Barriers to Abundance

What do I Want?

Hmmm.  Happiness of course but what else? Think, think, think. I want more. I want to be able to financially help my family and friends. I want to be able to spend more time with my family and friends.

So why aren't I where I want to be? Let me think this one through. 

Hey!   I am pretty much where I wanted to be at this point in my life. I have a lovely home, a job I love, a nice car, wonderful friends, a loving family to share my life with . . . What else could I want? 

I want to up my "standard of living" so I can spend more time with my family, time to pursue other interests and financially help friends and family. 

I want financial freedom. Everyone's dream, right? Not exactly. As a teenager I wanted to live in a house that I owned, have children and a job doing something I enjoyed.

I got what I wanted. Didn't I? Of course I did. But I got a little older. Now I want something else. And that's okay. People change and their needs/wants change right along with them. 

I want financial freedom. So what can be stopping me?

Barriers

I have barriers. We all have barriers. They are preconceived perceptions taught to us by our family, friends or community. We have debilitating fears and poor self esteems.

Distorted Perceptions

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For instance, I was raised to believe that money doesn't bring you happiness. But I beg to differ. We need money to survive in this world and to maintain happiness we need at least enough money to pay our bills, put food on the table, get us from point a to point b and provide some of the niceties in life. Without the money for all these items, we are filled with stress, unhappiness, depression, low self esteem. You get the the picture.

Perhaps my Mom taught this to us because money was tight when she was growing up. And after my father died money was tight for us. We had to  learn how to get by and make the most of it. 

I also grew up thinking you have to work hard for your money. Not  a completely true statement is it? But it is ingrained into my mind and very difficult to get rid of.

To reprogram my brain I constantly say to myself  and out loud occasionally, "money comes easily and frequently".

Another perception is that people who have "money" are stingy, self absorbed, maybe "stuck up." The rich get richer. That's because they rip people off, take advantage of the poor and weak. So you don't want to have loads of cash because you will become one of "them." Ebenezer Scrooge is not the best role model.

I know a fair number of people who fit these stereotypes so they are just making it more difficult for me to erase. To rid myself of these pictures of greed , I like to imagine myself with a fist full of money and I am handing out stacks to cash to my mom, sister, kids, friends and I see huge smiles on their faces as the money hits the palms of their hands. I feel excited and over enjoyed. What a wonderful feeling.

Can you think of any other distorted conceptions that would prevent you from accumulating wealth.

Fears

Fear can be very debilitating.  It can seriously affect our strength or ability to reach our goals.  We may not even start work on a goal because we fear failure. Or we are afraid to move out of our comfort zone and it is just easier to stay exactly where we are than to venture out.

Shyness is fear. Shy people miss out on so many experiences because they are too afraid to talk or move in unfamiliar ground. I know because I was extremely shy as a child and young adult. Trust me, I missed out on so much. I am still shy but I'd say it doesn;t hold me back like it use to. I forced myself into those uncomfortable situations and slowly but surely it became easier.

What fears hinder you from accomplishing your goals?


Self Esteem
I'm not good enough. I'm not smart enough. I'm too short, I'm too fat. Let's face it we have a vast amount of issues we can draw upon for this category. Our self esteems can really hinder us from achieving abundance.

I'll give you an example. While searching for a job, say you see a posting and it looks ideal because you have those skills, the location is fantastic and it's for a reputable company. Then you see under the skills section that five years experience is required and you only have one or they want someone with college but you have none. I bet many of you would not even bother applying. I would apply. What could it hurt. So they may laugh at me. I won't be there to hear it. Or they might say, wow look at her resume., let's call her in for an interview. Then I'd get the chance to really impress them with my knowledge.

What to do?

We need to retrain our brains and move out of our comfort zones.

I want to fulfill my dreams and desires. I want to be happy. I want to break free from this small confined space I have boxed myself in. I want to enjoy everything that life has to offer!

How about you?

Seven Paths - Lesson 7

Your Wish is the Universe's Command

Lesson 7 is called Allowing.

If we continue to practice the instructions provided in the first six lessons, all that is left for us to do is allow. My interpretation of allowing is waiting. Waiting patiently leaving no place for doubt that your dreams and desires will materialize.

Doubt is our enemy because it will slow down materialization. And sustained doubt will stop our dreams and desires from coming into reality.

