A Million Wishes In 2018, I am sending you wishes for a Million dollars A million unexpected dollars A million ways that people treat you to things you love A million ways you are recognized for who you are in the world I am sending you a million wishes of abundance. In 2018, I am sending you wishes for a Million moments of peace A million moments of divine silence A million moments of pure guidance A million moments of knowing who you really are I am sending you a million wishes of connection. In 2018, I am sending you wishes for a million happy moments A million sweet moments A million things that make you smile A million life events that brighten your day A million sweet tastes in your mouth and sweet memories in your heart I am sending you a million wishes of joy. In 2018, I am sending you wishes for a million loving moments A million moments with people who get you A million moments of feeling loved and adored A million moments of laughing until it hurts I am sending you a million wishes of love. 2018 is your year. In 2018, there are a million opportunities to do, be and have all the things you have dreamed of. In 2018, there are a million opportunities to give that which you wish to receive. In 2018, there are a million opportunities for you to shine your light brightly for all to see. My wish for you is that you see every one of these moments and experience them fully. My wish for you is that you are present and aware of the love that surrounds you at all times. And, my wish for you, is that every one of your dreams comes true in 2018.
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These are the random thoughts that I caught on my voice recorder while cooking dinner. I am tempted to share the recording and you can hear pots and pans and food sizzling in the background.
Have you ever heard somebody say, "they are all just experiences"? That is true. Everything in life is just a neutral experience. It is only our limited, human, brain that defines an experience as a good experience or a bad experience. We search to give every experience a meaning, to categorize it, to define it, put it someplace where we can refer to it over and over again. In which case, it becomes part of our story - the joy we had or the heartache we experienced or the stress or the sadness or whatever emotion we chose to put in that experience and then create a story about. But when you go back to the actual event or the actual moment, all it was was an experience. And, if just because, at that moment, it was not the experience you desired, it wasn't the outcome you wanted in that moment, we have a tendency to take the experience and define it as something not positive or not good, and that is where the damage begins. The damage starts when we interpret our experience in some sort of a judgmental fashion - good, bad, I was betrayed, I was hurt, they were out to get me, etc. When in reality, all the experience is is just an experience. And how we feel about the experience is simply a choice. And, at any moment, we can change how we feel about the experience. We can make a different choice about the experience. I think of some of the people I have met who have had some experiences that I found find very difficult and painful. Yet, they tell beautiful stories from these experiences. They talk of these experiences from the perspective of the gift it gave them. Yet, the actual event or experience, has not changed. But their perspective and the story they have told about the experience changes the experience so greatly that it changes the outcomes they have in their life; what they do and who they are as a person. One of the most profound experience I had with this experience is when I did a weekend meditation workshop. I went in with a firm belief and a number of stories that supported this belief. And, somewhere, during one of the meditations, I realized, the story I had been telling was 100% false. It was such a big, fat lie. You know when you tell yourself a lie that is so big it changes how you walk, how you talk, how you act, and what you do. This was one of those! And, all of a sudden, I saw all my past stories around this belief as completely false. It is the weirdest experience. It is like KNOWING that the world is flat and then finding out that it is in fact round. Now, I had had many people tell me over the years that my belief system and my stories were inaccurate, but I could not see it. I really thought, "they do not really know". I did not understand how they did not understand how terrible this was. And, so it made me feel more lonely because I felt like the people who loved me the most, did not get me. In reality, I did not get me. They saw me perfectly clearly. I was the one with blinders on. I did not understand the perfection of everything that was going on around me. And, to be honest, to this day, I do not see the specific gift of every single one of those experiences, some of which I defined as painful. What I do see is that every one of them put me on a path. And, I do see that the horrible, terrible, no good story, I made up about them, is completely false. And, some of the experiences that I had labeled as so terrible, that by simply thinking about them for a second or driving by the Starbucks where it started, etc, I could be in tears in seconds. Out of nowhere, crying, remembering this traumatic event. It is very different now... I see it was never traumatic. The only thing that was traumatic was the intensely traumatic story I told about the event. The other day I was in DC and by total happenstance drove by the Starbucks where I met someone that ended up in a hurtful fight. And, I kind of chuckled. As I was getting close to the Starbucks, I wondered if I would cry or be upset. And, instead, I looked at it, and it just looked like a Starbucks. It is hard to explain but this was an auto-cry response, I