfairly. Say that you react in a negative way to these situations with your thoughts and your emotions. And you become angry, frustrated, or upset.

In this case, you are unconsciously reacting to the situation instead of consciously responding to it, and your negatively charged thoughts and emotions are automatically placing an order with the universe for more of the same negative experiences. In order to create a more positive outcome, you must learn to consciously respond in a different, more positive way.

The good news is that once you understand the Law of Attraction, and how it works, you can begin to consciously and intentionally create a better life. You can choose to respond differently to the situations that arise during your day.

You can choose to think differently. You can choose to focus and think about the things you want more of in your life. You can choose to experience more of the things that make you feel good.

You can choose to deliberately participate in the creation of your future by managing your thoughts and feelings. And remember what Robert Kiyosaki says, “Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow.”

ACTION: In the previous lesson, I requested that you think of one more “vision” word that best describes you and write it down on a piece scrap of paper, remember? Right now, I want you to think of another “vision” word. This time it’s a word you hear your closest friends, loved-one or family utilize when complimenting you. It could be: “Resourceful” or “Happy” or “Brilliant” or “Dazzling.”

Whatever it is, write it down and read it out loud each hour throughout the rest of the day. You embody this word, so make sure you read out loud at least 3 to 5 times today …

BENEFIT: As you read your “vision” word you out loud, you’ll begin to automatically “live into” it … and you’ll find yourself attracting more people, projects and possessions that support you faster, better and easier.

About the Author:

This year, after two years of research and work, Jack Canfield released a phenomenal new product to the world – it’s called the Dream Big System. A longtime success and self-esteem coach for people around the world, Jack Canfield is also renowned for his role as Co-Founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul (the most successful publishing empire in history) and Master Teacher in the blockbuster movie, The Secret.http://www.thekeytobetterlife.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #2

Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #1

Author: Jack Canfield

Dr. Robert Schuller once said, “You are what you think about all day long,” which is one reason why understanding the law of attraction is the key to creating the life of your dreams.

MESSAGE: You probably understand that the Law of Attraction says that you will attract into your life whatever you focus on.

So, if you stay focused on the good and positive things in your life, you will automatically attract more good and positive things into your life. If you are focused upon lack and negativity, then that is what will be attracted into your life.

You are always in a state of creation. You always have been. You are creating your reality in every moment of every day. You are creating your future with every single thought: either consciously or subconsciously.

You can’t take a break from it and decide not to create because creation never stops. The Law of Attraction never stops working. This is why it is so important to listen to this whenever you can – even if you don’t think you are listening your subconscious is always listening!

So, understanding just how this law operates is a fundamental key to your success. If you want to change your life, and empower yourself to create an amazing future, then you need to understand your role in the Law of Attraction.

ACTION: “Think of one “vision” word that best describes you and write it down on a small piece of paper you keep in your pocket or purse all day long … it could be a word like: “Magnificent” or “Caring” or “Joyful”…

I want it to be a positive word that best describes you … whatever it is, write it down and read it each hour throughout the rest of the day.

BENEFIT: As you read your “vision” word you out loud, you’ll find yourself automatically “living into” it … and you’ll find yourself attracting more people, projects and even possessions that vibrate with your word.

Jack Canfield’s Dream Big System and get a free, 72-minute instant audio bonus: http://www.TheKeyToBetterLife.com

About the Author:

This year, after two years of research and work, Jack Canfield released a phenomenal new product to the world – it’s called the Dream Big System. A longtime success and self-esteem coach for people around the world, Jack Canfield is also renowned for his role as Co-Founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul (the most successful publishing empire in history) and Master Teacher in the blockbuster movie, The Secret.http://www.thekeytobetterlife.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Welcome to Living the Law of Attraction Lesson #1

The Prosperity Game

I want to share with you a tool that I stumbled across long ago that makes an incredible impact on me each and every day that I use it. It is called ...

The Prosperity Game!

A lot of people around the world are struggling right now financially. And even those who are not may be experiencing an unusual amount of stress and fear due to the unstable nature of our current economy. If you fall into either of those categories, The Prosperity Game is exactly what you need. And guess what - it is absolutely free to play!

What The Prosperity Game can do for you is help to shift your mental focus from lack to prosperity. Most of us struggle with the mental aspect of financial success. We fail to recognize that we will only be as wealthy and as prosperous as we think we can be. We have no problem digging right in physically and striving for a goal, but our minds may be more focused on the bills that are due or overdue, how prices are rising, how the economy is declining, and we get stressed out about our current financial situation and often times our future financial situation. We hate looking at the Sunday ads because they are just a reminder of all the things we can't afford right now. And we wonder why our situation is getting worse and worse and worse.

