Q & A From Beer With Jesus by Thomas Rhett

I heard this song on the way home from work tonight and thought it was a nice thought, being able to sit down with Jesus, have a beer (or unsweet tea) chat for a while. Then I realized - we CAN do that, anytime we want, and then I realized the questions asked in the song were already answered in His Word.

I'll post the video later, but here are the lyrics, as sung by Thomas Rhett and written by Thomas Rhett, Lance Miller and Rick Huckaby.

If I could have a beer with Jesus
Heaven knows I’d sip it nice and slow
I’d try to pick a place that ain’t too crowded
Or gladly go wherever he wants to go

You can bet I’d order up a couple tall ones
Tell the waitress put ‘em on my tab
I’d be sure to let him do the talkin’
Careful when I got the chance to ask

How’d you turn the other cheek
To save a sorry soul like me
Do you hear the prayers I send
What happens when life ends
And when you think you’re comin’ back again

I’d tell everyone, but no one would believe it
If I could have a beer with Jesus

If I could have a beer with Jesus
I’d put my whole paycheck in that jukebox
Fill it up with nothing but the good stuff
Sit somewhere we couldn’t see a clock

Ask him how’d you turn the other cheek
To save a sorry soul like me
Have you been there from the start
How’d you change a sinner’s heart
And is heaven really just beyond the stars

I’d tell everyone, but no one would believe it
If I could have a beer with Jesus

He can probably only stay, for just a couple rounds
But I hope and pray he’s stayin’ till we shut the whole place down

Ask him how’d you turn the other cheek
To save a sorry soul like me
What’s on the other side?
Is mom and daddy alright?
And if it ain’t no trouble tell them I said hi

I’d tell everyone but no one would believe it
If I could have a beer with Jesus

I’d tell everyone but no one would believe it
If I could have a beer with Jesus


Here are the answers to the questions:

How’d you turn the other cheek; To save a sorry soul like me

John 3:16 - 17 "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him."

Do you hear the prayers I send


Gen 25:21 ..."The LORD answered Isaac’s prayer"

Gen 30:17 ..."And God answered Leah’s prayers"

Gen 35:3 ..."I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers..."

1 Kings 9:3 ..."The LORD said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your petition..."

What happens when life ends


John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life."

2 Cor 5:8 "...to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."

And when you think you’re comin’ back again


Matthew 24:36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself.[a] Only the Father knows.

I’d tell everyone, but no one would believe it


Matthew 13:57 And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.”

Matthew 13:13 That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.

Have you been there from the start


Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

John 1:1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

How’d you change a sinner’s heart


2 Cor 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

And is heaven really just beyond the stars


2 Cor 12:4 I was caught up[a] to the third heaven and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.

What’s on the other side?


Deut 26:15 ...Now look down from your holy dwelling place in heaven

John 14:2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.[a] If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?

Is mama and daddy alright?


Rev 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”

What would you talk to Jesus about? The answers are already here, waiting to be discovered and understood.

Allowing Myself to be Me, Loving Myself Unconditionally

I'm going to be honest. I haven't dealt with my diagnosis well. I've cried about this, prayed with my husband over this. I cried about the loss of hope I felt in the belief that if I was really, really good with diet / exercise and reached my goal weight that MAYBE I would have great looking legs. I'd be able to wear boots and skirts and cute clothes and not be hot in the summer because I'm in jeans when everyone else is in shorts and capris. But today I'm angry. I'm fed up. And I'm free of the hate. My legs are my legs. I'm going to do my part to keep losing weight, but the hate for my legs, the envy I've had of other women who don't have this issue, the embarrassment I've felt over my legs, that's done. I refuse to believe that there isn't a cure for this. I wanted answers -- I got answers. But I don't have to believe the research that's available. There's actually very little research out there, since U.S. doctors have very little data on lipedema. So why should I believe there's no cure, or that I'm going to end up with little mobility as I age? I'm not going to believe it, because my body knows how to cure itself. My body was made perfectly, and it knows what to do. And I don't give a crap what anyone says or thinks about my legs anymore. Now, I'm not an idiot. I'm not going to buy short shorts and flaunt everything. But from this point forward I am going to be comfortable. I'm going to buy some wide legged capris, maybe even splurge on some linen slacks, buy some cute sandals, give myself a pedicure, and I'm going to be comfortable, dang it! I'm going to love my legs. I'm going to pamper them, use my good smelling lotion from Victoria's Secret, keep them shaved and smooth (yes, even in winter, ladies!) give myself a pedicure and paint my nails, use my good body wash. I'm going to love these legs and ask them to forgive me for the 20 years of hate I've felt for them. At this moment in time, I have my health. I have mobility. I am able to exercise, to walk, to run (a little, at least) and go and do and enjoy life. So I'm going to appreciate these legs for as long as they can hold me up. If I truly believe what I've said in the past about taking 100 percent responsibility for my life -- good and bad -- then that means that I have to take 100 percent responsibility for this body. My responsibility for this body is to care for it, love it unconditionally, even though it's only a temporary shell. I CHOSE this body, so I am choosing to care for this body from this moment forward. The Bible says my body is a temple, and I am going to treat it as such. Because I am beautiful, dang it, and I deserve to be healthy and well and whole -- legs and all.

You are So Beautiful

My husband and I left the pharmacy after picking up my medication,trying to deal with my diagnosis and what may / may not happen in the future. Just as we were leaving the store, this song began to play:

I couldn't keep it in any longer. By the time we reached his truck, I was in tears.

God is good. God is good all the time.

What Will I Believe?

I have lipedema.

I have a rare adipose disorder. This is a fat disorder that is genetic, affects women, has no cure, and many doctors aren't aware of it. It's typically misdiagnosed as lymphodema, which is what I believe my endocrinologist did. But I do believe I have lymphodema in addition to lipedema as one typically leads to the other. Other doctors just keep saying, "You're fat" and want you to diet and exercise and don't believe there could be another reason for large legs.

In a way this is a good thing and a bad thing. It's a good thing because I have a name for what is wrong with me. I am not just "fat". There is treatment available.

The bad part is that there is no cure. It's been undiagnosed since I was a teenager. Treatment may not be covered by health insurance. Many doctors are unaware of this disease - and it is a disease. I will never have model skinny legs.

Or will I?

Will I believe a diagnosis with no hope of recovery or will I accept a future where I will eventually need a wheelchair or hovearound to get around?

Will I give up my desire to be able to wear normal clothes, like skirts and boots and shorts and capri pants?

At this moment I don't know.

Our World is Natural and Spritual

Photo from freedigitalphotos.net

Once a upon a time, there was a man and a woman who lived in a beautiful garden. They had everything they wanted -- food, companionship, purpose.

There were two trees in the garden. One was called the Tree of Life, one was called the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. Their father told them to only eat of the Tree of Life. In that way, they could stay in the garden, they could stay connected to Him.

This couple saw their garden in a unique way. They also saw their Father in a unique way. They walked with Him in their garden. They spoke with him and knew He answered them. They not only saw trees and flowers and grass in the garden. They saw Life.

Not an apple or a pear or an orange. They saw Life on the tree, and they were able eat it and touch it and be part of it.

Adam and Eve saw our world in both a physical and a spiritual way. We know what a tree looks like. We have them in our yards, our parks, our streets. But do we know what Life looks like?

When Moses saw the burning bush he saw what seemed to be fire, but it didn't act like fire. He called it fire because it was the only thing he knew to call it since he had only known the physical world.

