Conceive and Believe

Our Creator is an infinitely loving and generous provider - and yet most of us have trouble asking for help or for those things that are rightly ours to request. We insist on doing it all alone and then wonder why things go so far downhill so fast. Of course, some of us have been taught that it is not right to ask for things, or that we can ask for things, for others or for the common good, not for ourselves. But why should this be the case? Nearly every spiritual and religious canon teaches that we have only to ask and we shall receive, that our Creator is our provider and that we are rich beyond imagining in all things because or our relationship to God. No, I see no issue with asking for what we need (or want) as part of our divine birthright - accepting, of course, that our answer could be “No,” for any number of reasons that we are not in a position to see or understand.

Imagine, if you will, that your life has been spent struggling and scraping, barely getting by. You work hard and hope for the best, but although you do pray with sincere gratitude for the blessings you have received, you never ask for sustenance or boon, feeling that if God wanted you to have any such thing, it would appear in its own good time. For many, this would seem like a proper and pious life (and indeed there is little wrong with such a life, speaking from a strictly spiritual point of view). But look a little farther into the future to the time of your passing.

Friends gather for one last visit and you make your goodbyes until you are called into the great beyond. You are taken up by a blinding white light that feels like love incarnate (and may well be), and are met in the afterlife by your guardian spirit. After a brief round of catch-up with previously passed friends and relatives, you are shown to your heavenly abode, brightly shining in the glow of heaven’s eternal day. You tour your home, pleased with the serenity and abundance it provides, and the good reflection of your earthly endeavors that it represents (for most canons also teach that our good works lay up our fortune in heaven). After a while, you tour the gardens, amazed at the beautiful flowers and gorgeous winged insects that seem to glow from within and sing out their life-force like a symphony of passion and joy. It is so beautiful that you can hardly believe that it is all yours. Then you spot something out of place, a small shed tucked into a far corner of the grounds.

Curious, you go over to it and look inside, surprised to find it piled high with golden and jeweled tokens marked with icons for food, clothing, money, love, friendship and so many other items that it’s impossible to read them all. You’re puzzled and not a little hurt, because no one has need of any of these items here, where everything is freely given and always available, whereas you could have really used them back on earth. How much more enjoyable and productive your life would have been had you had all of this then, and how useless they all are now that you’re here. Why, you wonder, would you be given such a large supply of such unnecessary items after your passing, and denied them during your life?

As you turn to your guide with the question unspoken on your lips (for when we are all in spirit form, speech is the long way ’round), you are met with a wry and loving smile. “Ah, well, you see, it’s like this,” the being laughs, still joyful at your return to the heavenly fold, “These were all the things that we had set aside for you to use in your life. But you never sent for it - and so here it sits, waiting still.”

Don’t leave your storage shed full of the awesome bounty that is God’s gift to you. Send for your store of treasure whenever the need strikes, with a soul full of thanks and a heart full of gladness and joy. After all, even it’s true that you can’t take your worldly goods with you when you go, it’s just as true that you can’t use the overage when you get there, either.

(c) Soni Pitts

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Soni Pitts is the Chief Visionary Butt-Kicker of SoniPitts.Com. She specializes in helping others reclaim “soul proprietorship” in their lives and to begin living the life their Creator always intended for them.

She is the author of the free e-book “50 Ways To Reach Your Goals” and over 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources designed to facilitate this process of personal growth and spiritual development.

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How do you like to solve your problems? Do you prefer to use the more creative problem solving techniques, or the systematic ones? You’ll get the best of both with the add-subtract-change method.

Add, Subtract, Change

I am sitting here looking at my bicycle as I write this. To come up with new ideas in bicycle design, all we have to do is look at the elements that are there and ask three things. What can we add, what can we subtract, and what can we change?

Would pet owners like a built-in dog or cat carrier? Are 18 gears necessary? There are still six gears and one less thing to break if a shifter is removed. What if the wheels were larger or the frame made of a flexible material? What would the advantages be?

Personal Problems Too

The add-subtract-change technique is well suited to developing new products, but what if your having trouble sticking to an exercise plan? Will this kind of problem solving method work for personal issues? You won’t know until you try it. Hmm…

Add: A better machine, motivation techniques, caffeine. Subtract: Distractions, unrealistic goals, uncomfortable clothing. Change: Location, time of day, type of exercise.

