Are you taking responsibility for your intentions, thoughts, actions and decisions? You may not be able to control everything in your life, but you can take responsibility for those things that are within your power to change.

You can recognize that you’re not taking full responsibility when you find yourself using phrases like “I can’t” and “I have to,” when they aren’t literally true. For instance, “I can’t go to your party, I have to visit my in-laws that day,” or “I can’t just tell her the truth; I have to make her feel good.”

In fact, you probably know that the things you “can’t” do may actually be possible, and the things you “have to” do are things you may be choosing to avoid. But at some level, you really believe what you are saying: that you are powerless to choose whether you go to a party or our in-laws’ house, or to tell the truth instead of lying to make someone feel good.

What happens when you exchange “I can’t” and “I have to” into purposeful, responsible choices? When you say, “I won’t be attending the party, because I’ve agreed to see my in-laws,” or “I’m choosing not to tell her the truth because I want to avoid hurting her feelings,” you re-claim both your responsibility and your power. Make choices on purpose, and take responsibility. Try this.

List five different ways you feel you can’t, because you have to:

I can’t , because I have to …

I can’t , because I have to …

I can’t , because I have to …

I can’t , because I have to …

I can’t , because I have to …

Now, reread the statements you’ve just written. Are they literally, physically true? Is it completely impossible for you to do the things you “can’t” do? Do you truly “have” to do the things you say you “have” to do?

Instead of “I can’t,” rewrite the phrases above with: “I choose not to,” “I’ve decided not to,” “I will not,” or “I want to.” Where you have written “I have to,” change the words to “I choose to,” “I’ve decided to,” “I will,” or “I want to.”

By doing this, you have shouldered responsibility for the things you really can change, and set yourself free to co-create the life you want.

Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope. ~Maya Angelou

The Law of Love says that no matter what kind of condition, situation, or relationship you are dealing with, when you bring love to that circumstance, it will be transformed.  Love is the equalizing, harmonizing, balancing, adjusting force that is ever at work throughout the Universe. 

At Harvard University, they actually established a research center staffed with scientists and world-renowned sociologists who conduct research studies on the power of love!  What a wonderful job to have!  Their findings include, that love can be deliberately produced by human beings!  In other words, there is no reason why we cannot generate love, on purpose, to help ourselves and to help others.  It is wonderful to realize, as the Harvard scientists found, that you do not have to look outside yourself, waiting and hoping that love will find you, but that you can deliberately generate love for yourself and for mankind from within your own being.  And, by doing so, you will unfailingly draw the perfect expressions of love into your own life.  It is through your own thoughts, feelings and expectations that love is born and as you deliberately express love, it inevitably comes back to you multiplied.  (i.e., The law of like attracts like!)

Why would you want to generate love on purpose? Because no matter how much you know about Universal Laws, if you are not able to feel love for yourself and others, all else will seem of little value.  It is estimated that even your financial success is due only to 15% of your technical ability, and 85% to your ability to love yourself (confidence) and get along with other people.  Jesus points out in the bible to a lawyer that love fulfills the whole law, meaning the whole law of healthy, happy, harmonious, successful living! (Matthew 22:40)

So how do you produce and generate love?  In two ways: through both personal love and impersonal love.  On a personal level, love is expressed as devotion, tenderness, kindness, approval and appreciation for yourself and those in your circle of family and friends.  On an impersonal level, it is expressed in the ability to get along with others, or the extension of goodwill toward all others without attachment. 

However, you cannot love others or radiate love outward until you love yourself and feel it within first. I highly recommend spending just a few minutes a day deliberately generating love inward and outward by affirming, “I am now deliberately and joyously radiating Divine love to myself, my world, and to all mankind.” When you do this, and it will only take a few minutes, also think of love as a radiant light permeating your whole being and if there are any troublesome areas in your life, deliberately think of them as coming alive with the light of Divine love and being divinely adjusted.  I wonder what changes will manifest in your life and in the world around you if you consciously did this everyday! Do your own semi-scientific experiment and find out!

So what does wave/particle duality have to do with intention? Everything!  I love studying the concrete science behind the ethereal because it validates what we know is true intuitively and experientially. 

Many of us know and have observed that energy is responsive to our thoughts and intentions. But, as humans, we sometimes forget and/or need more evidence of our Divine nature which is as much a part of our identity as our human nature.  As a human being, we can fall into worry, stress, striving, and needing to prove our worthiness.  Yet, as a spiritual being, we have a source within us that says to relax, all is well, you are worthy just as you are, trust this.  This is our human/divine duality. 

Wave/particle duality is a principle of quantum physics that actually measures individual intention! Scientists found that light was more than just a wave of energy, and that it could also be measured as a particle.  The really cool part is when a technician sets about to measure the light, the light seems to “know” whether the technicians intention is to measure particles or whether the technicians intention is to measure waves.  Since light cannot be measured in both particles and waves at the same time, the light responds to whatever the conscious intention of the technician is.  The light obediently responds to the human request, appearing in the exact form intended by the person measuring it! This never fails!

What does this mean to us?  Well, it means that light has consciousness, and that it responds directly to the conscious intention of the individual!  What we can understand from this is that whatever our expectations are about a thing, it is projected as a very clear intention that gets results from the Universe! It also reveals that energy is both active and responsive to the human will. 

