Proof Doing What You Love Leads to Success

I LOVE finding proof that doing what you love leads to success, both in pleasure and also financially speaking. After all, we have to pay the rent, right?

Todd Geer is a local videographer and he of course likes to take photos, but he doesn't make much money from his stills.

Well, back in 2008 he took a photo of Loveland's beautiful Fourth of July fireworks display--without a tripod. He admits it isn't his best photo, but it is still an inspiring image.

He posted the photo online (panoramio.com) and Author Gish Jen saw the photo and asked for permission to use it on her book, "World and Town" and the publisher gave Geer a nice check ($2500) for the rights to it! Talk about putting it out to the Universe (or Cyber-Space) and money flowing in!

You can see the result on Amazon! Congrats to both Todd and Gish!

Philanthropy on a Shoesting

Have you heard about Marc Gold? He has been traveling around the world, particularly in Asia handing out money to people who need it. His donations change lives, often for less than a dollar. For Marc a very large donation is $500!

That is quite different from most philanthropic organizations. Marc has seen a single US dollar literally save a life and so is very aware of the power of small amounts placed in the right hands.

An inspiring story just in time for the holidays!

He encourages others to follow in his footsteps. You can read stories of other Americans who have been inspired by Marc-- visit Parade.com/shoestring

Manifestation, Meditation & More...in Time for the Holidays

Just in time for the holidays, Hay House is offering a special discount, available only through Dec 11, on so many of their awesome works to teach us how to be the best possible people we can be and how to manifest what we want in life (and who doesn't want a bargain for the holidays?)

Best-selling books, cds and dvds by

Wayne Dyer
Dr Christiane Northrup
including some of my personal favorites:
Louise Hay, You Can Heal Your Life--The Movie (2 DVD expanded Edition), normally $29.95, sale price $10

Abraham-Hicks, Law of Attraction series, set of 12 (including 2 brand new DVDs) $125, a savings of more than $100!!!

and BRAND NEW items such as

Marianne Williamson's "A Course in Weight Loss", book lists for $24.95, get it here for only $16.22 (CDs also available if you'd rather, list $29.95, only $19)

Louise Hay's "Experience Your Good Now!" $12.56 --that's 30% off for this hardcover with CD

Abraham-Hicks "Getting Into The Vortex" guided meditation (book and CD), list $24.95, here only $17.46

Whether you are looking for books for your own personal development or to give as wonderful gifts, you can find them here. These are the lowest prices I've seen--some items as low as $1 and many, many more for only $5! Get music, meditation guides, tools for manifesting abundance...you name it!

We Choose Our World

The way in which we think of ourselves has everything to do with how our world sees us and how we can see ourselves successfully acknowledged by that world.
--Arlene Raven

It all starts with loving ourselves and seeing the possibilities, so that we may receive the many blessings available to us. Or we can choose to not love ourselves, to not see the possibilities and therefore to not receive.

Every day, every minute we have the power to choose our world.

Taking Care of Oneself

I "met" someone today through her blog...she is talking about the importance of taking care of oneself...and she referenced my RefuseToDiet blog.

The idea of taking care of self is something I've been covering here. I really appreciate her take on things we can do (actions)--check out her blog!

Taking care of oneself includes our health, doing our affirmations, keeping our hearts centered on love and peace...and really deciding that we deserve good things and setting our intentions that we are open to receiving all the good there is in the universe!

The Importance of Feeding the Soul

Listening to Cheryl Richardson yesterday I was reminded how important it is to do things that feed the soul...by doing what brings us joy we open ourselves up to even more gifts from the universe.

I had been neglecting my own source of joy--my art. Yesterday I made my way to the studio for the first time in a long time. What a wonderful experience and reminder!

I had been allowing myself to focus on "tasks" that seemed important...but not joyful. Instead, yesterday I did some "tasks" but I also spent half the day in the studio. During this time I could actually feel the energy shift and the openness to positive things from the Universe.

Thank you Cheryl for the reminder. Thank you to my supportive partner who encouraged me. And thanks to myself for following through on the inspiration!

I'm Filled with Gratitude

I'm sitting in the quiet and really feeling grateful for everything that I have in my life.

The end of the year is a great time to reflect back on what blessings we have...

Thank you Universe for the abundance all around me, the beauty, the horses, the people, the wonderful experiences. Thank you for bringing the right teachers into my life and for the prosperity that is mine. I am so blessed.

Fear is the Opposite of Love

There are 2 basic emotions: love and the lack of love. Some people will say that the opposite of love is hate. But where does hate really come from? Fear. When we are not coming from love, we are actually coming from fear.

