After The Secret

John Asaraf, from The Secret, and his partner stopped by this lens. Here's what they had to say:

John and Murray
"This is a wonderful lens. You've really put a lot of work into it, and it shows." Posted May 17, 2008 12:01 AM

Having trouble manifesting with your intentions, affirmations, and visualizations? Let's go over some vital points that make the difference between failure and success.

One key is focusing on the emotional experiences of gratitude and joy that come with fulfillment of our intentions, not the objects of them. See and feel yourself AFTER your desires have manifest, focusing on the emotional quality of the experience. Spirit may have a way of fulfilling our desires that is different, and greater, than what we have visualized. There is also the crucial point of letting go and not being attached to the outcome. As long as we hold onto our vision with vise grip-like attention, we haven't given it over to the Source of creation. We are not sole creators; we are co-creators with that which is the source of all that is. Getting clear on what we choose to experience is important, but then we need to let it go to the creative source of life.

Perhaps the most important key to successful manifestation is the desire that all of our intentions serve the highest good for all. Everything we create affects everything in creation. Our limited human vision may lead us to want for a particular thing, but that thing in the way we have imagined it may not be a blessing to us or to others. We have greater success in manifesting if it is clear in our intentions, and in our heart, that what we choose must be a blessing not only to ourselves, but also to others.

Then we get to the issue of receiving. Probably the largest majority of human beings don't believe they deserve what they desire. You can affirm, intend, and visualize all day long, but if you have a belief, conscious or unconscious, that you don't deserve it, you won't receive it. Beliefs of unworthiness need to be healed and transformed before receiving is possible. Do you feel uncomfortable when someone pays you a compliment or gives you a gift? If so, you would be wise to address your feelings of worthiness. Learning to love and value yourself is important not only for manifesting your desires, but also for general happiness, good health, and success.

Last but not least is vibrational frequency. Abraham talks a lot about being in vibrational harmony with our desires, and they're not the only ones who stress this point. We can't manifest abundance while in the vibrational frequency of lack, or fear. The most important thing we can focus our attention on when we want to make changes in our lives is how we feel. How we feel is an indication of the frequency of our vibration. "Negative" feelings equal a low vibration. "Positive" feelings equal a higher vibration. Hate is the lowest frequency and love is the highest. Genuine heart-felt gratitude is very close to the frequency of love. Every teacher of the Law of Attraction stresses the importance of gratitude because it raises our frequency to allow us to attract more of what blesses us.

Meditation and breathing exercises bring our attention to the present moment, and allow us to become aware of the essential life energy that animates our bodies, inspires our minds, and brings worlds into existence. Meditation also makes us feel good. It releases serotonin in the brain. That raises our vibrational frequency. Affirmations and intentions may be more effective after a good meditation because we are already in a higher vibration. When we focus our attention on gratitude and are able to get into the feeling of joy, we open ourselves up to attract to us that which is in harmony with gratitude and joy.

It's also important to be conscious of our word choices. Words carry a vibration. What we speak and what we write affects what we are creating in our experience. Everything we think, say, and do is making a statement about who we think we are. From that statement, our reality is created. Look at your thoughts and communication, especially those that are automatic. Is there any language there that might be limiting you? How many times a day do you say, "Not, no, don't, can't, hate, fear, afraid" or any other negative word or phrase? These words effect our vibrational frequency, and lower it. Becoming conscious of our language can open the way for greater success in manifestation.

For more tips on raising your vibrational frequency, see Who is Julia Rogers Hamrick?

Many people have attended seminars, learned new skills, applied them with enthusiasm, then gave up. They didn't see the changes they wanted in the timeframe they expected. It is possible that they were misinformed. It is possible that what they learned doesn't actually work. They may have had unrealistic expectations of the timeframe for success. In most cases, however, the problem is giving up too soon.

I had a tree in my front yard that broke off below the ground. The man that hauled it away said that this kind of tree might grow back, but with no trunk left, it wasn't likely. I gave it tree food. I watered it. I kept waiting for a new sprout to come up, but nothing happened. There was no indication that there was any life left below the surface. I watered it anyway, just in case. Four months later, my persistence was rewarded with a tiny sprout growing out of the old main root. Since then, I have had to trim the tree monthly because it is growing so fast. It is now four feet tall, thick, and sturdy. It's so strong that it doesn't need stakes to hold it up against the fierce winds we get. All the time that it didn't look like anything was happening, the roots were digging deeper, spreading wider, and getting ready to support a great tree.

