What is success?

The dictionary defines success as “the achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted.”

So you must decide for yourself what success is, depending on what you seek in your life, your relationships and your career. If you’re an athlete, success can mean obtaining that gold medal. If you identify yourself as a parent, success can mean raising children with good moral values. For a doctor, success can mean relieving pain or saving a life. To many of us success means a job promotion or acquiring wealth. It depends on your perspective and how you perceive yourself and your life.

You are the only one who can judge your success. If you try to achieve success according to someone else’s standards or society’s standards, you will never be satisfied that you have achieved it.

Yet even when we know that we define our own success, we often seem to fail. We feel dissatisfied, empty, tense. Our minds are not at rest, not peaceful, not harmonious. Our thoughts are full of “if onlys.” You know what they’re like: “If only I had more money, I would be happy.” “If only I could lose 20 pounds, my life would be perfect.”

What’s the difficulty? Are we setting unrealistic goals? Maybe, but that’s not really the problem. Are we not trying hard enough? Usually that’s not a factor either. What is it? Us! We are our own worst enemy. “We have met the enemy and he is us,” as Walt Kelly, creator of Pogo, famously wrote.

How do we sabotage our success, undermine our goals, subvert our desires? Through the largely unconscious programming of our minds. That’s the whole answer in a nutshell. It’s our thoughts, the thoughts we allow to parade through our heads and invade our subconscious. When we can learn to change our thoughts, then our success is assured.

Your mind didn’t come with an instruction manual. You were given a lot of instruction by your parents, your teachers, your friends, by books, movies, TV. But did any of it tell you how to control your thoughts? Did it tell you how to program your mind?

You do have the power to change your life if you want to. You do have the power to achieve the goals you set for yourself. But you won’t succeed if you don’t learn to control your mind first.

The seat of power in your life is your unconscious mind, the mind that works 24/7 on whatever program you have set for it. You set these programs by empowering your thoughts with vision, expectation, belief and desire. Before anything that you wish for can happen, you must envision it clearly, desire it, believe deeply that it will happen, and expect confidently that it will happen.

The unconscious mind will act based on your ability to program it. You constantly send your unconscious information and messages, whether you think so or not, but many of the messages tend to be negative (“if only”). When you think “if only” you tell your unconscious that you are not a success, that you are in a state of lack and limitation.

So be very careful of your thoughts, beliefs and actions. If you worry about not having enough money, you are programming your mind for lack. If you worry that you can’t accomplish your goals, you are programming your mind for failure. If you believe you haven’t the opportunities you need to get ahead, you are programming yourself not to recognize them when they appear.

Why? The unconscious mind is constantly working on the information that you have sent, and negative information yields negative reality. As the computer geeks say, “Garbage in, garbage out.”

You can have success; you can change your life. But you must change your mind first.

Read more on this topic »

Excerpted from The Master Key System, by Charles Haanel.

Some men seem to attract success, power, wealth, attainment, with very little conscious effort; others conquer with great difficulty; still others fail altogether to reach their ambitions, desires and ideals. Why is this so? Why should some men realize their ambitions easily, others with difficulty, and still others not at all? The cause cannot be physical, else the most perfect men, physically, would be the most successful. The difference, therefore, must be mental – must be in the mind; hence mind must be the creative force, must constitute the sole difference between men. It is mind, therefore, which overcomes environment and every other obstacle in the path of men.

When the creative power of thought is fully understood, its effect will be seen to be marvelous. But such results cannot be secured without proper application, diligence, and concentration. The student will find that the laws governing in the mental and spiritual world are as fixed and infallible as in the material world. To secure the desired results, then, it is necessary to know the law and to comply with it. A proper compliance with the law will be found to produce the desired result with invariable exactitude. The student who learns that power comes from within, that he is weak only because he has depended on help from outside, and who unhesitatingly throws himself on his own thought, instantly rights himself, stands erect, assumes a dominant attitude, and works miracles.

It is evident, therefore, that he who fails to fully investigate and take advantage of the wonderful progress which is being made in this last and greatest science, will soon be as far behind as the man who would refuse to acknowledge and accept the benefits which have accrued to mankind through an understanding of the laws of electricity.

