A Lesson About Lack

Today I learned a very important lesson that I wanted to share. I've come to learn that the things that happen in our lives are there to reflect who we are inside and our inner thoughts and belief systems. What I mean by this is things that happen to us are because life is drawing our attention to our own beliefs, whether we are consciously aware of them or not. If we hold a deep seated belief of lack and always worry about not having enough money for expenses, or enough time to finish all of our to do items, or whatever you are concerned that there isn't enough of in your life, our lives will mirror that belief. Let me make this a bit clearer by sharing my example.

Going through this lovely life phase of mine called motherhood, especially during the infant year, I have come to worry about my milk supply. Will I have enough to feed my baby? I have heard of so many stories of moms who have dried up before the first year. I was determined to not let this happen, and also to have enough so that if I hired a nanny, I could easily maintain a frozen supply.

For a period of time, I went through an intense couple of months of trying to improve my supply so that I could hire a nanny part-time in order gain some of my freedom back. I needed time to go run errands, take a yoga class, work on starting my business, unpack after the move, organize my house, go to an appointment, etc. Basically, for a couple of months, all I did was sit at home (if I didn't have to go to work at my part-time job I had at the time) and nurse and pump. Unfortunately, at that time my supply had diminished because my baby temporarily stopped feeding at night (she's back to feeding at night now), and our every-so-intelligent bodies readjust the amount of milk it produces based on demand. I was dedicated to a constant pump schedule in order to build a frozen supply of milk.

Anyway, that's probably too much information for you, but if you're still reading and are interested, I put a lot of work into this! It was not easy, and it required a LOT of time sacrificed to this effort. The goal was reached and I managed to build up enough frozen store that I did not have to worry. Even still, this sense of "lack" lingered in my mind. I treat frozen milk like it's more precious than gold. You cannot buy it no matter how much money you have! Or maybe you can, but it's not easy to come by. The fact that my baby absolutely HATES formula also compounded the pressure on me to have enough to last at least for the first 12 months of her life.

I've been working on removing all thoughts of lack and poverty consciousness from my life. It takes effort, but in order to live an abundant and wealthy life, we need to let go of these old thought patterns and replace them with new ones. I am constantly telling myself that we have enough, more than we need. Somehow it always works out and I'm able to do the things I want once I make the decision to do it.

So, today, after I pumped some milk and brought it to the kitchen to freeze, my nanny had thawed a frozen one to feed my baby. I was thinking that I should have brought the milk out sooner so that she didn't have to thaw one since I had one ready. See, these feelings of lack of enough milk storage started to creep up. And of course, as I was worrying about how much frozen milk supply was used versus how much I was able to produce today, she accidentally dropped an unsealed bag onto the floor and half it spilled out. I caught half of it, but she felt terrible that this happened. I wasn't upset because it had already happened to me before and I knew how that felt. But, why did it happen twice? I had spilled half the milk from a thawed bag into the kitchen sink once while holding the baby.

Then, it dawned on me why... At that moment, I was trying to calculate how much milk went in versus went out, which is an act that demonstrates a sense of lack. And of course, at that exact moment that I was feeling lack, what did the universe deliver to me? More lack! And it did so by wasting such precious milk. It was a repeat of the same thought pattern I had the first time I spilled the milk.

Well, there's my aha! moment. When you think thoughts of lack, the universe delivers lack. When you think thoughts of abundance and display emotions that show gratitude for what you have, the universe delivers more abundance. So, the next time you think you don't have enough time... act like you have enough time to do whatever you wish to do and give yourself the time and space to do it! And if it's money, don't worry about the lack of money, instead focus on what you can do to build more inflow. I'll talk about how I'm doing this in another post. In the meantime, shift your focus! Focus on what you DO have, instead of what you don't and you'll be on your path to abundance. :)

Enjoy the Ride

I've been dormant for a while, and after reading this, I finally understand why. New energies are affecting our lives every day. Today was one of those days, and I felt that it was now time to start up my blogging again. A lot has happened during the past 16 months of my life being pregnant and giving birth. Now that my darling Sophie is 7 months old, I'm beginning to wonder what my future holds. I plan on staying close to my her until I am done breastfeeding, but until then, I am beginning to wonder what I can start now to get things rolling.

