Freedom Now!

Freedom Ringing in My Ears!

Every day since I first met my spiritual teachers, I hear their sage advice ringing in my ears:

"Your natural state is one of happiness, health and abundance!"

"You must be free to do anything you want. You must be free to be anything you want."

"How long does it take to become what we have always been?" "How long does it take to be what we have never not been?"

Boy, it all sounds great! Pie in the sky, unrealistic, unachievable ... but real cool sounding!

Living Free

My teachers' views did feel attractive to me. But, at the time, I had only a vague concept of what they were suggesting. Yet I did take in the spirit and energy of the wisdom they were sharing. I know now that being in their presence, I was absorbing their vibration of Living Free.

My wise friends spoke to me about being "sovereign." They all implored me to "never work for money." As one teacher, Michio Kushi, expresses it: "Never do anything you don't want to do to obtain money. If you work for money, you are no better than a slave!"

They all emphasize the joy of being an independent individual. They teach that everyone is equally capable of being free, intuitive and creative.

Truth Becomes My Reality

My teachers' words had a strong and penetrating effect on me because I knew in my heart their words spoke of a possible reality. Yet I didn't have a clue how to live this truth in my life. At the time, I couldn't imagine how a person could have money without working at a job, or be in a loving relationship without feeling dependant on that person.

Since then, I've learned to attract the financial support of the universe by aligning my professional path with my soul passion and purpose. And I've found the personal connection to Spirit that allows me to love other people freely without co-dependent ties.

Freedom Feng-Shui

"Freedom Feng-Shui" is my name for the art of consciously guiding the free flow of energy and events in your life.

Your natural state of personal freedom is attainable. With a deep willingness and ample creativity, you too can fly the wide open skies of sovereignty.

When you Live Free, you:

1. Receive from life fully.

You make a radical break with the past to look at yourself and your world with fresh eyes. You drop self-limiting definitions to uncover the unique talents hidden behind your old self-image. You let go of being a victim of fate, destiny, karma, social conditioning or even your own life plan. No matter what decisions or personal laws you've committed to in the past, you decide to re-draw your life blueprint in the present. You give up old routines and habits of thinking, perceiving and responding to life that no longer serve you. When you're free to choose intuitively how to live your life, prosperity flows automatically with no effort or doingness. You open the door to more magic, meaning and money in your world.

1. Give to life fully.

You can't give to others what you don't possess. As you open to receiving abundance, wisdom, power and real love, you're then able to share these treasures with the world. You re-seed your world with a renewed sense of peace, well-being and wholeness.

1. Enjoy life fully.

When you're released of social programming, you're able to focus on what you can control in life�your vision, attitude and approach. Set free emotionally, you're free to use the magic of humor, laughter, play and spontaneity in your daily interactions with people. You're able to attract increased vitality, originality�and fun!

1. Respond to life fully.

To stay emancipated you must become more capable of handling life's constant fluctuations and changes. The current social environment of accelerating evolution is not a temporary aberration. We aren't going to return to a sane, stable world any time soon. It's smart to accept that change is natural and normal, and will play a significant role in your life for some time to come. As indigenous peoples put it, we must free ourselves to be "Change Masters." Change Masters not only welcome, invite and celebrate the flux of ever-evolving life, but also consciously drive and direct these rhythms. Free of the tribal "laws," you learn to adapt the world to you, rather than you adapting to the world. With emotional and social freedom, you can steer change to your advantage. You can accurately predict, manage and even enjoy the gyrations of this wacko world.

1. Heal your life fully.

When you liberate yourself from psychological restraints, you can assume command of the unlimited natural vital flow within yourself. You then get enough personal power to fund your own dream and have plenty of energy left over for family, friends�and fun! You realize that the body/mind/spirit is designed to heal itself and feel good. You allow the Inner Healer to work its magic to align and purify your being. You're free to unite with the Vital Force Field of the universe in order to bring harmony and balance into all aspects of your world. Sickness, accidents and crises become a thing of the past.

