Tuning Into the Abundant Universe

Natalie represents what all entrepreneurs strive to be: a determined success. As a founder of Mind Movies, she built the company with her husband Glen and business partner Ryan Higgins. Natalie recorded her journey of achieving what seemed to be an insurmountable goal – going from a size 14 to a size 10 in just 7 weeks. Recognizing these were the same spec i f i c pr inc ip les attributed to the run-away

success of the Mind Movies movement, she created an educational, easy to follow and effective success program called “7 Secrets to Happiness.” Currently, Natalie just finished writing her first book and is the host of an online TV blog called The Inspiration Show.

About the Author Natalie Ledwell

Copyright © 2012 Mind Movies, LLC . All rights reserved. Distribu=on andreproduc=on are strictly prohibited by law. No part of this publica=on may bereproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmiDed in any form, or by anymeans, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recorded, scanning, or otherwise

without the prior wriDen permission of the author. Requests to the author shouldbe addressed to [email protected]

DISCLAIMER AND TERMS OF USE AGREEMENT

This eBook is for informa=onal purposes only. Many factors will affect your actualresults. While every aDempt has been made to verify the informa=on provided inthis report, neither the author nor the publisher makes any representa=on or

warran=es with respect to possible errors, accuracy, or completeness. The authorand publisher shall in no event be held liable for any loss or damages incurred,directly or indirectly, from the usage of this publica=on. Nothing in this reportshould be considered personalized Health Care Advice. Although Mind Moviesemployees may answer your general customer service ques=ons, they are notlicensed health care professionals. No communica=on by our employees to you

should be deemed as personalized Health Care Advice. Any Health Carerecommended in this report should be made only aVer consul=ng with your

Doctor and licensed Health Care Advisor.

Introduction ............................................5 Chapter 1: What Is Your Relationship To Money? ...................................................9 Chapter 2: What Limiting Beliefs Are Holding You Back? .............................................24 Chapter 3: What Stands Between You and Your Dreams .........................................38 Chapter 4: What Is Your Spiritual Sense of Purpose? ...............................................53 Chapter 5: Will You Dream a Little Dream With Me? ...............................................62 Conclusion: Acres of Diamonds ................72

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Abundance can mean affluence, wealth, plentifulness or a fullness to overflowing

At it’s core, a desire for abundance is a desire

for a richer, fuller life.

Introduction:

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“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” -Dr. Wayne Dyer

Abundance means different things to different people. It could apply to wealth, love, spirituality, family, and much more. True abundance affects every aspect of your life, and everyone has the possibility of abundance within them, whether they realize it or not.

TUNING INTO THE ABUNDANT UNIVERSE: INTRODUCTION

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Often, it’s not what you get, but who you choose to become, and what you choose to contribute, that gives you the greatest feelings of fulfillment and happiness. And we’ve learned that your future abundance (not just money or possessions, but also people, relationships, and livelihood) seems to be directly impacted by how you feel about what you have right now.

Right now, you are creating your future, in part, by the direction you currently see and feel your life going. Yet the direction you point yourself in is completely under your control. Abundance, like success, is not a destination, but rather a journey; and up until now, there has been no map to guide you, no manual available to tell you how you’re doing. That all changes today. “

Expect your every need to be met. Expect the answer to every problem. Expect abundance on every level.”

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TUNING INTO THE ABUNDANT UNIVERSE: INTRODUCTION

Eileen Caddy

Everyone has only one goal... You have the goal to live life the way you want.

7

Are You Living in An Abundant Universe?

CHAPTER 1: What Is Your Relationship to Money?

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TUNING INTO THE ABUNDANT UNIVERSE: CHAPTER 1

Signs Your Mindset May Be Contributing to a Lack of Abundance: q  It feels like you can’t seem

to get ahead q  You’ve fallen short on your

most important goals, even though you worked hard

q  You feel like you’re struggling just to get by

q  Regular life tasks like going to work or taking care of the kids feel overwhelming

q  Even when things seem to be going well, the anxiety doesn’t go away

q  You regularly feel frustrated, confused or scared

Constant internal struggle is often related to a person’s beliefs surrounding the idea of abundance, more specifically what they choose as the focus of their thoughts. As you’ll soon learn, your results in life are primarily determined by what you focus on, not necessarily the situations you find yourself in.

“No matter how dark the cloud, look for the silver lining; it is there. And when you always look at the bright side of things you develop brightness in yourself. This brightness will strengthen [you] so that you can easily overcome what obstacles may be in your way, and thus gain the victory desired. Direct your attention constantly to the bright side of things; refuse absolutely to consider any other side.” -Christian D. Larson “The Ideal Made Real”

There are two ways to live your life, with or without abundance, and you have to make a choice. 1.) You can focus on the misery and negativity that’s constantly trying to capture your attention (which will only attract more misery directly to you) OR… 2.) You can choose to step into an abundant universe where you find endless opportunities for success everywhere you turn… the only catch is you have to play by the rules.

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Your abundant life begins when you choose to focus on abundant thoughts. Even when poverty is reality, worry and fear often turn into an unhealthy obsession that can totally block the flow of abundance. When this dark cloud looms over your life, you may focus on the false feeling that there is never enough to feel safe, instead of turning towards new ways to attract prosperity.