Therefore if we look at the quantum nature of creating a successful life, it truly lies in the quality of our thoughts, expectations and intentions along with the peace and joy of our everyday emotions.  To allow the kind of success we want into our life, a great question to stop and ask ourselves every so often is “What is my intention for this year, this month, this week, this day, this very moment”  We always have a choice.

I know a lot of people who are living their life on autopilot.  These are the people who go through their days letting life just happen to them.  No matter what they do, things just don’t seem to work out the way they want them to.  Over the years, and for awhile in my own life, I’ve wondered why this happens. 

When the answer came to me, it was a big ah ha moment.  These people, (including myself for a long time), had not bought into one of the most fundamental principles underlying all personal change.  They have not yet realized that somehow—even if they can’t see how—they are creating what’s happening in their life. 

Are you one of these people?  Are you pretending you don’t have control? I don’t mean you’re to blame for your life.  No one consciously or intentionally creates a life they do not want. However, there is an unconscious part of you that generates feelings, behaviors, meanings and what you attract, and what you are attracted to that you are not generally aware of.  This is the part of you that suffered some sort of trauma in the past and as a result, you are unconsciously protecting yourself from experiencing that pain again. Your belief, and the resulting focus on what you don’t want, is actually creating more of what you don’t want without you realizing it. And the more you got what you didn’t want, the more you proved that you were not worthy of what you did want. 

For example, if you grew up with parents who were mentally abusive and called you stupid whenever you made a mistake, then to avoid the pain of being called stupid you decided to never make a mistake, never take a risk and never attract anything that might fail.  If you did make a mistake, in your mind, it just continued to prove your parents were right. These thought patterns are often not conscious, but lie in our subconscious mind because they are so practiced we don’t need to think about them consciously anymore.

I knew a woman whose family held the belief that all women were not good in math or science.  She believed this about herself and continued to do things to prove it to be true as a result of her deeply ingrained belief.  Then as part of a job interview, she was required to take an IQ test and aptitude tests.  The tests revealed she had a very high IQ and aptitude in math and science!  Her old beliefs were shattered with this new awareness and she now had incredible confidence in her newfound genius! 

When you are unaware of these unconscious processes you live on autopilot and it seems as if you have no control and nothing goes right.  But, if you begin to be aware of these unconscious processes and accept that you have no idea how you are creating your life the way it is, even though you now know that somehow you are, and then became really curious to find out exactly HOW you are…you will figure it out!  You will gain control of your life!

In your new curiosity, if you start to pay attention to what you believe, what is important to you, what you are focusing your attention on, and what meaning you are placing on things, then you will begin to see the direct correlation to what is showing up in your life and the beliefs, thoughts, meanings, and focus that you need to change in order to transform your life. 

Here’s the key…it won’t happen by itself! You must be willing to do the work!  You must pay attention everyday to what you are focusing on, what you believe and thus, what you are creating.  The good news is, just by having this awareness, and noticing what doesn’t serve you, you will automatically stop doing it! You just can’t do something you know isn’t working for you once you are aware of it! You can only do something that doesn’t serve you if you do it unconsciously.

This month, look at what is not working in your life, then learn to be aware of what you are focusing on and you will access a power that will dissolve obstacles, so you can begin creating a life you want and deserve.

Do you have a desire or a big “want” in your life that is taking a long time to manifest? 

 If you are a student of the Law of Attraction, and you are keeping your vibrations up, staying in tune to your guidance, getting intuitive “hits” and watching as events are lining up, but are still asking “where is this big want that is still nowhere in sight?”, then keep reading!

If it’s not showing up in the time frame you consider to be reasonable, it usually means you’ve been more in the feeling place of not having it, and less in the feeling place of having it.

Here are some possible mistakes you could be making:

• You’re trying too hard. (creating resistance)
• You’ve gotten really attached to the outcome.
• You’ve made the desire so big you don’t believe it’s possible.
• You’re not paying attention to how you really feel.
• You are not trusting the Universe.
• You’re still playing the victim game (blaming, complaining or justifying about why it isn’t here yet)
• All of the above.

You know what?  It’s all ok.  Give yourself a break.  No one taught you how to be a deliberate creator growing up so it’s going to be normal that you flounder a bit as you “play” with recognizing your resistance. There is no one or nothing to blame.  You have just grown up being more accustomed to resistance, like most of society, than not and you often don’t even notice it!

Can you just let it be ok that your big “want” hasn’t shown up yet?  You know that it will, but its fine that it hasn’t…yet.  The goal is to stop alternating between vibrating it and resisting it, to stop vacillating between belief and doubt.  It’s like you are trying to drive with the brake on and not getting anywhere!

So the question remains, how does one remain passionate about something that hasn’t shown up yet?  Here are some suggestions:

1.  Check in with where your thoughts being directed to.  Are you directing your energy to what you want or what you don’t want?  For example, you may want more than enough money to pay for all of your monthly expenses, but you are thinking (and vibrating) more about not wanting to come up short this month.
2. How often are you getting into the “feeling” place of having what you want?  Keep yourself hyped up about it!  Talk about it, write about it, sing about it, and visualize about it until you are feeling that certain “buzz” about it and do this every day!   Here’s a clue, sixteen seconds is all that it really takes so don’t make this hard!  Have fun and see how much longer than sixteen second you can extend that “buzz” (confident, happy, relaxed and excited about your want already being true) to!
3. Sit back and relax, the Universe will bring you your big want in the appropriate time for you to derive from it all that you desire.  The Law of Attraction is never inconsistent-it works all the time, no matter what!  Go from believing to the level of knowing it is on its way to you!
4. Now that you are relaxed and in that vibration of knowing it’s already done-the Universe is on it, so let it go and go out and have some fun today!  Be grateful, live it, and allow it and it will be in your life before you know it-providing you are keeping your focus off its absence!

