The Party Moved!

We've got a rockin' new party happening over at the new place - Good Vibe Blog or click http://goodvibeblog.com/

We took all the content and party hats with us, so join us over there for the latest in law of attraction tips, stories, and exercises.

Before we go, though, big fat thanks to everyone for all your encouragement and support while we were growing this law of attraction blog. We did great work here together!

Click over to http://goodvibeblog.com/ to catch up with the new party. :)

Namaste -

Expecting Perfect or Problem?

Last weekend Gregg Braden asked us whether we're following doctors' instruction to do breast exams and check moles regularly, that sort of thing. Conventional wisdom says we're remiss if we don't, you know!

I ignore conventional wisdom all the time, so my answer to was his question was of course NOT I don't go looking for lumps or growths or anything that I don't want! Are you kidding me?! Who would do THAT??

Gregg went on to say that "reality exists only where we create focus." So as we look for something, we create it. He thinks (as do I) that it's ridiculous to look for problems with our bodies. Most people reading this blog will understand that perspective, I'm pretty sure.

But does that mean we shouldn't be paying attention to what's going on with our bodies? Gregg says most certainly not. He said the important distinction is that you can conduct an examination with the expectation of perfection rather than a problem. And that makes all the difference in the world.

So rather than checking that mole every week to see if it's changed in color or growing in size, instead we could notice our mole and thank it for being perfect. We could look at it with the expectation that it is serving us beautifully, and that it's an indicator of what fabulous health we have. I made that example up, but I think that's what Gregg had in mind.

This was a new perspective for me, because I've done the "don't look" at all routine. Not the "look with expectation of perfection" routine.

I mean, if I HAD to look at something, especially something that I knew would potentially take a toll on my good vibe, I'd set myself up to see what I wanted. But I preferred not to look if I didn't have to.

Like when I take a foster kitty's temperature ... sometimes it feels better not to take a temp and just let them heal without intervention, but sometimes there are symptoms present that make me feel neglectful if I don't. So when I take that temp, I'm running feelings of "ahh, that's perfect sweetie. Right where we want you." Rather than "What will I do if it's high?" worries while waiting for the thermometer to beep.

Or, sometimes I wanted a high temp so that it could fit in with an easily fixed illness. In that case the vibe I'd run was, "Ok, good, that makes perfect sense kitty. Just a little bug you're working on. No big deal."

What Gregg taught me was how not to be afraid to look. Not just bury my head in the sand and hope for the best, but be a conscious creator of what I want.

Having said all that, am I really going to start doing regular breast exams? Hmm. I'll let my higher self decide on that one.

But I do know that the next time I see an ad in some magazine trying to scare me about cancerous moles, I'll repeat to myself - or shoot, maybe out loud to everyone in the room - "I love my perfect moles. They are so cute and healthy!" Ha ha!

How to Get Paid Using Law of Attraction

Someone owes you money or is slow to pay? While it's easy to blame the other for the situation, that energy isn't likely to help you get the money you're due. Use the Law of Attraction to let the payday in.

First of all, it couldn't have happened if you weren't aligned to it. You played a role in this co-creation. That doesn't make you bad or wrong, it just is what it is. Don't use it as a reason to feel bad, but rather as a way to lift resentment that might be present toward the debtor. After all, they're the ones that got sucked into your "I didn't get paid" or "I got shafted" vibe. (Maybe they deserve some sympathy too, huh?)

How to remedy the circumstances so the money's flowing in? Simple: shift the energy. Specifically, shift YOUR energy. You've got to change how you feel before you can get what you want.

There are a variety of ways we feel when someone's not giving us what we think we earned: upset, angry, resentful, fearful, victimized, resigned, ungrateful, etc. And we know what that energy attracts, right? More reason to feel that way. So that doesn't work.

We've all been down that road to know it.

Before someone can pay us, we have to feel a way that's aligned to that result. Which could be a variety of feelings - different for each of us. For me personally, getting paid what someone owes feels like relief. Relief of those bad feelings I was trying not to flow while they owed me money!

The work is to feel this way BEFORE they pay you. I know it can be tricky, but think of it as good deliberate creation practice. They're giving you an opportunity to flex your manifesting muscle! It helps to find new thoughts that allow for new feelings. Get creative in finding which ones work for you.