avoided this part of town, and now, it is not a good memory, it is just a memory - not good or bad. I have learned to understand, and trust, and believe, that every experience is leading me to where I need to be. This is so true and so powerful and so impactful in my life, that I have chosen that this is the truth for me. And, overall I have seen that this is the truth for me - everything that happens to me serves my greatest good. On a side note, I could have chosen to believe something completely different and I would have the reality to match that. I could choose to believe, I am alone. I am unsupported. Life is hard. And, my reality would match that. I know you all know these concepts already. How well are all of us really living this? Whatever experience you are having today - health, with a child or partner, job experience, financial experience. Have you defined it as good or bad? Have you told a story about it? When it happened, did you say, "This always happens to me. This is just my luck. I don't know why I am surprised?" How committed are you to choosing to see this experience as a neutral experience as opposed to a good or bad thing that you have to deal with or manage or cope with? We know our perception and how we see the world changes the world around us. If you have not experienced this, I offer you this opportunity, to change your perspective and then watch "facts" and "reality" change to meet your new perspective. Say, "I am always supported." And, then think of all the ways this is true, and then watch, as more support shows up in your life. When you have this experience of "reality" changing to meet your new story, we call this a miracle. There is no way, I knew this was not possible, there was no way this could have happened, and yet it did. It is a miracle. The miracle came because you chose to look at the situation with a different perspective. You chose to drop your label of the experience and see it for what it is, an experience without judgment and without a story. That makes room for the miracle. This is a very powerful concept and a powerful practice. Changing your perspective about anything in your life, is very powerful; about a person, an event, or job, etc. I don't want to sound like, "hey just change your perspective." Like it is that easy (though, it really can be in many cases) in some it takes more of practice. It is clear and simple, but simple is not always easy. There is "work" required to change your perspective. The "work" is to keep returning to this practice of willing to see the situation in front of you differently; willing to see it as an experience without judgment. Michael Singer wrote an entire book about this called, The Surrender Experiment. Just like if someone says to lose weight just give up gluten, dairy and sugar. That is simple. But to do it takes some amount of "work". Go easy on yourself as you take on this practice. If we knew how to do this at all times, we would. In a moment, it is not always easy to know how to change your perspective. The way I learned to do this is through having a Coach. I have people in my life who can see a series of events and see the story I am telling about it and in a moment give me a perspective that is so different then the perspective I am having, that it will completely change my experience. That is the benefit of having a coach. They can see in that moment what does not seem available to you. It is like if I tell you, "you are on the wrong TV channel, change the channel." Well, you know how to use a remote, you get that peace will come from changing the channel. But, which channel? Which channel has that peace? Do you go to another channel that is almost identical to the channel you are on? Or, a channel that is even more terrifying than the channel you are on (which is what happens when we talk about the event/experience with most of our friends). What if I told you, "No, go to the opposite channel than the channel you are on". That is more guidance but not enough to know where to go. You need someone to tell you, "You are on this channel which causes these thoughts, feelings, beliefs and story. What you want, is this channel, this is the show, this is what is happening... see the difference in what you are thinking, feeling and believing on this channel?" There are a lot of ways to have the experience of changing your perspective. For some it can be connecting to nature, for some it is doing a spiritual pilgrimage, a vipassana, walking the Camino de Santiago, others it is a life event. For me, I gained it through working with a Coach in a defined spiritual curriculum. Here is the basic way to do it to get started, Ask. Ask to be shown something different. Ask for a change of perspective. Ask for God, A Higher Power, Your Higher Self to show you a different perspective. To summarize, keep your experiences as neutral as you can and ask for a change of perspective when you feel your experience is not positive. Ask to be shown the experience in a different light. This, my friends, is the work. My wish for you is that you see everything in the light of love that truly exists and not in the darkness and confusion that gets associated with the word, "reality". We had an office party and they randomly drew names for holiday gifts. These gifts were displayed during the entire luncheon and I spotted a Hallmark Snowman, whose arms were made with real tree branches. I was in love with this little snowman, and in line with my personality, I told everyone at the party that I was going to win it. I just felt it. Well, I did not win the snowman. I was on the training team and because we were so small we shared office space with the technical team, which was also fairly small. From a work perspective, we were about as opposite as it gets. The technical team liked to sit quietly and not interact with others, where the