If you have big goals and dreams and want to achieve them – easier and faster – then, you may need to assess and consider resetting your mental “success thermostat.”

Here’s what I mean …

Picture an air conditioner thermostat that’s set at 75 degrees. When the room temperature reaches 76 or higher, the thermostat kicks on the AC – cooling the room back down to 75.

Inside your mind, you’ve got a similar thermostat. Because of preconceived notions or past experiences, it may be set for a certain level of success. And when that level is exceeded, your mental thermostat finds a way to bring you back to the original setting.

I remember in my late 20’s, and early 30’s, I had a mental thermostat of $25,000.00 to $30,000.00 a year.  That was all I believed I could achieve. Of course, as a result, the job I got paid me right in that range! 

Then, as I got older, my self-perceived value increased as a result of my added education and experience to $40,000.00-$45,000.00 a year.  Once again, the job and salary I got reflected that!  And it was the same job-just a different location! 

This goes for success in any area of your life.  For example, have you ever lost weight, only to gain it all back?

That may have been due to your success thermostat. It was set at a certain weight. When you lost the weight through diet and/or exercise, it registered the loss and did what was necessary to kick things back up to its original setting.

Ultimately, your success thermostat is responsible for how much success you can handle in any given area of your life.

In both of these examples, the thermostat is the beliefs and self-image that made you decide what was possible for you, your “deserved” income level or weight to begin with.

Have you ever felt like you can’t break through to the next level of success … whether it’s increasing your income from $40,000 per year to $150,000 (or more) … or even simply taking the first step and researching what’s possible for you to do that would allow you to earn that kind of income? If so, more than likely, it’s your internal thermostat holding you back. As soon as it senses that you’re nearing the breakthrough point, it pulls you back.

This may come in the form of fear or anxiety, along with thoughts of self-doubt.

In order to set your thermostat to handle higher levels of success in any area of your life, you’ve got to start on the inside. You’ve got to explore the beliefs and emotions you have as they relate to whatever goal you’re trying to achieve.

Once you’ve identified how and why your thermostat was set to where it is now, then you can begin the work to reset it. And when you do, you can expect greater success faster – and with less effort.

Here’s a quick rundown on how to do that:

Step 1: Identify your underlying beliefs.

Let’s say your goal is to double your income. But no matter how hard you’ve tried, you can’t seem to break through. Take a moment and think about what you believe about money. For example, do you believe things like, “Money is hard to come by,” or even “Money is evil”? One client I had felt guilty about earning more than his father did, keeping his inner thermostat stuck at the income level of his father.  Another client did not believe she had what it took to be successful on her own, so whenever she tried a new business, it would fail and she’d have to go back to work for someone else. 

Whatever your limiting belief is, by trying to earn more, you’re working against yourself, because of your belief system around money. 

Make a list of those beliefs that you feel are creating an obstacle to your goal.

Step 2: Identify the emotions attached to your beliefs.

If your beliefs aren’t in line with what you want to accomplish, then chances are your emotions aren’t either.

As you review the beliefs you identified in Step 1, notice how you feel about them. Does the thought of having a lot of money make you feel guilty? Do you feel embarrassed or uncomfortable asking people for money when you’re owed?  Do you believe that people who have a certain level of income “crooks” or selfish?

Make a list of all the emotions that are working against you.

Step 3: Change those beliefs and emotions you’ve identified.

You want to change the beliefs and emotions you identified in Steps 1 and 2 by replacing them with empowering beliefs that support the achievement of your goal. In a sense, this is how you “reset” your internal success thermostat. You’re programming your mind with new beliefs that allow you to handle more success, more responsibility, more abundance, and, ultimately, more of the things you want.

To let go of your old beliefs and emotions, you’ll have to convince yourself of their faulty logic. Realize that they don’t serve you. Then replace them with what you want via affirmations or other positive change methods like visualization.

This process will also help you change your self-image from that of who you are now, to the person you want to become. This is important. Because once you’ve cemented the belief that you are the successful person that you want to be, success will come almost automatically. You’ll find yourself doing the things that naturally bring your goals and dreams toward you.

I’ve reset my success thermostat and am attracting amazing people, circumstances and opportunities for generating a much larger income than I have ever before believed possible. 

These three steps will help you reset your success thermostat. And when you do, expect great things to start happening!

 A few weeks ago, I was having trouble shaking off some negative energy that just wanted to hang around.  I could not put my finger on what had me feeling so dejected and down, but I could see what it was doing for my business.  In direct response to the negative spiral I was in, my business leads had dried up and the people I did talk to were, to be nice, “drainers” themselves. 