While I'm noticing someone still owes me money, and growing more irritated with every week that passes without payment, or even word from them that they intend to pay, I'm flowing energy that keeps that payday in the future. In this way I'm responsible for the delayed payment.

To bring that payday to the present, I have to feel NOW how I would feel then. So I can practice feelings of relief; that "FINALLY!" feeling. I imagine the feeling of a clean slate again. Maybe running "It's about TIME!" through my head or "Thank GOD" I can give this up now.

As I give this up NOW, I open the door to getting paid.

Also, as you flow this newly aligned vibration, check in on whether it feels good to take any particular action. Like sending a reminder invoice, making a call, or asking them to sign a promissory note.

If you take any action, make sure it feels good and do it with the feel good "I just got paid" or at least "I'm on way to being paid" energy - not the "pissed off I'm still not paid" energy. It makes all the difference in the world!

It also helps to release your attachment to receiving the money. If you find your way to knowing you'll be fine either way, that helps let the money in too. Easier said than done, I know, but it works if you can get there. (You have to really mean it for it to work, not just saying the words. The Universe knows the difference.)

I've had luck in the past with this forgiveness exercise that Connie Domino's "Develop Irresistible Attraction" offered from Catherine Ponder:

“When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.” - Catherine Ponder

Holding the person you wish to forgive in your mind, state your affirmation of forgiveness something like this:

“I forgive you completely and freely, I loose you and let you go. So, as far as I’m concerned, the incident that happened between us is finished forever. I wish the best for you, I wish for you your highest good, and I hold you in the light. I am free and you are free, and all again is well between us. Peace be with you.”

You might have to read it a time or two before you feel a shift, but stick with it. That shift is what releases your attachment to getting paid, which is very likely exactly what allows you to let the money in.

I myself am having a hard time on releasing attachment to a particularly large sum that I'm owed (not by a client), so I know getting to forgiveness is easier said than done. And if it doesn't feel good to go there, don't! We know how this works ... find your feel good wherever it is, and that's what'll let the money in.

Here's to a happy payday for us all!

Got Bad Feelings?

One of the most asked questions I get from LOA savvy folks are what to do with negative feelings. We know we get what we vibrate, so if we're immersed in something negative, how do we get out of it?

Answer: stop trying to get out of it.

Feel your feelings.

They're not as scary as they might seem.

I'm not saying revel in them, or stay stuck in them. I'm just saying we aren't going to be able to avoid feeling them by ignoring them or wishing them away. It's okay to feel them. That's actually a rich part of the human experience, don't you think?

You're irritated at your sister for changing the family's holiday plans? That's okay. Be irritated. So what? Once you let yourself be irritated, it's much easier to get over it. It's trying NOT to be irritated that keeps you stuck in it.

You're mad at the boss for shortchanging you on the raise he promised? It is what it is. If you're mad, be mad. And then you'll be able to leave mad behind sooner rather than later.

It's not that you approach your less-than-fabulous feelings with the AGENDA of ridding yourself of them, rather that's just a beautiful side benefit that those negative feelings are more easily released after you accept them.

Weird, huh?

Well, it's not that weird. What we resist, persists. So don't be afraid of your negative emotions.

When I let myself entertain thoughts of revenge against that neighbor I struggled for weeks with, that actually felt better. (A LOT better. It feels awful to feel powerless, but revenge - now that gave me access to feelings of power again.) That feeling of revenge eventually gave me access to choose other feelings, like peace and appreciation. But if I had sworn off all negative feelings - oh man, I hate to think where I'd still be with him.

Where does deliberate creation fit in all this? In our conscious choice to feel what we feel. And then making deliberate movement up the emotional scale as we're ready to.

When I had Shadow euthanized, I felt sad. I didn't try talking myself out of it, although I did remind myself I didn't need to be sad for him. I let myself be sad for me. It's amazing how much more quickly I move through grief now that I know to let myself feel it. Instead of trying to pretend it's okay or wishing the pain away or doing everything possible to avoid thoughts of my favorite cat, I just feel sad.

So I felt sad.

And then ... I didn't.

Instead of dealing with buried grief that I'm afraid would just bring me more things to grieve over, I honored what I felt. That allowed me to move on to appreciation and love for what great company he was for those 18.5 years. As I find my way to thoughts that feel better, I welcome those. No need to dwell in something that doesn't feel great when there are other options available.

