But, no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t make it happen. She didn’t feel good about herself that she was so controlled by alcohol. She felt that the guys she dated were mostly about drinking and partying. So many of them were guys she never would have gone out with in the past. And she just hated going to work every day with a hangover. It made the days so long!

Other areas of Susan’s life were good. She ate healthy foods. She tried to exercise, but, at the end of the day, when it was a choice between going to the gym and having a great dinner with a bottle of wine, who wouldn’t choose the latter? The problem was that she couldn’t stop at one or two drinks. She stopped when she passed out.

One morning, after a long trip to Denver for a mini-vacation in Aspen, her life totally changed. She was driving with her new boyfriend, Luke. They were having a ball drinking Vodka and singing Country Western tunes at the top of their lungs. She drove up a long hill, and then the Rocky Mountains appeared before her in all their grandeur. She had seen the Rockies before, but today, something was different. The impact of the beauty stunned her. The effect it had was almost unsettling.

And then it happened. A voice whispered into her ear and said, “You don’t have to do this anymore.” She looked around. She knew it wasn’t Luke. He was too out there.  But where did it come from? Then, she heard it again - YOU DON’T HAVE TO LIVE LIKE THIS ANYMORE!“ This time it was louder, more forceful. It was like a higher power sweeping down from the heavens to make her pay attention.

The voice was powerful, but soft at the same time. Tears ran down her cheeks. She didn’t know why it affected her like it did, but it hit her like a rock. Something had happened to her. The gig was up. She was done. It was time to start over.

And “start over” she did.  She went directly to an AA meeting in Aspen, and everything changed. The desire was gone. The craving was gone. Something inexplicable had happened and her life opened in ways that she could never have imagined.

What’s the point? When you claim Massive Abundance in your life, you can expect your life to change…because it will!

So don’t worry if you hear voices. You may not be going nuts. It just might be your Higher Self moving you to your next level. So step up to the plate, call forth your abundance, — your MASSIVE ABUNDANCE, — and be open to your new day.

Step 6 - Do What Prospers You

…CERTAINTY DOES!

So that’s what Daniel Gilbert said last week in Thursday’s Op-Ed section of the New York Times. Well, at first that was a mind blower for me, but when I thought more about it, it actually made a great deal of sense.Daniel backed up his article with a lot of good research. He started by reminding us of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s famous line, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” during the Great Depression. And then he went on to say how psychologists and economists have conducted extensive research to show that the very rich are generally no happier than 99% of us. That is, of course, if you are not in the breadlines and worrying where your next meal is coming from. That is something else.

He then gives a number of examples of how the issue of “uncertainty” is what really makes people fearful. It is the anxiety of “not knowing” what is happening next that throws people into fear and depression. Think about it.

Daniel shared an experiment done by researchers in the Netherlands who gave subjects a series of 20 shocks. One group knew that they were going to get 20 intense shocks. The other group was going to get 20 shocks as well, but 17 were going to be mild and the other 3 were going to be intense. They just didn’t know WHEN they were going to get those intense shocks. The result was that the second group sweated more and had much more anxiety than the first group who knew they were always getting those intense shocks. The reason was this – people feel worse when something bad might occur than then something bad will occur.

So is he saying that we feel better when we know the truth rather than wondering about what might happen? And the answer is yes. Rather than waiting, in anxious anticipation, we would rather get the news, cry for a while, and then get on with doing whatever needs to happen next.

So how does that apply to Massive Abundance? Once we know the demon – in this case, uncertainty, then we can look forward to the outcome of what it is that concerns you, and know that we will be able to make the best of it, some way, some how.

Face your fears squarely, know that the right answers will come, and that you will be able to handle whatever comes in your path. That is Massive Abundance!

STEP 5 – BE OPTIMISTIC

Do some of your fears scare the hell out of you? Are you freaked out by speaking in public, flying in airplanes or even work deadlines? As crazy as this sounds, fear is good for all of us. Fear is generated by the brain to motivate us. We WANT to be motivated by fear because this causes us to act. If we didn’t have fear, we would be running red lights with abandon.

The key is, how can we use and channel our fear to motivate us in all life areas? How do we use our crazy fears to push us, motivate us and get us to make our lives better? Yes, we want to push through our fears and stop letting them hold us back. I am personally fearful of enclosed places with a lot of people. But do I let this fear keep me from flying on airplanes? NO! I have used some techniques and breathing and other things to get my butt on that plane.

One technique we discuss a lot in our seminars is the use of Kaizen. Kaizen is the theory of a journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step. It is taking baby steps toward a goal when you know there is a great fear holding you back. By taking small steps toward cutting out sugar from your diet or eating smaller portions, for example, it circumvents the fear factor in the brain to maybe reduce the sugar in your ice tea from 2 teaspoons to 1 and half teaspoons for a week. Reducing the sugar incrementally isn’t as fearful as cutting it out all together. If you can take these small steps in any area you want to change, then you’ll be more confident and more motivated to take bigger steps. And it is through these bigger steps that we all achieve breakthroughs! So you use you fear to motivate you to Massive Abundant things in your life!