By the weekend, I knew I had to do something.  I did not want to feel this way anymore and I wanted o get back to the fun I normally have with my business.  I worked my way back to the exact incident that derailed me.  A gentleman with whom I had several wonderful conversations with and who I was looking forward to having a business relationship with changed his mind completely and sent me an email expressing the reason for his complete turnaround.  I was very disappointed (why can’t everyone see what a great business this is?).  And, even though his decision had nothing to do with me or the business, and everything to do with his own fears, I still took it personally.

When I realized this was the start of my downward spiral, I started thinking more about it.  How I felt had nothing at all to do with this gentleman and his change of mind.  All he did was reactivate an old limiting belief about myself.  Joe Vitale, in his wonderful book “The Attraction Factor”, calls it our hot buttons.  He says every one of us has a hurt(s) from our past that runs our life.  For one person the hurt might be failure, for another it’s the hurt of feeling worthless, not good enough, not worth loving or some other form of not feeling okay with who they are. 

It’s also important to not avoid these feelings and instead face them and really feel them, and then recognize them for what they are so we can give these feelings a voice.   My husband helped me with this one and I realized a fear of rejection was pretty strong in my growing up causing me to not feel good enough in circumstance that triggered this hot button. 

I took some time that weekend to do some clearing of the energy that was feeling so bad using some of the energy tools I teach my clients.  One of them is Emotional Freedom Technique (which I share regarding weight loss on my Love Your Body, Free Your Soul website).  EFT is a great tool for shifting your limiting beliefs (and your energy) so you can create more success in all areas of your life. 

I was not prepared for the dramatic change it made in my business!  Even though I changed nothing about how I generated leads to my business opportunity from the week before, I was getting more leads than I had ever gotten in one week!  And the people I had the absolute pleasure of talking to were pleasant, wonderful, amazing people of which several were very interested in the business!

What had happened?  The core belief was exposed and disconnected, and the energy began to flow again.  I’m not saying another unconscious hot button will never again get triggered, but now I know how to deal with it! 

Resources: 

• Go to  http://www.tapping.com for more information in EFT.
• Go to http://www.everythingisenergy.com to sign up for their Everything is Energy Toolkit for releasing negative energy.
• For tools to help you change your energy for increasing prosperity in your life, go to http://www.amazingjourneycoach.com/products.html  Including the hit DVD “The Secret” which is chock full of ways to change your energy and change your life.

Before you read this, take one or two minutes to think about your life.  Is it everything you want it to be?  Is there any area, whether financial, career, health, relationships, lifestyle, happiness that isn’t what you would like it to be?  What is it? 

Now, I’m going to suggest something to you that you may not like.  Whatever the situation is that you are not happy with, you are responsible for creating it.  I know what you are thinking.  Why in the world would I create this?  Well, your rational, thinking mind wouldn’t, but your subconscious mind would.  Why?  Because, subconsciously you placed limits on yourself for one reason or another.  Sometime in your life, you chose to believe that what you now have is the only reality possible for you based on your current idea of who you are. 

Is that the only reality possible for you?  Of course not!  It’s not hard to see as you look at the world around you that there are realities that are much worse than the one you now exist in and there are realities much better than the one you exist in.  This just happens to be the one you chose to exist in (not consciously, of course).

Is this making any sense?  I hope so.  Because when you can see this clearly, you will have the key to changing your reality to something better.  When you can believe there are hundreds, if not thousands of other possibilities for you to choose from, then you can begin the process of “reality shifting”.

Go back to the area(s) you are not happy with.  What other possibilities exist?  For example, if you are up to your eyeballs in credit card debt, does the possibility of being debt-free exist?  Of course it does, many people are living a debt free existence.  What limiting thoughts come up for you when you read that?  “Well, that’s great for some people, but that’s not possible for me”, or “Those people had some kind of advantage over me, they have a better job, or they were taught at a young age how to handle their money”.   Well, those things may be true, but I guarantee that “those people” all have one thing in common-they believed somewhere in their consciousness that their reality included the possibility of being debt free and by choosing that possibility, they acted on it.  Circumstances and experiences were drawn to them to make sure that their perceived reality of being debt free came true for them. 

And it can work the same way for you too.  No matter what your current reality is, it is not too late to shift into a better one.  All you have to do is BELIEVE that a better one is possible for you! How do you shift your consciousness to believing in a new reality?  By taking your focus off your current reality and putting it onto your new desired reality.

It would help to choose a new reality that is a shift to something that would require you to stretch your horizons a bit as far as believability, but not so much that you just can’t see it.   For example, in the situation above, this person could choose the reality of always having more than enough money to pay all their bills.  If a true desire exists to change their reality, and they started focusing on what that new reality looked like and felt like most of the time, and knew without a doubt it was a possibility for them (and it is, because the possibility exists for anyone who chooses it), they will then be able to create a shift to this new reality. 

This is not just Aladdin’s lamp, woo-woo psycho babble-this is real!  It is all backed by Quantum Physics which is the Science of Energy and how we influence energy with intentional thought.  You can choose not to believe and continue to focus on what isn’t working for you and as a result, continue to receive more of that.  Or you can open your mind to a new idea, a new possibility and a new way of being by focusing on the reality you would like to create for your life.  Honestly, what do you have to lose?  Do you not think you deserve the greatest of possibilities? 

