A Thanksgiving Meditation

I have written in a number of places about my definition of the "comfort zone," which is "that barren area which surrounds you and within which nothing new will grow. I've further explained that the barrier or fence at the edge of anyone's comfort zone is always, always, always some type of fear. Childen, before they get indoctrinated with the fears and fences of families, communities, and cultures, typically have wide open comfort zones. As time and experiences accumulate, all too often the comfort zone gets smaller and smaller.

My biggest dys-comfort (dys being an abbreviation that stands for Doesn't Yet See) zone in the particular lifetime has been in the financial zone. I can look back over my life and see how very far I've come in realigning my energy with money and wealth, which in the past was completely in scarcity. However, I've not yet REAL-ized -- made real -- the financial abundance that I now KNOW is my (and everyone's!) birthright.

Recently, I've been aware that magnificent abundance is hovering very near my physical manifestation; it's all right there so close to physical manifestation, but not quite HERE. Now, I must confess that there have been some feelings of frustration and fear. Bless them, they are the needle of my compass pointing out that my energy needs re-alignment.

Thanksgiving Day I went for a long walk along the river, loving the moment, loving the day, loving the dinner experiences I was looking forward to, loving myself and my world. BEing outdoors in a beautiful place always makes it easier for me to be easier in my energy, to release blocks and let it flow more easily.

Toward the end of my walk, I found myself surrounded by love, knowing and experiencing that I was breathing in love and breathing out love. I was immersed in love energy. I was experiencing the fear/resistance to my financial aboundance as a clear wave just in front of me. As I breathed out love, the boundary in front of me, melted down as it was bathed with the love energy of my breath. With each breath, the fear fence melted more and became smaller and smaller until I was aware that there was no boundary between me and Infinite Abundance and Prosperity.

It was important to me to take time out of my holiday weekend and share this experience with you in the belief that you will locate it and find it of value to your own abundance journey. Peace, blessings, great joy, and abundance!

Thanksgiving Thoughts

I awoke this morning in a state of resistance, finding myself in the dollar doldrums. I immediately realized that my energy was NOT where I wanted it to be and began to apply the various strategies I've learned to move up the scale. The letting go of very old, ingrained habits of thought and emotion continues to be an on-going challenge for me.

I've got the concepts in my head -- the understanding that we are ALL Divine, that we are God-force in human bodies, that I've incarnated myself for the beauty of experiencing myself and the abundance of this physical world, that I AM the emobdiment of peace and love. I get that financial abundance -- or dis- abundance, like any other experience -- is just a projection of my imagination and energy. Much of the time now, I've got it throughout my entire Be-ing.

And that's the rub, I allow myself to get stressed when I'm not in alignment. Before Iexpanded my understanding of how this world works, I had the luxury of being able to blame someone else for what was going on in my life. No more! Now, I know that I am choosing all of this; the only way I get to be a victim is if I do it to myself! Now that I know how much power I have, I'm still in the process of learning to know how to manipulate it.

I fell off my bike a few times when I was learning how to ride; in fact, I have a rather large scar across my right knee that documents one spectacular fall. I didn't choose to stop learning because of that fall or any of the others.

The Thanksgiving message for me: celebrate the falls, know that I am learning, growing, and expanding. Know that I am blessed; the beloved daughter of a glorious and loving Universe who delights in my journey to abundance. Know that I am protected and safe; being unsafe is only a figment of my imagination. Know that I can allow myself to be at ease, no matter how things look in the moment. Know that the only thing constant -- besides BEing eternal love and bliss -- is change. My mission should I choose to accept it is to embrace all of it with joy and love.

So, bless all Beings who share in this human experience. May we all celebrate Thanksgiving with great joy and gratitude. May we all live in Thanksgiving throughout this holiday season and throughout each precious moment until we circle around to celebrate Thanksgiving again next year.

Namaste!

