Gratitude Equals Expansion

Good day!

I'm guessing that anyone reading this blog will have expansion as an intention - expansion of lifestyle, expansion of financial means, and of happiness, satisfaction and overall well-being. Forging your own path means all of these things and more.

While many of us have heard that having - exercising - gratitude will help us attract more into our lives, few of us practise this amazing and transformative process. It IS a process, just like every other action in our lives, which unfold in space and time.

To demonstrate today how quick and effective this process can be in expanding your heart and your life, I propose a little exercise - perform if it you will! There is no one to force you; however, hopefully the future you are longing for is also calling to you, telling you in a tiny voice to just try this...

This little exercise is so simple and powerful, I once sent it to myself in an email, entitled 'To Shauna, from YOUR FUTURE SELF' and every time I come across it, it startles me anew. I open it, read it, perform the exercise because I trust myself (as I did today and having been reminded, I am sharing it with you), and am amazed at the flood of gratitude and sense of remembrance I feel.

This exercise combats the boredom people sometimes feel when they have committed to the habit of writing gratitude lists every day, but cannot plumb the depths to find 'new' things to be grateful for, and so end up just going through the motions. This type of forced but heartless activity does NOT create expansion and in fact feels like a chore. This is NOT what we're after!

Here is my note to myself, verbatim, lest I mess with the magic in trying to paraphrase it:

Have You Thanked the Universe Today?

Shauna;

Today's reminder is -- gratitude.

Sure, you've heard it countless times before...be grateful for what you have, and the Universe will send you more. But have you ever noticed how hard it is sometimes to sit and appreciate things, and how EASY it is to appreciate something once it is gone?....

Today, look around you and consider for a moment that you have lost each item or person in your life, as your eyes and mind come to rest on it. It will only take you a moment to appreciate it much more than you did the second before. Take a few minutes right now and perform this little task....and then say Thank you!! You are truly blessed.

S

That's it! If you let this work on even a few things which surround you, I guarantee you'll have a big smile on your face when you're done. The possibilities are endless as you take the time to look around you. I find myself saying, for instance, 'Someone took my windows' and then imagine sitting in the dark and remembering wistfully how much I loved the light streaming in. This is especially effective for me, because I sometimes complain that I don't have enough windows, ie. enough sunlight.

I once feared that by trying to be grateful for what I already have, I would in essence be settling for just that...I would be saying to the Universe that I am satisfied here, thank you, and I require no more. It has been my experience that just the opposite has occurred. As my heart expands with gratitude for how wonderful my life already is, and how beautiful and miraculous life is and our earth is, I feel as if I might explode from the enormity of it. This happiness creates expansion in all areas...I find more friendly faces, I connect with people and animals more readily, and I tell the Universe 'bring it on!' instead of 'I can't take it - it's too beautiful!' which is what I used to say. This expanded feeling, coupled with focus on my goals, has brought about radical change in my life, and I'm telling you from experience...prosperity floods to the person with open arms, NOT into a closed cup.

TRY IT, and enjoy the positive consequences!

Gratitude Equals Expansion

Each New Choice

In my quest to help others live their dreams, I talk with a lot of people about the subject. As you might imagine, a question I commonly ask others is 'Are you living your dreams?' Of course, if they are not, then the next question to address would be 'why not?' This usually begins an important discussion about a person's beliefs and their exposure to goal setting, positive environments, role models and the principles of success.

A second and equally important question involved in this discussion is 'Have you defined your dreams and decided to LIVE the characteristics and traits of that dreamer personified?'

Many of us who are on the personal development road get caught in the 'waiting for our dreams to come true' trap; while we are happy and grateful most of the time, we expect we will be much happier and even more grateful when our 'dreams come true.'

What we all need to remember is that life is NOW. Will we look back when we've achieved some of our bigger goals and see that we have wasted countless days and hours longing for a better future?

While having goals and striving for them with focus and persistence is important, so too is living our now moments with fulfillment and richness. Isn't that what we are striving for anyway?...

As an example, if your 'future' ideal self is one who is excited, positive, free from fear or worry, do you assume it is because he/she has plenty of money or lives in a dream house? Step back for a moment, because this thinking is definitely on the wrong track. There is NOTHING outside of you that can make you feel powerful, happy or satisfied. While you may gain a temporary inflated feeling from getting a new car or buying your dream home, those feelings are simply internal ones, being amplified by the newness of your accomplishment.

All feelings are inside of you, and start with a choice you make beforehand and in the moment. While it may sometimes seem as if feelings take you over or come from somewhere else, I invite you to explore the part you and your thoughts have played in their creation. In doing so, you can begin to consciously choose to create otherwise, and then you really will be living the way you want, and attracting your dreams closer and closer to you.