Of course, mind creates negative conditions just as readily as favorable conditions, and when we consciously or unconsciously visualize every kind of lack, limitation and discord, we create these conditions; this is what many are unconsciously doing all the time.

This law as well as every other law is no respecter of persons, but is in constant operation and is relentlessly bringing to each individual exactly what he has created; in other words, “Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.”

Abundance, therefore, depends upon a recognition of the laws of Abundance, and the fact that Mind is not only the creator, but the only creator of all there is. Certainly nothing can be created, before we know that it can be created and then make the proper effort. There is no more Electricity in the world today than there was fifty years ago, but until someone recognized the law by which it could be made of service, we received no benefit; now that the law is understood, practically the whole world is lit by it. So with the law of Abundance; it is only those who recognize the law and place themselves in harmony with it, who share in its benefits.

Edited and adapted by Steve Diamond from Hill’s masterwork, The Law of Success

Editor’s note: We will be publishing more excerpts from and material about Napoleon Hill’s The Law of Success in coming weeks. You can buy it directly from Amazon using the link in this paragraph, or you can wait for us to announce its availability as a downloadable E-Book, coming soon.

It’s interesting that Hill begins his list of your most dangerous enemies with “the fear of poverty.” You’ll quickly see that this short essay, like the rest of Hill’s work, is extremely relevant to your financial state. The suggestions he offers here can lead to freedom from poverty, debt, and fear.

Every person on earth is afraid of something. Most fears are inherited. In this essay you may study the six basic fears which do the most damage. Your fears must be mastered before you can win in any worthwhile undertaking in life. Find our how many of the six fears are bothering you, but more important than this determine, also how to conquer these fears.

The purpose of this essay is to help the readers of this course throw off these deadly enemies. Observe that the six characters are at your back, where you cannot conveniently see them.

Every human being on this earth is bound down to some extent by one or more of these unseen FEARS. The first step to be taken in killing off these enemies is to find out where and how you acquired them.

They got their grip upon you through two forms of heredity. One is known as physical heredity, to which Darwin devoted so much study. The other is known as social heredity, through which the fears, superstitions and beliefs of men who lived during the dark ages have been passed on from one generation to another.

Let us study, first, the part that physical heredity has played in creating these six BASIC FEARS. Starting at the beginning, we find that Nature has been a cruel builder. Form the lowest form of life to the highest; Nature has permitted the stronger to prey upon the weaker forms of animal life.

The fish prey upon the worms and insects, eating them bodily. Birds prey upon the fish. Higher forms of animal life prey upon the birds, and upon one another, all the way
up the line to man. And, man preys upon all the other lower forms of animal life, and upon MAN!

The whole story of evolution is one unbroken chain of evidence of cruelty and destruction of the weaker by the stronger. No wonder the weaker forms of animal life have learned to FEAR the stronger. The Fear consciousness is born in every living animal.

So much for the FEAR instinct that came to us through physical heredity. Now let us examine social heredity, and find out what part it has played in our make-up. The term
“social heredity” has reference to everything that we are taught, everything we learn or gather from observation and experience with other living beings.

Lay aside any prejudices and fixed opinions you may have formed, at least temporarily, and you may know the truth about your Six Worst Enemies, starting with:

The FEAR OF POVERTY! It requires courage to tell the truth about the history of this enemy of mankind, and still greater courage to hear the truth after it has been told. The Fear of Poverty grows out of man’s habit of preying upon his fellow men, economically. The animals which have instinct, but no power to THINK, prey upon one another physically. Man, with his superior sense of intuition, and his more powerful weapon of THOUGHT, does not eat his fellow man bodily; he gets more pleasure from eating him FINANCIALLY. So great an offender is man, in this respect, that nearly every state and nation has been obliged to pass laws, scores of laws, to protect the weak from the strong. Every blue-sky law is indisputable evidence of man’s nature to prey upon his weaker brother economically.

The second of the Six Basic Fears with which man is bound down is:

THE FEAR OF OLD AGE! This Fear grows out of two major causes. First, the thought that Old Age may bring with it POVERTY. Secondly, from false and cruel sectarian teachings which have been so well mixed with fire and brimstone that every human being learned to Fear Old Age because it meant the approach of another and, perhaps, a more horrible world than this.