training team was made up of people with bubbly personalities interacting with many people each day. My manager (the training team) and the manager of the technical team got along really well so we often times did joint team events, happy hours, etc. Well, the manager of the technical team won the snowman. He was not present that day, so I took charge of the snowman and left it for him on his desk with a note about how lucky he was and how much he totally deserved to win. While I was sad I had not won it, I was genuinely over the moon happy for him. At the time, I would not have spent the money on something like that for myself. I would not have thought it was a good use of money… I have changed quite a bit from those days. The next morning, I got into work really early to get a head start and as I approached my cubicle saw that the snowman was sitting on my desk! Attached to it was a post it note that asked that I take care of it and make sure it has a good home and the note ended with the most beautiful quote that not only have I never forgotten, but has shaped so much of my life. “We make a living by what we earn, but we make a life by what we give.” Since that day, every time I see the snowman (yup, it’s on my bed in my parents’ house), I remember the power of giving. The advice I give to everyone when they are feeling sad, depressed, lonely or just less than... go do something kind for someone else. There is a magic in giving. There is a fulfillment that comes from knowing that today, for this moment, your life and who-you-really-are touched another person and made their life a tiny bit better, or happier, or more fulfilled. Be the gift that everyone so desperately desires these days. And, what you will see, is that As you give, so shall you receive. And, that your life becomes richer and sweeter when you give to others. Principle #6 & #7 of Chapter 1 of ACIM: Miracles are natural. When they do not occur, something has gone wrong. Miracles are everyone's right, but purification is necessary first.
Once you realize that Miracles is the normal way of life, you realize the importance of the peace practice. We are all entitled to miracles at all times. We are all entitled to things "working out" in the best way possible, all of the time. The only reason we do not "get" those outcomes is be...cause we have not worked our own muscles to see that what is happening right now is a miracle. Take any moment of your life. A good, bad, ugly, bitter, sweet, kind, mean moment. Anything that is presently happening and say, "I choose to see this as a miracle. I choose to see this differently that I am currently seeing it." We give everything in our lives meaning. We are the ones that put labels on it. In reality, every moment is a miracle that is occuring. We must only have "the eyes to see" as Ming says. Today, I sit on my perch in the kitchen, watching a handful of snow flurries whisk around in the wind to write my first ever post about death and dying. It is a topic that I have somewhat avoided, not because I am afraid of it, but because I have always felt that I have not experienced it well enough to actually speak of it. Right after HS, I had a dear friend commit suicide. I could not go to the funeral. I could not see his family, his girlfriend or even my other friends. I pretended it did not happen. To this day, I do not know where he is buried, though, I have done a number of internet searches, still too scared to ask anyone who was close to him. I never paid my final respects. In college, I had a friend who lost her mother. I could not imagine how she could cope and yet, I watched her just be her. We went out to dinner and watched movies and I sat with her as she teared up recounting stories of her mom. All of this in the same day - she just continued being herself, different yet also the same. In my 20's, I had a friend whose younger brother was sick and I watched him cope - he was angry, he was stressed, he stepped up to make decisions, he checked out, he laughed, he made jokes... all the while he was just himself. A few years ago, I had a childhood friend pass away. I so want to tell you all the story. I feel it was an absolute tragedy; a horrible story that engrosses you. However, I decided long ago to never tell that story again, because then her life becomes about the story of her death and she somehow gets lost. Instead, I will tell you that we spent hours together trying different shades of lip gloss so we could be ready for our first kiss - her with her crush, me with mine. For both of us, our first kisses came much later in life, but at the precious age of 13, we were sure they would happen any minute and we were going to be prepared. Her death and funeral was a turning point in my life. Up until then, I avoided funerals. In Islam, we have a tradition of going to people's house after someone dies and saying a prayer with the family to offer condolences. I avoided this practice as well. I always thought, if it were me, I would just want to be left alone, not have a bunch of folks (some I barely know) come over and "talk" about the person who just left. It felt like some terrible form of torture. The prayers, yes... but people could do those at home. By the time my friend had passed, I had already immersed myself in a spiritual path and I realized, she is not really gone. Yes, she is gone from the physical world. But, she is not gone. The day I found out, I went to the beach and talked to her spirit as I watched the sunset. The next day, I walked a labyrinth and she spoke to me asking me to do certain things for her at the funeral and I honored her request. I showed up at the funeral as if I was showing up to a party I had been looking forward for for years. I met all her friends, I chatted with everyone, I laughed, I hugged, I cried. I was so present in a way that I have not been present in ages. I