When most people think about “abundance,” they think about money or possessions. What does it mean for you to have total abundance in your life? q  Piles of cash q  Traveling around the world q  A large house complete with

expensive furnishings q  A fancy car or boat q  A vacation home q  Not working a day job q  Protection and safety q  …or something else? For some, money is quite simply the ultimate source of power. In fact, people’s deepest fears and desires are often centered on not having enough money or the desire for more. For many, wealth takes on a larger role than just the ability to purchase what they need or want.

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Does Gratitude or Greed Control Your Thoughts? Do you focus on gratitude for what you have, or do you focus on the pain caused by what you wish you had?

One of your greatest powers is your ability to guide your inner thoughts or "internal voice." In fact, what you focus on can often explain why one person may struggle though a lifetime of dissatisfaction, while another person in similar circumstances goes on to exceed enormous goals and create personal fulfillment beyond their wildest dreams. Therefore, the real question of Financial Abundance is: How do you feel about what you already have? The most successful people often embrace a deep sense of gratitude, while unsuccessful people naturally tend toward a strong sense of entitlement.

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Money is often not the answer to what

appears to be money problems. (more on this in the next

chapter)

**At Mind Movies, we offer several systems to guide you through the process of discovering what will truly make you happy in the long-term. This exercise will get you started on the right foot.

It’s easy to draw the natural flow of abundance into your life… once you know what your destination looks like. One of my specialties is guiding people as they figure out what they really want. Quick Assignment Grab a pen and paper and keep writing for 10 minutes. What do you really want? Remember… Ø  Think gigantic! Imagine what

you would do if you had so much that you could never spend it all

Ø  Be as descriptive as possible Ø  What would you own? Ø  Where would you live? Ø  Do you have a housekeeper, a

personal trainer, a chef, a nanny? Ø  What do you do for a living? Ø  What does your family life look

like? Ø  How will you contribute?

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“Asking is the beginning of

receiving. Make sure you don’t go to the ocean with

a teaspoon. At least take a bucket so the kids won’t

laugh at you.”

-Jim Rohn

This is where the Law of Attraction comes in. With your specific end goal in mind, you can actually start the process of creating your own reality. A simple way to think of this is that whatever thoughts you put out to the universe is what will come back to you; whatever you focus on is what you’ll receive. Many expressions reflect this belief. “You reap what you sow.” “Whatever goes around, comes around.” “You get what you give.” “Be careful what you wish for, you just might receive it.”

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While you’re focusing on the life that

you’re creating for yourself…

Get out into

the world and be available

for abundance to

find you

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To get themost effect from anyac=on you take, ensure you areregularly tending to and nurturingyour posi=ve thoughts, like agardener tending a garden.

Most importantly, regularly ‘weedout’ any nega=vity that pops up.

And remember: You can’t rushabundance.

The more you try to force things,the more resistance you’ll run into.

“Long ago, I realized that success leaves

clues, and that people who produce

outstanding results do specific things to

create those results. I believed that if I

precisely duplicated the actions of others, I could reproduce the

same quality of results that they had.”

-Anthony Robbins

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Do you believe you can tap intoabundance?

Right at this point is where manypeople begin to feel the limi=ngbeliefs that have held them back inthe past.

You may say to yourself, “Well, it’snever happened before, how do Iknow it’s going to happen now?”

It’s important not to dismiss newinforma=on that will change yourlife just because it might seemunfamiliar

I want you to remember that I’masking you to take on the provenhabits that have already made otherpeople successful beyond theirwildest dreams.

If you continue to do the same things, in the

same way, you are going to get

the same results,

guaranteed.

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OVen people feel resistance tochanging their beliefs because ofsomething that’s happened in theirpast, or something they weretaught.

AVer these ideas are forged into acore belief, the belief con=nues tobe reinforced by your experience,and it eventually becomes yourreality.

While it’s important to always beyourself, you may have to challengeyour belief system if you’re ready tostart living a new life, a life that’sfilled with abundance.

Always be striving for the very bestin life.

Somerset Maugham explains, “It’s afunny thing about life; if you refuseto accept anything but the best, youvery oVen get it.”

Do any of these negative limiting beliefs hit home for you? q  "Good people"

never become rich q Money is the root

of all evil q  Rich people are

greedy q  I'd feel guilty if I

had more money than others

q  People will judge me if I become rich

q  Having a lot of money seems like too much work

q  Rich people don’t spend enough time with their families

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Do you deserve abundance?

Maybe you have no problembelieving good things come to goodpeople.

Yet oVen, people hold onto deep-‐rooted misconcep=ons aboutmoney that make them feel theydon’t deserve abundance.

If you don’t change your nega=ve"limi=ng beliefs," they may con=nueto sabotage your efforts and preventyou from receiving what is righeullyyours.

When this happens, it’s not anoutside force keeping you from yourdreams… it’s you.

You may comfort yourself byrepea=ng the mantra, “perhaps itwas never meant to be,” yet yourfears are the true barrier.

Fear of failure often stops us from finding the courage to change our lives. Yet if you don’t even try, you’re dooming yourself to certain failure.

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Fear keeps us in our comfort zonebecause growth and progress mayseem scary or feel like too muchresponsibility.

Challenging your beliefs and leavingyour comfort zone oVen feels toorisky, even when you know youcannot con=nue on the same way.

