Are You Attracting What You Want?

How do some people achieve what they want quickly and continue to set and achieve goals while other people struggle to achieve their dreams and desires even after they learn about the Law of Attraction, even after creating a Treasure map/Vision board?

Are some people luckier than others? No, in fact . . . "according to Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire in England who conducted a 10 year study of luck, people's thoughts and behavior are often responsible for their good luck and good fortune." Excerpt from "All the Money in the World" by Peter W. Bernstein & Annalyn Swan.

It sounds to me like the difference between lucky people and unlucky people is that the lucky ones understand and live the basic principles of the Law of Attraction. They have supportive belief systems, which include the pictures in their minds, about their own success.

But you say I think positive, I have a written and clearly defined goal. You may also have your Treasure Map and like many people, maybe some areas in your life ARE fantastic. Yet, other areas may still be challenging.

As you know the real manifesting power of your mind is the sub conscious, which has been pre-programmed, by all of your past experiences and how you feel about them. So, although two people might have very similar pictures in their conscious minds, one person believes they deserve to be successful while the other is full of self doubts and subconsciously doesn't really believe they deserve to live the life they envision.

Therefore it is vitally important that you keep working on your subconscious mind through the Treasure Maps/Vision Boards, visualizations and affirmations, until you absolutely believe at the subconscious level that you deserve everything on your Treasure Map.

Your subconscious mind works in pictures, sounds, smells, tastes and feelings as it is censorial based. It changes each word to a picture, feeling or memory and each word can conjure up different experiences for different people.

Have you ever been on a picnic? What memories do you have about picnics? Are they wonderful, romantic, fun and laughter filled events or are your thoughts of the bugs and soggy sandwiches and hard rocky grounds? One of my students said "I always think of the fun we had at the beach and not the sand in my potato salad... "

If your conscious mind THINKS, its thinking positive and focusing on a goal, the sub conscious mind may have a very different picture in its memory banks, and guess which mind has the greater power.? Yes, the Subconscious.

This is why it is so beneficial to learn how to create a clearly defined Treasure Map / Vision Board of your goals, dreams and desires, as it gives your subconscious mind the CORRECT pictures and you will discover how powerfully you can achieve your goals when your subconscious mind is aligned with your conscious mind.

Dr. Wayne Dyer said many, many years ago "You'll see it when you believe it."

And that is the power of a Treasure Map over a written list of goals. The subconscious mind is influenced and re- programmed by the pictures it sees repetitively and daily. This process can be508 accelerated by learning the Mind skills that I teach in The Art of Manifesting and even more so by using my 30 Day Accelerator Mind Training program.

Regularly practicing these mind skills like visualization, affirmations and listening to and refining your own self talk will fast track you to your goals, dreams and desires.

Barbara@visionboards.net

2008 Barbara Pellegrino - All Rights Reserved.

From the reefs of Australia to the rainbows of Hawaii Barbara is a renowned speaker, trainer, author and coach. Originally trained in law of attraction through Mind Power and an NLP facilitator and trainer. She presents her workshop, Treasure Mapping Your Way to Success, in Hawaii. Mainland USA and Internationally. She is renowned for teaching people HOW to make their dreams come true using, Practical, Powerful, Proven techniques for rapid and successful manifesting

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Why Do People Meditate? The Top 10 Reasons

Here's a really good question...why do people meditate? To get the answer, welcome to the modern world - a world of stress, tensions, hectic lifestyles, multi-tasking, constant media exposure, never-ending desires, demanding kids, competitive work environment, relationships, blah, blah, and blah. Where's your peace of mind?

You might have imagined how those charming Hollywood stars and other big personalities manage to look oh-so-cool in spite of their busy schedules and media paparazzi hounding th5B4em! Well, mediation is the secret to their balanced professional and personal lives. If they can improve their life through mediation, why can't you?

Top 10 Reasons To Meditate

If you are still curious as to why people meditate, then here are 10 good reasons. These reasons are not out-of-this-world. They are a way of life of today's generation and many of them might be familiar to you.