was totally present for every moment. When there was an opportunity to see her body, I passed. That was not my friend, that was her outer layer, an outfit she wore. My friend is still with me. I see her all the time as yellow butterfly. When I thought of her a yellow butterfly appeared for quite some time. Shortly after her death, there was another tragedy (for us here on earth) in this story, and I don't see the butterflies anymore. I don't think it is because she is no longer with me, I think it is because she is so fulfilled where she is that she is having too much fun to come visit as much now. The experience of seeing her entire funeral as such a beautiful, loving, present, spiritual experience, helped me for the loss that was to come. Last year, my Grandmother passed away. I was so happy about it. I really was. She was a bigger-than-life woman who was unable to feed or care for herself in any way. Years earlier, her life had become a day long TV watching on the couch, experience. As long as she was able to go for her daily walk, I knew she was still good. Once that ended, I thought, this is torture. I would have asked God to have mercy on her and end her suffering on earth, except for my mother, who was up until the last moment, so devoted to her. I believe she stayed for my Mom. And, when my Mom (and her other kids) were able to let her go, she transitioned peacefully in her sleep. I was the second person to see her after she passed and my mom joined soon after. She looked so beautiful and at such peace that I had no desire to cry. I had a desire to smile and gratitude came over me. Her funeral was a beautiful tribute to her life and the people who came and their stories were amazing. At no point did I feel sad. I know she is not only with me, but also in me. I wore her wedding earrings at my wedding. She is always right here, there has been no loss for me. This morning, I spoke to another friend who is experiencing someone they deeply care about in a potential state of transition. I listened and I reassured him there will be no loss. There is no loss in death. Death is not a loss, it is a change. A change in relationship. If you have a partner and then have a child, your relationship with your partner changes. You can say it is a death of one relationship and a birth of a different relationship. I then received a message to share with him and with all of us and I decided to sit down and right. As I have been writing this post, however, I realized something. I spoke of my grandmother, a woman I have known my whole life, who I have millions of memories with, who I lived with for two years in Pakistan, in one paragraph. And, of my friend in pages. And, I know why. It is the same thing that my friend is experiencing now and the purpose of the message. Death is only painful if we see it as a tragedy. To some degree, I still feel like my friend's death was a tragedy. I know it is not. But, I have a little bit inside me that believes it is. I see my grandmother's death as a beautiful healing for all. And, as such, there has been almost no sadness. The transition of someone from their physical form back to their non-physical will only be as tragic as we decide. I have studied a number of near death experience stories, especially, Anita Moorjani's Dying to Be Me, and I have a deep appreciation of where we go from here. A place of true and everlasting peace. I wish that on every single person I know. I am excited that we all get to experience that one day. And, the only thing that would make me sad to take that trip myself is the impact it would have on those I leave behind. So, as someone who is left behind, it is our choice to say, go and be at peace. And, to do this daily. Not hope that someone is no longer in the physical but to live each moment with each person fully and see them as a whole, complete, loving being, so that if and when the time comes that they need to transition into the non-physical, they know, we are whole with them as they are. The greatest gift we can give ourselves and each other is to see each of us as whole, complete, and full at every moment. To see each person as having lived a true and fulfilling life, at every moment. And, to know that no matter if we physically "see" the person again, they are always with us. I share this message that was given to me with you today. The greatest gift you can give yourself and those in your life is seeing the person who is transitioning as whole right now. Their body may be experiencing dis-ease but they are still themselves. Their spirit is still intact today as it ever way. It is like when I try to do a cartwheel because I remember doing hundreds in a row as a child, and I wobble or I can only do one or two, and I think how is this possible. The way I see myself is as that child who did hundreds of cartwheels. In this moment, my physical body does not support that but in my mind's eye, I can still do it. It is the same for your loved one. They may be experiencing physical pain and symptoms but in their mind's eye, they are still themselves - whole. Your loved one is perfectly whole right now. If you knew that without a doubt, how would you behave in their presence? What would you talk about? Would you take a break to shower or nap if you needed it, knowing you have plenty of time? We do have plenty of time. They are not going anywhere. They may transition from the physical to the non-physical, but they are still with you always. Your goal is to enjoy your time with the person, not to save them. No one wants to be another's project. Simply be with them as a whole person - you are whole and they are whole. Two whole people coming together in peace and love. Like all of us, your loved one wants to feel loved and to be seen as whole and completed. See them in this way and in the process you will see that you too are whole and complete.