But until those other options become available - in fact, what ALLOWS them to become available - is feeling what's up for you now.

So here's to your fabulous feelings, including the revenge and anger and despair and all the other wicked ones. Let go of your judgment and fear of them, and enjoy playing with the full deck.

(Unless of course judgment or fear is what's up for you. ha In that case, enjoy them too!)

Managing Far Away Goals

Every Friday I join dad for a 6 mile mountain hike. Today I noticed we have very different approaches toward this outing.

After we get a couple of turns up the switchbacks, if we look up we can see our end point - a big white rock that stands out on the next mountain in the faaar off distance. I mean FAR off distance. (The first three miles are uphill, too.) Like, when I take other people on this hike, I don't even say that's where we're going because they get too discouraged to finish. (In fact, along the way, I like to point out to dad, "this is where Russ turned around; this is where Verrall turned around." hee hee)

On this morning's hike, dad made a point of stopping to look at the big rock in the distance and said jovially, "hey, that's where WE'RE going!" As I also looked at the FAR OFF rock, I thought, "that's a long frickin' way" and felt my energy fade.

While it totally energized him to see the end goal, I experienced a different feeling altogether. It seemed really long, really hard, and very out of reach.

But when I put my head back down and watched the trail in front of me, I was right back to enjoying the hike as usual. I realized it works better for me when I think of the bend just ahead, and then the next creek we cross, and then my favorite tree after that. Thinking of it in bits and pieces suit me best for making it to the end.

I thought how this relates to other goals in life. How some of them seem so ridiculously far away that we give up before we even start. And yet, if we just point out a couple of milestones along the way, and shoot for the closest one of THOSE, one at a time, we make amazing progress.

I also thought of how some people do better when the going gets rough to stay strongly connected to the end result - to remember WHY they're trudging up this hill that makes everyone else think they're crazy.

And then I realized focusing just on the end result can be tricky, too. After all, we know it's not the destination that matters, but the journey.

So although I might have thought dad's end result was the big rock (and mine the bench next to it), I realize it's more likely the time spent together enjoying nature and the dogs. Making new friends along the trail, saying hello to the regulars, and updating each other about our lives as we go.

"That's where we're going."

I've been interested lately in thinking where WE'RE going with our deliberate creation work. I have to imagine that when many of us get this stuff down pat life is going to be VERY different than as we know it now. Don't you think?

Regardless - what's before us now is the next step. It seems prudent to focus on that, and find the thoughts that most help us enjoy taking it. (And for some of us, that thought may very well be of the big rock ahead.)

I'll practice this myself as I work towards my birthday present to self of "best shape ever." Instead of wondering how I'm going to get back to looking fabulous in that size four little black Anne Taylor dress, I'll look at the next step ahead. (Getting my thoughts in alignment is MY first step.)

Once there, I'll look at the step after that, and so forth. And I'll get there. Maybe seeing that little black dress on the hanger once in a while will help - I'll feel that out as I go. And I'll enjoy the journey along the way. Simply because I said so. :)

So the next time you're feeling deflated because what you want seems so far away from where you are, remember you can get there from here. It starts with the next step, and deliberately enjoying your journey will make all the difference in the world for your continued progress and eventual, inevitable success.

Swift vs Struggling Manifesting

To be fair to all the male creators out there (who read my October 23rd ezine with the genders showing the swift creator as female and the struggling creator as male), I'm giving you your due:

Swift Creator:

Believes what he wants is possible
Willing to try
Gives himself credit where he can
Practices what he learns
Is open and trusting
Doesn't hinge his wellbeing on the outcome
Feels connected to the world and others
Easily finds something to appreciate
Leaves the past in the past
Open to guidance (from higher self and others)

Struggling Creator:

Doubts it's possible; fear it's not
Fears disappointment
Sees failure instead of progress
Doesn't give it a chance to work
Is "shut down" and suspicious
Everything depends on a positive outcome
Feels isolated and alone
Sees little to be grateful for
Feels compelled to analyze what went wrong in the past
Closed to guidance from self and others

Hope that feels better. I actually understand how offensive that may have been for some to read, as I couldn't bring myself to use "she" or "her" in describing the struggling creator here.

My sincerest apologies!!

And a clarification in the same issue: my ecology professor (in fact, my high school ecology teacher, too) in college is inspiring because of his enthusiasm and love for his field of work. I rarely meet others so engaged and in love with what they do. Which is why he's my model for joy and passion.