• To alleviate stress and attain deep relaxation.
• To mitigate pain, either physical or emotional, that arises out of tension. This includes headaches.
• To decrease anxiety attacks by reducing blood lactate levels.
• To enhance serotonin production. Serotonin controls mood and behavior. When its levels are low, people tend to get depressed, become insomniacs, obese, or suffer from headaches.
• To assist in weight loss.
• To help drug users break their addictions.
• To strengthen the immune system. Medical studies have proved that meditation enhances natural killer cell activity that wipes out cancer cells and other deadly viruses.
• To increase self-esteem and motivation levels.
• To improve relationships.
• To discover inner peace and happiness.

The Benefits Of Doing Meditation

Meditation helps to get rid of random thoughts floating in your mind. It calms your mind leading to more productive results and increased zest for life. You are able to concentrate better and on mo535re important things of life and not get bogged down by unnecessary worries and anxieties.

As you meditate on a regular basis, you will realize that you have become more focused on your goals, be it at the workplace or at home. There will also be a change in your behavior, thus, improving the way you deal with people around you. Meditation is the key to stress management. And once you are free of stress, you almost get a new life!

Doctors have also recorded physiological effects of meditation on people practicing meditation regularly. The effects are reduced pulse rate, lowered blood pressure, lowered metabolic rate, and alterations in levels of serum of different substances.

In addition to the above bodily effects, you achieve an in-depth understanding of your own self. This is because, during meditation, you get to scrutinize thoughts hovering in your mind. You get close to your subconscious that guides you towards knowing who you are and what your purpose of life is. In short, people who mediate are happy!

Now that you have got the answer to "why do people meditate", isn't it time you started meditation too?

I hope you found this article helpful! To discover how to create a 425meditation garden that will be your own private haven of peace, and to uncover how to ingrain the four noble truths of buddhist meditation, please go to: http://www.OnlineMeditationGuru.com/

Living A Great Life Of Success
Spiritual Tips For A Better Life

Law of Attraction - Biggest Mistake Number 3

Most people have no clue that there is a specific state in which their mind needs to be in order to attract the things they want. It is not enough to repeat mindless affirmations. The attraction process requires that you enter into a specific state of mind.

Have you ever wondered why all the tools and techniques have failed you so miserably? If your desire is to attract the sort of money that you need to do the things that you want, they you must know the calm to become still to change your thoughts in order for them to be effective.

Every single one of us has a set specific amount of energy. That energy is being used to run the various, automatic function in our body. That supply of energy is also taken up by our constant thoughts so it's no wonder we have very little energy left over to center the mind in order to give more energy to what we want.

That is by far one of the most vital. There are 3 very effective results when the mind is at the right frequency.

1) The first benefit is that at the right mental frequency you can have a greater over all influence of what you want to attract.

2) The second benefit is that you can gain faster results with what you want to bring into your life. Imagine there are people who can time and time again attract large amounts of money into their lives without having to spend year and years working hard. They are able to do this because they know specific techniques that work but they also know the power of getting into that correct state of mental frequency.

3) The third benefit to having the right mental frequency is that you can gain quick confidence that you are in control of your reality and you can mold and shape things anyway you like.

What would you like to attract into your life if you had all the right techniques? How would you feel right now if you could attract what you want and actually have it now?

Sign Up for a **Free Manifesting Software and Newsletter**

http://www.cosmic-wealth.com/lawofattraction

Discover the ancient techniques to manifesting faster results using simple yet powerful techniques found in the powerful Magic Money ebook written by Daniel Hinds.

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Spiritual Guidance is Always Current

Your relationship to Spirit is always current. Spirit doesn't carry memories of your past. That's a human habit we put in place, often to build our case of inadequacy. The inspiration and guidance you're receiving applies to your life right now. Spirit doesn't withhold from us. If you feel the time is right to bring to fruition something that has been growing within you, the time is right.

But just because Spirit is willing to give you what you desire doesn't mean you are ready to receive it. Very often we hold false perceptions or limiting beliefs about ourselves that won't allow good to flow to us and through us. Once we see these perceptions as false and not the truth of who we are, the veil is lifted and we allow ourselves to realize our wholeness.

In a recent class a woman realized, after much struggle, that she was a natural leader. She had simply lacked the courage to truly claim it. She had been bogged down with fears of standing out, not being part of the pack, and had the fear of how others would respond to her taking charge.

However, the moment she truly realized she was a leader and stopped hiding her gifts, her5A8 perception of herself shifted and the work she was doing changed. She no longer could pretend she wasn't a leader. She realized that by not stepping up to the plate she was creating a frustrating situation for herself as well as her co-workers and clients. Once she claimed these leadership gifts, her work flowed and more opportunities opened up.

