Metabolizing Your Daily Thoughts

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When you make a decision to commit to a lifestyle change, you are in effect "metabolizing" your thoughts on a deep cellular level, leading you to change your way of being. How you think, act and behave are permanent altered.

Ever since "The Secret" hit mainstream consciousness, a lot of people have misunderstood the principles behind the law of attraction. They think it's about sitting in their favorite recliner and imagining themselves being, doing and becoming the things they want to attract.

Yes, that's part of it but there's more. A lot more.

It involves elevating your level of consciousness and becoming more aware of your thought process, examining your belief system and actively changing what doesn't work.

If you desire better health, you'd be choosing to eat healthier foods and exercising more. Your thoughts will no longer remain mired on aches and pains and all the medications that go with them.

Let's say you've been invited to a picnic with your friends on a beautiful, gorgeous day. Assuming you've made a decision to get healthier, rather than complaining to everyone how much your leg hurts or regaling them with horror stories from the last visit to the hospital, you'll be in the moment and take in the beautiful weather, enjoy a fun game of horseshoe and feel grateful for the friends who are there with you at the picnic. If you think and behave like this consistently in every area of your life, the aches and pains will soon become a thing of the past because you are no longer focusing on what you don't want!

By making conscious changes to the way we think and perceive the world around us, we become more aware of the quality of thoughts that go through our minds and discard the ones that don't work. We begin to metabolize the kind of thoughts that allow us to see the good in others, develop an attitude of gratitude and believe that everything happens for a divine reason, to name a few.

We all want more prosperity, right? For the law of attraction to work in this area, visualizing financial freedom is only one aspect of it. Examining your money belief system is another piece of the puzzle. You could be visualizing a bulging bank account until you're blue in the face but if you have limiting or self-defeating thoughts like, "Money is the root of all evil, " "Donald Trump is filthy rich" or "Becoming wealthy only happens to other people," then you'll be stuck in a rut until you actively dismantle those thoughts.

The law of attraction requires what I like to call the "metabolizing of prosperity thoughts" to manifest more money. How do you do that? By acting "as if." Tithe as if you already have a lot in the bank. Dress nicer. Expect a check in the mail. When writing a check, instead of thinking it will lower your bank balance, see it being replenished easily and effortlessly. White out your bank balance and add a few zeros to it.

"I'll believe it when I see it."

I'm sure you've heard that one before. Perhaps you've said this yourself at one time or another. In order to attract what you want, the opposite is true. The unseen needs to be metabolized in your thought process before they arrive in physical reality.

Why?

Because the universe is like one giant mirror. It reflects back to you what you see in your mind's eye and believe on a cellular level that you will be, do or have. I think it was Gandhi who said that we need to change our inner world first before the outer world will reflect it.

Here are a couple of quotes I have up on my vision board. They are from the mega-best selling book from the 1990's, "Conversation with God" by Neale Donald Walsch (he made a brief appearance in "The Secret"):

"When you "make up your mind" about something, you set the universe into motion. Forces beyond your ability to comprehend -- far more subtle and complex than you could imagine -- are engaged in a process, the intricate dynamics of which you are only just now beginning to understand."

"Nothing comes to you by accident. There is no such thing as coincidence. Nothing occurs at random. Life is not a product of chance. Events, like people, are drawn to you, by you, for your own purposes.'

Food for thought: Let these two quotes "metabolize" in your mind and take precedence in your daily thinking. They will go a long way to helping understand the law of attraction and gradually bring about desirable lifestyle changes for you!

Blogger Challenge: What Are My Daily Success Habits?

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I've been tagged by Wendy of Creation Thoughts, who I wrote about in "No Such Thing as Competition," to share my daily success habits with you. It is a great idea that was created by Aaron of Today is that Day. I'll also be tagging other bloggers to participate so read all the way through to the end to see if you're next!

Before I respond this delightful challenge, I want to share bits and pieces of a wonderful email I received from one of my new subscribers. She's given me permission to do so.

Hi Stephen:

Your writings definitely show people how to graduate from Adversity University. It's all about "getting the lessons" and sometimes we stay in the wilderness for 40 years (when it was actually a three day journey) because we don't get them.

One of my mentors in real estate kept asking me "what's the lesson?" each time I had something go wrong or had a failure. I could not put my finger on the "what went wrong or why it happened". But after hearing that question over and over again, a light bulb came on, I connected the dots and I applied that to every life situation (not just real estate) and turned my life around from eeking out a living to making ends meet to finally having more than enough.

Although I am a real estate broker, my life purpose is "calling out to me".... For over 20 years I've had on my goal sheet to start a women's ministry...... So many times we are wearing a mask, hurting inside, talking about shoes and clothes when our hearts long to be heard. I wanted to create that sacred space where women could voice the true issues of their heart and I could help them "come forth" (like the caterpillar turning into the butterfly).......

My intention is to write, speak, coach and transform. I got inspiration last night to seek a sponsor to underwrite my project so that everyone who was ready to "come forth" would be able to. ......I know this is the work I was put here to do.

Sharmaine

sharmaine@comcast.net

How beautiful was that?!? She has a grand vision and is taking inspired action when compelled to do so. She practices the act of "letting go and letting God." Sharmaine is taking the principles of the law of attraction to the highest possible level. Won't you join me in granting her continued success? Thanks Sharmaine for letting me share your story!!

Getting back to the blogger challenge, Aaron of "Today is That Day" has asked the blogging world to list between 5 to 10 daily success habits that we are doing to achieve our dreams. They can be anything at all as long as we do them at least 4 to 5 times a week.

Here are the top 10 daily things I do in my quest for inspired success:

1. Express Gratitude: I've been doing this for a long time now but after watching "The Secret," I added a new twist to it. Each morning when I wake up, I automatically turn on my gratitude thoughts and thank God for my blessings. An attitude of gratitude causes me to feel good, setting the tone for the day - essential in manifesting and attracting my intentions.