Esther & Jerry Hicks refer to this in the Teachings of Abraham (Check out the book Ask and It Is Given...great!) So does scientist Gregg Braden. Many other fantastic teachers point this out.

When you want to manifest, or attract, something into your life (some thing or person or event or skill...you name it) it is crucial to be aware of the emotion behind the desire.

Coming from love will allow you to attract what you want. The same exact thoughts that are powered by fear will bring you the lack of what you want or some other negative aspect of what you want.

Abraham uses an example about money...if you desire to have more money, you can not attract it if your feelings are about the lack of money, or jealousy that someone else has money and you don't.

Whether it is money, or health or an ideal relationship, if we come from our place of "not having" or fear of not getting it, then we will not attract it into our lives. I wrote a post last month in response to a question about this topic...if you didn't read it then, check it out by clicking here.

My goal is to approach everything from a place of love. I am not perfect at it (yet!) but I am on the path. I am pleased that my awareness grows every day and I find myself being more clear and loving all the time.

I believe when we all come from this loving place there will be peace on earth. And isn't that a lovely (and loving) thought!

Affirmation for Health and Wealth

I received this affirmation from a friend of mine who got it from The Best Affirmations Workbook.

Affirmations have been an important tool for me...so I am happy to add this one which covers abundance and prosperity in terms of health and wealth to my repertoire.

I am a fat burning machine!
I grow more graceful and attractive every day!
Money flows effortlessly to me from both known and unknown sources!
Every day I find checks in my mailbox!
I always say yes to an opportunity.
I attract the most wonderful customers, and they refer their best contacts to my business!

Want to Help Others without Spending More Money?

Does part of you believe that there is enough to go around, but you are having trouble making ends meet? If you thought you could not help others because you only have enough to take care of yourself, the Universe has provided you with a way to do both!

ServeNation.com is a nonprofit that allows consumers to give back to local and national nonprofits without spending extra money. For some people this is a critical component.

Right now the number of participating non-profits is limited, but go to ServeNation.com to read more about the program. You can purchase gift cards to use for yourself or to give to others. You get the full face value of the gift card and the nonprofit agency of your choice gets up to 8% of that face value as a donation. Serve Nation does not take any fees--nor is there any shipping or handling charge!

Ready to buy a gift card--this link takes you to all the organizations that are participating at this time, listed in alphabetical order. Click on the organization that you want to support and you will be taken to a page with the various gift cards that you can purchase.

For example, you might find cards for grocery stores, movies, hotels, even Starbucks! Buy cards for places you shop anyway and help out a great cause or buy some gift cards to give as gifts for the holidays and you are giving in two ways!

If your favorite charity is not on the ServeNation directory, give that nonprofit a heads up. They can join the program!

Getting Energy From the Universe

Today I got a wonderful shot of energy from the Universe.

Across the street from my house is a pasture that during the winter is home to about 30 head of horses. I love watching them play. I always get a big smile across my face when I see them. For me horses symbolize abundance--abundance in energy, in life, in joy, and in space.

This morning I walked over with some small apples I had leftover from visiting my brother. I had used the bigger ones and made myself a treat and decided the tiny ones were too small to make the effort worthwhile. So I brought my abundant supply of apples and some carrots over to the horses.

Of course they loved the treats! The horses got loving, great rubs and some nice eats. And I got to enjoy feeling their soft lips and warm, furry bodies. What a marvelous energy exchange.

If there aren't horses in your neighborhood, what in abundance in the universe can YOU get energy from--and give too?

Money is an Exchange of Energy

Money has no meaning except for what we decide to give it. By itself, money is just another piece of paper.

So if you are going to give money power, know that is your choice.

You can change how you think about money. If you haven't read The Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, by T. Harv Eker, I strongly recommend it. Harv gives you tools to break your old patterns about money and open you up to the abundance there is in life!

Money is an exchange--call it of energy or of services, it doesn't really matter. Money is really a tool to make bartering easier! Instead of swapping a chicken for a doctor's advise, we pay with money, but it is really the same principle.

How Can I Attract More Money Into My Life

It may not be all about the money, but as I've said before, money is a measurable thing and so it is a way to practice your attraction skills.

So how do you attract more?

One of the first things to do is to be grateful for what you have. Keep a gratitude log--fill it will all the things you are grateful for, not just money. By being grateful we open ourselves up for receiving more.

