Day 25 How to Make Fear Your Ally

Baby Steps Lead To Avalanches

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

Albert Einstein

Essential Ingredient #5
Life Lesson #4 How to Make Fear Your Ally

 

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall.

-Confucius

This was an exhausting, eye opening, and wonderful week and today it just caught up with me. I was so drained I came home early and passed out on the couch for a few hours. When I woke up I was a bit shaky and didn’t feel much like picking up the book and working on today’s lesson…but I did. I did because I had a tug of war going on inside my head. One side was telling me to “pick up the book” and the other side was giving me excuse why I didn’t have to pick it up.

It was a close battle. The excuses were making perfect sense and my energy was extremely low. Then came the flashback, I remembered the lessons we worked on last week, and I picked up the book. Although it didn’t seem to fit at the time I understand now why I was being pushed to read today’s lesson…it could have been about me. As a matter of fact the first paragraph hit so close to home that I had to read and reread it several times just to be sure that I hadn’t written it…I hadn’t of course.

Most people have no idea of the powerful effect that focus and their beliefs have on their lives. They spend most of their time worried about everything not realizing that by focusing on the worry they are attracting more situations/things to worry about. If you tend to focus on the positive side of things you will attract more positive situations/things. That is not to say that you will never experience something that is not positive, however by focusing on the positive your experience will be less devastating and will cause fewer traumas in your life. In fact something positive may come from it.

Fear eats people up inside. Fear destroys lives. Our fears hold us back. They prevent us from moving in the direction of what we truly want. Because of fear people settle for things and situations that are less than what they truly want. I understand that it can be difficult to let go of your fears. I know that when things don’t go your way that it’s hard not to see all the other things that have gone wrong in the past. However looking at the past to support your negative beliefs is a choice and a habit. Luckily for us habits can be broken.



• Reminder; all exercises come directly from the book Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction: 7 Essential Ingredients for Living a Prosperous Life

Exercise 1

Get out your Prosperity Journal and use these five steps to cross the barrier from fearful to fearless.


1. Identify your fear our fears. Make sure you are aware of the entire situation. It is not uncommon for more than one fear to be at the root of a problem, or a fear from long ago resurfacing to couple with a new one.


2. Identify what is holding you back from being doing or having whatever you desire. You need to have a clear understanding of what must be overcome in order to combat it.


3. Identify what you would do if you didn’t have that fear. Visualize what your life would be like if this albatross did not exist. How would you feel? How many more opportunities would be available to you? How many more adventures would exist? How much happier would you be?


4. Identify situations when you faced fear and moved beyond it. With a little thought everyone can identify situations where they moved beyond fear to reach a desired outcome (a new relationship, a new job, graduation, a wedding and more). This can be any situation in which you faced your dragon and triumphed. Use these times as touchstones that you can carry in your pocket and to remind you that you can do this again.


5. Identify the qualities in you that helped you succeed. These qualities are the foundation for your success and, typically, the foundation for you as a person---tenacity, integrity, zeal, confidence, being able to see the big picture, to name a few.

So how are you letting your fears stop you? How can you take the Pause button off of your life? What are some of the qualities that you have drawn upon in the past to overcome your fears and reach your dreams? Now is the time. Seize control of your life again.

Tomorrow: Essential Ingredient #5

Baby Steps Lead To Avalanches

Life Lesson # 5 Close Your Eyes and Dream

Smile Often
Barbara
LifeTude
Being Human

Day 24 Pay It Forward and Create Miracles

Baby Steps Lead To Avalanches

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

Albert Einstein

Essential Ingredient #5


Life Lesson #3 Pay It Forward and Create Miracles

I think of all the lessons in this book, this one will be the easiest concept for many to grasp and the shortest one for me to write.

Most people believe they have an understanding of what paying it forward means and how to put the behavior into practice, but how many actually do it?

A random act of kindness; putting a quarter in a meter that’s just about to expire, paying the toll of the driver behind you at the toll booth, or maybe the person in front of you at the grocery store is a little short and you chip in the extra couple of buck. Kindness comes in all shapes and sizes and has been known to be highly contagious.

Paying it forward is about doing random acts of kindness without expecting or wanting anything for yourself in return. If you do something for someone and they ask you how they can pay you back tell them by paying it forward. By asking them to pay it forward you have given them the opportunity to experience the joy that comes from helping someone with no strings attached, no expectations, no rules, no if’s, ands or buts.

Random acts of kindness have the ability to bring a smile to the face of everyone involved. I think it has something to do with the fact that there are no strings attached, and since there are no strings all that is left is the joy of giving.

My friend Steve buys flowers and hands them out at the gas station, I pay the toll of the person behind me at the toll booth, Lucky takes care of our neighbor’s driveway whenever it snows, Sally brightens a friends day by picking up phone just to let them know how important and special they are, once a month someone bakes a cake and delivers it to someone who’s feeling down, and Mariann drives 25min out of her way to bring a sick friend some homemade soup.

Kindness, to a friend or stranger has an amazing impact on all of us. Next time the opportunity presents itself will you be ready? Next time someone does something nice for you pay it forward.

• Reminder; all exercises come directly from the book Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction: 7 Essential Ingredients for Living a Prosperous Life

Exercise 1

1. Look for an opportunity this week to do an unselfish act of kindness for someone and ask them to pay the kindness forward to someone else.

2. In your Prosperity Journal write about what the experience was like for you and how it made you feel.

3. From now on whenever someone does something nice for you, look for two opportunities to pay it forward.
Be prepared to sit back and watch the rippling effect of how powerful and positive this is. It will help make this year better for many…as well as for you!

Tomorrow: Essential Ingredient #5

Baby Steps Lead To Avalanches

Life Lesson # 4 How To Make Fear Your Ally

Smile Often
Barbara
LifeTude
Being Human

Day 23 The Power of Being 100 Percent Responsible

Baby Steps Lead To Avalanches

Success is failure with the dirt brushed off.