Yet you don’t want to look back andrealize you refused to acceptposi=ve change in your life.

There’s a Jewish proverb that says,“A man who lies flat on the floor willnever fall.” And while this is true, italso means he’ll never moveforward, never achieve success,never grow, and never have any fun.

In many cases, fear of success stops us from doing what we know we need to do. Do you do what you’re comfortable with, or do you strive for what you truly believe in? Yet…

“Your chances of success are directly proportional to the degree of pleasure

you derive from what you do.”

-Michael Korda

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Do you fear the unknown?

Could you possibly be afraid ofbeing… successful?

A new life might come with moreresponsibility, more pressure, ordissa=sfac=on.

You probably realize that if you’reunhappy with what you do for aliving, that unhappiness will createsendless obstacles to living a full life.

The truth is you don’t have to makea choice between success and livingthe life you want to live.

In fact, following your passion andpursuing the things that get yourblood pumping are two of the bestways to tap into the abundantuniverse.

It’s not helpful to focus on something vague such as, “I just want to be happy.” You need to dig down and discover what it is that makes you happy.

“All you need is deep within you, waiting to

unfold and reveal itself. All you have to do is be still and take time to seek for what is within, and you will

surely find it.”

-Eileen Caddy

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No one else controls your des?nyexcept you!

By remaining sta=onary, neverchanging, you become blocked frommaking any real progress; andabundance can’t reach you.

Now that doesn’t mean you runright into your boss’s office and quityour job, nor does it mean you telloff your co-‐workers and get yourselffired.

You need to take ac=on, justremember to take a second to takestock of your situa=on. Look beforeyou leap!

Get clear with what you’re reallylooking for, what you really need,and what you really want out of life.

Be specific.

“There is nothing wrong in wanting to get rich. The desire

for riches is really the desire for a richer, fuller and more

abundant life. That desire is

praiseworthy.”

-Wallace D. Wattles

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What do you need to do in your life?

Take a second to think, is thereanything you do where you feel animmediate sense of rightness, ofrelief?

The moment you step on the pathwhere you are truly following yourpassion, you’ll feel an immediatesense that the blockage to yourabundance has disappeared.

You’re simply following the innervoice, the deep desire to movetoward what you know in your heartis right.

This journey of discovery is a lifelongone. There is no des=na=on.

Enjoy the view.

Blast Through Any Obstacle Preventing You From Achieving an Abundance Mindset

“What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

-Napoleon Hill

CHAPTER 2: What Limiting Beliefs Are Holding You Back?

Are you constantly asking yourself why your life seems so hard, or so unfulfilling? Do you sometimes wonder if this is all there is? We’ve all asked these questions… is there any way to gain control of your life’s direction? Yes, and it all starts in your mind. You are in control; you just may not fully realize the true power you already possess. Each day, you must visualize the life you are moving towards Embed positivity into your daily thoughts and follow the brightness that lights you up inside.


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In order to enjoy more of the benefits from the Law of Attraction, you must think with more awareness. Living abundantly begins in your mind, by developing an abundance mentality. Take care to always be moving away from the darkness.

You already have what it takes. Remember, if you trust in your own ability to be resourceful, you will find a way. A positive attitude is key for an abundant mentality. You see the glass as half-full, rather than half-empty. Rather than seeing obstacles in your path, you see possible opportunities. With this attitude, you begin to realize that the more you give, the more you receive. The more you discover, the more there is to discover. Whatever you need, you will find the answers.


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Instead of seeing problems, you see solutions with numerous possibilities. The word can’t stops being a part of your vocabulary and your motto becomes Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Signs your limiting beliefs may be contributing to a scarcity mindset: ü  You fear your supply of money,

food, or something else you need is going to run out, and you won’t be able to get any more

ü  You tend to hold onto unused items in case of a future emergency

ü  You regularly worry about how you’re going to pay the bills

ü  You believe that “just a little bit more money” will solve many of your problems

ü  You are certain that life will get better as soon as all your bills get paid off, or after you find a better job


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A general ‘sense of lack’ or a scarcity mindset holds people back in unexpected ways. When people have this mindset, getting more money usually doesn’t make them any happier.

If you believe you may be suffering from a scarcity mindset… You need to first decide what you want in your life, as well as what you don’t want. Clear away the blocks that stand in your path to abundance and then take action. If you’ve heard the old line about how you need to be sensible, or that you have to work hard and suffer through life to get what you want, stop right there! Don’t allow this deception to poison your thoughts. Push this lie away once and for all and start walking towards the life you want to live. Focus on the thoughts and emotions that will help you move towards your goals, and the money will naturally begin to flow to you.


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“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action

breeds confidence and courage. If you

want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out

and get busy.”

-Dale Carnegie

Your subconscious mind may be whispering, you can’t possibly have what you want, even as your conscious mind tells you that you do indeed want more money This is because our subconscious mind remembers what you have focused on in the past. It’s time to override this bad habit and start a new habit of focusing on what you can do. Regularly remind yourself of what’s possible in your life. Pave your way to success by removing negativity from your world. Never, ever tell yourself you cannot do something, even in your thoughts. Especially in your thoughts. You can do it.