Even if we are not ready to receive what Spirit wants to express through us, we do not have to be afraid it will go away. I like to think of it as the jack-in-the-box. We may continue to push it down, but it always finds a way to pop up again.

Although Spirit doesn't withhold from us, sometimes we want to rush our lives along, pushing against a natural rhythm. As Jane Hirschfield, author and poet, says, "Ripeness is what falls away with ease." When we are trying too hard it's usually attached to our thoughts of scarcity.

I remember wanting to get married and have children in my twenties. Reflecting back, I don't think I really wanted to get married and start a family young, but I was afraid I wouldn't meet someone or that I would soon be too old to have children. My desire to settle down and have a family at that time was driven by fear, not the ripeness of the fruit nor my true readiness to receive that part of my life.

Even though we may be impatient with the way our life is unfolding, the generosity of Spirit always guides us in directions that are perfect582 for our life right now. We are never left with nothing to do. If we feel we are not receiving guidance from Spirit, it's usually because we have already made up our mind what we want the guidance to be. You know the feeling when it's "my way or the highway;" those times when we believe we are in control, dictating to Spirit how our life should unfold.

This does not allow us to receive the opportunities that would deliver more than our limited perceptions will allow. The mystery and beauty of Spirit are that it shows up with complete individuality for each person, and yet it stems from the same source, this one resource that we all share. Our personal life energy is just one part expressing itself from this wholeness. We are connected to this infinite Source while we are expressing our individuality and while playing a part in a larger unfolding of life.

Janice Campbell is the author of the book Receive Your Life: A Life of Purpose and Prosperity. The focus of her life's work is to assist people in awakening to the beauty and power of what they truly are; individualized expressions of Spirit. The intention of the Receive Your Life work is to help people come to that realization as quickly and gracefully as possible. To sign up for our free inspiration of the week go to 315http://www.receiveyourlife.com

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Dream Telepathy Researcher Fights Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston Inside a Sleeper's Mind

Dreams are a doorway to invisible realms that reveal our hidden psychic and shamanic abilities. Consider this classic story of dream research. On the night of March 12, 1964, the renowned psychologist Calvin Hall was monitoring EEG output at Duke University's Institute for Dream Research. In a nearby room, Robert Van De Castle was the research subject being monitored while sound asleep.

Dr. Hall was understandably skeptical about "paranormal dream activity" as are most psychologists even today. To find out for himself--and probably with the intent of disproving that the contents of his mind could in any way influence the dreams of someone in another locat1008ion--he performed a remarkable experiment.

When the EEG monitor indicated to Dr Hall that Van De Castle was in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, associated with dreaming, Hall focused his attention on remembering the (Feb 25th, 1964) boxing match between Cassius Clay--now Muhammad Ali-- and Sonny Liston.

In addition to imagining the fight, Calvin Hall dramatized the experience by throwing a few punches in the air himself--at a very safe distance from the actual fight, and from the dreamer. Who would expect that such an activity could be perceived by a person sleeping in another room? Imagine Hall's shock when he awoke Van De Castle after the REM phase and asked if he had any dream material and his answer included these details:

"There was a boxing match going on. There were two young lightweight boxers who were fighting and one of them was doing much better than the other. It seemed his opponent became vanquished and then another lightweight contender got into the ring with him. The new contender now started to give a pretty savage beating to the other boxer... I remember standing up and throwing a few punches in the air myself because I was so involved with the action in the ring." (Our Dreaming Mind, Van De Castle, 1994)

It is noteworthy that the boxing scene interrupted a dream about unrelated material. As if a television channel had been changed, the boxing scene was inserted as noises that we hear in sleep sometimes are; the original dream then resumed. But what was inserted here was not something like a train whistle (the external sound most likely to work its way into your dreams).

These intrusions were thoughts occurring in another person's mind--who was not even in the same room! This "private" mental activity was "overheard" and inserted into Van De Castle's dream. This is how attuned we are in sleep and how capable of mind to mind (M2M) communication humans are.

It is amusing that the fighters were dreamed as lightweights when they surely were not... but in the endless humor of dreams, this detail might be a result of the fight being filtered through a scientific researcher's psyche. While Hall may have been a "heavyweight" in dream research, he would have been a real lightweight in that fight!