Mamie McCullough

Essential Ingredient #5

Life Lesson #2 The Power of Being 100 Percent Responsible

I was in a meeting with a fellow BNI member when they asked me if there was anything in my past I would change, now although I’ll admit that there are more than few times when I could have made better choices I truly would not go back and change any of them. Even as awful as my first husband was, I wouldn’t go back and skip over him…my daughters are a combination of the both of us and I love them more than life itself so although his contribution was minimal, without it Kelli and Jessica might have been Dick & Jane.

It’s easy to look back at things we have said or done and say “if only” but what’s the point? We can’t change the past and you never know what might be missing from your life if you were to change something. Each decision we make points us in a direction that direction intersects with other people places and things and if you were to go back and change a choice maybe you would lose a whole lot more than you realize.

So as I look back sure it might be nice if a few things turned out differently, but even if they did there’s no guarantee that things would be any better, it’s just easier to think that they would. I try not to waste time on regrets, life passes by so quickly and I know I can’t change the past so I chose to focus on now and what I can do to move from where I am to where I want to be. I think taking steps towards the life I want is a much better use of my time than trying to change the past with wishful thinking.

Having choices is a wonderful thing. We always have them…even if we don’t like what we have to choose from. Even when we tell ourselves we don’t have a choice, we actually do, we always do. So now that you know you always have a choice what are you going to do about it, about your future? It’s up to you to choose.

No matter where I go I always seem to run into someone who isn’t happy with their past, and is miserable in their present but hesitates to take a chance and do something to create the future they want. I took the following quote from the book Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction; “Change begins first with a thought, followed by a choice, which becomes an action.”

Do you want your life or parts of your life to change? When you visualize the life you want does it look like the life you are living? If not you have a choice to make.”

Don’t waste time looking back with regret and anger. This moment, right here, right now is the first moment in the rest of your life. The choice is yours.

When you decide to take 100 % responsibility for your life and stop wasting time complaining and blaming you acknowledge that everything that happens to you is your own doing, wanted or not. If you want different results you need to think and act differently.

• Reminder; all exercises come directly from the book Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction: 7 Essential Ingredients for Living a Prosperous Life
Exercise 1

1. Get out your Prosperity Journal and write at the top of the page, “How did I create this issue in my life?” Notice this isn’t a list of how someone else created the problem. The question releases all blame and victimhood. This is your opportunity to identify your role in creating this situation. What were the choices you made the perspectives you held, the things you said or didn’t say, the assumptions you made? You are taking 100% responsibility for having this situation or issue in your life.


2. At the top of the next page in your journal write, “What can I do to resolve the issue?” This is your opportunity to focus on what you do want, putting your energy on the results you’d like to experience. Again you are taking 100% responsibility for your life.


3. From your list of answers in step 2, determine your next action and take it.


4. When setbacks occur, remember to hold your focus on your intended outcome and ask “What can I do to resolve this?” and get back into action.

5. Be sure to congratulate yourself for taking back control of your life!



Tomorrow: Essential Ingredient #5

Baby Steps Lead To Avalanches

Life Lesson # 3 Pay it Forward and Create Miracles


Smile Often
Barbara
LifeTude
New Blog "Being Human"

Day 22 Baby Steps Lead To Avalanches

Baby Steps Lead To Avalanches

Essential Ingredient #5

Life Lesson #1 The Power of A Single Step


Welcome back! Thank you for allowing me to break away and follow some inspired action of my own. I made a commitment to you last week. I said I would share the action planned to take and what my gremlin said to try to talk me out of it.

One of the toughest lessons I have ever had to learn was that I didn’t and don’t have to be Wonder Woman…although I really like the costume. Seriously, I think I spent so much time with the single mom mentality that I forgot it’s ok to be human. Being human doesn’t stop me from being a great Mom, friend, sister, lover or coach. Being human helps me relate, keeps me humble and reminds me that I am not alone. Being human is part of what makes me great.

My intuition, told me to share my struggle. My inspiration was to do it via a new blog. So as hard as it may be to share something this personal, something I have struggled with for the last 18 years I have decided to take a risk and listen to my intuition. I welcome you to my new blog “Being Human”, I hope you will check it out and share your thoughts and comments with me.

"Courage is resistance to fear; mastery of fear - not absence of fear."

-Mark Twain

Back to Life Lessons

Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.

Napoleon Hill

The last week has been interesting to say the least. We haven’t made it through all the lessons in this book and yet I can’t help but notice how it has helped me. The strange thing for me is the way in which it is taking place…things are falling into place, not as I first expected but as I worked through the exercises for inspired action and followed my “gut”, the pieces of my puzzle began to fall into place. All I did was take the first step and the information, support, and ideas I needed showed up.

It seems like the entire world is in such a rush. It’s not that everyone wants something; it’s that they all want it yesterday. Although there are times when ‘NOW” would be ok with me, I understand that if everything happened now life would be over. I also understand that progress doesn’t always happen at the speed of light.

When you look at all the things you have been through, do you feel like you have learned from your experiences? Have you looked for the opportunities these experiences held? Do you place blame on yourself and others and use excuses to explain your circumstances? If you do you are probably missing out on a ton of opportunities.

Taking responsibility for your life and your choices is important; however I’m not saying that you should take on all the responsibility. I will say that placing blame on others is a waste of time and energy. By taking responsibility for our lives and our choice we gain power, we take control…why would you want to place control of your life or the experience you go through in anyone’s hands other than your own?

Life affords no higher pleasure than that of surmounting difficulties, passing from one step of success to another, forming new wishes and seeing them gratified. -Samuel Johnson

• Reminder; all exercises come directly from the book “Life Lessons

Exercise 1


1. Take out your Prosperity Journal and draw a line down the middle of the page. In the left hand column list the areas in your life where you feel challenged. In the right hand column, identify the opportunity within each challenge.


