~ Prosperity is a way of living and thinking,
and not just money or things. ~
Eric Butterworth

I was looking for quotes on prosperity for my Be Inspired Weekly e-newsletter the other day and was surprised to find an abundance of examples that spoke of prosperity in negative, mostly financial terms, unlike the quote above.

One web site I visited, Happy Publishing,  posted this note about their listed quotes:

“It’s easy to get confused over the subject of prosperity. Many older writers talk about how terrible a thing it is.  More modern writers say we deserve prosperity and that it’s good, no matter what.  I tried to include some of each school of thought.”

Reading those negative quotes from the past (and present) made me wonder, ‘Is prosperity a dirty word?’ It seems it may just be for some, but if we want a broader perspective on the word we must ask ourselves what true prosperity means.

Here’s what came up for me when I asked about prosperity in meditation:

‘You ARE prosperous.

Look in the mirror and you will see what true prosperity looks like.

Look at your family, friends, neighbors and colleagues.

Look at the trees, the rivers and oceans, animals, stones, and Earth.

Prosperity is alive and well and it is all around you.  It IS you.  You are prosperous, each and every day and in every way.  There is no way you cannot be prosperous, unless you convince your self otherwise.

Can you begin a practice of Prosperous Thinking today and allow your self to know that all you could ever want lives inside of you?

Indeed, once you are aware of your own magnificence you can happily begin to attract that which lives ‘outside’ of you and appreciate that magnificence.

As all ways, it is up to you.’

In the words of Ruth Ross, ‘All prosperity begins in the mind and is dependent only on the full use of our creative imagination.’

Amen!

Today’s Powerful and Positive Affirmation is:
I AM PROSPERITY (courtesy of Robert Russell)

Thanks today to Rev. August Gold and Sacred Center NY for Sunday’s home run of a service, the help of friends, deep breaths, Body Magic and Ardyss International, my intuition, At One, iTunes for hours of endless music, french fries, candlelight, and creativity, for new and prosperous business deals, and the energy to do all that I ask myself to do.

Love and peace to all!

Joe

The singer Ricky Martin announced earlier this week that he is gay.  “I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man.  I am very blessed to be who I am,” he said.

Apparently there was a time when he thought differently. On his web site he states, “Allowing myself to be seduced by fear and insecurity became a self-fulfilling prophecy of sabotage.  Today I take full responsibility for my decisions and my actions.”

Denying who we are and living an inauthentic life can sometimes (maybe all of the time) create suffering.  I denied my sexuality for years and allowed my negative thinking about being gay to cause a lot of stress in my life.  The amount of energy that it took to contain who I am took its toll on relationships of all kinds. I drank to cover up my true feelings.  I was afraid to pursue my love for certain sports, take part in social activities and go after jobs.  I stayed quiet and small for years hoping not to be noticed and yet the whole time I craved attention.

Over the last few years my desire and focus has been to come out of the closet more fully in other areas of my life, to embrace myself as someone who offers a valuable service as a shamanic healing practitioner, channeler, personal development coach, entrepreneur, artist, teacher, and visionary.  That pursuit has allowed me to look at ways in which I may still cling to victimhood, dim my light and not share my brilliance.

A meditation on the subject of ‘Being Who I Am’ brought this information:

Whenever you say ‘I cannot be that because it will not be accepted in my world,’ you are quite possibly denying your self the joy of sharing your true essence and light.  Imagine telling your self over and over and over again that you should not, could not, and will never be able to be this or that because YOU THINK that someone will rebuke you or treat you badly.  Ultimately it is you who rejects you and treats you unkindly.

Being who you are, without censorship and without harsh words is love – self-love.  You create peace in your heart and mind by being your self and through that simple act you help to create peace in the world.

Imagine a world where everyone allowed themselves to be whom and what they dreamed of!  Who is there to be but YOU?

Amen.

Today’s Powerful and Positive Affirmation is:

I am who I am and that is all ways OK.  I am happy and grateful to be me.

Big thanks today to Ricky Martin for his courage and commitment to self, to all who stand up and say ‘This is who I am!’, for all who helped me see that it was OK to be me, Lorna Roberts, Rosa, my friends, family, and lovers, to our beautiful Earth, my home at the beach, new and prosperous business deals, Ardyss International, my book agent, editor and publisher.