The key is to look at as many aspects of the current situation as you can identify, and to let your mind answer the three questions for each one. Taking notes is a good idea too, but write down everything. Don’t stifle your mind - the time to pick out the useable ideas is later.

There are dozens of good creative problem solving techniques you can use. Some will work better for you, some worse, but one way to solve problems effectively is to use more than one technique. Why not add this one to your arsenal?

Steve Gillman has been studying brainpower enhancement, creative problem solving, and related topics for years. You can visit his website, and subscribe to his free Mind Power Course, at: http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/mind-power.html

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“Every man is more than just himself; he also represents the unique, the very special and always significant and remarkable point at which the world’s phenomena intersect, only once in this way and never again.”

Herman Hesse (1877-1962) German-born Swiss
writer, “Siddhartha”, “Steppenwolf”

Whilst at a Business Women’s Club meeting last week, I heard an interesting talk on Drugs and Forensic Science. As the mother of three children, I try to keep as up-to-date as I can about drugs, but it was something that the speaker, a Detective Chief Inspector, said with regards to forensic investigations that set my mind going. He was speaking about footprints and how they can help in tracking someone down, as each of us walks in an individual way.

I know he was talking about forensics, but I started thinking about how each of us are walking our own paths, converging and diverging with the paths of others along the way, leaving our own individual, unique footprints where we pass, although in most situations not being aware of it.

What kind of footprints are you leaving? Wherever you go, do you leave a good impression or a negative one? How do you wish to pass through your life? Have you ever really thought about it? The footprints may fade away, but what impact have you had on other people’s lives? It is certainly something to ponder.

There is no doubt that having others cooperate with you in your pursuit of your goals makes the journey an easier one. Do you have a support network in place? If not, perhaps it is time to think about gathering one around you. You can be supportive in return. Make a list of those people you would like to share your aspirations with, who will be pleased to add their footsteps to yours along the way. Schedule in your diary when you will contact them.

Have you been walking in circles or standing on the same spot? What do you need to do to get going again? Take that first step and get it done. Do you need assistance? Ask someone from your support team. They will be flattered and happy to help.

Are you walking your own path or one prescribed by someone else? How do you feel about that? Do you need to diverge from the trail and plan your own route? Consider your options and start making plans. Being brave enough to plot and follow your own course takes a lot of determination. That determination comes from a want or need that drives you along. Do you feel that want inside you? It can be almost like an ache. Recognize it? Now is the time to act on it.

Talking about footsteps, how about adding more walking into your day? Park further from the office, or away from the store. Do you really need to drive or can you walk instead? Use the stairs. Have a walk around to stop you from getting desk-bound. Use the opportunity to chat to people. (Getting to know more people for your support network?) Have you ever wanted to learn to dance? It doesn’t matter what kind. Dance is a pastime that combines creativity with activity. Use those feet and get going! Put on some of your favorite music and strut your stuff. You may not be an expert, but I’m certain it’ll at least make you laugh!

What direction are you headed in today? Do you always do things the same way? Think about altering your routine and adding something new into it. It may be a success, it may not. You’ll never know until you try! And if it’s not, what can you learn from the experience?

Walking costs only time and shoe leather. Choosing to tread your own path and leave footprints you are proud of costs nothing but resolve and determination. What kind of footprints will you be leaving?

Kate Harper is based in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland. Check out her website http://www.harpercoaching.com

She works with people who are fed up with moaning about their lives and have decided to do something about it. If that is you, please take a look at Kate’s website. Her special interest is in promoting Wellbeing through coaching. She is happy to work with people from any part of the world.

“The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that is difficult.” Madame Marie du Deffand

Take your first step today and contact Kate.

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Kasia is a talented landscape designer who speaks several languages, and when she jokes about being a “Polish princess” it’s because she actually has the pedigree to support that claim.

That’s not why she’s amazing. What’s remarkable about Kasia is her ability to play with words in a creative way.

You don’t have to speak five languages in order to play with words, but I’m guessing that playing with words is pretty helpful when you’re trying to learn five languages! So, let’s take a page from Kasia’s multilingual notebook and see how she plays with one particular word in English.

The word? Money.

Now, Kasia could rattle off the appropriate word for “money” in more than five languages if asked, but what she focuses on is tweaking that word so that it loses whatever negativity, scariness, or other baggage it might have for her.

So, whenever she hears or says the word “money” she substitutes it in her own head with the word “monkeys”–and watches how that completely shifts the tone.