2. Next, for each opportunity, identify one step you can take now toward the opportunity you’ve identified.


3. Then decide when you will take that step. Put that date next to your action step. One next step is all you need to get the momentum going.


4. Now as Nike says, “Just Do It”!


5. Once you have taken that step, identify what your next step will be. Set the date by which you’ll have taken your next step and resolve to go for it.


6. Repeat steps two through five as often as necessary.



Tomorrow: Essential Ingredient #5

Baby Steps Lead To Avalanches

Life Lesson #2 The Power of Being 100 Percent Responsible

Smile Often
Barbara

Day 21 Trust The Voice

One new perception, one fresh thought, one act of surrender, one leap of faith can change your life forever.

-Robert Holden

Essential Ingredient #4


Inspired Action


Life Lesson #5 Trust The Voice

I have so many goals and just like all of you I have an overwhelming amount of everyday “stuff” that has to be dealt with. As I was reading the chapter for yesterday’s lesson two things stood out; first how important the topic of inspired action was to the authors of Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction: 7 Essential Ingredients for Living a Prosperous Life and second they were trying to get their point across to me. I believe in the Law of Attraction, so once I realized they were speaking to me I told my gremlin to shut up and I took a step back (a small one). I am still feeling like I need more, like the small step back wasn’t enough. However it was important for me to let you know what was I was doing and give you something to keep you moving forward.

So what did that step back teach me? It taught me that inspiration can’t be rushed, bought, forced, or borrowed and that my little gremlin is a persistent little brat. Lucky for me so is inspiration. Best of all, after reading the lessons and doing the work I now know how to tell the two apart.

Inspired action can save us a lot of time and aggravation if we would only listen to it and act on it. The lessons that are included in Essential Ingredient #4 are there to help us understand how it relates to the Law of Attraction as well as how inspired action differs from our “gremlin”. A few things that are important to keep in mind are:
1. Inspired action comes from inside


2. Gremlins also come from inside


3. Inspiration is short & sweet (to the point)


4. Gremlins are long winded and give details and explanations.


5. Gremlins love to cloud inspiration.


6. Inspired actions may not make sense to you at the time.


7. When you take inspired action you attract more of what you want/need to create the life you want.


8. Getting quiet or meditating is a great thing to do if you want to connect with your inspiration.


9. Don’t worry or panic if you don’t hear your inspired voice, be patient and it will come to you.


I will not be posting tomorrow or Friday as I did hear from my inspired voice and plan to take action on it tomorrow and through the weekend. When I return on Monday I will share the action I was inspired to take and how my gremlin has been keeping it at bay for some time now. Until then follow the exercise below, and spend a little time sitting still with your eyes closed, you may be amazed at what you learn.

• Reminder; all exercises come directly from the book Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction: 7 Essential Ingredients for Living a Prosperous Life

Exercise 1

In your Prosperity Journal write down two to three times in the past when you got an inspired idea and acted upon it. What was the outcome?

Now write down two or three times you got an inspired idea and your gremlin kicked in and you did not act on it. What was the outcome?

Today be aware of your intuition and ideas that come to you and be willing to take inspired action. When an idea sparks or you feel guided to do something follow it. Be curious

Monday: Essential Ingredient #5

Baby Steps Lead To Avalanches


Life Lesson #1 The Power of a Single Step

Smile Often,
Barbara
Get to know more about Barbara

Day 20 Relax Awhile and Allow

It’s not how much you do, but how much love you put into doing that matters.

-Mother Teresa

Essential Ingredient #4

Inspired Action

Life Lesson #4 Relax Awhile and Allow

When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.

-George Washington Carver

It’s hard sometimes to just sit still. There’s always something to do. There’s always something going on. Not making any real progress, always in a rush, most of the time we’re going nowhere fast. Yet as crazy as it might sound sometimes the best thing we could do in the name of progress is stand still…and take a deep breath.

For some learning to take a break or give themselves a break can be one of the most difficult lessons of all. Most people wait until they run themselves into the ground and their body screams “stop”. Even then there are those that do not heed the warning signs and will continue until they are emotional and physically drained or they start making costly mistakes. Either way it’s truly not the best way to go.

I know that when I am exhausted mentally and/or physically I don’t think straight. I tend to see all that is wrong in my world and lose sight of everything that I believe in. I see all the challenges I am facing and turn them into problems, hopeless situations. I begin to imagine the worst possible outcomes, and forget all that I have overcome. I forget how strong I am, how creative, intelligent, positive, resourceful, and open to possibilities I am. As aware of all of that as I am I also realize that since the moment I knew what I was meant to do/be I have learned to take time to breathe before I crash & burn and although I have my moments I get through them a lot quicker, happier and more motivated than I once did.

Becoming a Life Coach was a long journey. It started long before I was even aware of it and I’m constantly adding experiences and learning lessons that allow me to relate to and support my clients as they move towards achieving their goals. I have never enjoyed or experienced a more rewarding career. Watching my clients grow and achieve their goals is amazing and as much as I help them navigate their journey’s they help me stay true to mine.

Goals are important, so are priorities. However, sometimes our goal needs to be to clear our head and our priority to breathe. When life gets so hectic and you seem to be treading water taking a step back from chasing your dreams can be just what you need to clear the fog and allow your creative juices to start flowing again. You are not doing yourself any favors by chasing a goal and taking uninspired action. If you’re not excited about your goal step back, breathe, take a break from the goal and come back to it when you are excited and inspired to do so, you will make up for the time “lost” with your renewed enthusiasm.

• Reminder; all exercises come directly from the book Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction: 7 Essential Ingredients for Living a Prosperous Life

Exercise 1

Do you have a goal that get’s put on your list every year, but you don’t seem to do anything about it?