2. Visualize My Dreams: Several times a week, I visualize myself doing the things I aspire to do like becoming the first deaf pilot to fly a small jet, speaking to thousands in a stadium, signing a mega-best-selling book in bookstores and appearing on Oprah. As I visualize, I create feelings and emotions as if I were already doing these things. Adding emotions and feelings are the key ingredients to the success of visualization. This is how I became the first deaf instrument-rated pilot and a successful stockbroker on Wall Street (among other things). I take the time to do it because I know it works.

3. Workout: Last November 2006, I made a decision to take better care of my body as part of creating an all-around balance that I needed to create better results for myself. I made a commitment to workout at least 5 days a week. The results have been phenomenal. In 5 months, I've lost 16 pounds (178 lbs to 162 lbs) and burned 2 inches off my waist (34" to 32"). Not only do I feel great after each workout, but I've made more room in my mind for inspired ideas to come through because my body feels good overall.

4. Monitor daily thoughts: Some of you may recall a post I wrote called "What Kind of Thoughts Go Through Your Mind?" Instead of operating on auto-pilot as most people tend to do, I pay attention to the thoughts that come through. If they serve the greater good, than I keep them. If they don't, I toss em' out by consciously replacing them with better thoughts!

5. Read a book or watch an inspiring movie: Right now, I'm reading "The Attractor Factor" by Joe Vitale. It's fabulous. I just bought "The Secret" DVD and pop it in my computer when I need to be reminded of the law of attraction principles or need a little boost of energy. I almost never watch the news or TV shows that carry negative energy. I consciously pick and choose what I feel will inspire, uplift and motivate me to the next level.

6. Reprogram my mindset: The secret is to elevate your level of self-awareness and become conscious of your belief system. I make it a daily habit to reprogram my old belief system that no longer serve me. For example, "You have to struggle to make it to the top" becomes "Business comes to me easily and effortlessly."

7. Let Go and Let God: One of the toughest things for most people is to let go and let God. After you set an intention for something to manifest in your life (whether it's more money, a better job, a better relationship, etc), one of the secrets to bringing about the "impossible" is to let it go. Trust the universe will bring about the "how" to you. By letting things go on a conscious level, I am sending a signal to the universe that I am trusting that it will bring about exactly what I desire back to me in more ways than one. "Letting go" prevents me from locking into any one source of manifestation.

8. Take inspired action: Inspired action come from "inner nudges" that compel you to take a specific course of action toward the intention you just put out and let go. Sometimes I get ideas in the shower or through other people's emails, from a book or even a billboard that triggers an actionable idea that feels right. If the action to take feels good, do it! Don't delay. Sharmaine's email (see above) is an example of something she said that triggered an idea for me. All she wrote was: "Your writings definitely show people how to graduate from Adversity University. It's all about getting the lessons....."

This led me to the idea of offering e-courses online, just like a regular university where I would charge tuition and teach life lessons in overcoming adversity over a 5-week period. More details to follow......

9. Ways to Give/Pay it Forward: Famous motivational speaker Zig Ziglar says "if you help just enough other people get what they want, you get what you want." I am always thinking how I can give back in the form of tithing money, spending quality time with someone, sharing ideas or tips, expressing love, giving recognition and experiencing gratitude, etc. You'll recall Joe Vitale's e-book I told you about in an earlier post about the power of giving.

10. Write something: Every day I peck away at the keyboard and hone my writing skills. Either I'm creating a new story for this blog, responding to someone's email or working on my book. People have said my writing is "hypnotic" because it pulls them into the stories I've written and makes them feel they are not "just reading" but actually witnessing and experiencing the emotional charges from events that appear to be unfolding right in front of their own eyes. This is really exciting because I find that when I write from the heart, the words flow easily and effortlessly. Because it's such a joy to write, it creates good feelings, which increases my energy vibration on that day, causing me to attract what I want into my life.

There's actually more that I do on a daily basis but this covers all the bases. Thanks again to Aaron of Today is that Day for this wondeful idea and for Wendy of Creation Thoughts for "tagging" me.

Here are a handful of bloggers I am tagging:

Steve: "Personal Development for Smart People"

Tony: "FUN Meetings"

Joe Vitale: "Mr. Fire"

Michael of "Dream Job Dialog"

Stephen: "Goal Free Living"

Miss Dennis: "Dairy of a Bronx Teacher"

Anonymous: "CaliforniaTeacherGuy"

Meryl: "Bionic Ear Blog"

Karen: "A Deaf Mom Shares Her World"

Rajesh: "Life Beyond Code"

Jason: "What is Metaphysics"

Food for thought: Go and inspire someone today!

No Such Thing as Competition

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Did the title catch your attention? I'll bet it did because we're all taught from an early age that in order to win, we must compete against others.

The notion of competition lends to the idea that there isn't enough to go around. But it flies in the face of the universal source of abundance - the universe has unlimited resources.

In his blog, Steve Pavlina makes a very interesting point:

What happens when people put out conflicting intentions, like two people intending to get the same promotion when only one position is available?

Since you’re the only intender, this is entirely an internal conflict — within YOU. You’re holding the thought (the intention) for both people to want the same position. But you’re also thinking (intending) that only one can get it. So you’re intending competition. This whole situation is your creation. You believe in competition, so that’s what you manifest. Maybe you have some beliefs (thoughts and intentions) about who will get the promotion, in which case your expectations will manifest. But you may have a higher order belief that life is random, unfair, uncertain, etc., so in that case you may manifest a surprise because that’s what you’re intending.

Interesting point of view, isn't it?

