The Power of Gratitude

In our journey to attract wealth and prosperity, let's be grateful for what we have. What we have accomplished. For the small successes. For our capacity to excel -- to create. And the empowerment that comes from being!

Gratitude is among one of the most effective strategies useful to change our thinking, feeling and being.

But, it is a sacrifice.

It entails stepping out of our egocentric selves long enough to look beyond our lack, want, need, pain, past, etc. -- so we can focus on ALL the good that abound us.

Life’s Like a Spinning Class (part one)

I finally took a spinning class! I’ve wanted to take one for a very long time.

I loved the idea of the intense workout -- the big time perspiration, toning and building muscle on my legs, and of course, resistance.

I looked into the spinning class studio week after week but wouldn't go in. I was too afraid. I didn’t think I’d have the stamina or strength for it. I was simply too intimidated by this thing.

Maybe if I came up with a plan. But nothing came to mind. I mean really, what plan could get me over the fear!

Until a week ago. I left home for the gym thinking I would “just do it.”

There was a line of people ready to go in. Classes fill up quickly.
I had butterflies in my stomach.

I approached two women in line and pretended to be curious.
I asked them a few questions about the class. When I observed their ease in talking with me, I shared with them how intimidated I felt.

Well, you know how it is when you show vulnerability to people. The reactions are random. Each woman had a different opinion. One was optimistic and encouraging. The other was cautious and warned it would be terribly challenging.

I decided to listen to the “good angel”. I wasn’t going to let a spinning class terrify me anymore!

I adjusted the bike, got on it and began to warm up. The instructor gave me some pointers before starting the class.

I’m not going to lie… the first fifteen minutes were extremely difficult. My legs were shaking. My knees hurt. I couldn’t pedal standing very long. Never mind trying to increase the tension or pedal to the music rhythm.

The instructor came over and spoke in my ear. She told me to relax -- to let the bike do the work for me. Whatever that meant, I didn’t understand how to do it.

A battle ensued in my mind.
Do I quit? How much longer should I go? Will I be able to come back to the class if I quit? Will it always be this painful? I don’t want these people to think I’m a wimp! Man, I wasn’t going to make it!

I kept looking at the clock.
Maybe twenty minutes was a decent amount of time for a beginner.
I would push another five minutes.

Fifteen minutes went by.
I rose to first position and all of a sudden… the pain on my knees was gone! The discomfort on my back disappeared. And it felt good! Yeah!

My mental conversation changed to: I’m doing it! I can really do this! Man, there’s no stopping me now. What a thrill! What a great feeling! Woohoo!!

I spinned the whole hour.
A couple of the people in the class and the instructor commented how great I’d done.
This was a major accomplishment! I felt really proud of myself.

The fear was gone!

Well, I’m not going to tell you how sore my legs were for four days after the class.
I am however going to share with you on my next post how this experience taught me a great big lesson about life’s challenges, fears of the unknown and self-imposed limitations in our journey to attract wealth and success.

How are you spinning in your journey to wealth and success?

Nature's Gift

I went for a short walk today. I was having such a hard time concentrating I couldn’t get anything done.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that it’s a beautiful spring day! The sky is so clear it looks like crystal. The sun is shining bright. Oh, and the breeze made it so hard to get back inside.

I could actually smell the flowers. It is true! If our senses and consciousness are in tune, we can enjoy all nature has to offer.

What an awesome feeling… to absorb natures beauty. To let it uplift and reenergize us. Hey, this fifteen minute walk was better than a whole day at a spa!

Coming back feeling re-energized, I realized what a difference a short break with nature can make. It is one of life’s best gifts!

In our journey of attracting wealth, let us remember to take advantage and enjoy our natural resources. It will give us a “fresh” perspective.

Have you stopped to notice nature’s beauty today?

Recognizing The Opportunity

I’ve been struggling with this topic for the past couple of weeks. Truth is, it's a heavy one. And I couldn’t organize my thoughts fast enough.

Until a couple of weeks ago and a conversation with my niece.

Now, the conversation could’ve been an ordinary one. But, uh-uh, nothing is ever "ordinary".

I share this conversation with you because it illustrates well a hindrance to the journey to success and wealth… It is the inability to recognize the opportunity we pray for.

A couple of months ago I took my niece to see my doctor. He specializes in hormonal imbalance medicine and Compounding Pharmacy.

She’d been complaining of symptoms I recognized. It turns out that like me, she suffers from a hormonal imbalance condition. The difference between her and me is that she is 27… I was diagnosed at 39!