Think about it. What if whenever you said, “I don’t have enough money for that” you instead said, “I don’t have enough monkeys for that”?

Or how about this: “counting money” or “saving money” becomes “counting monkeys” or “saving monkeys” instead.

Suddenly, those retirement plans and college savings programs don’t seem so scary. In fact, they start to sound kind of fun and interesting.

Now, I’m not saying you can give up on the concept of money altogether and just joke around about the idea of financial security.

No, no, no. I’m saying that you can use this quirky little mindfulness technique to help you lighten up about an area that may cause a great
deal of stress or frustration for you.

Money can be a pretty malleable concept, and depending on how we were raised (and a whole bunch of other factors), we develop our own sense of its value, importance, purpose, and possibilities.

Substituting the word “monkey” for “money” allows us to become more aware of the number of times per day we hear, see, or say that word, and it helps us zero in on the physical and psychological responses we may have as it triggers our own particular reaction.

Listen as you and others say the following phrases:

“If only I had enough monkeys for that!”

“I’m saving my monkeys to buy _____.”

“I need to make more monkeys.”

“When I have enough monkeys, I’ll live the life of my dreams.”

“It seems like I’m constantly running out of monkeys.”

“My husband and I are always fighting about monkeys.”

and my personal favorite:

“Monkeys don’t grow on trees, you know.”

I once spent a winter studying primates at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. I stood outside in the snow for hours making little notes about the Japanese snow monkeys I was observing. I became quite attached to them by simply watching them interact with each other.

They had their grouchy days, just like humans, but overall, they were lighthearted and playful even in their old age. And their demeanor could shift dramatically when one of them would initiate play–suddenly, there was much chasing and chattering before they all settled down again for a group grooming session.

In other words, things were unpredictable, but even during chaotic moments, they seemed to recognize that soon enough, they’d be hunkered down together quite calmly.

Money can be like that. You try hard to control it, but whether you invest in the stock market, real estate, college tuition, or orthodontia, there are times when you wonder why you bother at all. Just when you think things are going smoothly, something comes along and zaps a huge chunk out of your bank account.

Start viewing money management as monkey management, and you’ll begin to feel lighter about the whole process of saving and spending. There are benefits to controlling your finances, no doubt about it. But there are also advantages to seeing money as an unpredictable and even amusing character that sparks greater mindfulness and helps us see what matters most.

Try a little monkey mindfulness whenever you write checks or make a deposit. Picture them having a swingin’ good time in your bank account, and grin a little even as they leave the compound.

There will be others climbing in soon enough.

Maya Talisman Frost has taught thousands of people how to pay attention, and her eyes-wide-open approach to mindfulness has been featured in over 100 print and web publications around the world. Through her company, Real-World Mindfulness Training, she offers ebooks, ecourses, playshops and private sessions to help people learn how to play with mindfulness. To read her free special report, “The Dirty Little Secret About Meditation” visit her website at http://www.Real-WorldMindfulness.com

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‘Tis the season once again for parties, champagne, noisemakers…and of course, New Year’s resolutions. Every year, millions of people go through the same ritual of making optimistic resolutions for the coming year - many of which are destined to be swept up into the dustbin with the remains of the confetti and party favors.

But what if you could make this year different? What if you could revolutionize the way you approach resolutions so that they actually work for you, rather than against you?

Although there are many excuses for why resolutions fail, the real reason for “resolution dissolution” is not that you are weak or that your hopes and dreams are merely wishful thinking. It’s that in many cases the things you swear to give up or take on every year are merely surface indicators of deeper problems. Unfortunately, like covering acne with makeup or paying the Visa bill with the MasterCard, making such resolutions simply covers up the problem without addressing the real cause - setting you up for failure, while allowing the original problem to grow worse through neglect.

This year, instead of metaphorically slapping a new paint job on a rusty old lemon, why not go beneath the surface flaws and fix the real problems once and for all? Of course, uprooting deep-seated issues and self-destructive habits isn’t nearly as easy or as much fun as making out a list of socially approved itches to ritually scratch for a few weeks before returning to your warm and comfy rut. But in the long run, if you aim at the heart of the matter over the heat of the moment, you may end up with way more than a Happy New Year - you may just get a whole new life!

Here are some tips to help you get to the real source of the problems:

1. Decide what’s not working in your life, and then figure out why you’re keeping it around

Every behavior humans engage in results in one of two alternatives. Either you get something you want and you keep doing it, or you get something you don’t want and you quit doing it. It’s just that simple.