(See guys, my ecology professor/hero was male ... !!) : )

Seriously, the simple fact is that most of us show up in both lists at one time or another. Which is fine. That's how we work. It's not unusual and it doesn't make us bad or wrong or incompetent.

What I like is for us to be aware of where we're holding ourselves back in order to free ourselves from habits that don't serve.

Awareness is the first step.

So, along those lines: I'm willing to try to help and believe that I can (and am). I give myself lots of credit (in fact, the "thank you" emails outnumbered the "what were you thinking" emails 9 to 1, so thanks to those of you who give me credit, too). I'm practicing what I know every day (and doing so in this post now), am open to correction and new learning, I'm feeling the love for and from those I'm in this go-round with, loving life in general and appreciating that people read and think enough of what I've written to write back!

And with that said I'm off to write a new post that's been on my mind for a few days.

Thanks for being here! You likely have no idea how much you mean to me! : )

Work Wanted

I liked this story from my girlfriend Anne so much, I asked her permission to share it.

She's been on the job hunt for a couple months now. After joining her boyfriend in California last year, she burned through a couple of different positions that for one reason or another weren't right for her. She's been out of work now for several weeks, and is getting unnerved by her extended unemployment.

Anne wrote the other day, saying she's been searching job listings, sending out resumes, writing cover letters, reviewing web sites, trying to line up interviews, all to no avail. She was frustrated, to say the least.

Her note to me said she recognized she was "needing" this new job, and knew from an LOA perspective that that was keeping it from her. So she was going to work on "believing" it.

But before she got around to that she decided to give herself a break and go see her favorite band perform live. Her boyfriend took her, and even though he's not nearly the fan she is, he stayed for entire concert and they had a really good time. (She's such a big fan that her personal email address is the band's name, and she's travelled the country to see them live! I mean, the band members know her name!)

Can you guess what happens next?

The very next day she got four messages. Three from employers asking to set up interviews, one asking her to come in that same day.

So now she's feeling in "high demand" and her whole vibration is turned around.

What a difference a day makes, huh? Especially a day that includes us doing something that feels fabulous!

You know as well as I do that lots of folks would have given her advice about how to "make it happen" in her job hunt. They'd counsel her to work her network, beef up her resume, or take some other conventional action to make herself more desirable to prospective employers.

Not too many "experts" would suggest a night out with her favorite band for the solution to getting a job.

But that's often exactly what shifts the energy - doing what feels good. Which is what allows our escrow to squeak through our "real life" door.

Congrats, girlfriend, on letting the Universe do some of the heavy lifting. And I know since you pre-paved this next job that it will be a keeper!

PS - that's not say that taking real life conventional action doesn't make a difference in getting what we want. For lots of people, that "real life conventional action" is what shifts the energy, right? We do what we "believe" will work, and that believing is sometimes exactly what creates our vibrational alignment.

It's just a matter of finding your way to what feels best to you. :)

"I Secreted It ... "

Yesterday I met a new girl at the salon who asked what I did for a living. I told her I was a life coach specializing in the Law of Attraction, and asked if she'd heard of "The Secret."

Oh boy, had she heard of it!

The tone in her answer clued me in that she wasn't a fan.

She said doesn't believe in it. At least not fully. (She added that last part in an effort to minimize offense.)

She went on to explain that she used the Secret to get pregnant, but still had three miscarriages. So it didn't work for her at all.

Despite the fact that she was seven months pregnant as she told this story (happily expecting to deliver a healthy boy in mid-December), and despite the fact that she said she used the Secret to get pregnant (versus give birth) - four times no less! - she was steadfast in her belief that the Secret didn't work.

Her exact words: "I Secreted it and it didn't work." (I enjoyed hearing the Secret as a verb!)

I also njoyed not feeling compelled to point out the fairly obvious contradiction in her experience and belief. And I thought how odd that the very same situation is proof for one person it doesn't work and proof for another it does.

We each do truly get what we think.

I think it works, and I see in her situation the proof of it. She thinks it doesn't work, and sees in her situation the proof of it.

We really are each creating our own little world, huh?!

I offer this story as an opportunity for each of us to examine where a new perspective might serve us better.