I believe that this is how we make progress in life. Our efforts may seem ineffective for a time, but if we persist, we will see that necessary preparatory work was going on below the surface the whole time. If you believe in what you're doing and in your goals, don't give up. Continue relentlessly to do the things you believe are right. Trust that all the little things that need to be in place to support your dreams are being arranged below the surface. Have patience, knowing that when your goal does manifest, it will be in the most appropriate way and at the perfect time.

Do you feel like you're in harmony with abundance? How do you know? If you are, then those things that vibrate with the frequency of abundance will feel right or natural to you. Here's how I found out that I was NOT in alignment with abundance.

When I first got an oil blend called "Abundance" I didn't like the smell of it. It was very strong and really turned me off. I used it any way, though quite sparingly, because I wanted the benefits of the oil. It is reported to attune our vibration to that of abundance. I sure needed some help in that area, so I gave it a chance.

After a while, the smell didn't bother me any more. It was OK. I had some of the oil in a diffuser on my desk. That was a good start. Then I started rubbing a couple drops of the oil on the bottoms of my feet. Immediately I felt heat and tingling in my feet, not just on the surface but all the way through. I could actually feel the increased vibration in and around my feet. That was nice so I kept doing it once a day for a little while.

Before long I started to like the smell of Abundance oil. I put a few more drops than before in the diffuser and rubbed it into my palms as well as my feet. Now, I really love the smell!

What I've realized is that my own frequency was not in harmony with the frequency of the Abundance oil blend when I first started using it. As I became more and more attuned to it, the smell became increasing pleasant to me. That which we are in harmony with appeals to us. That which is of a very different frequency, whether much higher or much lower, does not appeal to us. It's like when you meet someone new and you immediately feel drawn or repelled by that person. When we're vibrating at a similar frequency, we feel a resonance with the other person.

This is what can be so empowering for us with essential oils and why using therapeutic grade is so important. Cheaply produced oils do not have the life essence of the plant in them, so they don't have the ability to enhance our vibrational frequency. With high quality oils, we can benefit from the pure life essence of the plant by bringing them into our home and applying them to our skin. The frequency of vibration that is inherent in the oils can raise our frequency in targeted or general ways.

To experience the energy of Love more deeply, use Rose oil. For peace and calming, Lavender oil is great. If you want to raise your vibration to that of abundance, I cannot more highly recommend the Abundance oil blend made by Young Living. It really works!

Get in Harmony with Abundance Here.

A Healthy Money Relationship
We've heard for years, "Money is the root of all evil. Rich people have no character. If you're wealthy, you must be arrogant, selfish, and ruthless." These have been accepted beliefs for centuries. Many of us may still hold these beliefs in our unconscious without even realizing it. If there is a bit of these beliefs in us, we cannot have a positive experience of money in our lives.

A healthy relationship with money begins with correcting our beliefs about it. If we resent or criticize wealthy people, we push money and wealth away. Money flows where it is made welcome. It is Divine energy, expressing itself as currency. As such, it is inherently Divine, not evil. How it's used is an expression of the individual, not of money itself. If you want to have a positive experience of money then you must have a positive attitude toward it. Since all things come from God, are created of God, then money must also be of God. How then can it be bad?

When you hold money in your hand, feel gratitude for its presence and the roll it plays in your life. It is a tool, here for you to use. Its purpose is to flow through our lives. Clinging to it or hoarding money stops the flow. If it isn't flowing out, it isn't flowing in. Let it flow through you. Share what you have, with love, knowing that in giving (or spending) you are assisting money in fulfilling its purpose. In the process, you open yourself to allow money to flow into your life. You become part of the Divine purpose of this Divine energy that we see expressed as money.