The third of the Six Basic Fears is:

THE FEAR OF ILL HEALTH: This fear is born of both physical and social heredity. From birth until death there is eternal warfare within every physical body; warfare between groups of cells, one group being known as the friendly builders of the body, and the other as the destroyers, or “disease germs.” The seed of Fear is born in the physical body, to begin with as the result of Nature’s cruel plan of permitting the stronger forms of cell life to prey upon the weaker. Social heredity has played its part through lack of cleanliness and knowledge of sanitation. Also, through the law of suggestion cleverly manipulated by those who profited by ILL HEALTH.

The fourth of the Six Basic Fears is:

THE FEAR OF LOSS OF LOVE OF SOMEONE: This fear fills the asylums with the insanely jealous, for jealousy is nothing but a form of insanity. It also fills the divorce courts and causes murders and other forms of cruel punishment. it is a holdover, handed down through social heredity, from the stone age when man preyed upon his fellow man by stealing his mate by physical force. The method, but not the practice, has now changed to some extent. Instead of physical force man now steals his fellow man’s mate with pretty colorful ribbons and fast motor cars and bootleg whisky, and sparkling rocks and stately mansions.

Man is improving. He now “entices where once he “drove.”

The fifth of the Six Basic Fears is:

THE FEAR OF CRITICISM: Just how and where man got this Fear is difficult to determine, but it is certain that he has it. But for this Fear men would not become bald- headed. Bald heads come from tightly fitting hat-bands, which cut off the circulation from the roots of the hair. Women seldom are bald because they wear loose fitting hats. But for Fear of Criticism man would lay aside his hat and keep his hair. The makers of clothing have not been slow to capitalize this Basic Fear of mankind. Every season the styles change, because the clothes makers know that few people have the courage to wear a garment that is one season out of step with what “They are all wearing.” If you doubt this (you gentlemen) start down the street with last year’s narrow- brimmed straw hat on, when this year’s style calls for the broad brim. Or (you ladies), take a walk down the street on Easter morning with last year’s hat on. Observe how uncomfortable you are, thanks to your unseen enemy, the FEAR OF CRITICISM.

The sixth, and last of the Six Basic Fears is the most dreaded of them all. It is called:

THE FEAR OF DEATH! For tens of thousands of years man has been asking the still unanswered questions – “WHENCE?” AND “WITHER?” The more crafty of the race have not been slow to offer the answer to this eternal question, “Where did I come from and where am I going after Death?” “Come into my tent,” says one leader, “and you may go to Heaven after Death.” Heaven was then pictured as a wonderful city whose streets were lined with fold and studded with precious stones. “Remain out of my tent and you may go straight to hell.” Hell was then pictured as a blazing furnace where the poor victim might have the misery of burning forever in brimstone.

No wonder mankind FEARS DEATH!

Determine, if you can, which of the Six Basic Fears is doing you the greatest damage. An enemy discovered is an enemy half whipped.

Thanks to the schools and colleges man is slowly discovering these Six Enemies. The most effective tool with which to fight them is ORGANIZES KNOWLEDGE. Ignorance and Fear are twin sisters. They are generally found together.

But for IGNORANCE and SUPERSTITION the Six Basic Fears would disappear from man’s nature in one generation. In every public library may be found the remedy for these six enemies of mankind, providing you know what books to read. Begin by reading The Science of Power, by Benjamin Kidd, and you will have broken he strangle hold of most of your Six Basic Fears. Follow this by reading Emerson’s essay on Compensation. Then select some good book on auto-suggestion (self suggestion) and inform yourself on the principle through which your beliefs of today become the realities of tomorrow. The Mind in the Making, by Robinson, will give you a good start toward understanding your own mind. (Editor’s note: You can purchase these books directly at Amazon using the links in this paragraph.)

Through the principle of social heredity the IGNORANCE and SUPERSTITION of the dark ages have been passed on to you. But, you are living in a modern age. On every hand you may see evidence that every EFFECT has a natural CAUSE. Begin, now, o study effects by their causes and soon you will emancipate your mind from the burden of the Six Basic Fears.