1. Create in life fully.

As you break free of the traditions of mass consciousness, you can transform out-dated practices and paradigms. You awaken to fresh choices, options and solutions you never saw before. You crack the molds inherited from your parents. You're able to self-facilitate your own personal evolution. You open the door to find the easiest, most practical, and doable way to deal with any situation.

1. Express your life fully.

With emotional freedom, you can create your life as a joyous, spontaneous, fresh adventure of authentic self-expression. You discover who you really are�instead of living who you think you are. You find out what you're really here to experience, explore and embrace this lifetime�rather than follow the path your family or society has planned for you. You decide to express your true passion and discover how to get paid well doing it!

Powerful Techniques For Overcoming Procrastination

How
much better would you life be if you could take the actions that you
know would make you successful? Would things be different if you had
a way to overcome procrastination? For most, the quality of their
life increases substantially when they are able to do what they know
how to do. It is interesting to note, that the majority of
individuals have an idea of what it takes to be a success in any
area. However, the failure to act is what stops these people from
attaining the level that they desire.

Success
in any area of life requires action. Power has been described as
"the ability to act". When one is unable to act in specific
situations, powerless has set in. Procrastination promotes this
result. This single habit destroys more careers, marriages, and
self-esteem than any other single trait. In its' infancy, it is a
minor irritation. However, when it is allowed to grow deep into our
psyche, procrastination has the capability of totally paralyzing one
from acting. It subtly becomes a bigger motivator (or demotivator)
in our decision making. The words "later" and "tomorrow" are
the default mindset.

Procrastination
is driven by two factors: laziness and fear. Often, when we have
something that is rather quick and not difficult to do, we still put
it off. These situations are driven by laziness, We simply do not
feel like doing that activity at the moment. A "Just Do It"
attitude helps in overcoming this. At the same time, there are
things that we put off doing because we fear the results that we will
receive. Our projections are negative which cause us to avoid
acting. We believe that perhaps if we wait, things will pass by. Of
course, this only compounds the issue. Time acts to magnify the
circumstances. In these instances, we will act when the fear of the
consequence of not doing it is greater than the fear associated with
doing it.

A
procrastination list is a valuable tool in challenging the habit of
procrastination. Regardless of the motivator, it enable us to take
action in an orderly manner. A great deal of a procrastinator's
problem is in their thinking. By using this list. much of the
thought process is removed. We set down all that we are putting off
on paper as they come to mind. The order is set without any
pre-qualification. Everything is listed regardless of the size of
the task. If it is being put off, it is written down.

Once
the list is completed, the tasks are handled one-by-one in the
sequence listed. There is no jumping around. If it is next on the
list, that is what is focused upon. The process of thinking is
removed entirely from the equation. Also, it is vitally important to
concentrate on one activity until it is fully completed before moving
onto something else. Procrastinator's tend to bail out when things
get a little difficult. Resist this temptation while finishing the
task at hand.

The
other technique that is really effective against procrastination is
the procrastination partner. This is someone who you decide you will
be accountable to for helping with your list. We seem to be able to
take action when we have someone else that we are answering to. This
is an ideal way to set up those parameters for yourself.

With
this resource, we find someone who we can put trust in to have the
gumption to honestly push us. If you find someone who will let you
be lax, it will not work. Upon sitting with this person, we show
them our procrastination list. A schedule is set down as to what
actions we will take and when. Regular interaction is required to
monitor the progress and report the results. Sometimes people will
each establish a list and help each other work on it. The more you
can involve the other person in motivating you, the better. It is
similar to having a workout partner. The accountability is often
enough to get us to act.

Our
thinking is what creates the thoughts to put something off. When we
remove that process or we are working with someone else who does not
carry that same idea, the fear that we conjured up loses its power.
This is the starting point to regaining our personal power. Our
success increases immediately when we are able to take the proper
action. The ability to act is a quality that the highest achievers
have.