The dreamer is identified with observing the fight just as Hall was but the dreamer experienced Hall's standing up and throwing punches as if it were his own action. He lived out the physical actions as dream experiences while viewing the mental images as an observer. This is a complex, stereophonic mind-to-mind transmission. How often, you might wonder, are our dreams, which we presume are inwardly originating, actually transmitted by the actions and/or thoughts of another?

Calvin Hall attempted to send telepathic messages to Van De Castle on 17 different occasions: "He concluded that some representation of the intended target material was detectable on thirteen of those occasions, for a success rate of 76%" (Our Dreaming Mind, 1994). If this was an attempt to disprove mental telepathy in dreams it was a pretty stunning failure! Hall repeated these successes with five other dream subjects and later published "Experiments on Telepathically Influenced Dreams."

Dreams not only carry meaning and guidance from within, and from other human beings, they reveal to us the fuller capacities of mind with which we are all endowed.

Get the free 8 part email class "Discover Your Dreams: A Beginners Guide to Dream Interpretation" and newsletter.

DreamTalk is a low-cost dreamwork email group and TeleDream is a weekly telephone dream group which Dr Masa, Debbie Hart and Dr Marjorie Mile398s co-moderate. Work on your dreams and help others too.

Ron Masa, Ph.D. wrote columns on dreams while in private practice for 25 years. He and Debbie Hart co-lead University of Yourself.com: "Helping You Hear the Guide Inside."

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Law of Attraction - 5 Things Preventing You from Attracting What You Want

Using the law of attraction to manifest what you desire can be either wonderfully easy, or painfully hard depending on your full awareness. It is very important to become aware of the things that you do want but it is just as necessary to be aware of the things which prevent you from getting what you want.

Here are 5 reasons you may not be successful in attracting what you want.

1.) Not being in alignment - You must be in alignment with what you dB52o want. To be in alignment with your desires is not always easy. Let's say that you have a desire to attract twenty thousand dollars but you are flat broke, most everything in your environment speaks poverty. You may be wishing and hoping but everything in your being feels like ten dollars rather than twenty thousand dollars. Your objective then should be to find a way to begin to feel like you are worth twenty thousand dollars. This is the first and most crucial step to activating the law of attraction.

2.) Lack of Focus -This is another hindrance to manifesting what you desire. In order to get the universe to move what you want into your physical reality you must begin to hold a clear and steady focus of what you want all times through out the day.

3.) Lack of power with intent - The one thing which generates power with your intention is emotion and feelings. In order for the law of attraction to work quickly with your desires you must first know with great certainly that you do want what you are asking for and you must begin to feel it very deeply. If there are slight feelings of doubt those doubts will work as barriers affecting the attraction process from going in your favor.

4.) Not knowing how reality works - The law of attraction is one of several laws that assist you in manifesting what you desire. There are other laws which cancel out your intention if you are not aware of them or how they work. Manifesting your desires requires that you learn all the necessary parts to get great success with attracting what you want.

5.) Surrounding yourself with people or things which contradict what you are creating - This is by far one of the most difficult parts to successfully applying the law of attraction. You see other people's beliefs and doubts can greatly hamper your ability to manifest what you want. Those people could be family members, co-workers or friends. The universal law of attraction moves on vibration and other people's vibration can have a great effect on your own personal vibration causing you to attract based on the vibration of the group you are sounded by.

As you can see there are many parts to the attraction process not all being fully understood by most people.

Do you know that there are ancient techniques that can increase your manifesting intentions and attract what you want even faster than ever? Visit http://www.cosmic-wealth.com/lawofattraction to learn more about these secrets teachings. Daniel Hinds is the author of the powerful ebook Magic Money.

Howard Cutler
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Law Of Attraction Works Best With Realization

Most people are not familiar or never heard of the word "Realization" in using the law of attraction. That became the main reason why most people are continue getting what they don't want and struggle to get what they want.

Realization is about "Realizing You Attracted Everything That Is Happening In Your Life". It doesn't matter good or bad, what you want or don't want. Whatever that is happening in your life now, you attracted it. That's the realization part you got to go through if you want to use the law of attraction effectively.

What's the use of it?

Most people don't think that they attracted it. They still want to think that the world, government, people or incidents around them influence their life. Thinking in such a way will not create any success with the law of attraction. If you think others did it, you will think that the situation won't change until they change. If they don't change, you will think that you can change the situation!