Begin by studying men who have accumulated great wealth, and find out the CAUSE of their achievements. Henry Ford is a good subject to start with. Within the short period of twenty-five years he has whipped POVERTY and made himself the most powerful man on earth. There was no luck or chance or accident back of his achievement. It grew out of his careful observation of certain principles which are as available to you as they were to him. Henry ford is not bound down by the Six Basic Fears; make no mistake about this.

If you feel that you are too far away from Ford to study him accurately, and then begin by selecting two people whom you know close at hand; one representing your idea of FAILURE and other corresponding to your idea of SUCCESS. Find out what made one a failure and the other a success. Get the real FACTS. In the process of gathering these facts you will have taught yourself a great lesson CAUSE and EFFECT.

Nothing ever just “happens.” Everything, from the lowest animal form that creeps on the earth or swims in the seas, on up to man, is the EFFECT of Nature’s evolutionary process. Evolution is “orderly change.” No “miracles” are connected with this orderly change.

Not only do the physical shapes and colors of animals undergo slow, orderly change from one generation to another, but the mind of man is also undergoing constant change. Herein lies our hope for improvement. You have the power to force your mind through a process of rather quick change. In a single month of properly directed self- suggestion you may place your foot upon the neck of every one of your Six Basic Fears. In twelve months of persistent effort you may drive he entire herd into he corner where it will never again do you any serious injury.

You will resemble, tomorrow, the DOMINATING THOUGHT that you keep alive in your mind today! Plant in your mind the seed of determination to whip your Six Basic Fears and the battle will have been half won then and there. Keep this intention in your mind and it will slowly push your Six Worst Enemies out of sight, as they exist nowhere except in your own mind.

The man who is powerful FEARS nothing; not even God. The POWERFUL man loves God, but FEARS HIM NEVER! Enduring power never grows out of FEAR. Any power that is built upon FEAR is bound to crumble and disintegrate. Understand this great truth and you will never
be so unfortunate as to try to raise yourself to power through the FEARS of other people who may owe you temporary allegiance.

Man is of soul and body formed for deeds
Of high resolve; on fancy’s boldest wing
To soar unwearied, fearlessly to turn
The keenest pangs to peacefulness, and taste
The joys which mingled sense and spirit yield.

Or he is formed for abjectness and woe, To grovel on the dunghill of his fears,
To shrink at every sound, to quench that flame
Of natural love in sensualism, to know
That hour as blest when on his worthless days
The frozen hand of death shall set its seal,
Yet fear the cure, though hating the disease.

The one is man that shall hereafter be,
The other, man as vice has made him now.

- SHELLEY

The question people often ask me is-when their self-development work and personal growth finally “takes,” is this when will they stop having negative thoughts-I wish I knew. Although I’m afraid the answer could be never.

I play CDs with positive subliminal messages while I sleep each night. I start each day by reading something positive, and end each night the same way. I have many positive, success-oriented people in my life. I feast regularly on positive books, tapes and other programs. But I have an embarrassing confession to make . . .

I’ve had lots of negative thoughts. Sometimes ten a day. As rich, successful, healthy and happy as I’ve become, I have often still had fear-based thoughts. Looking back now, I see a lot of things I did, thinking they were prosperous, but I see now they were fear-based.

When I bought a bike, I bought a titanium professional race bike for $3,000. I remember thinking then that if things got bad, I could always sell it for some quick cash.

Well I bought three Vipers at the same time, I felt secure, knowing I could always sell one or two and scrape together a hundred grand.

Coming from the place I did, I always felt like I was somehow cheating destiny. That God, or the universe, or someone was going to wake up one day and discover that I had acquired wealth by mistake. I still had that niggling thought in the back of my mind-the defensive, better-prepare-for-the-really-bad-scenario, and have my options covered-just in case. And not get my hopes up too high-because then I was setting myself up for a great disappointment.

And like I told you, I’ve had those kinds of thoughts recently, as many as ten a day. But here’s the difference . . .

I notice every one of them now. Immediately. And I often laugh about how silly they are. Best of all, I see the progression of my mindset.

First, I had hundreds of negative thoughts a day, and noticed none of them.

Then I graduated to the point that I had lots of negative thoughts a day and noticed some of them.

From there I got to the point that I had less negative thoughts a day and I noticed a lot of them.

And gradually over time, I started having less and less of them. Some days I have none. And now when I do have them, I catch myself right away.