Financial Freedom

Given the statistics that one hears, financial freedom seems to be in the future for way, way too many of us. I am on a personal crusade to escape from the scarcity legacy that seems to abound in the US and continues to fervently energize many in my family of origin. In my on-going efforts to finish the energy shift about money and wealth, I read, listen to, think about, and absorb any information I can about creating and romping in wonderful wealth and financial freedom.

My most recent listening is a Nightingale Conant CD set by Rolf DeGroos. One of the exercises that he shares is creating/stating new beliefs about money to replace the old dysfunctional ones. The "money doesn't grow on trees" variety. The instructions are to write them down and then read them aloud to someone else every day for 30 days. I decided to blog mine so that we all could benefit from them. BUT, please do your own list as well!

Rolf shares one that one of his seminar attendees came up with. I love this one (the first one; the rest are mine)!

Easy come: easy GROW!

Money does grow on trees -- it's paper.

The more I spend, the more I get.

I love money and money loves me and we're as happy as we can be!

Money can't buy me love, but it works very well for silk and cashmere.

Funny money brings me joy and laughter.

Blessed are they who extend me credit for they shall be paid in full.

I am the beloved child of a generous and loving God who delights in my abundance and wealth.

I don't want "serious money;" my money is joyous.

My wealth is unlimited.

Every minute of every day, I get richer and richer in every way.

I live, and thrive in, a world of great health, wealth and happiness!

There is no scarcity of money, only a scarcity of belief in the abundance of money.

There's plenty of money for everything I want.

Abundance and Prosperity

Recently a friend asked me what the difference was between abundance and prosperity. I had never thought about a difference: I've been in the habit of using them interchangeably or conjunctively -- prosperity and abundance.

Nancy's question sent me off to my American Heritage Dictionary. Abundance is defined as: "a great quantity; plentiful amount" and secondarily as "fullness to overflowing." Prosperity is defined as: "the condition of being prosperous and having good fortune or financial success."

I further looked at prosper: "to be fortunate or successful: to thrive."

My little research project helps clarify what I want for all of us: an abundance of prosperity. What would your life be like if you had fullness to overflowing of good fortune, financial success, and thriving? Just asking the question floods me with a sense of joy and delight.

Recently I came across the following (I'd credit it if I remembered who gave me the words):

Avalanche of joy,

Cascading abundance,

Impeccable health,

Savory romances.

I keep those words on a sticki-note above my desk (I wrote "Yum! underneath them). They encapsulate for me the sum and substance of an abundance of prosperity. They are delicious.

They are a visual reminder of the tone I want my thoughts to resonate with, all day every day. Contemplating all the other beings on the planet who are resonating to similar thoughts is exponentially more delightful.

The prosperity that abounds when we create a boisterous and joyful chorus of words like those is unlimited. EnJOY!

Winning the Fitness Game

Have you ever thought of making fitness a game? Wouldn't getting fit and staying fit feel better if you looked at it like a game -- and a game you could learn to be a real winner at? For the rest of your life?

And if the "rest of your life" bit feels like sheer drudgery or a long term sentence in hell, please stop right now and realize that your present attitude is almost guaranteed to keep you trapped in a body that is less healthy, less vital, and less fun than it needs to be.

I've had some absolutely outrageous fun as a result of making the investment in staying fit and healthy for decades. One of those outrageous adventures was solo through-hiking the 2167-mile Appalachian Trail at the age of 59. What a blast! I contracted Lyme disease while doing the Trail and ended up with over 5 years of being devastated and debilitated by those curly little spirochetes.

So, I know how good it is to run around this planet in a body that is exceptionally functional and fit. And I also lave learned how awful life can be when I was so sick that I felt like I was dragging my body around behind me in a body bag -- to say nothing of the days when it felt like someone had slipped two or three other bodies into my bag.

I'm now healthy again and re-engaged in the process of getting back to being incredibly fit and healthy. That's where I choose to live -- fully committed to winning the fitness game for as long as I live.

Today, I'm playing the game by seeing how many times I can climb my stairs. I live in a two story house with a full basement. I've got two full flights of stairs to play on. At this writing, it's a little after 10 in the morning. I've already done 12 flights. I wonder how many more I can fit in before the day is over.