Motivation And Belief

Strange as it seems, millions of us believe we are not in control of our actions and emotions. Whole political systems have been developed, based on this false notion that we can't decide in our own best interest, so we need politicians to decide for us, with seat belt laws, trans-fat laws, etc. This article isn't about politics, but about discovering what really motivates our decisions and how to use that to make better decisions...ones we really want. If you've ever wondered why you did something or if you suffer from addiction, anxiety, eating disorders or any number of dysfunctions, read on...this article is for you.

You Make Me Angry! How many times have we said something like "he makes me mad," to place the blame for our emotions on someone else? Who knows...right now you may be thinking of times you've done this recently. Let me ask you a question! If someone is such a jerk as to anger you, why would you want them in control of how you feel? You don't? Good...because they aren't...you are. When we believe other people "make" us feel a certain way, we're giving them control over our emotions.

If I can control your emotions, I can control a lot of your decisions and actions. We all know this to be true. The squeaky wheel gets the most grease because the squeaking gives us emotional pain. Kids are expert at this! Here's an example that proves you control your own emotions: Courtship...you know...all those gifts and compliments and fancy dinners? You also know that getting that kind of attention from someone you don't have romantic feelings for is called...stalking. No, your fianc� didn't make you feel complete; you did that because you were getting romantic attention from someone you had romantic desires for. By the way, this also means it's impossible to "fall" in or out of love. We decide to have those feelings and we decide when we don't, no matter how convenient it is to think otherwise.

I Just Couldn't Help It! As much as we control our emotions, we control our actions more. "I couldn't stop myself" may work for a child, but part of being grown up is being in control of ourselves, or at least being progressively more in control as the years go on. Imagine a grown man trying to buy food in a clothing store. Upon hearing they have no food, he throws himself on the floor and starts crying and screaming demands for food. Every action is a decision. Of course we can keep from doing harmful things, if we decide to.

I remember resenting the people around me who said, "When you want to quit smoking, you'll be able to." For years, I thought I was controlled by the cigarettes. Guess what! When I wanted to, I quit, in Oct 1989, and haven't had a cigarette since. It isn't that I'm unsympathetic to all those suffering addiction...just the opposite! I've been addicted to booze, drugs, sex, food, etc. I care so much for your recovery that I'm willing to tell you the truth...you can get better if you want. The addiction does not control you...you control you.

I Can't Do It Because (insert lie here): Ever had someone tell you, "I don't have time to see you?" That's a lie that's become acceptable, even necessary in our culture because the truth is insulting. The truth is, "You're not important enough in my life for me to spend time with you." These kinds of lies limit our ability to accomplish things. I remember all the time I was growing up, hearing the adults say there was no more opportunity, things were so much better before, 'the man was keeping us poor', etc. You know...excuses for why they didn't pursue their dreams. People actually repeat such things in front of their kids and then wonder why the kids aren't interested in trying in school or in life.

I remember giving up on several dreams I had as a kid because people had convinced me it was impossible. Now, when I hear my generation spouting the same garbage in front of kids, I make it a point to show them (and the kids) where they're wrong, making me very popular at family gatherings. Sure, you want kids to be prepared for the bad things in life, but the message far too many of them are getting is that life is a bad thing. Just because we bought into the lie our parents used as an excuse for not trying doesn't mean we have to perpetuate that lie any longer in our lives or in our children. Nothing is easy, but if it's good, and honest and something you've dreamed of doing, you can do it, if you accept no excuses.

How Our Beliefs Influence Our Actions: We've hinted around this idea of belief in every paragraph above. Now, let's approach it directly. If you believed the terrorists had planted a bomb where you work and it would be detonated some time during your shift tomorrow, killing everyone, would you be at work tomorrow? If you believed there was no bomb, but that some time tomorrow your boss would be giving you a $1,000,000 bonus if he finds you there, working, would you allow anything to keep you from work? This law of belief and motivation drives our every decision and action, from the emotions we feel, to the drugs we take, to the dreams we try to achieve, even the way we approach our jobs and families.

