So since my favorite spiritual teachers tell us to focus only upon what we want I thought I would make a list of what I really want, not in any particular order but just a few thoughts about what I would choose if we were all able to create the world in the way that we wanted.

Also I am not publically endorsing either candidate but just talking about what I want. I know who will get my vote. I encourage you to study the issues before you vote and make the wise and thoughtful decision that feels right to you.

And there may be more….As this list is of course, not all-inclusive.

To quote someone you may have listened to in the past….

On November 4th I will be at the election booth bright and early. I hope you will be too.

Related posts:
Exercise your Privilege- Vote

Imagine a balance beam, you know the kind that the gymnasts use in the Olympics. A balance beam is 5 meters or about 16.4 feet long and 10 cm or 4 inches wide.
So imagine that this beam is flat to the floor and you are asked to walk across it. Do you have any doubts that you can do it? Easy, right? You may lose your balance a bit but it is likely that you dont have any fear about walking across the beam.

So now put that beam up to the regulation height of 125 cm or about 4.5 feet high. Now think about walking across it.

Do you have more trepidation this time?

Next imagine the same beam, the same piece of wood balanced between two large building that are say&
30 stories high. What do you think about walking across it now?

My guess is that the higher the beam goes into the air, the more frightened you become of that little walk. Yet, it is the same beam, it is still just a short walk of 16.4 feet balanced on a 4 inch plank. It is essentially the same walk.

The difference is your perception.

Now consider this. Circus performers walk tight ropes and do wild things at great heights all the time. If they share the same fears we do then somehow they overcome them and they do it anyway.

The gymnasts not only walk across the beam but they do back handsprings, aerials and turns, leaps and dance poses. All you had to imagine was walking across. The gymnasts have overcome any doubts and fears that they have while the typical, normal adult is too scared to even try.

And the difference is perception. The circus performers and the gymnasts have learned to overcome their fears and do it anyway.

Now, lets shift to something that you can probably relate to.

Think about taking a trip, a trip of a lifetime, to someplace that you have always dreamed of going. You call the airline and the tickets are $25.00. Wow, pocket change, whoohoo, going on a trip! Easy, fun, effortless! How lucky you are!

Now imagine the same trip…..you have always dreamed of going……its still the trip of a lifetime but now the tickets are $2500.00.&.or $25,000.00.&. or (are you ready for this?) $250,000.00.

How lucky do you feel now to be taking that trip of a lifetime?

Its still the same trip. But your feelings about the trip have changed.

At what point does your heart stop and you say I cant do that!.

Its all a matter of perception.

There are people in the world who would not flinch at the price of $250,000.00 or even more for the trip of a lifetime and there are people in the world who would flinch at $250.00 and probably even at $25.00.
(reminder: this is not a conversation about value and worth but rather a conversation about perceptions).

So which one are you?

If you cant even imagine having something that you would want, if you cant even imagine having an abundance of money, love, time, energy, health, whatever it may be that is your wildest dream&.

If you cant imagine your wildest dream then you cant achieve it.

But if you can imagine your dream, you can have it.

And imagining it is all a matter of perception.

I loved it and I wanted to share.

It is a breath of fresh air, especially after all of the political news that I have been paying way too much attention to!

Enjoy! As I did.

The other day I was driving home from the store and I saw a black car. A really nice black car. I didn’t even know what it was. So I appreciated it for the moment, forgot about it and drove on home.

A day or two later I was with Kevin driving along and we saw the same car.
Kevin remarked “Wow, that is a Bentley” and I responded “Whew, a Bentley?” the question mark hanging in the air.

“yep, that there is about a $250,000.00 car”

“$250,000.00? Hmmm” and we laughed about how it “looked so darn good” and “cost so darn much”. And we happily imagined and visualized having that much money and what we would actually want to have which would probably not be a Bentley but rather a Houseboat on Lake Powell, a Grand Piano, a beautiful second home in the desert……

And we forgot about it again.