Peace!

Joe

As I notice the seasonal changes in the trees, flowers and temperature here in New York City, I am once again reminded of the amazing way that Nature ebbs and flows with such ease and beauty.  It makes me wonder how open I am to change.

Twenty years ago I was working in a job I hated.  I dreamed of moving to New York City.  That seemed impossible until the sudden death of my grandmother made me think that life was too short not to be following ANY dream.  It was my grandmother who told me not to be afraid to take a risk. So, I quit my job, moved in with a friend near my grandmother’s beach house in Lewes, Delaware and saved money for my big adventure in NYC several months later.

The opening lines of the Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr reminds me that change is possible and easy when I let go of any controls I impose:

‘God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. ‘

Bruce Barton said, “When you are through changing, you are through.”

In my own meditation on the topic of change yesterday I received this reminder:

‘It is true that when you resist change you may experience discomfort.

Certainly there are things that will change with or without your assistance, and that is good to know.

One thing that you have the ability to change on your own is the way that you think about your self and the world around you.

If your thoughts are disturbing to you in any way, why not take a closer look and see what can be done about it.  Change your mind – your thinking – and watch how the Universe lovingly supports you all ways.’

Amen!

Today’s Powerful and Positive Affirmation is:
I welcome change!  I am opening to the next step in my amazing life.

Thanks go out today for all those who take a step toward their dream, my grandmother Dorothy Savage, last Saturday’s Fire Ceremony participants for their courageous intentions, expression and inspiration, my mother and father, New York City, my new home near the ocean, prosperous new business deals, my book agent, editor and publisher, the month of March, abundant, positive change, my breath and healthy body.

Peace!

- The butterfly is a symbol of transformation. -

Joe

My job as the IceCreamTruck  is to help people meet people! I recently surveyed members of getsteady.com in an effort to do just that. I am sharing some of  the results from a photo survey with you.

Question: Regardless of what someone may write in their profile, I will not contact them unless they have a photo. True or False?

92% of the respondents to this question answered true. Here are some of the respondent’s comments:

“I liken this to seeing someone in a bar. You think they’re cute and THEN you go speak to them. Same thing applies here.” – GetSteady Member

“This is usually true, mostly due to the fact that I almost never click on profiles with no pictures.” – GetSteady Member

Question: When I am looking at a profile online the first thing that catches my attention is a Person’s photos or a Person’s profile.

92% responded with ‘A Person’s photos’.

“We’re gay men-we’re visual. We need to see a face before reading the profile.” – GetSteady member

Regardless of what website you are on. This is why you need a photo if you want to meet someone online. You should give some thought to which photos to upload as well.

My Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/icecreamtruck

I met my boyfiend/girlfriend on [insert name of website here].

If you are embarrassed to mention the name of the website to family, friends or coworkers, then most likely that will be the indication that the website is not good for dating.  That folks is how you decide what website to join when looking for a date! I am not talking about a casual date either.

When picking out a site simply do the names test! Simple!

I met my boyfiend/girlfriend on [brokebackdownlowbottoms]. No!

If the website is cluttered with adult ads and selling dildos, then it’s not a dating site.  It’s tragic that I have to discuss this but I have to tell it like it is. That is what we are dealing with. This is what has been pushed down our throats and marketed to us.

The internet has hundreds of dating sites available to you and unfortunately most of them are crap. The one that is the most popular is the casual dating site, the bow chicka wow wow site.

Let me make it clear that I have nothing against the bow chicka wow wow sites, as I have met plenty of guys off them. However I am still single and so are you.

The other deciding factor is price. I know many of you feel you shouldn’t have to pay to be a member of a dating site. Well I have news for you. A free site will have every imaginable type of character on it. We are dealing with the Internet folks and as lovely as it is, there are a lot of men out there just looking to waste time and entertain themselves and they just aren’t serious about dating. In order to weed these men out we have to put a price as a barrier.

You want to belong to a quality site to meet quality men. Figure out what your comfort level is and what you can afford. Find a site that matches it.