I used to wear a rubber band on my wrist, and snap it when I had a lack thought. Now I no longer need to do that. I just tap my fingers on my forehead. That’s the signal to my mind, and I instantly reject that thought, and replace it with another one. And once that happens. The world changes.

So when do the negative thoughts end? I doubt they ever do. The sheer enormity of how much negative and lack programming you will be assaulted with over the course of a lifetime makes that seem unlikely. (But let’s not affirm that.)

In any event, if you keep counter-programming-you will win the fight. Because once you control the programming-you control the mindset. And once you control the mindset-you control your destiny!

Start a life journal and track your negative lack and limitation thoughts and tally them. At the end of each day, spend some time thinking about this subject.

When you really analyze the day and think about this regularly-you will start to notice these thoughts. And once you do that, they lose most of their power.

And your mindset starts to change . . .

You change your core fundamental beliefs. You believe you are supposed to be healthy, happy and prosperous. You believe you are worthy. And when you are confronted with dozens of situations each day, most minor, some bigger, and even some that are major-you expect good things to happen to you!

And because you expect good things to happen to you-you approach life differently. You approach it expecting to end up on top. And because you believe it-that’s exactly what happens! Ain’t it great?

* Excerpted from Randy Gage’s BreakthroughU.com Daily Awakening

Grow your prosperity consciousness and start living a life of true abundance.

You are meant to be healthy, happy and prosperous. Once you recognize and accept this, it is simply a case of learning the principles that abundance is based on. In this insightful book series, you will move from lack consciousness to living in the light of true abundance.
Get The Prosperity Series by Randy Gage!

For more than 15 years, Randy Gage has been helping people transform self-limiting beliefs into self-fulfilling breakthroughs to achieve their dreams. Randy Gage is a modern day explorer in the field of body-mind development and personal growth. He is the author of the best-selling albums, Dynamic Development and Prosperity and director of www.BreakthroughU.com . For more resources and to subscribe to Randy’s free ezine newsletters visit his web site.

She sat there dumbstruck.

Here we go again, I thought.

Suddenly a high pitched cackle came from her mouth as the ride went sharply up…then back down again.

She was only four – and she loving every single minute of it. Where else could you pay only a dollar to get a reaction like that, I wondered?

It may have only been one of those little child rides in a shopping mall, but to Katie – it was the most exciting thing she had ever done!

Now – two years on – and her laughs come from repeated viewings of Harry Potter. She knows exactly who’s going to say what next – and yet she still covers her eyes at the scary bits and cheers as Harry Potter wins!

Isn’t it a shame that we can’t bottle the enthusiasm we have as children?

When was the last time YOU got really excited about something?

For most of us it seems such a difficult thing to have to recall, doesn’t it?

It shouldn’t have to be that way.

You shouldn’t have to go through life without being really enthusiastic about what you’re doing, should you?

It’s not always possible to just quit your job and spend all your days enjoying your hobby – but you should at least aim for some time during the week that you can look back at with a smile!

It’s no use going through life worrying about the ‘if-onlys’.

Dale Carnegie (the author of the classic ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People) once said:

“Today is life-the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto.”

Don’t struggle through life without at least trying to achieve something that you can be proud of. To quote Carnegie – “Shake yourself awake” – and find something that you can get excited about!

The most successful people get enthusiastic about what they do. They look upon their lives as a series of challenges to their skills and ingenuity.

- What really excites you?
- What would you be really proud of if you achieved it?
- What excuses are you finding to put off doing what you’d really like to do?

This isn’t about money.

You might be able to make a living out of what you love if you work really hard at it – but don’t ever turn your passion into a job. Make sure that you do really love what you do before you have to rely on it totally.

Get excited about something – at least once a week. Life isn’t all about becoming wealthy, or famous – it’s about making the most of what little time we really have.

Too much importance is placed on money in our society – it may ‘make the world go round’ – but remember that you can never buy happiness at any cost.

Be enthusiastic at least once this week – and you’ll be surprised how much more creative and happy you will be!

To Our Success!

We’re stressing two parallel streams of content on this site.

1. Nuts and bolts details about debt reduction, credit cards, budgets, and so on.
2. Equally specific information about the mental and spiritual habits and exercises that open your life to abundance and prosperity.

