“I will say yes to every favor, request, suggestion and invitation. I will swear to say yes where once I would say no.” – Danny Wallace

“No!” is a wonderful word.

It’s powerful, it’s universally understood, and it stops everything in its tracks. By saying no, you’re instantly slamming the door and holding it shut, ensuring nothing else gets through.

But how many of us say “No!” way too often?

You see, “No” really holds us back in life. It closes us off to many of life’s wonderful experiences, and causes us to resist what happens around us.

When we say no, we’re swimming against the current. When we say yes, we’re swimming with the current.

Which do you think is easiest? Which produces less stress? Which is faster, and more enjoyable?

We say “NO!” to life’s funny randomness, when a passing bus splashes rainwater all over our new jeans. We shout “NO!” to our emotions, resisting and fighting grief, when our pet rat passes away. We yell “NO!” when we don’t get that promotion, which we’d been working so hard to achieve.

Long story short: we say NO to everything, too often.

We fight against what happens to us in life, rather than allowing it to be as it is. We resist it, rather than accepting it. We say “No!” rather than saying “Yes” – or even just “Okay.”

By saying “Yes!” more to life, we go with the flow. Things become more enjoyable and positive, less stressful and anxious, and often the situation turns out for the better regardless.

So, SAY YES MORE.

And what about saying “Yes!” more socially too? Say “Yes!” when you’re invited to that party. Say “Yes!” when you’re asked if you’d like lunch with the boys. Say “Yes!” when you’ve asked to go on that speed dating night, which you wouldn’t normally even consider.

(That’s what Danny Wallace did in his great comedy cum self-help book, Yes Man. He said yes more. It changed his life.)

So, if you’d like to flow more with the current of life… If you’d like to inject a little more excitement into your day… If you’d like to enjoy the random twist and turns of fate…

Then SAY YES MORE.

The Australians call it a “bias for yes.” The Spanish say “Si a todo.” Buddhists describe it as flowing with the river of life. In this book, we simply say yes more.

Try it out, even if just for a week. It’ll change your world.

Say yes more – and you will be happy.

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“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” – Meister Eckhardt

We live in a fast-paced, microwave, drive-thru, Buy-It-Now society.

It’s a society that has forgotten to be truly grateful for the things around it. We only tend to be grateful for things when we no longer have them.

Think of the sense of relief you gain when you just get over an illness, and are so thankful that your turbulent tummy has now settled. Consider how appreciative you are when those tests come back clear. Or when the speeding camera doesn’t flash. Or when you finally find your lost child in the supermarket.

These are the moments in life when we realize how blessed we truly are.

Yet how many of us truly appreciate that on a day-to-day basis?

My guess is very few of us. We only become grateful of things when we think we don’t have them.

But here’s the thing: by counting our blessings every day, in a very literal way, we become happier people. Research across the globe in countless studies has proven this over and over again.

So, when was the last time YOU were truly grateful?

Think of all the wonderful things you have to be grateful for right now. It could be your family. Or your health. Maybe your home. Your friends. Your brain. Your heart. Your spirit. Even your DVD collection.

We’ve all got amazing things in our own lives that make us smile with joy. Things that bring a secret, loving tear to our eyes.

And if we can only learn to count these blessings every day, we’ll discover a true happiness and greater appreciation of the beautiful world we surround ourselves with.

So, if you can, make that part of your daily ritual. Count your blessings, briefly in the morning, and briefly at night. Then smile at the world for sending such great things your way.

Be grateful – and you will be happy.

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“Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world.” – Helen Keller

Oh, come on. Admit it.

We all do it every single day.

Everybody enjoys wallowing in a little self-pity. It feels great to remind ourselves how terrible the world is. How we’ve not been given the right opportunities. How people are against us. How life has been a real struggle this past year.

Right?

But here’s a true secret to happiness. And it’s probably the biggest, easiest and quickest happiness secret you’ll stumble across. Ever.

If you want to be happy – just stop feeling sorry for yourself.

Self-pity, you see, is the worst kind of emotion. It eats up everything around, except itself. Soon, self-pity is all that exists, and you’re left feeling sorry for how poorly life has been treating you.

We’ve all felt like that, right?

Maybe you feel like life has dealt you a bad hand. Perhaps you’ve lost money, family or health. It could be that you’ve missed out on so many opportunities that others have been easily granted – and you think that fate really HAS been unfair to you.

And that viewpoint might even be 100% correct.

But STOP feeling sorry for yourself.

It’s not going to help the situation. It’ll only help you to wallow in a state of apathy, playing the victim. The kind of person that things happen to, but that can’t do anything about it. By stopping feeling sorry for yourself, you can actually get on and DO something about it.