What Adam and Eve could see, what Moses saw, was the spiritual part of our world. They saw into the Kingdom of God. Adam and Eve walked in God's kingdom. How shocked they must have been when they ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the world they'd known disappeared, when they could no longer see the spiritual world they'd come to know?

God's Kingdom is all around us. It's here, now. If all we're doing while here on earth is complaining about our struggles, waiting for the sweet by-and-by, then what is the point? God gave us Life for a reason. We have everything we need within us, right here, right now. As we go through Life we grow and mature and we're able to connect to the power that we forgot we had.

Open your eyes. See your world the way Adam and Eve saw Life on a tree, the way Moses saw fire that didn't burn, the way John the Baptist saw the Holy Spirit as a dove, the way the Apostles saw the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire, the way Jesus saw the sick healed.

You are more than you think you are.

What Gospel Did Jesus Teach?

Photo from freedigitalphotos.net

I am going to discuss something that is radical, amazing and thought-changing. Most likely you've never heard this before. I know that I hadn't, and it's an amazing way of looking at our world.

If you're a Christian you believe Jesus' death provided atonement for our sin. I'm not arguing the case of sin / no sin. That's for other LOA bloggers and speakers and coaches to discuss when it comes to religion. I am a Christian who uses Law of Attraction and my belief system, if you want to call it that, believes the basic tenets of Christianity. Those tenets include the Gospel of Atonement, so that is not the issue.

What I want you to think about, though, is what was Jesus teaching BEFORE his death? When he preached on the hillsides? When he healed the sick? When he walked through Galilee, gathering disciples and spreading his message?

What was his message?

Jesus came not because of our bad behavior but to show us how to connect with the Kingdom of God, our source of power, who makes us who we are.

I'll share it again.

Jesus came not because of our bad behavior but to show us how to connect with the Kingdom of God, our source of power, who makes us who we are.

Jesus was connected with God the Father during his time on earth, up until his death on the cross. After death, he reconnected with God the Father and the Kingdom, and he returned to his disciples to share even more about this truth with them --

As citizens of the Kingdom of God, we have access to the power of God the Father. When we are connected to God -- through praise and worship, prayer, scripture, being open to hearing his voice -- we can do all things.

Pretty cool, huh?

Law of Attraction Awareness - Progress

I've had a couple of my books out since February under my pen name but nothing has really happened with them. I've sold a few, but I knew I needed more exposure. So I set an intention and asked. Yes, I believe
intentions can be statements or questions. I asked - What do I need to do next in order to let people know my stories are out? Send me information.

Soon after asking that I got an email from an indie publishing mailing list I'm on, asking for subscribers to ask any question they have regarding writing, indie publishing and marketing. So I asked - with a limited amount of time to write & promote, what would be the best use of my time?

Her answer was reviews. I needed to get some reviews on blogs, on Amazon, on Barnes and Noble.

Okay, but I didn't know how to do that. No one that had bought the books had left a review.

But that day - yes, that day - as I was going through my Twitter feed I noticed all these retweets from fellow authors. They included various blogs where they or friends were being reviewed. So I bookmarked the sites as I could, went to them when I was able, and read over the blog and the review policies.

I have multiple blog sites now in favorites, I've requested reviews from seven of them, been accepted for two so far, accepted two guest post spots in August on one, and joined a blog hop for August / September.

I don't know yet how this will affect my sales or if it even will. But it continues to amaze me what happens when all we do is ask.

There is no coincidence.

Law of Attraction Awareness - Lost Keys, Money Comes, Refusing to Believe

We'd gone out the other night and took my husband's truck, leaving my car for our son to drive home from class. After we finished our meeting and got home, I realized my keys weren't in my purse. I searched everywhere, then we searched the truck. I thought I may have left them in the restroom at the building where we had our meeting. We had to call the person with the key to come back and open it. No keys. Before we left again, we prayed to find my keys.

My husband suggested checking the school where we left the car. We headed across town to the college and searched the parking lot where I'd left the car. Then we slowly drove out of the parking lot and up to the road. Just down the road he saw them. I don't know how, but he saw them lying near the gutter in the road. I'd apparently left them on the car instead of putting them in my purse. They'd been run over and were banged up, but they are working fine.

When working on our monthly budget we ended up with a shortage. I was feeling anxious, but my husband calmly stated our affirmation - Money comes to us from sources known and unknown. And we prayed over the budget and for needs and wants to be met.

And they have been, in many ways. Extra jobs, bills less than budgeted, overtime. It's all working out.

The next one is something we learned from the movie, What the Bleep. Our reality is based on perception. What we perceive and what someone else perceives is different. So when my husband's work told him a few weeks ago they were cutting his hours to 24 or less, we refused to believe it. He told them that he was hired for 25 hours (he's been working 30) and that's what he wanted. They said they would discuss it and let it drop. Since then, he's been going to work as if nothing has changed. We just refuse to believe the hours are being cut and assuming he'll be working the 30 hours he's been working for two months.

How are your manifestations / affirmations coming true?

What the Bleep! Do We Know?

I'm watching What the Bleep!... with my husband, rented from Netflix. I've heard a lot about it from various LOA circles so figured I needed to go ahead and see what it was all about.

We still need to finish it. It's two and a half hours long, so that's a lot to get into an evening. Plus, we kept stopping the movie and discussing various aspects of it.

The movie stars Marlee Matlin (Children of a Lesser God, the L Word) as Amanda, a photographer who lives with a hippie type roommate who is very positive and outgoing. Amanda is going through a transformation after a painful breakup with her husband. Her story and the things she is experiencing is broken up with interviews with scientists, psychologists, and others.

The movie will definitely make you think and look at things from a new perspective. I especially love the parallel worlds. What is amazing though is that things that were thought of as science fiction even thirty years ago are being studied as real possibilities right now.

The movie can be hard to understand in places since Amanda's story keeps being broken up, but you can see how she is so close to a breakthrough in her personal life, close to breaking away from limiting beliefs and looking at possibilities in her life.

If you get a chance to watch the movie, go ahead and get it from Netflix (it was available for streaming too) and spend some time watching and discussing. It's refreshing to see that science is beginning to look honestly at things we used to think of as strictly spiritual and finding that they actually have a lot in common.

Have you seen What the Bleep?  What did you think?

My $100,000 Check - A Promise to Myself

I don't know if I've written about my $100,000 check before.

When I first read Think and Grow Rich last year, the main point was to have a tangible, set goal for what you wanted to achieve. My goal is to be a successful writer earning $100,000 a year by my 45th birthday. That will be July 16, 2016.

(Yes, I will be 41 on Monday. Happy Birthday to me :) )

I found an image of a blank check online. You can actually find these now on The Secret's website or buy some from TUT as well. But I just used Google Image Search, found a blank check photo and used Paint to edit it.

I made it out to myself, dated it July 16, 2016, and then signed it "Law of Attraction."

Here's a picture:

I carry this with me in my purse. Every now and again when I'm looking for something I'll find it in the side pocket. It reminds me that I'm working toward my dreams and they are coming true.

How are you reminding yourself that your dreams are coming true?

How Real Desires are Determined

I love to read over old posts at Good Vibe Blog. There is so much information there.

I came across this comment on one post and it explained a lot of questions I had about how our desires are determined through Law of Attraction, even though some of our desires seem to compete with each other (like my desire to both travel AND build a house.)

On Good Vibe Blog - From: M Kenneth Petruzzi on April 11, 2011 at 6:16 am (Word Vibes)

I think that the term "You manifest what you think about" or "We get what we pay attention to" works conceptually as well as literally. In other words, since the Universe is brilliantly creative, and each of us always has competing desires going on at any given time, the Universe answers all things in a brilliantly creative way that fits within our consensus reality in a way that considers all our desires and energy diversions at any given time, and serves all.