What if you were to take it off the list? That’s right. Let it go. To keep seeing it there when you don’t believe the situation is going to change is like a black cloud looming over your self-confidence. Wait until you are truly ready and excited to go for it.

Have you been trying to figure out something and the answer is not coming? Give it a rest! Chill out. Let the answer find you when the time is right. You can’t force a solution or idea, but you can create space for it.

You’ll find that taking a break from anything is a good thing. Have you ever gotten out of your head and into your heart? That’s a really great thing.

Choose to relax about one goal you’ve been trying hard to manifest. Maybe the effort has been in your head and not in the doing. The desire that should have been here yesterday needs you to relax and allow it to manifest. Choose to put it on hold for a week. Relax about it. Let the Universe take over for a while.

How do you know when to stop resting? When it feels good to do so. You never need to be concerned about being inspired. There will always be an ebb and flow. You’ll find yourself inspired for days, and then you may just want to relax with books and movies.

Trust that you will be inspired again. The timing of it all is none of your business. That’s the job of the Universe. If you feel inspired from a place of abundance to take action around it, go for it.


Tomorrow: Essential Ingredient #4

Inspired Actions

Life Lesson #5 Trust “The” Voice

Smile Often

Barbara
LifeTude

Day 19 Stop, Look, and Listen

Things do not happen; things are made to happen

-John F. Kennedy

Essential Ingredient #4

Inspired Action

Life Lesson # 3 Stop, Look, and Listen

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

-Albert Einstein

When someone does something that hurts or upsets me I used to start recalling every little thing that they had ever said and done that I either disagreed with or felt wronged by. It didn’t take my mind long to paint a fairly nasty picture of a person who in truth wasn’t so bad. I rarely do that anymore. In fact I worked very hard to change my habit of sliding down a very steep negative slope. I have been so successful at it that sometimes my friends think I hold myself back by being too forgiving, too positive (in their eyes a little blind). I have no regrets. I love my attitude, my outlook on life. I still have a lot to learn however my ability to see situations from several different perspectives has brought me a lot more happiness than not.

Every day we collect data (or as the book states evidence). We pick and choose the data that we want to collect and we use it to support our beliefs both good and bad. Our minds then use the data direct plays that support our current focus. So if you are focused on a belief that your mate is an idiot then you will collect the data and build a story that supports that belief. On the other hand if your focus is how thoughtful they your mind will pull together the evidence it needs to support that belief. It’s important to note that the mind couldn’t care less if your focus is based on truth only that you believe it to be.

When I made the conscious effort to change my perception I did it because it felt better. It felt like I was more in tune with myself, the type of person I wanted to be and the life I wanted to lead. That does not mean that I paint everyone as master piece no matter how they treat me, it means that I have a choice when that happens and I don’t need to ski down that slope to make it. I can acknowledge the negative and then change directions. I am only as stuck and as hurt as I choose to be, I am always at choice.

Think about the data you collect, is it the data you want? Does it support all you want to be, do, or have? Is it in line with your values? Will it help or hinder you achieving your goals? Is the data you’ve collected directing a movie that supports how difficult it will be to attract what you desire?

Remember yesterday’s lesson, the one about inspired action? If you don’t know what action to take ask for guidance. So if the data you’ve collected is pushing further away from your dreams, it’s time to get quiet. It’s time to stop. To breathe… deeply, and check in with how you are feeling. What’s your intuition telling you? Can you tell the difference between inspiration and the gremlin we talked about on day 16? According to the book Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction: 7 Essential Ingredients for Living a Prosperous Life if it’s your inner guidance it will be short and sweet and if the message is from the gremlin it will be filled with unnecessary details. They like to explain and justify at length. Ignore the gremlin, wait for the inspiration.



• Reminder; all exercises come directly from the book Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction: 7 Essential Ingredients for Living a Prosperous Life

Exercise 1

In your Prosperity Journal, answer the following questions:


1. What clues about my desire are being presented to me?


2. What opportunities lay at my feet?


3. What evidence can I see that things are unfolding perfectly for me?


4. What one next step do I feel inspired to take?


Tomorrow: Essential Ingredient #4

Inspired Actions

Life Lesson #4 Relax Awhile and Allow.

Have a great weekend, see you on Monday.

Until Then, Smile Often

Barbara
http://www.lifetude.com/

Day 18 The Time Is Now

It is the nature of thought to find its way into action.

-Christian Nevell Bovee

Essential Ingredient #4

Inspired Action

Life Lesson # 2 The Time Is Now

The more you can dream the more you can do.

-Micheal Korda

Have you ever experienced a time where out of nowhere something came over you and a thought or idea popped into your head and told you to do something? It might have been as simple as call a friend or family member. It might have been to buy a particular book or maybe something much bigger. It doesn’t matter if it was something large or small the important thing is that you recognize the feeling, the voice. It’s like something was giving you a bit of a push…that’s your intuition and when you make a move based on that it’s called inspired action.

Now sometimes our intuition seems to make no sense at all and that’s ok as long as it feels right, good. You don’t have to know why at that very moment, you only need to aware of how you feel about it. If it feels right (even if you don’t understand why) do it.

So what do you do if you don’t experience any inside push? In this case the best thing you can do is find a way to relax, get as quiet as possible. Go to a place that makes you feel good, a place where you can put your troubles aside and focus on the moment, on being still (for me it’s the beach or my special spot by the river). It may take some practice but be patient your intuition will lead you in the right direction. If you can tune into your intuition and take the inspired actions they will lead you in the direction of your dreams.

