Abundant Beauty
It’s that time of year in Arizona when the Northern Mockingbird again claims its territory as he seeks a mate, and I have been lucky enough to be blessed with one who has claimed my back yard! I just LOVE listening to this bird sing his heart out every night, all night long, with his trills, and calls, and haunting melodies. It is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard, and I will sit and listen enthralled as he sings his repertoire. I even leave my patio door open a crack, even though it still gets chilly at night, just so I can hear his song as I fall asleep. I can think of little else that fills me with such joy.
The first time I heard one of these little fellows singing was during my first spring in Arizona. It was 1997, and I had come home from some meeting. One of these birds was singing in the tree I had to pass on my way to my townhouse. I stood, entranced, listening. Even back then, I opened my window to hear the song as I fell asleep.
The Northern Mockingbird is sometimes called the American Nightingale, and I can understand why. The song is lovely, and just another sign of the herald of Spring in Phoenix.
Blooming Cactus
The mockingbird tells this story over and over, sending out his voice, his song of the incredible joy of being, and in his authentic beingness, he attracts his mate. He doesn’t hope. He doesn’t plan and scheme. He simply is, and the immutable laws of the universe take care of the rest.
When she finds him, he will be too busy making his nest and then making a family, to sing the night away. And so I enjoy it now, in this moment, because I know that soon, he will no longer sing me to sleep this year.
I let the richness of the moment fill me. I let it sink into my heart, into the very core of my soul, and let it resonate there, because I know that this joy is our birthright, and we all have a song of joy to sing. And as we sing it, all that is meant to be ours is attracted to us.
Sing your joy this day! It is the most beautiful, responsible thing you can do!
Choose Success
They say we are in a recession, or is it a depression, or maybe an economic catastrophe? The world is tumbling around us, or so the media would have us believe.
Whatever the media wants to call it, I see signs every day that maybe that just isn’t so for everyone.
For example, we opened our comic book store in December, and although the sales aren’t what I wish they were, we are all getting paid, and we are holding our own. Sure, we’ve had to get more creative with our advertising choices, but a little creativity never hurt anyone. Plus, I am finding that our creativity is paying off more than the traditional methods of advertising! And every day, I encounter people thanking us for opening our store.
Next to us, the dog grooming place went out of business in the past couple of weeks, and a few doors down, the computer technician has decided to work out of his house, rather than having the overhead. And yet, Basha’s, the large grocery store in the same complex as us, is expanding and remodeling.
Just up the road, my partner and I recently visited a new wine bar. It opened on the day after Thanksgiving, and rather than struggling, they are seeing an increase in clientele daily!
I was talking with a gentleman today who recently decided to close his office as an alternative healing practitioner and instead, work from his house, mostly so he could pursue his passion in real estate and real estate investing. He sees the opportunities that are out there at this time and wants to capitalize on them.
Nouveau Riche, the company for which I sell real estate investment education, had its best month ever in December 2008, and I, myself, just saw an increase in my commission possibilities.
My friend, Suzanne, just got involved in a new multi-level marketing program. She sells body wraps that helps to de-tox bodies and also takes inches off in just one session. In just a few short weeks, she has 17 folks under her, and is reaping huge profits AND having a blast!
What are the factors that cause one business to go under and another to thrive? What makes the difference?
I suspect that there are a few factors. One is attitude. Are we giving IN to the media’s hype? Are we then contributing to prolonging the fear? Or are we striding forward confidently, knowing we have done our homework and are prepared to meet both the challenges AND the successes? Have we built in safeguards to protect in the lean times? Are we having FUN?
This leads us to another factor: planning. I cannot overemphasize the importance of planning. It doesn’t mean your plan isn’t subject to change, but having a plan helps to keep you focused and on track. The plan can be as simple or complex that you would like, but write it down. Invariably, writing it down makes a difference.
Another factor is anticipation and expectation. Are you expecting to have less business, or are you anticipating more? At the comic book store, we celebrate our new customers. Every day we hear, “I didn’t know you were here.” We remind them to tell others that we, are, indeed, here, and we stubbornly plan to stay for awhile!
In the long run, we can decide how we let these times affect us; how we apply the lessons and how we appreciate the blessings and where we go from here.