Kenneth goes on to explain a comment that one coach uses in his teachings. The comment is that if we truly became what we constantly thought about, that he would have become a cheerleader in high school.

Kenneth says that while that person may not actually BECOME a cheerleader, that he would definitely have noticed them more than usual, maybe even dated one.

And that is how our desires are met, even what seem to be conflicting desires.

We don't necessarily want something tangible. We want how we think it will make us feel.

A boy thinking about cheerleaders wants to feel good about himself. He wants the attention of a pretty girl. He may have a belief that dating a cheerleader will make him more popular, so that is what he really wants.

I don't necessarily want to live permanently on the road in an RV. What I want is the freedom to explore that choice, the freedom to come and go. That is what I'm really looking for. Freedom to choose where to go, what to see, the excitement of a new place and new experience. But I also want the choice to stay home where things are familiar and have that experience. Ultimately, it all comes down to having the freedom to make my own decisions about how I spend my time.

(Freedom - I think I'm going to call that my 'soul' word. It is really resonating with me)

What are some conflicting desires you may have? Think about what you may really want instead, what feeling you're after.

And while you're doing that, think back to your past where you thought you wanted something in particular but got something different, but just as satisfying.

Like the song says,

You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you get what you need.

Vacation Week - Living As If

I am taking the first week of July as a vacation week. It's been a long time since I've had the ability to take an entire week off. I've done a few days here and there but that's all.

But this coming week I have the freedom (that's my 'soul' word) to do as I choose. Good thing to remember with Independence Day coming up here in the U.S.

I choose to live this week as if I'm a full-time, successful writer.

In all I say and do, I will act "as if".

How does a successful writer go grocery shopping? How does a successful writer spend time with her family? What does it look like when a successful writer walks her dog?

Yes, I will be writing as well, since successful writers do spent some part of their day writing.

What is great about this exercise is that there is no way to do it wrong. My day, my schedule, my actions may not match those of another successful writer, but that is okay. Because what's important is that I feel as if I am a successful writer. By feeling that way, no matter what I'm doing, I will bring it into my reality.

What will you be acting "as if" this week?

Technology Reminds Us to be Grateful

I've posted before about FutureMe.org, where you can send emails to yourself dated in the future (which I am loving, by the way).

Now there is a way to remind yourself to keep gratitude journal.

Gratitude160.com is a free service that texts you reminders about being grateful. You can choose how many times the service can text you each day, between one to four times. When you receive the text, just reply back with what you're grateful for at that moment. At the end of the week, the site sends you a report listing  everything you said you were grateful for.

My texts have been something tangible, such as a good lunch, to intangible, such as grateful for my family or a beautiful day.

The site asks for a donation of $10 per year for the bandwidth and technology they use. It's voluntary, so if you have it and you enjoy using the site, please make a donation.

No Accident Stories

My brother-in-law is a policeman. He's assigned to traffic duty, which means he spends the majority of his time doing various things like issuing traffic tickets but he also investigates accidents.

Each time we visit, we hear a new story about an accident. Sometimes they are funny, sometimes they are devastating. And I understand why he talks about them. To get some of what you see as a policeman out of your head, you need to talk.

But each time we've visited, we've either seen accidents while leaving town or had a few close calls -- someone merging into our lane and not seeing us or stopping suddenly.

We don't want to tell him not to tell the stories, but it is obviously reaching us in some way so that we manifest seeing or experiencing an accident of some type. This doesn't help me, since I have anxiety in large cities and in high traffic situations.

Before we go back for another visit, we have a plan set up to avoid accident stories and not let them come into our personal experience.

1. Set an intention that BIL will not discuss an accident.

Since we know that we are co-creating, BIL's intention may be stronger than ours, so --

2. If he does start a story, I will excuse myself to the kitchen or bathroom for a moment.

3. If still telling it when I return, we'll steer the subject to something else, something more positive.

4. Set intention that no matter what BIL says or believes - because with his job he's now seeing accidents everywhere, so it's now part of his belief system that they're inevitable - we will trust that we will be safe and that other drivers around us will also be safe.

Are there things that your friends or families discuss that you do not want as part of your belief system? How are you handling those situations?

Discover Who You Are

Here is a wonderful excercise to help you discover - and remember - who you are.

Write down five things about yourself. BUT they cannot include anything regarding your work status - your job title, if you're a student, full time parent, etc.

Here are some hints for things to include:

Hobbies
Favorite things
Something unusual about yourself
That dream deep in yourself, the one you don't usually talk about

Here are mine:

I love science fiction movies / TV shows, like Star Trek TNG, Firefly, Doctor Who.
I am the oldest of four and the only girl.
I love pizza, especially spinach Alfredo.
I have lived abroad for a time and visited England for three weeks during college.
I want to have some experience of extended travel, maybe for 3-6 months out of the year and then have a home base to return to.

What is the purpose of this exercise?

To remind us that we are unique and special. We are not our jobs or the amount of money we make, the degree we have, "just" a parent or "just" a spouse or significant other. We were created to love pizza, science fiction, new experiences and cultures.

Honor these things about yourself. Take some time every day and do something that is uniquely you. Honor your authentic self.

Resting, Resting

Even with everything that I have learned over the last year about LOA and about myself and all the changes that have been happening, there are still difficulties in life. There are still frustration. There is still disappointment. There are still issues to overcome. The difference, though, is that I am different. I am recognizing patterns in myself that have been formed over the past 40 years, patterns formed at home with family, at school with teachers and classmates, patterns formed with co-workers, patterns formed with my husband and my son. Some patterns can be good and helpful, like a routine. But other patterns can be harmful, and I'm having to face my own limited beliefs and my own behavior within those patterns because that is all that I can control.

There are a lot of techniques learned in the study of LOA-- meditation, vision boards, journaling, affirmations, and probably more that I just haven't learned about yet. But there has to come a time when you just have to stop and believe. Dreams are coming true. Changes are being made. Looking back over time it's easier to see them. Living through the changes, day after day, we are too close to them. We aren't seeing the forest because we're only seeing the trees right in front of us.

During the church service on Mother's Day there was a song that touched this part of me, the part of me that is still trying so hard to do this right, even as I know there is no "right" way to do anything. These are all just tools, all just ways to feel good, to feel better. But sometimes we just need to be in the moment, right now, and stop trying to "make" something happen. Sometimes we just need to believe. Our blessings are here, right now, and more are coming.

The song is Jesus, I am Resting, Resting. The verse follows:

Simply trusting thee, Lord Jesus, I behold the as thou art.
And thy love so pure, so changeless, satisfies my heart.
Satisfies its deepest longings, meets, supplies its every need.
Compasseth me round with blessings, thine is love indeed.

Finding Joy

I loved this article by Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing) from Felicity Huffman's website, all about finding her joy.

Baby Steps Into Joy

She discusses about how she'd always had difficulty learning dance combinations, but now says:

"Now, the only the difference is: I DON’T CARE! I want the best shortcut to JOY..."

Like I mentioned in my earlier post, we want to feel good, or at least better. We want to do what makes us happy and fulfilled. That could be dancing, or exercise, or watching a movie or hanging out with a loved one. There has to be something that brings each of us, in our own way, to joy.

There are lots of things for me. Watching Glee, listening to positive music, writing, playing with the dogs, being in nature. All of these things are shortcuts to joy.

I love how she mentions loving to dance when she was younger, but giving it up because she thought she was "too old."