Easier said than done. Although the one thing that I have learned through my journey is - practice. If it doesn't come easily then you just need more practice until it becomes second nature.

I have placed my order with the Catalogue of the Universe. Now I am waiting for delivery!


Seven Paths to Freedom Summary

Lesson 1 - What do you REALLY want?
 
Lesson 2 - Planting Seeds in the Subconscious
 
Lesson 3 - Focusing the Image
 
Lesson 4 - Gratitude
 
Lesson 5 - Coincidence?
 
Lesson 6 - Taking Action
 
Lesson 7 - Allowing

Seven Paths - Lesson 5

Lesson Five of Seven Paths to Freedom is called, "Coincidence?"

Curtis Rivers says, "You see, there is no such thing as coincidence.

've known this for some time, that 'everything happens for a reason' but never fully understood my role in the process. I didn't always realise how coincidences were 'signs' keeping me on course to the life I wanted to live."

Now that we are meditating, visualizing, using all our senses and feeling grateful, we must watch for signs. You may think these signs are coincidences but remember there is no such thing. 

Here, Curtis says is the important part of creation. "A lot of people use visualisation and imagery in their goal setting, and some even take that to a place of deep contemplation each day, sowing the seeds to turn those thoughts into real life. However, many fall short of realising their dreams, by failing to 'observe'. Others take many, many years to achieve their dreams, when they could have done so in a fraction of the time, had they listened to their intuition, and recognised the coincidences and synchronicities beginning to show up in their lives."

I am going to tell you a little story now. I was eighteen and living with the boyfriend. He managed to find employment but me on the other hand, couldn't land a job so the financial responsibility rested solely on his shoulders. 

I felt bad, but what could I do? 

I was so shy back then. I couldn't look anyone in the eye at all. I couldn't get my voice to pass the lump in my throat. I had no skills. Needless to say, interviews did not go well for me.

I didn't know what to do.

Then one day, I ran into a girl that I knew in high school.  We were in the same art class. We use to draw silly pictures and giggle our way through class until she just wasn't there anymore.  

I asked her how she was doing and what she was up to. Turns out she "got pregnant" and left school to have her baby. Donna was working full time as a graphic artist in town. She attained the skills from a course called Commercial Art that she took at Mohawk College. She received money for her bills, a transportation allowance plus all the supplies were provided. 

Sounded great to me. A dream come true. Art, drawing, creativity and getting paid to do it? Wonderful.

I booked an appointment at the Employment Office and met with a counselor.  I explained what I wanted and before I knew it I was applying at the College.

Applicants were required to submit illustrations. No problem. I got in.

The course was ten months long. I made a few friends and finished top four of my class.

One or two months passed by. No prospects.

I kept in contact with a couple of classmates. I can't remember exact numbers but I think five or six of the twenty students managed to get jobs as graphic artists. 

One of those people gave me a call. Marty was working full time for a company called the Stencil House. He had put in his notice and would be starting a new job within a few days. The company still needed a graphic artist and he thought of me. Marty told me to grab my portfolio and get my butt into Hamilton.

Okay. I was still painfully shy but now I had skills. Interviews were still not one of my strong points.

The next day I received a phone call from one of the owners of the Stencil House. I got the job. He told me I was too quiet but my portfolio got me the job. 

Yahoo. Thank you!

I was originally hired to take designs and draw them out as stencils. I was a natural. I whizzed through them in no time.

The owners were so impressed that they trained me to digitize the drawings - a task that was not previously shared with anyone else.

Then I created magazine adds, display maps, samples, new lines of stencils. They kept me busy. The company quickly outgrew the dilapidated building and moved to a larger, new facility. My designs lined the walls. I mustered up the courage, took a deep breath and asked for a raise. 

No? What the heck? I quit. No fear. I knew something would show up.

A few days later, I was at Jackson Square shopping when I ran into my ex-boyfriends best friend, Phil. I hadn't seen him in months. He only had time for a quick chat. We exchanged small talk and I explained how I just quite my job. He told me that his sister was giving her notice at her job as Advertising Co-ordinator at Goodwill Industries. He told me I should apply.