Even obviously self-destructive behaviors offer some reward, however tenuous, or people wouldn’t keep doing them. It could be the avoidance of some greater or more frightening pain or discomfort, the allowance of special attention or excuse from unpleasant activity, or perhaps a payoff of some other emotional power, manipulation or hold over others. And no matter how strong the urge to engage in such behaviors feels to you, unless you are seriously mentally ill (and I do mean seriously) you can stop yourself, given sufficient motivation.

Spend some time digging out what reward your bad behavior is getting you. Once you find that, you can more objectively decide if you really want that payoff bad enough to keep the behavior - and all of its attending consequences.

2. Think like the “last man/woman on earth”

Before engaging in self destructive or risky behaviors, such as spending money you can’t spare on a new toy or showing off in a dangerous manner, ask yourself the following question: “If I was the last person left alive and there was no one else left on earth to see me have or do this, would I still go to this much trouble or risk to do so?”

If the answer is no, then chances are good that your real motivation is the attention, reaction or approval/disapproval of others and not your own intrinsic needs, wants or desires. Use that knowledge to make better decisions and to learn more about who you are and why you do what you do in the process.

3. Get oriented.

You wouldn’t set out on a trip without consulting a map, nor would you buy into a financial investment without tracking past behavior and getting sound predictions on future growth. Yet many people live their lives without ever knowing where they are going, and invest themselves heavily in decisions and resolutions made on a whim, with no real guidance or direction.

Spend some time figuring out what your long-term goals, needs and dreams really are, and then weigh each future decision based on whether or not it takes you closer to these targets.

If you find yourself continually drawn to activities that do not further your stated goals and needs, then it’s time to re-examine both. Either your stated goals aren’t your real desires or the activity yields some hidden reward you’re reluctant to pass up. You can’t expect to make real and lasting change until you sort these issues out.

One thing you must understand and acknowledge is that creating real and lasting change in your life (as opposed to making short-term, feel-good gestures of dubious value) is not only hard, it can be downright frightening. I know of at least one would-be quitter that gave up using stop-smoking patches, not because they weren’t working but because they were! The lesson here is that when many people say that they want to change, what they really want is to have changed - to get where they want to be without all the work and upset of actually going through the changes. But even when we desperately do want real change, what’s familiar and comforting now (even if it is painful and limiting) can be a much stronger draw than what’s better for us in the distant and possibly risky future.

But by getting to the core of the matter and by using the tips above to help you set a firm foundation to build upon, you can provide yourself with stronger ammunition to ward off your demons and strip away the illusions that glamorize your self-destructive behaviors and make it easier to give in to them. Once you’ve seen why you do what you do, it’s much easier to respond to events and make sound choices, rather than reacting out of habit and making seat-of-the-pants decisions.

This year, instead of fighting another losing battle with half-hearted and ineffective resolutions, why not spend the holiday season doing something truly revolutionary: creating a life so well-tuned to your values, needs and loves that you can kiss New Year’s resolutions goodbye - forever!

(c) Soni Pitts

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Soni Pitts is the Chief Visionary Butt-Kicker of SoniPitts.Com. She specializes in helping others reclaim “soul proprietorship” in their lives and to begin living the life their Creator always intended for them.

She is the author of the free e-book “50 Ways To Reach Your Goals” and over 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources designed to facilitate this process of personal growth and spiritual development.

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Have you ever watched Robin Williams do a stand-up routine? Could so much creativity and spontaneity result from a highly organized approach? Definitely. Wild and funny thoughts don’t come from nowhere. Comedians have habits of mind, and even the most spontaneous ones get better with practice, because they’re training their brains to find the humor in situations.

You can do this too. Creativity in all areas can be improved by cultivating the right habits in your mind. You can start training your brain today, with some simple techniques.

If you want the mind of a creative inventor, start redesigning everything you see. Imagine a better light bulb, a faster way to serve food, or a better lamp. Do this for three weeks, and it will become a habit. It’s also a good way to pass time while driving or waiting for an appointment.

How about systematic creativity in poetry? Write a word on each of 40 cards; 10 verbs, 10 adjectives, 10 nouns and 10 with any words. Shuffle and deal out four cards. Write a 4-line poem using one of the words in each line. My wife has had poems published that were created with this technique. Your mind will begin to find a poetic use for any word if you use this method often.