It’s important that you pay close attention to the feelings you have surrounding any nudge. Does it feel good or does something not feel quite right? Maybe it feels right but your still a little scared, in this case your timing could be a little off or the fear might be a little misplaced. The fear could be attached to other things going on in your life and not to the actual action your gut is telling you should take, so I’ll repeat again that it is very important for you to clear your mind and become as still and quiet as possible. You need to be able to let go and as it says in Essential Ingredient #3, Life Lesson #4 Let Go To Let It Flow.

• Reminder; all exercises come directly from the book Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction: 7 Essential Ingredients for Living a Prosperous Life

Exercise 1

Imagine you have completed all the tasks in your life that have a deadline attached to them. Your tax preparation has been completed. Projects for the kids, work, and house all have a checkmark next to them. Done! You’ve already got your body and your finances in shape.

What would you spend your time doing? What would feel like a luxury? What have you been saying you will do someday when you have time? You may find you have many inspired ideas and desires. Make a list of them in your Prosperity Journal. Which one is calling you forth.

What if you took one action this week regarding this inspiration? What if you gave it fifteen minutes of your time? Do it. Just for the sheer joy of taking inspired action. See how it feels. Remember, maybe the inspired action is to read a fiction novel. Inspired action is not to be equated to productivity. It’s supposed to feel good simply because you enjoy the action. Yes the outcome might give you a feeling of accomplishment. But the purpose is truly joy.

Tomorrow: Essential Ingredient #4

Inspired Actions

Life Lesson #3 Stop, Look, and Listen

Until Then, Smile Often
Barbara
LifeTude

Day 17 Inspired Action

To will is to select a goal, determine a course of action that will bring one to that goal, and then hold to that action until that goal is reached. The key is action.

-Michael Manson

Essential Ingredient #4

Inspired Action

Life Lesson # 1 First Things First

Thought is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind it.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today’s lesson is about a subject that is covered in my office on a daily basis. Although I at times will use a different term for it, I think that nothing suits it better than “inspired action”. Action is the piece that many people seem conveniently unaware of its importance in accomplishing any goal, in making any change. Without inspired action you tend to move in the opposite direction of your wants, desires, dreams.

There was a short story about a family’s journey to discover what was truly missing from their lives, how to get it back, the measures they took, and how each step forward had them manifesting what they needed to live their dream life. Although the story may seem like an extreme example of someone evaluating their life and values I understand that sometimes you have to tear down the walls so that you can get to the foundation.

There are times when the repairs or adjustments can be made without going that far, however if the foundation itself is not strong and you only patch the walls eventually you could find yourself in the same situation. It can be very difficult to look at yourself and your life that closely. To examine how you live and work and discover that the road you are on isn’t going to get you where you want to be…where you would be truly happy. That what you value most has been left by the wayside and your journey has become not much more than what you do to survive. I understand how this happens, how it feels.

It’s 5:30 Monday morning and the alarm is piercing through your ears. You reach over and hit the snooze (for the third time) and think to yourself I hate Mondays, another day, another fifty cents. You put the coffee on, wake the kids and pray just this one time let it be a peaceful morning…no fighting…please. You turn on the TV, change to the news and think “Can’t they report any good news, it’s is so depressing”. You yell up to the kids that they’re going to be late, scramble for change to give the kids for lunch money and notice it’s all you have left. You think about the stack of bills on the counter and wonder how you are going pay them.

I know that the above story doesn’t end there and that there is so much more that happens on a morning like that. I am also aware that days like that tend to form viscous circles that are easy to get caught up in. You tend to lose track of time because your main focus is making it through the day. Nothing ever seems to get better, not much if anything ever changes for the good and words like someday become a regular part of your vocabulary. My question to you is; are you ready to make “someday” a reality? If you answered yes my second question is; Are you ready to take action in order to break free from the rat race and create the life you want?

Trust—expecting the best to happen, believing in your ability to create what you want, and knowing you deserve to have it—can be demonstrated in many ways. It is demonstrated by believing in something even when the outer world seems to reflect something else.

Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer

 

Having experienced it myself I know inspiration happens both during good and difficult times. When we are in the zone and feeling great our creativity may soar. Our minds are open during this time and it can be easy to tune into which actions and opportunities suit you best. However when we are in the middle of a challenge that has us weighed down it can be difficult to tune in because of all the negativity that we surround it with.

The key in either situation is that you must take action and that action must feel good. If you are going through a rough time and you are having trouble figuring out which action will feel good, and then look for an action that will bring you some level of relief. Even a small amount of relief is good. You can build on it and as you continue to take small steps and build upon the relief your load will lighten. Your mind will open a little more and you will attract more ideas, more opportunities, and more solutions.

It is worth repeating that you must take action and you must feel good. If there is fear surrounding all of your choices then start small and the small steps will build upon each other until you get to a place where a larger step feels good, feels right. Taking action is very empowering and this method (small steps) Kaizen Method is a very effective way of building your level of belief and as you do you will attract more of the inspiration, resources, and situations you require to live the life you want.
Since the book ( Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction: 7 Essential Ingredients for Living a Prosperous Life ) did not list an exercise for today’s lesson I would suggest checking out the book One Small Step Can Change Your Life : The Kaizen Way. Its a quick read and a great book. The method described in the book is one of the simplest and easiest metyhods for accomplishing a goal that I have ever used.

Tomorrow: Essential Ingredient #4

Inspired Actions

Life Lesson #2 The Time is Now
Until Then, Smile Often
Barbara
http://www.lifetude.com/

Day 16 Empower Yourself for Success

What you become is far more important than what you get. What you get will be influenced by what you become.

-Jim Robn

Essential Ingredient #3



Life Lesson # 5 Empower Yourself for Success

Until You Value Yourself…Don’t Expect Anyone Else To.

The above statement is true but the act itself holds so many of us back. I can’t begin to tell you the number of clients that come into my office complaining about how their clients treat them. Their customers complain about their rates, don’t pay their bills but expect to be first on the list for service, disrespect company policies, and want the farm for free. The amazing thing is that not only do they give them what they want they do it in such a way that screams their worth is below that of their clients.