Keep some form of cash where you will see it often. Every time you look at it, bless it and give thanks for it. Not just for that one piece of currency, but for all money. When you bless your money, bless all money. This will help you develop a positive relationship with money that will result in an increase of it flowing through your life. When money comes to you, don't be ashamed of it and don't cling to it. Rejoice in the blessing and share a portion of it with others. Your gratitude for and blessing of money will attract it to you in increasing quantity. It is up to you to use it wisely. Remember that money is a tool. Use it to bless others and you will find that it also blesses you.

May you be richly blessed!

Sometimes, it looks like all our efforts to change our lives are failing. We make every effort to move out of negative thinking or damaging behaviors, only to find them coming up more often. What's happening in this case is actually exactly what we need to make our new chosen way of life stable.

Each time we're presented with something we don't want to experience or be a part of, we have the opportunity to make a different choice, rather than automatically buying into it. Each time we make that different choice, we are strengthening and supporting a new way of being. Each time, we are living more and more consciously.

If you can picture the tractor ruts on a farm field, that's what our past conditioning is like. We have been driving a tractor in the same old ruts of programmed thought, over and over again. It's going to take more than a little effort to get out of the ruts and for some time, our "tractor" will tend to head back for the ruts. Each time we consciously make a new choice, we're breaking free of the ruts.

From that standpoint, every presentation of something we don't want in our experience is a gift that supports our evolution to a higher, more conscious state of being.

The time for justification, resentment, blame, and regret has passed. We can no longer afford the luxury of refusing to take responsibility for everything in our lives. We are powerful creators, becoming aware of the natural forces at work in us and in the Universe. As we begin to use them intentionally, we must clear ourselves of disempowering attitudes. The energy that radiates from us, whether positive or negative, draws to us more of the same. When we indulge in resentment, regret, blame, and anger, we radiate that energy to every one and everything around us and everyone and everything responds accordingly.

We cannot know peace in ourselves, our homes, our relationships, or our communities as long as we hold on to these negative states of mind and heart. We must be what we want to experience. To experience peace, we have to be peace. To experience love, we have to be love. To experience abundance, we have to be abundance. How can you be abundance? By living in a constant state of gratitude. By giving thanks always, for all that you have. By believing that all your needs are met and your desires are being fulfilled.

When we begin to use affirmations and/or intentions, we do so because we want to change our experience of life. We write them about what we want to experience or how we want to be. A lot of people do this, don't see the results they want, and quit. They are convinced that it doesn't work.

Perhaps it worked better than they realized. What I have found is that when I create an affirmation about something, it brings up in my experience more of what I want to change. I understand now that it has to. I've made a statement about the way I want to be, express myself, or experience life. My subconscious takes those goals and shows me what in me is preventing my experience of my goals.

The surprise gift of affirmations is that they show us what inside of us is not in harmony with what we want to create. That gives us the opportunity to change old patterns of thought, speech, and action. I've found that I cannot change something I am unaware of, so awareness is the key to change. My subconscious is actually serving me well when it shows me my fears, doubts, "negative" emotions, and limiting beliefs. Once I become aware of them, I finally have the opportunity to change them.

This is where the real challenge comes in. The stuff that comes up is not pretty and it is not comfortable. My first instinct for many years was to stuff it back down, cover it over with positive thinking, and turn my attention to something more pleasant. I didn't realize that I was rejecting a part of myself in the process, and rejecting a precious opportunity for real change. It's hard sometimes to remember that tough stuff is a gift and to look right at it instead of denying it. But that's exactly what I have to do if I want to change the automatic behaviors and limiting beliefs.

One way to make the most of such opportunities is to talk to the uncomfortable thing that has come up. For me, it means writing. For you, it may be talking out loud to the air or talking to a mirror; what ever works. I speak directly to the entity or energy of what has come up. I acknowledge that it is there and that it is a part of me. I accept it and tell it that it is now free to express itself. Then I ask it what it wants to say. Without editing, I type out whatever comes to me, with my attention on the energy. Once it has expressed itself, I send it love and light and tell it that it is free to go and be its highest expression.

In my experience, these things are always locked in fear, with the emotionally maturity of a young child. They have been unable to express a lot of painful emotion because I have been so successful at pushing them down, blocking them out, in short, denying them. What I've done in the process is deny a part of myself. I cannot even imagine the toll that has taken on my body, mind, and spirit. I can however see clearly the toll it's taken on my relationships and my happiness.