I know that many folks tend to concentrate on the first without paying much attention to the second. They think they’re being “practical” rather than “head in the sky.” I think it doesn’t work that way. When you ignore the effects of your thoughts on your circumstances, you’re creating a divided life, one where you’re apt to be confused about why things just aren’t going according to your plans.

I found a helpful perspective on this on Julie Plenty’s blog. She writes about the pitfalls of just trying to be a positive thinker.

By the way, if you aren’t convinced that the mental and spiritual dimension is important to your financial well-being, how do you explain the work of Suze Orman, the successful financial author and TV host? She (among many others) has not hesitated to emphasized the importance of mental and spiritual discipline in order to make sure that we aren’t sabotaging our own abundance and prosperity. I highly recommend Suze Orman’s books in this vein, particularly 9 Steps to Financial Freedom: Practical and Spiritual Steps So You Can Stop Worrying, The Courage to Be Rich: Creating a Life of Material and Spiritual Abundance, and The Laws of Money, The Lessons of Life: Keep What You Have and Create What You Deserve.

When you hear the words “abundance” and “prosperity”, what immediately comes to mind?Is it money, fulfilling relationships, a lovely house to live in, peace of mind, a career/vocation that expresses your gifts?

It may be all or none of those things. It may mean something else to you. But if you want to attract more prosperity and abundance into your life, no matter how you define them, then this articles outlines 5 key ways to do so.

1. Understand Attraction Law

This is better known as the Law of Attraction, as defined by Abraham Hicks, states that “you attract whatever you give your attention and energy to, whether wanted or unwanted”.

So, if you’re curious about what youre putting out there, look at what you are attracting, the visible results in your life. Knowing about and working with the the Law of Attraction will help you in manifesting, creating and attracting more abundance and prosperity in your life. Once you understand it, theres no turning back.

2. You get what you focus on

One of the key concepts in the Law of Attraction is that you get what you focus on, whether that be money, relationships, employment etc). So when you focus on having less, that is the experience you create for yourself.

Saying that “I hate my job” will just draw even more attention to the aspects of the job that you dont like. Even if you look for another job, itll be with that negative energy.

Just wanting something isnt enough, because you will still continue to think about what you dont have. Always focusing on what you lack means that you dont see the present and future opportunities, or begin to realise your true desires. Youre getting in your own way!

3. Clear your head

……….to allow you to focus more effectively. Our minds are full of “stuff”; old, tired and limiting beliefs, which dont reflect who we are now, or who we want to become.

Set aside quiet time for yourself on a regular basis to get real clear about what you really want to attract in your life.

Use this opportunity to ask yourself questions. Ask yourself: “how can I create more prosperity and abundance in my life?”.

Once your head is clear, you will allow the answers to come to you. Meditation is a great way to start clearing the mind.

4. Appreciate lifes abundance

Appreciating lifes abundance is another way to opening yourself up to accept more abundance and prosperity in your life. When you fully appreciate what you have in your life, the Universe has a way of giving you more.

Keep a gratitude journal and at the end of each day, write down everything that you appreciate in your life. Youll begin to change your energy and vibration and become more internally aligned with what you want to create in your life.

5. Use prosperity affirmations

As you write your gratitude journal, it is an opportunity to write down prosperity affirmations as well. Affirmations are statements of acceptance that you use to manifest your destiny or what you want to create in your life. They are powerful, positive thoughts and words sent out to the universe.

If you want to use affirmations to create positive changes in your life, then you must first BELIEVE that this is possible. It shouldnt be a half hearted “well, Ill give this a go and see what happens”.

To make affirmations more effective, put as much positive energy in writing and saying them as possible. Visualise what you want to create and let this inform your prosperity affirmations.

When you cease operating from a position of lack, you start to create the fertile conditions to make more informed decisions, identify greater opportunities and attract more abundance and prosperity into your life.

Julie Plenty is a Personal and Business Coach who helps self employed creative professionals develop a strong personal foundation and therefore increase the success of their business. For more self growth articles, resources and free ecards, visit: http://www.self-help-personal-development.com

Is it possible for someone to fear abundance? Who would not want to live the abundant life?