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Replace any negative thoughts with positive ones; replace any negative people with those people whose optimism, joy and positivity naturally put a smile on your face. Remember that friends and family mean well, but take any of their negativity with a grain of salt. Fill your mind with positive ideas. Dream big dreams.

But what if your mind naturally focuses on the negatives? The truth is, positive thinking is a skill, like any other, and takes time to master. You must practice it until you can do it automatically. Some people who are raised to be positive thinkers don’t consider this because they already have an ingrained habit inside them, pulling them forward to another new solution. For example, Donald Trump said, “Negative isn’t on my radar screen.” With every thought, we change a belief or try to cast that belief in stone. There is creative power in thought, one of the basic energies of our universe. You are constantly visualizing and creating your world. What is reality except for what you experience?


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“No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land,

or opened a new heaven to the human

spirit.” -Helen Keller

Whatever you think about, you will produce in your life. Whether we realize it or not, we are all creating our own reality every day by the thoughts we choose to focus on.

Your subconscious takes all that creative thought, real or not, and uses it to create your own reality. Because your reality is shaped by your thoughts, it’s essential that you develop a healthy frame of mind. With an abundant mindset, you can be happy, regardless of your circumstances. Without it, it won’t matter how much money you make; you’ll still be constantly miserable. Doris Mortman said, “Until you make peace with who you are, you’ll never be content with what you have.” Developing a healthy frame of mind enables you to feel good about yourself and the world around you. You’ll see people and situations more clearly, and will be able to make better decisions and choices.


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“Imagination is the workshop of your mind, capable of

turning mind energy into accomplishment

and wealth.”

-Napoleon Hill

Keep in mind that it’s your thoughts and emotions that make you capable of obtaining abundance or chasing it away. The most effective people focus on opportunity. In fact, they often don’t even consider the solvability of a problem. When an important challenge needs to be solved, these people make up their minds immediately that a solution exists. From there, it’s just a matter of finding it. It helps to be flexible in your approach. By believing there is an answer to every problem, you will always find a solution.


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“Put yourself in a state of mind where you say to yourself,

‘Here is an opportunity for me to celebrate like never

before, my own power, and my own ability to get myself to do whatever is

necessary.’”

-Anthony Robbins

Beware of self-sabotage! Of course, you would never sabotage yourself… would you? If you don’t believe you deserve abundance, then your efforts will be clouded by self-sabotage, especially as you get closer to success. There have been stories of very odd reactions to success. For many who are just on the cusp of achieving ultimate riches… Just as success is almost within their grasp… They experience profuse sweating, nightmares, panic attacks, and even illnesses. At the moment when they should be celebrating a victory, they want to flee in the opposite direction.


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Challenge your core beliefs. Find out why you are keeping yourself from success.

My embarrassing story of self-sabotage… In my early 20s, I remember a time I had this great opportunity for a new job. A friend worked at the company and she told me she’d vouch for me. All I had to do is show up for the interview and I basically had the job of my dreams. Yet I delayed, and somehow showed up thirty minutes late for the interview. All the charm in the world couldn’t help me then. All I had to do was be punctual, and I blew it. I didn’t even have a good excuse. This is self-sabotage at it’s finest. Afterwards I told myself, “I never would have landed the job anyway, so what does it even matter that I wasn’t on time?” As time went on, the message I told myself changed so I was felt even more in the right. I’d think, “I probably never could have handled that job anyway. I would have been totally miserable, why did I ever even think of applying for it?”


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And so, maybe your self-sabotage isn’t as dramatic as showing up a half hour late to an important interview, like it was for me. Maybe yours has show up in much smaller ways. How many times have you agreed to do something, or set a goal for yourself, only to continually delay it or to re-prioritize your life, to put as many obstacles in the path of that project as you could find? If your actions don’t match your priorities, you need to get clear with what you really want because you are suffering from self-sabotage. Maybe, like me, you rationalized away your actions. As time went on, you began to forget that nagging feeling that maybe you didn’t give it your best shot.


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We’re all guilty of self-sabotage at one time or another. Recognizing that you’re doing it and then working to change that habit will speed up your rise to riches and happiness exponentially. Stop putting so many obstacles in your path; get yourself out of your comfort zone and try new things.

Watch Your Language While your thoughts are powerful, so are your words. Listen to yourself speak in the course of your day; record yourself if necessary. Watch out for negative thoughts turning into negative words, spewing from your mouth. Curb the impulse to speak the first words you think of, in any given situation. Most of us are more careful in social and business situations regarding how we phrase our thoughts and express ourselves. It’s important to be just as careful with our families or friends, but most especially in our thoughts.


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Words can heal or they can hurt. It often takes a thousand ‘atta boys’ to make up for even one ‘you’re worthless’ kind of comment. Negative thoughts often damage relationships, hurt feelings, and spoil opportunities when they are allowed to escape from our mouths or live in our minds.

Thoughts are powerful tools which control the direction your life is going. Make sure you protect them.


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Anything you wish to create in your life must first find a home in your thoughts.

I promise to nurture my mind and protect my thoughts from negativity.

As humans, we have the power to achieve ultimate freedom. We have the power to choose what we want, and to change and respond in order to achieve it. As we learned in the last chapter, it’s thoughts that can help us change our world and our lives for than any other tool available to us. Thoughts coupled with our human emotions pack an even greater punch when it comes to changing our lives. Emotions lead us to make our choices in life, especially concerning money. There are emotions that can block the abundance from flowing in your direction


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“Success is getting what you want.

