When we set our intention to achieve a specific goal or manifest some good in our life, whether that’s finding our perfect work, making a specific amount of money or simply being more loving, the practice of proactive gratitude is essential to our success.

We know that practicing gratitude helps us more fully enjoy our life as it is right now. It encourages us to want what we have. And that is the beauty of gratitude. Being fully present in our lives and enjoying the “now moment” is true living.  At the same time, the practice of gratitude also empowers us to realize our full potential – to expand our experience of good.  Nothing in life is stagnant.  It is the nature of the universe to expand and be more fully realized.

It’s a bit counter-intuitive, but yet so true, that if we are always dissatisfied with our life as it is, it makes it more difficult to move forward into a greater experience of good. Most people think dissatisfaction with their current circumstances is the motivation required to achieve something greater. But that’s not true, and here’s why…

When you are dissatisfied with something in your life, you are actively resisting what is. When you actively resist what is, your energy repels the good that is trying to get to you. Your focus is one pointed…toward what you don’t want…and you often miss opportunities that may be right in front of you. People, situations and events that could easily help you get closer to realizing your dreams, go unnoticed.

Being grateful for all that we have helps us remember how blessed we are. When we feel blessed, it is easier to accept that, in this ever expanding universe, there is more and more good just waiting for us, and more importantly…we feel worthy of it. This changes our energy into one of attracting more good, rather than repelling it. We begin to see opportunities and situations that could propel us closer to our goal. As we continue to practice daily proactive gratitude, synchronistic events begin to happen on a regular basis.  A way is made clear for us.

Something happened the other day that brought this into focus for me. I’ve been practicing proactive gratitude for almost a year now and have noticed my energy begin to shift. About two months ago I came up with an idea for a new collectible toy for tweens (with the help of my 11-year-old twins, naturally). I set my intention to develop the idea, create a prototype and license it to a major toy manufacturer to produce. For the last couple of weeks I’ve wondered how in the world I would ever even get in the door of any toy manufacturer. I know no one in that world. I’m not even sure how to proceed past writing a proposal and creating a prototype.  However, throughout the process I have remained in gratitude for 1) the idea, 2) the time to pursue the idea, 3) my kids, 4) the continuing inspiration and passion, 5) the encouragement of others and 6) all the synchronistic events that keep occurring, like this one…

The other day I felt compelled to completely clean out my office and reorganize everything. There were piles of paperwork, an overflowing bookcase and stacks of Lord knows what everywhere.  As I was relocated some of the books from the overflowing bookcase I noticed a big book that I have never seen before. I don’t even know how it got there.  I picked it up and read the title: The Toy and Game Inventor’s Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Pitch, License and Cash-In on Your Ideas. Bingo! It is exactly what it says in the title, including contact information for 50 toy manufacturers and how to approach them. I never would have noticed it if I wasn’t compelled to reorganize my office (which, let me be honest, is not a common occurrance.)

I know that if I continue to remain in gratitude around this project, everything will fall into place just as it should for the realization of this big dream.  I know it because it’s happened before. It seems  that every good thing that’s manifested in my life was accompanied by a state of gratitude.

Prove it to yourself.  If there is a big goal in your life, some greater good you wish to realize, try this…

1.  Be grateful for where you are right now. Think of as many things as possible that are now, or could potentially be, a blessing in your life. 

2. Practice gratitude around your intention or goal.  From the idea, to the inspiration, to the energy you have, to your abilities, to the resources available to you, to your friends and associates who could assist you in some way.  Practice being grateful for these things, and more, on a daily basis.

3. Look for the synchronistic events that occur.  Acknowledge any and all steps forward toward your goal and celebrate them!

Let me know how it goes for you.

Many blessings!

Here’s all you need to do.  Come to the site daily (bookmark us for easy access), look at the daily post (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, etc.) and click on the “Comment” button.  Post your list of gratitudes there in the comment section.  You can read others there as well.

You can begin at any time, any day.  Just begin it…and watch what unfolds in your life!

You set a goal to achieve something worthwhile, or you make a commitment to your spiritual practice, or to express your highest potential in some wonderful way, and then…

Suddenly, or incrementally, you notice you’re losing momentum. You begin to get distracted, other life demands get in the way. Or, an obstacle comes into your path that appears insurmountable. Or, fear creeps up and you begin to doubt yourself and your ability (“What was I thinking?”)

It’s a common experience. What is actually happening is that the “shadow self” has slipped into your consciousness and begins to work hard to sabotage your success.