The Prosperity Game helps you overcome all that. Anyone who has been introduced to the Law of Attraction knows that "where attention goes, energy flows." We may say we want to be prosperous and well off or, for some of us, simply financially stable. But where is your attention as you work for that goal? Is it on the being financially stable or better? Or is it focused on your current lack of money and the difficulty you have paying your bills?

Think back to the last time you paid your bills and the level and quality of emotions you were experiencing. This is a good gauge of where you are putting your attention. If you were stressed out or angry, most likely you were not focusing on financial stability. You were focused on instability and wondering how you were going to make ends meet until your next paycheck arrives. You were "resistant" to prosperity and abundance and opening yourself up to the energy of lack, struggle and difficulty. The Prosperity Game has a simple system that enables you to flip that switch, closing yourself off to that negative energy and opening yourself up to prosperity.

The way that it works is every time you log in to the game (not just once a day, but every time you log in so you can use this more than once in a day if you feel the need to), you are given a virtual "check" starting at $100 and growing every single time you play. It isn't an amount you had to work for or struggle for. It is an amount that is given to you out of the abundance of the universe. You are encouraged to focus on the joy of receiving that check for a moment and just experience how good that feels to have prosperity flow to you effortlessly.

Then comes the best part - you spend the check! You outline what you would buy or how you would spend that check that would make you feel good. You are encourage not to just give it away, but I give the first 10% to my church as tithing out of gratitude to God for such great blessings because that makes me feel good. But you spend it how you want to spend it.

The next step is you measure on a scale of 1-10 your desire. What this does is it gets you to start paying attention to your levels of desire because that is a tremendous moving force for becoming prosperous and is a good measure of your energy level.

After measure your desire, you measure your resistance on a scale of 1-10. This is checking how you feel towards this message of prosperity. It may be a bit high for the first little while if you are new to this way of thinking. You may have some internal beliefs to overcome in the early stages of the game that can wreak havoc with your resistance levels at the start and cause it to jump around. That is okay. Just keep playing the game. The object is to ultimately lower your resistance level to a naturally low level on a consistent basis, thus opening you up to the thoughts and feelings of prosperity. It may take more time for some than for others but it will happen.

Then you have the opportunity to record your comments about the experience. How did it make you feel? What changes are you experiencing? It is a great way to record your development as you move from the feelings of lack to the feelings of prosperity.

Two other tools that are included in the game are your own personal Gratitude Journal and your personal list of 100 things you would like to be, do and have.

The Gratitude Journal is an awesome tool because it really helps you shift your focus to what is good in your life. I believe I have posted here before about how you can be grumpy and grumble about your electric bill as you pay it or you can write a simple "Thank You!" note thanking them for the service that lights and heats your home and their efficiency and accuracy in processing your payment and slipping that note in with your check. It is absolutely impossible to feel negative when giving a sincere expression of gratitude!

The list of 100 things you want to be, do and have are a reference point for the game as your "checks" come in. But it also serves to free you from the feelings of limitation. It enables you to think freely and openly about what you really and truly want rather than limiting yourself to thinking about what you can have.

The Prosperity Game really is a simple, yet amazing tool and I hope you choose to play. Let me remind you again that it is 100% free of charge and you can play it in less than five minutes, especially if you really know what you want. It will really change the way you feel each and every time you play and you will begin to feel more prosperous and abundant, which is the first step to fully experiencing that in your life.

If you do choose to play, leave a comment here saying simply "I'm in the game!". Then come back again and share your experiences that result from the game so that others can see how you have benefitted from this tool as well.

In closing, here is a quote about what playing The Prosperity Game can do for you:

By writing checks, using your imagination, writing the memos, focusing as you write, and feeling no resistance as you write the checks because there will be no fear of overspending, you will achieve what is necessary in the achievement of anything: You will have made a statement of desire while you are in the state of non-resistance, or better said, in the state of allowing.

So, not only will you have the benefit of an expanded imagination, but your point of attraction will shift, and your life experience will then shift as well. Not only will your financial situation improve, but all manner of things that you have focused upon with pleasure will begin to flow into your experience.

Joyously playing this Prosperity Game will not only improve your financial state of being, but every aspect of your life will improve as well. It will not only help you to activate more vibrations around things you want, but it will assist you in focusing, more of the time, in a way that allows the things that you want to flow into your experience.

Playing this game will cause you to offer a more expansive, expectant vibration. And it is our promise to you that manifestations will begin to arrive in response to your changed vibration.

-- Abraham-Hicks in Ask and It is Given pages 177 – 181

Allow Your Life to Be Wonderful

I haven't posted for several days now as I have had a very full schedule of late and am at the same time preparing as best I can for the kick off of the 2008 National Novel Writing Month coming up this Saturday. In spite of my very full and very busy schedule, I do want to share with you something that my wife and I have been focusing on this past week that has had a major impact in our relationships, our businesses and our finances.

