Spirit In Gear

Remember to Ask!

I am bummed.  Really bummed.  It was too good to be true.

Over the weekend I receive email confirmation that I have a free ticket to the Democratic National Convention to hear Obama's acceptance speech in Charlotte on September 6th.  I pay cash for my chartered bus ticket from Greenville SC to Charlotte NC (90 minutes).  I show up on Tuesday of this week, the first day I can pick up my ticket.  My name is on the list. 

There is no ticket.  Due to a major snafu at the state level of the Democratic party, not enough tickets were issued for our local group.  I am stunned and bummed.  What can I say.  I swallow my disappointment and walk out the door. 

A few seconds later I walk back in the door.  I realize I need to be on a list if someone cancels.  I ask them to create such a list.  They do and put me at the top.  Since a large majority did not receive tickets, reality tells me this is a lost cause.  Yet I experience a funny feeling.  I don't have to figure out how this will all come about.  I just have to ask for the ticket if someone cancels.

Later that evening, I write out a small check to Obama's campaign and mail it the next day.  It is my tangible commitment to the Universe that I'm for real.

During the day Wednesday, I briefly feel bummed again, then refocus.  I imagine myself travelling on the bus to Charlotte, and sitting in the stands, watching my first real, live president in person.  Strangely, I feel it's out of my hands and is taken care of, and I don't feel attached to the outcome.

Wednesday evening around 9pm I receive a phone call from a local organizer for the Democrats.  She tells me that she just had a cancellation.  Do I want the ticket? YES!!  She has to have this ticket activated online before the midnight deadline that night.  I give her the contact info she needs and I am officially credentialled!

Today I trek down to the local Democratic Headquarters, beaming as I walk in the door.  They immediately hand me my ticket.  This is better than going to Disney World!

Postscript:  For my Republican (and Democratic) readers, this isn't really about politics.  It's about remembering to ASK, and then letting go! 

Feeling the Vibes, or Why My Husband Told Me to Buy a Lottery Ticket

It's one week ago and I am experiencing one of those magical days when everything falls into place with ease:

A 10 unit real estate package is coming together; a seller calls me with a great brick ranch that she wants to unload at wholesale pricing; a rehabbed house we are selling continues to pass the FHA loan hurdles for our buyer; and last but not least, I receive a phone call from a realtor we've employed to sell my father's condo in Ohio.  He shares the good news that the condo is now under contract, one week after being listed, with an offer for more than we expected.  Considering that the town my father's condo is in has the lowest real estate sales in the entire state of Ohio, I am blown away.

When I relay the series of good news to my husband, he tells me to go out and buy a lottery ticket.

Instead I became introspective and reflect upon why the stars seem aligned for me right now.  It occurs to me that it is not the stars that are aligned.  It is me that is aligned. 

I trace the days back and recall that the previous week I had listened to a national speaker who came into town to talk on the topic of real estate investing.  As I listen to him, I experience a quiet set of revelations about what pieces of my business to put into place that would take me to the next level financially. 

With this insight I feel inspired.  My confidence soars.  I can feel what I want as if it's already happening.  Which is just another way of saying I tuned myself up vibrationally.  My inner vibration now matches what I say I want.  Action is still necessary.  But action without that vibrational match creates struggle and less than desirable results.

Visualizing has it's place.  But I'm learning that we gotta feel it on the inside before we see it on the outside.  We gotta feel the vibes.

The following day I run across this quote:

It's all right there for you; it's ready for you to receive it as fast and as soon as you will vibrationally let it in.  Financial success, or any other kind of success, does not require hard work.  It does require alignment of thought.  You simply cannot offer negative thought about things that you desire and then make up for it with action or hard work.  When you learn to direct your own thoughts, you will discover the true leverage of energy alignment.

- Abraham

By the way, I did not buy a lottery ticket. Don't believe in them.  Guess I just don't have the lottery vibe!

[Photo Credit:  Yaroslav B]

Top 50 Posts on Law of Attraction - 2008

After researching thousands of blogs (oh my!), Evan Carmichael came up with his list of the top 50 blog posts on the topic of the Law of Attraction.  He created 10 categories of LOA posts to make the list more useful.  You can jump from the basics, to specific techniques, to learn how to use it to manifest health, and wealth, or ponder questions the LOA may bring.  You'll find my post (When Law of Attraction Works Too Fast) in that last category!

Evan's content-rich blog focuses in on all aspects of entrepreneurship.  Thanks to Evan for creating the list, and for the honor of including my blog post at #43.

When Law of Attraction Works Too Fast?

Today I think I scared myself. 

I'm sitting in a office that my business partner and I have a month to month lease on.  We decide that at the end of April we need to be elsewhere (and had already informed the landlady).  I happen to mention in casual conversation that I am ready to work in a different office.  This one is too cold.  I don't feel comfortable here.  [and there are a host of other more problematic issues which I won't go into].  In other words, I'm looking forward to the end of April when we move out and relocate.