About 3,000 years ago, a guy named Solomon wrote, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Anton Chekhov abbreviated it to, "Man is what he believes." The fact is, there is no way to separate us from our beliefs...we are bound to follow them. Just as the anorexic believes she's fat and starves herself to death and the IV drug addict believes he needs the substance enough to kill for it, all our actions and emotions are driven by our beliefs.

This unbreakable link between beliefs, emotions and actions makes us feel like someone else is in control, but it gives us a powerful tool to exercise our own control and motivate our actions. So many of our beliefs were given us while we weren't looking, by people who didn't know they were wrong and had no idea how they were influencing us. To regain control, we must skeptically examine the beliefs that motivate our undesirable feelings and actions, to determine which beliefs are incorrect and destructive. We must also pour into our minds any and all new beliefs and facts that will motivate positive and productive actions and emotions. You can use my Human Behavior BAR Cycle article for more detail on how to alter your beliefs to change your actions.

What I'm suggesting, I've been doing for over 20 years. It's very difficult and very rewarding work. It's a root solution to almost all the modern dysfunctions. When considering whether the work is worthwhile, ask yourself, "Do I want to miss my $ 1,000,000 bonus because I thought someone planted a bomb?"

Kickstart Your Life: 9 Simple Ways

1. Give
   more than anyone asks or expects.
   Become a person who goes the extra mile in all that you do. Look
   at each situation and determine what extra you will provide. Give
   without expecting anything in return, including acknowledgment from
   others.

   
   

1. Ease
   up. The
   old saying "someday we will laugh about this" epitomizes how
   unimportant many things are in the grand scheme of things. Reduce
   the stress by remembering that everything will work out alright.
   Look at each situation as an opportunity to learn and grow while
   remembering to laugh.

   
   

1. Master
   you habits.
   Your habits are either empowering or disempowering. Determine the
   habits that adversely affect you then begin the process of
   eliminating them.
   

   
   

1. Examine
   your closest influences.
   We are all products of our environment. Everyone around us has
   input into our personalities, beliefs, and ideals. Make sure that
   those who are closest to you are assisting in moving you forward
   rather than prohibiting your progress.

   
   

1. Entertain
   the child within.
   Remember to take time to do that which you love. Too often we get
   focused on the drive to move ahead that we forget to engage the
   child within. Recharge you batteries by spending regular time doing
   what you are passionate about.

   
   

1. Resolve
   your unfinished business.
   Activities left unresolved have the ability to drain a great deal of
   energy out of us. Reclaim this energy by cleaning up all the old
   business and putting it to rest. Pay the old debts, discard old
   things, and tie up all other loose ends.

   
   

1. Focus.
   Focus.
   Focus. Get
   rid of the sloppiness in life by placing extra focus upon all that
   you do. Develop the habit of doing one thing at a time until it is
   completed. Pay attention to the details that make a difference.

   
   

1. Spend
   time creating your life. Most
   people allow circumstances to dictate the type of life they lead.
   Set aside each day to ponder what type of life that you want to
   live. Consider your dreams, traits that you want, and what you
   would like to contribute. Become proactive in the creation of your
   own life.

   
   

1. Invest
   in the most valuable computer in the world-your mind. Read
   books and listen to cds that expand your knowledge base. Learn new
   skills that will enhance you financially, mentally, and physically.
   Garner and utilize the knowledge available to better your life.

   
   

Focus
in these areas repeatedly and you will notice the quality of your
life improving. By making small changes in many different areas, you
will notice a drastic change very quickly.

Do You Get Motivated Or Do You Get Defeated

Answering this question honestly is can
lead to the development of a success consciousness. Most times in
life, things simply do not go as we planned them to. Too often
people behave in ways that conflict with our desires. Life has a way
of unfavorable circumstances our way. How we handle these situations
is what catapults one into the success realm.

