Abundance & Prosperity – What comes to your mind when you hear the words “abundance” and “prosperity”? Is it financial freedom, fulfilling relationships, having a career you love and enjoy? Of course, it means all of these things and more. When we expand our minds and move beyond our limiting beliefs we open ourselves to endless possibilities. How much “good” are you able to allow into your life?

Gratitude Unlocks the Fullness of Life

November 26, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Thanksgiving is the natural time to reflect on all the things that we are grateful for in our lives. However, it would benefit us greatly to experience gratitude on a daily basis instead of just thinking about it once a year.

Studies have shown that an “attitude of gratitude” has wide-ranging psychological and health benefits. Gratitude elicits positive emotions such as joy, contentment, hope and happiness, which in turn provides direct physical benefits by boosting the body’s immune and endocrine systems. Additionally, when we recognize and appreciate the good in our lives, we are certain to create more of it because whatever we focus on expands into our life experience.

 

Here are some benefits of gratitude:

 

Reaching your goals: When you feel grateful, it tends to be a lasting and selfless feeling. It’s much more than just a momentary burst of positive energy; it has staying power that will provide a great boost for you to reach your goals.

 

Showing gratitude is a two way street. Learn how to effectively express your
gratitude and, just as importantly, to receive it as well.

 

Strengthened relationships: There are many ways you can express your gratitude to your loved ones, including saying, “Thank you,” writing a letter, or giving them a thoughtful gift. When you learn to avoid taking your loved ones for granted, you’ll have a long lasting and loving relationship.

 

When you express your gratitude to others, ensure that you’re open and expressive. People don’t know what you’re thinking; hearing it can make all the difference.

 

Improved communication: Gratitude can mean better communication all around. By expressing your gratitude to strangers, they’ll be more likely to show an interest in helping you, too.

 

Gratitude is such a powerful entity that it can even help you communicate with your pets! They should be appreciated too.

 

Effective and constructive criticism: No matter how we express constructive criticism, it often makes the recipient defensive or even angry. No one likes a blow to the ego. In this situation, a grateful attitude can take you a long way. You can express criticism quite effectively when you also emphasize what you appreciate about them.

 

Gratitude Journal

 

One of the best ways to emphasize the positive aspects of your life is to start a gratitude journal. Get yourself a notebook or journal and start by writing five to ten things that you are grateful for. You can add entries each day or at least each week as you think of them. Keep the journal near your nightstand and read your entries before you go to bed at night. This is a much better way to end the day rather than watching all the horror stories on the evening news. By participating in this activity on a routine basis, your focus will shift. You will begin to look for and identify more and more things that you are grateful for, and you will want to enter them into your journal. Your entries don’t have to be spectacular or life altering events; they can be as simple as “I am so grateful to have a warm bed to sleep in at night” or “I am grateful for my friends who love me.”

 

As you practice reflecting on what is good in your life, you will appreciate yourself and your life more fully each day. Although you still have many goals and dreams you want to pursue, you can accept and appreciate where you are in your life right now. You will never be finished and you will never get it done, so focusing on what you love about your life right now will bring you joy!

 

“We can walk this earth in one of two ways – taking it for granted or taking it with gratitude.”
~ Rev. Mark F. Phillips

 

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
~ Melody Beattie

 

Filed Under: Abundance & Prosperity, Finding Balance

Overcoming Fear of the Economy

July 18, 2010 by 2 Comments

The current economic climate has caused much alarm. Many of us are being faced with job losses, foreclosures, shrinking retirement accounts, credit crunches and an overall increase in costs for food, fuel, healthcare and housing. While it is easy to get discouraged and feel a sense of despair, it is important to remember that you are never powerless. You always have the power of choice. You can choose how to think and respond to the circumstances and events going on around you. You are in charge of your own state of mind and only you can choose to think positively or drown in sea of negativity. So, how will you choose to respond? Will you immediately panic, think dreadful thoughts and be immobilized by fear, anxiety and depression? Or, will you recognize your own power to change your thinking, explore your options, and take the necessary actions to improve your situation?