Step 2; Activate Your Vision

It’s real easy. Let me tell you how. First, you invite some friends over for dinner. Don’t go out. That’s not fashionable anymore. Then you make for them everything you love you eat – rib eye steak, mashed potatoes, corn, a small lettuce salad, and a totally decadent chocolate cake with coffee icing for dessert. And don’t forget the Hagen Dazs ice cream.

It’s really that simple. Of course, you have to bake the cake yourself so you can eat a cup of batter before it goes into the pan, and, the same with the icing. Maybe not so much so with the icing. It is sweet, and besides, we do have some limits.

And finally, have plenty of wine to serve. Drink wine before, during, and after dinner. Any kind is fine. It doesn’t matter as long as you enjoy it, you feel good, and that there is a lot around.

So when you get up the next day, like I just did – Voila – 5 fresh, new, happy pounds to join an already expanding waist.

But, wait! I forgot something. I forgot that I don’t live that way anymore. I’m not that person that I just described. I’m someone who lives with a “massively abundant” state of consciousness and that I CHOOSE to eat healthy foods, drink lots of water, get exercise, and feel great about myself.

What happened? I simply forgot. I let my lower self take over my higher self. It was easy. It was simple. The pleasure was immediate. I forgot that I need to stick with the VISION for my life. No. I don’t NEED to. I WANT TO. I want “Massive Abundance” in my life. It is who I am created to be. It is mine. I choose it!

Recommendation? Stay out of the kitchen!

STEP 1 – PAINT YOUR PASSIONATE PICTURE!

Did they get in yet? It is quite possible. Did you know that it only takes 1/64 of an inch for a termite to get in through a space?

Compare a termite to the feeling of “doubt” in your life. You have painted your passionate picture (Step 1). You’ve activated your vision (Step 2). And now the waiting begins. You are doing all the right things, but the results aren’t happening as quickly as you imagined. You are staying with your vision; you are walking the talk, and yet, nothing is happening. Those sales aren’t coming in. The buyers haven’t shown up. You are getting nervous.

Are you going to let that termite in? When you see how easy it is for those termites to get into your cupboards, is it that easy for fear and doubt to slip in as well? If you had any idea how damaging those negative emotions could be to your results, you would never allow that 1/64th emotion to enter your mind.

Massive Abundance is about simply going for it. You HAVE to. This is YOUR life. You HAVE to LIVE IT. Be courageous. Be bold. Take action and live your life to the fullest.

There is no need to ever have doubt. You may have to do some things differently. Things may end up taking longer. But if your dream is worthy to you, then it is worth waiting for.

So next time you feel yourself harboring those feelings of doubt, STOP. Think of the termite. And SMASH IT!

STEP 3 – MAKE ROOM FOR THE MAGIC

Want to ruin every relationship you have? Then just play fair.
Dr. Henry Cloud, a well known author and psychologist, claims that this idea is absolutely critical to all types of partnerships – business, marriages, etc. Here’s how it works:

Let’s say that you and your spouse go to counseling because you just don’t get along. You are fighting all the time and nothing gets resolved. You both believe in “tit for tat”. If you are nice to me, I will be nice to you. If you say something mean to me, then I will say something mean to you. If you say you love me, then I will say I love you too. Sound familiar? Well, this works fine until the communication breaks down, then nothing gets resolved.

So here is what you can do. Just GIVE MORE! Suppose you are sick and tired of always being the mature one. It’s time that he steps up to the plate. You have spent the last 6 weeks always being nice and because you have been nice, he’s been nice as well. Then something goes haywire, and he blows up. And then you blow up as well, since he broke the “being nice” contract. Then you are off to the races again.

Since you might be the more mature one – in this instance – then the responsibility is on you to give more. It is not about who is right or wrong, it is about getting the relationship to a higher level where you can get issues resolved and you can move forward.

Ask yourself what can be done to fix this? How can we improve that? Get beyond your own need. There may be a time when you aren’t able to be at that level and your partner might step in. Unmet needs create frustration, and if both parties have unmet needs simultaneously, then nothing gets resolved.

Sometimes we like “tit for tat” because it implies predictability in relationships. But that is really codependent and can lead to disastrous results. Instead of doing what you might normally do in responding – blame, argue, point fingers – do the opposite. Don’t withdraw, get closer. Don’t disagree, agree. Before you know it, the issue will go away and the two of you can move on to a more healthy, interdependent relationship.

Step 7 – Give Back