It’s a tough lesson. You may think you are in a tug a war with your values and that by placing the importance on your company and your own needs you are not holding true to who you are and the values you hold. Well if that is the way you think I would like you to challenge it.

Let’s first remind ourselves of why we “work”; to support ourselves and our families. To be able to enjoy some of the wonderful things the world has to offer and to be able to help others, and share our good fortune.

Now ask yourself and be honest, if you needed to hire someone to do what you do would you expect them to do it for free? Personally I wouldn’t, I would expect to pay someone well not only for the service I offer but for the extra mile I am willing to go for my clients. For the investment I am willing to make in helping them achieve their goals I certainly would be willing to and expect to pay someone else very well.

Ok now ask yourself; if your daughter or son, husband or wife, friend or relative came to you and said that their clients treated them in the fore mentioned manner what advice would you give them? My guess is you would not tell them to keep working for free and I am almost certain you would not tell them that they should just grin and bear it, after all who can survive like that and how happy could they possibly be?

So if you wouldn’t advise anyone else to do business that way and “put up” with that treatment/behavior from their clients why on earth would you? Now if you begin to get a little defensive and start to think “the customer is always right” I am going to let you in on a little secret…NO they are not. Sometimes they are wrong and sometimes they are testing the waters and we are not doing them or us any good by allowing it to continue.

I was a customer service manager for many years and I used to tell my employees that “the customer is always right, even when they are wrong” then I would teach them how to address the ‘wrong” customers without insulting them or devaluing the services we provided. I was very good at what I did and my customers knew it, I had more than one customer say thank you for knowing how to say no to them without actually ever using the word. They told me it made them feel like I was on their side, even when I couldn’t give them what they wanted I would find an answer that would work for both them and the company…I would find the “win win”. I realized that great customer service did not have to come at the expense of the company, and that the company values, reputation and stability did not have suffer at the hand of the client. I also learned that just as every sock does not fit every foot, every client does not fit every company. Sometimes letting go is more in tune with your values than allowing behavior to continue that in the long run will not benefit anyone.

Most books about financial success tell us to pay ourselves first. However most small business owners (and people in general) do not, in fact we take a back seat to everyone and everything. What message are we sending ourselves by doing this? How long can we support ourselves and our families on nothing? Now before you get too upset let me just say I understand. I have worked for myself for a long time and am guilty of not paying myself first. That changes today.

This lesson was a wakeup call, a reminder. I’m not saying that you need to pay yourself a huge salary, I’m saying whatever the amount is pay yourself first. First value your service, your work, your company, if you don’t why would anyone else? Second once your company gets paid pay yourself first. Decide on a set amount or percent per job, per week or even per month (start small if you must but start). Learn to value you and what you have to offer and others will also. Give yourself increases as business increases and incentives as you would an employee that was showing steady improvement, constant effort. Treat yourself as you want to be treated. If you can’t be good to yourself how can you expect someone else to?

So by now you may be asking yourself what all of this has to do with the Law of Attraction, the simple explanation is that if you do not think, believe and act as if you value yourself and the work you do (and I do not mean in an arrogant self absorbed way) how are you going to attract people or clients into your life who feel that way. If the vibrations you send out into the universe surrounding your clients are mainly negative then you are telling the universe to send more of the same your way. It may not be want you want but it is what you are telling the universe to deliver.

Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got.

Betty Ford

Our thoughts are an extremely powerful tool. They can help us achieve greatness or assist us in staying stuck in a life that is less than fulfilling. Think about a goal that you have struggled with and continue to struggle with. Now think about the thoughts you have surrounding your relationship with that goal. As you reflect back what type of thoughts stand out; negative or positive? What are your current thoughts on a new attempt at achieving that goal? Listen carefully to what the “unspoken” voices inside your head are saying. Are they negative? Are you condemning yourself before you begin? Are you hearing all the reasons you will fail? Are you preparing all the excuses you will use if things don’t work out? If you answered yes do yourself and me a big favor DON”T BEAT YOURSELF UP FOR IT. Acknowledge and accept responsibility, this will give you power, power to change it.

Close your eyes and take a deep breath, because once you realize that you have the power to change your thoughts, to quiet the negative gremlin inside your head you are on your way to finally achieving the goal that has avoided you as well as accomplishing anything that you set your mind, heart and effort to.



Reminder: All exercises come directly from the book Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction: 7 Essential Ingredients for Living a Prosperous Life


Exercise 1
Learn to recognize the gremlin for what it is: a thief that stifles creativity, hinders success, and paralyzes growth. Begin to listen carefully for that voice and cut it off before its effects can take root. Here are some ideas:


1. Wear a rubber band on your wrist for a month and giving yourself a “zing’ whenever you hear that gremlin beginning to discourage you. Talk about a reminder! We’d rather zing the gremlin than ourselves any day!


2. Surround yourself with positive, happy people who do not allow gremlins to steal their successes. First, it becomes very difficult to continuously hear about positive things without some of your own to add. You’ll start looking for ways to join the crowd. Second, the more you are around positive thoughts, the more real they become, and the more you attract the same back to you.


3. Recall the times when you successfully combated your gremlin and let those instances serve as your road map. Write about these times in your prosperity journal. Writing things down allows you to explore feelings, thoughts, and circumstances that surrounded the experience. Details that are typically glossed over when focusing on the big picture can be extremely beneficial when later explored. Knowing that you have what it takes to face any challenge and overcome any obstacle is just the thing to bolster your confidence and self-esteem—two of the things that gremlins seem to sap out of their victims. Don’t be a victim any longer; be a victor.