I still use affirmations and state my intentions every morning. They have been one of my most transformative tools. The awareness and subsequent healing they've brought me would have taken a lifetime of therapy. If you welcome whatever comes up when you use affirmations and intentions, they can be a powerful tool for you, too.

What is all this about intending? Why do we intend things instead of just asking for them and hoping we'll get them? Thought precedes matter. Always. It is our own thoughts that create the reality we experience. Ask any inventor how he invented something and he'll tell you that he had an idea first, fully envisioned in his mind. From those thoughts, he created something tangible.

Mike Dooley says, "Thoughts become things." That is the simplest way to put it and the easiest way to remember it. Great teachers have told us for millennia to guard our thoughts, for that is where our experience begins. We see people all the time who notice a condition, like someone else coughing or sudden weather changes, and say, "Now, I'm going to get sick." The next time you see them, they're sick. Of course they are, they created it. They stated very clearly that they were intending to get sick.

What would happen if we stopped ourselves from those unconscious habitual thoughts and chose carefully to say only that which we desire to experience? What if we declared right out loud, "I am healthy!" That is a clear and specific statement of what we intend to experience. As long as we do not sabotage our positive intention with contradictory statements like, "I'm sick, I feel sick, I'm getting sick" then we would indeed experience health.

Stopping those unconscious and automatic self-sabotaging statements requires diligent awareness. We must become consciously aware of our thoughts if we are to use them to create the life we desire to live. Our thoughts are always creating our reality, but most often it is the unconscious thoughts, programmed by past experience, that are consistent enough to bring manifestation. Bringing our attention to the present moment makes it possible to observe our thoughts, to become aware of what we are habitually thinking. That awareness is the key to changing the thoughts that create our experience. Awareness gives us the power of choice.

The abundance we experience is not just a matter of affirming abundance, but of living it. How do we live abundance? By giving. When we give of ourselves, our time, and our talents, we make a living declaration of having more than enough. When we care for others and give to them without need of repayment or acknowledgment, Life gives to us in the same way.

Do you want to increase your experience of abundance? Then give of what you have and what you are. Give from your heart, with love. Do things for others that are not required of you, and don't brag about it. Ask yourself each day, "What can I do for others today? What am I giving today?" Do it, then let it go. Don't look for your reward. Perfect support, healing, inspiration, and abundance will come to you in the most perfect way for you. In the process, you will know true joy and deep inner peace. Those are the bonuses.

We all know that being around negative people brings us down, but have you ever thought about all the other things that bring you down, drain your energy, make you feel heavy? When I started thinking about the things in my life that drain me, I first thought of the three R's: Resentment, Resistance, & Regret. That part was easy. Then, I started looking at moments in my life when I have felt dis-empowered and what was going on at the time.

Anger or hatred is the worst feeling I can think of. It creates a dark cloud of heavy energy all around me. It blinds me from what I need to do or focus on. Fear is like this, too. Worry and doubt seem to bring me down more slowly. Arguing with someone can depress and blind me almost instantly. What are your barriers to progress? What diminishes your energy and vibration?

Here are the things that I have to watch out for. I don't dwell on them, but I have to be aware of when I am slipping back into these dis-empowering states. Maybe you can relate to some of them.

Resentment-Resistance--Regret-Fear-Anger-Hatred-Worry-Doubt-Pain-Arguing-Disappointment-Frustration-Denial-Nostalgia-Chaos-Impatience--Negative Talk--Negative People--Trying to meet other's expectations

When we discover our barriers to happiness and progress, we have the power to make a different choice.">

Ever since the movie "The Secret" came out, everyone is talking about The Law of Attraction. While The Secret was a great beginning, it was just that, a starting point. As many teachers have already said, there is a great deal more to it than simply visualizing what you want to have and expecting it to appear.

We have heard about the power of our thoughts, but without powerful emotions behind our thoughts, they are just noise. Thoughts must be focused, clear, and consistent. They must be supported by positive emotions. If you focus on abundance while fearing loss, you will experience loss-in abundance. If you focus on having a loving relationship while resenting the last person you had a relationship with, you will experience love that is spoiled by resentment.