One tactic I use is to use the downstairs bathroom if I'm on the second floor and vice versa. I can answer the phone that's on the floor where I'm not when it rings. Instead of leaving the mail on the landing until I go up to the office, I can make that extra trip to drop it off, then run back downstairs. That means, I get to go upstairs when I return to work.

Stairs are a wonderful piece of equipment for playing the fitness game. Each trip raises my heart rate, increases the strength of my leg muscles, burns calories (over 800 in an hour of climbing!), and boosts my energy level.

I get a little crazy when I hear folks of the boomer generation talking about moving into a one-floor house in preparation for getting older. That's a powerful prescription for losing the fitness game. If you want to win the fitness game, buy a house with five flights of stairs!

In the game of football, each yard gained, gets your team closer to a win. In the fitness game, each flight of stairs moves you to your win! Happy climbing.

Musings about Masterminds

Last evening, I attended my phone mastermind with five other success-minded women from around the US. As was typical, we all left the call feeling energized, supported, and filled with good will and ideas for our on-going growth and success. We often speak about how grateful we are that we've connected and how enriching our experience is.

That led to musing about other masterminds that I've been in and how/why the energy has been different and not as rich. In turn that led to wondering about the word "mastermind" itself. "Master" according to my dictionary has multiple definitions, most of which have to do with men and having control over others. That's not what Nerissa's group (identified that way in my mind because she was the impetus behind it's formation) is about.

I proceeded to look up "mind." That word is primarily defined in terms of brain and intellect. One definition makes the distinction between mind and emotion and uses the example: Follow your mind, not your heart. That gave me the insight I'd been seeking.

The experience I have in Nerissa's "mastermind" is far, far richer and more inclusive than the words "master" and "mind" express. When we meet, we bring the best of our very fine minds and extensive business success but we also are giving and receiving from our hearts as well. There is a web of loving connection that nourishes and encourages and enlivens each of us.

What do we do? We have created a place where each of us has the freedom to be honest about ourselves and our lives; there's no need to keep on the "success" face, we give and receive help freely, we allow each other to be in whatever "space" we are in at the moment while simultaneously encouraging each other to be at our most powerful and capable, we laugh freely and cry without embarrassment. We recognize that as a group we each become more.

I haven't yet created a new word that enlarges the sense of this type of group beyond the limits that seem inherent in the word "mastermind." The ones I've played with thus far don't express the richness I feel.

Maybe there's no need for a new word, but something in me wants one. Does anyone have any thoughts?

And now, I'm musing about how wonderful it would be if all human groups interacted from the energies of Nerissa's group. Now, that's an idea I love!

The Power of "I AM"

Have you ever thought about the power of the declarations you make about yourself when you start a sentence with the words "I am...?" We offhandedly make those comments frequently, as in, "I am fine," I'm tired," "I'm angry," I'm discouraged," or "I'm broke."

Has anyone ever taught you that I am statements are some of the most powerful words we ever utter and have profound implications in our lives? Whenever I say "I am...", I am actively creating that very thing or experience in my life.

It has taken me a very long time to realize the creative power of those two words. They are, in fact, magic words. When I say "I am," I am making a declaration. The root of the word "declaration" is from the Latin word that means "to make clear." So, when I say "I am...," I am making ... clear to myself, all those who hear me, and to the creative force of the Universe. I am sending out a signal loud and clear that will echo back to me, bringing me more of what I just declared.

Have you ever declared, "I'm so out of shape?" Bingo, here comes more out of shape. How about, "I'm so fat, I've got to go on a diet." Here comes more fat! Or, "I'm so stressed out!" More stress is on the way! Think about, "I'm so worried about money." More worry about money will manifest in your life.

Wow! Our words are incredibly powerful. In the above examples, I've pushed myself in exactly the direction, I DO NOT want to go! I've created struggle for myself and moved away from what it is that I want. In effect, I've got one oar in the water rowing forward while simultaneously rowing backwards with the other oar. That will only get me tired and frustrated and going in circles.