What is your WHY?
In my forays into prosperity, I have come to know that the most important ingredient for attracting wealth comes down to a very simple concept.
When I ask someone if they want to be successful, most people will say yes. Further inquiry usually reveals that people define success as some variation of financial freedom, financial independence, having enough. The very next question must be, what does financial freedom, or financial independence, or having enough mean to you? What would your life look like if you did?
This is where the real answers start to surface.
In interviewing folks, I have learned that everyone has a WHY, an underlying motivation for wanting to increase their bottom line. Some examples I have heard are as follows:
– I want to build a legacy for my children and for their children.
– I want to spend more time with my family.
– I want to travel.
– I want to contribute to a social cause.
– I want to put my kids through college.
– I want to pay off all of my bills and be debt-free.
Whatever the reason, that motivation, that why, is what will help you to persevere during the fallow times. In fact, the Why will define the end-product and the road to get there. We must start with the end in mind, and then fill in the steps it will take to get there.
I would go further to say that this holds true no matter what the goal. Whenever you find yourself longing for something, ask yourself why that particular something. What is the motivation behind it? Much may be revealed.
Rooted deep, crowned high
For example, one of my future goals is to own and operate a retreat center. When I ask myself why, I realize that one reason is to demonstrate to the world how to live sustainably, in harmony with the earth. The retreat center would be a study in sustainable living, using rainwater harvesting, solar and wind energy for power, and permaculture for gardening. It is quite clear that a strong motivation for me has to do with the significance of my relationship with the earth, and a passionate desire to share that with others who feel the same way.
Can I do that without a retreat center? Yes, I can and I do. So, why do I want a retreat center?
I realize that for me, no goal is worth having if there isn’t a spiritual component to it. Because I am clergy of an earth-based religion, it makes sense to have a place that not only honors the earth in practicality, but also in ceremony.
So I ask myself, what is my Why for wealth? One of my stronger answers is to increase the richness of being by living gently and in harmony with the earth and the cycles of life and to set that example for others to follow, should they choose to do so.
So, what is YOUR Why for success?
Attention
“ENERGY FLOWS WHERE ATTENTION GOES” – The Secret
A theme that is oft repeated in many of the books I have been reading about on how to obtain wealth is the idea of focus. If you cannot define what you want and then hold it in focus, how do you expect to achieve it?
With the media focusing on all of the doom and gloom of the economic climate in this country, is it no wonder that folks are focusing their attention on lack and on loss? And guess what? Amazingly, they keep creating more of it!
Is this the life you want? Is this the life you dreamed of? Don’t let the news usurp your dreams and plans. Be resourceful. Find another way to achieve them!
I keep reading and hearing about how greed got us into this mess. And to some extent, I suppose that is true, although I personally think it has more to do with short-sightedness, an epidemic that is all too common these days. People don’t think about the long term. People tend to focus on a small sphere around themselves and make their choices accordingly, ofttimes just ignoring that which they don’t want to deal with.
But the truth is, we are all responsible for what’s going on in the economy, and we can all do something about it. Rather than perpetuating our woes, we can simply apply the universal law of attraction to start creating a new way by focusing on our joy, on our bliss, on the life we want, on where we see ourselves in the future… and then making a long-term plan, and taking the action steps to get there. The opportunities are there. The way is there.
I tend to look at this time as a huge wake-up call. I see no use whatsoever in placing blame on this one or that one. It’s done. Now we are faced with the fact that we are here, and we want to get to a new place. Let’s start heading in that direction! I can say this, we will never get there if we keep looking back. It’s time to look forward to the future!
So start right now. Where do you see yourself in five years? Is it believable to you? Does it feel like something you can achieve? What will you need to do to get there? How do you see yourself doing that? Take the time to think it out, write it out, and then tell at least one other person. There is power in having a witness.
Another great way to focus your attention is to make a vision board. A vision board is a collage of pictures and words that describe and represent your dreams and goals. Put your board somewhere prominent where you will see it regularly. On a subconscious level, you will be influenced to focus on those things.
No matter what the economic weather outside, keep your dreams alive by ever focusing your attention on them. And then, in five years from now, let me know where you are at.