My tried and true neighbor gave me such an opportunity this morning. A mobile vet I’ve never used before arrived to euthanize my 18 year old cat, Shadow, and mistakenly parked in the neighbor’s driveway instead of mine. My neighbor came raging out of his house with expletives afire about how he couldn’t park there.

As I met this new vet I learned he just arrived from Iowa, and has only been in Utah a few months. One of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. “Good people” is what my father-in-law would call him. And here he is getting a greeting like that from my neighbor. I was mortified.

And angry.

Which I caught on to pretty quick. As you know, I have much experience with the “angry at my neighbor vibe,” which I’m purposely deactivating. So I found my way to a new perspective fairly quickly.

After apologizing to my new vet friend and explaining that the neighbor’s on crack and isn’t in charge of his behavior, I realized my neighbor probably has very few things in life he can control. Who parks in his driveway is likely one of them.

We all know how good it isn’t to feel powerless, and when a stranger’s parked in your driveway, that’s likely to activate “powerless.” I can see that.

So, with those thoughts in mind, I can cut him some slack. I’ve probably been mad at someone blocking my driveway a time or two. He and I aren’t that different, I remind myself. And that feels better.

Plus, I’m probably feeling a little powerless myself as I have to say goodbye to my Shadow. So .. it’s easy to see how “powerless” would show up in my world.

And then I remind myself we’re far from powerless. We’re creating all of this! And when I practice managing my feelings, I’m creating the kind of live that makes it all worthwhile.

Pray Rain in Action

As promised, here's the story of my first experience with a pray rain journal.

I was in the corporate world and had just gotten out of a staff meeting where we salespeople were told if we didn't turn our numbers around FAST, we were out of jobs. They'd pull the plug on the whole department.

Nothing was going right in the year the department had been up and running. I'd been on board four months and from day one was immersed in the struggle to make something good happen. We were having miserable results. No internal cooperation, our product wasn't well-received, and management had this pool of amazing 401k experts COLD CALLING prospects to try to sell this thing. It was ridiculous!

And it wasn't working.

So coming out of that meeting, I felt like I'd been fired. I thought, well, what they told us to do hasn't worked (cold calling, script sheets, etc.) so I may as well try something new.

And I thought about a pray rain journal. I'd heard of it, but never practiced it.

I knew a hairstylist who'd achieved her dream of owning her own salon by using a pray rain journal, so I had reason to believe it could work.

I also knew I didn't have a lot of time to get results, so I needed a very short journal.

Guess what I found in my drawer? A little 25 page $0.88 notebook - maybe 2" wide by 3" long - I mean TEENY. I could whip through that thing pretty fast. Didn't know if it'd be fast enough to save my job, but - it was worth a shot. After all, nothing else was working!

So I pulled out my new notebook, and on the first page I wrote about how excited prospects were to find me. I wrote about how much they loved my product. I wrote about what great instant rapport we had, and how they couldn't wait for me to implement the product, and how perfect it was for their company.

It was pure fantasy! Everything I wrote in there was the exact opposite of what I'd been experiencing.

But for those four minutes it took to write a handful of sentences about what I wanted as if I already had it, I was vibrating alignment with it. (And we all know that's where the magic is.)

So after my first entry I did another unheard of thing. I asked myself what felt good to do next.

"Lunch."

I hadn't had lunch since my first day on the job when the big wigs took me out.

I'd been eating Snickers and Grandma's cookies from the vending machine because we were under immense pressure to make a certain number of phone calls every day and track our results, and report back to management, etc. etc.

So after asking what felt good, I did something different. I went across the street (whoa - left the building! ha ha!) and ate my favorite Greek food at an outside table on a gorgeous spring day. I kicked my feet up on another chair and leisurely fed leftover pita bread to the sparrows. I goofed off. And it felt GOOOOOD!

After an hour and a half of enjoying myself and the beautiful day and the amazing food and friendly birds, I went back to the office. I was feeling refreshed. And better.

In the elevator on the way up, a gentleman asked me who I was. I told him my name and the company I worked for.

When I told him I sold small business 401k plans, his mouth dropped open. "You HAVE to follow me to my office." Which is where he showed me his desk - covered with sales literature from 401k vendors.

"I've been going through this for weeks and haven't been able to make heads or tails of any of it. Can you help me?"

Ha ha!

Can I help him?! It's only what I was born to do!! I mean, in truth, I LOVED 401k plans, I loved talking about them, I loved helping people understand them, I loved helping them figure out what would work best for them.