Happiness is wanting what you have.”

-Dale Carnegie

Emotions that block the flow of abundance into your life: u  Fear u Worry u  Anger u  Resentment u  Jealousy u  Self-pity u  Envy When allowed to persist in your thoughts, these dangerous emotions can even be bad for your health, and the health of others around you. While negative emotions can be helpful in specific life-threatening situations, these emotions will seriously destroy your progress to success, especially when they linger on for days, weeks or months.


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If you are constantly miserable, you may not realize how much others around you sense your negative emotions and are affected by your negativity. They may even unconsciously avoid you.

Self Compassion Over Self Criticism Allowing forgiveness or compassion for yourself and others in your life will re-establish the abundant flow back into your universe while dramatically reducing the power of debilitating negative emotions. In the previous chapter, we talked about focusing less on negative thoughts that come up for you, and choosing to focus instead on positive ones. And here, you must accept that it is in your best interests to limit yourself from focusing on negative emotions that come up for you, or being overly critical of yourself. Your power exists in choosing to focus on the emotions that will help you instead of hurt you.


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Self-criticism won’t help you in the long run. You can’t just suppress resentment, or pretend that fear, anger, and worry do not exist. Yet you must accept these emotions for what they are and move on.

Let your passions move you to show joy, happiness, and delight in everything you do in and say. Positive emotions enhance our lives, give us energy, help us solve problems and improve our relationships. People with positive outlooks are more likely to be proactive in both their personal and professional lives. They don’t complain, moan, or groan about life and things out of their control. If they’re not happy with some aspect of their lives, they take immediate action to change it. Having a positive outlook seems to make it easier for them to make decisions and their upbeat outlook on encourages everyone around them to be happier.


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Strive to build on emotions that raise your mental vibration. Take note whenever you feel positive emotions such as: Ø  Love Ø Happiness Ø  Peace Ø  Joy Ø  Courage What were you doing that made you feel this way?

Positive thinking leads to an upward turn of events, while negative thinking pulls you down into a negative spiral, from which it is very difficult to bounce back. Negative emotions literally sap the energy from you, leaving you unwilling or incapable of action. It’s even been proven that happy people are less likely to get sick. In fact, people who focus on the positive side of things are more resistant to any illness, such as the common cold, and they live longer than those who are constantly miserable. So even if you start thinking positively for all the richness it brings to your quality of living, will you at least consider it in order to live a longer, healthier life?


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Positive thinkers would much rather search for a solution than be upset and depressed about a problem. Pessimistic people, on the other hand, tend to look at life as a series of personal attacks. Every new change is just another problem to solve. They become paralyzed, never making plans or setting goals. No action equals no resolution; and this habit creates a destiny of failure.

If you constantly look for the good in every situation, it will soon become a personal habit, influencing your life and even the lives of others you meet along the way. Part of this positive flow is the ability to receive as well as to give to others. In other words, allow other people to send positive emotion in your direction too. Abundant emotional flow is a matter of give and take, back and forth. It flows from one person to another, and back again. When you allow the abundance to flow freely, you naturally attract everything you need, whether it’s money, people, or help in any way.


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“Look for the good in every person and

every situation. You’ll almost always find it.”

-Brian Tracy

You must also give yourself permission to have what you want. You are entitled to be happy and to live in abundance. You may not realize it, but you already have a great abundance in your life. We all have abundance in our lives, and the people who are good at seeing it for what it is will attract even more. Replace your worries with gratitude. Some days, it might be more difficult to find things to be happy about or grateful for; you may have to look for some very small things in your life, such as when the sun is shining, when you feel pride at the end of a hard day, or when you get a chance to make someone smile.


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Your life is of your own design. You create it with every thought, every emotion. It reflects exactly what you think, what you believe to be true, and what you understand to be real. Your thoughts become your reality.

Whatever thought you concentrate on, that will become a reality. Belief makes it appear even more quickly. Once you’ve turned your attention to a desire, it’s as good as yours. You will create it.


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“Not what we have, but what we enjoy,

constitutes our abundance.”

-Epicurus

One of the most important human emotions is that of courage. As humans, we have a tendency to associate some emotions to certain events in our past. We allow those emotions to dictate our actions, even when we know they aren’t good for us. Because of this, it’s important that we tend to our emotional health. Being self-aware is essential to our continued well-being, while unchecked, unbounded emotions can cause us to act impulsively. That’s why it’s important to set certain standards for ourselves, for what we’ll accept. It takes a great deal of courage to face your own fears and lay claim to what you know you deserve.


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“If you don’t set a baseline standard for what you’ll accept in your life, you’ll find it’s easy to slip into

behaviors and attitudes or a quality of life that’s far below what you deserve.”