The next few days was a chorus of “There’s that Bentley again!” as we saw the same car over and again. It was fun. And as you may have figured out by now that is not the kind of car that we often see around here.

Well today as we were driving we saw another beautiful car. It was silver this time, really beautiful. And of course, I didn’t even know what it was. But Kevin did.

“That is a Maserati”

“Whoohoo, a Maserati? And the only person I know with a Maserati is Joe Walsh”

(Actually I have to admit that I don’t really know Joe Walsh. But I do know that his “Maserati does 185, he lost his license and now he don’t drive!”)

So we appreciated the Maserati and as we were driving down the hill we saw another beautiful silver car but this time I knew what it was, a really beautiful Mercedes convertible. Not a Maserati but still a beautiful Symbol of Wealth. We got into town and as we were pulling into a parking lot we actually saw another one. Another Maserati that is. Two in one day! How often does that happen around here?
We do live in a land of nice cars, but they tend to be SUV’s and minivans and the luxurious among them would be the Escalade in the freak parade. (see the funny video below for reference).

We talked about it, how unusual it was and what it meant.
Those cars are symbols of wealth, the kind of cars that many people dream of, few people own. And we are seeing them all over the place! I’m not even a “car” girl. I don’t dream of cars. I don’t covet a Maserati or a Bentley. But then again, I can’t really imagine what I would think if I saw a Grand Piano rolling down the street and believe you me I already know where every beautiful house in this city is. So how could the Universe send me a sign of a Symbol of Wealth with a piano or a house? And of course, all the decent houseboats are already at the lake.

Cars are perfect.

So we’re seeing our signs. We’re seeing the symbols of Wealth.

And I appreciate it. It couldn’t have been better.

(p.s. I really missed my writing. Today I’m focused on Love and Appreciation for the writing that I love)

“What if gas prices got to be $**** per gallon?

(what? Did you think that I was going to join in on that pitiful party and say out loud how much? Not me!)

It’s fun to play “what if”. We all enjoy the game of speculating on what the future may hold but some speculations should be reserved just for entertainment purposes, novels and movies. For example,

“What if a giant asteroid hit the earth?”

Yes, that is a subject that could be (and has been) a fun movie or an entertaining read but in real life? No. Don’t think so.

So when you are playing “what if” in real life, play it in a productive, creative way. Rather than thinking about “what if” and following it with a huge catastrophe, follow it with something that you really want, that really makes you happy, and that you would really love to create in your life.

For example…..(this one is for everybody)

“What ……if we could really have world peace?”

Or we could turn that first one around…..
“What if …..the price of gas went down to $***”
Or even better
“What if….. there was so much money that the price of gas didn’t even matter ?”

And since you are speculating for your own future, play your own “what if”.

If you are going to play the “what if” game play it in a manner that serves you. You don’t really want a catastrophe in your life, so stop speculating on that and start speculating on the life that you really want!

I tend to believe that celebrities are just ordinary people who have created the circumstance of fame. That’s it. There is nothing special about them. Some of them are talented. Some of them aren’t. Some of them do great work and great things and some of them don’t. And having pictures in all of the tabloids just seems to be part of that train wreck mentality.

Except. Occasionally I will see a celebrity that I really admire. Someone who is a powerful creator who has created a great life. Last night on 60 minutes they had an interview with Will Smith. It definitely engaged my attention. I really admire that guy.

Will said something that perfectly explained his popularity. He said (and I’m paraphrasing as I didn’t write it down, however you can take a look at the you tube video)

Well, personally I don’t think that the camera has anything to do with it. There is no magic in a camera. I think that all of us are attracted to people who are in touch with their highest selves, the people who are happy and joyful and caught up in the magic that life can be. People love Will Smith because they can feel that energy through the camera. They can feel that energy, that spirit and it resonates within their own self. They can feel that deep connection and oneness with God or Source, it matters not the name, but people can feel the connection to the amazing creative energy that we are all a part of.

And people respond. There is nothing more attractive than someone who is connected to their highest self and their Source and no, I’m not talking about “looking good” or being physically beautiful….no I’m talking deeper. If you think about it you know.