Trust me on this one. This is the biggest ever technique for putting a smile onto your face.

If you want to be happy – stop feeling sorry for yourself.

You could close this book right now and you’d already hold the wisdom of ten thousand self-development courses, and double that number of self-help gurus.

And it’s so simple. In fact, it’s worth repeating (and rewording) one more time:

Stop feeling sorry for yourself – and you will be happy.

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How exciting to start a race without a clear direction to the finish line. As I blasted across the starting line, my heart racing and senses on high alert, my fellow hashers and I looked like a bunch of blood hounds desperately searching for clues and signs to follow. Always working as a team I could  hear someone yell “On, On” meaning they had found  “True Trail” and were heading in the correct direction.  When I found the marks of True Trail I was at once excited and reassured that I was finally on the correct path. There were no guarantees for success. Many would find their way, some would arrive faster than others, and a few remained lost until we sent out search teams. I have been lead through shopping malls, flea markets, across golf courses, up hills, and down many blind alleys.

In the end it was never about who came in first or last, but about the thrill of the adventure, following our intuition, working with team mates, laughing, cursing, and always smiling over finding the elusive True Trail or the frustration of yet another dead end.  The finish line was always a celebration of the hunt, of comradeship, and living life to the fullest.  Of all my road racing events, my time with my fellow Hashers has provided me with the biggest smiles and fondest memories.

“Wow, what a wonderful metaphor for life. I often step back and look at my life and wonder, “Am I On, On”, am I on “True Trail” or am I chasing a rabbit down a blind alley or worse yet, just settling for the same old comfortable trail?”

There are many lessons to be learned from the Hash House Harrier experience which  applies to finding Balance in our Minds, Bodies and Spirits:

1. The path to finding one’s true trail works well in a community with a common goal.

2. The willingness to take a risk going down a false trail in life but ready to make the necessary course alteration to find your  true trail.

3. Finding true trail requires an open heart and an adventurous spirit.

4. A willingness to leave your ego at home, not afraid to fail, look foolish, or asking someone for help is a formula for success.

5. Finding true trail is about the journey, the joy of seeking, learning, working together, the exhilaration of being a member of a team, and the joy of just doing it.

6. Learning to trust your inner voice, your intuition, and willing to take a Leap of Faith to find the answers.

7. Knowing that the risk of finding true trail may mean letting go of a strongly held belief or core value which we have held our entire life.

8. The rewards of finding true trail can be the joy of knowing your life is in balance, your body is healthy, your spirit is soaring, and your emotions are free from the burdens of fear, lack, and the unknown.

9. The excitement of joining others just like you who are seeking, willing to share, who will support you, never judge you, and are ready to catch you if you fall.

10. Ready to keep life in perspective, be willing to laugh, be silly, let your hair down, get in touch with your playful energy, and make every moment important.

Finding your “True Trail” is a metaphor for finding Balance in your Life. It is about opening your heart and mind to all of the wonderful possibilities in life. It is about revealing all of your beauty, radiance, and magnificence  in the human experience.

Happy Trails

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When you send out positive vibrations, you receive the same back from others. Showing gratitude passes positive energy from one person to another. It can positively affect someone’s day, week, or entire life. It also brings us happiness, which is healthy. Gratitude is a universal experience and has been a component of many religious traditions for centuries.

Not only is it a desirable virtue, but an essential element to wholeness and well-being. When I was a young man in the army I experienced an act of generosity that forever changed my life and how I treated other people. I was on a weekend pass when I decided to buy myself a used car. I saw a small black Austin that took my breath away.

It was perfect. It had room for four. It would be cheap to run. I decided to buy it so I sat down with the manager to conduct my first meaningful transaction. The car cost $300 and I only had $50. “No problem,” the manager told me. “Fifty dollars is enough to start.” By then, I had all kinds of pictures in my head of me having fun with my new car.

He brought out the papers for me to sign to borrow the other $250 from him. When it came time to sign, he asked me where I worked. I told him I was a soldier stationed at Camp Borden. At that point, his entire demeanour changed. He took the papers back. “I didn’t know you were a soldier,” he said. “I cannot offer you any financing.” Naturally, I was distraught. Nothing I could do or say could change his mind.

I left his office and hitchhiked right back to camp. I went into my barracks and sat on my bed. I must have looked very dejected because Duty Sergeant Jack Vart asked me, “Why are you back at camp when you have a weekend pass?” I told him the woeful story of the car.

He left and came back a few minutes later. “I’m off duty,” he said. “I’m driving back to Barrie so come on and we’ll have a talk with the manager of the used car lot. I’ll see if I can put in a good word for you.”