For example: You want to get a promotion. However, you are also thinking that you can't get that promotion because your boss is lousy. When you are trying to attract that promotion, you'll have 2 conflicting tho58Fughts- "You can get the promotion" and "You can't get it because your boss is lousy". You can't believe "you can" and "you can't" get the promotion at the same time. If you send out this message to the universe, both will cancel off themselves.

On the other hand, if you realize you are attracting the reality that you are unable to get promoted, you'll start to gain power. You might see that you are continuously complaining your boss for not promoting you and end up attracting more of it. When you realize it, you can stop that thought and send out only one intention- "Get Promoted". There are no conflicting thoughts and you'll get it soon.

That's the importance of realization. You can start by realizing 2 things:

Realize the good things you attracted. Start to realize the good thing that is happening in your life. You'll get to attract more of it and make it happen again.

Realize the bad things you attracted. Realizing it will stop yourself from attracting it and conflict thoughts that you send out to manifest what you want.

Realization is a very powerful step in using the law of attraction. Start using it and start benefiting from it. You'll realize the amazing power from the law of attraction the moment you apply it.

Alex Liu is a the owner of 463Law Of Attraction blog. The blog is dedicated to share his experience, knowledge and success stories about the law of attraction. Click here and download your Free Attraction Accelerator Report. It's a report about how to use Law Of Attraction in practical and how you can accelerate the process to get what you want fast.

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Connecting With Spirit

- Two Behaviors that Block the Connection

There are two behaviors that will trip you up more than anything else in your conscious connection with Spirit. Knowing what they are ahead of time allows you to see them coming and redirect the energy. The two behaviors that often prevent us from enjoying the journey of receiving our life are judging and comparing.

When our attention is outside ourselves we are not home to receive what it is that Spirit wants to give to us. Living in this world with the rest of humanity there are going to be times when we are surrounded by what we want but don't have and by what we have and don't want. This fuels the cycle of judging and comparing.

When we judge others we are diminishing them so we can feel better and when we compare ourselves with others we are diminishing ourselves while elevating them. Both have us looking through the distorted lens of scarcity.

There are going to be people that are more skilled and competent in areas that we aspire to improve. And there are going to be people around us struggling, unskilled or incompetent in areas that are easy for us. When we play this game that people are better or worse than us we are off track. For that period of time we feel separate from one another and from Source because we have interrupted what wants to flow through us.

We are on the sidelines judging and observing life instead of participating. It's not to say we won't ever judge or compare. We will. I subscribe to a membership site that supports people in creating their own membership sites. While reading the forum everyone seemed to know so much more than me and be further ahead on their project. My mind had a field day. "You'll never finish your site, you don't know what you're doing, you're not technical enough, you don't have the time to do this, and you're in way over your head and on and on." In the past I would have believed this voice. It sounds so convincing and is making so many goodB62 points. I probably would have come to the conclusion that I can't do it and moved on to something else. But over the years I've become more aware of the red flags of judging and comparing.

Spirit doesn't give us a strong desire to create something if it isn't ours to do. When you catch yourself in the middle of judging and comparing slow down your thinking and become aware of what voice is guiding your actions. Notice how your attention has drifted away from your center and is now focused on scarcity. Take a moment to listen to what is yours to do.

In working on this site I had to take a time out, in fact many time outs, and reground myself in what I was doing. I had to remind myself that where other people were in the development of their site had absolutely nothing to do with the guidance I was receiving from Spirit and the path I was on. Once my thinking was in a healthier place I was able to go back to the forum and allow myself to mine for bits of inspiration and guidance.

Having our attention drift outside of ourselves is not always a distraction. It only becomes a problem for us when it's based on a diminishment either of ourselves or others. It can be very empowering for us and others when we are inspired by something outside of ourselves. It can be a person, place or thing. When we are inspired our consciousness expands and becomes a beautiful gift that reminds us of our wholeness and connection with one another.

The wisdom and guidance we want and need has been with us all along. When we fear we don't know enough or have what we need we begin to search elsewhere, often in a fearful panic, but at some point we come to the realization that what we have been looking for lies within.

