Do You Dare To Be Prosperous?

Posted: 23 Nov 2009 09:06 PM PST

By Helene Rothschild

Are you having a problem with money? Do you feel as though you never have enough no matter how hard you try?

If you want to experience abundance instead of scarcity, you may need to overcome unconscious fears of prosperity. In the course of counseling many people, I have discovered 20 reasons why we struggle with money.

To help people overcome their money issues so that they can allow prosperity into their lives. I have developed a unique process I call HART: Holistic And Rapid Transformation. For example, Joan, a fifty-year-old real estate agent, had earned a large sum of money and managed to lose it all.

I have a favorite saying, “Close your eyes and see clearly.” So I said, “Joan, close your eyes and say, “Money, you mean to me ___” and finish the sentence. She repeated, “Money, you mean evil to me.” I continued, “Joan, go back to the time you decided that.” Joan recalled a scene when she was seven years old. She was sitting in church with her family and the priest was vehemently saying, “Money is evil! Rich people are evil!”

Joan was very surprised to hear what was buried in her unconscious. She realized that she had made a decision from that childhood experience never to be rich. Joan didn’t want to be evil. She began to understand why she had lost all her money.

In order to help her let go of that fear, I asked Joan if she was willing to create a new positive scene so that she could make a new positive decision about money. Joan said she was. So she visualized her priest saying, “Money is a wonderful tool. It is another way you can give and receive love and caring. You can be rich and be a very good person. Prosperity is your birthright.” At that point, Joan spontaneously took a deep breath of relief as she released her negative association with money.

Another example of negative beliefs that cause us to struggle with money, I will explain with the story of Bill, a young, depressed computer salesman. He was afraid that he was going to be fired from his job. In the same therapeutic process, he said, “Money means to me responsibility.”

Bill didn’t like responsibility; in fact, he admitted that he was afraid of it. When I asked Bill to go back to the time he had made that negative association with money, he visualized his dad. As Bill was growing up, he noticed that his dad was always worrying about what he was going to do with his abundance. From the time he was a young boy, Bill often heard the words, “Son, you have to be very responsible with your money. Money doesn’t grow on trees. You have to work very hard to earn a buck!”

Recalling his experiences with his dad, Bill realized that he had made the negative decisions: “Money is scarce; Money isn’t supposed to be enjoyed; Money is a big responsibility; and Life is a struggle.” These unconscious fears made Bill depressed. He now understood why he was enjoying his work for the first two years but then his childhood decisions began to haunt him and he was miserable.

To help Bill overcome his money issues, I guided him to visualize his dad in front of him and to say, “Dad, I love you, and I accept that the way you dealt with your money was your choice. Now I am an adult, and I have the freedom to do it my way. I choose to believe in the abundance of money and to enjoy it. When I feel it is becoming too much of a responsibility for me to handle, I will hire a professional to help me.”

Then I encouraged Bill to visualize himself at the office filled with energy and excitement, and receiving a high salary. He imagined himself enjoying his abundance and working with a financial planner.

I have found that what you visualize is what you allow to happen in your life. Once Bill released his fears of prosperity, and visualized his future, he was able to overcome his depression and succeed in his career.

If you are ready to resolve your financial issues, then turn inward and explore your blocks to money so that you can dare to be prosperous. One effective exercise is to write, “I can’t (and also won’t) be prosperous because ___ (fill in your negative thought).” You have all the answers inside of you. Then change all the negative thoughts to positive ones. Throw away the sheet with the fear based thoughts and focus on your positive ones. You have the power to have what you desire, and you deserve it all. Go for it!

© Helene Rothschild, MS, MA, MFT, is a Marriage, Family Therapist, intuitive counselor and author. The article is excerpts from her latest book, “ALL YOU NEED IS HART! Create Love, Joy, and Abundance-NOW!” A Unique Guide to Holistic And Rapid Transformation. She offers international phone sessions, teleclasses, workshops, independent studies, books, e-books, MP3 audios, posters, articles, and a free newsletter. www.lovetopeace.com , 1-888-639-6390.