Would you like to be the person who has something unique to say about any topic? Train your mind to look at things from other perpectives. What would Ghandi say about this? How would a martian view our habits? If a dog (or a cat) could think, would he say about humans?

The point isn’t to ask other people silly questions, but to ask yourself, just to see what new ideas they suggest. If you consciously do this for a few weeks, you will do it out of habit thereafter, and you’ll always have something interesting to add to a conversation.

You probably have heard of problem solving techniques such as “attributes listing,” “assuming the absurd,” and using “what if” word lists. If you haven’t, you can learn about them at http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com. The point isn’t to know them, however, but to use them until they become a part of your habitual thinking process.

Imagine you need a new seating design for restaurants. If you’ve trained your mind to challenge assumptions (another creative problem solving technique), you automatically begin to ask things like, “Are chair legs necessary?” If the seats were extended from the wall, table, or ceiling, it would be easier to clean under them. Are chairs necessary? Has anyone tried a stand-up cafe? Less space is required.

You won’t automaticaly have great ideas, but you’ll have enough creative ideas that it is more likely you’ll find a useful one. And this “spontaneous” creativity will be the result of your brain training exercise. So why not start developing those creative habits of mind today?

Steve Gillman has been studying brain improvement, concentration, creative problem solving, and related topics for years. Some of what he has discovered can be found on his website: http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com, as well as in his free Brain Power Newsletter : http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/Newsletter.html

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Reading the “C” word may make you recoil in horror. “How dare she bring up a such a thing in her first newsletter,” you may gasp. Needless to say, this newsletter isn’t for those who lack courage or for the faint of heart. Going boldly doesn’t entail conquering the junk drawer. In The Rush Hour Cook Club we go for the gusto, the big time, the whole enchilada.

So my guess is you have more than one of these “C-word” areas in your home. The good news is that you can pretend (for now) that you only have one. Yours. (We will get to the kids next time!) So here are the steps I challenge you to take.

1. Grab all of your dirty clothes and clean them. This includes dry cleaned clothes too!

(Imagine my surprise when I found all my missing kitchen towels and long-lost summer shorts!)

2. Take anything that is off-season, fold it neatly and pack it away in labeled storage containers. (I like those large plastic Rubbermaid containers. They can be stacked easily in a garage, attic or another “C-word” area.)

3. Grab a box and remove all the hangers from your closet that don’t have clothes on them.

4. Now arrange all your hangers so that they are facing the same direction. This will help avoid tangles that require advanced yoga-skills in order to excavate yourself.

5. Decide what is going to be on hangers and what is going to be stacked. Are you going to hang sweaters or fold them? T-shirts and light cottons? Pants? I love to hang just about everything as I find it gets less wrinkled—and as you probably guessed—I don’t own an iron.

6. Now that you have decided, go ahead and put everything in its proper place, hanging like items together.

7. You knew the “use it or lose it” talk was coming. I saved this for after the sorting process so that you could easily see what all you have (how many black skirts does one person need?) Take all those clothes you don’t wear and get them out of your closet. Here are a few options for removal:

a. If you have a bunch of clothes from when you were a different size than you are now and you anticipate needing them in the future, fold them all neatly and put them in a Rubbermaid container with the size clearly marked on the outside.

b. If you aren’t sure whether to keep something or get rid of it, try it on. Go look in a full-length mirror. How do you feel? If you find yourself smiling, promote the article to a hanger. If you find yourself experiencing disassociate disorder, give it away. If you are impartial, grab a Rubbermaid and toss it inside. In 6 months, repeat the experiment. (Many professional organizers suggest that if you haven’t worn something within a year, let it go. I find that often I don’t wear something because I have forgotten I own it or simply can’t find it! That’s why I suggest the try-it-on experiment.)

c. If you have a hard time letting go of something because it was expensive, a gift, or you have some other attachment, the best cure is to give it a good home. Place in a bag and deliver these items in-person to a homeless shelter or woman’s shelter. You’ll never regret your decision. If you need extra cash there is another alternative. Become an E-bay junkie. You’ll be amazed at what a silk shirt and other nice clothes will auction for… The key is to be descriptive and take a good photograph.

8. Remove anything in your closet that you wear only once a year. If you have a few fancy outfits or suits that you rarely wear, get them out of your working space. Put them in a hall closet. The goal is to get your closet to the point that anything you grab will be something you can wear—and feel great in!

