The world is full of abundance and opportunity, but far too many people come to the fountain of life with a sieve instead of a tank car... a teaspoon instead of a steam shovel. They expect little and as a result they get little - Ben Sweetland

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Friday, February 29, 2008

The Power of Now

It's been a long time since I read Eckhardt Tolle's book, The Power of Now. I've read it several time since I fist found it and I always love reading it again. Tolle's message is very simple and it's a message that's repeated again and again in the work of those who write about the law of attraction. He is saying that 'the now' is all that exists and so we should fully embrace it, immerse ourselves in it and accept it totally.

Like so many things, there seems to be a paradox here: how can we be satisfied with the here and now and also be driven to change the future?

One of the foundations of the LOA is that you need to feel something before it will manifest. Hence, the importance of feeling good here and now cannot be overstated. In Ask and it is Given, Abraham Hicks says ' when you understand the power of feeling good now, no matter what, you ill hold the key to the achievement of ... anything you desire.' The future never gets finished - there is always more to experience, more to have, more to choose. We need to accept, embrace and feel wonderful about our present reality and choose the future we desire, releasing our intenti0ns to the universe and then letting things take thier course, detached from the outcome, knowing that all is well.




Wednesday, February 27, 2008

You need to feel wealthy to attract wealth

In the course of my regular reading of other blogs, I came across an interesting idea from Creation Thoughts called the “Prosperity Seed Game.” The point of the game is to try to get you feeling wealthy, given that one of the basic principles in the law of attraction is that you need to feel something before it will actually turn up in your life.

In the game, you take some money (large denominations if you can) and plant the bills in various places so that you will 'find' them at a later date, having forgotten about them. For example, you can put a $10 in the pocket of a jacket you don't wear very often or use a bill as a bookmark in a book you refer to regularly but not too often. When you find the money, you'll naturally feel excited and happy, and you can keep 'planting' more money to put yourself into a continuous state of feeling more wealthy. In fact, you'll find more and more money turning up.

It's a bit like another idea I read about somewhere - you take quite a bit of money and stuff it in your purse or wallet. As you walk around and see things you like in shops (or wherever), you just know that you can buy them with the cash you have with you - by feeling this way all day long, you start to reset your subconscious to feel wealthy.

I have taken this a step further, by actually going ahead and buying stuff that I really like, stuff that I would never have bought a few years (or even months!) ago because the stuff is 'a waste of money' and 'I don't have enough.' I don't spend in a reckless way, and I regard saving and investing a large portion of my income as a key element in building long term, sustainable wealth, but spending money on high quality goods and services has improved the quality of my life and I'm no worse off. In fact, I'm better off. And that's just the thing - if you feel wealthy, you will attract more wealth into your life. I am now living in the biggest and best house I've ever lived in and my quality of life is better than ever before. This is the power of attraction at work.

Another method is blogging - just thinking about the law of attraction and how it's working in my life keeps me feeling wealthy. Whatever method you choose, make sure you feel rich, and I guarantee that abundance will flow into your life


Monday, February 25, 2008

Intention and desire

In The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Deepak Chopra writes about 'The law of intention and desire.' In what he calls the field of pure potentiality, we can introduce an intention and so 'put the cosmic computer with its infinite organizing power to work for you.' Intention, he goes on to say, 'lays the groundwork for the effortless, spontaneous, frictionless flow of pure potentiality seeking expression from the unmanifest to the manifest' (p.72).

But what is this thing called intention? Deepak defines intention as 'desire combined with detachment.' To quote: 'The future is something you can always create through detached intention, but you shuld never struggle against the present' (p.73).

So many people do exactly this - struggle against the present. The present is what it is, and one must accept it. But one can also intend a new future. It seems to me that a more helpful term is to choose. 'Intention' or 'detached desire' basically comes down to choosing the future. Don't just desire it, don't just dream about it, don't work hard for it, choose it.

Talking of the law of attraction as expounded by the movie 'The Secret,' jmsherer (http://jmsherer.blogspot.com/) says that

'there is a key element that needs to be inserted into “the secret” in order for it to truly work miracles. (Warning the following statement may ruin the law of Attraction for many) Unfortunately, the element that makes law of attraction work miracles is no secret at all.
The element that I speak of is unrelenting uncompromising DESIRE. The DESIRE to get what you want out of life comes only after you have ABSOLUTELY made up your mind that you WILL achieve something. The ability to burn all bridges, cut all ties, and accept no defeat will instantaneously bring us our hearts desires. The DESIRE must be firmly ingrained in a persons mind before thought can actually transform into an object of reality. I am a big fan of “the secret” and I believe the creators of the film would agree with me on this point. '

I think that this is another way of saying the same thing. If you have made up your mind to do something or have something, then you have chosen it. And that's that.



Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Is greed good?

I've just been reading a book by a guy called Bruce Sullivan. The book is called 'Hanna's Christmas Gift' and it's about how to live a better, happier and more peaceful kind of life. The aim of the book is excellent, and much of the content is also very worthwhile, but I feel that some of it really misses the mark.

He basically advocates five premises:

1. Free your heart form hatred
2. Free your mind from worries
3. Live simply
4. Give more
5. Expect less

I have absolutely no problem with 1-4. These are great aims, things we should all be striving towards. But it's a shame that Mr Sullivan has included 'expect less' in his (to quote) 'amazing principles.' Although he does say here and there that possessions and wealth are not bad in themselves, the overwhelming tone of the book is that these things lead to unhappiness. This can be true, of course, but I would make two points:

1. You can and should expect and have more;
2. You cannot tie your happiness and self esteem to (the pursuit of) possessions and wealth.

Let me elaborate.

First, life expands. Life grows. Life gets bigger. This is the nature of the universe. This is why evolution happens, why Science advances, why artists keep looking for new avenues of creativity; it is why we all want to learn more, to get more qualifications, to improve ourselves. Wanting more happiness, better health, more wealth and more success - in short, more abundance - is good. As Gordon Gecko (Micheal Douglas) so famously said in the 80's classic Wall St, 'greed, for want of a better word, is good.' It's good to want more. It's good to get more. Not to compete with people and trample over them, not to take what's their's for yourself, but to grow and expand in all areas. There is enough for everyone to have everything they want. Really there is. But you have to go about things in the right way.

Second, you have to THINK in the right way, otherwise you'll just end up with debt and pain and unhappiness. You cannot link together happiness with physical possessions of money. You cannot RELY on money to make you happy. It won't. You should be abundant in all areas, which means being happy, healthy, wealthy and successful in your personal and business life. These things are independent of each other - none depends on the others. If you choose to be happy, then you're happy. And that's that - it doesn't relate to anything else. If you choose to be rich, then that's that - it doesn't make you happy.

So greed, for want of a better word, and assuming that we are defining it as a natural tendency to grow, to expand and to become more than we currently are in all respects, and so long as we don't confuse the acquisition of money and wealth with happiness is, indeed, good.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Advice for Novice Investors

Are you new to all this investing stuff? Just trying to learn what it's all about. Here are a few pointers. Don't take them too seriously, they're just bits and bobs I've picked up over the years, though (of course) I think it's pretty valuable stuff!

1. Don't visit financial advisers. No less a man than Peter Lynch starts his wonderful book 'One up on Wall Street' with 'Rule number one is: Stop listening to professionals!' They have no better chance that beating the market than any other thoughtful person, AND they are usually trying to sell you something on which they earn commission. Their mediocre advice plus their (often inflated) fees adds up to a mediocre investment, at best. I have NEVER bought a good investment from an adviser. As Lynch points out, you SHOULD take advice from a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher etc., since these people really do have specialist knowledge which you can't easily come by, but financial professionals have no greater insight that anyone else who is prepared to put in a BIT of effort.

2. Be wary of mutual funds. Same thing as #1, really. A fund house is selling you a product which probably won't even beat the benchmark (the market index) AND they will take an up front fee and a yearly management fee, regardless of how well the fund does! Now that is one scam you should aviod. Of course, there ARE good funds, but they are hard to find, so if you don't have the time or inclination to invest, shall we say 'actively,' it may be better to...

3. Use ETFs. These exchange traded funds usually try to track an index or a sector. Since the stockmarket has returned about 11% a year on average (though with huge swings up and down, of course), ETFs are good investment for the long term. They have very low fees since they require almost no management, and you can buy 'em and pretty much forget about 'em. But for the mpre 'active' ...

4. Buy stock. Stock in companies has been bar far the best investment over the last hundred years. The stock market has violent mood swings, and this is something you need to be prepared for, but in the long run this, if anywhere, is where you will make big money.