Top 10 Green Tourist Destinations for 2009 (slideshow)

by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 11.24.09

Travel & Nature (eco-travel)
Image via: Anthonyko on Flickr.com

In need of somewhere to travel for New Years? Want to start planning your summer vacation? Now in it’s fifth year, National Geographic Traveler magazine has choosing the top green destinations in the world to a science. Many of the locations were chosen for their relative isolation (and thus minimal human impact), while others were major metropolitan areas that have managed to implement a successful environmental protection and preservation plan for their city, despite a growing population and pollution. Without further delay, here are the top 10 tourists destinations chosen by National Geographic Traveler. Time to pack your passport and your boots, or is it your bikini? Read on to find out which.

WATCH SLIDESHOW <- CLICK

More on Green Tourism
What Will Consumers Pay for a Green Vacation?
Green Prophet’s Top 7 Mideast Eco-Tourism Spots
Can Space Tourism Really Be Green?
Tour Green Toronto: We Had No Idea

Moving from Success to Significance

Deepak Chopra: A Life of Fulfillment

Mike  Zimmerman  November 2, 2009On his 14th birthday, Deepak Chopra’s father made a small, yet purposeful, gesture: He gave his son some novels by Sinclair Lewis and W. Somerset Maugham as a birthday gift.

Chopra’s father was a doctor in their native India, and he wanted his son to become a doctor, too. Chopra, however, dreamed of becoming a writer. He ignored biology and chemistry in school. “The people I most admired were journalists and other writers who were friends of the family,” he tells SUCCESS. “I had no interest in being a physician. But my father knew two things: that I had a fertile imagination and that those books were all about doctors and healers. At the age of 14, you’re very pliable, so after reading them, I went to my father and said I wanted to be a physician.”

Imagine the knowing smile on dad’s face. Chopra went on to America to become a respected endocrinologist, a medical school professor and, eventually, one of the foremost proponents of mind-body medicine, or the combination of Western medical knowledge with ancient Eastern philosophies. He is also the author of more than 50 books, including Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul, in bookstores now. And today, when you consider that our cultureâ??s standard definition of success is money, fame and influence, Deepak Chopra indeed has collected them all.

But that last sentence cheapens his accomplishments. He didn’t just become successful. He fulfilled his own definition of success. That’s a far richer accomplishment. The fact that he fulfilled the fame/fortune/ power success trifecta along the way (what he calls the “restricted” definition of success) is almost a byproduct. “I define success as the following,” Chopra says. “

No. 1, the progressive realization of worthy goals.

No. 2, the ability to love and have compassion.

No. 3, to be in touch with the creative source inside you. And

No. 4, to ultimately move from success to significance.”

That last part is crucial. It’s what creates people like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett— people whose material success becomes great enough that they can concentrate on more humanistic and satisfying endeavors, or “significance,” as Chopra says. Through that work, they become greater than their success, and ultimately, when they’re alone, out of the spotlight, that’s what drives them. “Material success by itself without significance to the common good ultimately is not fulfilling,” says Chopra, and he speaks from experience.

In short, folks like Gates, Buffett and Deepak Chopra are not the type who think about making enough money to “retire by 40,” or some other target age. They don’t think about retiring at any age. They’re at war with dissatisfaction, which keeps them fine-tuning their A-game and their long-term goals. Money is simply the byproduct of that process.

Now, Chopra warns, that’s not to say that material success isn’t exciting. “Oh, in the beginning it’s very exciting,” he says with a chuckle. “Though, over many years of soul-searching and observing people, I have discovered to my own amazement, actually, that being extremely wealthy is meaningless.”

He cites a close friend of his, a multimillionaire, as proof. “This man’s level of happiness or misery depends every evening on an e-mail that informs him what his net worth is, based on what the stock market did that day. What kind of life is that? He’s a classic example of millions of dollars not making a person happy.”

“Material success by itself without significance to the common good ultimately is not fulfilling.”

So the secret is to forget all about money? Not at all. “Financial security is very important,” says Chopra, for the freedom it allows. However, the secret to real success goes deeper. Don’t pursue happiness, he says. Especially don’t pursue excitement, like the kind provided by making and spending big numbers. Pursue excellence. Pursue fulfillment. And Chopra has done that by fulfilling not society’s definition of success, but his own. It’s real. It’s meaningful. And the best part: It’s all his.