I have talked about a principle from The Success Principles by Jack Canfield, called E+R=O, taking 100% responsibility for your actions. This powerful, life-altering principle, states that your point of power, or control, is your response to events in your life. Using the formula, the E is for the Event, the R is for your Response, and the O is the Outcome. In order to get a different outcome (or to influence the Outcome), the only thing you can control is the R, your response. The E, event, is what it is, it is out of your control. Therefore, your point of power for changing the outcome to any situation is to control your Response to the event.
Recently, I was in a conversation with someone and I realized something so amazing while speaking to them. They had not decided who they were going to be in a specific type of situation. For example, every time I go to visit or speak to a new corporate client, I have already decided who I am going to be in that situation - smart, strong, caring, listening, and confident. That version of Amina shows up. That version of Amina dresses a certain way, speaks about certain things, and asks specific questions. The silly, fun side of me does not show up to the first meeting. The kind, professional does. I know exactly who I am in that situation. I know what I need to do and what parts of myself need to be fully present in that moment. My spiritual, connected side is also totally present, but that is not the side I begin the conversation with, it is the side I use to prepare for the initial conversation. Have you thought about who you are (or are going to be) in certain situations? What about if there is a family emergency? Who are you going to be in that situation? The one that offers prayers and support from a far? The one that writes a check immediately? The one that drops everything, shows up, and runs the show? At a job interview? With your kids/spouse? When things don't go your way? When you win the lottery? Which of your unique skills are you stepping forward with in each of those situations? Which version of your authentic self shows up in each of these situations? Most importantly, who are you when you feel attacked? Who are you when you feel like life handed you a huge bag of lemons? Do you use those events to allow a different version of yourself to step forward? Do you allow a victim mentality in those cases? Do you allow a complaining, negative side of you to take center stage? There is no right or wrong answer. There is just a formula that works every time, E+R=O. However your respond to that situation influences the outcome. Take a moment to look at situations in your life where the best qualities of who you are shine through and situations where the less-than-best qualities of who you are step forward. If you take a moment to really think of these, then ask yourself, how can I allow a moment of pause to allow some of my better qualities to step forward in these situations? There are people who really, really, really annoy me. I don't know why, they just do. And, in those situations, my "too good for you" qualities jump forward so quickly it would make your head spin. The practice for the month of December in Adventures with Amina is to keep your peace in every situation. Another way of saying that is to linger in the pause. There is a moment between the event and your response to the event, where you get to make a decision. For most of us, we are moving so fast, and on such auto-pilot that we miss this moment much more often than we catch it. Some of us even believe that "we can't help it, it just happens." But, that is not true. We all have an option to choose again. And, I believe, until you choose the path of peace, you will keep facing the same situation over and over again. Everything in life repeats until the lesson is learned. And, the only way to "learn the lesson" is to be able to see the situation in a different way. In order to see the situation differently, you have to make a different decision in that moment of pause. And, the only way to do that, is to actually catch the moment of peace/pause, so you have the ability to make a different decision. This month, we are going to focus on practices to help increase our awareness of the fact that the moment of peace (the moment of pause) is ALWAYS available to us. Yesterday, I was having a difficult conversation with my friend. The situation they were in was uncomfortable and I felt myself getting annoyed and frustrated, wanting them to make a different choice and knowing they wouldn't. While listening (not really, I was not fully present, I was triggered), I looked up and saw a prayer on my wall and read it silently to myself. All of a sudden, the entire room changed. I realized, all is truly well. Life is truly good. And, that this situation is perfect and unfolding perfectly. I quickly relayed my confidence in my friend's ability to handle this situation perfect, and got off the phone! I do not need to linger in this situation and figure it out! There is NOTHING to figure out! There is no action required from me. The only thing I needed to do was be present and see my friend and the situation as perfect. Once I was able to catch a moment of pause, I saw that. It was so easy. That is the power to tuning into peace at any moment. Want to improve your peace muscle? Want to be able to hear news reports and stay at a level of peace? Want to be able to see you are ok no matter what is happening to you or around you, because you are truly ok at all times. Join me in Adventures in Amina during December for a free 30 day Peace practice. Peace is a muscle like any other. And, the only way to build it is to do the practices. This month, I am offering you 30 days of peace practices that are easy and impactful. Like any exercise, the more you do the quicker you will see the result, yet, any amount of effort is rewarded. Join us this month for a consistent daily morning practice for each of the 30 days, followed by a different focus practice for each day to increase your personal level of peace. Are you on the Adventures with Amina mailing list? Join here! Are you in the Adventures with Amina facebook group? Join here! It's all FREE! Ever since I learned to manifest, I learned that there are "religious" people who believe that manifesting is not aligned to have a spiritual faith. I have never understood that. In my mind, these two are not in conflict. Here are the reasons why.