I called Goodwill the next day and set up an interview. I fixed up my portfolio to include some of the work that I did at the Stencil House. I went to Minute Man Press to have my resume updated. (Greta was such a sweetheart. She did it at no cost.)

Okay. I was still painfully shy but now I had skills and experience. Interviews were still not one of my strong points.

Guess what? I got the job. Jacqueline told me that I was too shy but my portfolio was excellent.

I think I will end my story here.

Was it coincidence that I should run into Donna? Was I just lucky that the employment program was still being offered through EI? Or that I could get paid to go to school? Was it coincidence that Marty thought of me? Or that I ran into Phil just as I quit my job and was in need of a new one?

You be the judge. What do you think?

Do you have your own story to share?

Seven Paths - Lesson 3

Today's lesson from Curtis Rivers' free course, Seven Paths to Freedom, is called Focusing the Image. I definitely need help with this one. 

I can create vague images in my mind and enhance them by adding emotions. I FEEL happy. 

But the images are  still vague to me. I wonder what I have been doing wrong or is there something I am missing?

Lesson two answers this question. 

More practice.  Practice makes perfect. Use or lose it. Well, in this case, you may not have used that part of your brain; that part that creates vivid images in your mind so you need to work at it and with time the images will become clear.

Using all your senses. This will sharpen the image in your mind.

• What do you hear? Are they kids laughing? Birds singing?
• What do you smell? Cookies baking? Flowers? 

Unfortunately or should I say fortunately my sniffer is broken. Intense scents, I can smell, otherwise it is a blank. A couple of weeks ago, for some reason, I could actually smell just about everything. It was so weird. I did not like it. How can people go through life smelling all these odors and fragrances? They were leaping out at me from everywhere. Invading my senses. Much of it was not pleasant. Made my stomach turn. Not good at all. Thank goodness it didn't last more than a day. What a relief it was to be back at my odor/fragrance free life.

• What do you touch/feel? The warm sunlight on your skin? Cold metal in your hand?
• What do you taste? The fresh, hot out of the oven cookies? 
• Lastly use your sense of awareness.

I will try again.

I am getting out of my red shiny Impala. I love that car. I hear the sound of my feet hit the driveway.
I take a deep breath of the fresh air and look up at my house. I hear the car door close and I walk up the sidewalk to the front door. The sound of my heels click click click follow me.

I reach out and grasp the cool metal door handle and give it a twist to the right. The colour on the front door matches my car. I don't know why that colour brightens my spirits but it does so I have it sprinkled throughout my house.

The foyer is brightly lit and I have a smile on my face as I anticipate my granddaughters rushing to see me. I call out, "Hello."

Sidney comes running and collides into me as she yells, "Grandma!" Her little arms wrap around my legs and I lean forward to try to squeeze her.

Just as Sidney loosens her grip on me, Faith, comes running up to me and gives me a great big hug. "Grandma, I missed you." "I missed you too."

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I kick off my sling back shoes and step onto the cold ceramic tiles. I love the way my bare feet feel on the smooth clean floor.

Actually my little piggies wish they could always be naked in the fresh air. Socks are so confining.

My little angels have already run back to the kitchen. 

With each step towards the kitchen, the sound of my daughters talking and laughing gets a little louder. I can smell the banana bread baking in the oven. As I enter the kitchen we exchange hellos. I look around and FEEL so blessed.

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I notice some white fluffy towels on the floor because the girls were swimming again. One of our favorite past times. We have an indoor heated pool - a dream come true. I can't tell you how many wonderful hours we've had in the gorgeous pool. 

I promise to go for a dip after supper.

I walk upstairs to my bedroom and change into some casual clothes. My room is so relaxing - a true retreat for unwinding. I love, love, love my room. That colour again that brightens up my day.

After taking a few minutes for myself, I work my way downstairs to my art studio/home office/rec room/exercise area.

 I check emails and stop myself there because I know time flies once I get on the computer. It is the weekend and I promised my girls to spend time with them.

I look around and feel so grateful. I have large canvases holding paint that I put there. Someone has already bought that picture. 

www.minimalisti.com

Over in the corner is a work station that my girls and I sit at and create all kinds of fun items. 

In the opposite corner is a area dedicated to exercising. Everyone in the family takes advantage of that space.

My heart leaps as I scan the walls which are covered with pictures of my family and the trips we have been on. 