“True wealth comes from creativity,” he says. “Somehow, in modern society, wealth and money have become equated. Money is not wealth. Wealth in its true sense is success,” as Chopra defines it for himself.

How does creativity impact success? Creativity is all about its root word: Create something of value that wasn’t there before. Creativity is also freedom of thought directed toward your goals. Very few people embrace this, Chopra says. Oh, they talk a terrific game about life goals and potential business models and cool new ideas to increase income streams. But true creativity requires an open mind and curiosity, two phenomena that have become rare these days.

Why? Today, people don’t have open minds. Many of us are closed off to even the slightest deviation in mindset, even though most people would probably consider themselves “creative” and “curious.” They’re liars, says Chopra, and two factors—the financial crisis and Sept. 11—prove it.

“Curiosity and open-mindedness mean being aware of what’s going on in your world,” he says. “What has happened in the last few years with our economic disaster is the result of not having full awareness of what’s really happening around us. We were forced to do that after 9/11. Now we know more about the rest of the world, and we also see the context in which violence arises, in which power arises, in which ecological disasters occur.”

You might ask, What does that have to do with fulfilling my potential? Well, being locked up in your own mindset means being locked out of the world around you. “Creativity, imagination, insight, intuition, conscious choice-making, love, compassion, understanding— these are the qualities of a core consciousness that we come with into the world as children,” Chopra says. “But then we get programmed into the hypnosis of social conditioning, which says instant gratification is the way to be happy. That’s sold to us every single day.”

Chopra suggests several ways to break open more creativity and curiosity:

Adopt a growth mindset. Chopra says research over the past five years has shown that when adversity strikes, happier people tend to see creative opportunities, while unhappier people see, well, adversity. “It’s programmed through childhood through a phenomenon called mirror neurons,” he says. “If you saw people complaining all the time when you were a kid, that’s what you do. Your neurons mirror the behavior.” To change your mindset, step back and ask yourself, How can I turn this into an opportunity?

Engage the “unfriendlies.” This is not the same as “sleeping with the enemy.” It simply means make an effort to connect with those you have the least in common with, or even flat-out disagree with, and dissect their point of view until you understand its inherent value (it’s there, alright). This, Chopra says, is the hallmark of the creative, curious, open mind. “There has been a lot of literature on emotional intelligence, social intelligence, and how they’re all linked. We have a person who is now president who, on some level, knew all this. He bonded with America in a way that was amazing, despite the fact that his middle name is Hussein, and he transcends in many ways the definition of identity: Is he black? Is he white? And yet, he beat all the odds and became president.”

Read. Such a simple concept, but a hallmark of learning that’s, again, ignored by many (even with pride by some). But reading is what allowed Chopra to fulfill two life dreams. The boy who wanted to be a writer instead became a doctor… who has written more than 50 books. Indeed, you can fulfill multiple destinies. Chopra could not have done that without reading and more reading. To facilitate his addiction, he recently bought a Kindle. “I’m now traveling with the equivalent of 100 books, and I read them all simultaneously,” he says. “Books have always influenced my life. I get a strange sense of joy boarding a plane knowing I’m carrying 100 books.”

A Thankful Thanksgiving

An Attitude of Gratitude

The need for appreciation is a deep, subconscious desire of every person you meet. When you satisfy this need, you will become one of the most popular people in your world. And what is the key to expressing gratitude and appreciation? Simple. Just say thank you on every occasion.

—Brian Tracy

Emotions

Our emotions need to be as educated as our intellect. It is important to know how to feel, how to respond, and how to let life in so that it can touch you.

Civilization is the intelligent management of human emotions.

Measure your emotions. You don’t need an atomic explosion for a minor point.

Emotions will either serve or master, depending on who is in charge.

Women have an incredible ability to pick up on emotional signals. For example, there are some wolves that are so clever they have learned to dress up like sheep. Man says, “Looks like a sheep. Talks like a sheep.” Woman says, “Ain’t no sheep!”