Polarity is a universal law. The law of polarity contends that everything has its polar opposite. The scales of life assures the existence of polar opposites. In conjunction with the Law of Rhythm, everything returns where it begins. Like a pendulum swinging, this is life. Meaning those things that begin with great expectations manifest greatness. Those things that begin with the purpose for serving humanity and the greater good manifest as beacons of light.

Everyone who researches the field of human potential, human development, personal development, religion, philosophy…at some point crosses the concept of a human emotion often called fear. It is comfortable for us to talk about the fear of poverty, however, we ignore our fear of abundance.

The reality is, if you fear poverty, then you fear its polar opposite–abundance. If you fear poverty you fear wealth and abundance. All these fears congest our lives and we are literally paralyzed.

Fear impacts our expectations. The principle of Expectations is linked to the Law of Abundance hence, “so a man thinketh so he is.” The principle of Expectations contends that energy follows thought. If you fear poverty, then somewhere inside, you believe you will live in poverty. Consequently, energy has followed this thought and in due time, your expectation of poverty actualizes.

Now the connection between the fear of poverty and the fear of abundance. Lets just end this debate right now. No one wants to live in poverty. Poverty means you have very limited options, and no assets. When you live in poverty, you struggle and have limited options. Moreover, poverty means your basic needs are at threat, limited, or diminished. Even those who take a vow of poverty for religious or spiritual purposes have there basic needs met.

So why would anyone have a fear of abundance? Some people believe that abundance and wealth would only lead to corruption and destruction of the human spirit. Not one person who is corrupted or on the path of destruction is living the abundant life. NOT ONE. Abundance is not just about material wealth, however, it does not exclude material wealth!

Abundance is about living healthy, vibrant, with purpose, resources, meaningful relationships, and a strong sense of our true self. Material wealth is a manifestation of mental and spiritual wealth that lies within the individual. We should not concern ourselves with the fear that material wealth will corrupt us. Material wealth, including money, will only make you more of what you already are.

Therefore, if you are kind, giving, loving, and creative, you will be even more kind, giving, loving, and creative while enjoying a life of abundance. If you are insecure, selfish, hoarding, and deceitful, you will be even more insecure, selfish, hoarding, and deceitful while living a life of discontent, sadness, and self-destruction.

There is yet another group of people who fear abundance. Some individuals fear abundance because they believe that abundance will require hours and hours of hard work. The principle of Economy of Force or the Principle of Least Resistance contends that this is just not true.

To many of us are spending 16 hour days at working hoping and praying that soon all our “money” troubles will be over and we can retire in the Bahamas when we are 60 years old. Hah! Dont mean to burst anyones bubble but it just aint so.

We are not suppose to work hard. What? Thats right. We are suppose to work creatively. Thats what the human Spirit desires. During times of stillness and quiet, the Universe whispers plans, inventions, and ideas. These witty plans, inventions, and ideas are a part of the creative energies of the Universe waiting for our higher consciousness to receive it.

By stilling the mind in meditation, we discover this knowledge and wisdom. When we act on it. We create wealth. We create freedom. For each of these plans, inventions, ideas are serve a purpose and that purpose in to help humanity in some form. Therefore, it is already a demand for it. There are millions of people wanting it. All you need is the faith and courage to execute.

Your execution will seem effortless when you take the time to meditate and determine how each step should be carried out. Before long, you have tapped into the field of infinite possibilities where anything that is possible is possible. You have opened the flood gates to wealth and success and you are living the abundant life.

Now what is so fearful about that?

While this group would be classified as a fear of success, there are those who have a fear of abundance because they just know they will fail. Again, the Principle of Expectations contends that energy follows thoughts. Therefore, keep thinking it and it will happen. Heres a novel thought. Practice the Law of Detachment. In this law, you go through the process doing all you can while the Universe handle the details.

All you do is what you know how to do. You stay in meditation. Asking the Universe to show you what you should do next. After you have done it. You step back and let the Universe handle the rest. If the Universe says write a book. Learn what you need to learn to write it. Then, write it. You dont worry about “how many copies will I sell or if the audience will like it or maybe it wont sell and Ill have to file bankruptcy.”

Simply do what you know how to do. Meditate. Remain detached. Expect the best. Gain wisdom in what you are doing. Take each step expecting the best and the best will come. Thats abundance in action.