-Anthony Robbins

Dorothy Thompson told us, “Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.” “Courage, it would seem, is nothing less than the power to overcome danger, misfortune, fear, injustice, while continuing to affirm inwardly that life with all its sorrows is good; that everything is meaningful even if in a sense beyond our understanding; and that there is always tomorrow.” In order to be courageous, you must face your fears. This is very difficult for many people because it’s so much easier to simply avoid fear. The trouble lies in the fact that the more often you avoid a fear, rather than facing it, the more likely you will continue this avoidance behavior in the future, and probably for the rest of your life. Over time, this avoidance will spread out to all areas of your life, with your subconscious reinforcing all your fears. Ambrose Redmoon told us that “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather judgment that something else is more important than fear.” So, we must make our lives, our personal growth, and happiness more important than the fear that holds us back.


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Avoidance causes the fear to grow out of proportion, but facing that fear causes it to shrink down to manageable size. Developing your own courage shows a great deal of character and personal growth. We learn more through adversity than through triumph. That’s where courage is tested and character is born. Mark Twain told us, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” Being resistant to fear, and eventually mastering that fear, can change your life. It can get you out of your comfort zone and make you feel powerful. You then have an abundance of courage. What most of us are searching for constantly is security. It might be financial security or emotional security. Yet according to Helen Keller, “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.”


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Yet with everyone telling you to just accept your lot in life, make the best of things, play it safe, how can you find your way to personal growth and development? These well-meaning people tell you that to keep astable job (even if it doesn’t begin to fulfill you in any valuable way). They ask why you should even buck the system. “Go with the flow,” they continue to say, “don’t rock the boat, and don’t take any risks.” It takes a great amount of courage to deal with these naysayers, to take the risks that will allow that abundance to flow in your direction. Into everyone’s life, there will flow positive situations and negative ones. There will be happiness as well as sadness; danger as well as serenity. Sometimes, it may feel as if your life is one crisis after another, testing your fortitude on an almost daily basis. The Chinese have a word for “crisis” which contains the characters for both “danger” and “opportunity.” That’s what you must look for in each situation or in every crisis that you face - the opportunity that it presents.


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In the midst of a crisis situation, it may not be clear just what that opportunity might be; but if you consider it long and hard, it will show itself. “It’s not the crises that occur in our lives that shape our destinies; it’s how we cope with those crises, what decisions we make, what choices we make that shape who and what we become,” said Alanna Parke Kvale. You’ve heard the Latin phrase, ‘carpe diem.’ It means ‘seize the day.’ Grab the opportunity; don’t let it pass you by. Live vibrantly in each moment, make each day count, and maximize the quality of your life. Remember, this is not a dress rehearsal; this is real life. Boris Pasternak said, “Man is born to live and not to prepare to live.” What would you do if you could dispense with your fear? What would you want to accomplish? Would you travel extensively? Start your own business? Learn to paint or sculpt, or play the piano? If fear was not a word in your vocabulary, what would you do with your life?


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First of all, let me make it clear that we are not talking about religion in this chapter; yet we all have our spiritual side. We care about each other; we care about our families, our society, our community, and our world. We connect with each other and often help each other in unselfish ways. All the while, we seek rapturous living. That’s pretty darn spiritual. Many things and people will cross our paths on the search for spiritual abundance. In our quest for abundance, we must believe in our own spirituality, our connection to every other living creature on the planet and our responsibility to each other.


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Every meeting is a possible opportunity or lesson learned. When you look at the world this way, there are no coincidences and no accidents… Everything happens for a reason and everyone has a purpose. Learning to look for your own reason for being is part of the spirituality of human life.

In order to let abundance flow towards you, your passions have to be considered. What you do each day should delight your soul and make your heart sing with meaning. When you allow that passion to surface, you’ll find that the universe moves in your direction to help you in your quest. When you’re doing something that you love to do, you radiate delight and joy, and the universe radiates abundance back toward you. That’s not to say that whatever you put outwards will always come back to you immediately. If you focus on give-and-take, you’re missing the whole point. Give freely to the universe, and delight at the happiness you bring to others.


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Law of Reciprocity Whatever you give out to the world will come back to you tenfold. “The more credit you give away, the more will come back to

you. The more you help others, the more they will want to help

you.”

-Brian Tracy

Abundance actually starts with you, inside you, not outside yourself. You send it out into the world. In this way, you are increasing your own inner abundance by sharing it with others. It will be returned to you when you least expect it. As you practice this, you’ll discover you’ve opened a window, letting in amazing possibilities for yourself and others. The more you share, the larger your world will be, with more options than you have ever dreamed could possibly exist. In his book, “The Science of Getting Rich,” Wallace D. Wattles said, “you do not have to get something for nothing, but can give to every person more than you take from him.”


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One way to work along with the Law of Reciprocity is to volunteer. According to Jim Rohn, we must “learn to help people with more than just their jobs; help them with their lives.” Even Albert Schweitzer said, “every person I have known who has been truly happy, has learned how to serve others.”

Gratitude Possibly the most important element of abundance is a sense of gratitude. Without gratitude for what you receive, you will end up blocking yourself once again from the natural flow of abundance. Gratitude is necessary to keep your mind from slipping back into the mindset of scarcity or lack, rather than abundance. Your may find it helpful to sit down and write out all the blessings you are grateful for in your life. When you are feeling down, remind yourself of all you have, instead of focusing on what you don’t have. Many successful people keep a “gratitude journal” where they record daily all that they are grateful for in their lives.