This concept is the culmination of a number of success training cds and books that I have been listening to and reading over the past several weeks. They all have a different focus on success, but the information I am about to share with you was present in all of them. And "in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established." (2 Cor. 13:1)

To start off, I want you to think of a goal you are currently pursuing or one that you are interested in pursuing. Fix that goal firmly in your mind and then answer the following question:

Why do you want to accomplish this goal?

As you answer this question, I want you to consider whether or not you have given the true answer to the question. In the company that I work for, we have found that the first answer we think of when we ask the question "Why did this happen?" is rarely the root cause of a problem. So we use what is called a "5 Why" process to get to the real answer. I recommend using the same process in identifying your core reason for wanting to accomplish a goal.

For example, let's say that you have a home-based business that is bringing in an extra $250 a month. You might have the goal of increasing the income from this business to $500 a month.

Why do you want to increase your income from your business to $500 a month?

To have more money in my pocket.

If you look at that answer, is the real reason you want to increase your income so that you can have more little pieces of paper with pictures of dead presidents on them is it? Of course not. So keep asking "Why?" until you find your real reason.

Why do you want more money in your pocket?

So that I can pay my expenses as soon as I incur them.

Why do you want to pay your expenses as soon as you incur them?

So I never have to go into debt for anything.

Why do you never want to go into debt for anything?

So I don't have the stress of making a credit card payment every month.

Why don't you want the stress of making a credit card payment every month?

So I can feel good whenever I think about my finances.

Your answers may have been different than these here, but if you ask "Why?" often enough you will most likely get to the point of saying "...because it makes me feel good." That is really what we want, isn't it? It doesn't matter if your goal is losing weight, developing an artistic or musical talent, finding a spouse, starting a business or any other target. Isn't your real reason for wanting these things in your life because they would make you feel good?

But can't you feel good right now?

Some of you may have responded to that question with "No! Not with the amount of debt I have!" or something similar. And if that was your response I would like to ask: Have you had any moments today where you felt happy, even if it was just for a moment? This week? This month? I am willing to bet that you have. And why is it that you were able to feel happy? You were probably focused on something else in that moment other than what you usually focus on to feel unhappy.

The large majority of us set up rules like the one I mentioned above that determine when we can feel happy and, by default, when we can't. I will be happy when I get rid of all this debt. I will be happy when I lose 50 pounds. I will be happy when I am lying on the sandy beaches of Hawaii. But we have those small moments that are exceptions to these imperfect rules where we feel happy even though we haven't satisfied our preset guidelines for happiness.

We can in this very moment be happy, not just feel happy, actually be happy by choosing to be so. As I mentioned in the last paragraph, we set the rules for when we can be happy so by the same measure we choose to not play by those rules. We can be happy right now! It is simply a matter of controlling our emotions rather than letting them control us.

And we must control our emotions if we are to accomplish our goals. If we don't, we will not have the power behind us that will enable us to succeed.

"Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance."
~ Brian Tracy

My wife and I have found this to be so true over the past few weeks. We have been working on controlling our emotions in regards to our financial situation and to the building of her Mary Kay business. My wife has also been applying this toward her continual efforts to meet a major weight-loss goal. We have released our attachments to what our expected outcomes are and just chosen to feel good no matter what happens. And the results have been amazing! We have experienced financial miracles, my wife's business has just been booming and she is making progress as she works on losing those last stubborn pounds that she wants to lose. (She has lost 45 pounds already!) In addition to that, our relationship with each other and with our children is better than it has ever been. Everything is just "clicking" for us!

But even if none of this had happened, we would still be happy ... because we choose to be so!

But it hasn't all been smooth sailing. You probably know as well as I do that whenever you feel like you are on top of the world someone or something will come along and try to knock you off. What makes the difference is how you respond to that event. And the best way you can respond is with gratitude.

If you are trying to pay down your debts and an exceptionally high utility bill comes through, be grateful for the continuous service that you have been given that enables you to light, heat and cool your home.

If you have a medical emergency, don't worry about the impending bill. Be grateful that you are still alive and live in an area where skilled and trained physicians are available to care for your medical needs.

If you are trying to lose weight and you go up one week rather than down, be grateful that you live in an area of the world where food is abundant and that you don't go to bed at night in extreme hunger.

If your business is building slower than you hope, be grateful that you have not only the skills and abilities to do business but also an exceptional mind that is open to ideas and inspirations that can and will lead you to build it faster and/or better.

Whenever obstacles arise before you, be grateful for them and the opportunity to become better and stronger by overcoming them.