I finally got to do what I LOVED!

I had my satchel with me and pulled out my sales literature. We had a very nice chat.

After 15 minutes he got up and walked me down the hall to his HR Director. "Sherry, meet Jeannette. Jeannette, meet Sherry." He tells Sherry I'll be implementing their new plan and to sign whatever I need her to sign.

He turns to me and asks "How soon can you get that to us?"

I was more than a little shocked, you can imagine. Where were the objections? Where was the dance to try to get a second appointment? Where were the other decision makers who I had to get on board?

This was supposed to be a six week process to even get to the point where we prepare contracts for signature.

From that day on, I became a pray rain journal junkie. I mean, I didn't even have to get to the end of the BOOK before my first dream came true ... it happened before the end of the DAY!

I've used them on various things ever since. (Building my ideal coach practice in amazingly short time, for one.)

Have fun with yours.

And I just want to officially say thank you, Universe, for being so good to me. That was a really good day. : )

Pray Rain Magic

Karen at Live the Power recently featured a manifesting technique I shared with her called pray rain journaling. I didn't realize how many people didn't already know about this, so I thought a post devoted to the topic would be helpful.

Then I thought an e-book would be even better.

It's my hands down favorite manifesting technique, and when you read about it, you'll understand why!

What We Resist

Yesterday afternoon I thought some of us might get a kick out of this story. My girlfriend was selling shoes at the Greek Festival this weekend and I offered to help her man the booth.

She has an amazing array of shoes, the kind you can't help but ooh and ahh over. Nothing practical here - it's all glitter and glam. From flats to pumps to clogs to wedges to boots and sandals - she has it all. Some were sparkly, some had lacy straps, some were made of shiny satin, some had such pointy heels they were an engineering wonder - and honestly, you can't help but touch them. They're just fun!

She had one particularly appealing pair of shoes with fur trim that made everyone smile when they saw them. Most passersby would stop, look, laugh and then actually pet them. (Especially the men - go figure!)

I thought it was cute and a good draw; my girlfriend was annoyed that people were handling her merchandise.

So she made up a "PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH!" sign and just as she placed it next to the irrestistible fur-trimmed shoe, two women approached with a yellow lab by their side.

You know me, as soon as a dog is on the scene, I forget everything else.

But pretty soon I was smiling to realize the law of attraction was proving itself in quick action once again. This was a seeing-eye dog for one of the ladies, whose owner promptly began shopping by handling every shoe on display while her friend described the colors to her.

I had to laugh that as soon my girlfriend took action to stop people from touching her merchandise (resistance), she attracted a situation that delivered more of what she didn't want.

She wasn't really in a mood for an LOA lesson, I thought, so I was proud to not say anything. Well, to her anyway. I knew the rest of us would get a kick out of it!

And of course, I realize she's mirroring exactly what many of us do every day without realizing it. She knows how this stuff works - so do we. Yet how often do we unconsciously slip into "resist" mode?

Not that I would encourage us to look for resistance, since we get what we look for. But maybe a good focus is on what we're allowing, and where we have more opportunities to relax and flow, and on a greater level.

With that said I'm going to go "flow" an article for my editor. Happy day, everyone!

Choosing a Good-Time Filter

Every week the dogs and I go hiking with my dear dad. His favorite trail (Mueller Park - shown here) has crazy bushes along the way that create nasty stickers for dogs. My ex won't even walk it. He says it's not worth the trouble of pulling out stickers from coats for several days.

Plus there's an abundance of deer and rabbits the dogs love to chase. And (I imagine) it'd be easy for them to get lost on this mountain.

So when Sadie or Joe launch an off-trail adventure, I'm not super encouraging of it. (That's my indirect way of saying I yell at them to get their butts back here.)

Last week Joe went off trail for quite a while. So long that I thought I lost him. There was a lot of hollering that day. I was unusually hot. He jeopardized our good time by risking getting lost?! What a Stinker with a capital S! (Indeed it was an s-word I used, but it might not have been "stinker.")

Anyway, as we're wrapping up this morning's hike, dad says, "I noticed Joe didn't get in any trouble today."

I realized he was right. There was no yelling, no hollering, no waiting. Joe was a very good boy today.

As I start to acknowledge agreement, dad says, "And it didn't seem like he did anything different."