At that point, I would have grasped at any straw. I thought I had exhausted every avenue, so I really had nothing to lose. When we got to the car lot, Sergeant Vart told me to wait in the car while he went in to talk to the manager. He returned to the car several minutes later and told me the man had changed his mind. I went in and the manager had all the papers ready to sign. “I’ll make an exception in your case,” he told me.

I drove that car for over a year and I cannot tell you how much happiness it brought me. One day after I had paid the car off, ahead of schedule, I received a letter and a copy of the agreement in the mail. When I read over the agreement, I saw there were actually two agreements. The first agreement had my signature on it, and the second one had the signature of Sergeant Vart. Until that moment, I had no idea he had actually provided his personal guarantee that I would pay for the car.

He had assumed all the risk. I still get goose bumps thinking how he trusted me enough to put himself on the line for me. What’s more, he didn’t’ even tell me he had done it. I am forever grateful for Sergeant Vart’s support. Today, if I can help someone through an act of trust, I do it. It just goes to show that you can change a life with an act of kindness.

Who’s Packing Your Chute?
There’s a famous story about gratitude that involves Charles Plumb, a US Naval Academy graduate, was a jet fighter pilot in Vietnam. After seventy-five combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb parachuted into enemy hands. He spent the next six years in a Vietnamese prison. He now tells his story to people throughout the United States.

One day, he and his wife were sitting in a restaurant when a man at another table said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Nam from the carrier, Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!” “How in the world did you know that?” asked Plumb. “Oh, I was the one who packed your parachute,” the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. “Yep, I guess it worked!” the man laughed. “It sure did work,” Plumb said. “If your ’chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.”

That night Plumb thought a lot about the man who had packed his parachute. He kept wondering what the man might have looked like in uniform. “I wondered how many times I might have passed him on the Kitty Hawk. I wondered how many times I might have seen him and not even said ‘good morning’ or ‘how are you?’ or anything, because you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor.”

He thought of the many hours the man had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, meticulously weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each ’chute. Did he realize he held a man’s life in his hands each time he packed a ’chute? Now Plumb, a motivational speaker, asks his audiences, “Who’s packing your ’chute?”
Showing appreciation, he feels, brings magic and blessings into the lives of those we meet.

How many times have we heard about people in the depths of despair who find their lives unexpectedly changed because of the kind words or acts of a stranger? What about people who felt inspired to achieve remarkable goals because a stranger showed appreciation?

As an unknown author wrote so poignantly, “To the world you may be just somebody, but to somebody you may just be the world.”

For more information visit: Be Great Book

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The article I happened to see was about a Swiss hotel that had been losing money as well. The building was run down and employee morale was low. The owners interviewed a potential new manager, and he said if he was hired for the job, he would implement this simple formula: one-third of the profits would be plowed back into the hotel for renovation, one-third would go to owners, and one-third to employees.

The owners objected at first, but the potential new manager was adamant; if they hired him, that would be the policy. “Besides,” he reminded them, “you’re not making any money at all! One-third of something is far better than 100 percent of nothing!”

The owners hired him, and he announced his profit-sharing formula to all the employees. The changes in the staff were immediate. Service improved dramatically. “Shrinkage” (a euphemism for theft) and employee turn-over dropped substantially. After the first year, the company was back in the black and employees received a profit-sharing bonus worth about two weeks pay. Seven years later, when the article was written, the employees’ bonuses equaled almost eight months pay. In cash.

The employees were ecstatic. So were the owners. The customers got much better service in a far more beautiful environment. The hotel sparkled. It was a win-win-win-win arrangement — for employees, owners, customers, and the hotel itself.

I went back to my little company and told the employees I was instigating a profit-sharing plan, as soon as we were able to make a profit. We would retain in the company whatever percentage of profits our bank and accountant felt was necessary (over the years, this has rarely been more than 10 percent of our profits), and whatever was left over would be split 50-50 between owners and employees.

There was an immediate change in the corporate culture. Everyone started thinking and acting like an owner.

Every employee, if motivated, can either cut costs or increase sales — or both. Profit sharing turned out to be the single greatest thing we did to create incentives for employees. The advantages were obvious: profit sharing turns a poor employee into a good one, and turns a good employee into a powerful creative force that contributes greatly to the bottom line.

Most book and audio publishers have a five to ten percent pretax profit — if they’re well managed. Our company has pretax profits that range from twenty to thirty-six percent, year after year. It’s obvious to me that, because I give half my profits to my employees, we make far more than twice the profits. It’s a win-win scenario.