Consider the 'feelings' a person may have after cultivating the following hypothetical thought patterns:

• A: "Why do things always go wrong after a few dates?" "What is wrong with me that I cannot attract anyone good?" "Why does this always happen to me?" "Why can't I ever get a break?"
• B: "This is useless. I don't know why I bother." "Sam always gets the plum jobs. God, I can't stand that guy." "She's such a phony. Whay can't everyone see through her like I can?"
• C: "What a great day! I wonder what exciting things will happen today?" "What can I learn from this so I can do better next time?" "I have decided that I will always bounce back, no matter what happens. Nothing can stop me." "Do I feel like running today, or swimming?"
• D: "Let me think of five good things about that person..." "I'm so grateful for all the good in my life, and I'm open for even more!" "What is needed here, and how can I contribute to this situation?" "What can I do right now that will move me toward my dreams?"

Follow the trajectory...as daily life unfolds, person A and person B will 'experience feelings' of frustration, anger, hopelessness, resentment, jealousy, and possibly even seething hatred. The physiology caused by such thought patterns is also dangerous for one's health.

Persons C and D, on the other hand, will likely 'experience feelings' of happiness, satisfaction, contribution, joy and gratitude, and the powerful feelings associated with achievement and anticipation of success. They will feel vibrant, energetic and excited about life.

As psychologist Daniel Gilbert points out in his amazing and deeply thought-provoking book 'Stumbling on Happiness,' we as humans are not fabulous at predicting how we will feel in the future. All the more reason, in my mind, to make conscious decisions about how we wish to feel and behave in any given situation.

By cultivating the thought patterns associated with the dream life we want and the dream person we want to be, we can begin to live that life NOW, with each new day. Each new choice puts you in the driver's seat of your life - begin making your choices consciously!

Each New Choice

Exploring Your Influences

You are what you eat, they say...and you are also who you hang out with.

It can also be said you are the books you read, the TV you watch and, in general, the influences you allow into your daily life.

Every little thing that floats across our awareness - conscious or subconscious - affects how we think and behave, which in turn affects the results we achieve (or don't!). For those of you interested in fine tuning your results in life, I encourage you to explore the influences which surround you. In fact, it's the subconscious influences which have the deepest affect - doubly so because we don't notice them.

For instance, most of us have heard all our lives that the slim, beautiful women in magazines affect the self-image of 'normal' girls and ladies. I simply have never felt that this influence applied to me. I'm too smart for that, I thought; too confident, too happy and centered to worry about such things. In fact, I find myself inspired by slim, beautiful women most of the time. However, I recently discovered how deep these influences go while pondering the seemingly simple choice of changing my hairstyle. My mind began regurgitating judgements about what is feminine, how old is too old to have 'x' length of hair, etc. etc.. Where did I get all this from?? Answer: TV, magazines, in-store posters ... in short, every ad I've ever seen that attempts to tell me what I 'should' look like at my age. What we REALLY should be doing, always, is looking to ourselves and deciding what we love and what is best for us.

TIP: If you don't listen to your own inner voice very often, start now. Your inner self knows more than you do, and this is one important skill that develops with practice. In fact, it's one of the most important things you can do on your journey to create your own authentic, powerful future life. There has never been an occasion when I asked my 'self' for an answer and didn't receive it. Without fail, I have received answers or suggestions that are right on the mark.

As another example, a woman in a Law of Attraction group I am a part of was trying to overcome some financial problems. She was learning about finances and maintaining a positive attitude, but felt she was being held back for some reason. One day, she was cleaning off her desk at home and it hit her like a ton of bricks that she was surrounding herself with negative influences. She related that all over her desk were piles of bills that needed to be paid. Imagine the draining and negative subconscious messages being imprinted in the brain of someone sitting at a desk looking at piles of bills all day!

The Untapped Positive

While we may all have people or situations in our lives that are less than ideal, there is much we can do to we can widen our perspective and explore ways to increase the positive influences.

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As just one example of things you may be missing, I was recently brainstorming for a book a I am writing. As part of my research, I decided to interview any and all millionaires I know personally. While my few millionaire friends automatically made the list, I began to wonder if there was anyone I might have overlooked. As I considered people I know or have known, quite a few names 'popped' as I realized that these people likely have at least a million dollars' net worth. There's the quiet, unassuming executive who lives in a modest home but takes his wife to places like Venice on the occasional weekend, and the owner of the factory, and my uncle who has always handled his money carefully ... isn't it possible - even likely - that these people and possibly many more I know are millionaires? Most of the time I am lamenting that I don't know/hang out with nearly enough wealthy people, knowing how important our influences are. With this fun new discovery, not only am I bound to get some fantastic insights from these inspiring people, I got a lasting infusion of encouragement and connectedness from the realization that so many like-minded people surround me. This is also a brilliant and inspiring story I can share with my blog and book readers ... after all, surely YOU are surrounded by such people too!