Not enough companies do this but have you noticed how some of them (who might be considered competitors) have found that by collaborating their resources, for example, to make a movie or drill oil in the Far East, they are accomplishing what they could not do by themselves?

The other day I mentioned that after googling "law of attraction," I stumbled upon Wendy's "Creation Thoughts" blog. I was so taken by her articles on this subject that I read every single one of them well into the night. Her articles then led me to her other website.

As you already know, I was so impressed that not only did I end up subscribing to her motivational newsletter but I also linked my blog to her sites. Then I wrote her a glowing email thanking her for the well written articles and explained how they touched me. In that email, I informed her that "Adversity University" readers now knew about her. She was so grateful that she ended up exchanging what we call in the blogging world "love links." You can read some of the wonderful comments she made about me here.

The point?

To the average person, Wendy and I might be considered "competitors" because we are both writers and public speakers. That might lead some people to think that we wouldn't want to help one another because in their minds, there aren't enough speaking/writing opportunities out there. After all they might argue, if you googled "motivational speakers," you'd get page after page of speakers. Too many speakers and not enough speaking/writing opportunities. Right??

Not so!

According to the law of attraction, if you intend to experience competition, that's what you will attract. I will tell you that of all the professional speaking engagements that came my way, I've never had to compete with another speaker. To date, I've been hired on the basis of three things: 1) my speaking website, 2) my press kit (without a video) and finally 3) word of mouth. To my knowledge, it never came down between me and someone else!

We do not need to compete because we are all unique with unique skills, thoughts and energy patterns. None of us are the same. We might have like thoughts but we have different ways of expressing ourselves. We have different writing styles and talents.

A case in point: Not everyone is a deaf motivational speaker who happens to be a former Wall Street stockbroker. Nor does anyone write the way I do. No one else became the first deaf pilot in the world to be instrument rated. Finally, no one owns the rights to the "The Jordan Factor" speech because it was I who experienced that (about my fifth grade teacher who caused a ripple effect on my life years ago).

Another example: How about a man who I have the honor and privilege of being my mentor, Howard Putnam? He bills himself as a former CEO of Southwest Airlines - you can see his site here. He is in great demand as a speaker and business consultant all over the world. Do you think he's worried about competition from other speakers? Although he has not specifically said anything to me on this subject, I would venture to say he isn't.

Why?

Because he knows he will attract the right kind of clientele who need to hear about his leadership techniques. There are very few "former Southwest CEO's" out there on the lecture circuit. He has his own style of presentation that is uniquely his and his alone. Whether or not he is aware of the spiritual law of giving principles, he certainly walks the talk. Not only has he reached out to me and opened some doors in the world of speaking, but he has also told others about me, just like I have told others about Wendy.

Do you see what I mean? Like Howard Putnam, Wendy and I, you are very unique and whatever it is that you have to offer, there are plenty of takers out there. Why do you think marketing experts tell us to look within ourselves and find something unique about ourselves? You have a story that's dying to be shared with the world. Your experiences are yours alone and that makes you makes you quite special.

Go and tell! And don't worry about competition. It doesn't exist unless you make it so.

Food for thought: You only experience competition if you intend it. Famous motivational speaker Zig Ziglar once said "if you help just enough other people get what they want, you'll get what you want."

The Flight Instructor Who Gave Selflessly

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Today I was going to write about the success of the "Flight to Hartford" project and tie it into the universal laws of attraction and giving. But something else came up, taking priority.

I just learned that a man who helped me make my dreams of becoming a pilot seven years ago recently passed away. While I understand most of you didn't know him, I want to share the story of how we met and the incredible impact he had on my life. I believe and hope you'll be touched even if you're not a pilot yourself.

We could all learn how to give selflessly like he did. I don't know whether or not he was aware of the universal laws of attraction and giving but he was sure a good model for someone who did.

Here's the story.

Right around the turn of the 21st century, I was still in the process of building my speaking and writing career so I was looking for a part-time job to pay the bills in between professional speaking engagements.

It was also at this time when I was already a month or two into flight training but my original instructor was offered a new job in Colorado so I was forced to find a replacement elsewhere.

One day, I had an inspiration to visit other airports to see if I could get a job at a place where they taught people how to fly. I thought, "Why not? Might as well shoot two birds with one stone."

After visiting one or two and being told nothing was available, I decided to venture a little further out and try Oakland Troy airport, a 30 minute drive from my home.

It was nestled among a fast growing metropolitan area (Troy, Michigan, USA) complete with a new strip mall, new apartments, a giant Wal-Mart and an assortment of other industrial buildings. The only area with open space was a small golf course nearby. The airport was big enough to accommodate corporate jets yet small enough not to require an air traffic control tower.

Pulling onto the newly repaved airport parking lot, I noticed a small circular white terminal building up ahead.

"That must be where I can find the personnel department," I thought.

Upon setting foot inside, I was surprised to see only a couple of people milling about, drinking coffee and reading the paper. A jovial looking man with rosy cheeks was pouring himself a steaming hot cup of coffee.

Seeing that I was a new face in the place, he set his coffee down and came barreling toward me at 800 mph with an outstretched hand. It startled the heck out of me.

After regaining my composure, I made the mistake of accepting his bone-crushing handshake, causing me to wince in pain.

Trying to hide my pained expression, I said, "Hi, my name is Stephen Hopson and I'm looking for the personnel department."

"And I'm Don Solms," he boomed. He was still pumping my now lifeless hand.

Finally releasing his grip, he said, "Oh, you want a job here?" His face brightened even more, if that were possible.

"Yes, do you know of any openings?" I was massaging my fatally injured hand, opening and closing it repeatedly.

"I think they might be looking for someone. HEY, let me take you over to the other building to Susan's office. She's the personnel director. COME ON!"