So as you begin the journey of receiving your life and consciously connecting with Spirit just know that your mind will occasionally drift to judging and comparing. Try not to judge the judging. Just become aware of where your mind has gone. With this awareness you will be able to redirect it back to your connection with Spirit and once again connect with your infinite supply.

Janice Campbell is the author of the book Receive Your Life: A Life of Purpose and Prosperity. The focus of her life's work is to assist people in awakening to the beauty and power of what they truly are; individualized expressions of Spirit. The intention of the Receive Your Life work is to help people come to that realization as quickly and gracefully as possible. To sign up for our free inspiration of the week go to http://www.receiveyourlife.com

10 Things to Do Before I Die

Although I am now finishing up my seventh decade of a most exciting and fulfilling life, I am planning for the future, as I do every January. I take this exciting trip of the mind, soul, and body (in spite of two malignancies and a pair of knee prostheses) in the spirit of George Bernard Shaw who said:

"When I die, I want to be all used up."

My list looks like this, complete with some sort of rationale for each, and in parentheses my best guess for the probability of their suc5B4cessful completion:

1) Summit Mt. Aconcagua: I reached 21,600 ft. in 1996 and 21,700 ft. in 2002. Unfortunately, as the highest peak outside of Asia, the peak is at 22,800 ft (6,962 meters). My wife, Elaine, notes that if I get an additional 100 ft. every 6 years, I will summit at the age of 135! (5%)

2) Summit Mt. Cotopaxi: I have never been to Ecuador, which is reason enough to go, but at 19,347 ft. (5,897 meters) the summit might be attainable in spite of my maturity (age) and low testosterone (effects of therapy for prostate cancer). (35%)

3) Swim with the snow monkeys in Japan: This probably illegal, dangerous, and foolish, but every time I see their photos, as a Scorpio (life being focused on water, fire, and sex...not necessarily in that order) I am lured, at least re: the water part.(35%)

4) Take the Trans-Siberian Railway trip: Since I have been to Russia, climbed Mt. Elbrus in the Caucasus Mountains, at 18,510 ft. (5642 meters) the highest mountain in Europe, and have spent a month in China, it is time to link the two. (75%)

5) Write a NY Times #1 Bestseller: I have written five books, including Optimize Your Life! which is an international best-seller (the Chinese publisher's edition was on the Book-of-the-Month Club). For motivation, I have pasted the book title and my name over the #1 slot of a copy of the NY Times best-seller list, and I "visualize" it every day as I brush my teeth. (wow! and B68priceless!)

6) Keynote fee of $10,000: One of my great mentors, the late Dottie Walters, said that I was a "$10,000 keynote." I'm working at it, Dottie! (50%)

7) Closer relationship with, my wife, Elaine: After my "near-death" and rescue on Mt. Washington in New Hampshire I realized that the Elaine would have been the real victim, if I had died or become permanently disabled. (100%)

8) Enjoy my/our new sexuality: What age fails to do to undermine one's sexuality, anti-hormone therapy, radical surgery, chemotherapy, and external beam radiation will. However, as a result of trips to India and Nepal, we have learned (and mastered to some degree) Tantric sex, etc. Scorpio lives. All we need is the fire, which we have in a fire pit in our Zen garden. (100%)

9) Tune up my body/mind/soul: As I now struggle to complete my book, What Better Place to Die, based on my Mt. Washington misadventure, I am keeping a "promise" I made while I was on that mountain. (100%)

10) Finish the other five "promises" I made Mt. Washington: to be insensitive to negative criticism, to get rid of non-productive real estate, to make amends with some key people, and to better network with key people from my past... write the book. (100%)

That's my list. What is on your list...and why?

Since childhood, my value system has been basically Judeo-Christian, although I have become quite eclectic over the years. As a Buddhist, should I "stop striving? As a Hindu should I graciously enter the fourth phase of life and "become a sannyasin, a wandering hermit, seeking only spiritual enlightenment?" Psychologist Abraham Maslow in Hierarchy of Needs described the ultimate phase of one's life as self-actualization, that is, going beyond the basics of life and finding one's single "calling" and heeding it. Single calling... how about ten?

In Worth Magazine in 1999, Edward Sussman wrote an article, "24 Things to Do before You Die" which focused mostly on interviews with celebrities. Grand Dame, Brooke Astor advised one to "be gracious to someone you despise." CNN economics guru Lou Dobbs suggested that you "thank someone instrumental in your success," while author George Plimpton advised us all to "go on a quest."