There are awards and letters of gratitude for my volunteer work and donations to various charities. My daughters insisted on framing and hanging them. 

I go back to the kitchen and they are cleaning up. I look out the window at the four nearby houses that belong to Beth, Nicole, Christina and my Mom. 

Its fantastic that my granddaughters can run over to see me whenever they want.

Some of my fondest memories are of my maternal grandfather spending time with me. He made me feel important, loved and accepted. I wish I could have seen him more.

I walk past the great room. It is a warm welcoming space which I enjoy everyday with my girls. Another wave of happiness flows through me.

I go through the patio doors that leads to the deck and garden. I give a quick wave of my hand to Gary. He is sitting there with my son-inilaws doing whatever guys do.

From picasaweb.google.com

I have a huge garden filled with large blossom flowers. The colours are so vibrant and the fragrance mild and beautiful. I stir up the scent of mint as my fingers gently run over the plants.

I look up and admire the cyan blue sky and fluffy white clouds. I savour the moment because I feel so grateful and happy. A rush of inner peace overwhelms me.

I glance back around the garden. 

My granddaughters get so excited when they see a fruit or vegetable ripe for the picking. 

The cucumbers are doing great this year.


This time was a little easier. I included the six senses. Nope. I lied. I missed taste. Tomorrow I will taste the banana bread. Yum. Can I have mine loaded with chopped up walnuts? 

If I am going to be completely truthful, I have to admit that once I stepped into the house, I felt a pang of anxiety and I wondered how am I going to maintain all of this? I let the thought roll by as suggested in the lesson and continued with my vision. The self doubt was there haunting me. I don't know why.

Maybe someone could enlighten me. What could that barrier be?

How have you been doing with the lessons?




To read the today's lesson, you can sign up for Curtis Rivers' Seven Paths to Freedom Course at http://www.curtisrivers.com/products.html.

Seven Paths: Lesson 1

Curtis Rivers

Curtis Rivers wrote a book called Seven Paths to Freedom which will be out sometime next year. He also has a free seven day course with the same title. 

I thought this course may just be the ticket to help me on my journey to inner peace and happiness.

I am blogging about this because I want to share it with you in the hope to inspire those who also want to make some positive changes in their lives - who want to enjoy living life with passion, having the courage to transform dreams into reality. Even if you don't follow me, you can check out the site, Seven Paths to Freedom.


The title for Lesson One From Curtis Rivers FREE online course, Seven Paths to Freedom, is "What do you really want?"

At the end of the lesson, Curtis asks us to "Write down a list of just seven things that you REALLY want."

He then adds, "Avoid writing 'win the lottery' or 'marry a millionaire' - ask yourself, if money were no object, if you never had to work another day in your life, what would you do." Well, I'm sure that is what most people wish for and it doesn't go much further than that. I know the law of attraction doesn't work like that. We need to know exactly what we want and make the message clear.

I have pictured what I would do with a lot of  money but I have not imagined what I am actually doing. 

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Let's try again.

I see myself walking up to my house and into the front door. There is a large brightly lite entry way. I have a huge smile on my face. 

Faith, comes running up to me and gives me a great big hug. She is excited and tells me about what she did while I was out. 

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To my right is expansive sitting area and to my right is a staircase to the second level.

I continue walking to the back of the house and look around the kitchen. Nicole, Christina and Beth are there with their daughters baking cookies. They all look at me, smiling. My granddaughters are chattering away for me to look at what they are doing. I feel so blessed.

www.livingdesignhome.com

There are some white fluffy towels on the floor because the girls were swimming again. We have an indoor heated pool. I promise to go for a dip in the pool with them after supper.

I walk upstairs to my bedroom and change into some casual clothes. My room is so relaxing - a true retreat to unwind.

After taking a few minutes for myself, I work my way downstairs to my art studio/home office/rec room/exercise area.

 I check emails and stop myself there because it is the weekend and I promised my girls to spend time with them.

I look around and feel so grateful. I have large canvases holding paint that I put there. Someone has already bought that picture. 

www.minimalisti.com

Over in the corner is a work station that my girls and I sit at and create all kinds of fun items. 

In the opposite corner is a area dedicated to exercising. Everyone in the family takes advantage of that space.

The walls are covered with pictures of my family and the trips we have been on. 