Just before going in her office, Don thrust his business card in my hand and said cheerfully, "Good luck. Shoot me an email later. You'll have to come over to my hangar where I keep my plane. Okay?"

Keeping both hands within the safety confines of my pockets, I said, "Thanks Don." I could tell he wanted another hand shake. Fat chance buddy!

Susan then introduced me to two guys named Carl Barnes and Jason Zimmerman. They were both young men who were in charge running flight services. The interview went well and I ended up being hired. As a line service rep, I would be responsible for fueling and towing airplanes, among other things. It marked the beginning of an incredible 4 years at that airport.

One day, Don was hanging out at his hangar where he kept his prized Skylane. It was sunny and breezy. His hangar door was wide open, allowing cool air to swirl around inside. It was an open invitation to anyone who happened to come by. Spotting me in the fuel truck (I was motoring my way back to the terminal after fueling a customer's plane), he waved me in and offered me a cold soda.

Ten minutes into the conversation, my dreams of becoming a pilot somehow surfaced. I told him that I was actually looking for a new instructor and was trying to save up some money to resume flight training.

Before he could respond, my vibrating pager distracted me with a new text message. There was another fuel order and I had to get going.

"Don, I've gotta go - they are telling me to fuel another airplane. See ya later!"

As I got up to leave, he grabbed my arm and gave it a powerful squeeze. My mind did a quick flashback to that day in the terminal. This time his eyes were sparkling like stars. And he was grinning stupidly.

I was in no way prepared for what he was about to say next.

"I would be honored to be your flight instructor and I won't charge you for my time. All you'd be responsible for is the cost of renting an airplane."

My God, an angel was in my midst and I knew it.

Absentmindedly rubbing my arms to stem the tide of goose bumps that was spreading like wildfire all over my body, I said, "Wow, really? Thanks man!"

Then he turned serious for a moment and said, "When are you free for your first lesson?"

Thrown off balance since I didn't expect it to happen so soon, I said, "Well, how about tomorrow?"

"Okay, you got it! " he thundered. Then he winked as if he were saying, "our secret."

The rest was history. He was true to his word. Months of flight training with this man proved to be quite an adventure.

He was best known as a jokester, even in the cockpit. Now you have to picture this in your mind. There we were, me, a deaf student pilot and him, a 250 pound flight instructor with a large football frame who liked to poke his elbow at me every time he made a joke. And get this...he thought everything he said was funny!

Ouch!

Aside from his wry sense humor, he was one of the most patient flight instructors I would ever have. Every time we got ready for a lesson, he'd explain in the classroom what we were going to do and then we'd go up and fly.

If he wanted to explain something while we were flying, he'd take control of the airplane while I read his lips and then we'd resume the lesson. Don was one of those rare flight instructors who did not care about building flight time for a future career with the airlines. He was in it for the long haul. In fact, it wasn't until after 50 plus years of flying and instructing that he finally hung up his wings last year.

He truly enjoyed the fine art of teaching and it showed. He never yelled at his students like some flight instructors who think they are drill sergeants with big egos. His students were his prized possessions and he treated all of them with the respect they deserved.

On December 3, 2000 Don had one big surprise up his sleeve. It was a calm, sunny day. We were scheduled to do some practice takeoffs and landings. After doing three of them, he instructed me to taxi over to the ramp by the white terminal building where I first met him months earlier.

Trying to hide his delight, he said, "Let me see your logbook for a sec."

Arching my right arm as far back as I could behind the front seats, I snatched the logbook out of my bulging black flight bag and gave it to him.

Suddenly it dawned on me that today was "the day." He was going to sign me off for my first solo flight!

I felt an involuntary shudder.

After scribbling his signature, he turned and looked at me. His brown eyes were sparkling again. The smile was even bigger than before. He was absolutely giddy, like a child on Christmas morning.

"So Mr. Hopson, are you ready?" he thundered.

"Yes, Don, get the hell out!" I thundered back, half joking.

Roaring like a lion, Don heaved his 250 pound football frame out of the airplane, closed and locked the door with a loud click. Then he did something that forever burned in my mind.

Like a five-star general sending his young fighter pilots off to war, he gave me a smart salute!

I almost burst to tears. It was deeply touching. No one ever did that to me before. Despite being more than ready to solo, I still felt a touch of trepidation so I returned the favor with a slightly shaky hand. Thank God he was too far away to see that.

Taxiing into position on the runway, I took a deep breath and firewalled the throttle causing the airplane to literally leap into the air. I remember thinking, "so this is what everyone means when they say the plane will bounce into the air without your instructor!"

Within seconds after takeoff, all the training kicked in and it was just another exercise around the airport pattern. The only difference was...well, I was alone.

After three takeoffs and landings, the venerable flight instructor waved me over and gave the signal to cut the engine. He stood there like a proud papa and motioned for me to go over to where he was standing. Instead of shaking my hand, he wrapped his huge arms around me and gave me a bone crushing hug. But, hey, I didn't mind.

Five months later, one day short of my birthday, he finally signed me off to take my pilot certification flight test (i.e. "checkride") with Mary Carpenter, one of the toughest but fairest FAA examiners from the area. He and Terry Ryan (his airplane co-owner at the time), both accompanied me on the flight to Pontaic airport, a mere 10 minutes away where the examiner's office was located. He wanted to be there when Mrs. Carpenter and I were done with the checkride.

Two hours later, the examiner walked briskly into the waiting area, smiled and said, "Congratulations, Stephen passed with flying colors!"

Don roared his approval.

We all went out to have our pictures taken by the airplane and that's when he said to me, "I'll sit in the back seat on the return flight. Congratulations Mr. Pilot in Command!"

It was the greatest, grandest gesture another human being could ever have bestowed upon me. I'll never forget it. He was that kind of man. Don believed in me so much that he was literally the only person at that airport who believed I would one day become the world's first deaf instrument rated pilot.