If you think long enough, you can always find something to be grateful for. And it is impossible to feel grateful and be unhappy at the same time.

Whatever it is that you desire to accomplish in your life, allow your life to be wonderful in the process and watch how easily people, resources and events line up and fall into place to bring you success beyond your wildest dreams.

Action Steps:
1. Identify an area in your life you would like to improve or develop.
2. Identify what negative feelings come to your mind when you think about accomplishing this goal.
3. Release the negative feelings and choose to be happy.
4. Overcome challenges to your happiness with an attitude of gratitude.

I am Complaint Free!

At the end of the First Step series yesterday we talked a little about the "Blame Game" and the negative effect that it has on you. Today, let's talk a little about the precursor to blaming - complaining!

You usually don't blame someone or something unless you have a complaint about something. And a complaint is nothing more than a negative focus on a particular situation or outcome. In fact, the dictionary defines a complaint as an expression of discontent, regret, pain, censure, resentment, or grief; lament; faultfinding.

What important lesson can you learn from that definition?

The point that I noticed in that definition is that in order for something to qualify as a complaint, it has to be expressed. It is human to feel discontentment, regret, pain, resentment and grief about things in life. But it is our choice whether or not we continue to focus on it and share that negative focus with others. The danger of doing so is that negativity is highly contagious and deadly to the spirit. The symptoms of this disease include depression, a darkening of the mind, unconscious and consistent frowning, a downward mental spiral, and an overwhelming desire to spread this disease further so that others will feel just as bad as you do or at least give you attention for having contracted it.

So, what do we do?

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.”
~ Maya Angelou

You have a choice when you are faced with something that dissatisfies you. You can eliminate the negativity altogether by simply changing what you don't like. But, if you can't change it (or, as I prefer, until you change it since I believe that there is very little in this world we cannot change if we persist long enough until it does change), change your attitude and focus on something positive. But, if you struggle to do even that much, the least you can do is keep it to yourself until you do find a better focus so that you do not spread that negativity out into the world.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to
accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

I was pleased to learn today that Congressman Sam Graves of Missouri introduced a bill last July designed to reduce the amount of complaining in the U.S. To some this seems impossible and a silly waste of taxpayer's dollars. Unlike the $700 billion bailout package that has yet to make a difference (that is not a complaint, mind you - just an observation of fact), this strikes at the core of a problem rather than the typical attempt to treat the symptoms and hope the problems we face go away. It is by no means an extravagant or costly plan. What Graves has proposed is to make the Wednesday before Thanksgiving an official “Complaint Free Wednesday” in the U.S. in order to help us prepare for a day of gratitude.

H.Con.Res.404 is currently in committee, but in order for it to pass it needs 50 members of Congress to act as co-sponsors. I have included the full text of the bill and, if you can support this act, click HERE or follow the instructions after the text of the bill to send an e-mail to your congressional representative and encourage their support of this act. I would then recommend that you e-mail everyone in your address book and encourage them to read this blog posting and e-mail their representative as well.

If you choose to act on this, please leave me a comment so that I can see who my fellow non-complainers are. Those are the people I want to hang out with!

HCON 404 IH

110th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. CON. RES. 404

Supporting the goals and ideals of Complaint Free Wednesday.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 31, 2008

Mr. GRAVES submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Supporting the goals and ideals of Complaint Free Wednesday.

Whereas the average person complains approximately 15 to 30 times per day, resulting in approximately 4,570,350,000 complaints per day in the United States;

Whereas people complain in order to negatively get attention from others, avoid taking action, pre-excuse poor performance, brag, or exercise control over others;

Whereas complaining damages a person’s health, relationships, and ability to solve underlying problems;

Whereas violence usually begins with complaining by expressing grief, pain, or discontent;

Whereas it is not complaining if a person acts proactively to resolve an issue;

Whereas ‘A Complaint Free World’ is an organization that encourages people to wear purple bracelets as a symbolic reminder to change a person’s complaining nature;

Whereas ‘A Complaint Free World’ has delivered approximately 5,439,532 purple bracelets to people throughout the world;

Whereas ‘A Complaint Free World’ hopes to inspire 1 percent of the world’s population to have a positive attitude;

Whereas supporters of this movement have worked with thousands of schools in the United States through the Complaint Free program and have achieved amazing results in creating positive attitudes; and

Whereas Complaint Free Wednesday will be observed on the day before Thanksgiving, providing each person in the United States a day free from complaining in order to prepare for a day of gratitude: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress--

(1) supports the goals and ideals of Complaint Free Wednesday;

(2) encourages each person in the United States to remember that having a positive life begins with having a positive attitude; and

(3) recognizes and reaffirms the meaning of Thanksgiving by asking each person in the United States to use Complaint Free Wednesday to refrain from complaining and prepare for a day of gratitude.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is how you can garner support for this bill:

Congressman Sam Graves of Missouri has introduced House Resolution H.CON.RES.404 to officially declare the day before Thanksgiving “Complaint Free Wednesday” in the United States of America.