You may not be able to run away with the circus at this stage in your life, but you can sneak off for a window of time, time well chosen and spent, time that will expand your horizons, time in which to create powerful memories.

Enjoy the journey! Do it now!

Bernhoff A. Dahl, M.D., author, public speaker, keynote speaker, consultant, humorist and veteran mountaineer shares his near-death and rescue on Mt. Washington in New Hampshire in a positive, inspirational message focused on three admonitions:

1. Be prepared to die!
2.4D9 Have a plan to live!
3. Do it now!

You are encouraged to join Dr. Dahl as he completes his book, What Better Place to Die, by visiting http://www.MtWashingtonMisadventure.com Dr. Dahl is available for interviews about his near-death experience on the mountain and the life lessons he has learned. Dr. Dahl is the author of the international bestselling Optimize Your Life! book series. Contact http://www.TrionicsUSA.com for details.

Bernhoff A. Dahl, M.D. 9 Shore Lane Winterport, ME 04496 DrBDahl@aol.com Phone: 207-223-9998

Finding Hope & Understanding Its Power and Purpose

Spiritual -

Faith. Hope. Love. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:13 that these three will endure forever, with love being the greatest. For we know that God is love (1 John 4:7). As His children, we have His love in our hearts that makes it possible for us to love one another. Jesus said that this is how the world will know that we are His disciples, if we have love for one another (John 13:35). So how will the world recognize His love in us? They will see it in how we live, how we speak, and how we treat others. If we love our neighbor as ourselves, we will do no harm to them (Romans 13:10). Our love will be evidenced in the good that we do in His name, and it will bring glory to our Heavenly Father.

God also gives a measure of faith to each of us (Romans 12:3). That means that He has given us faith to trust and depend upon Him. We can't say that we don't have the faith to do what He wants us to do. He promises that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). There are times when He will stretch our faith in Him in order to prepare u5B4s to believe Him for greater things that He wants to do in our lives. Hebrews 10:38 says that the just shall live by faith. With the Lord, we can walk in faith, living by what we believe in God's word and not by what we see (2 Corinthians 5:7, NCV). In Hebrews 11:1 faith is described as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. If we need to see it to believe it, then we don't need faith.

Everyone experiences doubts, and there are many examples of this in the Bible. Jesus never condemned people for having doubts as long as it led them to search for the truth. Doubts can motivate us to seek Him more so that we might know His ways. And, as we grow in our relationship with the Lord, we will develop greater trust and experiential understanding of His faithfulness that will enable us to develop greater faith in Him.

What is Hope?

Just as we cannot live the abundant life Jesus died to give us without love and faith, we cannot live it without hope. Hope is expecting something good that is presently unseen. Hope is what motivates us to get up in the morning. We have the hope of a new day and new opportunities. We go to work in hopes of attaining the rewards of our labor by being productive and getting paid. We don't always see the rewards immediately, but we expect them. We go to school in hopes of completing our education and beginning our careers. Hope is the driving force behind major5B4 decisions we make. We get married in hopes of sharing and enjoying our lives with someone we love. Hope gives us strength to go on. It keeps us from quitting or giving up. Hope empowers us to believe that change is possible, dreams come true, and miracles happen.

The Source of Hope

God is the God of Hope. We can abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit that is in us. The only requirement is that we believe, and the God of hope will fill us with joy and peace (Romans 15:13).

To have enduring hope is to know and trust in God. He is the source of all hope. David acknowledged God as His hope when he said, And now, Lord what do I wait for and expect? My hope and expectation are in You (Psalm 39:7, Amp.). We hope in Him knowing He is faithful, merciful, and good. The prophet Jeremiah comforted himself in remembering God's unfailing love and goodness: This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, Therefore I hope in Him! (Lamentations 3:21-24). Though my portions on earth are temporal, I can be assured that no matter what happens in this life I can have hope because He is my portion forever.

Hope in the Truth

We can put our hope in God's word and in His promises. God is faithful and unwavering. He watches over His5B4 word to see that it is fulfilled (Jeremiah 1:12). God's word brings light to our darkness. The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple (Psalm 119:130). God's word can restore and revive us. In Psalm 119:25 (TLB), David cried out to the Lord saying, I am completely discouraged-I live in the dust. Revive me by your word. The God of hope can bring us back to life, pulling us out of hopelessness, doubt, confusion, discouragement, and restoring us to renewed health and vigor. God's word is powerful and living. It has the power to break the yoke of bondage and set the captive free. If we abide in His word, we will know the truth that will make us free (John 8:31-32).