Six years later, I did it, defying every naysayer in the aviation business. In February 06, I became the world's first deaf instrument rated pilot. For that I salute Don Solms for believing in me.

Here's to you Don!

Click here for his obituary. Note a small insertion in there about a "hearing impaired pilot." Can you guess who that was?

Food for thought: Have you considered the power of the law of giving and helped make someone else's dream come true this week?

An Unexpected Gift from the Universe

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Did you enjoy yesterday's story about the temperamental "money laundering" machine? I hope you did because I really had fun with it. The creative process of writing truly nurtures my soul and gives me great inner joy. Once I get going, the creative juices start to flow and I often find myself in the "zone" where words seem to come through easily and effortlessly. I am very grateful when that happens.

Ready for another story?

Unbeknownst to me, one of the vice presidents in charge of enrollment counselors at the University of Phoenix was in the midst of preparing for a celebratory meeting for her staff members. They had reached the magical 1,000 student enrollment number (700 students on campus and 300 online) and she wanted to acknowledge her group for their hard work.

She originally contracted with a comedy troupe to entertain on the day of the staff meeting. But right from the start she was beset with an overwhelming nagging feeling that the comedy troupe wasn't exactly what she wanted. Whether or not she was aware of it, God was speaking to her. Fortunately, she listened to her intuition and went online in search for the right keynote speaker. Almost immediately she found my professional speaking website (http://www.sjhopson.com/).

Her eyes were drawn to one of my keynote topics ("That's Right, Stephen!!") that felt like a perfect fit. It's about the impact my fifth grade teacher made on me years ago with three words and how it caused a ripple effect throughout the rest of my life. It fit like a glove because she wanted to remind everyone the impact they were making on the students, many of whom are the first within their families to attend college.

With great excitement at this unexpected discovery, she emailed me at the very last minute to check into my availability on Friday, March 16, 2007. It so happened that I was available. A speaking contract was drawn up and a flurry of emails flew back and forth to make final arrangements.

Little did I know the universe had something bigger planned for me. It would lead me to take action on an inspired thought that I had not considered before. A couple of the teachers in "The Secret" DVD said when the universe gives you a course of action to take, do it! Don't delay, don't doubt, just ACT with faith.

Due to the fact that we were short on time and that I require a 50% deposit to hold all speaking dates, I gave the meeting planner two options. One was to FEDEX the check and the other was to use the donation button on this blog for immediate payment (look to the right and you'll see a yellow PayPal decal).

To my surprise, not only did she opt to use the PayPal donation button but she paid the entire speaking fee two days ahead of time! It was unprecedented, taking me completely by surprise. This is where the universe inspired me to create a new payment center on my speaking website so that future clients have the option of electronically paying my speaking fees in full or at least with a 50% deposit prior to the engagement.

Wow, why didn't I think of that before?

Clearly, this was a message from the universe telling me several things. One was how to increase my prosperity. Two, the fact that this client was willing to pay the entire fee upfront, sight unseen, was an indication that I continue to be in sync with the universal spiritual principles. Three, it was telling me that I am attracting other people with integrity because what you give out, you get back.

Despite these messages, the universe was not still not done with me yet. It had more surprises up its sleeve.

Not only did I have a lot of fun with the audience (I invited a staff member up onto the stage to perform an act, upon which I gave a free copy of the "heartwarmer" book containing the story about Mrs. Jordan), but they also gave me an unexpected standing ovation. Several people approached me afterwards simply because they wanted to hug me. Others wanted some advice. A few told me they were going to share this story with their families at home. Some even asked for an autograph!

It was a most amazing day and it all happened because the meeting planner had a nagging feeling and acted upon it. Her actions triggered a series of events that I could never have orchestrated on my own. It was the law of giving and attraction at work in its finest hour!

This is another example of how you receive in other ways and not necessarily from the recipient of your gifts. By consistently giving and tapping into the law of attraction, you draw to yourself other people and circumstances of like-energy.

Food for thought: Consciously adopting and integrating the law of giving and attraction opens the way for miracles to happen. Why do you think the meeting planner had a nagging feeling? How do you think she was led to my site? Do you think any of that was an accident?

Giving Really Does Lead to Receiving

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Yesterday I wrote about the spiritual law of giving, which leads to receiving if done correctly and with the right mindset. I promised I would reveal some of the things that have happened to me as a result of tapping into this universal law.

The most recent act of giving and receiving actually transpired on the same day I wrote the article. It certainly helped that I was feeling GOOD because that opened the way for an attitude of gratitude, an important co-existing spiritual principle.

Plans were made to have lunch with a friend who happens to be an airline pilot. Since he had a flight to catch (no pun intended), we agreed to meet at a restaurant close to the freeway so that afterwards he could head straight to Cleveland airport with minimum delay.

Since the article I had just written that morning was still fresh on my mind, I decided I would "walk the talk" and do something about it. So I made a secret decision to treat Les for lunch. It felt free, clear and without any expectation of return (important rules of true giving).

When the waiter took our order, instead of asking for separate checks like I normally do, (it makes dining out with friends so much easier, wouldn't you agree?), I requested that our orders be taken on one check this time.

As I was saying this, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Les raised an eyebrow. He was caught off guard.

Good!

Inwardly I chuckled with delight. This was really fun - there's nothing more satisfying than seeing the surprise register on an unsuspecting recipient's face!

When the check finally came, I immediately snatched it from the waiter's hand and paid for it with minimum of fuss or resistance from Les (a good thing because receiving is just as important as giving - it keeps the give and take cycle flowing).

We bid farewell with me wishing him a safe flight. On my way home, it occurred to me that I needed to do a fresh load of laundry. I had recently bought a new brand of Tide detergent called "Simple Pleasures" (Vanilla and Lavender scent) and was eager to try it.