For this to become a reality, we need you to contact your congressional representative and ask him or her to become a Co-Sponsor of this bill. For it to pass, this bill needs 50 members of congress to act as co-sponsors.

* * * Here’s what To Do * * *

1. Go to www.house.gov/writerep/

You will be directed to The U.S. House of Representatives web site. Enter your STATE and ZIP CODE. This will launch a window so you can send an email directly to your congressional representative.

2. Email the following Text. You can copy and paste it from here.(Be sure and insert your representative’s name at the top and your name and town at the bottom)

Dear Representative ___________,

As you know, the attitude of a society plays a critical role in the well being and prosperity of its citizens.

The United States has long been the can-do optimist capital of the world, and I urge you to please CO-Sponsor and support H.Con.Res 404, which reminds Americans that a positive attitude and avoiding complaints can have a profound impact on our society.

This bill, entitled “Supporting the goals and ideals of Complaint Free Wednesday” was introduced by Congressman Sam Graves (MO-6) on July 31, 2008, and encourages each person in the United States to participate in a day free from complaining on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day to prepare for our national day of gratitude.

Thank you in advance for your support of this legislation.

Sincerely,

__________ (Your Name)

______, ___ (Your Town, State)

So, act today and then leave me a comment letting me know that you took a first step to changing the world!

The First Step - Part 4 of 7

“The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen.”
~ Lee Iacocca

I am sure that you have all heard the saying that a goal not written down is only a wish. Do you know why writing things down is so important and the impact that it has on you? As humans, our brains are constantly running; constantly thinking about "something" and we may not even know what that something is. It is intangible, distant and lacks clear definition. The minute you start putting it into words, you start to bring it into focus. You give it body, shape, form and substance. It becomes more than a thought and creates an emotional reaction within us.

One example of this can be found by those who have kept journals or diaries. We all have hazy memories of our past. But as time goes on, unless it was a life-impacting experience, most of our memories get hazy and distorted until they become difficult to recall at all. We become detached from them. If you have kept a record of your past, you may have noticed that you can go back and read about a day, even one that was not particularly eventful, and the scant details you recorded will bring it back to you with amazing clarity. You may even start remembering details that you did not write down such as a song you heard, a slight breeze that was blowing at the time, or physical features of the people you interacted with. And all of this provokes an emotional reaction within you; usually the one you felt that day when you first recorded the entry. It is as if your journal is a time machine that takes you back to that day so you can relive it all over again.

Just like your writing is a time machine to your past, it can also convey you to your future.

Let me pick a wish of mine as an example. I wished to be a publicized author. I can take that wish and turn it into an instant reality (yes, instant!) by writing down my experience of attending the Meet the Author event where I am the author! I can share the excitement of opening the boxes and see the cover of my book with my name on it. I can describe the long line of people who are waiting anxiously to meet me. I can express my joy and appreciation as people compliment me on what I have written and how much they enjoyed it. I can describe the exitement of shaking people's hands, giving hugs, encouraging aspiring authors and my gratitude for the opportunity to meet such diverse, incredible people who have been inspired and entertained by my writing.

Just as I wrote those few lines about that future experience, completely devoid of the details I would use to describe the sights, sounds, smells and textures of the occasion, my pulse quickened and I became slightly breathless with excitement. Why? Because as I wrote those lines, I lived that experience ever so briefly in my mind. It was as real as if it had already happened and it provoked the emotional reaction of my being there. And as you focus on the emotional, future experiences, you start to set the Law of Attraction to work on your behalf.

So, write it down and make it happen!

Action Steps:
1. Make a list of things you want to d0, places you want to see, people you want to meet, objects you want to acquire and experiences you want to have. (See if you can list 100!)
2. Identify your "Top 10" on this list.
3. Select one of your "Top 10" and take the first step to making it happen by describing it in detail. Use all the senses - sight, touch, smell, sound and feeling!

Are You In A Recession? I'm Not!

Much of the media has been warning us for several weeks that we are in a recession. There is nothing but doom and gloom in the forecast, President Bush's Economic Stimulus Tax Rebate will not make a difference and we had better prepare for hard times ahead. I'm sure you have all been reading the same articles and hearing the same predictions of the coming financial storm. Personally, I have declined to participate in this recession. How about you?

What Is A Recession?

A recession is defined as being two or more quarters of negative Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth. What that means is that for two or more quarters consumer, business and government spending decreases while exports and inventory increases.