Waiting is a Part of Hoping

Hope requires waiting and it is often what sustains us when we must wait. The Bible tells us in Romans 8:24-25 that hope that is seen is not hope. If we look forward to something that isn't in our present reality yet, we must wait patiently and confidently. Waiting can be compared to experiencing birth pangs during pregnancy when a woman's body yearns for deliverance. The Message Bible goes on to say, We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. Be the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy. When we are hopeful, we are willing to wait for the fulfillment of our hope in Him. Like David, we can wait expectantly for the Lord. 5B4 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope (Psalms 130:5). "I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord, and He inclined to me and heard my cry (Psalms 40:1).

When waiting becomes more and more difficult, we begin to get impatient. When we begin to get inpatient, we begin to lose hope. Doubt seeps in and we might resort to worry, fear, complaining and negativity. In our unbelief we might make choices that are not in God's will or timing, or we might fall into despair, lose our hope, and want to give up. Remembering that God's timing is perfect, He is in complete control, and He always answers our prayers (even when it is no or not now) will help sustain us in our times of waiting.

Hope & Faith Require Action

Hope inspires motivation, dreams, and love for life. Hope is not wishful thinking. People who see themselves doing or having something that they deeply desire and hope for anticipate it to come to pass. This is where faith is required. Faith is to believe that what we hope for will become a reality. However, without some corresponding action, faith is worthless. In the book of James we're told that if people say that they have faith, but they don't do anything, their faith is worthless and dead (James 2:14-17, NCV). And, their hope won't last very long. For example, if someone confidently expects and believes God for a new job, yet they passively wait for a phone call or knock o5B4n the door, their faith is accomplishing nothing. Faith requires that we actively use our God-given gifts and resources, seek His direction, trust His timing, and hold fast to His promises.

The Deception of Hopelessness

To be without hope is to be without God. Without hope we are lost and in darkness, open to deception. Hopelessness is a lie that says there's nothing good to look forward to and life is void of meaning and purpose. A person who feels hopeless does not expect good things in their future, and they might believe there's no solution to their problems. They might expect only more pain, disappointment, or emptiness. People who lose hope give up and quit. They stop trying and believing. For some, it can lead to deep depression or even suicide. This is the ultimate deception-that there is no hope. If we don't give up, we will find that God always comes through. He promises to never leave us or forsake us no matter how we feel. He wants to help us in our unbelief and restore our hope and faith. He wants us to internalize His truth in Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. God's word is His promise. He is the God of hope and there is a hopeful future for every single person He created.

Enduring Hope: A Spiritual Lifeline

To have hope in God is to have a strong and steady anchor for ou5B4r souls that enables us to make it through the storms of life and trust that He is able to sustain us and work all things together for the good (Romans 8:28). The promised hope we have in God is "an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God" (Hebrews 6:19, Msg.). It does not matter how seemingly hopeless a person or situation might seem. With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). Is there anything too hard for the Lord? (Genesis 18:14). Knowing that He is an omnipotent (all-powerful, omniscient (all-knowing) and omnipresent (always-present) God, we can be assured that our hope in Him is truly our spiritual lifeline by which He demonstrates His almighty power and purpose.

Krystal Kuehn, MA, LPC, LLP, NCC is a psychotherapist, author, teacher, and musician. Krystal specializes in helping people live their best life now, reach their full potential, overcome barriers, heal from their past, and develop a happiness lifestyle. Her inspirational and empowering approach has been helping people all over the world for over 20 years. Krystal's articles, poetry, and lyrics have been published locally and internationally. She is also the author of self growth programs and workshops.

Krystal has a passion for encouraging others. She believes everyone has untapped 4F7potential for greatness, and everyone can live a life of fulfillment and true happiness. Krystal encourages others to Choose Happiness Now, Practice Happiness Every Day, and Make Happiness a Lifestyle. She is the cofounder of http://www.NewDayCounseling.org and http://www.BeHappy4Life.com where you can find hundreds of free resources, online workshops, video presentations, insights, and inspiration to empower people to develop a lifestyle of health, happiness, and love.