So are you ready to step up to the challenge? We know you can do it! Learning how to silence your gremlins is a tool that will be beneficial for life. Isn’t it time to empower yourself and position yourself to succeed at all you set out to accomplish? Yes, yes, and yes!



Tomorrow: Essential Ingredient #4

Inspired Actions

Life Lesson #1 First Things First


Until Then, Smile Often
Barbara
LifeTude

Day 15 Letting Go to Let It Flow

Finally, after five days of stomach flu woes I’m back and ready to tackle the next lesson. Thank you for all the well wishes I know they helped me stay positive and recover faster.

Money is neither my god nor my devil. It is a form of energy that tends to make us more of who we already are, whether it’s greedy or loving.

-Dan Millman

Essential Ingredient #3

Life Lesson # 4 Letting Go to Let It Flow

A billion here and a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.

-Everett Dirksen

Although I consider myself a positive person I know that there is always room for improvement and I welcome any all opportunities. I am also well aware that there are some lessons that we do not learn the first time we encounter them. Today’s lesson is one that I could relate to on a few different levels and if I need to read, practice and reread in order to convert the negative baggage into positive beliefs I will.

When you grow up as a poor kid in a rich town your lack of money is thrown in your face every day. I went to school or came home from school crying…kids can be cruel. I knew money didn’t grow on trees. I knew that there wasn’t much to eat. I knew that people would make fun of my clothes and I knew that something had to change.

Some lessons don’t get through the first or even the second time. Some lessons are learned not when you think you’ve hit bottom but when you truly do. It’s not this way for everyone and I want it to come easier for you than it has for me. If you will adopt this lesson and throw out some of the negative ways you think about money you can change your financial magnetism.

In order to become a money magnet you first need to identify how you think, feel and talk about money. Are your beliefs limiting your ability to have an abundance of money in your life? Do you think that rich people are greedy uncaring individuals without a clue? Do you think it is morally wrong to want more money? Maybe your thoughts are always focused on what you can’t have be or do because you cannot afford it. Whatever your thoughts are the first step is becoming aware of them and identifying if they are mainly negative or mainly positive. If you are leaning towards the negative side you may recognize some of these:
 I’m always in debt


 I’ll never make enough money


 I don’t deserve wealth


 Only people who cheat have money


 I’m always worried about money because there is never enough


 Money is evil


 I can’t afford……………


 I never have any money


 I’m broke…again


 I can’t pay my bills


 It’s wrong to want/desire money


 Being poor keeps me humble


 I live pay check to pay check; I’ll never get caught up

According to the Law of Attraction if you are struggling with money and it seems as though it is a constant struggle then your beliefs are keeping you stuck in a pattern of lack. In the book Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction: 7 Essential Ingredients for Living a Prosperous Life it states that “Poverty consciousness can be easily changed to prosperity consciousness by clearing your deeper beliefs and replacing them with new ones.” They also state that along with creating new beliefs you will create new behaviors with money. Some of the prosperity belief examples they give are as follows:

 I recognize prosperity everywhere and rejoice in it fully. There is plenty for me.


 The abundance of the Universe is available to everyone, including me.


 I spend money wisely and comfortably.


 I am open and receptive to new avenues of income.


 I am comfortable with large sums of money.


 I am using money to bless my life and others


 I am wealthy, generous and spiritual.


 I am a money magnet

After reading through the lesson I realized that there are things that I say that help keep me stuck in a place of lack. The example they gave that hit home was; when some asks you if you have any money…what’s your response? If your answer is no then you are sending the universe a message that you have no money and you will continue to experience the same. The Universe doesn’t know our bank account status, only the signals we send out to it.

Exercise 1

1. Draw a line down the center of a clean page in your prosperity journal.


2. At the top of the page write: My current Limiting Thoughts about Money.


3. In the left hand column make a list of all your current limiting thoughts you have about money.


4. On the right hand side reach for a better feeling/thought about money.


In the book they state that the change is easy, I would say the formula for change is simple and the answers are out there…if you want to succeed at something imitate someone who has. If you want to lose weight reduce your calorie intake and increase your calorie burn…simple, but easy? Solutions are as hard as we make them out to be.
The world is filled with success stories. These successes fall in many different categories from weight loss to billionaires and within each category there are a variety of ways at which people achieved the bottom line (SUCCESS). All you have to do is Imagine, it, Believe it, Live it!
Tomorrow: Essential Ingredient #3

Transforming Thoughts

Life Lesson #5 Empower Yourself for Success
Until Then, Smile Often

Barbara
http://www.lifetude.com/

Day 14 Seeing the Glass Half-Full

To be upset over what you don’t have is to waste what you do have.

-Ken S. Keyes Jr. Handbook to Higher Consciousness

Essential Ingredient #3


Life Lesson # 3 Seeing the Glass Half-Full

A funny thing happened today, I don’t mean funny ha ha I mean funny strange…but then again it really wasn’t strange either it was what I needed when I needed it, Law of Attraction in action? Anyway after I read today’s lesson it seemed so straight forward to me that I wasn’t sure where to go with it. I had been tossing ideas back and forth most of the day but couldn’t settle on one. Nothing seemed to hit home and then there it was an email from a group I belong to on LinkedIn; Motivation Nation.

I have to tell you that it has been a while since I have been on LinkedIn, or even participated in any of the discussions taking place in many groups I belong to, but something pushed me towards this one. The email was about a discussion taking place called “How is Your Attitude?” I couldn’t resist, didn’t want to and extremely glad I did not. There were so many great comments from all sides of the spectrum. People who complained about the “self help gurus” and the advice they give, people promoting being happy all the time, as well as comments from the guys hanging out in the middle of the road. Loved it, loved it all. If you would like to check out the discussion here is a link http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=8896097&gid=1693527&trk=EML_anet_qa_ttle-d7hOon0JumNFomgJt7dBpSBA …not sure but you may need to join the group first and if that is the case I say join.