"And if that weren’t enough, I was more attached to my own limiting belief systems about being “too old” or some such crap than I was attached to my own happiness." (Emphasis mine. Sounds like Jennifer may know a little something about LOA)

She recognized her limiting beliefs about her age and abilities. We all have them. We're too young, too old, too fat, too thin, too broke, have no talent, will never succeed, so what's the point? Let's get to the point where we say as well, we don't care. Doing this makes me happy, and I want to be happy.

What are some of your limiting beliefs? How have you overcome them, or have you?

It Only Matters That I Feel Good

I've been reading Good Vibe Blog for some time and finally it hit home.

It's the feeling I'm after, nothing else.

It's not the extended travel. It's not the custom built house. It's not being self-employed. It's not being a writer. It's not having a flexible job. 

It's what I believe those things will feel like. And if I focus on feeling good now, feeling those feelings now, then I don't have to worry about the how, what, where, when and why. They will all come with time.

It has finally sunken in :)

So where does that leave affirmations, visualizing, my white board, journaling, specific things I do want?

If those things feel good to do, then I will do them. And I will appreciate what I already have and know that other things will come to me at the right time. There is nothing I need to "do" to receive these things except feel good.

What about action? I mean, don't I need to do something to receive something? If I want to earn a living as a writer, I need to write and get something out there, right? Won't that take work and time and commitment? 


Well, my first short story that sold was written on inspiration within half an hour. It sold on my first submission. So when inspired to take action, I will do so. This may mean working on something new or something old. It also means, for me, setting aside time each day for projects. The only difference is that whatever I work on that day can't feel like a chore or yet more work to do. 

My husband says I have too many projects going right now. I have at least four projects. But I enjoy them all. I don't want to stop working on any of them. And I don't have to. They all make me feel good. And if the attention on the projects has an ebb and flow, that's okay too.  It's when I'm trying to work on the projects and get grumpy
and irritable when I need to stop working on them and take a break, and I need to be able to recognize that. Then projects become a chore, then it's time to relax and remember to have fun and feel good.

Thanks, Jeannette and all Good Vibe Blog contributors


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Have you had any kind of breakthrough in your thought or actions recently? Please share in the comments below. 

Just Along for the Ride

Every time I feel like our manifestations are happening around us, then something else comes in makes me wonder, okay, what's going on here?

I mentioned before that my husband was up for a job. A good job. A good job making more money than we'd ever made. He interviewed, but then they moved the job to another city. After some discussion, we said we'd move, then nothing more was heard.

Then he was offered a part-time job with the same company, completely out of the blue. And now they're telling him there's a possibility of full-time work in this store.

Our affirmation for the job was a job in our town, paying $10 or more an hour, weekends off, day shift. We neglected to say "full-time", but it seems like that's working itself out :) And there could be a possibility in the future to move closer to hubby's family at another store.

But now I feel like we need to decide if we should continue this path of employment, buying a house, etc. or continue the other path of becoming self-employed, full-time travelers.

I know that there is no right or wrong choice. Both choices are correct. We can do both. We can do neither. We can do one at a time. I guess the answer will be right in front of us when it's time and we'll know what we want to do.

So I'm just along for the ride right now. I know that however it works out, it will be wonderful.

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Is there something you've been seeing manifest and you're waiting in expectation to see how GUS will provide? Please share a comment below.

My Thankful List From April 2011

The first time I watched The Secret I'd been at my new job less than a month. I was still reeling from a divorce, my son had left for the summer, and I hadn't had a very good week at work. I needed to relax and found The Secret on Netflix.

I was immediately drawn into the stories, drawn into the concepts. It resonated with me so strongly. And when it got to the point where they discussed being thankful for what you already had, that hit me right in the heart and the head. I paused the movie and wrote out this list:

I am thankful for my job.
I am thankful for my car.
I am thankful for the house I rent.
I am thankful for my son and (formerly ex) husband.
I am thankful for a supportive mom.
I am thankful for the luxuries I do have - computer, Internet, smart phone.
I am thankful that I am healthy.
I am thankful for supportive friends.
I am thankful for the church and its members.
I am thankful for my pets.
I am thankful that I have food to eat.
I am thankful that I have clothes to wear.
I am thankful to be alive another day.

What are you thankful for?

Use Your Anger

Too many times those of us who know about the Law of Attraction and positive thinking, especially those who resonate with Abraham Hicks, want to be in the vortex, want to feel good, want to have positive feelings. But when you don't have positive feelings, when you are angry, frustrated, upset, mad as hell - then what do you do?

Use them. Use your emotions. They are part of being human after all. Here are the steps I take to help get through a bad mood and get to the other side.

Name It and Claim It

The best way I've found to get out of a funk about something is to name it and claim it. Get it out there. Accept that you feel angry or frustrated or mad. And don't sugar coat it. Don't say you're "upset" when you're really mad-as-hell furious. Yell it out if you have to. But use those feelings and get to the other side of your bad mood. Use those feelings for positive change.

So name your feelings, out loud. "I am angry. I am frustrated. I am tired of feeling used. I am worn out. I am furious."

Say what you're angry or upset about. Be specific. Say it out loud. "I am tired of doing something and having it never be right. I am tired of not being listened to. I am tired of doing one thing and then having the rules changed on me."

Feel Your Feelings

Take a deep breath and really FEEL your feelings. Allow them to be there and allow yourself to feel them. There is nothing wrong with feeling what you feel. You DO NOT ever have to justify your feelings. You feel how you feel, period.

Determine What You Do Want, Not What You Don't Want

After a few deep breaths, think about what you DO want. You've spelled out what you don't want. You've named your feelings. Now, tell GUS (God, Universe, Spirit) what you do want. "I want to be listened to. I want to be taken seriously. I want to be appreciated. I believe I am doing my best."

Affirmations / Intentions

Say an affirmation - what do you want to actually happen. Because it can and it will. "I want Jack and Jill to listen to me, take my words seriously, and have a conversation where all sides are heard and respected." Finish by taking a few more deep breaths.

Repeat as Needed

Repeat throughout the day, as much as you need to. But if you really want to end your bad mood, your funk, you can't keep repeating it to yourself, your significant other, your best friend or your coworkers. You need to release it. Say your affirmations, breath deep, and release it.

Time Your Complaints

If you MUST let it out, then complain for 15 minutes only. You can do this for yourself or with a person that is compassionate and supportive. But stop at 15 minutes. And don't bring it up again. Doing that will only bring the bad feelings up again and you'll be right back in your mood.

Take Inspired Action

Now you can use that mood for some inspired action. Don't be an idiot, though, and quit your job, cheat on a spouse, file for divorce or yell at your kids. You want to do something positive with that energy, such as:

Fill out a job application somewhere else.
Write the outline to the novel you've always wanted to write.
Write out an email to the person you're mad at and then delete it - or send it to yourself and then delete it.
Go out to dinner.

Real Life - Determining What I Wanted and Inspired Action

Here is a real life example of using emotion to get something better.

Several years ago I took a job as a dishwasher. I did not like the job but it was a job and I needed the money. One day the general manager of the restaurant / club came through and said I was doing a good job, I could be promoted to cook. If that was a promotion, I thought, I don't want it. So that very day I went to the employment office next door - while still in my wet, smelly uniform - and applied for a job at the library down the street.

I got the job.

Moral of the Story

Use your emotions to determine what you really want. Don't hide from them.

$100 Discount - Law of Attraction Awareness

One of the ways we're going to fulfill our dream of self employment / travel is by offering life coaching. We found a training program and last week I attended a webinar about the program, got some questions answered, general stuff. They also mentioned a special bonus and I was hoping they would announce a discount.