One way to counter the effects of all the doom and gloom media reports is to remain hopeful.

Oh sure…I can hear you say! How can I expect to stay hopeful in the midst of all this chaos?  Well, you can start by developing a clear vision of your future and staying focused on it.

You cannot expect to change your present situation by focusing on what is. Giving attention to negativity, stress and panic only keeps you immobilized. Yes, it is important to acknowledge your fears and concerns but you must move beyond these feelings if you want to bring about the changes you desire. Accept where you are at the moment but make a conscious decision to do something about it! Having a clear vision for your future is vital. A powerful vision gives you the bigger picture. It is the driving force that propels you forward. Once you are clear about your vision, you can take the necessary actions that will lead you to its fulfillment. Having a strong vision gives you a greater sense of hope which supports you in the pursuit of your goals.

In addition to hope, I would add faith and joy as other essential ingredients. When you have faith, you know that things can and will change for the better. Faith also empowers you to take more risks.

Joy always makes us feel good and ultimately, that’s what we all want. So seek out as much joy as you can and enjoy the process. Know that you can always improve any situation and remember there are many valuable life lessons to be learned along the way.

Separate what you can control from that which is out of your control. Worrying about things you cannot control will only lead to increased stress, tension, fear, and anxiety. Focus on the things you can control. Change your thoughts and the way you talk to yourself. Seek out support and assistance from others whenever necessary, and do whatever you can do to improve your situation.

Finally, take a broader perspective. There is a natural ebb and flow to everything in life. Things are constantly changing and you can always take positive steps to improve any situation. Above all, remember that you are not your bank account, your credit score or your job title.

  • You are a magnificent and powerful being.
  • You have value and worth just as you are.

So, stay hopeful, keep the faith and move forward in joyful optimism!


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Filed Under: Abundance & Prosperity, Articles, Career Fulfillment

Do You Have a Prosperity Mindset?

May 29, 2010 by 4 Comments

If you don’t already have a prosperity mindset, it might be a hard thing to imagine. There are certain ways you can chase your dreams while keeping wealth and prosperity in mind at the same time.

A prosperity mindset encourages you to take action each day to improve your life on numerous levels, such as health, wealth, love or anything else you deem important.

Study The Actions Of Successful People

Perhaps this is the most important suggestion. Learn by example. Find someone successful whom you admire and do what they do. These individuals serve as proof that your dreams can come true. 

  • Find someone who has had the same kind of success that you desire.
  • Study what they’ve done right as well as their mistakes.

It’s always easier when we have an example to follow. Find a way to ask successful people questions. You might be surprised to know that successful people love to inspire others to find success as well. They know that there’s plenty of success to go around. That’s the prosperity mindset in action!

It’s All About Being Positive

If you believe in yourself, you can achieve your dreams. The moment you think you can’t do something, you can’t. You know that negative feelings arise from time to time and that’s okay. However, you need to keep a positive image of the big picture in your mind at all times. 

  • Picture yourself reaching your goals and imagine how it feels.
  • Surround yourself with positive people.
  • Write prosperity affirmations.
  • Be an open person.

When you open up to new opportunities, you open up to prosperity. Stay motivated and don’t be afraid of change.

Setting Goals And Action Plans

You can dream all day about where you’d like your life to go, but without a goal or an action plan nothing will happen. Take time to think about the big picture and then draw in the lines of how you’re going to get there. 

  • Break down your goals into smaller steps.
  • Set manageable and achievable goals.
  • Stick to your plan whenever possible.

Don’t Give Up

You have to have the dedicated motivation and drive to tell yourself that you’ll stop at nothing before you reach success. When you talk to or study the actions of someone who is successful, they’ll likely tell you tales of their many failures. There were probably times when they felt like giving up, but they were able to push through defeat. 

  • Realize that everyone feels like giving up, but we can’t give in to these feelings.
  • Keep the image of your goal in your mind.
  • Make changes if you need to, but continue taking action toward your goal.

Get A Life Coach

People with prosperity mindsets are all different. They have different approaches to getting what they want and they have different definitions of what prosperity is for them.