9. Now you have streamlined your clothing and gotten everything in its proper place. If you have a separate wardrobe for work, group it together at one end of your closet. Basically categorize like items together so you can easily find work or casual wear.

10. You are almost done! Tackle socks, hosiery and intimate apparel next. Throw out anything with a hole or tear. Match up socks. Create a lost sock box to keep in the laundry room for socks seeking partners.

11. Tack up nails to hold accessories, purses and belts. Buy a storage box from your local craft store to securely hold jewelry. Purchase a shoe rack or an over-the-door organizer that easily hangs and holds 20 pairs of shoes. Or… be like me and use Rubbermaid. I have three tubs (1) for dress shoes (2) for boots (3) for all other stuff.

The Change Your Life Challenge
http://www.changeyourlifechallenge.com
Take control of your home, finances, relationships, clutter, time-managmenet and more with this 70 Day Program. Sign up for the free Challenge Weekly Newsletter and the motivational daily Good Morning.

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Is there something that you are so passionate about that you would do it no matter what? If so, have you ever thought about making it your life work?

I want to share with you a quote from a great Australian talent, Rolf Harris. Here is what he said:

“Someone once said to me - first identify your obsession, then make it your profession and you will never do another day’s work.”

So, let me ask you again - have you ever considered making your passion your life work? Can you make the transition? You don’t have to make a “clean cut” from what you are doing now. Do it in stages - a little bit at a time. Set some goals for yourself.

I have known people who have quit their boring day jobs because they have been earning so much money “part-time” pursuing a passion. But they didn’t do it through luck or by being idle. Nobody gets rich between 9.00am and 5.00pm.

Identify the thing that you would do even if you would never get paid for it. That is your passion. Next, take some of that useless and unproductive “TV time” and work on that passion. You will find a way to make a profit from it if you put the time in and come up with an “angle.” When passion steps in procrastination, laziness, excuses and all the other negative traits walk out the door.

Millions of people earn money from their passion. Not co-incidentally they are also the happiest and wealthiest people on the planet. Why not join their ranks? Remember, the old cliche that “Rome was not built in a day.” Conversely, “inch by inch, it’s a cinch.”

Turn your passion into a profession and you will never have to “work” again.

[If you like this article and would like to use it on your own website or ezine you may do so ONLY if the article is not changed in any way and the final paragraph: “About the author”, with all links intact, is included.]

About the author: Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Gary’s email address is budo@iinet.net.au. Click here to go to his
Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website where you can receive his “Zenspirational Thoughts” plus an immediate FREE copy of his highly acclaimed, life-changing e-book “The Power of Choice.”

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Excuse

Because of our well developed ability to rationalize (pronounced “rational - lies”), we can find an excuse for anything. Excuses usually sound something like this:

Well, I really wanted to, but I couldn’t because (fill in the blank with a great sounding excuse)

You know, I tried to do it, but (fill in the blank again)

I did mean to do that, but (you know what to do here)

Allow me to take just a moment to say: BULL! Barring nuclear war, economic collapse, or a threat to your life, there is always a way to meet your goals, when you are committed. Even then, there is probably a way to get it done anyway.

Simply put, when it comes to achieving the goals you have set, there are no excuses.

Accuse

A close cousin to making excuses, another easy way to rational-lies (there’s that word again) our falling is to accuse someone else. The thinking goes something like this: “if I can find a way to place the blame on someone or something else, then I am off the hook.”

Accusations often sound something like this:

The other guy didn’t do his part
My parents didn’t give me enough
My parents gave me too much
My father was a (fill in the blank)
My mother was a (fill it in)
I never get any breaks
I don’t know the right people
Yada-yada-yada-yada

Again, allow me to pause a moment to say: BULL! Let’s say all of the above factors are true, even true for just one person. Then here’s my question: “What does a person who got let down by a colleague, whose parents did too much/not enough, whose father was a this and whose mother was a that, and never gets any breaks nor knows the right people, (whew!) then do with the rest of their life?!?”

The answer lies, in part, on dropping the crutch like tendency to excuse and accuse, and develop the power to…….

Refuse

When we refuse to accept anything less than our goal, what were once large obstacles become mere challenges on which to sharpen our skills. Consider this quote from Napoleon Hill, author of “Think and Grow Rich”:

“Every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to cut all sources of retreat. Only by doing so can one be sure of maintaining the state of mind known as a burning desire to win -essential to success.”