I recently took advantage of Disney’s offer to anyone who wants to come to Disney free on their birthday in 2009.  For me, as “goofy”as it sounds, it was a magical day.  I was reminded of our energetic connections to one another presently and throughout history.  When I went on Spaceship Earth, a ride depicting our planetary advances throughout history and how relatively quickly we have evolved, I was reminded of how connected we are to our ancestors and our future.   Things started out pretty slow in the beginning (pre-historic times), but as time went on the advances made by society began to speed up and today, technological advances are taking place at a faster pace than ever before.  We learn, grow and evolve because of those who went before us and paved the way, just as we are paving the way for those who will come after us.  

Those brave individuals who have paved the way and continue to do so are the pioneers-the people who had a vision, were big thinkers and were not afraid to pursue their passions no matter what other people thought of them.  Before the 20^th Century, they used the Law of Attraction without knowing about it!  Their energy and enthusiasm spread to others who then created something better and like dominos, new and improved ideas started showing up in our reality.  Around the 20^th century, more people began to understand the science of how our mindset (Our thoughts, desires, faith, etc…) can help us attain our goals.      

Today, we are recognizing the power of our mindset, back with the power of our emotions in creating an energy that gets transmitted out to the world.  When we talk about being all one, the matrix or the quantum field, we are talking about how we are all connected in this way.  When we dare to be ourselves and share our gifts with the world, the passion, emotion and energy that goes out into the world benefits everyone in all kinds of amazing ways.  When we do what gives us joy, we give joy to others.  When we do what gives us joy, we also get our creative juices going.  When we get our creative juices going it is a contagious kind of energy that travels to people all around us, to those who will take what we’ve created and take it a step further and to all those yet to be born.  Energy channeled in the right way creates amazing successes for all.  It’s a great and interesting web we weave!

Sharing who we are and giving our best to others feels good.  It is the easiest way to spread a wave of good energy.  Just sharing a smile with someone might brighten their day and set off a chain of happy events for that person that day.  I can tell you that being wished a happy birthday from so many people in one day at Epcot Center was so much fun because I knew the people giving me the birthday wish enjoyed it as much as I did.  I had fun wishing Happy Birthday to all the other people at the park who shared my birthday as well (we all had birthday buttons on with our name on them). 

We are all truly connected.  When we give our joy, our gifts, our creativity to others, we give them the best gift we can give them and you will never know the true impact of that gift-it could literally go on forever. 

Have you ever stood on the edge of somewhere in your life and realized you were really meant to be “on the other side”?   I picture myself standing on the edge of a cliff, looking over a chasm and knowing I am supposed to be on the other side of it.  There is this very strong “pull” to get over there, NOW!

If you’ve been there or are there right now, you can relate.  There is usually only one big decision standing in the way depending on the change that is begging for completion.  For me it is when to take the leap and leave my safe, secure, but uninspiring job and do what is more in alignment with my soul.  My job is ok and there are probably many people who would love to have it.  20 years ago-it would have been my dream job.  But I have changed so much since then.  I have educated myself and learned what else I am capable of.  I feel I have “out grown it” and I have a new calling and a new dream. 

Do you resonate with this?  Many people do, especially now as consciousness is shifting and people are becoming more aware of the meaning or lack of meaning in their lives.  More people are recognizing the treadmill they are on and want off!  The new calling often starts small, through some event, comment or challenge- and begins to grow, sometimes quickly with great urgency and sometimes slowly over a period of time.  My new calling has been growing in me for quite some time.  It has definitely taken root and has established itself as a permanent part of who I am meant to be.  When this happens, you can no longer ignore that it exists! 

If you have been paying attention, you can see how you have been guided in new directions-exciting opportunities are showing up that you know are more in alignment with who are now.  If you are open to them, you will take inspired action and the gap between where you are and where you long will get narrower and narrower.  All that you need to do now is take the leap. 

Now the leap may seem easy or be a more of a stretch.  But most of the time, however, its not a little hop-it’s a leap!  And it can be very scary on so many levels!  What if you fail?  You can probably hear the voices saying, “Don’t do it! You might not make it!  And even if you do, there are no guarantees!  You have a sure thing where you are, why not just be happy where you are?   Why take the risk? People are losing their jobs in this economy and you want to let go of yours?  Are you crazy?  What will people think?”

Well, you could just choose to be happy where you are.  But, you won’t be.  Because if you don’t do anything, you will never know what you could have been and that feels restrictive, not expansive.  Your soul longs for expansion!  Ask yourself, “What is the worst that could happen?”  Actually, the better question and the one I choose to ask is “what if I succeed?”  In being in alignment with who you truly are, how much better can you serve the world?  The chance to do what you really want to do is your Devine right.  Do not choose to go through life letting your dreams and desires slip by.   Do not get to the end of your life and wish you had done it differently, took more risks or stepped away from the status quo. 

Jimmy Carter said, “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something.  I am free to choose what that something is, and something I have chosen is my faith.  Now my faith goes beyond theology and religion and it requires considerable work and effort.  My faith demands, this is not optional.  My faith demands that I do whatever I can do wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to make a difference.”

You have a toolbox within you full of ideas, experience, knowledge, skills and resources that you can use to support your dream.  You understand that anything is possible if you believe it is.  You know there is Devine guidance available to you.  Now, create a plan, visualize the outcome and take the leap. 

I love this story called “The Chicken” by Gary Barnes and it speaks to anyone who is letting fear keep them from taking the leap and living the life they desire and dream of living.