Relationships and Longing
I’ve been giving some thought about relationships and how they add to our overall sense of prosperity. I’m not just talking about the loving couple type of relationship. I am talking about any self-other relationships. In other words, we have a relationship with everyone we meet and everything we encounter. We have a relationship with our home, our guests, the land upon which we stand. We have a relationship with our community. We have a relationship with our money. We have relationships with our personal concept of deity, whatever we conceive that to be. We have casual relationships, deep relationships, meaningful relationships, shallow relationships, barely there relationships.
True prosperity is contained within the richness of our relationships. A deep, meaningful relationship with some one or some thing can fulfill us in ways that compare to nothing else.
And yet, can we really know the value of our relationships, whatever they may be, if we don’t first value ourselves? And isn’t that a key to prosperity?
This past weekend, I was attending an event that focused on the energy of longing. There came a time when we were asked to go inside and contact that for which we long, and as I pondered that, I realized that I long to share the path to true prosperity with everyone that I can. I asked intuitively how I could do that, and the answer I got was to value myself, to value the message I have, and to value those to whom I would deliver it.
In my own way, this is one humble attempt to do so.
I find myself exploring the relationships in my life – the people who touch my life, the profound relationship I have with Nature and with my personal concept of deity, with my cats, with the work that I do, with money – and measuring the value within which I hold each one. 
Some things I take too much for granted. For example, among other things, I have been an accountant for most of my adult life. As a result, for me, money is often relegated to numbers on a page, and not the physical expression of creative energy which we exchange for other expressions of creative energy. It takes a conscious effort to remember the relationship between the actual greenbacks and the creativity behind them. And yet, it is only when I remember that this particular creative energy can be used to beget greater creativity that I remember its value, and long for more.
As I acknowledge the longing, it leads me to that which will fulfill it, often to greater growth. The right relationships come into my life to guide me. The right circumstances avail themselves to me. The right people happen upon my path. And as I follow the longing, persevering through the more difficult patches, and rejoicing in the victories, so do I find fulfillment, ofttimes in ways I never imagined.
Go-Giving
I just finished reading what is now one of my all-time favorite books.
The title of the book is The Go-Giver, written by Bob Burg and John David Mann. This parable about a salesman named Joe, who wants to succeed in a big way, realizes that he is not doing as well as he wishes. In a moment of desperation, he asks a colleague for the name of a man who he thinks may help him.
When Joe meets with the man, nicknamed The Chairman, he is in for a big surprise. Over the course of a week, he learns a different lesson every day. He commits to practicing each lesson at least once each day.
Here are the five lessons, also known as the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success:
• The Law of Value
Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment
• The Law of Compensation
Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them
• The Law of Influence
Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first
• The Law of Authenticity
The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself
• The Law of Receptivity
The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving
In practice, these five lessons changed Joe’s life. I won’t tell you how the book ends, because I highly recommend that everyone reads it for themselves, but I can say that the ending was much better than I ever expected.
Now that I have read the book, I am pondering how I can apply it to growing business at the Comic Zone. My partners and I are already brainstorming ways that we can add value to every sale. We are offering some great deals on Valentine’s Day as well as a super deal on Presidents’ Day, 44% off all back issues! We give away free stuff. We have an email list and we offer specials to these, our preferred customers.
We pride ourselves in serving our customers, helping them to find anything they are looking for. We also check out many sources as we seek to find requests that are not in the store. We had one customer who told us she was delightedly surprised at our customer service and will come to us for all of her comic book needs. We have another couple who drive across town for us because of how we treat them. To us, our customers DO come first. They are our reason for being in business. Of course we want to do all we can to make them happy, so we listen to them. In exchange, we are building a loyal customer base.
Our next challenge is to discover how to reach more people, so that more people can experience what we have to offer, and in return, we can continue to grow and serve even more.
Life is about creating yourself!
Yesterday, I had the privilege to hear a phenomenal inspirational speaker. Del Hargis, a transformational coach, was the guest speaker at an event I attended. His presentation moved me in ways that I haven’t been moved in quite awhile. I am still feeling the gratitude that has been coursing through me for hours now, because of the blessings I learned to recognize within my life, just by listening.
He inspired me to remember that we have the power to create, not only our lives, but more importantly, ourselves. Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself!