1. What you want, wants you. God does not put a desire in your heart, without giving you a way to achieve it. God is not out to "get" you. You love the things you love and want the things you want because of every single life experience you have had has lead you to these conclusions. So, there is no "your" way vs. "God's" way - it is the same outcome, though, it could have vastly different paths. But, that is no different than when you ask for what you want and the Universe delivers it in its own way. You do not get to control the "how" but the "what" comes from your heart, which is tied to a higher power. 2. Handing it over to God vs. Manifesting This is where things get SO fun! Ok... so, there is this feeling of I can either do what God asks of me or I can be happy. Like the two are in conflict with one another. Let's look at that belief. Have your ever really, really, really wanted something because you knew it would be the best thing or make you happy and it turned out to be, well, not-so-great. Or, have you ever done something that you had to and you knew it would be terrible and it turned out to be amazing? Welcome to life. None of us are in control and none of us know what amazing plan is unfolding for us. What about when something "terrible" happened and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise? The reason this one is hard is because we believe we are in control. However, if you admit, you are not in control and that in fact, life would work a heck of a lot better, if a higher power (your higher self, God) was in charge, then there is no conflict. My favorite way to do this is to do the morning prayer from a Course in Miracles, where you hand your day over to God. This is an understanding that the way God/Higher Power has your day unfold is much better than anything you can come up with for you to get not necessarily "what you want" but "what you need". Daily Prayer: Where would you have me go? What would you have me to? What would you have me say and to whom? When you hand your day over, what you will see is the "how" on the things you want, start to take care of themselves. You can be clear on the "what". Then, hand the day over. And, watch miracles on "how" what you want shows up. And, in some cases, you will see that you get something even better than the thing you thought you wanted. Most importantly, life gets a heck of a lot easier. Instead of getting out there and making it happen, you can hand it over and allow it to be delivered. There is this feeling that everything will go to h*** if you hand your day over to a higher power. But, what happens is life gets a whole bunch easier and you get what you want easier than you ever have before. Sometimes, it is good for us Master Manifestors to look at what we are manifesting and ensure we are applying some of the basics to our manifesting. These are some of the sly basics that can sneak up on you without your knowing it! 1. Be aware of why you are talking about what you are talking about. Are you always talking about "that thing" the one that you really want to manifest? Sometimes this can be good, but many times, this is a sly way to not release what you want to the Universe. Picture yourself at a coffee shop. You order. You now have to wait patiently for your drink. Instead of just looking at your phone, chatting with the person next to you, or reading the headlines on the paper sitting right there, you keep doing this instead, "I am so grateful that I am going to get coffee. I love coffee! Um... this coffee is so yummy... I am acting as if I have the coffee right now! This coffee is going to be the best coffee I have ever had!" Ok... so none of those things are "wrong". They, in fact, are great manifesting techniques. However, you can see how its a bit over the top for a cup of coffee, that you just ordered. That's how EVERYTHING you manifest looks like to the Universe... it looks like you ordered a cup of coffee. So... there is not a need to keep talking about it. The only reason to talk about it is to help your own subconscious mind remove any blocks to believing the "coffee" is coming. Again, there are some time for that... but there are many more times to order your "coffee" and move on to another activity. 2. Are you manifesting what you don't want? Most of us know this, but can accidently forget. Sometimes the thing that we are manifesting results in us picturing the thing we do not want. Unfortunately, that is sending energy to that which you do not want, instead of what you do want. Quick review: Your mind has the conscious and subconscious parts. Your subconscious mind thiks in picture. So, when you say you want to be debt free... what does your mind picture? A big 'ole pile of DEBT! What about, "I want to lose weight" - you got it, your mind pictures weight. A general rule of thumb in manifesting is you do not want to be anything-free, or have a negative word (like non, not, etc). Check your manifestations and make sure they are in the positive. Here are some quick changes.
