Archive for February, 2009

Feb
23

Being Selfish: Good or Bad?

Posted by: Leah | Comments (8)

Let’s start with this thought from Abraham-Hicks:

Hypothetically, people worry about everyone being selfishly oriented. “If everyone did exactly what they want to do, what kind of world would this be?” And we say, a really, really good one. Because if everyone did what they wanted to do, everyone would feel free. And if you feel free, you feel empowered. And every negative emotion that exists—hear this—every negative emotion that exists is because there is some sense of loss of freedom somewhere in there.

My two cents:

I love this and find it to be true!

I love the idea of everyone doing what they want and experiencing the freedom of that. Feeling free is where it is at as far as I am concerned. I agree that every negative emotion exists because of a percived loss of freedom, or that you will not get what you desire. Think about it for a minute. Think back to the last time you felt let down, taken advantage off or jealous and tell me what was at the root of those feelings. 

I posted this thought in the Defy the Box group on Facebook and people really got triggered by it. I heard lots of stories around how people are only out for themselves, and no one really thinks about other people, and advocating being selfish just fuels that problem. Or you can not trust your own ego to be leading you in the right direction so you should not do what you want to begin with. You will end up hurting yourself and other people. 

To me, being selfish does not mean that I get what I want and I do not care about you, but rather I know it is my job to take care of my needs and desires, just like it is your job to do that for yourself. When people are  empowered to be responsible for their own feelings and experiences in life, they do not look to others to make them happy or to give them what they need, they take care of those things themselves. It sets you up to look to yourself for solutions and answers. After all, you are the only one who knows what is right for you. 

I find that there are many people who have this idea backwards. they look to others to fulfill their needs, and tend to take care of others before themselves.

There is a reason that they tell you on the air plane to put your Oxygen mask on before you put on someone else’s.

Any one have any thoughts on this?

Categories : Stretching Yourself
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So far in the  Vision series, I have discussed what a vision for your life is, the benefits of it, and how to go about creating one. Next up is some ideas around staying connected to your vision.

I guess the first question is: Why do you want to stay connected to your vision?

The answer is: staying connected to your vision keeps you focused on your desired outcome,

And the more you revisit your vision and tap into how it makes you feel to think about having it, the more you are amplifying the vibration behind it. Since energy flows where attention goes, it makes sense to pay attention to your vision.

So what do I mean b y paying attention to it?

Create something the represents what you want to experience in your life. There are many ways to do this.

One way is to write out all the things you want to have in your life and how it will make you feel to have them. For example, if you want a beach house, describe in detail why you want it and how it will make you feel. For example, perhaps you desire a beach house because you love the way it feels to sit out on the porch first thing in the morning drinking coffee while you listen to the waves crashing on the shore. You like the feel of the sun on your face and the breeze washing over you. You enjoy walking along the shore and the way the water feels on your feet. Living close to the water makes you feel grounded and peaceful. Write all this down and put it in a place that is easily accessible.

Another way to do this is to create a dream map or vision board. Gather images that represent what you want to experience in your life. You can cut them out of magazines, find them online, or use your own photographs. I like to take these images to make a big collage. I typically will put a picture of myself in the center, and surround it with everything I want to experience. You can also tack the images up on a bulletin board. Do whatever feels right to you. It is your vision after all!

Some people connect to a particular piece of music or a song that represents what they desire. You could make your own special manifestation mix that taps you into what you want your life to be when you listen to it.

There is also some software you can buy to create an online or video version of your vision. In incorporates all these different pieces into one movie, or slide show that you can watch.

Once you have created your vision and made a representation of it, take five to ten minutes every day to connect to the feeling of it. Allow yourself to imagine that you are experiencing what it is that you desire. Allow yourself to bask in the feeling of living it. By doing this, you are amplifying the energy of your desire. The more you focus on it, and get into the feeling of it, the stronger the vibration of it grows within you. You will begin attracting more thoughts and experiences of similar vibration. Notice where you are already experiencing the components of your vision. Going back to the beach house example, notice where you already feel the warmth of the sunshine on your face and the breeze washing over you. Notice when you feel peaceful and centered. Appreciate when someone invites you to visit them in their beach house.

I will caution you against one thing. Pay attention to what you are focusing on concerning the timing of the manifestation of your vision. Some people create a vision and a representation of it, and then they spend their time noticing where it has not shown up yet. They focus on the lack of it rather than focusing on the places it is manifesting. If you look at your vision board and focus your attention and energy on noticing what is missing and feeling the lack of it, then you are amplifying the feeling of lack. What you will get are more opportunities to experience the feeling of lack. Try allowing yourself to be in a place of knowing that you will receive everything that you desire. All you need to do is let the Universe know what you are looking for.