One of the things I took away from the discussion was a higher appreciation for the LifeTude I have adopted and it was truly an uplifting experience to read so many posts from like minded people. Although you will need to visit the above link if you want to read both sides of discussion I will share what I wrote here:

Having a positive attitude doesn’t mean you ignore the tough times in your life, or that you don’t have a clue about what has happened, is happening or will happen. It doesn’t mean that you are unaware of what has caused the hair on the back of your neck to stand up, or that you ignore the foreclosure notices posted outside your door.

Being positive is a choice, a frame of mind, a way of life. Positive people look for solutions to the challenges before them; whereas negative people have trouble seeing past the problem. Positive people see the glass as half full and know that there are several ways to accomplish filling the glass. Negative people see the glass half empty and are so focused on not running out that they miss the opportunity to fill it.

Positive people don’t ignore fear or grief. Four years ago my husband and I were in a horrible car accident…he didn’t survive. I know grief. I know fear. The difference is my LifeTude (as I have come to call it) allowed me to pull myself off the floor and start over. My LifeTude helped me celebrate all that I was blessed to have shared with him. It allowed me to experience the grief and face my fears and do what I needed to do.

Positive isn’t perfect, it’s happy. Negative people are not happy they just don’t know how to stop being negative, because they are so focused on the problem and not the solution.

Are you a glass is half full type person or do you always see the empty side of life? If the empty side of life best describes your view then it’s time for an attitude adjustment (or as I like to say a “LifeTude” adjustment). However if you look at the glass and see it is half full you have touched on the Law of Polarity.

The book (Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction: 7 Essential Ingredients for Living a Prosperous Life)states (and I’ll paraphrase) that the Law of Polarity is like a reality check, a glimpse into the bright side, the fun successful side. It helps reduce negative energy, negative vibrations. When applied you create positive energy vibrations that make it close to impossible to stay negative…an instant does of sunshine.

You can read more about the Law of Polarity here http://www.abundance-and-happiness.com/law-of-polarity.html
Tomorrow: Essential Ingredient #3 Transforming Thoughts
Life Lesson #4 Letting Go To Let It Flow

Until Then, Smile Often
Barbara
http://www.lifetude.com/

Day 13 Where Thought Goes Energy Flows

Have the daring to accept yourself as a bundle of possibilities and undertake the game of making the most of your best.

-Henry Emerson Fosdick

Essential Ingredient #3
Life Lesson # 2 Where Thought Goes Energy Flows

It’s fairly easy to be upbeat and positive when life is cruising along in the direction of your dreams. When the money is rolling in, the bills are all paid and all seems right with your world, smiling seems to come naturally. But what happens when you’re cruising and the road gets a little rough, you feel like you’re constantly dodging the sink holes and you become uncertain of which way to turn? Does the smile fade from your face? Do you come to a complete stop? Do you turn back and call it quits?

Remember whatever game you play, 90 percent of success is from the shoulders up.

-Milfred “Deacon” Palmer

When our road gets tough we have the opportunity to shine our brightest. When you come up against a challenge and you look and see the possibilities instead of the black hole you have in a scenes turned a corner that will allow what you want to flow to you more easily.

Do you know someone you consider “lucky”? Someone who seems to know without a doubt that they will come out of every situation smelling like a rose? This person is always happy always going for “it” and getting “it”. Have you ever wondered what makes them so different from you? Why can’t you be like that...well, you can. Change your attitude, change your perspective, and change your life.

I know what you’re thinking; easier said than done, right? Change can be difficult, but it can also be very rewarding and isn’t the reward worth the effort? I know that in my case I believe that it is so much better to go through life with a smile rather than a pout and according to the Law of Attraction if you are spending the majority of your time complaining, pouting, gossiping, putting others down, envying, worried, and wishing things were different then you will attract more situations, things and people into your life that will make it easy for you to keep on experiencing those same feelings.

The good news is that you can break that cycle. You can at any moment decide, commit, and make a change that will allow more positive and less negative into your life. I’ve heard it said that it takes 30 days to create a new habit or break an old one. The gentleman in today’s story took that challenge and finally after 30 years of emotional ups and downs he freed himself. He used positive affirmations. After reading chapter 12 “Thirty Days to Breakthrough” from “Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting” and learning a technique call “Flip Switching” he was finally able to changes his thoughts and his life.

For the full explanation of the technique you can pick up a copy of Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting: The Power of Positive Feelings, however the basic method he used was to substitute a negative thought or fear with a positive affirmation about himself.

It wasn’t complex, in fact it was a very simple statement that he could remember, that he believed and repeated over and over again every time the negative thoughts or feeling crossed his mind. It was tough at first but became easier and easier as the time passed and by the end of the month he was successful at changing the way he felt about a particular situation.

Consider for a moment how much time you spend thinking about negative thoughts versus positive thoughts? Think about all the time you spend talking about bad days, people, friends, husbands or wives that are less than perfect. Truth is, the average person wastes the majority of their time on negative talk, thoughts and actions. Are you beginning to see just how the flood of negativity finds its way into the better half of your time? Would you like to change it? Would you like your day to be filled with more joy than sorrow, more highs than lows?

You can reprogram your thinking. You can change your perspective. Start now. Change whatever you need to. Refuse to gossip, hangout with like minded positive people. Whatever it takes, this is your life and by dismissing the negative and refocusing on the positive you will reshape your life.

Exercise 1

Give positive actions, thoughts, companions your undivided attention for one month. As great things happen, mark them down in your prosperity journal and review your list frequently. You’ll soon become addicted to the success that flows your way. By all means open those positive flood gates!
Tomorrow: Essential Ingredient #3


Transforming Thoughts
Life Lesson #3 Seeing the Glass Half Full

Until Then, Smile Often

Barbara
http://www.lifetude.com/