There are awards and letters of gratitude for my volunteer work at various charities. My daughters insisted on framing and hanging them. 

I go back to the kitchen and they are cleaning up. I look out the window at the four nearby houses that belong to Beth, Nicole, Christina and my Mom. 

I walk past the great room on my way out the patio door to the garden. Gary is sitting there with my son in laws doing whatever guys do.

From picasaweb.google.com

My garden is huge and well groomed. We have all kinds of vegetables and flowers. My granddaughters love watching the plants grow. They love picking and eating the fresh veggies. The cucumbers are doing great this year.

Is that seven? Is that what I am suppose to do?

Let's recap:
1. Spend time with my family.
2. Volunteer my time for different causes.
3. Blog. Write.
4. Garden.
5. Paint.
6. Travel with my family.
7. Swim and exercise.

What was your interpretation of this assignment?

You can sign up for Curtis Rivers' Seven Paths to Freedom Course at http://www.curtisrivers.com/products.html.

Seven Paths to Freedom by Curtis Rivers

Curtis Rivers

Curtis Rivers wrote a book with this title which will be out sometime next year. He also has a free seven day course with the same title. I thought this course may just be the ticket to help me on my journey to inner peace and happiness.

I am blogging about this because I want to share it with you in the hope to inspire those who also want to make some positive changes in their lives - who want to enjoy living life with passion, having the courage to transform dreams into reality. Even if you don't follow me, you can check out the site, Seven Paths to Freedom.

So why aren't I where I want to be? Let me think this one through. 

Hey. I am pretty much where I wanted to be at this point in my life. I have a lovely home, a job I love, a nice car, wonderful friends, a loving family to share my life with . . . What else could I want? 

I want to up my "standard of living" so I can spend more time with my family, time to pursue other interests and finacially help friends and family. 

I want financial freedom. Everyone's dream, right? Not exactly. As a teenager I wanted to live in a house that I owned, have children and a job doing something I enjoyed.

I got what I wanted. Didn't I? Of course I did. But I got a little older and a little wiser I hope. 

Now I want something else too. And that's okay. People change and their needs/wants change right along with them. 

I want financial freedom. So what is stopping me?

There are so many barriers to my destination and I know it can be a difficult journey. We all have preconceived perceptions and fears to overcome. 

For instance, I was raised to believe that money doesn't bring you happiness. But I beg to differ. We need money to survive in this world and to maintain happiness we need at least enough money to pay our bills, put food on the table, get us from point a to point b and provide some of the niceties in life. Without the money for all these items, we are filled with stress, unhappiness, depression, low self esteem. You get the the picture.

Perhaps my Mom taught this to me because money was tight when she was growing up. And after my father died money was tight for us. She learned how to get by and make the most of it. Her mother lavished her with love and attention and my Mom did the same to us.

Tobacco Sucker Between
Stalk and Large Plant

I also grew up thinking you have to work hard for your money. Not  a completely true statement is it? I know there are many people in the world that do have to work extremely hard for their money. 

Tobacco Flower

As a matter of fact, I remember working very hard, as a child, along side my mom and younger sister. My little brother was somewhere playing by our feet. We suckered tobacco and broke off the flower tops.



The predominant thought back then was yuck and gross. We wore kerchiefs to cover our hair and over sized clothes to protect us from the sticky, tarry build up you get from the leaves rubbing against you. Our hands were black from the tar. I call it tar but I'm not sure what it really is. It is almost black in colour and it covered us from head to toe. 

Tobacco Caterpillar

Yes the tar was gross but accidently squishing a tobacco caterpillar instead of grabbing a sucker is really gross. I can't even say it without distorting my face in disgust. Just the thought makes me want to jump up and do the "oh my gosh that is so disgusting" dance.

My mom says we also picked strawberries and tomatoes but I don't remember that. 








I do remember picking apples.  My sister and I picked what we could reach on the trees while standing on the ground and we put them into a small basket which was dumped into a large wooden bin. I think Mom got twenty dollars a bin back then.


We also picked the "grounders" which were the apples that fell from the tree and sat in the long grass basking in the sunshine. I can almost smell the strong aroma of fermenting apples. 