Once upon a time, there was a large mountainside where an eagle’s nest rested.  The eagle’s nest contained four large eagles eggs.  One day an earth quake rocked the mountain causing one of the eggs to roll down the mountain to a chicken farm located in the valley below.

The chickens knew that they must protect and care for the eagle egg, so an old hen volunteered to nurture and raise the large egg.  One day, the egg hatched and a beautiful eagle was born.  Sadly, however, the eagle was raised to be a chicken. 

Soon the eagle believed he was nothing more than a chicken.  The eagle loved his home and family, but his spirit cried out for more.  While playing a game on the farm one day, the eagle looked at the sky above and noticed a group of mighty eagles soaring in the sky. 

“Oh, “ the eagle cried.  “I wish I could soar like those birds.”  The chickens roared with laughter.  “You can’t soar with those birds. You’re a chicken and chickens do not soar.”  The eagle continued staring at his real family up above, dreaming that he could be with them.  Each time the eagle would let his dreams be known, he was told it couldn’t be done.

That’s what the eagle learned to believe.  The eagle, after a time, stopped dreaming and continued to live his life as a chicken.  Finally, after a long life as a chicken, the eagle passed away. 

The moral of the story: You become what you believe you are. So if you ever dreamed of becoming an eagle, follow your dream and not the words of a chicken. 

You are here to live your life as the eagle you were born to be. Are you ready to soar?  I am.  

If you haven’t seen Wayne Dyers new movie “Ambition to Meaning”, it is a must see movie.  It an amazing piece of work and goes perfectly with this months article.  To get a copy or watch it online, .

See you on the other side! 

Dr. Deb

Dear friend,

Today I am starting a new journey, my personal path to freedom.  I realize freedom means something different to everyone.  The main purpose for this blog is to take you on my journey, and in the process help you with yours. 

My intentions are clear.  Find a way to become a catalyst for the personal and spiritual growth in others and be financially free.   And, do it by the time I’m 55 (I’m 51and 1/2 now).  

In my work as a life coach, I have come to understand the power of being accountable.  I have used accountability to achieve other things in my life I’ve desired like spiritual growth and physical wellbeing.  When I wanted to learn more about metaphysics, for example, I chose to get my Ph.D. in that field.  When I wanted to maintain a healthy weight, I would sign up for races and sprint triathlons and train with others to keep me accountable.

But those things were easy compared to this.  So far, the one thing I have a strong desire for that has eluded me in my life is a meaningful “work at home” career that provides me the income I need to be financially free.  So far. 

As a student of metaphysics, I understand the process for manifesting our dreams on an intellectual level.  I have manifested many things in my life that I am very grateful for.   I have read thousands of books and spent literally thousands of dollars looking for the answers.  And, I know the answers.  We all do.  They are inside us. 

Then why does this one thing continue to elude me?  Why do some things seem out of reach?  Do you have that one thing in your life (or two or three) that no matter how hard you try, it stays outside your reach?  A relationship? A healthy body? Enough money to never have to worry about money again? A job you love? 

Painful isn’t it?  What you want already exists, but not in your current reality, and you have no clue how to get there.  It seems impossible, or frustratingly slow in coming.  Part of us doesn’t actually believe we can have it.  Other people can have it, (and do have it!), but not us. 

I really think there is a part of me that believes other people have what it takes to be successful as an entrepreneur in their desired field and I don’t.  As I write this, it sounds ridiculous, but it is stopping me from getting very far down that path to freedom! 

So that is where our journey will begin-exorcising those demons-the limiting beliefs, negative thought patterns, and fears.

I’m ready to experience the change I desire, and I am willing to do whatever it takes.  I am putting myself out there, to be accountable, not only to myself in realizing my intentions, but to you too.   Are you ready to take this journey with me?  I invite the truly brave and committed to join me.  This path will be full of internal and external obstacles.  It will most likely be full of detours, but also happy surprises.  We be supported, given tools that work for us and some that don’t, and celebrate every big and small success along the way. 

It will be important to have fun and be joyful as we journey!  We will need to access our intuitive self, our higher self and without a doubt, we will also battle with our demons (fears).  But, together we can do this-we can each find our own personal and financial path to freedom. 

If you are ready to join me and be accountable for your intentions, please comment and let me (us) know your intention for this journey.  No matter what it is, our paths will be similar, even if our outcomes will be different.  

Your accountability partner,

Dr. Deb

  I believe its important to have goals.  By goals I mean to know what you want your end results to be.  Mike Dooley, in his new CD series, “Manifesting Change, It Couldn’t be Easier”, says that if you know where you want to end up and stay focused on that goal, the Universe will fill in the “hows” for you.  This doesn’t mean you just sit back and visualize it into your experience, however.  You must take inspired action and you must be accepting of the process.  It is not helpful to say or think, for example, “I will be happy when I am finally out of this JOB and working part time in my own business making a five figure a month income”.  (That was me).  That will never work.  Be happy now!!!  Look for what’s right about your life now and focus on that!  If you keep coming from a place of not having what you want-you will keep not having what you want!  Its a subtle shift of focus.  It takes some practice.  I still fall back into old thinking, but am catching myself more quickly, and shifting back to what’s good about my life now and where I am heading!  Here is my list of what I feel it means to have a commitment to your goal or the end result you desire.