This is a common issue, even for us Master Manifestors. Sometimes, by accident, we focus on not getting something instead of getting clear on what it would look and feel like when we have what we DO want. Take a quick look at your manifestations and ensure you are telling the Universe exactly what you DO want. ! I LOVE to manifest. I truly love it. I started manifesting, like many people, after watching the movie, The Secret. In the movie, I heard many people, including Jack Canfield, speak about the power of the Law of Attraction (LOA for short) and how to manifest anything you want into being. He talked about choosing one thing, that is so big, that if you achieve it, you know this principle works. I chose to have someone propose to me. Don't judge! I was new to this whole thing, and I really wanted to get married! So, that is what I chose. That was in August. I was not dating anyone and did not have a prospect on the scene. Through a series of crazy events, during the month of November (same year, so 3 months later), I had two men propose to me. I learned the second rule of the Law of Attraction, which is, "holy crap this stuff works, so be clear and specific on what you really want!" Turns out, I did not just want someone to propose to me, I wanted the right someone to propose to me. I tell this story, because, my path to becoming a Master Manifestor, was by throwing things out there I wanted and totally did not believe were possible. And, because I had faith that this worked, and also had no clue how to really do it, I just kept practicing. There is a Target near my house in Maryland; it is my happy place. When I am not happy, I drive to Target. Within 3 minutes of entering the store, I am happy again. There is a big parking garage across the street that I do not love. Maybe you know how this goes, when you are not happy, and then to get happy, you have to do something that makes you not happy... it puts a damper on the whole happiness activity! But, this parking garage has a handful of street level spots - easy in and out and quick entry to Target. For ages, I would go to the garage and NEVER find an open spot in this little area. Then, I watched the Secret. A man talked about using the Law of Attraction to find parking spots and I thought of Target. Since that day, I almost always (I'd guestimate 99% of the time) get parking spots in that one area near Target. I am talking Black Friday, Day after Christmas, Saturday morning or afternoon, almost always. The number one mistake I see people making with applying the Law of Attraction to their lives is that they make it too hard. I started out by wanting to be proposed to and... parking spots. Had I only done wanting someone to propose to me, I don't think I would be a Master Manifestor today. I had to add in the "small" stuff and get wins to keep it going. Here is my question to you - if you practice the Law of Attraction, when was the last time you used it to just have a little fun? These days, I manifest all kinds of crazy things - little and big. People calling me back, flowers, $70K, new contracts, etc. But, I still have fun with manifesting almost daily! I still manifest great parking, green lights, a song to come on the radio. And, the other night, I had a LOT of fun with my manifesting. We went to see a play and it was in a building that also had a bar, which hada video gambling machine. I saw this man sitting at one intensely playing. I had seen these before and played once, just to try it. And, it did not work out well, but I had read someone you have to play the machine someone else lost at to win, and this man's expression told me, he was losing. So... I thought, I'll try it out! I vowed to spend no more than $5 and just to HAVE FUN! I put $1 in the machine and was down to .02 cents left, when I won and was now up to .07 cents. Then, I stopped, and said, "I am a Master Manifestor, what do I want to create here?". I decided, I wanted my dollar back (rookie manifesting move... but I was totally not attached to that - should have gone for $10!). Played again, lost, played again, won, up to .53 cents (wow!), played a few more times and BAM - up to $1.05! I cashed out since I met my goal. That's a key too - I declared what I wanted. When I got it, I was thrilled, celebrated and moved on! I told the friends we were with, and they couldn't believe how "lucky" I was (it's not luck, its the LOA). Now, they wanted to try, they put a dollar in, and I decided to put a dollar in with them (for them to use) but it somehow turned into us playing together. Every time I hit the button, we would go up! I stopped and said to my friend, "Wait! What do you want to manifest here?" He wanted to manifest $10 and I thought, and so it is and so it shall be! Long story short, I ended the night with $8 (my half) from my $1 investment (I got my first dollar back so from my second dollar investment). We won $16 that night in total! He spent $2, I spent $1. And.. I had fun. I realized, us Master Manifestors should be playing the lottery more often ;) Last night, I played a game of darts and I did the same thing. I manifested winning. I played with a bunch of seasoned dart players, mine, normally, bounce