_____

The following Thankful Thanksgiving is by Jim Rohn.

You may be wondering why I would call this article a Thankful Thanksgiving. Aren’t all Thanksgivings Thankful? Unfortunately, no. As a person who has experienced over 75 Thanksgivings, I recognize that being thankful is something that we have to work at, even on Thanksgiving.

If your home is like most, your Thanksgiving Day will be very busy, with either traveling to where you want to go or preparing your home to have others over for the day. Either way, that can be very hectic and emotionally trying, which doesn’t lend itself to preparing your heart to be reflective and thankful. In fact, Thanksgiving weekend is the most traveled weekend in America. Airports are full, and don’t always provide much room for contemplation of your good fortune.

This means all the more that if we want to be the kind of people who are characterized by thankfulness, then we must make sure that we focus on it, and not just on Thanksgiving Day, but at all times during the year.

Here are a few key words as well as some thoughts that are simple and practical to apply—something you can use right away in your quest for becoming more thankful:

Time. Set aside time regularly to be quiet, to reflect. We live in the fastest-paced time ever. From the moment we awake to the moment we collapse into bed, we have the opportunity to go at full speed and never slow down. If we schedule time every day in which we can be quiet and reflect, we will free our hearts and minds from the tyranny of the urgent and rushed.

Thought. Give thought to the many blessings you have. Living in a consumer culture, most of us are fully aware of what we do not have and how we absolutely must have “it.” But how often do we reflect upon that which we already have? Take some time each day and think of one or two things that you have that you may typically take for granted, and then take a moment and give thanks for those. In fact, I make it a part of my reflection time to review a list of things that I’m thankful for.

Generosity. Be generous toward those with less and not envious of those with more. We tend to look at others who may be wealthier than ourselves and think, “I sure wish I had what he does.” That kind of thinking breeds envy and jealousy rather than contentment. What can we do to break that cycle? I would suggest being generous to those who are less fortunate than yourself. Go to work at a food bank. And not just during the holidays—everybody works there then—but on a regular basis during the year. That will remind you of how good you really have it.

Ask. Ask a friend what they are thankful for. The next time you are at lunch with a friend, ask him or her what they are most thankful for. You will be amazed at the answers you receive and you will create a meaningful bond with your friends as you focus on this powerful question.

Acknowledge. Lastly, tell those you love how thankful you are for having them in your life. So many times we neglect to take the time to craft the words to express to those closest to us what their presence in our lives means to us. Take the opportunity of Thanksgiving Day to write them a note, or sometime during the day put your hand on their shoulder, look them in the eyes and tell them. Let them know what they mean to you, and in return you’ll begin to create the possibility of deeper, richer, more fulfilling relationships with those you love.

Of course, we should do what we can to make the most of the day we call Thanksgiving, but wouldn’t it be a shame if the only time we reflected on our blessings was that one Thursday in November? And the answer is, of course! So let’s do our best to be aware of the many great gifts that we have each and every day of the year. As we do so we will see our hearts soar and our minds will experience more and more peace as we regularly remember and remain aware of our good fortune.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Shoppers Going Green Despite Struggling Economy

Date: 23-Nov-09
Country: US
Author: Basil Katz

A sign marks the gardens of the urban farm run by the non-profit group the Massachusetts Avenue Project in Buffalo, New York November 19, 2009.
Photo: Brian Snyder

NEW YORK – Despite the worst U.S. recession in decades, sales of organic and sustainable products have continued to grow, experts say, with shoppers willing to spend a few more dollars in a bid to become more green.

U.S. supermarket sales of environmentally sustainable or “ethical” products — from energy-efficient light bulbs to organic produce — will rise about 8.7 percent in 2009 to nearly $38 billion, according to a recent study by Packaged Facts, a market research provider.

President Barack Obama’s commitment to tackle climate change, a string of scandals over tainted food and effective marketing of sustainable products have helped convince more Americans, whose environmental credentials lag behind Europeans, to buy green.