Now that you have your dating email address and photos, go join a few sites. Yes, I am the owner of getsteady.com and I am telling you to join other sites. I am telling you this because for one thing, you can’t search or message anyone on here yet because I am in the process of making improvements.

My recommendation is okcupid.com. It’s not only fun it’s free! What? Didn’t you just tell me that I should pay? Yes I did, but okcupid is one of the few free sites that I have come across that’s decent and it’s my job to share good things with you not hide them.

For single guys on facebook I’ve created this group for you:http://bit.ly/RelationshipM4M

My Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/icecreamtruck

Have you come to terms with the fact that you need recent photos to meet someone online? Good.

Now let’s cover some photos dos and don’ts…

Smoking in Your Photo

This habit is becoming more and more of a turn off. If you are looking for a date, I would suggest losing the photo with the cigarette in your hand or even worse hanging out of your mouth. If you refuse to quit or are just the smoke after sex type of person, then go for it and post your smoking photo. Just know that you will be placing the odds against you. Be mindful of what you are doing or what you are holding in your photos and how others may perceive it.

Drunkenness Photos

Holding a glass of wine? Okay. Standing in front of a giant beer can pyramid? No good. You don’t want to come across as a fall down sloppy drunk. You can do that on your first date.

Risque Photos

Why am I writing about this? You would be surprised at the kinds of photos that people upload to getsteady.com. I have nothing against putting yourself out there however way you wish. God knows I have done it. We have to be mindful of how we present ourselves on the different sites that are available to us.

When you look at getsteady.com homepage you get a pretty good idea that this is supposed to be a quality dating site. So why on earth do people upload nude photos to this site?

If you are looking for a date keep your clothes on and join sites that are clearly relationship minded. If you are seeking a fling, by all means take your clothes off and join sites that are geared toward that.

I am assuming you are here because you are looking for a friend, date or relationship. In order to accomplish this we need to keep our clothes on.

My Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/icecreamtruck

It’s 2010 folks, if you plan on meeting someone online you need a photo. If you don’t have a photo you are just setting yourself up for frustration. Not only do you need a photo, you need a current photo and not one from 5, 10, 15 years ago.

Listen, I don’t care what you look like or what you may think you look like. There is someone out there that finds you attractive. Guess what? There is more than one person out there that finds you attractive. In order to find them you have to put yourself out there.

When you go out , do you go out with a paper bag over your head? I didn’t think so. Think of being online as going out too. You need to prepare for it.

Webcams, digital cameras and cell phone cameras. There are a plethora of devices out there to help us snap the perfect image. They are cheap too!

If you are going to attempt to meet someone online you need a photo. Just accept this fact. Some of you have this covered as you have 1,000’s of photos of yourself plastered all over the internet. Others I know are a little squeamish at the thought of having to put a photo online or having to take a picture of themselves. Get over it. I am going to help you tackle these issues over this weekend.

My Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/icecreamtruck

The first step is to make a separate email account for your online dating adventure.  I highly recommend Google’s Gmail.

1. Go to http://www.google.com/

2. Select Gmail in the top right

3. Select ‘Create an account’ on the bottom right

Why? You need a powerful email solution to help you manage all the email from potential dates as well as all the spam from the dating sites you sign up to. Since this email is for dating purposes we want to avoid using certain phrases: “hot, stud, top, bottom, 69, etc”

Why? We are looking for a date so we want to come across as being as sane as possible even if we aren’t.

We don’t want to come across as a sex addict or someone who is narcissistic. If you think you’re hot, that’s great! If you are a bottom fantastic! What you want us to know may not be the first thing we want to know. Now come up with a generic name that relates to you somehow. It can be related to your hobbies, job or where you live.

Here are some examples:

PhotoGuy77 – Hints that I am interested in photography and possibly born in 1977.

Hiking2fit  – I like hiking to stay fit.

Nycguy1980 – I live in NYC and was possibly born in 1980 or maybe that’s when I moved to NYC.

Setting up a separate email for online dating is an important step to ensure your success. If and when you connect with the wrong person, who let’s say won’t stop messaging you – you can now apply a filter that blocks them. Never use your work email or your regular email.

My Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/icecreamtruck