The big secret of I am is to watch what you say (declare) -- very carefully. Become conscious of what it is that you want. Then deliberately and consistently declare what it is that you want -- in the form of an I AM declaration. I am fit, healthy, and strong. I am relaxed and easy. I am prosperous and abundant.

If your reaction is, "I can't say those things. They're not true," make an "I am choosing..." statement. If you've got a longstanding habit of declaring yourself as the very thing you don't want, your choice now is to continue to do so or choose to shift into making the power of I AM work for you not against you.

In closing, I'd like to share the MOST POWERFUL I AM that I've created to date. "I am the beloved child of an Infinitely Loving and Generous God who rejoices in my good fortune." I was indoctrinated as a child into a religion whose view of God was of the angry, withholding, vindictive, judgmental Being who was in all likelihood going to send me to hell for an eternity.

It has taken me many, many years to re-write that ugly programming. For me, to say from knowing, that I am a beloved child of an Infinitely Loving God, marks the end of struggle and the birth of freedom, prosperity, love, and abundance of all life's good things.

I AM blessed and loved. We all are.

What if?

Last evening the earth was bathed in the clear silvery light of the full moon; the air rather unseasonably crisp and cool, the kind of weather that portends winter in New England. My thoughts turned to the upcoming holiday season; I began to play "What if?"

In case you don't know how to play the delightful game of "what if - UP," let me explain the rules -- or rather the guidelines. This game is rather like the game of life itself, we make it up as we go along -- at least I do/have. I didn't arrive in this world with a tag on which the rules of life were printed attached to my cute little toe.

One of the major things I've learned is that life is ALL about energy. After all, scientifically, we've established that 99.99% of everything is information and energy. There's very little matter in this life. The creative force of everything is energy. If you want to change things in your life, the place to start is to change your eneergy.

"What if" is a fun game for playing with your energy in a way that benefits you -- and those around you.

Because the evening weather shifted my thoughts on the up-coming holiday season, I started playing with some holiday what ifs.

What if:

• Every day from now until New Years I stayed in the tantalizing excitement state of pre-Christmas that I felt as a child?

• I lived each moment in complete belief that this truly is the "season of magic and miracles?"

• What if I let the sparkle in my spirit be brighter than the sparkle of the lights in the mall?

• What if everyone -- everyone -- for the rest of 2006 was happier after they met me than before?

• What if everything was Perfect?

• And what if it wasn't "perfect," I still chose to see it as perfect?

What if I appreciated everything and everyone?

• What if every time, I allowed myself to feel down and let my energy sag, I was able to course correct and play what if?

What if we all decided to play What if? Could we make life "UP"?

• What if I struggled less and celebrated more?

Bye Bye Struggle Blog

Hello, World!

I am feeling very excited about this incredible way to share thoughts, ideas, insights, and maybe a few 'incites," as in, can my blogs incite you to to step out of your comfort zone to create experiences, adventures, or a life where you no longer struggle for what you want? Would you like to live a life where you recognize that your capacity to create anything -- anything-- you want is unlimited? Wouldn't that be so cool?

In this moment, I know that is true. We are unlimited beings. As we go along, I'll talk about the rather twisted path I've taken to gain that understanding. If I share with you the things that I've learned along the way, you won't have to make the same mistakes or create the same struggles that I have. That would be the most satisfying result of my sitting at the computer and writing.

As I've studied the process of how we transition from one way of being to the next, it goes like this. We have an idea, perhaps just a fleeting thought about something that we'd like to do or experience. The thought recurs. If it recurs often enough and gains enough strength, it crosses a line and becomes a belief. I sometimes define beliefs as "thick thoughts." With more thought and more energy, in the form of enthusiasm, excitement, and passion, another invisible line is crossed. Then you KNOW.

Today, as I write this, it's lovely to know that I am an unlimited being, whose birthright is joy, abundance and success. I also know that it's true for you also.

Peace and blessings, Rita