Grounders

It didn't take too long before my sister and I were begging for gloves. So many of the apples were rotten, even moldy. Poking your fingers through an over ripe apple was not a favorite pastime. And actually we had to fight with the long grass to give up the apples because it would be entwined all around the fruit.



On the funny side, you never knew when gravity would pluck an apple from the tree and toss it to the ground. Bombs away!

Tobacco. Apples. Hard work. Very little money.

www.findingdulcinea.com

Now on the other hand, once I became an adult I learned there are people in this world who love their jobs, who do not think of their jobs as work and some actually make a nice living. I often wonder who those people are, where they are and what they are doing? :)

Another perception is that people who have "money" are stingy, self absorbed, maybe "stuck up." 

The rich get richer. That's because they rip people off, take advantage of the poor and weak. So you don't want to have loads of cash because you will become one of "them." Ebenezer Scrooge is not the kind of role model you aspire to become when you grow up.

My debit card for my bottomless bank account.

Fears. Most of us fear failure. We are afraid of what people will think about us. Having to start all over again. Afraid of the dark. Afraid of crowds....

I want to be a money magnet. Money comes easily and frequently! I want to fulfill my dreams and desires. I want to be happy. I want to break free from this small confined space I have boxed myself in. I want to enjoy everything that life has to offer!

I am ready to make a change! Are you?

Your Magical Future

The 28 Day Journey has come to end and it leaves me feeling sad. What does my magical future hold? What will be my next steps?

I would like to share a quote that Rhonda Byrne has in this chapter.

"To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven."

Johannes A. Gaertner (1912-1996)

Professor, Theologian, Poet

Rhonda's advice is to move forward from here is to "maintain the foundation of gratitude you've built, and gradually keep building on it through increasing your depth of feeling. The more you practice gratitude, the deeper you will be able to feel it, and the more deeply you feel it, the less time you will need to give to it."

She also has some suggestions for practicing The Magic. 

Plus she advises us to make the Magic Rock a part of your daily live. We can carry it in our pockets as a constant reminder and put it on the nightstand to remind us to be grateful at the end and beginning of each day. 

She also suggests practicing Magic Dust on a daily basis. We "can sprinkle Magic Dust on everyone and everything!"

I am grateful:

1. For the perfect day. Everything went smoothly and happily. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
2. For the food I ate today. It is wonderful to be able to incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables into my meals and snacks.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.
3. For the abundance of energy I had today because it meant I was able to get a far amount of cleaning done today.   Thank you, thank you, thank you.
4. For my car because it got me to the grocery store safely and conveniently.   Thank you, thank you, thank you.
5.  For the money I have received, the money I am receiving and the money I will receive. I am grateful for the groceries I was able to purchase today.   Thank you, thank you, thank you.
6. For my health. I am healthy  and it feels great.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.
7. For the health and happiness of my loved ones. It is so wonderful to see everyone so lively and smiling.   Thank you, thank you, thank you.
8. For my laptop. I love it so much. I love typing on it.   Thank you, thank you, thank you.
9. For the electricity that lights our home and runs our appliances.   Thank you, thank you, thank you.
10. For the clothes we own that are in such good condition, clean, and neat because it contributes to our mental and emotional well being.   Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Gratitude Stone

I am most grateful for the scratched record in my head being thrown out. You know the one that keeps singing out to me, "I hate my life." It has been replaced with, "It is a great day to be alive." Thank you, thank you, thank you.

To be honest, I don't think the record has been trashed, just taken off the player. The "I hate my life" song came on a few days ago but I quickly replaced it with the "gratitude song." Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Conclusion

I have one chapter left in Rhonda Byrne's book titled The Magic.

I welcome all comments. Have you finished your 28 days yet?

Day 13: Make All Your Wishes Come True

Using Gratitude to Receive

"Imagination is the true magic carpet"

 Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993),

Writer

Rhonda says, "If you have been following the magical practices day by day, you have now built an amazing foundation by practicing gratitude for everything you have received and continue to receive in you life. But today is an exciting day because you're going to begin to use gratitude's magical power for your dreams and desires." Page 123, The Magic.

Using Gratitude to Receive

Today's assignment is to list my top ten desires. Write thank you three times before each one and act like I have already received them.

Then I am to use my imagination to answer these three questions:

1. What emotions did I feel when I received it?
2. Who and how did I first tell?
3. What was the first great thing I did with it?