“I’ve been reading about carbon footprints,” said Lindsey Hoffman, 24, as she selected organic lettuce at a Whole Foods Market in Manhattan, “and though I’d prefer to go to a farmer’s market, this is better than anything else.”

“When I walked in I saw gorgeous asparagus, but as it’s $4 a bunch and flown in from Peru, I stayed away,” she said.

While sustainable and organic goods have traditionally occupied the premium shelves of supermarkets, an increasing number of retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Safeway Inc have expanded their offerings and some prices now rival conventional products.

Some experts say the global economic crisis and the battle against global warming have prompted consumers to think more about purchases — both financially and environmentally.

“The financial crisis reminded people of the unintended consequences of collective behavior,” said Scott Bearse of Deloitte Consulting, who added that once people go green, they generally stay green.

Shelly Balanko at the Hartman Group, a marketing consulting firm that specializes in sustainable goods, said shoppers were realizing that green products offered better quality, along with causing less harm to the environment.

She said buyers now thought, “‘If I buy this, it will be less wasteful and I’m going to get good value for my dollar.’”

Some companies are appealing to these lifestyle changes, such as Kimberly Clark, one of the largest manufacturers of paper towels and diapers, which launched Scott Naturals, a paper products line using recycled fibers.

“There is much more of an interest in this in the last couple of years,” said Kimberly Clark spokeswoman Kay Jackson.

Americans spent a total of $511.9 billion on groceries at drugstores, supermarkets and mass retailers in 2008. So far this year shoppers have spent 1.9 percent more than the same period a year ago.

Sales of goods specifically labeled organic rose 17 percent to $24.6 billion in 2008, according to the Organic Trade Association.

“The more I read and hear about it, the more I’d like to go completely organic, 100 percent,” said Richard Drew, 35, a television producer, as he shopped at a natural body care shop in Manhattan.

(Editing by Michelle Nichols and Vicki Allen)

H1N1 Briefing for Bloggers and Their Readers

November 23^rd 3:30 PM EST

Join the live Webcast to learn detailed information about influenza prevention and treatment, warning signs for parents, anti-viral medications, and vaccinations. A question and answer session will provide the opportunity to engage directly with leading communication and public health experts, including:

• Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary, HHS
• Anne Schuchat, Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC

Now Playing <- click for latest video

Watch the video archive* of the November 20^th CDC briefing on H1N1 flu and vaccine distribution.

H1N1 Flu Vaccine Supply Status
(Totals updated daily)

Where is technology today and tomorrow?

Are you capable of comprehending what has and will occur?

Servants Maintain a Low Profile

by Rick Warren

And all of you must put on the apron of humility, to serve one another; for the scripture says, “God resists the proud, but shows favor to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5 (TEV)

Real servants maintain a low profile. Servants don’t promote or call attention to themselves. Instead of acting to impress and dressing for success, they “put on the apron of humility, to serve one another” (1 Peter 5:5 TEV).If recognized for their service, they humbly accept it but don’t allow notoriety to distract them from their work. Paul exposed a kind of service that appears to be spiritual but is really just a put-on, a show, an act to get attention. He called it “eyeservice,” serving in order to impress people with how spiritual we are (Ephesians 6:6 KJV; Colossians 3:22 KJV).   This was a sin of the Pharisees. They turned helping others, giving, and even prayer into a performance for others. Jesus hated this attitude and warned, “When you do good deeds, don’t try to show off. If you do, you won’t get a reward from your Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:1 CEV). Self-promotion and servanthood don’t mix. Real servants don’t serve for the approval or applause of others. They live for an audience of One. As Paul said, “If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10 NIV). You won’t find many real servants in the limelight; in fact, they avoid it whenever possible. They are content with quietly serving in the shadows. Joseph is a great example. He didn’t draw attention to himself, but quietly served Potiphar, then his jailer, then Pharaoh’s baker and wine taster, and God blessed that attitude. When Pharaoh promoted him to prominence, Joseph still maintained a servant’s heart, even with his brothers, who had betrayed him. Unfortunately, many leaders today start off as servants but end up as celebrities. They become addicted to attention, unaware that always being in the spotlight blinds you. You may be serving in obscurity in some small place, feeling unknown and unappreciated. Listen: God put you where you are for a purpose! He has every hair on your head numbered, and he knows your address.