Are you one of those who allow
unenviable situations to get you down? Do you fall into depression
when you don't get your way? Get angry? Feel like crying? Well, it
is time to grow up. If you are one who continually allows these
circumstances to take hold of you, I can guarantee that you are
destined for a life of failure. Instead of getting down, the
successful get motivated.

Here is a great secret of life:
Everyone gets knocked around from time-to-time. No one gets
everything they want all the time. Let me repeat that. No one gets
everything they want all the time. Disappointment is shared among
each person on the planet. The difference is how we respond to that
disappointment. In fact, how we react in any situation is truly the
only thing that we have full control over.

There was a salesman that I was
working with who had a situation that arose that cost him a fair
amount of money. He wrote enough business to qualify for his bonus.
Due to a business owner being out of town, he was not able to get all
the paperwork done by the close of billing. However, he talked with
several managers who assured him the deal would be billed, thus
preserving his bonus. Well, someone failed to bill the deal and the
salesman lost his bonus. This was the latest in a long line of
struggles within this company.

Initially, the salesman thought of
quitting and going to another company. He knew that he had the
ability to land a job with any of a number of competitors in his
field. However, due to our working together, he was able to reason
it through. Instead of letting this get him dejected, he decided to
use this to motivate him. He went on to have one of his biggest
months with the company far surpassing the money that he lost the
previous month. This is an example of turning a "losing"
situation into a winning one.

Too often, we will not do things until
we are at the point of complete frustration. If you are presently
experiencing some major disappointment in any area of your life, then
get excited. This typically is a sign that a substantial
breakthrough is about to occur However, this is true only if one is
taking the action necessary to move forward. Focused action in the
"down" times is usually a proven method for turning things
around.

Another factor worth mentioning is the
time lag that often occurs. When one begins to take action towards a
desired outcome, there will be a lag between when the action was
taken and the planned results. Perseverance is vital at this point.
A strong mental outlook will carry you through until the results
begin to appear.

Think of the successful athlete.
Often, they suffered a setback somewhere in their careers. Perhaps
they were cut from a team or they suffered an injury. These
situations were used as motivation to put in the effort to make
themselves better. Ultimately, they overcame the circumstances.
Implement this strategy in your life when things seem to be going
against you.

Get motivated and take focused action
in the direction of the goals that you most desire.

Deadlines: A Powerful Tool For Overcoming Procrastination

Procrastination
seems to be a companion for most of us. Given enough leeway, we will
put most anything off that we can. This is especially true for the
activities we deem difficult. It seems that human nature is to put
things off until the last moment and then rush to get them done. In
fact, there are many people who take tremendous pride in being able
to get things done just in the nick of time.

Life
has a way of delivering deadlines. April 15^th
is one that comes to mind. The bills that we have due each month all
have a payment due date. Projects at work must be completed by the
next meeting. And, of course, there is a time at which we must meet
the in-laws. Unfortunately, a missed deadline has a variety of
negative consequences. The pressure associated with this adds to the
chaotic state that we tend to operate in under this scenario. This
is when many of us experience overwhelm.

Nevertheless,
deadlines seem to be some of the best motivators. Regardless of the
pressure of the situation, people have a tendency to step up when
given a deadline. Basically, they get it done. Sometimes it is a
"fly of the cuff' at the last possible minute or it can be a
larger project broken down into time segments to meet it. Either
way, they motivate us to get busy taking action.

How
can we use this to our advantage without adding to the stress in our
lives? The answer is to impose our own deadlines. When we set the
timeframe, we thus dictate the pace at which we operate. This gives
us control over the situation while relieving the pressure that
others (people or institutions) put on us.

Procrastination
tends to happen until a deadline is set. If there is no deadline, we
will put something off forever. Is there anything around the house
that you were meaning to fix for the past few years (or decades)? In
these situations, implement a self-imposed deadline to finish the
activity. Commit to having it done by that date. Act as if your
life depended on getting it done. Suddenly, you will find the time
to do it.