Notice what you have, find and attract. Value every penny. T Harv Eker teaches us to pick up that penny on the ground and say "I am a money magnet, thank you, thank you, thank you!" I agree with that philosophy. If we don't appreciate what we have and what comes our way, why should the universe send us any more?

Another step is to notice when you have the opportunity to expand what your money will acquire. Is there a sale going on for something that you need or want? Did you get a coupon in the mail for something that you'd like to have? Or did you find a coupon in the paper for a favorite food item? Have you gotten a gift certificate?

These are all examples of abundance and money flowing to you. Learn to recognize them and appreciate them. Along with your gratitude log, track these gifts.

Michael Losier refers to an evidence log--where you track the evidence of abundance. This is a great place to write down the penny you found, the coupon you used, the coffee someone bought for you. In addition, write down anything else that is abundant that you see--it doesn't have to be about money.

The idea is to reinforce in our minds that there is indeed abundance in the world. Think of all the grains of sand on the beach...and all the beaches in the world...the waves in the ocean...the leaves on the trees...the blades of grass...the clouds in the sky...you get the picture!!

Then remember to be grateful and say "There is abundance in the world. I am abundant!"

Recognizing Abundance

I was reminded recently how important it is to recognize when we experience abundance in our lives.

Being quite aware of that yesterday I noticed several bits of financial abundance that came to me during the day.

First, as I was on my morning walk I knew that I would find a penny--and I did! Hmmm, maybe I should be thinking about finding a silver dollar! Seriously, I'm grateful for every penny (and dollar) so that was a great way to start the day.

Later in the day I was in downtown Denver for a meeting and had to find a place to park. I had located several garages, the closest would cost me $12, others were in the $6 range. I decided we would find a great, reasonably priced parking space. Lo and behold, a metered spot was open right where we wanted to be and for only $1.25 we got to park in the perfect spot!

We went to dinner with a friend and we were going to offer to pay for the meal, but before we could offer, our friend did. When we told him that we had intended to pay he declined--so we had a fantastic gift of a wonderful dinner with great company!

I am abundant! Let's see what today brings!!!

Being Open to Abundance

To me, abundance is not merely financial. It refers to an attitude that spills over to everything that we do. By being open to abundance, I am open to time, energy, joy, love, beauty, simplicity and whatever else I decide I want to experience in my life.

I had to file some documents for one of my businesses with the Secretary of State's office, and have been putting it off (and off and off!) I had this memory that while it was easy to submit the documents online, there were lots of attachments and supporting docs that I had to prepare.

I think I was practicing abundance as in "having lots to do" in regards to this.

This morning, I was reading in Ask and It Is Given, a process to help raise my vibration about this task, so that I was open to the abundance of the universe, rather than creating resistance with my dread. I chose the "Focus Wheel Process". Being very aware of what I did not want (a difficult, long, tedious, stressful process) I then proceeded to write what I did want. I wrote things like how simple it is to file online, how nice it is that the SOS sends reminders that these docs need to be filed, so I don't have to worry about missing deadlines, I don't have to do it all in one sitting...on and on I went around the wheel and by the end I was feeling really good about submitting my docs.

So, a few hours later, I'm at my computer ready to start the process and I review my wheel, and I start to read the SOS info. Instead of what I remembered to be the case, it was a very straight-forward form and I was easily done in less than 10 minutes!

I am so grateful that I was open to the teachings of Abraham, this morning in particular. I am so grateful that I chose to delay filing the forms from yesterday, because by doing so I was able to raise my vibration and be open to the ease of the process.

Did the filing procedure actually change from when I last looked? Or was I misremembering/misreading the information? Or was I over complicating things? I do not know, and I do not care! The simple fact is that it was easy and I have completed a task that was looming overhead. I now have that paperwork filed away and one less thing to do!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Open to Abundance

I had to call a company today to reschedule an event. I'd put this call off for a few days. When I spoke to one of their representatives two weeks ago I was told if I rescheduled I would be charged a (to me) significant fee. At that time I decided I would wait and see if maybe I would be able to make the event, even though I knew that the timing was not right for me.

After some reading and guidance this morning, I realized that the timing indeed was not right for me. I wanted to be able to attend this event when it would be most beneficial to me, and I did not want to pay a fee in order for the program to better fit my schedule.

Today, I set the intention that the call would go well, that I would not have to pay a fee. I thought about what I might say if they brought up the fee, but then I said to myself, that won't be necessary.

Before placing the call I took some deep breaths and got centered. I brought forth the feeling in myself that I have abundance and that the Universe is a giving place and that "all is well."

I called and was able to reschedule, no problem, no fee.