Man’s / Women’s Best Friend

Our pets often become our best friend.  That was easy when Teddy gave up the front seat of the truck for me over 8 years ago. Only gratitude and appreciation for sharing his amazing life with me.

RIP Teddy <2/14/88 – 11/20/09>

Ignorance Can Make You Wealthy!

Ignorance is bliss.

This week’s installment of effective coaching toward a successful business.  Michael’s message continues to offer the weekly value we have come to expect.  Digest the following the be closer to your greatness… CSea Perkins

_______

I was at our local market place savoring a nice apple pie a la mode when I struck a conversation with some people there.

We got around to talking about selling and one of them, I discovered, used to work for the local and very large telephone company.

She told me she became the top sales person in the first month she joined. And then after that her ranking plummeted.

I asked her why that was, and her reply was something that all of us might pay attention to…

She said, “In the first month no one told me I was in the sales department. All they told me during my training was that people would call looking for a phone service and that I was to help them find what they needed and help them buy it.”

“So in the first month you didn’t think of yourself as a sales person?” I asked.

“No, I didn’t! And when I found out I was, by looking at the board where the month’s sales reports is posted, and seeing my name under salespeople, something happened to me… and the number of customers I serviced after that went down.”

“So how did you go about serving your customers in the first month” I probed.

“Well I would ask questions and give them the correct features depending on their requirements.”

“So why did it all change?”

“Because before I never saw myself as a salesperson, and then I saw that I was!”

“And what’s a… ’salesperson’… in your minds eye?”

“You know, someone who is trying to sell something… trying to persuade them to buy our service… I just couldn’t do that…”

“But you could do what you were doing in the first month – yes?”

“Yes!”

“So let me ask you… what if in reality selling is really what you were doing in your first month… and not what you saw on the board… would that have made a difference?”

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean is… What if the true essence of selling is really what you were doing in the first month… serving and helping people get what they need and giving it to them if you have the right solution… and not all that other stuff you thought it was? Would that have made a difference?”

“Yes. So, you’re saying that’s what selling is really all about?”

“From my perspective, absolutely, yes! It’s also the dictionary’s perspective as well, if you look back a few hundred years for its original definition. The original definition is that selling is to serve, to help and also to exchange… not to manipulate or persuade. So how does that make you feel?”

She laughed and said, “I guess that was what I was doing. Serving.”

“And if you hadn’t read that notice board with the word ’salespeople’ do you think your time at the phone company would have been more fun and profitable?”

“Absolutely, yes… I’ll bear that in mind for the future.”

This particular story has a number of points that will help you with your Network Marketing business.

Firstly, it illustrates very clearly the power of the first principle of Natural Selling. That is, the purpose of your business is to help other people solve their problems. When the lady I was talking with focused on this, her job was easy, fun, profitable and fulfilling.

However, when she started to focus on her “agenda” as I call it (that is, when she started to think that she had to ’sell’ her company’s service) things started to go wrong. She didn’t enjoy what she was doing and her results were not as good.

I talk more about this principle, and the other three principles of Natural Selling, in chapter 3 of my book “How To Sell Network Marketing Without Fear, Anxiety Or Losing Your Friends!“

Secondly, it demonstrates what selling is really about and how anyone can do it when they see it as it really is, (helping other people to get what they want… and not what they think it is!)

Unfortunately, many people (and Distributor’s) are not exposed to this. As a result have a negative view of selling.

But if you can let them see that selling isn’t what they think it is, then you’ve removed a block that might have prevented them from joining your business. I talk about this more in role plays number one and number five of my audio program “Introducing Your Business And Products“.

So, focus on your purpose and remember what selling is really about. You’ll find that not only will you help other people, but you’ll also get what you want without stress and quicker than you thought possible.

Have a peaceful and prosperous week…

If you’d like to leave a comment about this article please click here

Best Selling Author of “How to Sell Network Marketing Without Fear, Anxiety or Losing Your Friends!“ – Selling from the Soul. Ancient Wisdoms. Modern Practice.