Wait, what does he mean by THAT?

Of course Joe was different, because there wasn't any trouble or hollering or MIA dogs.

I think about it, and realize Joe did go on an off trail adventure today. He was gone for a while - twice even! But I didn't worry about him this time. I trusted he'd find his way back to us and all would be well. No yelling today.

Dad is not a master of subtlety. However, I realize today he is making a gentle point that we went on the same hike we always go on, this time there was no trouble. The difference was me.

Same Joe, same off trail adventures. No trouble.

Different Jeannette.

So the trick for a more enjoyable walk with the dogs doesn't have to do with dogs listening better. It has to do with ME and my CHOICES of how to be on this walk.

I can worry, or I can trust and enjoy. It's so much nicer for everyone when I trust and enjoy. I know this stuff - why aren't I practicing it more?!

Tonight I wonder where else I might spoil my potential good time by worrying instead of trusting and enjoying.

Well, I see it a lot more of it than I would have guessed. I thought I was the Good Time Queen! And now I see how I spoil my Friday night with Russ by fretting that he's not off the golf course till 8, which is too late for dinner, too late for a movie, too late for fun.

Uh huh.

I see that instead of being able to laugh at watching my ex and his dad try to re-trap nine feral bunnies (seriously, two Elmer Fudds lurking behind bushes with fishing nets and traps with carrots set on the trigger - classic humor!), I worry what fate might befall the bunnies if they're not relocated.

I see that I could have more purposefully enjoyed four kitties growing up in my house if I wasn't carrying the tendency to notice the absence of the two who didn't make it.

No change in situation. Just a change in my perception, my response, my vibration. Makes all the difference in the world.

Wow!! What ELSE can I change??

Okay, I'm liking this ... instead of being regretful about all the work that didn't get done this week, I could relax and know the important stuff got done and enjoy my accomplishments. Maybe even look forward to the next week, instead of feeling behind for it.

Instead of being annoyed with dad for pointing out that I'm the only good time spoiler on the hike, I could be grateful for seeing it myself now.

My perception. That's the difference.

The good time is always there. The only question is which filter am I using? Am I filtering for a good time, or filtering for a bad time? I'll find either one I look for. Universe is very accommodating that way.

Here's to a good time filter for all of us who desire it this (stateside Labor Day) weekend! Namaste.

No One Wants to Win the Lottery

This weekend my sweetie participated in two events at his employer's Corporate Games. As regular readers know, my boyfriend likes to win - not just play, not just compete - he wants to be #1.

His experience reminded me of the question people often ask in terms of how law of attraction works when people want the same thing but only one can win. Like a lottery, a job or even a girl.

If each competitor wants to win and they're each vibrating "win," how could everyone get what they want?

This could be a long post, but I'm shooting for short & sweet.

Whoever is in closest vibrational alignment to winning will do so. But just because you're competing to win doesn't necessarily mean you're vibrating "win." Your energy could be "want to win" or "wish I could win" or "what if I don't win" or "hope I don't lose" or even just "do my best."

Vibrating "win" with clarity and confidence is easier said than done. And truly, Universe is pretty creative in delivering to us exactly what we're vibrating, as Russ experienced.

Before I continue, though, let me say it's important to drill down to what we really want. It isn't usually as simple as "win."

Example: I don't think anyone truly wants to win the lottery. I suspect what they really want is a higher quality of life, to be free from financial worries, support loved ones better, etc. And sometimes that happens as a lottery winner; sometimes it doesn't. Getting clear on what you genuinely desire is crucial to achieving it.

Someone who thinks he wants to "win over" a particular person probably isn't seeing things clearly either. What he really wants is more likely the feelings he thinks being in relationship with that person would give him.

We often miss the real target.

Back to my sweetie's story: for these corporate games there were many competitors who wanted to take home the gold, Russ included.

When he came home Saturday with a gold medal for bowling, he was pleased but nonchalant. Turns out what he really wanted was TWO gold medals. Especially the one for golf, where the competition was steep. That would mean more to him.

He just phoned to report that he also won the gold in the golf competition. Was he satisfied with his two gold medals now? Not remotely.

Turns out there was a three way tie on the golf course. Instead of conducting a playoff, they awarded gold medals to all three four-person teams. So 11 other guys are carrying around the same gold medal my sweetie is. He felt a little ripped off.

