Archive for July, 2009

The Four Pillars of Prosperity – The Fourth Pillar, Part 2

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

DELIGHT

Last week, we looked at the power of living from a sense of Delight in all you have. This week, we focus on the second part of our Delight formula:

Delight in all that you give:

The first and simplest way to become aware of delighting in how you give is to look at how you give things to others. Do you give because you feel you have to, or because it is expected? Just because it is someone’s birthday, or a special holiday, you may find yourself feeling compelled to run to the store, grab the first thing that flies off the shelf at you, have the store wrap it up, and then either drop it in the mail or hand deliver it, with a sense of relief that it is taken care of!

While that takes care of the required social need, how is it feeling from a spiritual abundance point of view? This week, begin to take delight in all you give! When it is time to give a gift to someone, really put some thought into what they would enjoy receiving. It is not the cost that is important; it is the thought behind the gift that makes it special. Savor the inner joy in finding just the right thing, and preparing the gift in a special way. And enjoy the giving as well.

For example, we were unable to visit our family this past year for Christmas, and had to send our gifts. But we all got on the phone together on Christmas day, and opened each other’s gifts during the call! We got to share our joy in both the giving and receiving by making the time special.

Not just things we give to others – but also be aware of other ways you give … and notice if you are giving gratefully: words; expressions; help; comfort; time.

(Our visitors — 10 of us at dinner, ranging from age 17 months to 89 years old — everyone gave their time, joyfully, to come together as family and friends, and what a joyful evening we all had!)

But let’s amp this up a few levels! It is not just delighting in the things you give to others. Let’s also be aware of the other ways you give … and notice if you are giving gratefully: For example, when you give words; expressions; help; comfort; time – are you giving from a place of delight? Become aware of how you are feeling as you give of yourself.

One of our favorite activities is to practice a phrase shift. Every time you catch yourself saying “I have to…” simply rephrase it to say “I get to…” Notice the difference in how you feel! For example, instead of saying “I have to take my mother grocery shopping today” try saying “I get to take my mother grocery shopping today!” Do you catch the difference?

And don’t forget about your attitude as you give money to pay bills and purchase things. Give joyfully! We write “Gladly” on our checks, right above the words “Pay to the order of…” It helps us experience a sense of joy as we send our money out into the world. By allowing a sense of joy to flow through us, we can send that joy out to others through our words and actions.

Enrich your prosperity and all those whose lives you touch by practicing this second phase of our fourth pillar of prosperity: Delight.

Next week we end the Pillars of Prosperity series with the third part of our fourth pillar!

Welcome back!

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The Four Pillars of Prosperity – The Fourth Pillar, Part 1

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

DELIGHT

So here we are, at the fourth and final pillar of prosperity! So far, we’ve talked about Demolition (getting rid of what is no longer serving you, on the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual realms); Definition (of who you really are, what your purpose is, and what your essence, in terms of prosperity and abundance, is); and Declaration (in consciousness, words, and actions — Let’s do it! and Move that bus!)

That brings us to our 4th and final pillar: Delight!

Going back to our metaphor of the television show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, there are several examples of how Delight shows up:

  • The obvious delight of the family, when they see their new home;
  • Delight of Ty and the design team, in showing the home;
  • Delight of the builders and volunteers, who always claim they receive so much more than they give!

Delight truly opens the Consciousness and allows a free-flow of abundance and prosperity to come to you, in ways you can never even imagine!

We have a blessing we use in our Unity celebration service, as a part of the offering: Divine Love, through me, blesses and multiplies all the I have, all that I give, and all that I receive. We want to take a new look at that familiar blessing, as we evaluate what Delight means. And interestingly enough, the familiar blessing has three phases, which actually  create a perfect outline for understanding an Extreme Level of Delight. Normally, when we repeat that blessing, we are mentally thinking about money. But let’s “amp it up” into a description of our consciousness, and see where it take us!

Delight in all you have:

Of course, this includes being grateful for the things you have. And we emphasize—all you have … without begrudging what others have, or always longing for what you wish you had.

But there’s a deeper level here: don’t we all have things we don’t necessarily feel grateful for: illness, money problems, work issues, etc.? The real secret here is to live from a state of delight, even in the midst of these kinds of issues. No matter what I “have,” I am grateful! Not for … but from! Read that one more time: not for … but from! Living from that sense of delight in knowing I am one with God and all is well, I can realize that any experience is simply “curriculum,” and I can learn and grow.

This week, practice living FROM a place of delight, claiming joy and gratitude that flows from deep within your very being, rather than expecting it to come from outer, external things. Journal your experiences as you begin to feel that sense of pure delight, regardless of outer appearance!

Next week, we will explore the second phase of Delight!

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The Four Pillars of Prosperity – The Third Pillar, Part 2

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

Declaration

Last week we took a look at the statement used so often by the Extreme Makeover – Home Edition crew: “Let’s do it!” We applied that to our own declarations, and the value of paying attention to our intentions, with particular emphasis on our thoughts, words, and actions.