DO:

1.  Have an unwavering focus on what you desire.  Do not change your mind if it gets difficult or it takes too long. 
2.  KNOW that the end result is on its way to you.  Remember, its the law!  The Universe wants for you what you want for yourself!!
3.  Visualize your end result every day for at least 5 minutes.   How does it feel, taste, sound.  What does it look like and what are you saying to others about it!
4.  Enjoy the process!!  What is right about that JOB you no longer want to be in and focus on that for now.  Write down 5-10 things you are grateful for in your current life situation every day.  Do something you absolutely enjoy every day! 
5. ”Act as if” that extra money is already on its way!  Get prepared for the abundance!  How will you spend it?  How will you invest it?  Who will you give to?  or re-arrange your life and home for that new relationship-park on your side of the garage and sleep on your side of the bed!

DON’T

1.  Try to figure out how to make it happen.  You will mess it up.  Take action steps toward your goal, but don’t decide for yourself which action steps are going to produce which results.  In other words, don’t become attached to the outcome of the actions you are taking. 
2.  Change your mind and go back to what’s safe or secure out of fear that its not happening the way you wanted it to.
3.  Do your mind set work (Visualize, write gratitude’s, say affirmations) for 30-45 minutes every day, but the rest of the day go back to complaining, being frustrated, and getting impatient.  You must keep the good vibes going all day!  See the Do’s above for help with that!
4.  Choose to spend much time with people who do not understand your new committment or who will undermine your confidence or who are negative talkers. 
5.  Do nothing!  Take steps-any steps-toward what you desire!!! Act as if its already on the way to your experience! 

“Living in joy is about living in possibility, which creates hope and opportunities for greatness.  How are you living in joy?  Make a list and see how you can expand it.”  ~The Secret

Namaste,

Dr. Deb

P.S.  See Tools and Resources for getting your own set of Cd’s from Mike Dooelys collection-I recommend them all!

I watched Louis Hay’s DVD, “You Can Heal Your Life” last night.  I highly recommend it! (Check out my resources page for more information).  I was having a tough day-not entirely sure why, but I definitely felt out of alignment and needed some reminders, so I popped it in and snuggled in bed to watch.  It was just what I needed.  Louis is such an amazing and inspiring person!  She has come through many challenges, even overcoming cancer, to be where she is today-happy, healthy, and highly successful in her 80’s! 

Part of her life purpose has been to help people love themselves so they can heal physically and mentally.  I am learning so much from people like Louis about how to integrate spiritual ideas and practice them to create a fulfilling life and I am putting some simple equations together in the process. 

Here’s one that I heard on a recent tele-class, which was deepened by Louis Hay in her DVD. 

Belief = Love For Self = Self-Confidence = A Successful, Fulfilling Life!

In other words what you believe about yourself, good or bad, conscious or unconscious, is dictated by how much you love (or dislike) yourself and how much you love yourself will determine your level of self confidence and your level of self confidence is what will attract the life you desire (or not). 

Here is my take on all this-It all boils down to loving yourself unconditionally.  We aren’t always able to be aware of our unconscious beliefs, or exactly where our resistance lies, so the next best thing is to love your self!  There are many ways to do this and I m a huge advocate of taking extremely good care of ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  No matter what!  One of the things Louis suggests in her books and on the DVD that I have suggested to some of my clients is to everyday, stand in front of the mirror and say your name first and “I love and approve of you!”  Look yourself in your own eyes and feel the love you have for yourself–Your real self.  If this is uncomfortable at first, it just means you are not fully there yet.  But keep going, it gets easier and you will notice yourself beginning to feel better and more confident! 

Another great exercise is the write “I love and approve of myself, therefore I….. ” and fill in the rest.  For example, “I love and approve of myself, therefore I choose to meditate for at least 20 minutes each morning” or “I love and approve of myself, therefore I fit in some form of exercise each day”  Just keep going with this-it is very powerful!
 

When you feeling good and confident everyday, you are naturally going to be more “attractive”.  You will attract more of what you want and desire for your life!  And believe me, the life you want, wants you.   You just have to love yourself enough to feel worthy of receiving the all things you want! 

Thanks for being here and please let me know if this article was helpful and how the ideas suggested here made a difference in your love for yourself. 

 Namaste, Dr. Deb

Alicia and I with Dr. Joe

Several years ago, I had a dream, a wish, a vision, that I would one day travel all over the country and world to hear metaphysical leaders speak and be a part of a large community of other people who love this stuff as much as I do.  As I was sitting at this conference enjoying Dr. Joes talk, it struck me that the vision had come true on a very big level.  I was one of over 2000 people who, like me, were hanging onto his every word and deeply touched and inspired by his work in the beautiful Islands of the Bahama’s!

Steve and I in the Bahama

P.S. If you want to “get on board”, be a part of an amazing group of like minded people who are choosing to earn a fabulous income while playing big in the world and continueing their personal growth on a whole new level, contact me by filling out the form on this page http://www.amazingjourneycoach.info  

Steve the pirate and his wench!

