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! : )

Deliberate Creation: Take 2

After receiving an unprecedented number of personal emails (thanks, everyone) following the last post about recreating reality with my neighbor, I thought it would be helpful to offer another less dramatic example.

We all have small opportunities sprinkled throughout every day to show our commitment to the life we want. Sometimes those are the easier ones to start playing with, rather than the big deal that's got us tied up in knots.

Thursday I experienced a new challenge at the computer. Emails were coming in, but nothing was going out. My outbox was filling up, and each time I would try to send another email, I'd get another error message about being unable to connect to the server, or something to that effect.

After 20 minutes or so, my concern grew. I make a living by phone and email, so to not have email access is more than a minor inconvenience. I'd never experienced this problem before. It definitely wasn't my internet provider, because I was online and receiving emails just fine. Tried researching Windows Mail help. Sheesh. I should know better. It gave me a couple of suggestions that seemed irrevelevant and the fixes they offered didn't make a bit of difference. I shut the whole thing off, and rebooted. Still nothing going out.

I started wondering who I could call that could walk me through an easy fix. Everyone I thought of would have been happy to help, but I "knew" they wouldn't be available immediately. Plus, I have a tendency to prefer not to ask for help.

So then my frustration grew right alongside concern.

I started thinking about whose fault it was that there was a breakdown here. I thought about Microsoft, Geek Squad, and Comcast always gets thrown in this group, too, when I go down this road ...

I wondered about recent emails I'd received and tried to reply to, thinking maybe one of those was the culprit.

All the while the clock's ticking, and my anxiety is growing. Clients expect to hear back from me within a certain period of time. What if this was more than just temporary? What if ... ?

Then I got conscious to what I was flowing.

Frustration, worry, tension, anxiety.

How's a solution supposed to show up when THAT'S what I'm flowing?

Right, it can't.

I've got to get to relief, easy, smooth, pleased.

So I walked away. I took a shower, which always seems to help clean the vibe up. During the shower I smiled my big smile for seeing my outbox empty and everything flowing again just the way it usually does. I said out loud, "Ah! I KNEW it!" and imagined my pleasure with myself for remembering to shift the vibe.

After the shower, I thought about checking in on computer. "Ah, give it another minute," I thought. Meaning give ME another minute to get really solid on "this thing works great."

I swapped out a load of laundry and gave the dogs a treat, remembering to feel my "relief" vibe about the outgoing email.

Then I came back to the computer. "All is well," I reminded myself, as I sat back down. I could really feel it - not just a pretend "all is well" vibe - but a sincere one. (I get there pretty easy because I practice this one a lot. It gets easier the more you practice it.)

And sure enough, all was well. The outbox was empty, everything was in sent mail just as it belongs, and we were in business again. I couldn't explain what changed - except my vibration. Which is all that matters.

It doesn't matter whether we're shifting the vibe to create world peace or make it through the next green light - it's the same process. Remember what you want, feel how that feels, and relax.

This is what deliberate creation is all about, right? Flex your muscles, and have fun with the process. It will lead you to a whole new world. :)

Leaving Reality Behind

I've got three clients telling the same story: "I can't get the relationship I want." (Hmm, note to self: am I flowing any of that? When it shows up repeatedly on the outside, it's worth looking within to see if I'm vibing it too.)

But these LOA savvy people have a long list of reasons to back up that "truth." You know those reasons, right? "I've never been able to attract the kind of person I want." "There aren't any honest men left." "The women I meet are only interested in my money," etc.

Many of us have used similar "reasons" at some point to stay stuck in our story of reality.

I got stuck recently. My reason for being there was my mentally unstable drug dealing neighbor made multiple death threats against several of us in one weekend (including the vet who came over to euthanize my cat). My neighbor was the reason I was upset, angry, frustrated, and vengeful. And I had good reason to be (can you hear me stuck on it?). Here were some of them:

He was training his dog to kill my cats, laughed out loud when he knew he'd woken me up in the middle of the night, deals and does drugs in his front yard in the middle of the day (and night), tried to engage my boyfriend in a duel, swears at his grandmother when he catches her talking to me, threatened to kill me, drives recklessly down the street while kids are out playing ... the guy is truly off-kilter.

The "truth," as I told the detective, was that this guy was a drug dealing addict who respected no one (including the police) and was a danger to everyone in the neighborhood.

My list of reasons was long and well-documented by the police. My other neighbors had similar reasons too - which made it even more true. It wasn't just me - lots of us felt that way! And we reinforced it with each other. The "reality" was we were dealing with a dangerous psychopath who could take all of us out at any moment.

So that's where I was. Can you feel what a strong story I had going?

And I know how this works. I know that as long as I'm flowing anger, frustration and other negative vibes, that's all I can attract -more experiences that inspire more anger and frustration.

I know that as I continue to send this energy out, I continue this same reality.

And I know that to change the reality, I have to change my energy.

So before I have any "reason" to feel differently, I have to find a way to start feeling differently. Or I'll be stuck here forever.

I know moving isn't the answer, because I'll just take my "hate my neighbor" vibe with me, and voila -there will be a new problem neighbor wherever I go.