What is the shadow self and how can we be free of its influence in our lives?
The answer is…by reclaiming our Authentic Self. In this post, I will be explaining what the shadow self is and how it works. Then, over the course of the next few days, I will reveal, step-by-step how to reclaim your Authentic self so that you may more easily achieve your goals and ultimately express your highest potential.

As expressions of the Infinite, it is natural for us to be loving, joyous, happy, fulfilled, peaceful, successful, abundant and perfect. So why doesn’t that seem to be our everyday experience? Two passages from the Bible may give us a clue.

“And God said; Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”
—Genesis 1:26
“God hath made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions.” —Eccl. 7:29

Though stated in Biblical terms, the first statement is scientifically accurate. If there is one Universal Intelligence from which all creation originates, then we cannot possibly be created as anything other than in Its “image and likeness.” And if the qualities of this Universal Intelligence are love, joy, peace, harmony, abundance and perfection, then we must be also.

Therefore, in truth, we are all individualized expressions of pure love, pure joy, complete happiness, limitless peace, harmony, exquisite beauty, magnificence, absolute perfection and unbounded prosperity. This is how we were created and what we are in Truth. Let’s call this our “authentic self.”

Now, here’s the variable: we are given an important gift at inception, and that is freedom of choice. We have the choice to agree with the inherent truth of our being and live our lives from that awareness, or we have the choice to disregard it, ignore it, and push it away. Emerson stated: “…we but half express ourselves and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents.”

Mostly, though, it’s not such a conscious choice. Since most of us are born into families that have forgotten they are the self-expression of the Infinite, they unknowingly pass this misinformation on to us when we are children. We grow up believing that we are separate from our Source, separate from the Love-Intelligence which created us, and inherently inadequate. When we disregard the truth that we are beings created “in the image and likeness” we, by default, “re-create” or “re-invent” ourselves in another image…a distorted image.

We are, in essence, asleep to our inherent magnificence and have “invented” a counterfeit self to replace our authentic self. I call this counterfeit self the “shadow self.” Some refer to it as the ego, the egoic mind, the false self, or the fearful self. It’s all the same thing.

The shadow self was born from a belief that we are separate from our Source, separate from our good and separate from each other. The shadow self incorporates a belief structure which includes the assumption that we are mostly powerless, subject to the winds of fate, a victim of circumstance, alone, afraid and in need of something or someone to make us feel better.

Generation after generation has erroneously assumed that this false self is true human nature. We tend to accept, without question, that the shadow self is who we are for two reasons: a) it is what we were taught from the moment we were born, and b) society constantly reinforces this assumption. This is not the Truth of us, but we believe it is (and therefore, it will be our experience) because until we discover otherwise, it’s all we know.

For most of us, this “shadow self” has become our dominant self today, and our authentic self is only hinted at from time to time. We may catch a glimpse of it when we fall in love with someone, when we witness pure beauty in nature, when we’re in meditation, when we are in selfless service, or during moment of peak experience in work or play.

It can be said that the shadow self has served humankind by allowing us to safely maneuver our way through the confused world which we’ve invented. But the price of “keeping us safe” is that we stay small and never risk expressing our highest potential.

It is time to break free and spread our wings! It is time to awaken from the spell of the shadow self which is killing our dreams and keeping of small.

One thing is for sure…the potential to express our authentic self remains within us at every moment and each of us enters this incarnation with the longing to wake from the ego dream and once again live in the full awareness of our True self.

In the next several days, I will be continuing this discussion of the shadow self and authentic self and post step-by-step processes for reclaiming our authentic self, thereby expressing our highest potential.

Okay, now I get it. I’ve never really experienced a real spring before. What a fabulous season! The variety of blossoms and the sweet aroma in the air is indescribable. Everywhere I look, I’m amazed at Mother Nature’s color palette: pale pinks, bright pinks, lavender, yellows and white mixed with the bright, light green of tender new leaves. It’s what inspired the Impressionists.

And it’s interesting that many East coast natives don’t really notice it anymore. They tend to talk about the bugs and the pollen. Yes, that’s here too, but I’m so bowled over by the beauty, I haven’t been paying attention. I hope I never become inured to the splendor.

So it was just such a spring morning, when walking my dog through the woods that the rebirth process of nature struck me on a whole new level. These trees that appeared so lifeless, so dead, were now pregnant with thousands of tiny buds. It got my full attention. They had something to teach me about the process of manifestation. Here goes…

Many have an area of our lives that, appears on the surface, dead. Maybe you’ve worked really hard to bring something good to life in your world…with no success. Perhaps you keep trying and trying, becoming frustrated with each failed attempt. Maybe you’ve given up and are pretending to tolerate an unfulfilling life. Perhaps you’ve rationalized away your desire for a more joyous and fulfilling life. I know I’ve done that with certain areas of my life.