The first thing I did after arriving home was to rip the bed sheets off the mattress and take them down to the laundry room. After piling them in the washing machine and pouring a full cap of delicious smelling detergent on top of it, I inserted the laundry card to pay for the load.

The digital readout flashed: LOW.

Darn! There wasn't enough on the laundry card to pay for it.

I had forgotten to add more money to it the last time I did laundry. Galloping back up the stairs two steps at a time to my apartment, I peered into my wallet and found, to my relief, a crisp ten dollar bill waiting for me.

There was just one more thing I had to do to make this laundry a reality.

Jumping into my car (I was operating on pure adrenaline - I must have had one too many cups of coffee that morning), I sped up to the management's office where they had a wall-mounted money laundering machine in the lobby so that tenants could put more funds on their cards 24/7.

Upon arriving, I breathlessly inserted the laundry card in the designated slot and then attempted to slide the new ten dollar bill into the mouth of the red machine.

To my horror, the beast spit it out not once but several times. Apparently its taste buds found the crisp paper money too bitter of a bill to swallow!

No matter what I did to coax the temperamental machine into eating its lunch, it steadfastly refused to nibble. In an attempt to stem the rising bile of desperation, I took a deep breath and murmured to myself, "Okay, okay, all is not lost."

There was one last course of action.

I spun around and went straight to the assortment of buttons behind me and rang the bell of the leasing agent's office. It took a few minutes for the pleasantly plump woman to answer the door and buzz me in.

Apparently she was in a good mood for she was smiling and seemed to have an extra spring in her step. "This is a good sign," I thought.

Do you have an older ten dollar bill to swap with me?" I asked hopefully. "I can't seem to get this in the machine."

"No, we don't keep cash in our office," she said. "Here, let me try."

She proceeded to do exactly the same thing I did with the same dismal results.

But after the third or fourth try, the machine suddenly decided that it was hungry after all and greedily lapped the money up.

During the ensuing feeding frenzy, the machine's brain went haywire because instead of reading $10.00, it reported that it just took in $20.00, TWICE THE AMOUNT!

Shocked (and awed at the same time) I had to take a double look, just to make sure I wasn't imagining things. I even pointed it out to the leasing agent and she was like, "Hey, you lucky boy!"

To the average person, this incident would have seemed to be a lucky stroke of coincidence.

But you and I know better.

It was not an accident.

It was a message from the universe that I was in the flow, in sync with universal spiritual principles. It was a sign of more prosperity to come because I, the giver, gave with an open heart, without attachment and with complete freedom and joy earlier that day.

And look what happened - the universe indirectly paid for my friend's lunch!

Yesterday's experience was an example of how you don't always get something back directly from the recipient of your giving. It also shows how quickly the universe can respond to your generosity. Other times, you may not see anything tangible for days, months or even years. It all happens on the universe's timetable, not yours. That's why it's important to trust and let go.

Yes, I have a couple more "give and take" stories to share with you in the coming days. It has to do with a speaking engagement that came about unexpectedly last week and the rip-roaring success I am having with the "Flight to Hartford" project with my church.

Stay tuned!

Food for thought: The most effective remedy to unblock the flow of prosperity is true giving. This law of giving will never fail to astound you. Try today!

Greatest Secret to Unblocking the Flow of Prosperity

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Last night I was hungry for more information on the "Law of Attraction" because I've been studying and applying its principles to my daily life with phenomenal success. It is a topic that holds utter fascination for me because while I am very aware of its existence, I've barely scratched the surface with respect to understanding HOW it really works. It's a lot like electricity. I know it works but I don't know how. I simply switch on the flip and there is my light. The "Law of Attraction" and other spiritual principles are a lot like that.

As a result of googling "Law of Attraction," I stumbled onto a wonderful website whose name caught my eye: http://www.wingsfortheheart.com/

Can you guess why?

Hint: The key word is"Wings."

You may recall that I'm a pilot. Not only that, but I'm heading up a book project for my church that happens to have "wings" in the working title: Wind Under Wings. Compelled, I opened the door to her website and was hooked. I ended up burning the midnight oil and read every single article she had on the subject of the "Law of Attraction." I was so taken by her writing that I delved even deeper and that's when I hit pay dirt.

On her site is a free e-book by Joe Vitale. Does his name ring a bell? It should. Long before the wildly successful "The Secret" DVD came out (he is one of the teachers featured), he was already famous for his best-selling book, "Spiritual Marketing."

Joe has a most amazing story. For 15 years he lived in poverty in Houston, Texas. From there he rose to become a well known marketing guru with a special twist. Like me, Joe is an avid student of metaphysics. He is famous for harnessing spiritual and marketing principles together. If you haven't seen "The Secret," you'll love listening to him. Even though I can't hear his voice (I'm deaf, remember?), I've heard that he has a hypnotic voice. People love listening to his tapes because they are so soothing and have a wonderful calming effect. He has the capability of inspiring people to action and touching their hearts because he is so genuine. There is nothing fluffy about this guy - in fact, I've put him on my list of people I desire to meet during my lifetime!

What I read stunned me.

The title of Joe's e-book? The Greatest Money Making Secret in History!

It should have been titled "The Greatest Secret to Unblocking the Flow of Prosperity" but then which title holds greater emotional appeal?

Exactly.

It is 111 pages long. I read it in under two hours. I went to bed so excited, I couldn't wait to write about it the next morning. I'll give you the link to his e-book at the end but let me have the opportunity to share with you what I learned first:

1. You can never "out give" the universe. When you give from the heart and without any expectation of return, the universe returns the gift multiplied many times over.