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“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It

turns what we have into enough and

more. It turns denial into acceptance,

chaos to order and confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into

a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our

past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

-Melody Beattie

We all want to make forward progress, better ourselves, build greater lives for our families, and grow as citizens of this planet. Brian Tracy told us to “develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” Simply put, you give, you get back. That’s not to say that you should perform some act of kindness simply to receive something in return. It doesn’t work that way. It must be given freely, with no thought of repayment. You might also know this principle as ‘pay it forward.’ You give to others, possibly because someone else gave to you. Keep it going, keep the abundance flowing outward, and it will always return to you. The most powerful element of constant gratitude is the way it prevents you from slipping back into dissatisfied thoughts - the thoughts of scarcity and lack.


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The past is over. You can’t change anything that has happened before. Going over past mistakes or regrets is pointless, futile, and definitely a waste of time, energy, and emotion. Avoid the pitfalls of the “should’ve, could’ve, or would’ve” mindsets. Mistakes of the past are only important as long as you’ve learned from them. You can’t go back and change anything that happened. Equally pointless and futile is trying to foresee the future and worrying about what will happen in the years to come. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t make a few plans; just don’t carve them in stone. You may have to go to Plan B occasionally. It’s like they say: the past is over, the future isn’t known yet, and it’s today that’s important, that’s why it’s called the “present.” The fighter, Joe E. Lewis said, “You only live once; but if you work it right, once is enough.”


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“It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up, that we will begin to live

each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had,”

-Elizabeth Kubler Ross You’ve heard people say that we just need to have faith and everything will be fine, or sympathize that someone seems to have lost their faith. Eric Butterworth told us, “there is no such thing as a lack of faith. We all have plenty of faith; it’s just that we have faith in the wrong things. We have faith in what can’t be done rather than what can be done. We have faith in lack rather than abundance, but there is no lack of faith. Faith is a law.” One of the important things you can do to prepare for abundance is to re-evaluate what’s important in your life. Get rid of unnecessary mental clutter and old bad habits that keep you in the scarcity mentality. Make way for new good habits, thoughts and emotions that draw abundance into your life, rather than chasing it away.


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Stop procrastinating! Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. We’ve all heard that one before, haven’t we? It may be a cliché, but it’s still true. We do tend to think that tomorrow will be a much better day to start changing our lives. That’s just fear talking. If you stop putting it off and jump on it right now, if you get started immediately, then tomorrow will seem a little brighter, a little more hopeful and full of promises. Remember that facing the fear of change will make an immediate change in and of itself. Your fear will become smaller and more easily managed. The longer you put it off, the larger and more menacing it becomes. When you face your fears, you can pat yourself on the back for having conquered the beast; and that will do something for your self-esteem. “Finding out who you are is not simple. It takes a lot of hard work and courage to get to know who you are and what you want,” said Sue Bender.


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“Simplicity is an acquired taste. Mankind, left free, instinctively complicates life.”

- Katharine Fullerton Gerould

It’s important that you decide what you want in your life, according to your own personal values, then make a decision to take action regarding those values. As long as your mind remains cluttered with junk, there is no room for the flow of Abundance. Yet when your mind is cleared of all the unnecessary clutter, then you can bring in what fuels your soul, delights your mind, and thrills your heart. Not only will you begin to feel better about yourself, it will start to show in everything you do. It will show in how you interact with family and friends. You’ll be relaxed, happier, less stressed, and much relieved in your heart and in your mind. Hold onto your seat, here comes Abundance!


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Before we talk about your goals and dreams, let me ask you some questions. What is it that you’ve always wanted to do with your life? What is the most important thing that you want to experience? What have you always wanted to try or learn? These are important questions, which must be answered before you can move forward. You wouldn’t start a long road trip without plans and a map, right? Well, this journey is even more important. This is the journey to discover your dreams, your goals, and your plans for what you really want out of life.


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Rainier Maria Rilke said, “There is only one journey - going inside yourself.” Robert Browning told us, “Our aspirations are our possibilities.”

So, what are your aspirations? What are your dreams in life? Until you’ve uncovered what drives you, you’ll never take the necessary action and your life will continue to be out of alignment. Work with your inner passions and the Abundance that flows will attract the situations, people, and/or money to make that dream a reality. Before you set about making that dream a reality, ask yourself if this is truly your dream, and yours alone. You can’t fulfill the dream of your father, or your mother, or anyone else’s. It must be yours and only yours. You must listen to your own heart and not be pushed, even by those with good intentions, into a life decision that doesn’t fit in with that dream. There are enough regrets in life; and if you take action on someone else’s idea of what your dream should be, you’ll always regret it. Your own true passion and only true passion will fuel you each day and make you eager to get started. Do you feel that fear might be holding you back from having this dream?


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Do you feel that maybe you don’t deserve the life you want? Do you feel guilty about enjoying your dream, when you could be giving to others? You can’t give to others from an empty cup. If you’ve ever flown with small children or babies, you may remember that the instructions the flight hostess gave for emergency situations is to put the oxygen mask on your own face first before putting them on your children. If you give it to your children first, you could die, leaving those children without their parent. Don’t be afraid of achieving your goal, of making that dream a reality. People often feel that they just can’t have what they want, or that they somehow don’t deserve the dream. Unfortunately, they often just bury the dream, shoving it way down in their consciousness. They figure that if they don’t think about it, it won’t hurt. They may even try to forget they ever had a dream.