Profit sharing motivates people. One new employee researched our 800-number phone system, all on her own, because she thought maybe her previous employer had a better, less expensive system. She ended up saving us about $80,000 a year. We immediately gave her a bonus of $8,000, and remembered her contribution again at the end of the year when it’s time for profit-sharing bonuses.

It was the same with our part-time guy in shipping: He came into my office one day and said, “Marc, I found a cheaper shipping envelope that’s just as good as the ones we use. We’ll save about $12,000 a year – and that goes right to the bottom line, right?” He’s thinking like an owner, because he gets rewarded like an owner. He works two part-time jobs, and because of our profit sharing, he has been able to buy a house in Marin County, California – one of the most expensive real estate areas in the country.

Every business should have profit sharing, with every employee. I’ve never been able to find any exceptions to this. The Post Office should have profit sharing. Every big corporation and every little mom-and-pop business that has one part-time helper should have profit sharing. I know absolutely – I can show you on paper – that because we give about half our profits to our employees, we make far more than twice the profits that we would have made otherwise each year, year after year.

I love these studies that show that employees are motivated more by appreciation and acknowledgment than they are by money. I don’t believe them for a minute, though. Maybe an employee will say that to an interviewer, but nothing motivates an employee more than a fat check. Give them a good percentage of the profits as well as acknowledgment for a job well done, and you’ll have a motivated employee.

I tell my employees that one of my goals is to make them rich, over time. I’m not doing this out of generosity or out of the goodness of my heart, I’m doing it because I know that it is the best way for me to create tremendous financial success for my company and myself. I really don’t understand why more businesses don’t get this concept. It’s obvious to me. It’s a no-brainer. It’s a win-win-win-win situation: the owners win, the employees win, the customers win, and, most of all, the company wins.

Why don’t more employers understand this? There’s no greater incentive to employees than profit sharing – with every employee.

About the author:
Marc Allen is an internationally renowned seminar leader, entrepreneur, author, and composer. He co-founded New World Library (with Shakti Gawain) and has guided the company, as president and publisher, from a small start-up to its current position as a highly profitable player in the independent publishing world. You can visit him online at www.MarcAllen.com

Based on the book Visionary Business: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Success. © 2009 by Marc Allen. Printed with permission of New World Library, Novato, CA. newworldlibrary.com or 800-972-6657 ext. 52.

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I left a 14 year relationship that had stopped working several years earlier. I quit my job. I cashed in my 401K and lived off it for several years while I explored what I wanted to do for work.  I started to make conscious choices about how I was spending my life’s energy, and I began cutting out the energy drains and focusing on the things that really contributed to the quality of my life.  I started to listen to my inner guidance and I learned that amazing things happen when you listen.

On New Year’s Day 2007, I spent the day with several friends who are artists.  They taught me a technique for creating intricate designs with colored wax, metallics and paper.  I made a few, but I was more interested in using patterns of words to embellish the ones my friends were making. I had never written poetry before, but as I looked at their unique and remarkable designs, I was compelled to write.

Messages about Universal Truth, Spirit and Energy just flowed through me onto the paper. What started out as a crafts project turned into something much more.  Three months later these creations were featured at a local art gallery. Sixteen of the pieces sold on the opening night of the show.  In just three short months I went from a newbie learning a craft to selling these magical creations.

Around this same time I learned about the Law of Attraction and began to study everything I could find about prosperity consciousness.  I studied the work of Abraham-Hicks, Napoleon Hill and many others who teach about harnessing the power of our thoughts to manifest our desires.  I learned about connecting to the divine spirit that is in all of us.  Plus I learned that true prosperity encompasses all domains of our existence – spiritual, physical, financial, social/emotional and mental.

My favorite definition of prosperity is described by Edwene Gaines in her book “The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity: A Simple Guide to Unlimited Abundance.”  According to Ms. Gaines, true prosperity is:

- “A vitally alive physical body to provide a comfortable worldly home for the spiritual beings that we are.”
- “Relationships that are satisfying, nurturing, honest and work all the time.”
- “Work that we love so much that it’s not work, it’s play.”
- “And having all the money we can spend.”

Since I started actively studying prosperity consciousness and drawing on the fullness of my life experience to make myself open to the prosperity around me, amazing events began unfolding in my life.  I’ve already shared my experience as a burgeoning artist.  Here are just a few more of the amazing things that happened over the past year as I am becoming aware of and open to having an abundance of prosperity in my life:

Having never flown first class, the airline upgraded my seats twice in the last six months. One week after I decided I needed a commuter car, a friend emailed me asking if I knew of anyone who could use the car she was ready to pass on to a new owner.

An unexpected check for $5000 arrived the very day after I discovered a deficit of several thousand dollars in my cash flow for that month. In one year I went from being more than $40,000 in debt, to being debt free. At my current job, my program budget was unexpectedly doubled and our center was given $100,000 of unsolicited additional funding.