Being a new mom is one of those roller coaster rides that you don't think will ever stop. As one big wave ends, another one arises, different, but just as challenging as the one before. It's fulfilling, heart-warming, but at the same time extremely challenging. And it's nothing like I expected. I'm riding the waves and learning to let go of my long held ambitions for getting things done quickly and all at once. I am learning that there is a time and place for everything, and right now it is about being a mom and being the best mom I can be. The future is coming more quickly than I realize, and my baby will only be this small once, so it is time to enjoy the ride.

Learning to enjoy the journey instead of focusing on the destination is one of the key lessons I've been learning lately. Everything from the process of decluttering my apartment, setting up my new home, learning to put my baby down for naps or bed at night... even the most difficult journeys will be one that we will looked back on fondly one day. The most difficult journeys are the ones that create the most meaningful transformations in our lives. It is through this process of struggle, contrast, and death of the old that we can fully shed our old ways and give birth to a whole new life. This process is magical and wonderful. Every step, perfectly calculated, orchestrated, and delivered. That is how our lives unfold. The more we resist, the more contrast is delivered. Learn to let go. The old no longer serves you. Let go so that the new can arrive.

I'm learning to let go of all sorts of objects in my home. Anything I am not using is going out the door. There is no space in my life for things I no longer love anymore. Even objects that hold monetary value are going out the door. I am selling, giving, donating everything I no longer need or want. I am also learning to let go of a lot of emotional clutter. Things creep up from the past that I had no idea was still around. I'm facing it, dealing with it, and then sending it on its merry way. Again and again this process continues and will continue until all of the clutter is gone. It's a wonderful process of releasing. Every release brings new opportunities. Miracles begin to unfold and everything becomes effortless and easy.

Instead of wishing everything were complete, I am now accepting things as they are. My home that is a work in progress, my weight loss from my pregnancy, my career and business waiting to be birthed. I am loving my life as it is right now, in this moment, clutter, fat, piles of to do's and all. Everything. And then something amazing happens. From that acceptance comes a moment of clarity. New ideas start to flow and old ideas begin to clarify themselves. Everything starts to fall into place. The universe is an amazing place, and only God can create such an amazing world. We are all co-creators in this universe, working with and through God. If you have not experienced this type of transformation yet, begin the process. Accept things as they are, right in this moment. Be grateful for the things you love in your life. This list of things you love will only grow as you live your life from a state of love.

Be well co-creators. Help is always available, just with the asking. Ask and ye shall receive.

Namaste. Amen.

Interviewed by Lilou about the 100 Day Challenge

Hi everyone,

I was interviewed by Lilou Mace, co-founder of the 100 Day Reality Challenge yesterday. It's interesting to look back on my journey and see everything that has unfolded during the past year and half since I started my first season. I am now on my 6th season. Here's the video. Hope you enjoy!

The Power of Love

For many years now, I have been searching for my life purpose, which led me to change the question that I asked from "what is my life purpose?" to "how can I serve?". Everyone's life purpose involves service of some kind. Our life purpose is about sharing our gifts and talents with the world. It can be service in the literal sense of helping others through volunteer work, philanthropy, helping out a family or friend, etc., but can also include things we get paid to do, such as our jobs, things we just love to do, such as hobbies or creative projects, or things we do because we feel compelled to do them, such as healing work or taking action on things  because you feel like you should do it at that moment.

The main thing is to give of yourself to the world by sharing your gifts and your love, and to shine the light within you outwards so that others may see it. When we hide our talents or let them go unused, the light inside us dims. It is the same when we withhold love from others. We are witholding that love from ourselves. Our nature is to shine brightly by doing what we love to do, and if we don't let ourselves go down this path, a deeper yearning will find you to nudge you and encourage you to go and do the things you love rather than doing a job just for money.

I have been going down this path and it has led me to unexpected things... from feng shui, pranic healing, meditation, angel therapy, personal development, social networking sites, youtube videos, spiritual journeys, fashion design, and integrative nutrition. As strange as this process has been for me, looking back, I realize how important each and every step of this process has been towards creating the life that I want, helping me discover my passion, and thus helping me move towards fulfilling my life's purpose. One thing I have realized is that my life purpose is not something where I can say one day, "I know what it is and I have arrived." Instead, it is a growth process and we are all here enrolled in this school called Earth to grow, expand, become more aware, and learn to share our love with the world.