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Realization of your dream may threatens everything you know, your whole life, and your belief system. You may have been unhappy with the old life, but it was familiar; you understood it. Don’t let your dream be life-threatening. Embrace the new thinking, the new belief system. Don’t be afraid of it. You have every right to listen to your heart. By going with your passion and your dream, you are fulfilling an obligation. Only you can perform that particular task and make that specific contribution to the world. This is what you were meant to do with your life; this is your job on the planet. So now you’re positive that this is the dream of your heart. This is what you want to do with your life. This is your contribution to family, society, community, and the world. There’s no doubt in your mind. How will this make you feel?


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Imagine that you’ve accomplished your goal, and your dream is in place. How do you feel about it? If your answer is, “I couldn’t be more thrilled! This is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to me!” then you are living your dream. If you knew today that your dream would come true in the very near future, what would you do? What would you do differently in your life right now? How would you approach that Abundance coming your way? If things are going your way, how do you think your family and friends will react? Will they be supportive or critical? Will they back you all the way, or try to discourage you and tear you down? What do you expect of them? Your passion must be strong enough to withstand even the criticisms of loved ones. It must withstand their well-intentioned discouragement without falling apart. Then, you will know the dream is valid; the passion is real and unstoppable.


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Now what do you plan to do with this unstoppable passion and dream? Let your mind take you wherever it will. This is important dreaming. How will this change your life? It’s important that you take whatever steps are necessary to move forward with this dream today. Even if it’s just a small step, you must start now, today. Remember, action is vital. Don’t put it off; don’t let procrastination keep you from your dream. Set up whatever is necessary to kick this dream into overdrive and go for it! Don’t miss a single opportunity that might aid you in making this dream a reality. Keep up the momentum, don’t let a day go by without making some move forward, anything that will move you forward, even just a little. If the dream is especially big, maybe you can break it down into smaller projects and do them a little at a time. Large dreams can be intimidating, unless you break them into smaller, doable chunks.


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Let yourself enjoy each step you take, knowing you’re getting closer and closer to the ultimate goal. Start thinking of that goal in all caps—THE DREAM! Make it an event every day, make it happen. Is this what you really need to be happy? Think of how your future will play out if you don’t make this dream a reality. Now, return to the image as you want it to be. Does it make you happy? In order to tap into creativity you must first find the courage to let go of what is certain. Finally, don’t forget to add a gift for yourself each day. Add the gift of time - time just for you and time to spend with yourself.


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“Whatever you can do or dream, you can

begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and

magic in it.”

- W.N. Murray

Close your eyes, and visualize your dream. Think about it in detail, exactly how you would like it to unfold in your life. Be specific. If your dream is a home, design it in your mind, one detail at a time. Design it from the layout of the rooms to the color of the sofa cushions. Add everything to each room exactly as you’d like to see it in reality. If your dream is a job or career, imagine yourself doing that job, or having that particular career. See yourself working each day, enjoying that work. See yourself moving forward step-by-step, up the ladder of success. Whatever your personal dream happens to be, give yourself the time alone to think and build that dream in your mind. Visualizing that dream, putting it out there in the universe, is the first step to realizing that dream. See it in your mind, build it bit by bit, until it is so real to you that you almost feel you can reach out and touch it.


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Many people find it helpful to write down their dreams, or even make sketches or “dream boards.” Call this your creative journal. Anything will do: notebooks, sketchpads, or whatever is handy. Look at it everyday; add to it as the dream becomes more vivid in your mind. Look through magazines and find pictures that help to develop your dream, whatever it is. You can keep these pictures in your creative journal, along with the sketches and notes.

“I believe life is constantly testing us for our level of

commitment, and life’s greatest rewards are reserved for those who demonstrate a never ending commitment to act until they achieve. This level of resolve can move mountains, but it must be constant and consistent. As

simplistic as this may sound, it is still the common denominator separating those who live their dreams

from those who live in regret.”

- Anthony Robbins


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“Your diamonds are not in far distant mountains or in yonder seas; they are in your own backyard, if you but dig for them.”

- Russell Conwell

CONCLUSION: Lesson from Acres of Diamonds

This story was told by Mr. Conwell more than 6,000 times between the years of 1877 and 1925. The story is about a Persian farmer named Ali Hafed, who sold his farm and left his family to travel the world in search of wealth. He desired diamonds and looked everywhere, but could never find what he lusted for. He ended his own life, alone, destitute, a homeless pauper. His hopeless search for riches had simply consumed him. The man who had bought Ali Hafed’s farm, however, worked hard, grateful beyond belief for every inch of dirt he now owned. He had his family around him, plenty of food, and total contentment. One day, he made an amazing discovery. The backyard that Ali Hafed had deserted contained a diamond mine, quite literally acres of diamonds. Mr. Conwell used this simple story to illustrate a point and to teach us all a valuable lesson. Abundance begins inside each of us and opportunities await us, right where we are, sometimes right in our own backyard. We have to lavish attention, loving care, labor, blood, sweat and tears on our dreams; invest our passion to see those dreams come to pass.

TUNING INTO THE ABUNDANT UNIVERSE: CONCLUSION

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Date post:	28-Oct-2014
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Tuning Into the Abundant Universe

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