The interesting thing is that I was listening to Dave Ramsey's talk radio show on the way home from work the other night and he talked about how we are NOT in a recession and how politically biased the media actually is. He pointed out that, if the majority of the population believe that we are in the midst of a recession come election time (and many people already do believe that), there is absolutely no way a Republican candidate will be elected President. For those of you who don't know, a major indication of a recession is an increase (particularly a sharp increase) in the rate of unemployment. Unemployment has held steady of late and has even dropped a little. So where is this recession? I'll tell you where. It is in one of the most dangerous places of all - our minds.

Recession Breeding Ground

At the rate that the so-called recession is becoming the most talked about subject in the media, in schools, in our work places and in our homes, we will end up in a recession.

Why?

Simple.

The more this subject is tossed about, the more fearful people become. And when we make decisions based on fear, we usually make the wrong ones. Those of you who recall the movie The Secret of My Success may remember that when Michael J. Fox's distant uncle's corporation was targeted for hostile takeover, his uncle ordered his executives to find ways to "cut to the core" operations and expenses to try and save cash. Fox, posing as an executive (although he had been hired to work in the mailroom) was adamant that doing so would open them right up for the hostile takeover and that they needed to expand and make the company stronger than their competitor. Then they go and take them over! Unfortunately, most of the executives, including the key senior executives, believed they should just follow the direction they had been given by their superior. The result was that they opened themselves right up for the hostile takeover. (I won't ruin the ending by telling you any more than that.)*

(*Note: If you haven't seen The Secret of My Success, be advised that, while it is a humorous movie, it is rated PG-13 for some language and sexual themes. If you find that offensive, I do not recommend this movie to you; not even when it has been edited for television as the sexual themes play such a large part in the film that they are impossible to edit out.)

So what does this have to do with us? Allow me to explain.

Everyone gets more and more fearful of a recession. They start saving money for potentially hard times ahead. Profits drop for major corporations because people are buying less. They start cutting jobs to reduce expenses and preserve profits. Unemployment rates start rising and we end up in a recession. The danger of this is that when fewer and fewer people are working, two things happen:
1. Fewer and fewer people have jobs to provide money to purchase products to increase profits to induce companies to hire more people.
2. As profits drop, prices go up to make up the difference which reduces our buying power and so we buy less which in turn causes profits to drop.So you can see how the recession would perpetuate itself.

As critical as opponents have been over President Bush's Economic Stimulus checks and how it won't make a difference, he does have the right idea. More people need to buy more products to pull back from a recession. The government can't fix this, only we can.

So, how can I decline participation in the recession?



My Declaration of Declination

"I decline the opportunity to participate in any real or imagined recessions. I choose instead to participate in an expansion of personal prosperity. I do so by focusing on literature, news and topics of study that enhance my life. I accept the events of life as being neither inherently good nor bad but simply opportunities for growth and learning. I recognize that I cannot change these events themselves but I can determine my own outcome by choosing the proper response for the outcome I desire. I look for and take advantage of financial and personal opportunities that create a better future for me, my friends and my family. I will share every opportunity I discover with all those I come in contact with and encourage them to choose for themselves as well."



Selective Media Blackout

The worst things in history have happened when people stop thinking for themselves, especially when they allow themselves to be influenced by negative people. That’s what gives rise to dictators. Avoid that at all costs. Stop it first on a personal level, and you will have contributed to world sanity as well as your own.
~ Donald Trump

The first step I have taken in declining participate is to choose not read about, listen to or think about the chance of a recession. Some people may think that is a stupid idea, but let me tell you why this is important. As I pointed out above, the more it is talked about, the more people fear it and, like a nearby rattlesnake that is poised to strike, they focus and fixate on it. And, by the Law of Attraction, that which we focus on and lend emotion to (and fear is an emotional response), we will attract. Whether you believe in the Law of Attraction or not, you can see how it applies by my earlier illustration of how our fear-driven actions will bring about the recession. I choose instead to focus on uplifting, motivating, inspiring and educational topics instead that will actually benefit me.

E + R = O

Some areas I have chosen to focus on are the beliefs, habits and life lessons shared by successful and wealthy people. One of those people that I have enjoyed studying is Jack Canfield, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Jack taught me about the life formula E + R = O, which means an Event + your Response to that event = your Outcome. He shares a story about a Lexus dealer in the middle of the recession of the early 1980's. Nobody was coming in to buy his cars and he knew he would have to do something different or he would end up going out of business. So he started to ask himself, "Where are the people that can afford to buy my cars?" Well, he came up with that they were probably hanging out at the country clubs at the golf courses, the yacht clubs and so on. So he rounded up all his salesmen, drove a bunch of cars to the local country club, walked in and asked who would like the opportunity to drive a brand new Lexus.