Our emotions are the way we experience our rate of vibration, or frequency. A low frequency feels like sadness, irritability, frustration, and any number of other negative emotional states. High frequency states begin with love and include joy, enthusiasm, excitement, confidence, and most of all, gratitude. Gratitude is so important that it was mentioned repeatedly in The Secret. Gratitude helps us get from negative emotional states to positive states.

Gratitude is the bridge. If you can find something to be grateful for in the midst of your anger, fear, depression, or resentment, then you can change your emotional state and your frequency. The more you focus on feeling grateful, the more you raise your frequency. When you get to a state of joy and love, that is the time to focus on what you desire to experience. If you try to create from a negative emotional state, you will only create more of the negativity you want to change. Your first priority has to be getting yourself into a positive emotional state-consistently.

Do you wonder if The Law of Attraction is real? Look honestly at your life and you will find many instances where you attracted into your experience either the things you needed or the things you feared. Fear is a powerful emotion that draws to you the very thing that you fear. Love is the most powerful emotion and it draws to you that which you love, as well as wonderful things in every area of your life. Examine your life and you will see that it is your emotional state more than your thoughts that attracts to you particular experiences.

Believe or don't believe. It makes no difference. The Universe functions by very specific natural laws with or without our knowledge of them. The wise will seek out knowledge of the way the Universe functions in order to better understand it and work in harmony with it. I have found life to be much more joyful and successful when I strive to be and act in harmony with the natural laws of the Universe.

May you be love, joy, and gratitude.

Goal cards are a simple, effective way to get clear on what you want to experience, why, and how to achieve it. 4"x6" cards are easy to read quickly, don't take up much space, yet are large enough for you to notice them. The idea is to have a clear, concise expression of where you are going right in front of you everyday. This helps you stay focused on your goals and motivated to move toward them.

Here is the structure of the Goal Cards. Answers should be filled in using keywords that will quickly remind you of your full answers.

Goal: What is my desired outcome?

Why?: What will I get out of it?

When?: When do I want or expect this to happen?

How?: What can I do to make this happen?
What other things have to occur for this to happen?

Let's say you want wealth, financial abundance. What does that mean for you? Do you want to have a certain amount of money in the bank? Do you want to have a certain level of income? Do you want to have a certain lifestyle? How much money and in what circumstances equals financial abundance for you? Be as specific as possible.

The second entry on the goal cards is where many people have trouble. They know what they want, but they don't have a clear understanding of why they want it. Being vague will not help you achieve your goals. Ask yourself what you will gain by achieving your goal. Will you gain a sense of security? Will you be happier or have more fun? Will you feel like a success? Be completely honest with yourself. Your answers are a key component to achieving your goals. They are the clues about your present state of consciousness that can point out what you need to change before you will realize your goals.

If you want to experience something because it will make you feel successful, you need to address the fact that you do not see yourself as successful now. You won't be a success until you feel like a success, so you need to change the way you think of yourself in the present. Will achieving your goal give you the happiness you do not have now? If so, you need to decide to be happy now.

Achieving your goals will increase or add to the emotional states you already experience. We create from where we are in our present state of heart and mind. You can no more create success from failure than you can love from hate. You have to be in consciousness what you desire to create in experience.

The question of when makes us take our goals out of the ether and bring them down to Earth. When do you expect to achieve your goal? Answering this question gives you a deadline and motivates you to take action. Goals that are not acted upon are only fantasies. Look at the "When?" of your goal cards every day and you will remind yourself to take steps toward achievement.

How? Many people believe that this is the hardest question, but it actually is quite simple. List the steps that you can take toward the fulfillment of your goals. Name the actions you can do, not the ones you cannot. Commit yourself to doing everything that is within your power and ability to reach your goal. Even small steps forward are better than not doing anything. Each day, do something that advances you, something that prepares you, something that makes room for the fulfillment of your goal.

The last question may seem pointless, but I assure you it is important. There may be things that are, or seem to be beyond your control that must happen in order for you to realize your goal. That does not mean your goal is unattainable. The answers to this question may be written on the back of the card. They are not your concern. It may help to have them written down, however, to remind you of what you are not responsible for. This is where you let go and trust the Universe to do its part. If you clarify what you want, remember why you want it, and do everything in your power to achieve it, the rest will fall into place.

