Giving Thanks

The Holiday season is now officially underway! With Thanksgiving comes the turkey, accoutrements, family, friends and hopefully many prayers of gratitude, appreciation and thanks. Giving thanks is a quality that everyone would benefit from weaving into a daily practice and a consistent habit. According to Abraham Hicks, gratitude and appreciation are the highest of vibrations, and more akin to the energy of the Universe than even love. I know my life dramatically improved when I made the practice of gratitude more prevalent than my practice of complaining – but really, I had so much great fodder for complaint! I had been dumped, I had no job, no friends, no money, and my health was compromised. Of course I wanted to talk about that. I wanted sympathy, understanding and some help! What I did not understand at that time was what we talk about and think about is what is coming down the pike.

As I was meditating one day, I asked Spirit why my life was not going the direction I wanted it to. I “got” it was because I was looking with regret at my past instead of being optimistic about my future. I realized with crystal clear clarity, I needed to let go of my story and start a new habit - that habit was gratitude. I read that Oprah kept a gratitude journal; I figured if it was good enough for Oprah, it was good enough for me. I went and splurged on a blingy purple and pink journal and sat with it every night to consciously consider what I was grateful for. Some nights I just looked at it with tears in my eyes, life was so hard, and so confusing, it was challenging to think of things to be grateful for. However, I was consistently grateful for the beauty of the magenta and glitter; somehow it soothed and comforted me.

As I made writing in my Gratitude Journal a habit, I started to think of more and more things to be grateful for - and slowly life seemed to move in a more positive direction. I thought perhaps it was a coincidence, but did not want to take a chance and stop! I felt like the lotus reaching up through the darkness of the mud, and gratitude was my lifeline to the Light.

I have been told by teachers I respect that a new habit takes 32 days to cultivate. Now when dealing with clients who are struggling, I ask them to commit to a 32 day process of gratitude. In every situation, their lives change positively and dramatically. Gratitude is a magnetic energy and the more we consciously focus on it, the more we attract things to be grateful for. It is a simple practice that just takes practice. Gratitude an energy that opens the door to miracles, synchronicity and Divine support.

The science community is also getting on baord with the power of gratitide! It turns out, giving thanks is good for your health. A growing body of research suggests that maintaining an attitude of gratitude can improve psychological, emotional and physical well-being. People who feel grateful have more energy, more optimism, more social connections and more happiness than those who do not. They're also less likely to be depressed, envious, greedy or substance abusers. They earn more money, sleep more soundly, exercise more regularly and have greater resistance to viral infections. So, gratitude is good for us physically, mentally, emotionally, finacially and spiritually!


Here is a quote I LOVE from author Melody Beattie: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, and confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates vision for tomorrow.”

If you want more money, take time to bless and give thanks for the money you do have. If you want more love, be grateful for every drop of love you have ever given or received. If you want more miracles, be still and sit in gratitude for the miracle of your heartbeat and your breath. Meditating on the quality of gratitude, lines us up with the generous and prosperous nature of the Universe. Live with an open, grateful and receptive heart and keep your eyes open for magical and amazing things!

I now am living a life of beauty, wonder, amazing synchronicity, immense support, crazy opportunity and profound love - and I attribute it to the practice of giving thanks. Have you tried it? If you have and have a story to tell, get in touch with me and share! If you haven’t, give it a shot and let me know how it goes! Happy Thanksgiving to you and may you be blessed with grace, healing, wholeness, fulfillment, prosperity, Divine support and great love.

Law of Attraction

The Law of Attraction is a powerful law of the Universe. Like gravity it is consistent, but unlike gravity we can choose to consciously work with this law - or not. However, if we DON’T work with it, we create our lives by default and end up feeling like victims.

As aspects of Divine Mind, we all have so much more power than we think. One way to start exploring this power is to create affirmations. It is a simple concept, but practice and diligence is necessary to get the best results. To put Law of Attraction in a nut shell water finds its own level and like attracts like.
You get what you put your energy and focus on, whether wanted or unwanted. The Law of Attraction is neutral.

All forms of matter and energy are attracted to that which is of a like vibration.

You are a living magnet.

Energy attracts like energy

"That which is like unto itself is drawn." Abraham-Hicks

I have been playing with affirmations and the Law of Attraction for a while. I have found I cannot have an attachment to when or how things show up. I seem to continually be surprised at the sense of humor the Universe has.