5. Do your 'Due diligence.' Don't just buy any stock. Alot of companies are terrible and getting worse by the hour. I personally don't go in for any kind of detailed security analysis myself - it would take far too long - but I do read up on the companies. there's alot of free stuff available, but try to get the opinions of experienced people: The Motley Fool CAPS is a good place to start, and TMF offers several newsletters dedicated to giving stock picks. Morningstar also carries reports on companies and it's star rating can be quite helpful. This is where paying for a service may be a good thing. You're not paying professional advisers with a vested interest in your buying a financial product; you're paying for objective advice and informed opinion. Of course, your own opinion is just as valuable, but listening to others, weighing it up, and engaging with a community will give you a head start.

6. Be patient. Investing is a long term thing. Stock doesn't just rise (well some does). Stock in good companies can fall, and when it falls, it often keeps falling. Stock in bad companies can keep on rising, and all this is very infuriating - the market is not rational! But in the end, if you buy good companies (and take advantage of the market dips to buy more) then they should eventually rise.

7. Be prepared. The market WILL tumble at some point and your investments will go with it. Be ready, and know that things will change. Use this as a chance to buy. Keep some cash in readiness.

8. Be rational. If you bought a good company at a good price, then keep it, even if the price falls a great deal. In fact, the rational thing to do under these circumstances is to buy more. We are not speculating, day trading or whatever. Sell when the stock becomes over valued or if the company changes for the worse.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The common thread

I have read all sorts of books on spirituality over the years: The Power of Now by Ekhart Tolle, Awareness by Anthony de Mello, How to Know God and The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra, The Wisdom of Insecurity by Allan W Watts, The Tao of Pooh by Benjemin Hoff, The Art of Living by Osho and Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch, to name but a few. I’ve also read books on Buddhism and Hinduism, I’ve read the Baghvad Gita and the Tao Te Ching and I’m quite familiar with the Bible.

All these books seem to be saying the same kind of things. Different metaphors and different styles, but they all contain a few basic ways of seeing the truth, waking up, becoming enlightened, whatever.

One is awareness of the present moment. Meditation is a way of focusing on the present moment in a very intense kind of way, and the practice of mindfulness is a way of being present throughout the day. It just means watching yourself, being a silent witness to your own feelings, thoughts and reactions so that ultimately you can see that everything you do, feel or think is a choice or a creation. Through unconscious repetition of conditioned responses we fail to see this, but it is true to say that everything in one’s life is exactly the way one has intended it to be. We have called our own experience of life into being. Indeed, the purpose of life is to create or intend.

We are not here to discover the truth of who we are since we already know it (though we’ve covered it up with all sorts of clutter and it’s our purpose to remove the clutter and see the magnificence of what we really are). We are here to experience ourselves as we wish to experience ourselves. That’s it. The way we do this is though intention. The universe is our extended body – not in an allegorical sense, but in reality – and it does our bidding. Whatever I say to the universe comes to pass.

If I say that I want something, the universe responds and gives me ‘wanting something.’ To want something is to say I lack it, and if I say I lack it, then I lack it. If I intend something, if I know something will happen, then the universe makes it happen. The energy which supplies this creative process comes from the present moment. Most people who dream about their future never have their dreams fulfilled for two reasons. Firstly, they are making a statement of lack, that they do not have what they want. Secondly, their energy is wasted by focusing on the future.

Be aware of the present moment as it is, accept it fully, for this is where your life is. There is only the now. Intend the future, choose the future, accept that the universe is already working to make that future happen, then sit back, relax, let the universe do the work and go with the flow. Don’t keep pushing and trying, this will get you a bad result. Let the universe take care of the details, and accept that things might not end up exactly as you planned, but if they are different, they will certainly be better. We’ve always been taught to strive, to fight, to work, to battle against the odds. That’s all nonsense. Relax.

All this creating is just a game, of course; it’s what we do with the raw materials of our surroundings and circumstances. We can have whatever we choose, just choose it and it is ours. But beyond this game, there is the eternal, blissful now, perfect in every detail.

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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Dividend Stocks - the best passive income stream?

There are two kinds of income: active and passive. Active income streams are what you get in exchange for effort - your day job is the best example: you put in the hours, you get paid. Passive income streams are like getting interest from a bank account - you do absolutely nothing and the money rolls in. In between are things like maintaining a Website: it (potentially) generates money for you all the time, even as you sleep, but it does need to be monitored, updated and maintained, and so there is work involved.

You might love your job and love the work of running a business, maintaining a Website or whatever, and this is desirable because for most people their active income makes up the lion's share of all their disposable cash. But what we are thinking about here is the ideal passive income stream. Its characteristics are:

(1) It is completely passive - you don't need to do anything at all to maintain it.
(2) It is a safe and stable source - it should not change unpredictably
(3) It is rising - at least at the rate of inflation, preferably alot more.