There are certain things they do have in common though. They all have a hungry enthusiasm for life and a positive attitude that they’ll continue to use on the journey forward.

If you feel that you lack any of the core beliefs and are still unsure about whether or not you can adopt a prosperity mindset, you could always look into getting assistance from a life coach. A coach will be able to break down your problems and concerns and tailor a plan that will work for you personally.

When you implement these strategies, you’ll gain a renewed prosperity mindset that will improve your life journey.

Filed Under: Abundance & Prosperity, Articles

Success Secrets To A Better Future

May 8, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Stop for a moment, take a look around and ask yourself this question: Is this the quality of life I was hoping for? If you answered “No”, then my question to you is “Why not?”  “What would you like to do differently?” “What are you doing today to change your life for the better?” Most people who have been asked these questions say “It’s no use because…..” and so it goes…. excuses!

But it really doesn’t have to be this way. The first step in getting out of a rut is to stop making excuses and take responsibility for your life. You can begin to change your life situation today. How do I know? I know because others have done it and so have I. Yes, there will be obstacles, but nothing that you can’t overcome. The only requirement is your desire to change. Mark Twain once said “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” If your desire is strong enough, you can achieve almost anything you set your mind to.

The second step to getting out of a rut is to step out in faith. There is no time like the present to change the course of your life. You might not succeed at first, but you must keep trying. Success will eventually come with persistence. Albert Einstein once said “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

So begin to step out and take some action today! What’s one thing you can do today that will bring you closer to your goals and dreams? Do it. Take a chance and get started! And, as William Durant, the founder of General Motors said “Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it.”

Filed Under: Abundance & Prosperity, Articles, Forty Something

Thinking Your Way to Success

April 22, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Do you often envision yourself achieving great things, and then follow this up with a negative thought process? Do you talk yourself out of your dreams before you even begin to pursue them? If so, you need to change the way you think.

When you change your thought processes to success thinking you truly can change your life. Positive thoughts enable you to reach out and grasp the success you seek.

Affirmations and You

Wanting to succeed and being able to envision your success is a great place to start. When you can do this, you’re giving yourself permission to change your life, attain your goals, and be a success.

There will be days when it’s more difficult to think in positive and success affirming ways; however, during these times you can turn to a useful tool called affirmations.

Affirmations have helped a lot of people turn their negative thinking into positive thinking, while propelling them toward their goals in new and exciting ways. Affirmations for success can help you change the way you think about everything.

If you’re honest with yourself, you may find that much of your inner dialogue, how you feel about yourself, and even the way you carry yourself are negative. This destructive thinking sets you up to fail or causes you to give up before you ever really get started.

As with anything new, creating a success mindset will require practice to give you the best results. The good news is: you can get all the practice you need with the help of success affirmations.

What Are Affirmations?

Affirmations are positive statements that activate your mind to change your life, one thought at a time. They enable you to accomplish the things you wish to achieve.

Affirmations work because each word we speak has power, the power to evoke emotions. They work because they allow you to program – or reprogram – your thought processes, replacing negative thoughts with positive ones.

For instance, if you find that you’re telling yourself what you can’t do, you can replace these negative thoughts with an affirmation for success, such as, “I am capable of succeeding without feeling overwhelmed or unfulfilled.”

If that statement doesn’t quite fit you, there are many affirmations for success, such as “I am worthy of great success.” All you need to do is want to feel this way, and then every time you say these statements aloud you reaffirm them to your subconscious.

Is It Really This Easy?

Many of the most successful people in the world aren’t much different than you. The key characteristic that sets them apart, though, is that they have a success mindset.

It seems too simple to be true, but when you talk to people who’ve experienced success, you’ll find that they use statements like these to drive them toward their goals and away from negativity. Their inner dialogue is one of success and achievement.

If success came naturally to all of us, we would all be successful. Unfortunately, in this day and time, many people prefer to focus on the negative, rather than embrace success.

With affirmations, you can overcome your limiting, negative thoughts and make it second nature for you to choose success. Success can be a reality for you, so long as you believe and reaffirm your positive thoughts consistently.

Filed Under: Abundance & Prosperity, Articles