You can learn more about abundant living at: http://universalclass.com/i/crn/14056.htm

Carmellita Brown is Wellness and Success Coach. She is the instructor of the Online course entitled: “Abundance Training 101: The Universal Law of Abundance” available at: http://universalclass.com/i/crn/14056.htm and the online Course entitled “Lose Weight While Becoming a Wellness Coach” available at http://universalclass.com/i/crn/9478.htm.

Your prosperity is directly related to the flow of energy in your environment. Clutter creates stagnant energy flow and prevents abundance from flowing to you.

Clutter is anything unfinished, unused, unresolved, tolerated or disorganized. Clutter is emotional constipation!

Letting go of something that no longer makes your heart sing, can mean letting go of a person, or something no longer relevant in your life. It can be part of a process of grieving, enabling you to move into your present and future.

Everyone has their own patterns of attracting abundance and blocking it. Do you recognize any of these?

1. Physical Clutter – Clutter is dead, stagnant energy and will block the flow of energy in your life. The energy that flows around your home and office is like a river, bringing abundance and fortunate blessings in all areas of your life. When it comes across a pile or something you are tolerating it will get bogged down.

Ask yourself: Do I love it? Do I use it? Does it make my heart sing?

2. Purchasing clutter – If you make purchases when feeling angry, sad, stressed, fearful etc. youre spending money to to suppress those feelings rather than feeling them and letting them go. This means emotional energy will attach itself to the item and you will experience its vibration, even on an unconscious level whenever you look at, wear or use the item.

These items will not make your heart sing and will not support your prosperity.

Are you ready to let them go? Are you ready to become a conscious shopper?

3. Growth creates clutter – As you make changes within yourself, more of your belongings will fit the definition of clutter. Having the urge to discard things in your home or office is a sign of you stepping more fully into yourself and your abundance.

If you dont address the clutter, it will hold you where you were. If you are growing and changing you are continually creating clutter!

4. Unconscious clutter – Do you have beliefs that create conflict? Do you think you cant be wealthy AND care about people? Do you think you cant be successful working 4 days a week? These beliefs will be affecting your prosperity. Take time to re-examine them.

5. Clutter Vibration – everything has a vibration. If you have a feeling of not enough time, money or love in your life, it sets up a vibration that will block abundance. And, focusing on the fear of not having enough time or money draws more of that to you. On the other hand, the vibration of gratitude is the same as the vibration of abundance.

Create an attitude of gratitude. Keep a gratitude journal and each night before you go to sleep write down 5 things you are grateful for today. Focusing on gratitude rather than lack is one of the most powerful things you can do to attract the abundance vibration.

6. Language Clutter – The word want means to desire without having! When you say you want something you are resonating with the vibration of lack, rather than flowing with the vibration of abundance. You are also complaining, at a subtle level. The Universe responds to requests, not complaints. Try using the words choose or desire – they may sound strange at first, but its worth it to create a flow of energy.

7. Does your prosperity area feel abundant? Ask yourself, what do I currently own that represents abundance to me now? Once you have cleaned and cleared the clutter from your prosperity area, place this object there to create the vibration you choose to attract.

To discover where the prosperity area of your home or a room is, See http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/BaguaMap.html

8. Try this game. Place a bowl or container you love in the prosperity area of your home or a room. Each day, take a coin, give thanks for the abundance you already have, and the abundance coming to you and place the coin in the bowl. The increasing coins represent your increasing abundance.

At some point when it feels right and the bowl is nearing full, make a decision about what to do with that money and start over. This will work best once you have cleared the clutter and cleaned the area. And remember, what you focus on expands.

Clearing clutter is an important part of Feng Shui. Before you can create something new you need to make space for it. The changes you make in your environment are mirrored in your life and support you in making emotional shifts. Feng Shui can provide a welcome boost in living the life you want.

© 2003, Vicky White. All rights reserved. May be duplicated with attribution and copyright notice intact. http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/

Vicky White is a Certified Feng Shui Consultant and Life Coach who works with clients both locally and internationally. Get your FREE 7-part e-course “Your Secret Weapon: Powerful Feng Shui Tips To Give Your Business The Competitive Edge” at http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/