Another thing that I found admirable about Will is when he said he didn’t pay his taxes. No it is not admirable to not pay taxes, that is not what I mean. What I mean is that here he was this young 19 year old kid and he owed the IRS something like 2.8 million dollars and he had $2.83. Now we all make mistakes but most people I know and myself included would have probably freaked! There would have been a whole lot of self-condemnation. It would have been a big drama fest and made into a big catastrophe and more than anything the FEAR would have set in and taken over. And one thing that I can say that I know for sure is….

You cannot create money, or anything else that’s good for that matter, in a spirit of fear. It doesn’t happen.

But it seems that Will Smith didn’t let fear take hold. In fact, he was in such an alignment as to score a great job on a sitcom and he didn’t even know if he could act. I think that would have been impossible had he been harboring any fears about owing the IRS. If any ounce of his energy had been counseling fear, he wouldn’t have been able to create that opportunity.

Will claims that he works really, really hard. I have no doubt that he does. But he does not work hard with a spirit of fear or desperation in a way that says “I must make this happen even if I burn myself out” but rather a spirit of faith, confidence, belief and power. He gets results because all of his energy is concentrated into the achievement of Success and none into the emotions of fear or desperation.

When you focus all, as in every bit, every ounce of your energy into success and what you want you become very Powerful. You can create the life that you want.

And it seems that Will Smith has. I really admire that.

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly;
What is essential is invisible to the eye.”
***
The Little Prince
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Get out of your mind and back to your heart.

Big dreams do not come true using logic.

If you want to create something that is beyond your wildest imagination, part your wildest dreams, if you look at it logically it can’t happen. After all, even the words “beyond your wildest dreams” literally mean that it defies logic.

But that does not mean it can’t happen. You’ll just have to get out of your own way.

And how do you get out of your own way?

Get out of your mind and back to your heart.

Stop over thinking. Stop over analyzing. Stop thinking of all the ways it can’t happen… especially stop thinking of all the ways it can’t happen.

Start believing.

Just see the end result. That’s all you have to believe in–the end result.

The Universe will show you a way if you let it. But if it is really a dream that is beyond your wildest imagination, it won’t happen in your mind.

It will happen in your heart and soul.

This person wrote what I consider to be one of the most concise and well-written self-improvement and personal development book ever written.
It’s short.
It’s sweet.
It’s to the point.

To celebrate the birthday of the wonderful author, Theodor Seuss Geisel, who was born on this day, March 2, back in the olden days of 1904, I have decided to have a giveaway of that book, plus another one of my favorite Seuss books. This one is a favorite because of its focus on Gratitude and how lucky you really are.

Now you may be under the illusion that these books are just for children and you would be right. They are for children, all children from age 1 to 94 (and beyond), because the wisdom contained within these books is timeless and ageless.

Just leave a comment here and tell me either “Where you want to go” (Goals) or “Why you are lucky” (Gratitude). You don’t even have to be specific. Short and sweet, just leave a comment referencing one or the other or both.

Goals and Gratitude, that’s what we are after here. That is what I want you to think about, your Goals and Dreams, and your Joy and your Gratitude.

Next Sunday, March 9, I will have one of my daughters (or all of my daughters!) put the names in a Hat (Imagine that! We don‘t have a Cat but we can still use the Hat!) and then we will do a random drawing.

Make sure you leave your email so I can contact you when you win.

And as for Creating your Extraordinary Life…..

Update: 3/10/08–with just 4 comments to choose from (the one is me!) I thought “how can I have everyone win?” So…..all 4 commenters will receive one book (not the twoas originally planned, but everyone wins!)

And that is my “aha” moment for the day. Doesn’t really seem too “aha” at all, does it?

And it’s really not, not at all when you think of it this way but it really is when you think of it another way.