Having suffered some violent symptoms for the past couple of years, she was relieved to find out her condition could be treated with natural hormones.

Great! -- you think. Well, last I heard about her enthusiasm and coming back to see the doctor was in December.

Why hasn’t she come to get her medication I thought… what could be more important than feeling emotionally and physically better?

Well, I asked her. And I was blown away by what she told me... she felt conflicted about taking medicine for the rest of her life. And she could not understand why God couldn’t just heal her.

You might think there must be something else wrong. I don’t know -- maybe. But this behavior is as common as the inability to make decisions. Feeling insecure, fearful or simply not being aware of your reality.

Although not the same, these character and emotional issues are tightly connected with a person's perceptions. It is true that our perceptions are affected by gender, childhood experiences, culture, religion, social status, etc. A wrong perception has the potential to paralyze personal progress and gifting. It simply will not allow you to live the full life you’ve been gifted with!

Our perception is the lense by which we see the world, ourselves and others. Our outlook on life. So the main reason we miss out on great opportunities is because our idea of how it should be packaged is skewed.

We’ve all heard the saying… “our perception is our reality”. Hence, the wrong perception can be detrimental to our success. This is a huge idea to grapple with! I’m just scratching the surface of a very intense topic. So I hope you’re still with me.

Knowing a Bible story would hit home, I reminded my niece of the story of Elijah. The Old Testament prophet.

Elijah was a man of force and confrontation used to dramatic results. He was also a mighty man of faith and power who had wrong perceptions.

One day while depressed (he felt panicked because there was a bounty on his head), Elijah complained to God about being the only surviving prophet and the horrible state of God’s people. He was in a crossroad in his life and assumed God was not aware of the situation.

Little did he know… God was on top of things! He cared for Elijah in his time of need and restored his confidence. He also taught him a great lesson. For God would not be confined to Elijah’s “box”.

In the story we see God revealing himself to the prophet in an unfamiliar way. Not in the obvious windstorm, earthquake or fire. No… God manifests himself in an unexpected sound of a gentle whisper. Fortunate for Elijah, he recognized God’s voice.

I went on to explain how easy it is for us to miss the blessing we’ve been praying for. We miss it because our expectation of the package does not allow us to discern the reality.

She has not started treatment. I pray the opportunity does not pass her by.

Indeed, we all suffer from wrong perceptions. Beware not to miss a good opportunity because you don’t recognize the package. Remember that we cannot control or dictate how an opportunity will present itself. We just have to be open and discerning for its arrival!

Let us be mindful in our journey to attract wealth and success, of the perceptions that limit our growth and potential. And of the believes, expectations and ideals that block the opportunities/blessings we’ve been praying for.

Have you checked your lense lately? Could the wrong perception be blocking your opportunity?

Open yourself to receiving your opportunity. Let yourself be blessed!

Note: What do you see in the picture above?

Goal Set Your Way To Wealth And Success

What are you wishing for this year? Is it a beautiful home…more time with your family…financial freedom…peace and good health to enjoy it all?

We all want a better life. But do we take the necessary steps to make our dreams come true? I would venture to say no.

Dreaming of a better life is a good thing. But unfortunately for most people -- that is where it ends.

I am sure you want to stand out in the crowd, and that is really not that difficult to do. All you need is: vision, focus, a plan and the courage to execute it. If you’ve taken “the first steps” then you’re ready to go to the next level in your journey to success -- ready to welcome the opportunities that abound you. So let’s get ready.

I’d like to talk about the importance of setting goals. Goals help us achieve success as we progress in any given area of our life. If used well, they can serve as a road map in our journey.
So it is not surprising that much of the talk on the importance of setting goals is from a practical and technical standpoint. Although important, I’d like to discuss it from a deeper perspective -- one that requires the use of our emotions and intelligence. Allow me to illustrate by sharing my story.

Several weeks ago I felt very strong in my Spirit to set goals for this year. Now, I’m not talking about the usual New Year’s resolutions of losing weight, etc. No…my goals for this year were to be in the form of a document I could use as a tool. And to my surprise, I had to make this document public. What?!! I had never done anything like that. Making it public meant risking being perceived as crazy and unrealistic! So why would I do such a thing? I don’t know, except my Spirit was leading…dictating to do it with full abandonment. I wouldn't discover where all of this would lead until the completion of the process.

Once in front of the computer, the finger to the keyboard connection was electric. I felt free and bold. I was able to tap into the desires of my heart. I thought carefully about what each goal represented to make sure they were not an outlandish list of capricious wants -- they were actually the headline of each of the stories in my life. They represented the road map that will guide me to success!