Not at all what he imagined having two gold medals would feel like.

What he really wanted was probably something more like acknowledgement that he's the best. I'm sure if he'd walked away with the gold by default because no one else showed up or were disqualified due to violation of stupid rules, he wouldn't have been satisfied.

Aren't we funny?!

Last night I watched a portion of the girls gymnastic national competition trials on tv. One competitor wanted to defend her title as champion; another just wanted to make the national team; another was quite pleased at evidence she was the national favorite; another wanted to do her best and make her parents proud, another young one wanted to gain experience for future high level competitions.

It was easy to see how each of them could get what they wanted, and still not be the "winner."

In fact, the girl who scored the highest was talked about as being very relaxed, having a good time and clearly enjoying her performances. Not a surprise, huh?

My point: 1) it's worth getting clear about what you really want and vibrating that, and 2) don't underestimate the Universe's ability to deliver on it. Apparently they make extra gold medals just in case. :)

Vibrational Recovery

How many disappointing web designers does it take for me to realize that it's ME and not them that's challenged?

(Big sigh.)

Well, there was the Seattle designer who used a template that couldn't do what I wanted to do. Rather than say so, she just stopped responding to me. Then there was the nice Park City guy, who had amazing technical expertise but no time for the little fish in his big pond. Then my local girl, after a couple of months together, seemed to lose interest in web work. At least mine. My marketing guy is dying to redo my site (which he hates), but I'm afraid he'll follow all the "rules" and lose "me" in the process.

So I guess it's taken a couple go-rounds before I realized that until I clean up MY vibe, I'll continue to have less than satisfactory experiences with web designers. I see that hiring another service provider before I upgrade my vibration will be a waste of time and only lead to a repeat experience.

Today I posted to The Good News yahoo group that I was manifesting a perfect new web person. I imagined people might email me with referrals. I imagined having to explain that I couldn't work with just ANYONE; it had to be someone I felt REALLY good about, because I have this vibrational handicap about web designers.

And I realized that I perpetuate my "handicap" by talking about it.

I needed to find a new way to think about my situation. So in that moment I chose new language to give me a new perspective and new vibration as to what's up. Here's what I came up with: I'm in "Vibrational Recovery."

(That's my Marine Corps Vibrational Recovery team pictured above. Heavy duty, huh?)

I'm now expecting wonderful service from web designers. I know I deserve it, and so does my web site. I know my past experiences might not have been what I'd preferred, but my future ones surely will be. I'm finding my way towards the feeling of elation (Marines are breaking the trail for me!) at having a perfect partner on board, who has wonderful ideas, a passion for their work, plenty of time for me, lovely rates, and why not some marketing expertise?! He/she gets what I'm about and works wonderfully with me. Maybe they even have a partner or staff, so their vacations still allow for consistent service to their perfect clients.

No more need to explain the past, or lay out "what is." I'm in Vibrational Recovery. Those past experiences are old news. What I'm up to now is bigger and better and more satisfying. It's a lovely turn of events, if I don't say so myself.

As I speak (type) it, so shall it be.

Anyone else in recovery? (Or know a good web person? lol)

Commitment & Feeling Good

Sometimes we discover keeping our word creates a conflict with a high vibration. What to do when you're at cross purposes with your spoken word and your "feel good"?

For example, it sounds like a fine idea at the time to host your girlfriend's parents who are coming to town for two weeks, but as the date approaches you're filled with a mixture of regret and dread. What to do when you want to maintain your integrity, keep your promise, and still follow what feels good?

Here are three helpful tricks to have a powerful word and a high vibe:

First of all, make your commitments carefully and with thoughtful consideration. Don't make promises you can't - or don't want to - keep. Set yourself up for success; don't agree to something that doesn't agree with you. It helps to get good at saying no.

Second, if your feel good changes on something, address it. "Tom, I know I said I'd meet with you tomorrow night, and I'm now feeling overwhelmed with my week. Can we discuss a reschedule?" Things change in life, including our minds, and punishing ourselves by doing something just because we said we would isn't the point. Cleaning it up when we recognize our new desire is.

Third, don't underestimate how good it feels to keep a commitment. Doing what we say we'll do simply feels good! Knowing people can count on us to speak the truth and follow through on what we say is a vibe-raiser in itself. A nice side benefit is that when you develop the discipline to consistently honor your word, you become much more selective in giving it!