If so, join with me in turning to nature to see if we can’t mimic its miraculous process of rebirth.

If an alien (or a Southern Californian, for that matter) landed on this planet in the middle of winter anywhere in the Northern hemisphere he would see, with the exception of the evergreens, nothing but dead trees and bushy sticks growing out of the ground. He would see frozen ground and think, “there’s no life growing here.” But we Earthlings know that nothing could be further from the truth. If he waits a few months, he’ll witness a miracle of transformation. Around March, April or May strange pods begin to develop on all the branches seemingly overnight. As the planet warms up and rain showers down, these pods begin to open up and tender new forms of life express themselves. In a few days or weeks, brilliant colors and diverse shapes burst forth. Once bare and lifeless branches are transformed into living aroma-producing, bird-housing, shade-providing wonders of nature.

Just as the trees and bushes now express their potential, our heart’s desires, which may appear lifeless now, can be nurtured to blossom and express our life’s potential. What’s the secret?…

Two forces: Sun and rain. Well, metaphorically, of course. As the sun warms up the tree trunks, and rain nourishes the soil which allows the life energy to flow, we can add “sun” and “rain” to our desires to allow life energy to flow. Spend some time in nature this week as you reflect on the following two ideas.

1. Love: We can think of “sun” as love. Do you know how you feel when you’re relaxing in the warm sun at the beach on a summer day? You’re relaxed. As long as you’ve applied protective sun screen, the sun feels healing to your body and your worries are miles away. Life is good and you feel great. It’s that feeling you want to apply to your heart’s desires. You want to get into that feeling space of loving your self and your life…of knowing that all is right with the world. Meditation is a good place to start with this. So is visualization. Whatever gets you connected with your Source and allows your mind to “live in the possibility” of your desires fulfilled, is a good practice. Spend time each day actively loving your self, your talents, your uniqueness and the gift you bring to the world. You are a magnificent expression of life…even more glorious than a pear tree in full blossom. Radiate warm love into your desires. Remember that, just like the natural rebirthing process of spring, the fulfillment of your desires is a natural process. Just as a tree is meant to blossom in the spring, you are meant to realize your potential. Consciously love your desires into manifestation.

2. The element of “rain” has two components…affirmation and action.

Affirmation: Similar to the way in which rain nourishes the soil which feeds plants and trees, positive affirmations nourish your soul and your heart’s desires. Structure your affirmations such that they first affirm the truth that you are connected with the Source, followed by a statement of the absolute truth about you. Repeating affirmations should not be about “countering” some current experience. Their purpose should be to remind you of your innate wholeness, and call forth your divine right to a fulfilling, joyous, successful and prosperous life. For example, if I were affirming financial prosperity, I might say something along the lines of: “Because I am a unique expression of Universal limitless good, I am now infinitely abundant, prosperous and free, as I was created to be.” Repeat positive affirmation throughout your day…upon rising, before falling off to sleep, while waiting in line, driving in traffic, and each time your mind starts to drift into fear and doubt. Remember that you are “nourishing” the soil of your mind and soul which feeds your belief…and therefore your experience in life.

Action: it is a fact of nature that the right amount of rain nourishes life and supports the growth of all good things. Too much in one place and destructive floods occur. Too little rain and living things wither and die. We can think of our daily activity in this way. In order to support the manifestation of your heart’s desires, you need to take action. Too little action and the manifestation withers and dies. Too much action and you’ll be carried away by a flood of overwhelm. By “too much action” I mean running around trying to make things happen without being connected to the Source of intuitive wisdom that would guide you into effective action. Again, I stress the importance of first connecting with Source through meditation, quiet journaling or other such practice that aligns you with your inner intuition. Through this practice you will open yourself to an inner wisdom and be guided as to what exactly you need to do in the physical world to support the realization of your dreams. As you take action, affirm your talents and capabilities as well as the fact that the universe loves and supports you. Action, taken in this way then becomes focused, empowered and purposeful, instead of exhausting and stressful.

So again, take some time this week to connect with nature. Take a walk in the mountains, along the beach, in the woods, or the desert in bloom. As you do, contemplate these ideas and make them your own. Then, come back, get ready, and get going.

Many blessings.