My present level of awareness (I made a conscious decision last year to receive more) prompted me to take this action -- to draft the plan because as I lay the foundation, I am preparing the way and building capacity to receive that which I expect.

It is important to understand that to attract wealth and success we have to do more than just think about it. That is only part of the process. Undoubtedly it requires work: Focused effort, engaging your senses, intelligence and consciousness of the processes. Once the foundation is in place, you can expect to receive. I assure you the blessings will be far greater than anything you’d expect.

To get started in your goal setting process don’t worry about perfection. The technicality of the process is not important. And I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to believe in yourself. Believe that you are created for greatness because that’s 99% of the work. Feeling self assured will enable you to receive all that you are meant to receive.

This was my goal-setting process:
1. I searched my heart for what I care about the most and listed them
2. I turned the list into goals, and reflected carefully about the actions each one of them needed in order for it to be set into motion
3. Lastly, I listed three simple and attainable actions for each goal.

This is now a powerful tool I can use to focus my energy and efforts. It is my road map to destination success! Having finished the process, I was ready to release my document.

Okay, so you’re probably wondering if I really made it public. And the answer is yes. I emailed it to my sisters and a few close friends. As I attached the document to the email it suddenly hit me -- a public declaration of my goals was a decree unto the Spirit world that would undoubtedly carry forth great consequences! Wow -- It all came together. Everything made perfect sense.

The ripple effect of this action has been phenomenal! Things are unraveling around me. I’m experiencing amazing revelation and attracting resources I didn't know exist.

My level of awareness is heightened to unexpected levels. My attitude about the “everyday grind” has changed; I’m full of energy, new hope and enthusiasm. I have a new outlook on life and better yet, I have something major to look forward to daily. I have experienced a major breakthrough!

Setting goals by definition is a good exercise. It is also good for:
1. Setting into motion big ideas
2. Daring to be bold
3. Pushing the stagnated air that doesn’t allow fresh and creative flow
4. Holding yourself accountable and putting your faith to work
5. And most importantly, to take charge of what happens in your life rather than letting life happen to you!

Don’t wait another minute. You can set goals and accompany them with actions any time of the year. Our life’s decisions put into motion what we want to achieve and receive. That in itself is an action. Deciding to do nothing will also have consequences.

Remember that life doesn’t wait for us to happen. Take courage! Forget about past failures and the nay sayers. Focus on the gift that is your life.

I was reminded of a powerful Bible verse while writing this article. It affirmed the importance of having a clear vision, dreams and to know where I’m headed: “My people perish for lack of vision.” - Hosea 4:6 KJV

Dream big and start drafting your road map to success today. Declare your goals and prepare the way for the opportunity. Once you do, it will come!

Know How To Attract Your Financial Freedom: Taking The First Steps

How To Attract Your Financial Success!

Taking The First Steps

In my personal journey, I have found that the beginning of something great, going after my heart's desire or simply becoming "unstuck", cannot happen until I decide to do it. The decision to do and to be, may just be the most difficult part of the process. But unless we decide, we will never reach the heights and the depth of all we were created to be!

Life is meant to be enjoyed. Don't postpone your destiny--decide today to start the greatest journey of your life and that you will no longer be afraid to receive it because, you are deserving of greatness, love, beauty and happiness.

I have a homework assignment for you. Take a pen and paper and make a list of the following:

1. List the 3 greatest desires of your heart
2. List 3 reasons why you think you can't have them
3. List where you first heard (this can be yourself or someone else) you couldn't have them
4. List where in the world it says you are not capable and or not worthy of those things you desire
5. Do a summary of your findings but especially of #4

I want you to understand something. It is important to purge. To look into those deep, dark places where we first "became stuck". Everything has a beginning-- even the negative things. All that we are can be traced to our childhood and often we need help to guide us out of those places. But for now, let's stay focused on getting out of that place called "negativity", "pessimism", and "low self-esteem". Let's start to envision and think about our new place called, "prosperity", "success", "happiness", "overflow". Try to cleanse yourself of negative thoughts. Replace them with positive ones like the fact that there is only one of you created in the world and only YOU have the power to BE and give to the world what you were destined to. Believe in yourself , trust and make a decision today to attract those things that make you smile. The things that were placed in your heart since the beginning of time and for whatever reason they have been on hold... until now!

I have used a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson as inspiration while journaling. Even long before I knew it was his. He obviously was aware of and was guided by an inner-strength common among historic leaders. This quote is just one among his many other famous ones: "Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen."

Make your decision today!

We will later explore the importance of goal setting.