2. Never, ever expect anything in return, especially from the beneficiary of your giving. Just know that you will receive. Sound confusing? It isn't. Knowing and expecting are two different things. When you expect to receive, you put yourself in the "if I do this, I'll get that." That's called manipulation. On the other hand, if you give without expecting any return, you put yourself in the mode of knowing you will get back but letting the universe handle the details for you. How exciting is that??

3. You may think you have little to give because of the current size of your bank account or debt situation but all you have to do is open your eyes and look. Even the little you have can be shared with others. Don't wait until you have "a lot" to give away. Do it now and you'll open up channels that were previously closed to you.

4. Sometimes the return from giving happens very quickly. Other times it takes longer. Never put a timetable on your return. Stay open and trust the universe.

5. Don't give out of a sense of obligation or fear (i.e. people or organizations that prey on your sense of guilt or a preacher who says the bible demands that you tithe, etc.). Give with genuine gratitude. Give to people who inspire, heal, serve and love you.

6. In fact, the best time to give (especially when your bank account is extremely small and you do not yet have the financial abundance that you envision for yourself) is to wait until you are feeling GOOD. We all have our mood swings - we all have our ups and downs because that's the natural ebb and flow of life. Sooner or later, you will be feeling really good about something for whatever reason. You will be inspired, motivated or given a ray of hope to the point where you are feeling very grateful. That's the perfect time to give. When you give without any fear, attachment or expectation, you unlock the universal law of prosperity, making way for more to come back to you from unexpected sources.

7. The more you practice giving away, the more you stretch your prosperity consciousness. For example, in the last year and a half, I've made it a regular habit to tithe at least 10 percent of my income to people or places that provide me with spiritual nourishment. Lately, that recipient happens to be my church not because the preacher asks for it but because I feel grateful that I found a place where everyone is welcome, unlike many of the churches in this day and age. That, to me, is priceless spiritual nourishment. As a result, I give to my church because I want and feel inspired to, not because I have to. Huge difference.

8. When you give money away, you are sending a message to the universe that you are prosperous and in the flow. You also set yourself up as a money magnet - what goes out comes back.

9. The key principle is to know that you cannot fool or manipulate the universe - if you give grudgingly or out of pity or obligation, you are actually blocking yourself from the giving and receiving cycle. The underlying emotion when you give must be out of sense of love, gratitude and freedom. When you give, are you excited? Or are you fearful?

10. Give love, you get back love. Give time, you get back time. Give money, you get back money. Give books, you get back books. The universe mirrors exactly what you give out.

11. Here's the greatest secret of unblocking the flow of your prosperity. How do you feel when you write checks? Do you cringe, get a funny feeling in your stomach? Let's say you write a check for your church every Sunday. How does that make you feel? Have you ever asked yourself why you are writing this check? If you say: "I'm helping them out of a hole" or "I feel obligated" or "My preacher says I'll go to hell if I don't tithe," you're definitely on the wrong path. Not good. When you feel lousy giving money, you are sending a message to the universe that you are associating money with bad feelings. That's like saying, "money makes me feel bad." Have you ever thought of it that way? It's mind-blowing!

12. Do people owe you money? Have you forgiven them? When you harbor anger or resentment against those who owe you, you are blocking yourself. Why don't you just let them go? Silently bless them and know that you will be paid in full some other way.

13. How do you feel when you write a check to pay off your creditors? Just the other day, I wrote a check to pay off an invoice for videotaping services rendered for my speaking business. It was for a substantial amount, taking a large chunk of money out of my checking account. In the past, I would have felt fear in the pit of my stomach but on that day I actually felt exhilarated. Writing that check made me feel like a million bucks. It gave me a feeling of incredible inner peace because I could only imagine the look of surprise on the recipient's face. Several months ago, he told me to take my time, trusting that I would eventually pay up in full. Never once did he complain or hold any grudges against me. He simply trusted that I would pay. When I finally had the money to pay him, I was feeling so incredibly thankful for his trust in me that while I was writing the check, I was actually feeling very excited! According to Joe Vitale, this kind of emotion is the back-door to unlocking your prosperity.

14. Become aware that the universe, God (or whatever label you want to put on it), is your main source, not your friends, your debtors, creditors, business associates, family, etc. Broaden your perspective and know that the universe will provide exactly what you need, ask and visualize for yourself.

15. Try giving anonymously. What a concept! What you give is between you and God and the universe anyway. Other people don't need to know about it. Don't give because you want your name up on some building or recognition to satisfy your ego. Why not surprise someone with an anonymous gift? True, you may never know how that person reacted because he/she won't know it came from you. But put yourself in that person's shoes. If you received a gift anonymously, how would that make you feel? Wouldn't you sing your heart out or feel grateful? Sure you would! Why don't you try that?

16. One of the contributing authors, Paul Hartunianin, in Joe's e-book put it very concisely. I couldn't have said it better than him: "I have no problem with someone being recognized for giving, he added. But if you give because you want recognition or you expect a ten-fold return, then you're not giving, you're calculating." Wow! We humans sure know how to manipulate things, don't we?

As promised, here's the link to Joe's e-book. I guarantee you'll love it. You might even lose sleep over it!

Food for thought: Think of the person, persons or organizations that inspired you this week. Who made you feel good about your life, your dreams or your goals? Give money to that source and don't be stingy. Come from the mindset of abundance, not scarcity. Give without expecting return from that recipient but know that you are setting yourself up for a return from some other source. And then watch what happens! You will be absolutely amazed.

(NOTE: In a future blog entry, I will list some things that have personally happened to me as a result of my "giving from the heart campaign.")

What Others Think of You is None of Your Business!

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We all want to be liked and respected by others, right? We sometimes worry what people will think of us when we decide on a certain course of action.

But herein lies the problem.