Go ahead and explore your influences, both positive and negative. Such personal development work can lead to exciting and powerful insights, which in turn can lead to quick and lasting changes. Whatever influences you'd LIKE to have in your life are closer and more possible than you think, and by also eliminating some of the negatives, you are well on your way to creating your dreams with more power and energy than ever. Enjoy!

Recommended books:

Exploring Your Influences

Retirement and the Five Percent Return

All your life, you have likely been exposed to the concept of retirement. Save for retirement, you are told. Plan your life and your finances intelligently, so you'll have enough to last you in retirement. While this may all be very good advice, have you ever stopped to consider the pre-assumptions involved? It may seem intelligent, but it actually assumes a lack of intelligence in all of us.

Background

The entire concept of retirement is based on an antiquated system, where people used to work for one company all their lives. These loyal employees would work hard, build their pension and eventually retire and enjoy the benefits of those pre-paid and usually government-subsidized pension payments. In their golden years, the many decades of hard work one put in would be rewarded with time off and some income to ensure they would be OK to enjoy it.

We all know the dynamics of the workplace have changed very significantly, with more people changing jobs regularly, tasks being effectively outsourced and individuals choosing to consult rather than be employees. One can no longer rely on any corporation to provide for their future; we are each truly responsible for our own financial well-being.

Is Retirement a Four Letter Word?

There is a further issue to consider here, one that is largely unspoken, and that is the pre-assumption that you will have to work until you are old/er. It is presumed that you will not have or take control of your finances and create an asset base to serve you. You are not smart or capable enough to come up with ideas on your own; to start a lucrative business - or five! What about investing? Not 5% investing but 1000% investing? It is presumed that you will remain ignorant financially and will have a long, slow slog towards a day when you can finally (if you're lucky! - and have been good) quit your job and enjoy a little freedom. You, the average citizen, are not smart or capable enough to figure out another way. You believe (and will continue to believe) that the rich are just 'lucky' and that it is impossible or very difficult to become wealthy.

That the same institutions who perpetuate this myth purvey 'financial freedom' products is a cruel joke. The retirement industry keeps people ignorant and relies on that ignorance to continue selling low-yielding products such as GIC's, bonds and mutual funds. Has anyone ever told you to invest in bank STOCKS rather than bank products? Investing in bank products keeps the bankers laughing all the way to the bank.

5% = 0.05

The key to financial freedom, as I mention often at my new blog Women & Money, is EDUCATION: education that is applied with confidence and persistence. The internet has made it so easy to obtain good financial education that there is no excuse to be ignorant any longer. [Hint: Try investopedia.com and the myriad financial sites such as CBNC and Yahoo! finance for a start.] Even without the internet, we have libraries full of FREE books on everything from various stock market strategies to real estate investing and more. Further, there are means to wealth that the mutual fund companies and banks never mention. Now why is that? It's because they NEED naive investors to continue buying their products so they can - literally - bank the profits. Have you ever considered what they do with your money to make themselves more of it? Money can grow, and should.

Many people find numbers boring or intimidating, on top of the fact that they believe they have no control. However, control and freedom are within the grasp of each of us, if we only reach for them with determination. The incredible joy and hope you will feel when the 'numbers' go from boring or scary to beautiful - because they represent the wielding of control and understanding - is second to none. It is empowering, inspiring, and something we should ALL feel.

YOU CANNOT GET WEALTHY ON A 5% RETURN.

Retirement and the Five Percent Return

Wealth: Make it Your Friend

Do you want to be wealthy? Not sure why you haven't made it yet?...You are not alone. Millions of people feel that they don't have the wealth they 'deserve', but if you dig a little deeper, they have exactly what their subconscious mind thinks they deserve.

Many people claim that they want great wealth, without realizing that there are deep changes in mindset that accompany such large lifestyle transformations. If you are currently struggling financially, your life - whether you know it or not - is a reflection of your inner thoughts and beliefs. The beliefs that support your current life and circumstances have to change significantly in order to accomodate an entirely new situation.

The great news is, YOU are at the helm of this ship, and with some effort and growth, you can change directions...and go wherever you want!

Today's Tip:
Make wealth a word that brings joy and happiness to your mind. If underneath your desire for more money lies disdain for wealthy people who drive or walk by, or negative judgement of others who are successful or wealthy, you have some underlying beliefs to explore before you can allow prosperity for yourself. Work on discovering your thoughts surrounding money and you will make a good start toward your future wealth. A simple exercise to help: take out some paper or your word processor and ask yourself 'what do I believe about money?' You may surprised to find some strong thoughts coming up...write until you come up blank, and date your entry so you can return to it later and track your progress.

Throughout this blog, you will find links and references to other sites and programs that are recommended. For some links I receive a small compensation and none for others. ALL links added by me have been thoroughly screened and are highly recommended. Enjoy, and check back often!

Wealth: Make it Your Friend