After people had the opportunity to test drive a car, he would tell them to continue to drive it for a week and he would take their car in to the shop, clean it up and detail it free of charge. After the week was up, these drivers would come to trade in the Lexus for their personal vehicles. Now, anyone who is reading this that has driven a brand new car and then gotten back into their old car can probably relate to what happened next. When you get out of a new car and get back into your old car, it doesn't feel as good and doesn't seem to drive as nicely as the new car. The end result was that the dealership sold more cars in the middle of that depression than they ever had in the past all because he changed his response to a situation to get a better outcome.

Opportunities Abound

When we choose our response to life's events, we really take control of our lives. Most people live life in fear, stress and frustration because they feel powerless to deal with unwelcome circumstances. They feel like they have been dealt a bad hand and they have no chance of winning. What they don't realize is that it doesn't matter what cards we are dealt, it is how we play them that matters. As illustrated by Jack Canfield's story above, there are always opportunities. Most people just have a habit of looking at the way things are rather than how they can be.

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
~ Sir Winston Churchill

If under the aforementioned Law of Attraction, focusing on a recession will bring about a recession, why not use the same law to turn it around? The easiest way to do that is to ask yourself what you would be doing if the economy was thriving. You would be trying to cash in on it, right? So, the next step in declining participation in a recession is to follow the example of the Lexus dealership owner and look for and take advantage of opportunities for financial growth and prosperity. If we continue to live life the way we have been, look for opportunities to enhance that life, and encourage others to do the same, there is no possible way we will experience a recession.

Give So That You Can Give More

There is a verse in the Bible that says, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." (Mark 6:38) A lot of people translate this to mean you must give to receive, but that is a selfish attitude to take which does not suit the doctrine presented in the book. I believe it means give to give more.

It is my hope that what I have given here will evoke responses and comments that will enhance what little I have presented; a way of giving more to the reader. I further hope that all who read this will share it further with others at every opportunity. By so doing, we can inspire our family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to choose expansion over a recession and build a more prosperous community for everyone to enjoy.

Life! Focus! ... ACTION!!!!

So, come on, everyone! Shut out the negative prophets of financial doom and replace that with media and topics that fulfill you, enhance you and bring you joy. Choose a better outcome to your circumstances by choosing a better response to events. Look for opportunities to expand your finances, your circle of friends and acquaintances and, thereby, your moments of fun and pleasure. And lastly, tell everyone to do the same! Together, we can turn those financial gurus on their heads and show them a thing or two!

A Personal Apology

It has been nearly 2 months since I last posted in this blog. If there is anyone out there that has been checking back regularly, I apologize for my absence. There have been many a time that I thought about writing a new post to inspire, encourage, advise and to breathe new life and ideas into the reader who comes by for a visit, but I just couldn't do it. I was just too discouraged, stressed and depressed.

Those of you that know me personally may be well-acquainted with my imperfections and flaws, but what many of you may not know is that depression was something that I struggled with for years. Under very special circumstances, I received inspired counsel at the age of 14 from a religious leader that did not know me personally in which I was told to beware of depression as that was a temptation that I would struggle with. Knowing that I was going to struggle with depression, however, did not provide me with the tools necessary to overcome it. It took me many years to figure out why I was depressed so often.

I don't want you to think that my life was especially miserable or difficult. I was pretty much an average American teenager. I had many bright, happy and very enjoyable moments in life, but they seemed to slip through my fingers so easily leaving more than enough room for the darkness that flowed into its place. I eventually learned that a major cause of my depression was my focus on all the things I did not have in life rather than being grateful for the abundance of health, talents, friends, education and wealth that I had been blessed with.

I may not have been the strongest or fastest individual, but I had a complete, healthy, relatively disease-free body that enabled me to play any sport I desired at an average to above-average level.

I may not have been the most-talented individual at sports, music, art or any other area of interest, but I could play sports, picked up on how to play the piano and guitar, re-taught myself how to sing after a throat injury (you can read more about that here), I could draw, paint and sculpt better than the average person and could virtually do anything that I set my mind to if I was willing to put in the time.

I may not have been the most popular individual, but I had many fun and loving friends of all ages in spite of my tendency to behave as a shy person would and hang in the background.

I may not have been the smartest kid in the class or pulled straight A's, but I quickly learned anything I wanted to and could retain the bulk of what I read freeing me from having to put in very much time reviewing and studying.

And I may not have had much money or material possessions growing up (in fact, my family's income was below the average and my parents had to make the dollar stretch with six kids), but I had more than kids in third-world countries, I had the ability and opportunity to work, and everything I listed above along with my family and many other things I did not mention gave me a very blessed and abundant life.