The deep desires of our heart, the things we passionately want to experience, are there because they are possible for us. They are a prophecy of things to come, if we will do our part and trust Divine Intelligence to do the rest. Commit yourself to achieving what you are passionate about. Take the first step by creating your own Goal Cards with complete honesty. Keep them close at hand at all times and refer to them frequently. Use your cards to help you maintain focus and stay motivated. Clarity and passion will bring fulfillment.

Some people swear by affirmations. Some swear they don't work. We could argue for or against them all day. The problem with affirmations is that many people say affirmations that set up an argument between their conscious and unconscious mind. That gets you nowhere.

The key to successful affirmations is changing the focus from the desired object to the emotional experience of having it. For example, instead of saying, "I am wealthy" try, "I enjoy being wealthy." You shift your attention from the desire to be wealthy to the emotional state of already being there. Most people can accept and believe that they would enjoy being wealthy so there is no ensuing argument.

You can do the same thing with any affirmation and desired outcome. Instead of, "I am slim and healthy" try, "It feels good to be slim and healthy." As you focus on what it would feel like to have your desired experience, your unconscious mind will go to work to bring about the experience. It will be working with you instead of against you. Your unconscious wants you to feel good, be happy, and thrive. That is its prime directive. By affirming that the things you want to experience do make you feel that way, you are giving your unconscious the direction it needs to bring those experiences into your reality.

Affirming your joyful success.

How do we put in the necessary time and attention to changing our beliefs and habits when we live busy lives? Busy as we are, there are many times when all we are doing is waiting. Those are the moments, or hours, when we can work on ourselves. Sitting in a waiting room or lobby, riding on a bus, train, or in an airplane, even standing in line are opportunities to use our thoughts constructively. While all these situations involve a degree of distraction, they also provide a great opportunity to strengthen our powers of concentration.

Affirmations are the easiest thing to work on where ever you are. I have a few key phrases that I repeat to myself whenever I am a passenger in a car or waiting somewhere. I also have a peace meditation and self-love meditation that I can do without getting into a near-trance state. My favorite and most powerful waiting activity is projecting love and light to others. I can do it anywhere because it is done with the heart and mind. I focus on my heart and imagine it filled with white light. Then I think of the people in my life, one by one, and visualize white light going from my heart to theirs. None of them know that I do this, but all my relationships have become more harmonious since I began using it.

As a college student, I have to take advantage of opportunities to study so I often take a textbook and notebook to a doctor's appointment. As a writer, I have a notebook with me at all times to jot down inspiration and ideas as they come to me. Sometimes, pages online take time to load and I could be sitting at my computer for several minutes doing nothing. I keep a notepad by my computer, as well as my daily activity list and work on them for a few minutes while I'm waiting. That's also a great way for me to get definitions filled in on my vocabulary words for school, while simultaneously working on my web site.

My life is quite full, but it only works when I make the most of every waking moment. That doesn't mean that I want to spend every moment working. By using all my waiting time to complete other things, I leave myself room for relaxation and play. These are important elements to a happy life and to my productivity. When I used to focus on work all the time, I found that I built up resentments against it because I never had time for fun or relaxation. That was completely unproductive. Now, I make time for taking care of myself, playing with my kids, or just relaxing by using waiting time to make progress.

My computer is the focal point of my day because I go to school online, run a business online, maintain a web site and two blogs, and network online. It is also a tremendous resource for personal growth. I have my favorite teachers bookmarked and receive daily inspirational emails from several. I can read those emails one by one while I'm cooking or eating lunch. My screensaver is a series of PowerPoint slides with affirmations and representative images and my desktop is the image that represents my primary intention. The qualities that I choose to embody are listed on a sign on the wall behind my monitor. My mind is constantly aware of them, even when I am focused on something else.

I listen to music CD's that are designed to synchronize the right and left hemispheres of the brain much of the time that I'm at my desk. They help me think clearly and the music is very soothing. In this way, I am supporting my well-being while working or studying. Learn about this empowering technology at Centerpointe Research.