They didn't offer a discount except for the in-person training they offered. The bonus was something else. But I still enjoyed the webinar and I told my husband, "I was hoping they were going to offer $100 off the course. Wouldn't that have been wonderful?"

He agreed, since we had saved up just short of $100 for the course and had to wait till his next payday when an error in his vacation pay would be included.

Yesterday I got an email about another webinar and their spring discount on the course - $100 off, just in time for payday when we were going to pay for the course anyway at the regular price.

Thank you for the discount. We appreciate it very much.

Allowing and Releasing and Expecting and ... Getting a Headache

So something we've wanted for a while came through. And we're excited and happy, but it's not quite what we expected.

One of the things on my white board is for my husband to get a job in the state where we live. We live near a state border and he's been driving an hour to work and back sometimes six days a week. He finally got a job literally five minutes down the road.

The job is in this state. The pay rate is what we asked for. The shift is what we asked for. But we didn't say full-time. And this job is part-time. And it will cut our income, although we won't be paying $400 a month in gas for work anymore.

So I'm trying to look on the good side of all of this. It's technically what we asked for, it will give him time to do what he needs to do to prepare for his coaching career, it will help him relax a bit as well since he's been the one working so much over the past few years, and I truly believe it's the next step on this journey we are creating for ourselves.

But I'm finding it hard to relax and not worry a little bit about the money situation. But even this past week when his check was short due to two days out sick we have been fine. Bills are all paid. We have food to eat. It's all working out. And I remember the money affirmation:

All money put into circulation returns to us tenfold.

Yep, it's happening. We still have money. It goes out, it comes in. When we need it, extra work comes in or something is cheaper than expected.

I also realize this is a time of contrast for the both of us. This leap into something new is going to help us stretch and grow and mold us into who we want to be. So I'm looking forward to that experience because I do want to learn and grow and stretch into something more.

What has caused you to stretch and grow lately?

Learning Lessons at Work

I'm going through some stuff at work right now where some things I've done or been doing are being questioned. And it really doesn't bother me. And it doesn't bother me because I am not going into the process re-actively.

Since learning about the Law of Attraction I try to into each day looking at what I can control, what I can make of it. I already talked about how I prepave my day. I ask for it to be a good day. I ask for time to pass quickly. I ask for projects to come my way. I don't necessarily ask for conflict, but without conflict how will I learn? How will my supervisor and co-workers learn?

So since I knew this was coming since Friday, I prepaved for it. If my supervisor's questions had come at me from out of the blue, I would have done things differently. But I'd had some heads-up that she wanted to know how things were going with me - I've been at this job a year next week - and wanted to go over some things were some tasks were falling short.

While the old me would be looking at this as conflict and criticism and would be hurt by it, the new me is very calm about the whole thing. It's like I'm looking at myself from a distance. I'm keeping the entire issue at a distance. It's nothing about me personally. It doesn't mean that I don't do a good job. It does mean that there are some skills lacking, maybe some communication issues between us, but that can be fixed. Skills can be learned, communication can be better.

So I am setting an intention for this process as well as continuing to look at it from a distance. And I'm asking myself, "What can I learn from this process? How did I manifest this issue? -- Because if I take 100 percent responsibility, then I did. If anything, I co-created it. What do I want to take away from this issue?"

My intention is:

I intend that both J and I will learn from this issue and it will help us to work better together for the good of the company and the people we serve.

I'll check back as things progress and report on how I'm answering the other questions. And I'll look back on this as well as time passes and look in hindsight, as we all do, at the lessons learned at this point in time.

Universe telling me something?

So I posted the other day that today I decide to get healthy.

So what did I do today after my doctor's appointment for fasting blood work? I head to McDonald's. And the nice lady asks if I want the fruit and maple oatmeal. And I think, I really should. I mean I said I wanted to be healthy. But what did I actually do? I ordered the bacon, egg and cheese biscuit combo - but with a diet drink.

I picked up my order, paying almost $5 for the fat & carb filled goodness and headed to work.

I opened my bag and found ---

fruit and maple oatmeal.

Okay. You win.

But I need my $4.77 back. Or at least the difference in what I would have paid had I actually ordered the oatmeal instead.

Thanks a bunch.

Today I decide...

Today I decide...

To be wealthy.
To be healthy.
To be happy.
To be forgiving.


What have you decided to be?

Arnold Schwarzenegger Visualized his Success

"What you do is create a vision of who you want to be, and then live into that picture as if it were already true."

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Thinking About The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

You may have read The Metamorphosis by Kafka in high school or college. I don't know why but something made me think about the story today. Specifically the ending, although the beginning means something too.

If you're not familiar with the story, here is a link so you can read it:
http://www.kafka-franz.com/metamorphosis.htm">

The basic story is that Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning to discover he is now a large bug. He's worried because he's the sole support in the family. It's been causing him a lot of stress. Now he's worried because hey, he's a bug. How is he going to care for his parents and his sister?

How many of us do this to ourselves? We burn out, possibly even getting sick (although hopefully not turning into bugs) because we don't give ourselves the time we need to recharge our batteries. We all need some respite, some vacation, sometimes.

Yes, sometimes things are for a season. Children won't be small forever. Puppies will eventually be house trained and they will stop chewing the furniture.
People will come and go at work, creating their own challenges. But we still need that respite at times. Moms, you need to take advantage of Mother's Day Out programs and weekly babysitters. We need to sometimes put the puppy in its crate while we cry over our chewed shoes. We need to focus on the good things at work, but nothing is wrong with using your vacation days and not checking in at the office.

It's okay to love yourself.

Back into the story now. Gregor's family discovers what happened. They begin taking care of him but they are concerned about money too. What are they going to do? Well, some changes have to take place. The three of them got jobs and they took in two boarders to help pay the bills. While things were a struggle at first - figuring out how to do things they'd always depended on Gregor to do - they eventually started doing well.

While it seemed at first Gregor's change was a bad thing - I'm sure it was to him - the rest of the family finally had to make some changes in themselves. Once Gregor got out of the way and stopped taking responsibility for them, they had to take responsibility for themselves.

There has to come a point in life when we finally say, okay, enough. Some may say it's selfish of us to do this, but we have to say I'm going to live my dream. I'm going to make a choice. That may mean changing in a radical way - moving, quitting a job, getting a divorce, getting married, starting a business, writing a novel during lunch breaks and after dinner. It means doing whatever it takes to live your dreams. That may mean telling someone, no, I'm sorry, I can't do that. And that feels wrong to so many of us. Aren't we supposed to be helpful?

But if we don't love ourselves, if we don't take the time to recharge our own batteries, if we don't do something to love ourselves, what will we become? Do we want to be the dead bug in the storage room or do we want to take the morning off work, enjoy a spring day and find the good in our lives?

Long Term Travel Continued

I had been affirming and praying over this desire for a few days when my husband found the notes I'd written about my ideas. He asked me about them in a calm way. There wasn't any fighting. I let him know that I still had a desire to travel but I was willing to compromise. Now, I didn't tell him that I would do it on my own if he didn't want to come. I figured I would cross that bridge if it came to it. To my surprise, he was willing to listen to my ideas. He was receptive enough that I asked him to go with me to an RV show. I figured we could find a travel trailer to take on short trips, maybe a camper van to use during a longer trip or a summer trip if we wanted. And he agreed.

We had a wonderful time at the show. It was in a larger city but we found the convention area fine with no fighting about directions. When we can go on a trip without fighting over turn lanes and blinkers and which direction to go, then you know we have become completely different people!