In order to share our love with the world we must do what we love, as often as we can, until we can do it every moment of the day. Step by step we shed the things that no longer serve us, let go of the burdens we've been carrying, and then step out and walk into our dreams with the faith that everything will work out for the best, prepared to do whatever it takes to follow this path through until the end. This process is not always easy--there will be days where we find our joy and bliss, but other days where life will challenge us to make sure this is what we really want and to see if we are truly committed towards making our dreams a reality. We learn to become comfortable with the unknown and with who we really are.

If we are currently too attached to roles and titles, those will be removed from our lives so that we can see ourselves fully without those titles. If we are too attached to our belongings and things, we will start to experience situations that help us learn to detach from our things. What is within each of us is more important than attachment to material possessions. It is okay to have a lot of material possessions, as long as the attachment to them is not there.

Each aspect of our lives is there to teach us and to show us what we, as co-creators with the universe, are creating in our lives. We create what we predominantly focus on. By stepping back to observe ourselves and go within, we learn to identify the burdens, limiting beliefs, old wounds, and bottled up emotions we carry from our past. We learn to see them for what they are (limiting beliefs, self-pity, playing the role of victim, old traumas, or situations that we just don't want to carry around for the rest of our lives), we face them, and then we let them go. It is by going through this darkness that we can enter the light. It is by facing our fears that we can move into that space of love. And as we do what we love, we can live from a place of love, and the more love and gratitude we have in our lives every day, it becomes easier to love ourselves, our lives, and everyone else around us.

As we begin to love those around us, we begin by loving those that are nice to us, that treat us with love and kindness. Eventually, as our love and respect for ourselves and our lives grows, we learn to love all others (even those that are not always pleasant), and we learn to forgive and to let go, in order to heal ourselves, and then to heal others. This is the process I have moved through. I am now living from a place where I have learned to identify judgment (from myself or from others). I have learned to first recognize that it is there, face it, and then let go of those beliefs and thoughts and realize that those judgments are a reflection of how I feel about myself. When I let go of these thoughts, beliefs, and feelings, I heal myself. As I continue to heal myself, my life gets lighter and lighter as each of the burdens I carry are removed. As I let go, any blocked emotions in my body are released. My life gets easier and as I start to feel more free, I start to believe that life can be easy, that it is supposed to be fun, joyful, and effortless, much like how water runs down a stream. Life is supposed to flow.

Life does flow, as long as we allow it to flow. We let it flow by letting go and surrendering the things that no longer serve us and by moving towards the things that bring us joy. We bring our lives and our bodies back into balance as nature designed. During this process we realize that we were never alone, that we are never alone. We have had help all along through our trials and tribulations. Not only were we loved by friends, family, and the people we've met along the life's journey, but we we are also deeply loved by the earth, the universe, God (or god), guardian angels, our ancestors, and by all spiritual beings that reside in other realms. We are all one spirit, a collective consciousness, connected in this web of life by things beyond our comprehension.

It is from this space that we realize that our divine purpose is to spread our love, our light. We do this unconsciously when we do what we love, every moment, of every day. Our bodies vibrate at a different frequency that we broadcast out into the world and everyone around us when we are in a state of love. We can do this consciously by sending love from our hearts directly into the hearts of those that need love to heal, including Mother Earth. We also do this when we send our prayers out into the world. We are sending our love, compassion, and healing energy out to those that need us. In this way we are providing additional service to the world. As small as this gesture seems, it is making a BIG impact on the lives of others in ways that you cannot see or understand. Just like a little candle can light up an entire room, your light can give hope to others around you, just because you are being you... because you are living in your truth, because you are living an authentic life. You are living the life you were meant to live. This is your gift to the world.

Do what you love. Live in peace, love, and joy. Do what brings you happiness, moment by moment, every single day. Follow your intuition and quiet your mind. Your heart will guide you every single step of the way. You can create the life you want to live, but you must decide to go down that path. You must choose joy. It is your choice.

Choose joy and share your inner light with the world. Live a happy life filled with peace, love, and joy. By being peace, love, and joy, you spread peace, love, and joy... just by being it and living it. You are becoming a shining example of how life was meant to live. Just as Ghandi said, "Be the peace you wish to see in the world," you too can BE peace to change the world.