We walk out into the parking lot to get into our cars.  As we do so, the landlady and another gentleman arrive.  The "gentleman" is a potbellied crusty old fellow who turns out to be the building inspector.  He informs us that we must move out of the building no later than tomorrow.  We don't have an occupancy permit.  The occupancy permit is tied into related expensive issues that prompted our desire to move in the first place.

Wow, I wasn't expecting that.  Did my simple desire to move create this rapid response?  It wasn't exactly what I had in mind, since we have paid a month's rent, and will be getting only a week out of it.   But hey, since the decision has been taken out of our hands, let's get on with it and do it!

Now, if I could only figure out how to attract wealth faster!  Oh yes, I don't have to figure out the HOW!  Just keep that sense of well-being coming.  And take action as guided.  Easy advice to give myself, and I need practice in remembering to follow it.

What do you think?  Can Law of Attraction work too fast?

Managing Energy vs. Managing Actions

A close friend recently shared an observation with me that she heard from listening to the Abraham material.  It's one of those simple-sounding, yet profound distinctions:  We experience the sense of being overwhelmed when we attempt to manage our actions in lieu of managing our energy.

This distinction rang true for me personally, yet what does it really mean to manage our energy?  I don't have the benefit of knowing the context from which this distinction was made in the Abraham material.  I am well acquainted enough with their ideas to open up the discussion.  I ask you to jump in and broaden this conversation - tell us what you think and if this resonates for you.

Here's what I do know.  When I do not follow where my energy goes, I find myself dealing with internal resistance that slogs down my external actions.  Abraham calls this swimming upstream.  And we all know that swimming upstream requires more work and exertion.

When you feel enthusiasm to do something, it means you've lined up the Energy, and you are being inspired to take action from that point of alignment.  When you don't feel like doing it, don't push yourself, because your effort is not worth it.  But, when you line up the Energy, the feeling of procrastination goes away.
- Abraham

The first thing that hit me when I heard my friend make this distinction involves my business.  We are developing a new business model that involves additional revenue streams to ensure greater profitability.  However I realize my involvement in one of these sidearms isn't working.  I hate it so much that I have to work hard to do it, and feel both overwhelmed and disheartened.  Worse yet, it distracts me from what I do well in the other part of the business.  I gotta pay attention to that and make a different choice.  I gotta manage my energy.

Here's an example that just occurred a few days ago.  A 5-day trip back to Ohio to see friends and family was canceled, literally at the last minute.  My bags were packed, the car loaded up with goodies and favorite CD's to listen to, when I received a phone call from my college roommate at 6:45 a.m.  She told me that a major snowstorm was due to hit Columbus within 24 hours. [Later Ohio was hit hard with up to 16" of snow!]  We agreed to cancel and reschedule for later. 

Having planned to leave on this trip, I had already clocked out of work mentally.  I felt quite dismayed.  I needed a break, and wanted to see everyone.  The thought of resuming work felt tortuous.  I wasn't in the mood!

I consciously paid attention to my energy.  I decided to schedule a playday for Friday.  After working in my office for an hour, finishing up some email and phone calls, I turned off my cell phone.  A girlfriend drove up and we went out to lunch and to a movie. 

Taking this time off for fun lifted my spirits.  I found myself actually motivated to go into my office Saturday and clean it up.  In addition I got caught up on other necessary paperwork.  Doing these work-related actions Saturday didn't feel like work, oddly enough.  I felt drawn to doing them because of where my energy was.

Please jump in with your ideas on managing energy.  What do you think about this distinction?  What has been your experience?

What Makes a Magic List Magic?

Law of Attraction does not work as easily as it sounds.  Writing down specific, detailed lists of attributes, qualities, or measures of our ideal mate, job, or ______  (you fill in the blank) does not make the list magic.  The Universal Fairy does not necessarily grant our wish based on our listed thoughts alone.

Lining up our energy can and does confer power onto our list.  But "energy alignment" is one of those catch phrases that can sound trite after awhile.  How do we know if our energy is aligned?

Martha Beck, author, life coach, and regular columnist for "O" - the Oprah Magazine, explains in the Feb. '08 issue that the power of our magic lists depends upon the level of awareness from which we write the list.  She asks us to imagine our inner life as 3 concentric spheres.  The outermost ring she calls the "Shallows," the middle ring, the "Ring of Fire," and the inner ring, the "Center of Peace."

When we write our list from the Shallows, Martha Beck describes it as running from the things we dread and grasping onto things we desire, because we see ourselves as isolated and separate when we are in the Shallows.  For me the shallows indicates that I'm coming from a place of ego fear, disconnected from my heart.  Instead of attracting, we can end up repelling.  As Martha Beck puts it, magic lists written from the Shallows work like lead balloons.  If I think that acquiring an Infinity G35 coupe (insert your favorite) is going to make me a successful hot shot, I am going to be sorely disappointed.