My favorite way to get more out of my time is to exercise while watching slideshows of affirmations or positive-present questions. While I do Yoga, Tai Chi, and ride my exercise bike, I am also reprogramming my conscious and unconscious mind to support me, rather than sabotage me. If you wear headphones while exercising, try making a recording of affirmations and beliefs that you would have if you were living your ideal life as the highest expression of you.

These are the ways that I turn waiting time into productive time for positive change. I'm sure there is a study somewhere on the amount of time we spend waiting in a lifetime. It's probably a pretty big number. Why not put that time to use in a way that can improve the rest of your life?

Working while I wait.
Jstone

The brain is set up to answer questions. So, if we ask the right questions, our brain will go to work immediately on finding the answers. Those answers are the key to manifesting all the things we truly desire. Our ideal life must be as a result of living from the truth of who we are.
What excites me?
What brings me joy?
What am I really good at?
What do I love doing?
How can I be of service to others?
What is the truth of who I really am?
How can I consciously experience the truth of who I really am?
What are the true desires of my heart?
How can I express the true perfection of my body?
What is the best way for me to use what I love, what I am good at, and what excites me?
What do I need to learn about?
Where can I find the information I need?
How can I best express my truth?
What am I expressing that is not the truth of who I am?
What false beliefs or thoughts do I still have?
What is unfinished in my life?
What beliefs would I have if I were living my ideal life right now?

Really think about that question. Imagine yourself living the life of your dreams. Picture your home life, your work, your recreation, your relationships, your finances, and your health. Then write out exactly what you would believe to be true if you were living your ideal life. Read over what you have written and take note of any beliefs that you cannot now embrace as true. Those are the ones that can show you what is holding you back from actually living your ideal life. You may find insecurities you did not know you had. You may find lingering doubts about people, relationships, abundance, your abilities, the health of your body, and God. Take the time to find out why you have these doubts and correct them. Work on releasing everything that prevents you from having the beliefs you would have in your ideal life. You need to believe these things now in order to create your ideal life. If your beliefs do not change, neither will your reality.

We all know that what we put into our bodies directly affects how our bodies feel and work. The same is true for our minds. What are you putting into your mind? Are you letting other people determine your experience of life by planting thoughts in your mind? You are, if you are watching a lot of TV and movies.

What kind of music do you listen to? Does it uplift and inspire you? Does it inspire joy? If your music is full of anger and violence, then your mind will be also. If your input from TV and movies is full of negativity, sadness, pain, and frustration, then your mind will be also. Similar to a computer, what we put into our minds determines what comes out of them.

What you accept in your mind, you allow or create in your reality. Guard your thoughts. Take full responsibility for what goes into your mind. Select with care what you listen to and what you watch. Feed your mind and your spirit that which supports you, encourages you, and inspires you. This is not to say that we should ignore everything that is going on in the world. We need to be aware, but we do not need to be immersed in depressing news and images. Take care that you do not allow the reality that other people are creating to determine your reality. By being selective with our thoughts and what we feed our minds, we not only change our own reality, but the collective reality as well.

Choose your thoughts and change your world.

The key to personal empowerment is awareness. When we remember the truth of who and what we really are, we have the clarity and personal power to create the rich and fulfilling lives we desire. Remembering our essence isn't always easy, though. Resistance, resentment, regret, and judgment stand in the way.

If you're ready to let go of the old ways and experience the richness of your true nature, check out "Awakening Consciousness" on Journey to Happiness, the internet home of Conscious Change International.

This wonderful 39-page ebook presents the importance of remembering who and what we really are, as well as how to do so. The main barriers to remembering are addressed with practical steps we can take to overcome them. Get your copy today and start empowering yourself to create life as a joyful adventure.

We CAN Change the World
Some people believe that one person cannot make a difference. I am not one of those people. I believe in the power of one. As individuals, our voice matters.

There is a simple way to have an impact for good in our world, even for those of us who are extremely busy. It only takes 5 minutes and it doesn't cost anything.

There is a site where you can click a button and sponsors will pay for healthcare for needy children, food for the hungry, food for shelter animals, books for the illiterate, and funding for peace projects and protecting our rainforests. Each page has a tab at the top. A large button comes up for you to click and the sponsors pay for the needs.

Please take 5 minutes out of your day to do something to change our world.
Click Here