After I set the intention to be of service and be prosperous I was presented with several opportunities to do volunteer work, and other opportunities to make money. It all turned out very different than I expected.

Then I became aware that an aspect of me was still not satisfied. I was missing LA, dressing up and fine dining. So I revised my affirmation to “I am of service, I am prosperous and I am glamorous!” I didn’t really know how the glamour was going to show up, but I had fun imagining the possibilities and relaxed. Several days later I was invited to a red carpet event in LA and the following day I got a call from Vanna White. She wanted to by 10 copies of my book and invited me to the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills for lunch. As I was shopping for some new cloths, I laughed to myself and thought about how effective my new affirmation seemed to be!

Once you start to get it, the Law of Attraction can be great fun! Once you put your desires into motion and remove and dueling intentions, or blocks of unworthiness, you can sit back relax and wait for your desires to manifest.

So what exactly is the Law of Attraction formula? Here are the basic steps.

1. Ask and be clear about your desires.

2. Source says YES!

3. Relax, feel good, be grateful and graciously receive.

If inspiration “drops in” in regard to taking action steps, be prepared to do so. If something feels right, do it. Then just relax and expect great things. Feel good knowing you deserve the life of your dreams and your desires are on their way to you.

Don’t worry about if, how, when, where and what everything is going to look like. Let the Universe take care of the details and the method of delivery, when you will receive it, etc. RELAX and ALLOW. Although this may sound easy, it can often be the challenging part of the manifestation process. I call it the period of “patience and faith.” Eliminate any doubt; all you need to do is expect it. Get into the feeling state of already having it and BE GRATEFUL!

For more about the Law of Attraction and the other “Laws of the Universe,” listen to my interview on “Journey to Center” with life coach Roxy McAllister on Empower Radio. Here is the link: http://www.empoweradio.com/home/index.php?news=377
And if you would like, drop me a line and share your thoughts and stories, I would love to hear from you! You can leave a comment here or email me at j2center@gmail.com. May you be blessed with grace and ease as you manifest all of your hearts desires!

Success

Success? How do you define it and is it only for the select few? Perhaps not everyone is destined to create an empire and manifest billions of dollars but I think everyone IS wired for success.

I believe everyone has incredible gifts, an important purpose and a “particular brand of magic” that no one else possesses. I think the ones who really create abundance with their magic are those who KNOW they have value. So how does one go about rewiring for success? For me the recipe is: Meditation, Contemplation, Action steps and Celebration.

Meditation: Success first and foremost comes from being happy and lining up with the energy of the Universe. To quote Marianne Williamson: “The same energy that can move planets around the sun and turns embryos into babies, can take care of our lives - if we let it!” So the first important step is inviting that energy in. It can be as simple as turning our attention inward with the intention of aligning with the organizing intelligence of the Universe. I recommend taking five minutes at the beginning of the day and focusing on the breath, or seeing the light within. This reduces the “mind chatter” and allows the energy and wisdom of the heart and soul to bubble up. The heart is THE most effective companion, compass and guide on the journey to success.

Contemplation: Once I reduce the mind chatter, I ask questions, then I LISTEN! Prayer is like talking to God, meditation is listening to God. Some of my greatest learning’s, powerful analogies and awesome “advice,” has come from my attention being “turned inward.” Then, I listen and contemplate the information that comes forward. A powerful example of this was when I was involved in television project that seemed “stuck.” I was frustrated, because I had done my part and could not seem do anything else to move it forward. So, I meditated. I asked the inward oriented question: “What do I do?” What came forward from my “Inner Intelligence” (aka: II) was: Write. Me: “Write? I’m not a writer, I don’t want to write!” Again I hear: Write. Me: “Write what?” II: Write about what you know. Me: “I don’t know anything!” II: You know how you got from a pattern of unhealthy relationships to one that works. Me: “….well, I do know that.” II: Write about that. I had never written and did not have a conscious desire to write, but a deeper part of me knew this was an aspect of my destiny and an important ingredient in my “success.”

Action Steps: Science of Mind has a great quote: “Treat and move your feet.” Do the inner work, then do the outer work. After I had done the inner work, meditation and contemplation, now it was time to take the action steps. Start writing. Since I had never written anything before, I had no Idea how to start. But I had an idea…I would sit with a notebook as I meditated and write down what came forward. I also slept with my notebook, and as I would start to fall asleep, ideas for chapters would drop in, and eventually the chapters started to fill out. I also went back to school and was further supported by some required writing classes. To me this was an example of taking one step to God and God taking several to me.

