Manifesting Abundance Through Gratitude

Those of us familiar with the Law of Attraction will not be surprised at the idea that whatever we are or have in our lives we have attracted to us - including those things we really didn't want. But when we want to manifest abundance, happiness and success in our lives, developing a mindset of gratitude channels us to getting more of  what we really do want.

When things are going well, its easier to be positive and appreciative. But what can you be grateful for when there are things going on that are painful or hurtful? Finding some greater good in a difficult situation is a real challenge. Its undoubtedly harder to  maintain a positive outlook and keep your vibrational energy high.

I'm going through a difficult work situation at the moment and it certainly presses my buttons. But I need to firstly accept that I have in some way manifested this situation that's been hurtful and secondly to thank the person with whom I am wrestling for the learning that comes from this situation.

It's only natural to ask how the heck did we attract awful things into our lives. Why would we? We have a lot of experiences in our lives we label 'good' or bad' that's just part of our own evolving.

If we entertain the idea of having a 'soul' that is infinite, we might possibly also consider that all our bad experiences, even death, is part of our souls' learning to get something right. However many lifetimes it takes for us to learn, we have an eternity to do so.

And that idea helps me not sweat the small stuff. Like my son not speaking to me at the moment because I'm insisting he gets into household chores more. Hurtful, but this is really really small beer compared to the bigger stuff.

Yes the downs are good too, for they have something to teach us. And I know if I just stay in a negative place in this matter, that's counterproductive to the greater things I want in my life.

Manifesting I hear is a science. I don't understand quantum physics - I just accept it exists. And thoughts are energy. I accept that too. Science tells us that energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only change forms.

And when our thought energy is around success, abundance and happiness we tend to attract more of that into our lives. Developing an Attitude of Gratitude, even when life seems flat or worse destructive, helps us to change the energy around us. So I can choose today to generate a different more positive energy in and around me by being grateful to my son and my colleague for our differences and the learning that comes from that.

"Be Mindful of your thoughts, Anekin. They'll betray you."  Obi-Wan

Blessings for Today

1.  I know where my son is and what he is doing. I am thankful for his safety and his recovery from a little illness. And for his determined spirit - even not to speak to me today.

2. For what I learn about myself and where I must give more mindfulness, I am grateful to my colleague.

3. For the time I have this Easter holiday, for spending time at home without any pressures to get from A to B and even more for being warm and safe indoors when it was wet, windy, snowy, sleety, and generally vile outside.

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If you knew you had but a short while to live

What is a 'short while'? Two weeks? 6 months? 3 years? 40 years? Does it make a difference how we would prepare for leaving this earth if we had some certainty about when we would die? Would we give up wanting to achieve anything? Tell our loved ones how much they mean to us? Ensure we leave a lasting legacy, a symbol of our sojourn here on this earth? 

Who knows till we are actually faced with such a scenario what our direction would be.

When my sister lay in Kingston Public Hospital in the final stages of cervical cancer, I confess I didn't know how to help her face dying. I wanted, in the face of her pain and inevitable demise, to tell her that it was OK if she wanted to go, that she could just close her eyes and slip away. Yet I was present when others spoke to her of miracles and faith and hope.

And I didn't think I could take that away from her, especially as all along I too was muttering to the divine universal spirit to create for her the best possible health outcome. In the end, I said nothing except to give her the love and attention I could while I was with her.

There is a man I have seen on video recently, Randy Pausch, who knows he is dying and that it is 'shortly' to be inevitable. He has created an incredible statement on video that has now been watched by millions of people all over the world. His courage and capacity is to be admired and its led me to wonder what I would do if I knew I had but a short while to live.

To view the video, click here

But it is not in the dying but in the living that we really make our imprint. And I learnt things about my sister, about her way of living which I had not understood, that told me that as impoverished as she was, she had the capacity for touching the lives of others by what she was able to give of herself, sharing with and caring for others. 

How she did that when she knew so little of being cared for in her early years, I do not know, but its been a blessing for others that she was able to do so. And she has taught me many valuable  lessons.

Blessings for today

1. My teenage son has gone into a moody strop today but I hold dear the imprint of his head leaning against me in the cinema yesterday and the closeness of him as we waited for the train on Waterloo Station. And I know this moodiness will pass and we will again be right with each other. And I am blessed with him and give him all my love.

2. What can I say about today which was cold and wet and horribly grey? Ah yes! The bright yellow daffodils and dancing in the garden and they bring good cheer.

3. The results of my blood test indicate a healthy system and that is indeed a huge blessing.

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Leveraging Other People’s Resources

I went to a couple of introductory talks this weekend on property investment and both made the point about leveraging OPM – Other People’s Money – to raise the finance for property investment. It led me to thinking about how through the medium of the mastermind group, we can also leverage OPR – Other People’s Resources to develop our enterprises. 

The idea of using other people can seem a little exploitative and unethical to some people. However consider this in the context of a group of people who mutually exist to help each other become success and are willing to commit their time, energy and available resources to doing so. 

Then its much more a win-win situation for all concerned to exploit the collective talent, mindfulness, contacts and other resources available within the group. In this way the individuals within the group gain far more than they could just using their own resources. 

Of course its been done since time immemorial in a number of different ways. Consider the Co-operatives, the Masons, Boys Own clubs, and so on to name but a very few. And then, there is the Mastermind Group. 

In a financial sense, when you leverage OPM, you are borrowing someone else’s money that you can invest in a way that you intend to bring a far higher rate of return than you could do from the cost of paying the interest. 

Within the context of the mastermind group, its connecting with others who want to share their ideas and information to help you solve the problems of your business and to grow. So everybody gets to accomplish more with less energy than they would if they were trying to move that boulder all by themselves

 There are some groups you wouldn’t want to or couldn’t become involved in but the mastermind group is within the capacity of everyone to share in. If we look at a classic often held-up model of success such as Henry Ford, we have here someone who exceeded his personal capacity from impoverished beginnings, to become one of the richest Americans of his time. 

Here’s the thing though, he achieved most outstandingly during the time when he formed a mastermind alliance with other like minded business acquaintances, enabling him to leverage the combined knowledge, experience, intelligence and resourcefulness of the group to grow his business. And for ordinary people like you and me, wanting to raise the levels of success in our lives, the same principles can apply.

To quote Napoleon Hill in Think and Grow Rich “No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third intangible force which may be likened to a third mind.” 

“A group of brains coordinated (or connected) in a spirit of harmony will provide more thought-energy than a single brain, just as a group of electric batteries will provide more energy than a single battery." 

There are of course lots of other ways to leverage Other People’s Resources. The power of the Mastermind group is but one. However, almost all successful people use leverage and a good mastermind group can make that happen. There is simply not enough of our own time, energy and other resources to achieve the success we require in the time we need it. And success isn’t about extracting every last ounce of your own energy and resources to get there, for that carries a huge personal cost which may not sustain your success.

Blessings for today

1 When I dropped my son off for his football training and matches and I see all the kids running around doing their thing I am so very grateful to the dedication of all the coaches, youth leaders, scouts and others who freely give up their time for my and other people’s children. The amount of time and commitment required from them is enormous and we are blessed to have such people with us. 

2.My sister died this week. Its been a tough time for her family. I am grateful for the time I have had to go visit and spend with her recently and deeply moved by what I have learnt about her, of the lives she has touched.

 3. Spring is struggling to bust out, the days are definitely getting longer and there is more sunshine around. I am so pleased to be experiencing the renewal that comes at this time of the year with the promise and hope of good things ahead in the coming months. I appreciate that hugely. Its a time for looking forward and the growth that's to come.

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