“When you take a leap into the well of fear, you may notice that things do not feel very good there. When you retreat into that darkness, things may seem overwhelming and impossible. You may become ‘paralyzed’ and find that you are moving AWAY from your dreams instead of INTO them.

What price do you pay when fear takes hold? Notice what happens on the physical level – perhaps constriction of muscle, a tightness in your chest, shallow breathing, or cold sweat. When you are lost in fear, what emotions creep in? Where do your thoughts go? What happens when you are happy and full of excitement?

When you can identify your fears and embrace them with love and compassion, then you will find that the time you spend visiting them DECREASES and the time you spend in excitement, joyful curiosity, wonder, and PURE LOVE INCREASES.

Which would you prefer?” – At One

Today’s Powerful and Positive Affirmation is:
“I live in excitement! Life is so good to me all ways!”

Today I am grateful for the teachings of love vs. fear, prosperous new business ventures, new Spiritual Coaching clients, Murray and Jerome at Narativ Inc. for breakthroughs in storytelling and writing, Lisa Nichols, Ardyss International, Robin, Fred, workshops that are overflowing with participants, gray skies, winter rain, deep sleep and YOU.

Thanks and peace to all!

Joe

Valentine’s Day is coming up on Sunday (Feb. 14th), so I thought I’d dedicate this weeks posts to the topic of love.

As I sat to type this, two examinations of love appeared on my Google News Sidebar. One is a scientific piece on how love may be measured, and the other is about an Indian woman called Amma who shares love freely through a hug (a hug that I have experienced and wrote about last July).

Amma

Here is what my spirit had to say about the subject:

“When was the last time you danced with someone you love?

When was the last time you sat quietly, looking into the eyes of someone you love?

When was the last time you looked in the mirror and said, ‘I love you’?

Love will all ways be here, waiting for you to tune in, to acknowledge and receive it. It cannot go away. It lives, endlessly, inside of you and all things.

Love just loves.

How about you?”

Today’s Powerful and Positive Affirmation is:
“Love is all around me. I welcome it all ways.”

Today I am grateful for another opportunity to know love, to joyfully share my vision through this blog, to know and love so many amazing people, and to make money by doing what I love. I am grateful for Odwalla Mango Tango juice, the Jefferson Market Library, ever-changing technology, my new mini-notebook, new and prosperous business opportunities, and my book agent, editor and publisher.

Thanks and peace to all!

Joe

The way we ask for or talk about something can have a great impact on the way it ultimately appears (or does not appear) in our lives. Are you a whiner or a commander/allower?

“Whenever you make a request for something, the Universe all ways responds. It doesn’t matter what the thing is. The Universe doesn’t judge the size, shape or cost of your request, it just provides you with the means with which to manifest it.

The Law of Attraction or Manifestation says that what you focus on grows, your thoughts are things that appear or disappear according to the attention you give them.

If you whine about something that is not showing up in your life, then chances are that it will continue to not show up. If you say in your whiny voice, “I really want that, but…” and the underlying conviction is that you are unworthy or undeserving, than guess what happens? It doesn’t come, and if it does, you are likely to miss it because you are focused on it not being there.

Pay attention to how you are thinking and talking about what you want. Use your mind to empower you, to command the results that you desire, to allow the most pleasant events to unfold with great ease.

Focus on the mess and there will be more mess. Focus on the gold and you will find rainbow after rainbow after rainbow on your path.

Like attracts like. What are you like?”

Amen!

Tuesday’s Positive and Powerful Affirmation is:
“I allow my dreams to unfold in the most abundantly beautiful and empowering ways. All is well.”

Today I express my gratitude to the wise trees, the waters, the wind, the sun, moon and stars, the New York Shamanic Circle, my home at the beach, my feet and hands that take me where I want to go and open the doors, my breath, my open-mindedness, my book agent, editor and publisher, new and prosperous business opportunities, friends and family.

Thanks and peace to all!

Joe

I recently had the great pleasure of being part of a group that organized a fundraiser for a friend in need. Well, quiet honestly, it didn’t always feel like a pleasure. I volunteered to take a leadership role and as things progressed my negative thoughts sometimes got the better of me.

It wasn’t as if I didn’t want to help, I just realized that I was not interested in doing some of the things that seemed to be required of me in order to make the event a ’success’. So I delegated what I could and as the event date approached I began to loosen up about the remaining tasks.