off the board. I was trailing the entire time, and then in one hand, I miraculously hit all the numbers and WON! And, again, most importantly, I had FUN! What is the result of all of this fun? Today, when I put out big things I want to create this week, it is a done deal. It is done because my manifesting vibe is so high. I have complete confidence in my ability, over Video Gambling and a darts game. Two things that are not normal activities for me but that I had fun doing. I applied my manifesting skills in a fun way and it paid off. And, now, I feel like I am on a manifesting roll and everything I touch turns to gold! Before I manifested my way into Times Square for New Year's Eve, a contract with Disney, the hottest guy in the room to walk over to me and ask me out, 10K out of the blue, and a free Disney cruise, I was manifesting parking spaces at Target which delighted me no end. Use your manifesting skills to have some fun and watch the little (and big) things pour in and everything you touch turn to gold! As I think back on my journey, I think to the car ride where my eldest sister introduced me to the movie, The Secret. It was the first time I heard Jack Canfield speak and he talked about choosing to manifest something so big it would change your life, and I chose getting proposed to. That one event, changed my entire life. I signed up for his Breakthrough to Success training, the same year, went through his Train the Trainer program and within that year, my entire life looked completely different (including moving from MD to CA)! I was honored to get to see a pre-screening of Soul of Success, the movie about Jack Canfield's Life. I cried numerous times. I invite each of you to get to know this extraordinary man. I know him as, "Jack Canfield". His story, takes you back to when he was just Jack, applying these principles, just like you and me and having wins and losses along the way. And, how by practicing all the principles we talk about he became, "The Jack Canfield" that we know and love. You can register for a free screening for this movie here. People are coming up to me and saying, "what the heck is going on?" They are feeling a general case of the icks and don't know why. This blog post is for all of you - the ones that are flying high and the ones that are facing the icks. This is what I have observed from talking to folks lately and in my own life - you are either flying high (after months, years? of ick and feel like everything you touch is turning to gold) or... you are facing a major case of the icks (one that will not give up no matter what you do). What is the lesson in all of this? What does it all mean? Why is this happening? (Am I the only one who sits around and asks these questions or are you all interested too?) I believe that we have spent the past few years preparing for this new time on Earth. Our problems are not so new, we are not the first to deal with political challenges, impending wars, un-ending wars, fear on the streets... But, we have never dealt with these things with the level of technological and human awareness advancement before. And... so we are in this unusual place of seeing something not great and actually knowing we CAN do something about it. That in between place is causing excitement (the people on the highs) and anxiety (the people facing the icks). What do we do now? Nothing. Yup, nothing. If you are facing the high highs, then just enjoy it. Surf that wave, as I love to say, and build, create, discover and add all of the brilliance you can into this environment. It is your time to enjoy it and to do whatever you can to continue to create good in this time. Know that this is a part of life, and it is meant to be enjoyed and savored and so do that with every cell of your being. If you are in a state of ick (like I have been), then, do nothing. Trying to get out of it is useless and can, at times, pull you in deeper. Just understand that this is a part of life and the ONLY thing you need to do in this phase is KEEP YOUR PEACE. What that means is feeling it, crying, gratitude practices, self care, self love, long walks in the brisk air, whatever you need to do to stay at peace. For me, a natural people-person, it also has meant limiting my time with others since my, "You are so annoying" button is trigger happy these days. I understand, my ONLY job, is to keep my peace. Want to get your PEACE on?
Join me in Adventures with Amina during the month of November and December to amp up our peace, joy, and love vibe to let all the good that is available to us to flow in as we end this year. During November, we are going to be doing 27 gratitude practices from Pam Grout's book, Thank and Grow Rich and in December, we are going to be doing 25 peace practices based on A Course in Miracles. All are welcome to join us in an amping up of the good. |
fROM aMINA...
Hi! Welcome to my blog, Lunch with Cinderella. I love writing about my life experiences and the fact that they may help spur some cool experiences of your own. If you are here, leave a comment... I read them all and love hearing from you! Get New Blogs delivered to your Inbox!
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