Gratitude Stone

I am most grateful to my Mom for stopping by to take Sidney, Faith and I out for supper because I really needed to get out of the house and didn't want to do it without another adult. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

We took the girls to Burger King because there is an indoor play area where the girls can run, climb and burn off some excess energy. It's also nice because they can't mess up the house when they are out. And they tend to fight less so it's nice and relaxing for me and Mom.

Gratitude Journal

I Am Grateful: (Day 13)

1. Another day at home with my family because I love spending time with them.Thank you, thank you, thank you.
2. For the energy to get the laundry caught up. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
3. That Cole, Nick and Sidney live in our home because I can see them everyday. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
4. For my Mom coming over and helping out and keeping me company. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
5. To Cole for letting us use her car since mine died. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
6. For the little bit of time I got this evening to play on the computer because it helps me relax and reflect on the day. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
7. To my coworkers who left messages for me because it is nice to know they care and I am missed at work. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
8. For the hugs and kisses from my Mom and granddaughters because it feels so good to be loved. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
9. For another day stress free. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
10. For my front porch because it a beautiful place to sit and talk with my Mom. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

What do I really Want?

This is a bit difficult for me. I have not allowed myself to dream - "desire" anything because it is frustrating and disappointing to not get it.

It is true. Rhonda says that you have to have a clear image of what you want to receive it.

Up until recently I was not clear about what I wanted. I knew I wanted something to organize and store the girls toys in. I knew I wanted some kind of shelf unit with doors.

Then it occurred to me, how will I find something if I don't know what I am looking for. So I pictured a television stand with bottom drawers and an upper section with doors that is a reddish wood colour.

Then abracadabra. It was there - the wardrobe I found at The Second Look was exactly what I imagined and wanted to put the girls toys in, AND it was at an extremely good price that I could afford.

I found this picture on the net and my television armoire looks exactly like this.

I have the girls dress up clothes in the bottom drawer.

The top drawer is segregated to hold dress up jewelry, purses, shoes, fairy wings, silky scarves and their Polly Pocket type princess dolls and furniture.

The first shelf is large so I have a large pink princess box full of stuffed toys and baby dolls.

The next shelf up holds two of those collapsible pink boxes full of different types of toys like their cars, pirate ships, and whatever else doesn't fit into another category.

Next shelf up is a collapsible pink box of baby doll clothes, bottles, bibs etc. To the left of that is a container of marbles, their mermaid dolls, and an old fashioned purple plastic lunch box containing small horses.

Close the doors and drawers - no toys in sight. Nice and neat and organized. A beautiful thing.

My Dreams and Desires

Now with this magic having been revealed to me, I was able to attack my "desires" list with excitement. I know that emotion will increase the law of attraction and I will receive.

1. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the one million dollars in my bank account.
2. Thank you, thank you, thank you for our dream home which has everything we wanted in it right down to the last detail.
3. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the three homes for my three daughters in my neighbourhood.
4. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the financial freedom to work and play when I want to.
5. Thank you, thank you, thank you for my neat, comfortable, organized, fully stocked office/craft area.
6. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the two extra large cork boards that I can hang in front of my computer desk at home that I will use for my Magic Board where I can hang pictures of my desires.
7. Thank you, thank you, thank you for my beautiful 2010 red impala.
8. Thank you, thank you, thank you for Gary's fully loaded 2010 blue truck.
9. Thank you, thank you, thank you for my new burgundy floral, couch and chairs.
10. Thank you, thank you, thank you for my new dining room table and six chairs that is made from metal and wood.

My desires all seem to centered around things so you may think I am very materialistic but my family and health always come first. I already have a wonderful family who are healthy so I am grateful for that each day.

These materialist items are listed because these are what I am lacking at this point in my life:

1. The top of my table is worn out, no more finish on it with marker, pen and paint stains and I only have two of the original chairs remaining.
2. My couch is almost fifteen years old. It is saggy, smelly, and ripped.
3. Gary deserves his dream truck.
4. My car just died so a new means of transportation is required.
5. etc. You get what I mean.

Tomorrow is Day 14 - Have a magical day. Wouldn't that be nice?

What are your top ten desires? Do you dare to share? If comments are you're thing consider becoming a follower or subscribe via email!