This week, as we wrap up our third pillar of prosperity, Declaration, we look at the other strong statement used every week on the show: Move That Bus!”

Perhaps the biggest barrier to declaring our prosperity is the world of appearance. And that’s where this second declaration from the TV show comes in. “Move That Bus” – shouted at the end of the show – the Reveal — when the family is ready to see the beautiful home that has been created for them. This is a demonstration statement, a proclamation that manifestation has occurred, and you just need to remove any obstacles that are in the way of seeing it.

We are so deceived by what looks to be reality, and we allow our doubts, our fears, our insecurities, other people’s doubts, and so much else to block us from seeing and experiencing our true prosperity and abundance. This is where we need to say, “Move That Bus!” Imagine that the bus represents those doubts and emotions that are blocking us. On the other side of the bus is our manifested good. Our faith is the driver of the bus. So we must reach into the Consciousness of our One-ness with God, and speak to our Faith power center, telling it to Move That Bus!

Let’s practice! Right now, think of the biggest barrier you are allowing to stand between you and the essence of what you believe is your abundance and prosperity. Got it? Now, call on your power of intention as you shout it aloud (yes, we’re serious about this! Shout it out!): “Faith, MOVE THAT BUS!” (We encourage you to shout it out three times, getting stronger and more enthusiastic with each repetition!)

Do you feel the incredible energy flowing through your body? Do you feel a positive surge of hope, of intention, of a desire to take action? That’s because you have just set it into motion! When you declare it, you are claiming your abundance and prosperity … and it shall be yours!

Put this into practice this week. Next week we reveal the fourth and final Pillar of Prosperity that can literally transform your life!

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The Four Pillars of Prosperity – The Third Pillar, Part 1

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

Hopefully, you feel comfortable now with the first two steps of our process: Demolition and Definition. That brings us to Step 3: Declaration.

Here’s a little test. See how quickly you can finish these sentences:

-         You’re in good hands … (with Allstate)

-         The Energizer bunny – keeps … (going and going and going)

-         (picture a man wandering around, talking into a cell phone) Can you … (hear me now?)

Now, here are some age-sensitive challenges:

-         Plop, plop, fizz, fizz … (oh, what a relief it is!)

-         You’ll wonder where the yellow went … (when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent)

-         Two all beef patties, special sauce … (lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun!)

Those last ones go way back to the ’60s and ’70s! Advertisers really understand the power of the third pillar of prosperity: Declaration! You may be thinking this is about affirmations and denials. Well, yeah, that’s part of it. But we’re talking pillars here. And this is much more than just affirming. We are talking DECLARATION! Claiming the essence of your prosperity and abundance in three ways:

  • your thoughts,
  • your words, and
  • your actions!

Going back to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – the crew uses two very powerful declarations, which we can embrace as excellent metaphors for our declarations. And both of them come with exclamation points! Nothing wishy-washy about them!

The first one is “Let’s Do It!” – an initiating statement – an affirmation of commitment, intention, resolve. It’s not “maybe; we’ll try; we’ll do our best …” It is an affirmation that it will be done!

Let’s look at that statement. What if we could approach our affirmations with that same kind of faith and expectancy? Imagine what we could manifest! So how does that statement, Let’s do it!, resonate with our third pillar, Declaration?

There are three ways we declare: By our thoughts, our words, and our actions. And just like the Extreme Makeover team, we want to declare our prosperity with an exclamation point!

Have you ever noticed the power of thought declaration? This is where you set your intention. Think about going somewhere – maybe to a meeting or a class. You may think that what got you there was getting in your vehicle and driving there, or hopping on your bicycle and riding there. But just consider: before that happened, you had the intention to come. Without that intention, you would not have taken action. So it is important to be very clear in your intention – declare your essence in mind first. This is where you can add the exclamation point: Let’s do it! This opens your consciousness to allow the ideas to flow, and sends out the magnetic energy to attract the resources needed to manifest your essence.

Next, you put it into words. Our blog contains lots of information about denials and affirmations -they are such important tools on our Spiritual journey. For the purposes of this article, we invite you to begin to really pay attention to all the things you say, beyond your carefully crafted affirmations. What do you say when you aren’t thinking about what you are saying – and what impact is that having on the energy you are sending out?

For example, when asked, “Did you meditate this morning?” you might say, “I didn’t have time to do that.” What if, instead, you were more accurate, by saying, “I didn’t make time …” Subtle shift, but feel the difference in terms of accountability and intention!

Finally, we declare in one final way: by our actions! The best quote we know that illustrates this is by Emerson: “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.”

This week, begin to pay attention to what you are declaring, with your thoughts, words, and actions. Next week, we will look at the second powerful declaration statement used by the Extreme Makeover – Home Edition team, and how it affects our third pillar of Declaration.

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