Although some people (including no less illustrious a man than Peter Lynch) don't seem to bother much about dividends, as passive income streams go, you don't get much better than owning stock in good, solid businesses with good yields and rising dividends. Acording to The Motley Fool, If you had invested $10,000 in Ibbotson's large-cap companies back in 1980, you could sell them today for about $130,000. Say what you like about Walmart, but it's been increasing dividends since 1974 and is up 100,000% since its initial IPO. Money invested in solid dividend stocks like this, or Pepsi, Phillip Morris or Johnson & Johnsons would have go you similar results, all on the back of dividends.

Just buying the highest yielding stocks won't do, however - there's more to it than that. You need to be sure that the dividend is secure and that it will go on rising. You don't want to be monitoring the stock and the company constantly. One of the best dividend advisor services I have come accross is MorningStar's dividend Investor newsletter. For a very reasonable price you get a comprehensive monthly newsletter and a stack of e-mail updates.

We tend to get caught up by the excitement and the 'game' of buying and selling our stock in the daily circus of the market. But Warren Buffet said something like 'I never made any money in the stock market,' meaning (I guess) that it's owning the right companies at the right price (and perhaps the right dividend) that is what actually makes the money. If you do this, you can sit back and watch the money roll in, and watch the lemmings fall off the cliff along with all their hard (actively) earned cash.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Introduction


effortless
equiring or apparently requiring no effort; "the swallows glided in an effortless way through the busy air"
not showing effort or strain; "a difficult feat performed with casual mastery"; "careless grace"

abundance
an extremely plentiful or over sufficient quantity or supply: an abundance of grain.
overflowing fullness: abundance of the heart.
affluence; wealth: the enjoyment of abundance.


It is my belief that life, in all its aspects - health, money, success, happiness - is by its very nature abundant, and that because abundance is the nature of life, that it necessarily involves no effort. To strain to achieve that which is inherent in our nature is a sign of a deep rooted problem.

Through this blog, I will explore some ways of seeing, perhaps for the first time, what has always been there.

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Articles Archive

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Friday, February 8, 2008

About Me and Why I'm Writing This Blog

Having spent much of my adult life musing, reading, writing about and exploring all things spiritual, it is time to do something practical.

I believe that

... freedom and abundance is our natural state of being

... we are free to choose our own path and we can manifest abundance deliberately in our lives

... we should follow our heart and our dreams and, in so doing, will achieve effortless abundance

It is my mission is to share what I have learned with as many people as I can.

I hope you enjoy the Site! It takes time and money to run, of course, so if you think the content is interesting or useful, we hope you will think about ...

... linking to the Site from your own home on the Internet. Let me know and I'll return the favor.

... giving a donation to enable me to keep up the Site, expand and improve it. Many thanks - your support is truly appreciated.

Make a donation

The Site is a free resource. There are adverts and links to products which ma be of interest to you, but you will not find any 'get rich quick' ideas on the Site.

I am trying to spread the message about effortless abundance and prosperity as widely as possible. The articles and other content on the Site take time and effort to put together - many, many hours of research, writing and editing have gone into the content, and time and money has been spent on maintaining the Site itself, which is all my own work.

I believe that this resource delivers value to my readers and that it is appropriate that this value be recognized if readers feel able to do so.

If you would like to donate to the upkeep of the Site and the continuation of this work, please click the link below. Many thanks for your support - it is truly appreciated.





Reviews of law of attraction blogs and websites

The following is a list of blogs, blog carnivals and Websites, in no particular order, dealing with the law of attraction in some way or another. I have submitted articles and posts to many of this Sites. I have tried to keep the quality good, so links featured here should have some real value.


I will change your life is a wonderfully life affirming blog focusing on positive ways to bring success, energy and abundance into your life.

Living the law of attraction is a blog carnival featuring articles about the law of attraction in action!

The carnival of observations on life is hosted by Anja Merret.

The Carnival of meditation contains articles on a wide range of topics, including manifesting and the law of attraction.

It looks as if The Secret Testimonials, not a new blog, is setting up a new carnival about success stories related to the law of attraction.

Pink blocks runs the carnival of personal power and self help, containing articles on a wide range of topics, many related to the LOA.

Virtual Teahouse runs the engaged spirituality carnival.

The carnival of creative growth is hosted at energies of creation.

Windowsquest hosts the carnival of positive thinking.

Empowered soul is a Site with many resources relevant to the Law of attraction.

I have made recent submissions to the Carnival of ethics, values and personal finance and the Carnival of improving life.

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