Who do you want to be? You are not your past. You are not your “evidence pile.” You are not your results. You can create yourself anew in every moment. You do not need to be tied to a particular identity, although there are many who would want you to believe you should. You do not need to do things in a certain way because that is how they have always been done. Uncommon people have two things in common; they make uncommon choices, and they empower those choices with uncommon action.
How do you go about creating yourself differently? You change your frequency to be in alignment with who and what you want to be. 
Your frequency is a result of the influences in your life, the myriad of conversations you have with others, and probably more importantly, yourself. Many of those conversations are unconscious, and the idea is to make them more conscious. Learn to recognize when you are being triggered by watching your moods and your emotions. These are excellent indicators of the conversations you are having with yourself. As Carl Jung said, “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
Once you are more conscious of your thoughts/conversations, you can be more aware of the underlying belief that is giving rise to a certain emotion. The emotion gives rise to action which produces results. If your unconscious conversations are in a lower, negative frequency, then your results will mirror that frequency. Raise your frequency, and you will get higher, more positive results.
How do you do that? You read positive, inspirational books. You listen to positive, inspirational audios. You eliminate negative influences as much as possible. You remain conscious of eating healthy food and exercising – taking care of your body, your vehicle in this life. And you get help to stay on track. You hire a coach.
Remember, no matter what life is handing you, as long as you have a pulse, you also have the ability to change it, and yourself.
Joseph Campbell said, “The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty YES to your adventure.”
YOU are a courageous, inspirational, loving being of light! Say YES to your greatness. The world is waiting for you.
Stepping into the future
It’s a new year. Every year at this time, I take some time to review the year gone by to gleen from it what I can. Did I meet my goals? Did I accomplish what I set out to accomplish? Overall, how did I feel about the year? What did I learn?
Once I take the time to review where I have been that has gotten me to where I am now, I contemplate my goals for the coming year. Once I have established my direction, I write them down. Writing them down helps to solidify them and make them real. This year, I have also typed them out and printed them, so that they become a part of my daily meditation practice. What better way to keep my goals foremost in my mind than to read them each day?
I look back over 2008 and I see tremendous personal growth.
I have forged a new direction in my life, one that is in alignment with my soul, and every day is a meaningful step along my journey. My one overriding theme for the year of 2008 was to leave a new legacy for my children and for their children, and I feel I have done that. I have turned the tides on what my life was, and I have created the framework to leave something of real value to my descendants. But it doesn’t stop there.
The theme of 2009 will be to build on that framework with care and deliberation, and in the process, to change the lives of others in positive ways for generations to come. The process starts today, with my goals written down on paper and with a vision before me of where I am going.
I recently visited the Grand Canyon in the midst of a snow storm. Although I couldn’t see into the canyon with the clarity that I would wish, I could tell from what I could see, the majesty that was hidden in that moment. So do I start 2009 with majestic visions, and as I walk with sure steps towards those visions, towards those goals, the way becomes clear before me.
A new venture
For the past few weeks, I’ve been busy starting a new business.
My sons, now in their 20’s, and my partner and I have created a comic book store! It’s something that was simmering for over a year, and we began meeting and planning about six months ago.
Starting a new business takes a lot of planning, and we were quite diligent about meeting once a week to talk about our visions and goals. We all participated from a position of our own strengths and preferences. Luckily, we are a good mix, each with something valuable to offer to this venture. Step by step, we pulled all of our ideas together to form an action plan.
Little by little, we watched our dream materialize… finding back issues of comics, finding the space, building out the space, choosing our opening date, choosing our advertising venues, researching point of sale systems, etc. etc. etc. There is just SO much that goes into everything, including the all-important business plan. I cannot tell you how many times I have gone back to our original plan to make sure we are on track. A good solid plan goes a long way.
One of the resources I used for my planning was the S.E.E.K. product, created and distributed by Nouveau Riche. S.E.E.K. stands for Super Entrepreneurial Encyclopedia of Knowledge, and watching the videos was very helpful for me to consider all of the facets necessary to planning well and implementing those plans. If you want to know more about S.E.E.K., please leave me a comment and I will expound.
Saturday was our Grand Opening, and it was a wonderful success!
WHOLISTIC PROSPERITY 