On the day of the fundraiser I had lots of fun playing cheerleader and rallying attendees to bid on the auction items. “This is what I’m good at,” I thought. “This is what I enjoy.”

Once again I learned a lesson about doing what I love and allowing myself to let go of what I don’t. Super! Then I hit the bonus round: Selflessness.

I realized that as soon as I let go of thinking that the small yet necessary tasks were a bother, and got into the flow of what I love, my energy picked up, and I allowed my ‘true self’ to shine. And that helped me rediscover the pleasure of giving.

As I heard in my meditation,

“One way to be sure that you are acting from a place of pure generosity of spirit is to ask your self why you intend to do the thing that you say you are going to do. From what place inside of you does the desire to do, give, or act come from?

Perhaps when you can learn to do for you then you can truly give in a way that is selfless.

As with many things, that may require practice.

Are you willing to try?”

Sounds good to me.

Today I am grateful for the Jefferson Library, heat and hot water, sunny Mondays, instant messaging, the start of a new month, books, music, memories that make me laugh, my jobs, new and prosperous business opportunities, my book agent, editor and publisher.

Thanks and peace to all!

Joe

Every once in a while I sit down to write this blog and it seems like nothing will come out of me, nothing will get written and posted.

For this piece I spent some time looking through books, searching the internet, and asking myself, “What’s the topic?”

I noticed at some point that I was not following my impulse to just allow my fingers to move over the keys and see what shows up on the computer screen. It occurred to me that perhaps nothing would get written if I didn’t follow that impulse, so I followed it and sure enough, ‘nothing’ is what appeared.

“Each and every day there is nothing waiting for you. Each and every day you wake up to a world that expects nothing from you. Each and every day there is an entire galaxy of vastness that is never in need of being filled up.

Each and every day the world sings your song.

Each and every day there is just you, with nothing to do, nothing to say, nothing to think, nothing to be. You are as busy, as bored, as happy, angry or sad as you say you are.

What do you think? Is that enough? Are you enough?”

I’ll admit I read that many times before I felt the truth and strength of those ‘channeled’ words.

So be it.

Today’s affirmation: I follow my impulses.

I am grateful for the nothing that is everything, for the illusions I create, for the healing power of gratitude and forgiveness, for allowing myself to let others be who they are without judgement or expectation, for a world of innocence, curiosity and wonder, for my book agent, editor and publisher, for being open all ways, for the love of friends and family, clients, co-workers, neighbors and strangers.

Thanks and peace to all!

Joe

Day 11 of the new year.   Now what?

I’m continuing my decluttering project. The space around me is changing. I’m taking steps to move many things that get in my way – thoughts, papers, etc.

A couple of weeks ago while I was at the gym sweating my butt off on the elliptical machine and thinking about the effort I was putting into it, my mind grabbed a memory from 1999 when I walked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru for the first time.

I had been hiking for a couple of days and had reached a part of the trail that has many steps leading up, up, up. The altitude (9,000 to over 13,500 feet) on the Inca Trail makes trekking a challenge for even the most experienced of hikers. At one point I stopped to catch my breath on a flat stretch and looked ahead. When I did I was immediately overwhelmed by what I saw: more steps. Fatigue set in. I drank some water. I looked at the steps again and a voice said, “Just focus on one step at a time. Do not look ahead.” I took a step up and did as suggested. My breathing and thoughts relaxed, and my strength returned.

Last week I related that story to my mentor. She asked me to stop when I told her about the instructions I was given. “Repeat that,” she said. The words changed as I spoke them and echoed in my head: “There is nothing more important than the step you are taking NOW.”

At Rosa’s suggestion I wrote that down and am holding the words close to my heart, one day at a time, one step at a time, one breath at a time.

Today I am grateful for the many lessons learned in the Andes Mountains of Peru from 1998-2004, to Mallku and Lorna, to Rosa for teaching me about never-ending love, my strong legs and breath, money that appears in the most ‘unusual’ places, teachings in dreamtime, At One, Woom, Con Ed, mental health days, the food on my table and in the ‘fridge, hands that are open to receive, and my book agent, editor and publisher.

Amen! Thanks and peace to all!

Joe