Thanksgiving morning football with friends

The holiday season is officially upon us! I get a giddy feeling of joy and appreciation this time of year.  I think there is naturally an enhanced excited kind of energy from Thanksgiving through New Years than the rest of the year.   We are reminded of the small things that we may take for granted most of the time, especially the gift of family and friends.  Since last Christmas, when a good friend gave me “The Secret” gratitude journal for a gift, I have been writing down my gratitude’s daily (with exception of a few days here and there).  Here are a few “ah ha’s” I encountered from my yearlong focus on gratitude that may seem really simple, but have really hit home on a deeper, more profound level for me than my previous understanding.   

• Some days, when I wrote my gratitude’s down in my journal, my heart would feel so full.   But it would only last as long as I was thinking about those things I was grateful for at that moment in time, then I would get caught up in the ups and downs of my day and forget about them.  My big “ah ha” this year was when I realized that appreciation is not a 10-20 minute a day “program”, but must be an on-going all day process if we are to create more to be joyful and appreciative about in our lives!  So I began going into my day consciously looking for things to be grateful for all day long.  This was kind of fun, because the more I would find, the more that seemed to appear for me to appreciate!  At first I would keep forgetting to do this, but, the more I practiced it the easier it became.  I still have my days, but for the most part, I do go through most of them feeling happy and appreciative for all the wonderful people, situations, opportunities, things, health and love I have in my life.
• The next “ah ha” came when I would hit a snag-a challenge, disappointment or frustration I had to deal with.  Boy it’s hard to feel grateful in those moments!  What I learned was, its ok to feel disappointed and frustrated, these are natural human emotions and they are important in helping us wee what we truly desire instead for ourselves.  There is always something to be grateful for even in those situations!  It comes down to the “Law of Opposites” where we can always find an equal and opposite “want or desire” in everything we encounter that we don’t want!  The goal then is to focus on the solution, not the problem, the “want” instead of the “don’t want” and remind ourselves of our goals. 
• The next “ah ha” I’d like to share came to me very recently when we had visitors from MN.  They were so appreciative of our home and its “resort” feel and how comfortable they felt here.  I felt so much more appreciative of my home through them than I normally do, which was fun, but I also thought how easily we take things for granted.  So I decided I am going to be a “visitor” in my own home as often as possible so I could continue that feeling of appreciation.   I thought too, if I can do that with my home, why not do it with other things in my life?  When people tell me how wonderful my husband is-I take a moment to appreciate who he is.  When someone tells me I seem really happy, I really let that sink in.  When someone says I inspired him or her to start exercising, I appreciate my lifelong ability to stick to a fitness program and enjoy it!  I now add “compliments” to my way of reminding myself how much I appreciate things I may be taking for granted about myself and my life.

In Peace and Gratitude,

Dr. Deb 

As we say goodbye to 2008 and look forward to a new year, we often become acutely aware of the passage of time and how short life really is.  This is a good thing as it creates a sense of urgency and is a great stopper of procrastination!  This is also a good time to review the “Be, Do, Have” principle.  It goes like this, “BE the person you dream of by DOING the things you dream, and you will HAVE the things you dream of having.”  This is the natural order.  BE first, DO second, HAVE third. 

To make absolute certain you are moving in the right direction as you go into the new year, it will be important to know what your terms and criteria for your life are, and if reality seems to be moving you away from being who you want to be, or is no longer meeting your criteria, you can adjust who you are being and what you are doing. 

What does your dream life look like? What if you could have it all? What if you could have a great and rich life without compromising on the quality of any area of your life? How is that different from your current reality?  Write it down.  Enjoy the dream.  Have fun with your answers.  Once you have that established, you will have your basis for your goals.  You will stop wasting time doing what you don’t want and start spending more time doing what you love. 

You don’t need to bail out on your reality 100% or all at once if it looks very different than your dream life.  Creating the change you want to see will be a process and as you stay clear about what you want and are honest about where you are, you will be able to design a plan and a strategy that will continually move you forward. 

One way to make this happen is by the daily choices you make to move towards what you want.  Stay focused and aware of your feelings as they will be your guide.  Give consideration to your daily needs and give attention to what makes you feel better.  You can learn to develop that part of yourself that continues to check in to see where you are and assists you in the redefining of your reality.  It is essential to consistently have an accurate picture of what’s going on in your life, where you are in relation to where you want to be and how you are feeling about it. 

As you do this, you will be guided toward the resources and ideas that will help shift your reality, and you will be required to take action.  As you move closer to you dream you may also notice new fears emerging.  This is natural and part of the process!  By practicing your awareness of these fears and the feelings that accommodate them, identifying the truth about them will be part of your transition. 

This is a powerful process in trusting your own judgment about what is the right and best path for you and it all begins by getting clear about what you want and exploring how it would be if you truly could “have it all”. 

If you are ready to take an honest look at your reality, and most important, what you believe to be real and identify what is real, what is a judgment or opinion (that might not be real-but conditioned in you from childhood), and where you might be using reality as an excuse to abandon your dream, then hiring a life coach could make all the difference.  Coaching can help you see who you are, not who you think you are or who you think you are supposed to be. 

I believe you know (at a certain level) exactly what you want and what your dream come true life would look like for you.  I believe you also know the reality of what’s stopping you.  Isn’t it time to have your dream become your reality?  Be the person you dream of by doing the things you dream!

To your absolute freedom, health and prosperity in 2009!

Dr. Deb

P.S.  Check out my Master Musings page for two great vidos by Jack Canfield, Success Coach and Co-author of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series on “Planning your Day” and “Goal Setting”