Two Tips for Peace and Prosperity

If I could guarantee you will be happier, more prosperous and peaceful if you put into practice 2 simple tips, would you be willing to give it a try?

Then let me tell you a true story.

A few weeks ago, I was struck by a moment of inspiration, and “thought” to write myself a note saying that the Universe will provide me with unexpected abundance, within a week, and for exactly $900. I don’t know why that figure came to me; it just did. I wrote it all on a pink post it note and stuck it to the kitchen wall calendar to wait it out.

Five days later, a prospect called out of the blue, and asked if a full page ad at $900 would work for me. “Why yes it will!” I replied, without hesitation. Covered in goosebumps, I wondered how on Earth she could have just offered that. It’s nowhere on my advertising rate card, nor had she even mentioned anything about a full page ad, for that month, in the weeks we had been conversing.

Upon concluding my business with her, I ran for the note, threw open the front door where Doug was chatting with his brother on the phone, and yelled, “What does this note say??” and topped it off with my happy dance. The rest of that day, I was on a high from what I took to be a confirmation that I was in alignment with, and supported by, Source.

That in of itself is the story, but the reason I tell you this is because I didn’t get to that alignment by accident. It was because this was a radical departure from a prior month, where so much went wrong, I just wanted to jump in my car and escape. That month:

·         A full page advertiser halfway through her contract called to tell me she’s pulling out and there goes $1000 a month.

·         I got sick with a cold, and got Doug sick.

·         My car was totaled at a busy intersection.

·         My 75 year old Mother was having surgery in Florida and I was so afraid it would be the last time I’d ever hear her voice again.

Everything seemed to be falling apart, and I did everything wrong, MEANING, me, authoring a book on happiness, just jumped off the life raft of my own advice. I was letting the outside create my inside by perceiving all these events as bad, really bad, and kept letting those waves of fear hit me, over and over again until I felt myself go under, and had a scary panic attack, awake all night, heart thumping, gasping for air like a fish out of water.

Not only was I perceiving these events as bad, I was focusing on it all, ignoring all the good stuff around me, because the bad stuff is so damn hard to ignore, right? They are the squeaky wheels and the pesky flies, the poop in our punchbowls.  

They say that we teach what we most need to learn, and boy did I need to go back to my book in progress Moving Toward Happy. There, I found my abandoned life raft and jumped back on, reminding myself how important it is to create my inner world first.

And how I came to unexpectedly receive $900 is because I actively put into practice the two tips I share with you now, which can easily change your current state into a happier one:

1)      look at events you perceive as negative instead as a blessing and a gift even if you can’t understand it right now; and

2) focus on the positive – not just positive thinking, but focusing on the many positive people and circumstances you have in your life.

But don’t take my word for it.  Let’s take the word of a man considered to be one of the spiritual thought leaders in the world, shall we? Eckhart Tolle said “The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation, but thought about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral. It is as it is.”

Now you might have noticed Eckhart said everything is neutral and that has its appeal. But that’s hard for us to grasp because we are so used to labeling everything as positive and negative. And that word “neutral” has a neutral feel doesn’t it?

Words count in helping you increase your happiness, just as thoughts and emotions do. Doesn’t it feel lighter and happier to label everything as a blessing and gift? “Thank you Xcel; I will pay this bill gladly in exchange for providing me with the air conditioning and heat needed this month.” I’d rather believe that life is working for me, and give thanks for it, and that’s just another way to focus on the positive. It feels uplifting, doesn’t it?

So, in the months following, I focused on the positive stuff, and believed that yes, truly, everything is a gift, even if don’t know it until later. For instance:

1.      That $1000 that dropped out? The truth is, if I look to my history, there is proof that I’ve always had enough money, and there is always more money flowing in. I made up that $1000 and much more;

2.      That car accident? Cost me $1400 to repair and the insurance company gave me $2500. It might not look pretty, but it works just fine.

3.      That cold? I got pampered for a few days and then I pampered him. I realized in resisting the cold – just like Mother Nature or videos of dogs who talk - resistance is futile.

4.      Lastly, my mom’s surgery. I only hurt myself by worrying. She’s still the tough old bird I know and love.

Keep in mind there is nothing worth holding onto that keeps your happiness and peace at arms’ length. Don’t let the bad become the biggest thing in your mind and heart. For the sake of your happiness, peace and prosperity, I ask you to try these two tips: look at everything as a blessing and gift, and focus on the good stuff. And I guarantee it works, or your money back.