Love has the power to heal...to heal ourselves, to heal others, to heal our homes, our planet, and our lives. Choose joy. Choose love. And choose to live in the light. With every step it gets easier as you see the fruits of the seeds you have sown. It gets easier to believe that it is working, that the path we are walking is safe and supported, and to believe that we really do deserve to do what makes us truly happy, despite whatever financial situation you may be in. Your needs will ALWAYS be met. I have experienced this first hand. The world is conspiring to help you succeed as you choose to go in the direction of love. You meet the right people at the right time. The resources you need will come to you in unexpected ways. And any time you may feel stuck, just ask for help! Literally. Say "help!" either out loud or in your mind and help will come your way. The world hears you and is supporting you even when you don't notice its support.

And lastly, be grateful for every blessing that comes your way, no matter how small. Gratitude brings more blessings. The world is yours. You get to design your life, your experiences, and how you will use your talents to share them with the world. Life is fun. Do what excites you! Give yourself permission to live your dreams. Start today! Sending you much love, light, and blessings for a happy and joyful life.

Napoleon Hill talks about his meeting with Andrew Carnegie

Watch this video of Napoleon Hill talking about the advice Andrew Carnegie gave him that changed his life:

Dr Bruce Lipton and Dr Wayne Dyer talk about Beliefs, Healing, Placebo Effect and more...

Focus on what you want, not what you don't want.

What you put your attention on becomes reality. Here is a great talk between Bruce Lipton and Dr. Wayne Dyer about our cells, health, healing, environment, placebo effect, neurolinguistic programming, conscious/subconscious mind, feeling better, etc. Many of us have heard this message many times, but this is a great reminder and

A surprising insight - The primary programs in your subsconscious mind you acquired from other people...

We can master our health with our beliefs by focusing on what we want and not what we don't want.

Albert Einstein said that the most important decision you'll ever make is whether you live in a universe that is supportive and friendly or one that is hostile and not friendly.

What's your choice?

Part 1:


Part 2:

How Can We Save When We Have Credit Card Debts?

Dr. John Demartini answers the question that many people are wondering these days. His answer is very clear and direct.

What is Your Relationship with Money?

Here is a 3 part interview that Lilou Mace did with Dr. John Demartini that sheds some light into how much we value money correlates to how much money we actually have in our lives.

Book Review: Harmonic Wealth

Harmonic Wealth: The Secret of Attracting the Life You Want

This book is absolutely amazing. I really liked how the author, James Ray, uses 5 pillars to divide up different aspects of your life to determine how "harmonic" our life is. When you hear the word "wealth," most people think of financial abundance, but true wealth is more than just having a lot of money in the bank. What good is a lot of money if the other aspects of your life are suffering? James Ray talks about how to achieve wealth in 5 different pillars:

1. Financial
2. Relational (Your Relationships)
3. Physical
4. Mental
5. Spiritual

By going through exercises and a series of questions in each of these pillars, I was able to look at my life from this perspective. It made me realize that I have been focusing on three of the pillars: Relational, Mental, and Spiritual, but my Financial and Physical had been quite lacking. And it's not that I'm not working on those, but because I had neglected them for so long and paid more attention to other areas of my life, I have a deeper mess to dig out of, which is fine, because now I'm clearly aware of it and am doing something about it.

This book takes a very holistic and spiritual perspective in taking a look at your life, a perspective I believe will sustain true wealth for people who are seeking a wealthy life. As you work on yourself and do the internal work necessary to become better, your external life will mirror what's on the inside. That's the true message of this book. It's a fabulous book that takes a look at life from a deeper level, one that will help you become a better person, and wealthy, not just on the financial front, but on all levels. I highly recommend it!

If you're interested in reading this book, you can find it here.

If you're interested in seeing what other books I recommend, you can see the list here.

Staying True to Yourself

When you start to follow your passion, your dreams, and the things that excite you and bring you joy, you begin to discover a side of yourself that had been buried for many years. It is your true self, the person you may have been when you were younger, possibly back when you were a child, and have not been since.

Growing up, society, circumstances, and teachers around you taught you how to behave, what was acceptable, what was applauded, and what was frowned upon. Through this sort of "programming," we slowly became someone that others wanted us to become. Sure, we might have wanted to go down this path ourselves, but most of us picked the safe and more conventional route. A few of the bold and courageous ones dove for their dreams, knowing there was no safety net below. What's unfortunate about this situation is that even those that I knew that went for their dreams slowly saw their dreams fade and the need for financial security reined them into a "normal" 9 to 5 job. (These days it's probably more like 8-6 or more hours.)