After spending months meditating on manifesting a million dollars, I was stunned to discover that as administrator of my late aunt’s estate, I have responsibility for more than one and a half million dollars that, prior to her death, the family had no idea existed.

These are but a few examples of the prosperity that is manifesting in my life now.  I am cultivating a prosperity consciousness and I practice having a prosperous mindset on a daily basis.  As part of my own journey of prosperity, I gathered hundreds of pages of writings and resources from centuries of teachings on the topic.  From those writings I have extracted seven essential steps to prosperity that have guided me on my journey and that I now wish to share with you.

1)  Wake up and be conscious.
In this fast paced world, we too often get consumed with ‘doing,’ caught up in the many activities that make up modern life. Our days are filled with appointments, commitments and activities. We’re so busy ‘doing’ that we forget about ‘being.’ The first step to prosperity is to s-l-o-w down, to be mindful and conscious – awake and aware.

2)  Clear the clutter.
Our mental and physical worlds are filled with stuff.  All of that stuff consumes energy; energy to maintain it, store it, even just to have it around. Getting rid of clutter in our physical environment frees up energy and makes room for other things to come into our lives. Clearing mental clutter is equally important.  As Nick Nolte’s character says in the movie Peaceful Warrior, “Throw out the trash.”

3)  Cultivate a prosperous mindset.
Clearing out the mental clutter – emptying out the negative self-talk and limiting beliefs – makes room to develop a prosperous mindset.  Do I think like a poor person or do I think like a prosperous person?  Do I assume that good things are going to happen to me or bad things?  Our prosperity mindset is reflected in everything that we think and say, from the smallest things, like finding a parking space on a busy street, to the fulfillment of our biggest dreams.

4)  Live with purpose.
Focus on being who we came here to be.  By remembering that we are spiritual beings having a human experience rather than a human being having a spiritual experience, we remain connected to our divine purpose.

5) Tap the power of thoughts.
Students of the Law of Attraction understand the power our thoughts have to create our experience.  Simply stated, like attracts like, and what we think about becomes reality. Wayne Dyer captured this concisely in the title of his recent book “Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life.”  To be truly prosperous we need to be visionaries, believing wholeheartedly in our visions, and not allowing ourselves to remain stuck in what “is.”

6)  Be a good receiver.
I used to be a terrible receiver.  All too often when surprised with a present, I would find myself saying “You shouldn’t have” or “I can’t accept this.”  Later I realized that the message I was sending was “Don’t give me any good stuff.”  Being a good receiver sends a powerful message to the Universe that we willingly and joyfully accept all that is in store for us. We are open to all of the prosperity that the Universe has to offer.

7)  Live with gratitude.
I recently heard a radio interview that reminded me of the power of living with gratitude.  John Scripter was the first person to undergo a heart transplant at a world renowned hospital in Boston. After the historic operation, the doctors told the Scripter family that John might live for five years.  After John’s death, his wife Linda told interviewers of the tremendous gratitude that her husband felt for the additional time he was given.  He greeted each day with thanks and appreciation.  John Scripter has been called a “miracle man’’ living for twenty-two years following the heart transplant; twice as long as the average heart transplant recipient.

We can all follow John Scripter’s example and live with gratitude and appreciation for the abundance and prosperity that exists in each and every day.  Be conscious and aware of the abundance that surrounds us.  Make room for good things to come into our lives.  Clear out the negative beliefs and tap the power of our thoughts to create the things we desire to experience.

This is the journey of prosperity and it is the journey of the conscious entrepreneur.  Central to prosperity and conscious business are a commitment to following one’s inner guidance, a willingness to fulfill one’s divine plan, and making a difference in the world.   Don’t wait for the Universe to send you a big nasty cosmic wake up message. Wake up and smell the Prosperity. Be conscious. Be entrepreneurial.  Be prosperous.  It is your birthright.

About the Author:
For over 20 years Laurel has used her unique talents for researching, analyzing, synthesizing and sharing information in a wide array of nonprofit, private sector and public sector endeavors. A lifelong learner and an avid teacher, Laurel created the Conscious Prosperity Circle – an online community and resource center promoting the transformation of prosperity consciousness worldwide. Download the free special report, “Prosperity is Your Birthright, Claim It Now” at: ConsciousProsperity.com.

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Our Lives Reflect Our Beliefs — Unlimited Success Comes from an Unlimited Belief System
To improve your financial situation, to track down a job, to get a raise in your salary, to double your income, to become fit and healthy, you have to passionately want to improve your life. You have to take action, adopt precise measures, and change your attitude.

