Manifesting with the Law of Attraction

Have you ever had something happen in your life that, at first glance, looked like a terrible misfortune but looking back you see that it was actually a valuable experience, which taught you something you needed to know? Sometimes, events that look difficult at the moment turn out to give us inspiration or new direction and focus.

A fable that I read many years ago sums up my point perfectly:
A farmer had a horse but one day, the horse ran away and so the farmer and his son had to plow their fields themselves. Their neighbors said, “Oh, what bad luck that your horse ran away!” But the farmer replied, “Bad luck, good luck, who knows?”

The next week, the horse returned to the farm, bringing a herd of wild horses with him. “What wonderful luck!” cried the neighbors, but the farmer responded, “Good luck, bad luck, who knows?”
Then, the farmer’s son was thrown as he tried to ride one of the wild horses, and he broke his leg. “Ah, such bad luck,” sympathized the neighbors. Once again, the farmer responded, “Bad luck, good luck, who knows?”

A short time later, the ruler of the country recruited all young men to join his army for battle. The son, with his broken leg, was left at home. “What good luck that your son was not forced into battle!” celebrated the neighbors. And the farmer remarked, “Good luck, bad luck, who knows?”

In my own life, as a teenager and into my early twenties, I got into drugs and alcohol and ended up broke, literally homeless, and in trouble with the law. I had no hopes, dreams or sense of direction in my life. I was as lost as anyone can be, at a crossroads, and in tremendous pain. I felt that there had to be something better than this. So I decided to choose something better for myself.

(Notice that I did not know what to choose, but I knew what I did not want, which was my first step.)
I had to stop drinking and drugging, get a job, and look for a way out, which wasn’t easy for a 22-year old. Boy, did I feel sorry for myself.

Looking back nearly 30 years later, what seemed like the end of the world was actually the beginning of a new world, which I might never have found had I not crashed and burned at such a young age. At 48 years old, I now live a life I never could have even imagined when I was 22.

Finding Opportunities within Challenges

This morning, I was talking with a dear friend who has just been diagnosed with cancer for the third time. She shared with me that both previous times she underwent diagnosis and treatment for cancer, she learned incredible lessons along the way. While she would not wish this on herself or for anyone, she can recognize the gifts her journey has brought to her.
She went on to say that after the shock of the news that the cancer had reoccurred, she had a realization.

While she doesn’t know if this third episode will be “her time” or not, realized that, either way, she needs to address some unfinished business with two of her children. While she would ordinarily prefer to avoid this issue, she now feels she must deal with it. Through her terrible news, once again, comes the urgency and courage to face her toughest issues head on. She has decided to be honest with her children and share what she knows in her heart needs to be said.

Successful people share with me, over and over, similar stories about some perceived terrible event like a divorce or illness or loss that changed the entire course of their lives dramatically. Yet that change may also have brought them to a place that is indescribably better than they could ever have imagined. Had those supposedly terrible experiences not happened, they might not have found the resolve to make other changes happen along the way.

I am not suggesting that there are no such things as tragedies or losses. What I am saying is that loss and pain can be just one aspect of a difficult experience; positives can result from making meaningful experiences out of our challenges. For example, one mother who lost her child to a drunk driver formed Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD), an organization that has saved many lives. Helen Keller used a lack of sight or hearing to teach the rest of us important lessons about living. Nelson Mandela spent half his life in prison trying to bring peace to South Africa yet emerged from his prison cell to lead his country as its first post-apartheid president.

The next time you perceive something as really bad, try also to look for the gifts in disguise. It’s all in the way you look at it.

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Steve Kennedy is a professionally trained and certified co-active coach with a passion for “The Game of Business.” Steve new book, ‘Winning the Game of Business: The Entrepreneur’s Quest for Ultimate Success’, is due late Spring 2007. To learn more visit: http://www.winningthegameofbusiness.com

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”
-Helen Keller

The power of your Faith is effective only when you are willing to risk whatever the situation demands of you and in whatever you attempt to do. Whether it’s freedom from illness, finding material wealth, and experiencing life itself, without a certain amount of risk, your faith is inactive. You are not testing its secret power.

Whenever you are really clear about something you wish to do and know why you wish it to happen, you must then put all of the power of your faith behind your actions to make it happen. Any action you attempt to do must come from your strongest desire and purpose.

How do discoverers, scientists, inventors of new products, and so-called geniuses perfect their achievements? By trusting in a faith that is active, they use it to achieve their dreams. Any new discovery or achievement is the result of faith in action; the secret power that comes from within. It is available to you and everyone who accesses it and uses it.

You may fail to realize your dreams when you separate mental power from personal action. To keep your thoughts and actions strong, you only need to keep focusing on your faith and make sure your emotions are in sync with your dreams. Think about what you like to happen rather then what you don’t wish to happen. This is easy: pay close attention to the way you feel. Your feelings will always take you to where your thoughts are focused.

Get in the habit of making your thinking strong enough so that your attention is on things you desire and on what feels right for you. The opportunity that comes from these clear thoughts will lead you to the necessary action that takes you in the direction you need to go. When your faith is strong enough, you can relax and let it take over. You will create and attract all that is miraculous in your life.