Categories : Stretching Yourself
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Feb
10

Why Not Go Straight To Happy?

Posted by: Leah | Comments (1)

What does the word career mean to you?

How about Life’s work?

Some people hold the belief that their career should be their life’s work. Built into this is the pre-packaged belief  that you choose a career and expect to live happily ever after within one topic forever more.

Sounds kind of limiting. If I think back, my interests have grown, shifted and expanded many times over. I believe this is our essential nature, to grow and expand our desires and interests. If this is true, it would make sense that many of us go through periods of finding ourselves in jobs that no longer serve us or not being able to focus on one topic of interest for very long.

This often leads to confusion and stress, and the people around you wondering when you are going to get it together,  make a decision, and settle down. That is what you are SUPPOSED to do right?

Well, what if you decided to make your career/life’s work the pursuit of happiness? If you are going to live forever more in one topic, then it might as well be something that feels good.

What if you made it your job to align yourself with activites and events that made you feel alive, tapped in and inspired ?

Some may ask " what about making money?"

Try this idea on for size: For many of you, money = happiness and freedom. So if you are doing your job and feeling good then the money will naturally show up. That is what Law of Attraction is all about. You get more of your primary thoughts and feelings.

I suggest making a "career" out of living a happy life  and not focusing on finding a job that will produce enough income so that you can then do the things that you think will make you happy. Why not go straight to happy?

Categories : Stretching Yourself
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Feb
02

How to Create a Vison For Your Life

Posted by: Leah | Comments (0)

The process of creating your Vision for your Life is simple: Imagine all the fun, exciting, good feeling stuff you want in every aspect of your life. You can do it for your life as a whole, and/or break it down and create a separate vision for each part. For example:  My basic vision for my life is to have lots of freedom to do what I like; to travel and explore; to have money freely flowing to me in such an easy manner  that it is effortless; be surrounded by interesting, vibrant, fun people; be madly in love with myself and my partner, and live in a beautiful, peaceful home that I can entertain lots of guests in.
Next I might break down each part of my life and create a vision specifically for that part. For example:  My vision for money: Money flows easily to me. I always have enough to do anything that I may fancy. Money is never an issue. I gratefully pay my bills and appreciate the prosperity and abundance that is my life. I am able to provide for myself and my family, and generously share my abundance with my friends.  Money comes from unexpected sources. It is not my job to figure out where it is going to flow from, I gratefully accept it.
My job is to connect with this vision and imagine myself living it as often as possible. The more I can get into the feeling of my vision the better. I imagine how great it is to see something I want and buy it without a thought or concern, to plan that amazing trip to Mexico that I am going on, and what it feels like to have a constant stream of money flowing to me. The more I focus my attention on these things; I begin to see where they are happening in my life. The more I amplify the energy the more I begin to experience it, and see the manifestation of my vision in my life.
There are a few things to be aware of when you are creating your vision. The first is to ask yourself if you are creating your vision from the perspective of being a historian of your life or from the perspective of being the creator of your life. The historian creates a vision from the perspective of what you have already lived. You tell the story of what you life has been, rather than what you want it to be. When you are creating a vision from this place, you could be unintentionally limiting yourself.
If you come from the perspective of the creator of your life, you are more likely to create a vision based on what you want to experience. You are tapping into what you desire for your life, what you want to experience, and what has yet to become. I am not saying that you should not base you vision on the things in your life you want more of, but rather add in stuff that is far beyond what you have already experienced. Dream big!
I will throw out the idea that it is important to be aware that on a day to day basis, we limit our lives and what we think is possible  due the our Pre-packaged beliefs. These are stories we tell ourselves over and over about how the world works and what is possible for us. They are handed to you by your family, culture and environment. Pre-packaged beliefs create the box that we live our lives from.  Stepping outside your box and shaking things up a bit is extremely helpful when creating an outrageous vision for your life. It helps to shift your perspective and expose you to new ideas and possibilities.  An easy way to step outside your box is to do something that you have never done before. It can be as simple as going to a different coffee shop that you usually do or taking a class about something new to you with people you have never met.  Expose yourself to new ideas and new people.  I like to take a trip somewhere warm, relax on the beach, explore another culture, and connect with myself. Unplugging from my usual day to day activities allows my mind and spirit to reset and expand.( This is the trip I am going on in March. Check it out and join me if you like)

What are some ways that you might step outside your box and connect to your outrageous vision for your life?

In my next post, I will share some ideas around staying connected to your vision.

Categories : Stretching Yourself
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