This has to become a fixed objective. This overriding desire is mandatory to create the life you want. Determination and will are all the strength you need. Kazuo Inamori, CEO of Kyocera International and author of A Passion for Success, puts it this way:

An entrepreneur must first have a clear vision of what he or she wants. A mere dream of what you want is not adequate. Instead, cultivate a desire so strong and a vision so clear that they become part of your subconscious mind.

So many people honestly desire to improve their lives but still fail in their attempts to become successful. The reason is that they have mistaken wishing for wanting. Wishful thinking is far more common than really wanting something. A wish is weak, changeable, and passive. It’s not strong enough to overcome procrastination or other obstacles that may arise in the process of getting what you want. Really wanting something is a spur to action. It does not tolerate delays. It bypasses obstacles. It gives us wings to fly.

One day a wise man was asked by a disciple what it took to obtain wisdom. The sage led the disciple to a river and plunged his head underwater. After a few seconds, his anxious follower began struggling, afraid he was going to drown. But the teacher continued to hold his head underwater. The student struggled even harder.

Finally, the wise man let him go just before he would have drowned and asked him, “When your head was underwater, what did you want most?” “To breathe,” the frightened boy answered. “Well, there you have it. That’s exactly how much you must want wisdom.” And for those of us seeking to improve our lives, that’s how much we must want success.

Life gives you what you sincerely want. James Allen wrote in his classic work As You Think, “If you cherish a vision, a lofty ideal in your heart, you will realize it….You will become as great as your dominant aspiration.” If you content yourself with mediocrity, that is what you will have.

Since you’re reading this book, you’re probably not completely satisfied with your situation. But this dissatisfaction is a gift, as there is something intensely motivating about dissatisfaction: it fuels dreams. As we mentioned before, many successful people had difficult, impoverished childhoods. They felt humiliated. Their desire to rise above poverty and low social status was so intense that it propelled them toward their dreams.

It is important to bear in mind, however, that even if you have high aspirations, you will still encounter obstacles. “Even with such strong desires, circumstances will change…” Inamori says. “Still, do not use these circumstances as excuses. Your determination should be so strong as to overcome any obstacles, foreseen or unforeseen.”

The dreams you carry and nourish in your heart are your most noble part. Those who stop dreaming, those who ignore their most intense yearnings are living a life of emptiness and frustration. Don’t let this happen to you. Change your life by daring to let yourself be carried away by your dreams and to live out your dreams to the fullest.

This philosophy may appear naive — it is. Without naivete, without the innocence of dreams, nothing great would have been created in this world. Humans would not fly; epic films would not have been made; Ford wouldn’t have created the mass-produced automobile; Edison wouldn’t have lit the world. A serious outlook, cynicism, and even strictly rational thought are great obstacles to success.

We aren’t arguing in favor of extravagant, irrational behavior. Far from it! The truth is: At the root of every great discovery and exceptional success story lies a dream, an aspiration, a desire. This desire transcends cynicism and strictly rational thought.

Within your deepest desires and highest dreams are the keys to your success.

Summary and Recommended Action
To sum up this first chapter, there are four initial conditions to fulfill in order to become successful:

1. Believe you will be successful.
The first prerequisite is having faith, believing that you can attain success, believing in yourself. This belief can be created by using self-suggestion to change your old programming. If you don’t believe in yourself or your ideas, you’ll never convince anyone else to believe in them. Success never comes out of the blue, handed to you on a silver platter. The obstacles you’ll have to overcome, the difficulties you’ll inevitably meet, and the sustained effort you need to make all require a good dose of faith to spur you on.

2. Be aware that your situation will not magically change if you do nothing about it.
Set a clear goal, and take whatever steps you can each week to move a little closer to the goal. Great success is the result of a great many small steps. It doesn’t require taking huge, scary leaps; it only requires taking the next obvious step in front of you.

3. Passionately desire to improve your life.
Make a list of the excuses and the inner monologues that keep success at bay. This stage is absolutely essential. It makes you aware of your limiting beliefs. Once you know them, you can overcome them. Successful people have learned to release doubt from their minds. They have tremendous faith in both themselves and in their plans, despite any opposition they may face.

4. Dare to dream — and to dream great dreams.
Within your deepest desires and highest dreams are the keys to success. Your subconscious mind knows only those limitations you have imposed upon it through your own limiting beliefs — and those beliefs can be changed, using the tools in this book.

From the book How to Think Like a Millionaire © 1997. Reprinted with permission from New World Library www.newworldlibrary.com.

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What have you created today? Whether you realize it or not, you’ve been very busy in the act of creation. Perhaps you’ve been hard at work or maybe just hanging out “doing nothing,” but either way you’ve actually been forging your future.