The majority of us became one of the masses and although we tried to convince ourselves that our jobs were super-important and may have at some point felt like we were part of some huge project that was going to make a big difference. However, the result was always the same...we made a big difference for the company we were working for, or whoever our customers or clients were, and eventually the excitement there wears off until we feel like we're just part of the daily grind, going to work just for a paycheck. And if only there was a way out. Well, there is.

The choice is to go for the things that excite you, and spend some time reflecting on what it is that really makes you you. This is a difficult question for many to answer. For some it is easy-- they were born with their talent shining and their passion aligned with this talent too. But many of us have talents, but these areas are not necessarily things that excite us nor do we see ourselves turning these talents into a career. I played violin for 14 years, but not once did I consider that a career path even though my parents might have dreamed about it while I was growing up. And, I was immersed in the fine arts since I was 7, but somehow oil painting did not necessarily spark my passion much either.

The difficult question for many of us to answer is where do my talents and passion intersect? This was a difficult question for me to answer, even with years of soul searching, and I'm not even convinced I have found it yet. But each day I make a commitment to doing the things that bring me the most happiness and joy, whether it is cleaning my home so that I can have the ultimate relief of seeing a clean space, or reading that book that I really wanted to get through. Little by little, the things that we have passion for emerge because we will have been doing these things anyway, even without getting paid to do them.

I read books and magazines about certain topics because they interest me. I watch videos to learn things that I am interested in. I spend my time with certain hobbies that I know are not going to really be a part of my career, but I do them anyway because I have finally given myself permission to do things for fun and not just for work. Through this process I know I am discovering who I really am...who I've always been.

You've heard the phrases before:
"Stay true to yourself."
"Follow your bliss."
"Do what you love and you won't work a day in your life."

This is true, and I'm beginning to discover the depth of what these phrases mean. No matter what my financial situation is at this point, I've decided to dedicate my time, energy, and thoughts toward doing the things that make me happy, and making the time to do those things. Yes, we need to pay our bills and make money, but what's more important in our lives is to listen to our soul and follow our hearts. The money will follow. I have faith, and I am moving forward.

The hardest part is figuring out what exactly our careers will look like in the future. I've decided to just move forward with the things I've decided thus far and use my heart as a guide for every step I take. If I am excited about this work, then I'll do more of it. If I find myself dreading it, chances are that it's not the right path, so I'm going to try something else that feels right. And I've also decided not to let money influence my decision.

I've been guilty in the past of thinking about what business would be lucrative with the skills I have first rather than thinking of my passion first. Or, I would think of a skill that I have learned where I can do work that will help others, and I know it will be noble work since I am "helping people," but my heart's not really into it. I've learned that both ways are not the way to go. How can you make a living doing something you feel like you "have to do" for money, or you "should do" to help people? Where are you in the equation?

It may sound a bit selfish at first, but we must absolutely put our own passions first. By following our heart, we are able to achieve something even greater than we imagined, just by becoming our best self. The opportunities will appear at the right time, when we are ready.

So, for now, I'm going to take it day by day and do the things that really make me happy. If I want to learn how to make banana bread, that's what I'll do. If I want to learn how to golf, I'll find time to make it to the driving range. If I want to learn how to garden, I'm going to do that too. It doesn't matter that I live in a concrete jungle, I'll make my garden indoors. There's always a way to do what you want, but it is imperative that you give yourself permission to do the things you want. As simple as these things seem, they are the things that make your soul sing. These are things you always wanted to do but never gave yourself permission. And each thing will draw you down a path towards your happiness. Now is the time. No more excuses. Be who you are, not what anyone else wants you to be. And listen to your heart. You'll find that it speaks to you if you will find some quiet time to listen.

And if your heart says, quit your job, move to a different city, change your career, and go back to school, you might find yourself in a position similar to me. I'm learning to let go of the things that no longer serve me and let go of the things I used to value a lot in my old way of thinking (like money). I am, in many ways, shedding the old me to find who I truly was all along, bright and shining underneath, a creative and happy soul. If only I had let myself free sooner... but I am so glad I have decided to move on and follow my bliss. :)

Interview with Dr. John Demartini

A great interview with Dr. John Demartini where he shares his challenges growing up, shares a lot of insights and wisdom, and also talks about love in his life.

Why Do We Sabotage Our Dreams?