You see, I redid my vision board this past week. It coincided with the Chinese New Year and the Solar Eclipse that happened on February 7. Neither of those things occurred to me at the time but since then I have received emails informing me that the year of the Rat is a “Promise of Prosperity” and the solar eclipse signals a major shift in consciousness that will bring an energy of new beginnings for all of us, such as new doors opening and paths being made clear.

Okay, that sounds great. I’ll take that as confirmation from the Universe. The Path will be clear and the way will be Prosperous! That is exactly what I want!

I had planned on redoing my vision board for awhile. It had been in the back of my mind but the timing just became right. Since this is my vision I only answer to myself. The time was finally right.

The vision board felt good and it felt empowering as I put it together but the next day as I looked at one very important goal that truly is very close to my heart, a sense of panic set in. All of a sudden I thought “I can’t get there from here, I don’t have this, I don’t have that, I’m not this, I’m not that, what am I thinking?”

Whoa, that is not the direction I wanted to take. That is way off track! I think in possibilities! I know that people create wonderful things from nothing all the time. I’ve done it myself. I know that often things happen in such a way that it would have been impossible to predict. It’s happened to me many times.

But isn’t that all too human? We set out for the great unknown and the doubt and fear sets in. If it has never happened to you, you’re lucky. If it has happened to you, you’re in good company, I know that I am not the only one who has ever had a big goal and no clue whatsoever on how to reach it.

So I forgave myself. And I thought about it. And slowly, I eased out of the panic and back into the feelings of empowerment.

Other people have accomplished what I want to do. Not all of those people had talent or credentials. And surely they also started somewhere. They weren’t born into it. They had to follow a path just like everyone else. They found a way. I can find a way too.

So it’s there on my vision board. It brings me good feelings to just look at it. I can imagine and dream and follow the inspired actions that come to me. Since at this time I have no clue what exactly to do, I will just do the only thing I know how to do at this time.

Hold the Vision. Because I know that I can get there from here.

You can too! Dare to dream!

You wake up tomorrow morning and everything has changed. Your life is different. While you remember your spouse, your children, your loved ones and you remember the work that you do, all of your knowledge about life is gone. Gone. As if it never existed at all. You have to start all over and learn everything there is to know about life and living again.

All of the paradigms you’ve become attached to and all of the limiting beliefs that you have accumulated throughout your years of living are gone. The empowering beliefs are gone too. You are a clean slate. You are as innocent and unknowing about life and living as a newborn baby.

So what do you do?

As you get going on with your day, you remember the people you know and the people you meet and come across everyday.

These people become your teachers. Each and every one of them have a lesson to teach you. But they are not in the same place as you are today. They remember their life and how they think it is best to live it. They are going on about their lives just as they always have.

They will not stop to tell you what you need to know. You will have to learn by observing their example, looking into their eyes, making conversations, observing them as they live. In doing it this way you can pick and choose the beliefs, paradigms, knowledge and actions that you want to take with you throughout your life. You can choose to take what will serve you and disregard the rest.

You can choose the lessons that will help you create the Life you really want.

What do you choose to learn? If every single person you meet or come across is your teacher, a guru even, and each and every one of them have a valuable lesson to impart, What do you learn?

What lessons do you choose to take away?

From your sleepy spouse, your noisy children, the neighbor across the street?

The garbage man in the truck in front of your house?

The frazzled looking character driving the school bus in front of you?

The teacher on the playground? The exuberant children running around on the field?

What about the person who cuts you off in traffic? Or the person who slams the door on your face as they race into the building? And then there is that happy lady who always has a smile that you meet everyday on the elevator, and the guy you pass on the sidewalk who is singing about how he “Can’t Get No Satisfaction”.

There is the Grandmother with the baby in her arms at the grocery store, the bum on the street who asks you for money, the business suit with the crocodile briefcase rushing to a meeting, your boss, your co-workers, the lady behind the counter at the cleaners?

What do you choose to learn from your teachers today?

Every person that you meet can teach you something of value, if you just humble yourself, open up your mind and your heart, and let it in. Even if you think you already know more about life than they do. There is always something valuable they can teach you.

What do you choose to learn?