This ongoing construction of your destiny is taking place every moment of every hour of your life, and the most significant source of your future invention is your own individual consciousness.

The Universe is a sparkling river of unending potential, one that flows with both purpose and serendipity; its seemingly random direction leads to very specific outcomes. In this unending paradox, which is the background of our earthly experience, there’s a power that can’t be denied – the power of consciousness. Consciousness is a force that exists outside of time and moves freely through the Universe (although there’s some discussion about whether it moves from place to place or merely exists – and exerts its influence – in all places at the same time).

It has long been known in the quantum physical world that consciousness creates reality. Fascinating theories that discuss this principle have been applied to the measurement of light, the formation of the cosmos, and even the life (and death) of a cat! I recommend a look through the Suggested Reading section at the end of this book to see a list of works that describe how this incredible line of thinking functions in the physical world. For our purposes here, however, we’ll be focusing on how consciousness-created reality influences your personal life and career experiences.

Your life force reaches beyond this time and space into unknown quadrants of existence. The consciousness that you project in the form of thought, perception, vision, and expectation has a very real impact in the world. While you may be unaware of what your consciousness is doing in distant places, you can – at a glance – become keenly aware of how it’s shaping your life. In fact, most of what you see and experience is a result of your own consciousness creation.

This is the function of the Law of Manifestation, a law that works the same way in the Universe as it does in your daily existence. It reveals a fundamental truth in the cosmos: Consciousness does create reality. This is globally true, and your individual consciousness can’t be exempt from its implications. Consciousness-created reality governs all types of manifestation – from conjuring up a funny joke to affecting world economy. Consciousness is always the originating element.

It can be very liberating to finally realize that your consciousness is the primary generator of the situations and people that make up the tapestry of your life. Over time, you can see how each experience follows the patterns of your powerful, yet predictable, consciousness output. And if you don’t like the trends you’ve been experiencing, at least there’s something you can do about it. You can shift your consciousness projection so that you can determine for yourself exactly what you want to create.

Hologram of Self
From quantum physics to biomechanics, the hologram has been used as a model for such complex things as the nature of the Universe and the workings of the brain. A hologram is a three-dimensional picture that’s created when a laser beam is split in two; the first beam is reflected off an object, and the second beam is directed to collide with the light of the first. The “picture” on the film – or plate – is a record of this light-interference pattern.

Unlike a normal negative, the holographic film looks like a mishmash of circles, rings, and wavy lines. However, when another laser light is beamed through that film, a three-dimensional picture is formed, revealing all aspects of the original subject. A hologram isn’t limited to two dimensions; the picture shows what’s behind and on every side of the object being photographed.

The fascinating properties of this phenomenon don’t stop there. If you were to cut the holographic negative into pieces, an entire three-dimensional image would be revealed by directing a laser through any one of those fragments. No matter what scrap you chose, the entire image would be revealed over and over again. No matter how small the piece – or its place on the film – the hologram would reveal the entire picture – front, back, and sides.

This irreducible, three-dimensional element is why the hologram is used to represent the many nuances of consciousness, and why it’s an apt representation of how your own individual consciousness works in the world. You’re like that wavy, undefinable picture on the film because your full consciousness isn’t really visible on the surface. It’s only when you shine a light on your own true nature that you see the real and full picture of your consciousness creation. It’s not just your individual desires or intentions that get projected out into the world; it’s the many dimensions of your personal consciousness that will create your destiny.

This is the undeniable truth of your consciousness-created reality. All of you – everything that you’re conscious of—gets projected into the cosmic formation of your future. And what becomes manifest reflects the innermost recesses of your personal worldview.

This holistic nature of the process of attraction and manifestation requires you to look much more deeply than simply focusing on what you want. It’s not enough to have a single-minded intention, for that’s only part of the process. The pursuit of happiness and success – no matter what the arena – calls for an honest look at the energy of your entire life.

Your consciousness is a picture of your whole self. It’s not just the surface information that you choose to reveal; it’s also the multidimensional representation of who you really are—everything from your most deeply held beliefs to idiosyncratic behaviors. All that is you broadcasts your truth in waves of thought-forms, perceptions, and expectations.

So your investigation into your destiny creation must start with this question: If you were to project a laser light through the hologram that is your own consciousness, what would that picture hold? What would be revealed in the front, in the middle, in the back, and all the way around? Would there be a confident image on the surface with fear hiding behind it? Would there be an exterior of optimism with an interior of doubt? If so, you need to know that the Universe sees your entire truth – every bit of it – and responds accordingly.