It is impossible to make everyone happy with the choices we make. If you worry about getting everyone's approval, you'd never get anywhere. You'd be right where they some of them want you to be. If you're not following your heart and achieving your dreams, well, that would be just fine with them!

When I made the decision to go from a safe, 9-to-5 clock-punching job at the bank to a career as a stockbroker at Merrill Lynch, I thought I would never hear the end of the comments some of these people were making like, "You're crazy!" "You'll never make it in this business." Had I listened to them, I would not have gone on to enjoy a six-figure, award-winning career at the firm. I would never have known that I had what it took to make it in the securities business. You can read about an interview I had with them here.

The same thing happened when I made yet another stomach-turning decision to quit Wall Street to follow my dreams of becoming an inspirational speaker, writer and eventually pilot. In fact, the naysayers were out in full force!

Several years after I left Wall Street, I made the mistake of telling certain people about my dreams of becoming the world's first deaf instrument rated pilot. They said, "Now, be realistic, it will never happen."

One man, a flight instructor, even went out of his way to prove to me just how impossible that would be. He enthusiastically flipped through the pages of a large, thick book of FAA regulations. When he found what he was looking for, he gleefully pounded his finger on the page where it was written in black and white that two-way radio communication was required for the instrument rating. And then he laughed right at my face, vigorously shaking his head. I'll never forget that day - it made me even more resolved than ever to achieve it.

Who do you think got the last laugh?

People who are two-faced, jealous or critical because of your success are those who have their own issues to grapple with. Their negative emotions usually have nothing to do with you. I know it's hard, but you cannot take it personally.

What you may not be aware of is how fearful they are of moving forward and because of that, they are stuck in a rut - they don't want to see you get ahead either. Perhaps they're having financial problems so they don't want to see you driving around in a new car, reminding them of their situation. Maybe they're insecure with themselves and do not want to take responsibility for all the things they are attracting into their lives - so they pelt you with criticism because you happen to be the closest target. "Well meaning" people might even disguise their behavior behind the facade of "tough love." Has any of this happened to you? Well, you're not alone!

But let's turn the tables on you for a moment. Were you passed over for a promotion? Did a friend inherit a large sum of money or win the lottery? Did someone you know get a fabulous career opportunity? Was your business acquaintance someone who was selected over you for a major contract? How did that make you feel? Were you jealous or genuinely happy for them? Be honest with yourself.

If you were jealous, it means deep down, you don't think you can enjoy the same kind of blessings. According to the law of attraction, that's like telling the universe you feel you cannot have what just happened to them. "Your wish is my command, " is what the universe says in response.

On the other hand, if you are genuinely happy and excited for them, it means you intuitively know and understand that bigger and better things are in store for you too. You understand that God will reward you in time - it's just a matter of due course. So why not celebrate the success of others while you wait for your turn? Wouldn't you want them at your table, celebrating with you when that time came? Who wouldn't? It's no fun celebrating all by yourself!

This is why it's so important to surround yourself with the right people. Last year I wrote an article on this. You can see it here.

In short, the more successful you become, the more potshots that will sling your way. They are simply distractions. And when they arrive, it's very tempting to get distracted from your vision and try to explain yourself or otherwise reason with them. But sometimes no matter how hard you try, they will not "get it" anyway. Realize that not everyone will want to celebrate with you at the table.

The very first lesson I learned about "energy wasters" came while I was a stockbroker at Merrill Lynch. The branch manager had transferred an elderly lady's portfolio to my care. I soon found out why.

At the time, I was a young rookie, eager to please, so I was thrilled to get her account. Every time she asked me to search for new investments for her portfolio, I was like an eager beaver, digging in and spending countless hours looking for the best possible solution only to have her reject my recommendations again and again. With an upturned nose she would invariably say, "That is just not good enough, keep looking!" Pretty soon I was expending all of my energy trying to please her at the expense of my other clients.

Eventually I got smart and realized how I was wasting so much precious time trying to win her over. I ended up "firing her." Her account was transferred yet again to another unsuspecting stockbroker who had no idea of what was coming. The act of letting her go freed me up to assist those who genuinely wanted my advice.

Critics like her abound everywhere. I soon learned that lady was a bitter, unhappy person who had lost her husband and was living a lonely life somewhere in the city. Looking back, I remember when were first introduced. There she was, sitting there with a permanent scowl written all over her face along with a severely pinched forehead. She never smiled and complained about everything she could think of. Unfortunately, being a young, eager beaver, I never paid heed to the warning signs but there they were in extravagant display for all to see!

The lesson I learned is that you must pay heed to what's in your heart, stay focused on your dreams and do not get involved with other people's negative drama. It may be tempting to get down to their level and "fight the good fight" to win them over or even prove them wrong.

NO.

That's not your job. That's the universe's job. Let God handle the naysayers for you.

The more successful you become, the more jealous and critical people you will encounter on the way up. You must learn to steer clear from them - love them at a distance. Do not let them embroil you in their drama. So what if they can't see your vision? So what if they don't like you? So what if they think you're crazy for taking a certain course of action? It's your life, not theirs! If they want to stay where they are, let them be. You must go on.

If a well-meaning person comes up to you and says, "Hey, I overheard so and so talking about you behind your back." This would be a perfect time to put your hand up and say, "No, I don't have time for gossip. I can't control what people will say about me and it's none of my business anyway." Put a stop to it right then and there. That will stop the negative energy from snowballing and consuming you.

On the other hand, if someone starts to gossip about another person in your presence, you could put a stop to it and steer the conversation in a different, more positive and productive direction. Change the energy of the conversation and put some good energy back into it. Don't become a "gossiper" - take the high road and let God handle the rest.

Food for thought: If you let what others think of you become your business, it will consume all of your time and energy, draining you of the ability to move on with your dreams. If God put a desire in your heart and it genuinely feels good, then no one can tell you otherwise.