Then there’s an old story of a tribe in the southwest Pacific that can offer us some insight here. These folks would do a very interesting and empowering thing when they decided to sail to another island and take it over. Upon landing on the shore of the desired island, they would burn their boats. They was no retreat, and thus the commitment to meeting their goal was total and complete.

When we approach our goals with this kind of commitment and intensity, two very interesting things occur:

We build a momentum that is tough to beat
We develop a feeling of certainty that we will achieve our goals, no matter what.

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Wreaths are like rings. They represent the Universal Circle (”Let the circle be unbroken …” as the song lyric goes) and also the idea of circulating love, wealth and prosperity for yourself and neighbours. Usually they are hung on the front door, over the fire place or over the dining room table to commemorate special occasions or the changing of the seasons.

To make the frame for your wreath you will need strong thread, glue and branches from the appropriate tree. Try to make your wreath from branches you find on the ground, however if you can’t, be sure to thank the tree if you end up breaking off any its limbs. However, probably the easiest way is to buy a pre-fabricated frame for it at Walmart or a local craft store. Most craft stores sell very nice circular frames made from varnished grape vines that look very natural and authentic.

A wreath can be complicated and hung with a cornucopia of herbs, fruits and flowers or it can be as simple as a bunch of pussy willows braided together and formed into a circle. Below I have made a few suggestions for different wreaths you can make to suit different purposes.

LOVE DRAWING WREATH

For this you all you need is some kind of circular armature, or the above mentioned grape vine wreath. However if you want to make your own circle, the branches from any fruit tree (apple, cherry, or orange) are perfect. Leave as many leaves on the branches you can and make sure they are thin and pliable enough so you twist them into a the circle. Once you have constructed the circle decorate it with dried roses. Pink and red are the best colours. The darker the red, the more sexy the wreathe. You can dry your own roses in advance. However, if you have no dried roses available, fabric flowers will work just as well. Tie the buds of the roses into the wreathe and then decorate it with pink, red and white ribbons, Although kind of lush and girly, it is designed to bring love into your life.

PROSPERITY DRAWING WREATH

This little wreath is beautiful, simple, classy and it smells great. Use a grapevine armature and intertwine sprigs of basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage, and bay leaves. All of these herbs draw wealth to the home. You may attach small oranges or kumquats. For an added dash of spice to your life, stick each orange with pins which have been threaded with cloves - an orange stuck with cloves is an ancient way of drawing money to you fast.

CHINESE PROSPERITY DRAWING WREATH

Use dried or fresh red, orange and yellow chrysanthemums, which symbolize autumn, protection and money. With this one you can use a Styrofoam board backing to affix the flowers to the backing. Or you can tie them to a grapevine armature. Decorate with red ribbons.

PROTECTION WREATH

Take long thin branches of holly that still have berries on the vine and braid and twist them into a circle. Holly is known to protect from evil spirits and bring blessings to the home. Decorate with a white ribbon.

CORNOCOPIA OF THE GODS WREATH

Take pine or spruce branches and using wire and players, twist them into a circle. Decorating this is not unlike decorating a Christmas tree, only you are going to attach pomegranates, oranges, walnuts in their shelves, kumquats, pine cones, acorns, bay leaves and chocolate covered coins. I like using fresh stuff, but there are many versions of the wreath that could be made using plastic replicas of food such as grapes strawberries and oranges. Finish this masterpiece off with gold, yellow and green ribbons.

MARTHA STEWART’S OSHUN HAPPINESS WREATH

I stole this one off of Martha Stewart who probably didn’t realise that she was inventing something that would honour the African Orisha of the Rivers, Love, and Wealth, Oshun. It is Oshun who takes care of love and relationships, money, and all the things that make life sweet.

For this one you will need hundreds of pins, and bags and bags of pink, orange and yellow gumdrop candies. Use the pins (or use glue) to press these candies onto their backing. The effect is a sunburst of joy. Finish it off with a big bow of pink, yellow and orange ribbons, However save this one for the mantelpiece. Oshun is not the only being that loves sugar. You don’t want an army of birds or squirrels attacking your front door!

Samantha Steven’s articles have been published in many high-standing newspapers and she has published several books. If you wish to buy Samantha’s books about metaphysics click here
http://www.insomniacpress.com/author.php?id=110
You can meet Samantha Stevens at http://www.psychicrealm.com where she works as a professional psychic. You can also read more of her articles at http://www.newagenotebook.com

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