He fell in love with the coaches, of course. But we found two fifth wheels we liked as well, and a travel trailer. I told him again that this didn't mean I wanted to full time for the rest of our lives. I just wanted to do some type of long term travel, maybe a summer, that was all. He agreed and said he understood. I just wanted to come clean about my feelings. And even though I would love to full time in an RV, I was fully prepared to compromise for summer travel - either together or alone.

He surprised me today. He forgot his lunch so I took it to him at work. We talked about a lot of things - how he's unhappy in his job, the books I'm writing, my transcription website, the ideas I have. And he told me that since I'd shared with him the concept of life coaching he'd been thinking about it. I'd had two free session with coaches and enjoyed them a lot.

So now we have more ideas on how to earn money and still be free for work and travel. This is ultimate freedom. This is what we want - to work at something we love, earn a living, and live a life in abundance, affluence and creativity.

He's going to start life coaching training in April. I'm going to follow him, possibly in the fall. And we'll have yet another non traditional income source to add to our possibilities.

We're seeing that $100K a year getting closer and closer than we've ever dreamed. And to top it off - he's agreed that we can do it from an RV, traveling while we're still young enough to enjoy it.

Yes, life is good, and I am blessed.

Long Term Travel in the Works

A year ago when my husband and I divorced I had been expressing an idea to travel in an RV or travel trailer, workamping and living all over. It seems that this idea was the last straw for him. Or maybe one of the last straws.

After he left I knew that I had to put that particular idea on hold. It was still something I wanted to do and I was determined to do it on my own. But I still had a teenager at home with me and I had no money. I had to provide for my son and myself. So I manifested my job - complete with a higher hourly rate than I'd asked for, benefits and vacation time. I discovered law of attraction and positive thinking. I began to rebuild my confidence and self-esteem. I apologized to my then ex-husband, realizing that I'd been selfish for many years.

When we decided to get back together I thought I had to let go of my dream of extended travel. Even though we were better off financially together, we were still tied to traditional jobs. He wanted a house, a place for roots. I was just going to let it go, but that dream still stayed in the back of my mind.

I'd recently realized that I still had that dream and and I was under the false assumption that because we'd gotten re-married that I had to completely give it up. But why? I asked myself. Why? I'm a grown up. If I want to travel, I need to find a way to travel. I need to find a compromise.

My compromise was this. I would save enough to buy a used camper van. Then I would save enough for a trip, maybe a long term trip, two or three weeks or even a summer trip. This may take some time, but we could use the camper van locally on weekends. So how would I pay for it? Well, I have a job. I would save money from my job. I would save money from my transcription business. I was writing, submitting short stories to e-publishers. I could save some money from that. And I had my websites - this one and another one about transcription. I could earn money from these sites. And when I got to a certain point, I could share my ideas with hubby and compromise.

Now, how to get the extended time from work in order to do these treks? I decided to start looking for a job in the school system, something with summers off and regular breaks during the year. I thought if he could also get something with the school system, then that could be a perfect compromise. He would have the job security he wants, along with a house to have as a base, and we could travel during the summers.

I wrote out this plan and an affirmation and I prayed over it. I didn't want to be selfish like before. I just wanted my desires to happen too. I didn't want to give up any of my dreams simply because we'd remarried. But I didn't want any of the old arguments to come up either. So I prayed and affirmed that there would be no fighting over this.

Then I realized as well that I didn't necessarily have to compromise with him. I am an adult, and if I wanted to travel during the summers - alone or with a friend - I was perfectly capable. If I had the money, if the bills would be paid, if I had something for safety, then why not? Why compromise? So I decided that I was going to let go. I was going to make my dream come true.

(Continued in next post)

Photo Post - 100 Percent Responsibility

Dreams coming true :)

There have been a few things I've wanted in my life. Since discovering Law of Attraction and positive thinking a year ago - and what a year! - I have come to believe that anything is truly possible.

These are the things I've wanted to do the most:

Publish a novel with Harlequin
Earn $100,000 year with nontraditional income
Long-term travel

I am on my way to publishing. I have my novel half done at 25K words. I will have it finished by the end of the month, then I'll have some beta readers go over it, do some edits, then have it ready for submission by August. I believe firmly that I will be accepted by Harlequin. I also have ideas for several more stories ready to go.

I believe I'm on the way to earning that $100,000 as well. I'm playing with what nontraditional types of income I can have in order to create that amount of annual income and this is what I've come up with:

Writing novels, publishing through traditional means or nontraditional means
Online income through advertising on this blog and my other website.
Life coaching. I have thought about this a lot for the past three months. I've been researching and we've found a training program.
Speaking fees. Once we become life coaches, we'll be able to travel and speak all over the United States.

Long term travel. It's looking like I'll get that wish soon as well in a few years. That will be shared in the next post as I believe I've manifested something I thought I'd had to give up / compromise on.

The point of this post is to continue to believe in yourself and your abilities, believe in your dreams. No matter what anyone says to you, never give up.

Abraham Hicks on Allowing & Co-Creating

This kind of hit at me based on what I have been feeling and what I posted a couple of days ago. I do believe I need to take the time to be in alignment, even if it's only a few minutes a day. "Allow them, whether they allow me or not." Very powerful.

Forgetting the Power

As time has gone on and life is moving day by day, I am forgetting the things that I learned this time last year. I am letting events dictate how I react instead of creating my world and dictating the events.

It is very hard to co-create with someone. I want one thing, they want something else, and yet other people want other things. This is one of the most frustrating things about manifesting and LOA for me. When I have to wait on another person and I spend days affirming -- they will call today. The job is his. This will be our house. Then to continue waiting, waiting, waiting and then finally having to let go. That is very hard. But obviously, we are co-creating with other people. Those other people have meetings, they have dreams and goals and things they want to create as well. So they are paying attention to those things right in front of them and apparently by doing so they are creating a more powerful intention than I am. 

But I am only responsible for me. So I think over the next couple of weeks I'm going to revisit some of the books I've read, I'm going to watch The Secret again and remind myself of the power that I do have. I signed up for the 21 day meditation and I've only done one day. I need to take that time for myself, to get myself in alignment, and feel that peace.

Releasing the Outcome

Never be too hasty with a decision. Remember that we are creating our lives, and sometimes when we say we want something, and we get it, it may come in a completely different package than we expected originally. That is why we should always be open and willing to see things come in a different way. If we stay attached to how we think things SHOULD happen, then we'll be disappointed over and over again.

We've all heard the joke about the man in the flood. He is sitting on the roof of his house, surrounded by water. He prays to God to save him. Soon a man in a rowboat comes by and offers to help him down. The man says, "No, God will save me." An hour later a family in a motorboat comes by and offers to help him, but he again turns them down, saying that God will save him. Then an hour later a man in a canoe comes by, and he gets the same story. As he's left alone again, the man looks up to God. "God, why haven't you saved me?" And he hears a voice from heaven - I sent a rowboat, a powerboat and a canoe. What more do you want from me?

Our lesson here is that sometimes what we think we need to happen a certain way doesn't need to be that way. Apparently the stranded man was wanting a supernatural rescue. When the rescue came in a perfectly normal way, he questioned that it could be of God. But God sends people to us when we need them. Everyone in our life, every experience in our life, is there for a reason.

So the next time you are wanting something to happen, release yourself from the need to have it happen a certain way or be in a certain place. Stay open, stay watchful, and when the time comes and the answer is in front of you, don't turn away from it because it's not what you envisioned.