Develop and practice your faith by focusing on a safe, successful outcome for anything you attempt to do. Recognize what your limits are and what may be beyond your reach. If you are thinking about developing a new business, a new product, service, or idea seek help with the areas you lack knowledge and/or skill to do. A strong, passionate belief in your worthiness to succeed is the secret power of faith that will make it happen.

Look until you find that secret power within you. Then after each successful achievement your faith gets stronger. Each achievement inspires you to look for more ways to succeed. You are better prepared to take greater risks. And when you find your secret power you will discover your true self. This gives you the opportunity and motivation to make use of every experience in your life.

So, when you build that better mousetrap, write the next bestseller, or invent the next internet software program, the world will beat a path to your door, recognize you no matter who you are. You will collect the rewards for declaring your faith. Go, do and be full of the power of your faith.

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Gerri D Smith, author, writer, publisher, speaker. If you liked this article, sign up for an inspirational newsletter with articles just like it and resources that unlock the doors to your business and personal success. And it is Free. Go to,

Practicing self talk means giving purpose to your positive reinforcement, motivation and recognition. This is the same talk you would give a friend so be kind and give it to yourself. Congratulate yourself when you have a success and remember all your abilities, accomplishments, strengths and skills. I suggest you make yourself an accomplishment board or journal and record all your successes — both small and large. Review your progress periodically and acknowledge where you have gone and keep an eye on where you are still going.

Use your self talk as a tool for success. Make it work for you. What you repeatedly say to yourself has a profound impact on your self worth and performance as well as eventual successes. Remember that your subconscious records all your thoughts and triggers physiological responses to match the images and thoughts you have of yourself. Make this work for you by keeping your self talk positive and reinforcing it with positive affirmations. For example, I did a great job on the research project my boss asked me to do. The research gave him the valuable information he needed to make an informed decision. I enjoyed doing this research and look forward to being asked again. My work is done in a professional manner and informative and complete.

As well as keeping your thoughts positive, it is imperative that you stop the negative chatter. Your mind records the negative chatter as easily as it does the positive talk. Your subconscious believes your negative chatter when it is repeated in your mind over and over. If you catch yourself using negative chatter, stop and rephrase what you said in a positive manner. Eliminate the negative words. Focus on using positive terms and affirmations.

Make your positive self talk and communications an everyday habit. A habit is created if you do something 21 days in a row. It is truly a very short time to focus and create a habit of ensuring positive self image. Try making small changes in your vocabulary. Substitute the phrase “I will try” with “I will”, or “I should do” with “I will do”. Try saying “I want or desire to” or “I choose to” instead of “I must”. “I can” instead of “I can’t”. Just the shift in some of our common terminology makes a huge difference in our subconscious and self image. Watch what you say during the day and see how many words that you say have a negative connotation to them. Learn how you can rephrase those statements as you acknowledge them.

Focus your positive thoughts with affirmation statements. These are the reminders that will help you achieve your goals and success. They are the positive mental sticky notes that will motive your mind to work for you instead of against you.

Here are a few tips on how to use the powerful affirmation tools as mental reminders. * Use personal statements. Use “I” or your own name. * Keep your statement short, sweet and to the point. * Phrase your statements in a positive way. Remember the mind accepts the truth as it is worded. Use only positive words — leave out the negatives. I.e. I will not be late for work today vs. I will be on time for work today. * Use a positive emotion in your statement. This excites me or I feel wonderful. Positive emotion strengthens the affirmation. * Phrase affirmation statements as facts instead of a wish. Complete your statement as if the goal has already been attained. Your mind believes mental messages and works to make them a reality even if they are not right now. * State your affirmations at least 6-8 times during the day. Start by waking up with a positive thought, in the shower, brushing your teeth, driving to work, taking a lunch break, before going into a meeting, cooking dinner, getting ready for bed. There are literally hundreds of opportunities throughout the day when you can think of a quick affirmative thought. It is very important to start and end your daily with positive affirmations. It sets the tone for the day and closes the day with a positive thought. Repetition is the key to habit. Repetition enhances self confidence and stimulates your mind to help achieve your goals.

I cannot emphasize enough the power self talk and positive affirmation statements can have upon the quality of your life. They propel you towards your goals that you have identified and desire to accomplish. Even if you work hard every day, without goals, your life is without direction. It is like a ship without a rudder sailing aimlessly through the seas.

Use these powerful tools of positive talk and positive affirmation statements to help speed and direct you toward your dreams and desires.

Learn how you can achieve all your goals and obtain fulfillment through a personal development business. Create a lucrative and successful home business. Visit our website listed below. “Investing in yourself today, will be tomorrow’s success”

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Sheri Falcone is a novice author, interior designer, student of personal growth, and entrepreneur who enjoys helping others achieve their dreams, be it their homes or building financial freedom with her personal development business, www.setnolimits.info. This business system provides all the tools you will need to create greater prosperity. Her enthusiasm is contagious and she believes laughter and appreciation are our emotional healers.