Celebration! So, do the inner work, do that outer work, and don’t forget to have fun along the way! I think it is vital to express gratitude for ourselves and to the Universe. It is also important to take those moments to be proud of ourselves, nurture ourselves and CELEBRATE ourselves! Plants grow better in an environment of love, children thrive in it - and so do we! We do not have to wait for someone to do it for us, we can do it for ourselves. For in truth, we are all deeply loved and the children in whom God is well pleased. And in order to receive it in the physical world from others, we need to carve out the place inside of us to receive it. The world would be a much happier place if more people would validate and celebrate themselves, rather than waiting for someone else to do it for them. Dance in your own light. Enjoy the unique expression of the Divine that you are. Celebrate the beautiful spirit that is you. And soon you will notice you are not dancing alone!

My Divinely Inspired book “Manifesting Love From the Inside Out” is now complete and is going places and doing things I never would have imagined. It is in the hands of women in prison, on Amazon, Kindle and expanding in surprising, exciting and grace-filled ways. I recently got a call from Vanna White, she said my book was not only inspirational and transformational, but also the best self-help book she ever read. And my ego thought I had nothing to say!

I had no idea I was wired for success, but now I know that I am…and so are you. Please let me know if you explore the simple steps I have outlined here for you, I would love to hear your thoughts, ideas and your stories. And please be in touch if I can do anything to support you along the way. Write me at j2center@gmail.com. Take care and God bless on your path to success!

Do you want to be right..or happy?

I am fairly confident you have heard the oft posed question: “Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy?” After being unceremoniously dumped years ago, I was determined to have both. I had clearly been treated badly and was very attached to my story. I was RIGHT about being right about being wronged. Two years later I was still telling my sad story and garnering a certain about of sympathy. But the “happy” part of the equation was elusive.

As I sat and meditated about my dilemma one day, I asked the question “Why am I not happy: why is my life not moving in a positive direction, why can I not obtain my goals, why am I seeing my ex-fiancés head everywhere?” (Unfortunately for me he was a well known actor at that time). The information that dropped clearly into my awareness was I was facing the wrong direction by telling my story repeatedly - and I could not move forward until I was willing to let go of the past and my need to be right. I was not happy about this revelation. After a week of considering it, and continuing to tell my story to whomever would listen - I finally really GOT I had to let this go if I wanted to be happy. * EXASPERATED SIGH* Oh alright. If I only get one or the other, I am going to go for the happy now.

Almost immediately, life started to shift. I started to book auditions, attract clients, and make more money. My old habit of telling my story tempted me, but I remained strong in my resolve. NO I want to be happy!

I also started to do some conscious forgiveness work. When my ex would pop into my head, I would repeat the mantra “God bless you on your path, God bless me on mine.” I also did a guided meditation where I would have my Guardian angel or Higher Self cut the tangled cords that connected us. I would them see him floating away in an irredesant bubble.

A short time later I met a wonderful man, and I know this would not have been possible had I not surrendered my negative connection to my ex. I also went back to school, got my Ph.D. opened a private practice, wrote a book, started painting and teaching classes – a MUCH better use of my time, energy and life force than holding on desperately to my old story and being right!

The “letting of a being right” practice has been so liberating on many levels. I am now willing to be wrong in my opinions, perspectives and memories. I don’t feel the need to convince anyone of anything. What I eventually came to realize I had a deep seated belief that I had to be right, and convince others it was so, in order to be worthy of having value. What a relief to find out that this wasn’t true. I can be flawed, make mistakes and be wrong and still be worthy! I am no longer attached to being right about almost anything. I don’t feel the need to argue my points, tell my story, or garner sympathy. I feel all of this has softened me and made me more flexible and more lovable human being - at least that is what my husband, that wonderful man I met years ago, has told me!

What I have found by letting go of my story is that respect feels infinitely better than sympathy, and happiness feels so much better than being right. Is it easy? No. Is it always fun? Not so much. Is it worth it? HECK YEAH!

Write to me with any thoughts at j2center@gmail.com. And For more about being right or being happy, listen to my podcast about surrendering control on emoweradio.com. http://www.empoweradio.com/home/index.php?news=377