If
a deadline already exists, the way to control the situation is to
create your own deadline ahead of the other one. This allows for
some leeway in case of something unforeseen. The pressure is
lessened since it is you applying it rather than someone or something
outside of yourself. Naturally, be aware of the desire to
procrastinate because you realize that your deadline is not the
"real" one. Again, approach the activity as if your life
depended upon getting it done by that date you set. You will quickly
see yourself getting more done with less stress.

Procrastination: The Silent Killer

In my studies of human development, I
found that procrastination destroys more things than any other single
element. If this habit gets out of control, it ruins marriages,
careers, relationships, and self worth. Over time, it has the
capability to grow until it completely paralyzes an individual. The
effect equally devastates the people doing the procrastinating and
all others around them.

Everyone procrastinates to a certain
degree. It is a natural human tendency to put some things off,
especially those activities we deem negative. Where this habit
becomes a problem is when it becomes the default mindset. As
children, we are inclined to do things the moment that we think of
them. The "do it now" mentality is prevalent. The concept of
time is not well formed, thus the child lives completely in the
moment. Of course, as we age, this all changes.

As we mature, we learn certain
lessons. These lessons are taught in a variety of ways. However,
the overall message is that responsible people do a lot of things
they do not enjoy. To show us how this work, most of us are given
chores to do while growing up. Tasks such as mowing the lawn, taking
out the garbage, setting the table, and doing the dishes suddenly are
assigned to us. Naturally, the desire to go out and play is stronger
than the will to do these things. The reason is playing is fun while
chores are not. It is in this way that many of us encounter our
first opportunity to procrastinate,

Obviously there is a vast difference
between putting off the mowing of the lawn and not paying the
electric bill. Yet, when we follow the progression of this deadly
habit, we clearly see how one arrives at this destination. We simply
do not start out as procrastinators. However, as the unenviable
tasks that require our attention mount in our lives, we begin to put
more and more off. It starts with the lawn. From there we develop
the practice of leaving our school assignments until the night before
they are due. This action is duplicated when given a project in the
workplace. Some of us even revel in the reputation that we gain as
being able to complete things at the last moment. Unfortunately,
many of us realize that procrastination creates a great deal of
stress in our lives.

Procrastination is a habit. Like all
other habits, it becomes ingrained in us over time. The more we
engage in it, the deeper it spreads it roots. It is not uncommon for
procrastination to completely dominate someones thought process.
Instead of having a do it now mentality, the default mindset is to
put the activity off. "Later" and "tomorrow" are commonly
uttered responses when questioned about the task being avoided.

There are two factors that drive us to
procrastinate. When simple activities are put off, laziness is the
motivator. Basically, we do not want to do it. We can complete the
tasks with ease yet just cannot seem to motivate ourselves to do it.
Fortunately, this is usually a short lived situation. Once the
motivation to act returns, the activity is quickly completed.

The other motivator is fear. Most
situations where procrastination is present is based out of this
emotion. When confronted with a task, we project into the future
negatively. Our mind focuses upon how everything will not work out
for us. This creates a degree of fear. When it is great enough, we
start to put the action off. This will occur until the pain of
putting it off is greater than the pain associated with taking the
action.

Repeating this scenario is what causes
us to be paralyzed by procrastination. At first, only the most
difficult of tasks are avoided. However, as the habit develops, we
default to the idea of putting things off. When this point is
reached, the individual is most likely unaware of the severity of the
procrastination. It is operating at a subconscious level. The
result is the inability to take the action necessary to move forward.
While this persists, the quality of life decreases as all areas
become infected with this tendency.

Awareness is the beginning of the
overcoming of this tragic habit. Monitor those areas where you have
a tendency to procrastinate to bring a level of consciousness to your
shortcomings, Then take action to complete the task in spite of what
your mind is telling you. It is the key to success.