Visualizing my book cover

One of my dreams is to write a novel and have it published by Harlequin. I've been kicking around an idea for years, based on a line in a song, and I knew it was going to be the book. I started writing it and it fell apart - weak characters, trying to write too much to formula. Then I got overwhelmed with life and all the issues from last year and I stopped writing.

But I picked it up again and started over. The words are flowing like water. I have an even better story, stronger characters, and I am enjoying writing it daily. My goal is 1000 words a day. Sometimes I write 2000.

One thing I have been doing lately is visualizing my book cover. The story is about a musician, a performer. I am seeing the red Harlequin cover, the musician facing toward an audience - he's on stage. He's wearing his cowboy hat and has a guitar slung across his back (country singer). There is a hint of a spotlight showing around him. Off to the side, smaller, there is an impression of a full stadium of people there to see him perform.

I don't know what cover I will get, but I know that having that cover in my head will make it more and more real to me the further I get in writing the book.

Maybe you noticed that I'm visualizing a cover, not a sale. That's because I already know that it will sell.

Be confident. Know what you want. Visualize what you want. It will come.

Affirmations and manifesting ice cream

Like I shared in my post regarding the blog's name of Manifesting cookies, I manifested food again yesterday. I was thinking of heading next door to the restaurant after lunch for an ice cream. When my supervisor went out, I came close to giving her my debit card and asking her to pick me up one. Imagine my surprise when she came back from picking up her lunch. She'd brought me a yogurt with strawberries and crushed oreos on top. Even better than the soft serve ice cream I was going to get.

I have some affirmations that I'm using at work pretty consistently. I've already shared how I prepave my day while I get ready for work. I also use the Universal Manager game from Ask and It is Given whenever I pass out anything work related - memos, training notices. I ask the Universal Manager to make sure that the papers get in the right hands, no matter where they are going, and I appreciate everything that he does.

I guess now I need to give the Universal Manager another job - making sure we have space for scheduled training at work. Space is at a premium and it seems as though everyone wants a room at the same time.
But that's okay, because this is my new request for the Universal Manger:

Thank you that whenever there is a training session, that there is
space available. Even if the first location is being used, there will
be a different space available with no issues or conflicts.

Are you using the Universal Manager to help you organize things?

I am happy to have the Universal Manager available to assist me in my job. It helps take the stress away when I feel as though I am having to jump through hoops. It's just another process that is fun to do in
order to release resistance and to feel good.

Vibe Lifting Music - You Can Always Be #1, Splashdance

Had a brief flashback tonight with my husband. He got the Dragon's Lair 20th Anniversary DVD combo pack. On the special features was a gameshow called Starcade, a video game gameshow, and there was a commercial for Disney's Splashdance. My husband told me had the cassette when he was a kid, and he still remembered the words.

Below is one of the songs I enjoyed and it's very vibe lifting. Listen to this and you are definitely going to smile.

Photo Post - You Are As Close to God as You Want To Be

Creative ways of using Pinterest

Like I need yet another something on the Internet :)

But I was inspired by Jeannette's Maw's post about Pinterest:

http://goodvibeblog.com/pinterest-for-deliberate-creators/

So I signed up. You can find me here:

http://pinterest.com/bamagirlloa/

I'll be using Pinterest to create vision boards on various topics, so
be sure to check often or even subscribe to the feed if you'd like to
see what I create. And if you would like an invite, just leave me a
comment or send a quick email to ask.

Keep Moving Forward - Photo Post

Blessings - Laura Story - Postive Music

This is another beautiful song I've heard recently.

I know that as deliberate creators and practitioners of LOA, we sometimes believe that now our life is supposed to be everything we want it to be. It's going to be wonderful and amazing and marvelous. But remember that if we believe that we must believe that we create EVERYTHING in our life. We may define something as bad, and it may hurt us to go through it, but somewhere along the way we realize that without that moment, without those tears and hurt and pain, we would not be the people we are now. Without the trials, without the contrast, we are not growing. Be thankful for everything, even the difficulties of life, and welcome the growth that comes from them.



The story behind the song:

You Are Loved - Photo Post

To Intend or Not to Intend - Are We Trying Too Hard?

There is so much sometimes to Law of Attraction. Even on this blog I talk about affirmations, prepaving your day, vision boards, positive thinking. But is it too much? How do we know?

We know when it becomes stressful. When you are planning your day and you worry if you'll find time to meditate or visualize your goals, or get upset that you didn't write in your gratitude journal or your pray rain journal or you forgot to prepave while in the shower this morning. If doing any of the processes becomes a chore then it's too much.

A process is just a process. That is all. Abraham Hicks says that the processes they give in Ask and It Is Given are to help us release resistance. That is all. The processes are not magical. They are to help us expect our manifestations. They are to help us stay positive and grateful and happy so that we can welcome the manifestation when it comes. If doing the process becomes a chore, then it adds resistance instead of taking it away.

Are you trying to handle too many processes? Are you always trying something new? Remember that it's not the process that matters. It's the feelings behind the process.

If you feel that you are too stressed out with whatever LoA processes you are doing, then stop. Just stop. Just enjoy your day. If you want to write in your journal, do it. If you want to meditate, then do it. But don't do it because you feel you have to in order to make LoA work. The Law of Attraction works no matter what you do. What is important is how you feel. So pamper yourself today and relax. Your desires are already known. Let yourself relax in expectation of receiving them now.

Be Still and Know - Photo Post

We Are Worthy

My son and I were talking this morning about the possibilities before us right now - new jobs, buying a house, replacing my car. And he mentioned that he would like a Corvette one day, if he "deserved" one.

I think it's sad that we have been conditioned to believe that it's wrong to want nice things or even luxurious things, like a fancy sports car or nice house. It's sad because God loves us and wants to give us not only what we need, but also what we want.

Matthew 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

We are worthy, we are deserving, we are ENTITLED simply because we are children of God.

I heard a friend at church once say that she believed that government keeps people from earning a certain amount of money, that it was impossible to get above almost poverty level because "they" kept everyone at that level.

I used to believe that. Maybe you did too. But I hope you are waking up now. I hope you believe now, as I do, that YOU are in control of you. You are in control of your finances, your time, your life. No one
can keep you in bondage without your consent. If you find yourself struggling financially or in any other way, make a decision to break out of whatever rut you are in. Make a decision to change your life, then take inspired action.

If you are having issues with believing that you are worthy to have what you want, here is an exercise to help you stretch your belief.

Every day write the following in a notebook:

I am worthy to have nice things.
I am worthy to earn a comfortable living.

Then dream of whatever you want and write it as well.

I am worthy to (write your dream)

Continue as long as you need.

I am worthy of a nice home.
I am worthy of a loving partner.

Now let's change it a bit.

I deserve a nice home.
I deserve a loving partner.
I deserve to earn a comfortable living.

Keep going, saying I deserve. Because you do. Now, let's change it up a bit more.

I am entitled to a nice home.
I am entitled to a nice car.
I am entitled to a loving partner.
I am entitled to earn a comfortable living.

Keep going. I know it may feel strange to say these things because we have been told from the time we were young that we shouldn't want nice things, it was selfish of us to even ask for nice things. It's time to change that mindset and it's also time to change that mindset in our children. I don't believe that this type of mindset is going to spoil anyone. I believe that by accepting our self-worth and seeing ourselves as worthy of our dreams, seeing ourselves the way God sees us, is the least spoiling thing we can do for us, our families and our communities.

These exercises have helped me learn and grow so much in such a short time. I hope they help you as well.