My work is right here. With my best next door teacher.

What do I want? That's the question I (sometimes) remember to go to when I'm tired of feeling awful.

Well, I want Peace, Quiet, Appreciation, and Love. I write these words down on a sticky note. They're still taped to my computer terminal as I type this, even.

That's what I want. How does that feel? I conjure up feelings of peace, quiet, appreciation and love. Okay, I got it. That feels good. That's what I'm after. That's a good start to shifting the energy.

And two hours later the neighbor is cursing at my dogs who are barking while he conducts business in his front yard with yet another shady character. As I connect with feelings of anger and resentment and fear again, I remind myself what I'm creating. That's not what I want.

What I want is peace, quiet, appreciation and love. I can get there. Even here, while I'm in the midst of something that would normally inspire very different feelings, I can get there. Because I'm in charge of how I feel. I'm in charge of what I create.

I talk myself to a better place. I conjure up the good feelings again. All is well. It's okay, Jeannette. He's just here to give you practice. It's all good. Where would you get a better teacher than this?! Tough to imagine. God bless him for being willing to wear the black hat to teach you unconditional love.

Sometimes I could go with those thoughts. Sometimes it was more like, "He's digging his own grave and can't last much longer," or "That sounds like a nasty cough - maybe he'll get sick enough to die" or "Maybe he'll move in with his new girlfriend" or "The recidivism rate is 87% for h*ll's sake, it's just a matter of time before he's back in prison."

So it wasn't always love and light, but I regularly practiced talking myself into a better feeling place. For weeks. I certainly didn't get there overnight.

And I've been getting better at it. I can feel the difference.

I knew that if I could consistently get on the vibe of Peace and Appreciation and Love, that he couldn't continue the way he has been. I thought he'd end up in prison or the morgue or at least someone else's neighborhood.

But I was wrong.

Over these last few weeks I practiced finding my way out of frustration and anger to Peace, Appreciation and Love. Late Monday night I got a phone call from him.

He spent five minutes apologizing for being a bad neighbor, asking my forgiveness, promising to change (including seeking out mental health support), and wanting me to know that he respects me and would never hurt me or anyone I loved or any of my property. He was in tears within seconds of talking, and so was I after we hung up.

There it is.

There's the Peace, Appreciation and Love I've been calling in. I didn't think he was lined up for it, but I was wrong.

I knew he meant it when he said it, and the next day he had a dramatic opportunity to prove it.

The German Shepherd he's been trying to train to kill my cats actually had a prime opportunity to do so. She took off like a bat out of hell when she spotted Elsa (Russ' favorite) across the street, and Elsa ran like her tail was on fire, and then my neighbor followed suit faster than both of them. He ran after his dog like his life depended on it, because he did NOT want a bad ending for my cat, certainly not at the jaws of his dog. I loved him for his sincerity.

We've turned a corner. I can easily feel the Peace and Appreciation and Love. Even as he's chasing down his dog chasing down my cat (who easily found a safe spot). Nothing but love for a guy that I ... well, didn't easily find love for before.

We live with our best teachers. Mine has taught me even better how to flow what I want, even in the midst of a very contrary reality. (Dad reminded me at lunch this from Carolyn Myss: "Your task is to learn the lesson that the teacher has for you rather than to resent the teacher.")

For my clients who continue to repeat the reasons they can't get the relationships they want - they have the same work ahead of them. Finding a way to feel what they want before they have any reason to. That's the deliberate creation work for ALL of us.

Once you're there vibrationally, the Universe MUST yield to you. And it will seem like a miracle when it does. :)

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. :)

All Is Well

I've been inundated with emails from kind readers who are wanting to help ease my pain and attachment to Sasha, based on the story I told in yesterday's (Oct 9th) ezine. Several also expressed surprise that I was married. (I'm not.)

I failed to mention in yesterday's ezine that those events took place over a decade ago.

Sasha was Kita's sister, both have been gone for a while now. As has been my dear husband. He didn't die, but we're still great friends to this day. lol (Okay, that just makes me laugh that I said "but" instead of "and" in that last sentence.)

Between Kevin, Sasha, Kita, along with many other cats, boyfriends, jobs, and girlfriends, I've had plenty of practice to learn how to release attachment.

We all have plenty of practice, don't we?

Learning to let this be easy; to recognize that how we feel is up to us, no one and nothing else; and to embrace our power to feel good right now, despite what is or isn't happening - that's what will set us free.

That's where life gets unconditionally good.

Anyway, I just wanted to set the record straight that this took place in the mid-90's and thank everyone for writing. Here's a reprint of the story for those who aren't receiving my bi-monthly ezine and have no idea what I'm talking about. (And if you want the tips & tricks to determine whether you're attached, sign up for the ezine using the sign up box in the right hand column here and I'll send you a full copy.)

Before you get what you want, whether it's money, the body, career or love life, you get to learn how to want it without attachment. Because as long as you're attached, it will elude you.

Here's the deal. Although strong desire is helpful in a speedy manifestation, when we desperately want something, or have to have it, or condition our happiness on getting it, we slow its progress. (Sometimes even halt progress.)