The Core of Peace reflects our essence.  We already possess this, but lose awareness of it when we "obsess" with the Shallows. 
[Photo by Laura Nubuck]

Plodding - Not Just for Clydesdales

Plodding isn't sexy.  Plodding lacks a certain panache.  Yet give plodding its due.  Pair a powerful intention with plodding, and magical results can happen [Law of Attraction +  Plodding Action]

One of my favorite newsletter writers, Renaissance woman/author/baker/dancer/ Marcy Goldman, describes it like this:  "It’s also amazing to me how many things come as a result of steady plodding versus comets falling out of the sky. But even comets are doing steady plodding (albeit at the speed of light or whatever)."

During the month of November, my business partner and I made almost 50% of our real estate investing income in that one month than in the rest of 2007.  It happened because we plodded on.  Even during the months when we took consistent action and nothing happened.  During the arid times we thought about getting a day job.  And then everything came together . . . cha ching!  Maybe plodding isn't just for Clydesdales!

Photo by gvictoria

Beyond the Law of Attraction

Sometimes less is more.  A tablespoon of rich Godiva dark chocolate ice cream satisfies me more than a bowl full of a cheaper version. 

An exquisitely turned phrase can seep into my soul and I find I don't want to let it go.

This morning I discovered what lies beyond the Law of Attraction, a simple quote that distills an overarching truth into two lines.  I take delight and comfort in these words:

A lifetime may not be long enough to attune ourselves to the harmony of the Universe.  But just to become aware that we can resonate with it -- that alone can be like waking up from a dream. 

- David Steindl-Rast

Expect and Intend - What I've Learned

Writing out "to do" lists and taking action aren't all they're cracked up to be, especially if I'm coming from a place of having to make something happen.  For sure, I will make progress, but "how" I do that, and the extent of my results can vary.

Last week I did what has now become a habit, since New Years Day - I wrote down an intention for that day (New Day Resolution).  On this particular morning I wrote out a specific expectation for my real estate investing business.  It's notable in that I don't ask for or expect things to be easy, so this was a change for me.  I'll get back to that written intention in a moment.

Later that morning my business partner and I went out to look at a property.  I had spoken with the seller the previous day and we had agreed on a selling price.  This was an out-of-state seller who wanted to unload this local property and was giving us a fantastic price.  After viewing the property, I called the seller back and told him the repairs were much higher than anticipated.  He agreed to further discount his price.  I then called a buyer (a fellow investor) who likes to buy this type of property.  He went out and looked at it and I assigned the sale to him. 

So within 4 hours, we put a house under contract and found a cash buyer to assign it to for a substantial assignment fee, and we close next week.  Contrast this with the last deal I did.  It took 2 weeks for the seller and I to agree on price, and another agonizing 2.5 weeks to find a buyer to assign it to.

The day after I put this quick deal together, I went back and read my intention for that day:

"Today I allow good to come to me in full measure, both in leads that result in signed accepted offers, with easy to find assignments, as well as good in other areas of my life."

Wow, I was flabbergasted when I read that!  I'm learning that action goes further when my intentions are in sync.  Intentions without action, action without intention, don't quite cut it.  The Law of Attraction and Allowing serve to guide us in this inner/outer alignment piece. 

Intend, expect, act - it's all still an art form for me.  It can't be reduced to a science, at least not in my mind.  But it's fun to play with, and that's the whole point, isn't it?

Beyond the Hype of "The Secret"

In the event that you missed Oprah's show a few weeks ago on this topic, or don't have a friend who's encouraged you to see "The Secret," and have not a clue what I am talking about, allow me to bring you up to speed.

The Secret introduces, in a 90 minute film, the notion of the Law of Attraction (LOA).  In simple terms, what we think about and focus on expands, and draws more of the same to us, whether that be something we desire, or something we absolutely do not want.

I find myself muddling waist high through a sea of ambivalence in selecting this topic to write on.  I could tell you that I've mentally written several post versions about The Secret since viewing it.  Yet I'd much prefer to clean my bathroom than attempt to write this post.  I'm torn between what I like about it, and the good it can do, and my skepticism with slick formulas (which says something about my take on it that I'm reluctant to go public with).  Because I've been practicing this material for several years, I'm familiar with the challenges inherent with this tool.

In a nutshell:  I saw this movie at a friend's home in late January, several months after it came out.  Overall, I like it.  In an entertaining way, it reinforced what I've been practicing.  I felt more positive and upbeat after I saw it, in spite of the hokey title, and melodramatic beginning.  In fact, I liked it enough to purchase a copy through their website (currently the only way to see it).  I've viewed it a couple more times with my husband and a friend.  I'll share it with my daughters the next time they come home.

Here's the caveat.  The Law of Attraction is a tool, not a magic bullet.  On the one hand, anything that helps me become more conscious, awake, and encourages me to proactively choose how to respond to life, and become a co-creator, is a good thing.  It's not necessarily easy or automatic.  Nor, in my opinion, is it the only answer. Meditation, prayer, and the practice of stillness are also tools that can produce similar results.

My primary annoyance with this film centers on how it feeds into our culture's insatiable need for the "one" golden answer to life.