**Added 2/9/12 Deliberate Blog has posted on this issue too - Deliberate Blog: A Sense of Entitlement. 

I love how everything flows smoothly -- Photo Post

We live in an abundant world

As manifestors, deliberate creators or just people-who-use-LOA, we believe we live in an abundant world. We already believe that there is enough of everything - money, houses, cars, jobs, clothing, food - anything you can imagine, there is enough. Now economics is starting to back that up.

The definition of traditional economics analyzes the distribution and consumption of goods and services. Economists are also looking at our resources. Traditional economists, though, say that there are only
limited resources. Over the years many of these doomsayer economists have stated we are about to run out of this or that or the other thing. But have we?

No, we haven't. Because every time we believe that we are lacking something we either discover we didn't need it at all or some type of technology is invented to make it better. Either a better process or more efficient way to work.

Abraham Hicks talks about this as well, comparing material wealth or material things to health. They state that we don't think, "Well, I need to be sick for a while so that others can be healthy." Why do we feel that if we are doing well that others must lack? That if we have more than enough then something is being taken from someone else?

I did believe that, but no more. I believe we live in a world where there is more than enough for everyone.

In Everything Give Thanks

Things are happening

I love that feeling when you know things are happening, when the Universe is moving and everything is coming into alignment.

We've been praying for my husband to have a job locally for some time. Right now he's driving an hour to work daily. He got a tip on a job that pays double what he makes now and is open very soon. The only thing is -- the place is 2 1/2 hours away.

But we're up for it. Even though we love our historic home that we're renting and we love the area, we believe we know why we weren't able to buy the property we saw last year. We are believing that things are happening.

In Harmonic Wealth, James Arthur Ray discusses something called the Law of Gender - everything has a gestation period. Yes, some things may manifest almost immediately, but if you're trying to manifest $100,000 it's going to take some time. He also makes another point - if you did manifest $100,000 immediately, and you're not the person at this point in time that can handle $100,000, then the money will slip through your fingers. I believe that we are becoming people that can have $100,000 and take care of it.

I still have my check I made out to myself for $100,000. With this job, we will be halfway there. 

I am seeing how much our mindset is changing as well, starting with looking at the houses for sale around us. All are about $300,000 and we're getting into the mindset that yes, one day we could own a house like that. But imagine our surprise when we found a house with all the features we said we wanted for half that price within 10 miles of the potential new job.

It meets the following criteria:

• Privacy
• Built in 1975 (Husband's thing)
• Fireplace (mine)
• Circular tower room
• Fenced yard for our dog
• Near water
• Partially finished basement (for the "man cave")
• Open kitchen / dining room 
• Sauna (again, husband's thing)
• Close to town but not too close
• Small, easily kept up yard
• Big enough to roam around in and enjoy the space

We are printing out the photos and we're going to make a vision board for the house. We should hear back next week about the job and then plans can get under way.

What is amazing is that we had been talking about buying or building a house and said we didn't know if we could go over $100,000. With this new job, we can easily afford $150,000. However, we have LOA on our side, so we're going to also intend that the price will drop and it will be available when we have the down payment.

The list of features that we came up with never came from specifically writing anything down. It was all just stuff we happened to mention to each other here and there - except the 1970s thing, hubby kept that one to himself. But I love the uniqueness of the house - it's custom made - and we're looking forward to things changing up a bit.

Affirmations:

We are so happy to live in the house on Ranier Road.
We are thrilled to have paid only $100,000 for this house.
We are so thankful that it was still on the market. 
We are so grateful that everything with the purchase and the move went smoothly.
We are happy that everything is working well in the house.
We enjoy seeing our dog run in the fenced in yard.
We are looking forward to redecorating and turning it into our forever home.

Are things changing up for you? I hope so!

Never See a Single Step of Your Journey as a Waste of Time

My Money Dream

One of my affirmations written on my white board is:

Money put into circulation returns to us tenfold.

I read that and say it every time I need to spend money, whether it's groceries or whether it's the gas bill or even getting my hair done.

I had some concern about money at the end of December due to some vehicle repairs, a late paycheck and a late check from a client. Even with those issues, we ended up paying everything in December with no problems. But the end of the month came and as I looked at the bank account the day before payday I realized that some bills had come out automatically that I'd forgotten were scheduled. I was worried that
the account would overdraw. But I stopped that energy and recited my affirmations again :

Money put into circulation returns to us tenfold.
We have more than enough money.
We have plenty of money to pay the bills.

And I went to bed that night, not even thinking about it anymore, and I had a dream.

In the dream I was happy because it was payday but it also meant that all this extra money I'd either found or set aside could be used as well. In the dream I was taking the money from some type of enclosed space, either the trunk of my car or from a box in the attic or closet, I'm not sure. And each time I grabbed a stack of bills, more money would appear, all $20s or $100s. I counting the money in the dream, and I got to $200 and still another stack of money appeared. I kept grabbing it up and I don't think it ever completely disappeared.

I believe that dreams tell us things, that they reinforce things we already know in our hearts but maybe not in our heads. Since I've also been meditating off and on for the past couple of weeks, I've been more inclined to pay attention to my dreams and see what they are telling me. And I believe this dream was telling me what I already know -

Money put into circulation returns to us tenfold.
We have more than enough.

What ways do you have more than enough? Some examples I have include:

Getting my car fixed for practically nothing, just before my husband's truck ending up needing a fuel pump. The money we saved on the car went for the fuel pump.
I got $10 Kohl's coupon in the mail.
My husband got a $25 coupon in the mail good to use toward an oil change.
I have had two free coaching sessions.

Over the past few weeks, whenever I've stated, "I need to learn to do this or that for my business," the information is presented to me in a simple way, for little or no cost. I now have an affirmation for my
business:

Anything I need to learn or have, I will get for free or a discount.

So go ahead - what ways have you realized that you have more than enough?

You are an Honored Child of God

2012, looking ahead

I enjoy reading Kim Falconer's blog and her horoscopes since they incorporate the Law of Attraction into astrology. I was interested in two of her posts,  set intentions for the solstice and New Moon, both which included horoscopes for the new year.

Both horoscopes (I'm a Cancer, by the way) mentioned partnership and relationships. Her tip was to start with a relationship with myself. I admit that never thought of that. When I read the horoscope I first thought of my husband and my son, who are my immediate relationships. Then that branched out to my extended family, my in-laws, and the my co-workers. But treating myself well, loving myself, that is an important relationship. Unless I love myself I cannot truly love someone else.

So for this first part of 2012, in regards to relationships, I am going to look at myself. There are some things health wise I need to be doing. I also want to take better care of myself and treat myself to some self-care. These can be simple things, such as time to relax in a bubble bath or spend an afternoon reading. One thing I realized over 2011 is that taking that time to do something YOU want to do is not selfish. It's a very needed period of respite.

I'm not necessarily going to have a "to-do" list, as I don't believe that I need to work that hard. What I need to do is be more open, be more allowing. I have been closed off for a long time and I need to open myself up to the relationships that I already have and welcome more.

Affirmations toward that end:

I am open and welcoming to new friendships and new people in my life.
I am a worthwhile, loveable, successful person because God created me in His perfect image.
You're beautiful -- you are sacred, you are treasured, you are His.

For the next month, I am going to work on loving myself. Every day I am going to take time to do something just for me. I am going to spend money on myself. And the first thing, the most important thing, I will not judge myself or make any negative comment about myself

For my immediate family I am going to start reading the Love Dare again. I stopped last year when it got too difficult to do the assignments - both emotionally and practically. But now we're all under the same roof and I want to have a wonderful relationship with my husband and son.

What are some of your thoughts for the new year? Are you going to follow tips from a horoscope or just follow what you feel led to do on your own?