So if you’re visualizing meeting your perfect partner, yet a part of you thinks such a person doesn’t exist, then that consciousness of limitation overrides your specific intention and actually creates a stronger vision of lack. If you’ve created the goal to attract a better job but you consistently doubt your ability to make it happen, then that failure-consciousness will move out into the Universe, projecting a dark void where no real value can come to be.

Your entire consciousness needs to be considered. You may send out intentions, treasure maps, and even prayers to make something happen, but all of that will go unanswered if it’s the only approach you take. Without a supportive consciousness, your individual desire will just float out in space, and your results will be hit-or-miss at best – or nonexistent at worst.

But if you add an optimistic and focused life force to your individual intentions, they’ll be propelled by the irresistible power of consciousness creation. They’ll shoot out into time and space, and the abundant Universe will send unexpected blessings in return. It’s the power of your whole life – all that you are conscious of – that determines your present.

So what’s your worldview? How do you perceive yourself and your place in this amazing Universe of ours? Whether you realize it or not, you are a powerful manifestor. You may not like what you’ve brought into being so far, but you have both the ability and the option to change everything. Happiness isn’t a future commodity. It exists right now within the hologram of your eternal self, and it can be the accelerant that will ignite a future of endless joy.

This excerpt is taken from the new book, Secrets of Success by Sandra Anne Taylor and Sharon Klingler. It is published by Hay House (June 2008) and available at all bookstores.

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Many of the people I talk to in my work as a life coach tell me that they wish they could experience financial abundance. They speak of wealth as something far out of their reach, something that’s not available to them and is reserved for a special group of people. They can recite a long list of reasons why they can’t have what they hope for and deserve. They don’t realize that the only thing holding them back from achieving wealth is their own limited perceptions and beliefs.

The 21 Distinctions of Wealth are enormously powerful core beliefs held by those who experience abundance. When you truly believe in the 21 Distinctions, holding them in your heart and feeling their energy, you become a magnet for the wealth you seek. You draw to you that which you desire (the Law of Attraction).

It’s not enough to merely read about these gold nuggets of wisdom. If you want to attract prosperity, you must change your thoughts, feelings, and actions and create wealth consciousness—an awareness of the nature of abundance and its flow. When you think and feel like a millionaire, you can become one.

In my previous book, Your Destiny Switch, I explained how you can create the life you desire by working with the power of emotions. As you work with the 21 Distinctions of Wealth, remember that positive emotions are the fuel for your dreams. Allow yourself to feel the full force of them as you think and read about wealth creation. Each of the 21 Distinctions includes affirmations, which, when used properly, will turn up the volume on your positive emotions and actually change your vibrational energy, making you a magnet for money. The key is to move beyond merely reciting affirmations to truly believing them. If you don’t, you might as well be reading from the phone book! When you say, “I am already rich. I was born that way!” you need to believe it with your whole heart and feel the surge of joy you create when you say the words. It’s the energy of your emotions that helps you manifest your desires.

Affirmations are positive, declarative, and in the present tense, because when you express your desires in this way, you’re able to easily create the emotion of abundance. Saying “It would be nice if I had money” creates a feeling of lack and tells the Universe that you don’t have what you desire. Affirming “I love that I have wealth!” lets the Universe know that you’re experiencing abundance, and it responds by sending you situations and circumstances that mirror what you’re feeling.

The mind doesn’t distinguish between reality and what you’re “only” imagining. If you experience a strong sense of abundance and wealth as you imagine yourself depositing a million-dollar check in your bank account, you’ll create the same vibration that you would if you were actually depositing it. So, to manifest wealth and abundance, you must believe that you already have what you want, and you must experience the happiness, satisfaction, enthusiasm, and generosity you would feel if your bank account reflected the bounty you’re experiencing in your heart.

Many people have heard of the Law of Attraction and wonder why they can’t simply decide what they want, think hard about getting it, and sit back and watch as it manifests in their lives. They don’t understand that the Law of Attraction is based on energy. Emotions are a form of energy that’s much more powerful than that of mere thoughts. When you feel wealthy, rich, and overflowing with abundance, you won’t become upset and worry about your bills. Instead, you’ll be energized and enthusiastic about generating money and opportunities for yourself. Creating wealth won’t seem like work.

As you read about the 21 Distinctions, reflect on their wisdom and think about how they apply to your own life. Look at your own experiences of wealth and lack, and see if the 21 Distinctions shed any light on them. My guess is that you’ll awaken to wisdom that you’ve had but not been aware of until now, and you’ll start to truly understand how the Law of Attraction works.

Excerpt from 21 Distinctions of Wealth by Peggy McColl. For more information about Peggy and her upcoming events, please visit hayhouse.com

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