This last category has been the reason for my latest struggles. It is very difficult to focus on long-range goals like completing The Millionaire Marathon when my urgent, short-range issues keep rising up to slap you in the face every single day. I became frustrated, despondent and withdrew into myself to relive the pain again and again and again.


I am happy to say that I have overcome that through the application of an important lesson we all must remember when we are not happy with the way things are:

Do something; anything!!!

I couldn't change the whole situation in that moment, but I could tackle one small part of it and I did. I went to work with an urgency and focused on a future happy outcome. Just in the moving and the doing, hope revives and faith starts to rebuild. Making any sort of progress, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem, is a million times better than doing nothing at all.

Am I out of the woods, yet? No. But I am closer this week than I was last week and I will be even closer next week. I am just taking it one day at a time and making sure that my head and my heart stay in the right place.

As far as posting to this blog, I will resume my efforts to relay and share uplifting, motivating and hopefully inspiring material as often as I am able to do so. I am still working on the Universal Law series that I mentioned nearly 2 months ago and will finish it when I can, but I have some financial projects that take priority right now. So check back from time to time to see where I am at and, if you feel like doing so, leave a comment to let me know you are following and what you find interesting and helpful. If there are topics that you struggle with that you would like some input on, let me know and I will be happy to offer what I can.

I also invite you to come over to my personal blog at http://www.niceguyblogging.blogspot.com/ and read about the Million Step March challenge that I am participating in and the progress I am making with it.

So, What Do You Think?

If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don't;
If you'd like to win but you think you can't,
You can almost be certain you won't.

If you think that you'll lose, you are lost,
For out in the world you will find
Success begins with a person's will;
It's all in the state of the mind.

If you think you're outclassed you are;
You've got to think high to rise.
You've just got to be sure of yourself
Before you can win the prize.

Life's battles don't always go
To a stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later the person who wins
Is the person that THINKS they can.

~ Anon.

I love this poem because it perfectly illustrates the simple truth that we will get what we think about most. If you think you will win and are unwilling to accept anything less, you will win. If you don't think you stand a chance, then you have mentally forfeited. And if you've mentally forfeited, then your physical actions will follow that weak thought with a weak performance. Just as sure as you don't scratch your nose without thinking it first, you don't win unless you think you can.

So whatever it is that you want - more money, less weight, a promotion, greater love - whatever it is, start out thinking that IT CAN HAPPEN FOR YOU!

What's On Your Mind?

I want to talk a moment about what really drives our levels of success and failure. It is easily summed up by a passage of scripture from the Old Testament:

"For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he"

~ Proverbs 23:7

How we think, how we see ourselves, contributes immensely to who we are and the circumstances we are in. Our thinking creates our reality. If we are happy, it is because we think happy thoughts. If we are in love, it is because we think loving thoughts. If we are wealthy, it is because we think wealthy thoughts. And the opposite is true as well. If we are miserable, it is because we think miserable thoughts. If we are lonely, it is because we think lonely thoughts. If we are afraid, it is because we think fearful thoughts.

We have more than 60,000 thoughts go through our mind every single day. The majority of these thoughts (I have heard more than 90%) are the same thoughts we had the day before and the day before that. We have a pattern of habitual thinking or what I think of as "thinking ruts" that governs our daily lives. The sad thing is that we did not consciously create most of these habits. Who would be crazy enough to consciously establish the habitual thoughts of "I am ugly," "I am worthless," "I am a loser," or "I am unwanted?" And yet people do think that way about themselves. And because they think that way, they ACT that way as well.

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

Your thoughts may not be quite so extremely negative, but I am willing to bet that you have some thoughts that are doing their share of damage. Maybe they are thoughts like "I can never get a break" or "Losing weight is hard" or "I can't afford that." And all this time you are depressed, struggling with your weight loss and broke.

"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right."

~ Henry Ford

Your success in any area of your life is dependant on your thinking that IT IS POSSIBLE FOR YOU, that YOU CAN AND WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN, and that EVERYTHING IS GOING YOUR WAY!

You must first create success inwardly in your thoughts, beliefs and feelings before you can experience it outwardly. So take time today to consider your goals and resolutions for 2008 and what you would be like after you have accomplished them. Notice your current, predominant thought patterns about yourself and the likelihood or chances of your succeeding. Are your thoughts congruent with your image of you having succeeded in your goals? If not, CHANGE THEM!


I know that I didn't give you any tips on effective ways to change your thoughts. If that is something that would interest you, feel free to leave a comment about it as I am considering doing a 7-day series on the matter later this month if enough people are interested. Feel free to comment on ways that changing your thoughts have benefited you in your life as well.