So releasing attachment to what we want allows cool things to happen.

Knowing to do it is one thing; practicing releasing attachment is another.

"I can't live without him/her." Have you ever heard someone say those words? Or maybe you have yourself.

I felt that way about my first dog, Sasha. She turned up missing last morning of a camp
trip. My husband went to work, but I searched for her on that damn mountain for three days before Kevin finally made me come home. I was devastated.

On the front porch steps I fell to my knees. I literally couldn't come home without my girl. (Kevin
thought he was going to have to take me to the hospital for a sedative. I was that kind of distraught.)

Can you feel my attachment? It's an extreme example, but it's important to be able to tell when you're attached to an outcome.

We found Sasha a couple days later (on a completely different mountain range). I'm certain the only reason we found her was because Kevin was still connected to Source; I surely wasn't.

He was able to follow intuition and discern inspired action, which led us straight to her. (A miracle, in my book.) I was numb, running nightmare thoughts of life without Sasha. To this day it's a
tough story to tell.

That's what attachment feels like: Shut down. Disconnected. Gotta have it. Won't be happy till it gets here. If this doesn't happen, my life is over.

How attractive is that? (Not!)

Universe doesn't flow good stuff there. It sends the good stuff where there's nice strong desire and "feel good" already present. Where it feels EASY, appreciated, and open.

Are you wondering whether you're experiencing attachment? Tips & Tricks below will help you determine whether you might be.

So just to have a happy ending here - when Kevin did finally get me through the front door, we came in to hear a voice mail message from one of the rangers. (This was before we had cell phones. Well, before HE did. I still don't.)

We had posted lost dog signs all over campgrounds and fishing spots and the ranger's place. The ranger from another mountain range was at our ranger's place when he saw our lost dog sign, and told a story about how a couple of his workmen who were making a new trail with heavy construction equipment had seen some sort of strange animal they could not for the life of them identify. (Sasha was a red chow.)

It was so strange they were telling the story back at the office. (They didn't even know it was a dog.)

So our ranger left a message giving a ROUGH idea of where he thought the other ranger's men saw what could have been Sasha. We waited till morning light to start looking on that new mountain, and after a couple hours of driving, Kevin felt a strange impulse to turn where there was no road, and right after he turned we looked to the left and saw her hiding behind a big bush.

She had not done well in the wild. lol

I was too numb to even be happy or relieved. I was just numb. And that was WITHOUT drugs!

Sasha, she was my girl.

Of course, so was Kita. And Sophie. And now Sadie. And I'm sure there will be more.

I don't have digital photos of Sasha, but she was a looker! Here's one of Kita, though - Sasha's big sister and my favorite girl of all (with Soph in the background - my other favorite girl).

As one astute reader said, dogs are particularly gifted at teaching us non-attachment. They are perfect models at how everything is okay, no matter what is or isn't going on.

God Bless the Dogs. :)

"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.

Integrity and the Law of Attraction

What does personal integrity have to do with the law of attraction?

Much of my personal development training has dealt with the topic of integrity: how if one spoke in your wheel of life is missing, the whole thing doesn't work.

Some people approach deliberate creation without much thought to the level of truth they live their life with.

They think wanting to manifest the partner of their dreams has nothing to do with how they feel about their job. Or that attracting financial prosperity will solve the problems in their marriage. Or that their drinking problem has no effect on their ability to make their dream come true.

How to put this succinctly ...

It's all related, folks.

How we feel affects what we can create. Period.

So if you're out of integrity in one area of life, it'll touch the other areas in some form or fashion. You can count on it.

Which is why one of the most powerful ways you can start getting what you want is to clean up the areas you're out of alignment in and begin living authentically.

It's why when one of my ex-boyfriends finally broke up with me, he immediately experienced incredible professional success. It's why when my girlfriend paid off debt that she wasn't comfortable with, her romantic and professional life took a big turn for the better. It's why when I don't tell Russ what's bothering me in the relationship, it feels like my manifesting is in slow motion.

Personal integrity. Living what's true for you. Knowing who you are and living what's important.

It's easier said than done for many.

Without the awareness of where you're not being authentic, living in integrity is a good trick. But once you know where you've been pretending, you've got material to work with.

Here's a common and quick exercise for excavating your truth:

When you've got a couple of private minutes to yourself, get quiet and grounded, and complete each of the following statements:

"I've been pretending that ... "

"The truth is that ... "

Repeat the series until you hit on something that feels ... well, it might feel like a pang in the heart or like you just got hit between the eyes. This realization doesn't have to be painful, though - it can be liberating. Especially when you act on it.

And acting on it is critical to swift and successful manifesting.

Otherwise we handicap our vibration with negative energy that often leaves us frustrated as to why law of attraction seems to work for everyone but us.

So if you want to create immediate motion in your deliberate creation efforts, discover where you've got a short spoke in your wheel and address it. Difficult as it may temporarily be to do this work, the payoff of an authentic life makes it worthwhile.

(I know these are personal stories to share, but if you have an example of this to share with others by posting a comment, I guarantee you'll inspire someone else to take brave steps in their own life, too.)

Namaste, friends.

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. :)