In fact, the following are ten of the many ways that these practices can help you increase your inner strength. Yoga and meditation can:

Increase Your Physical Strength

Seeing and feeling the results of your yoga practice—from increased flexibility and muscular strength to having a leaner, more toned appearance—will make you feel strong on the inside, too. You’ll feel more confident in everything you do, because you look and feel great!

Teach You Patience, Even In Difficult Situations

When you’re holding a tough yoga pose or really need to scratch an itch while meditating, it can take tremendous patience not to move too soon. Increasing your patience in these instances will carry over to your ability to take a deep breath and remain patient during all those tough times when life keeps you waiting.

Help You To Better Understand Your Body

Yoga and meditation put you in touch with your body. Before you know it, you’ll realize that, say, tensing up your shoulders is your body’s way of saying that you’re getting too stressed out. Understanding cues like that can help you see when you’re starting to get stressed, angry, sad, etc., so you can better combat your negative feelings.

Get You More In Touch With Your Thoughts And Emotions

These practices, particularly meditation, can teach you to tune into your thoughts and feelings in a way that will help you better understand the “why” of your actions. Do you overeat when you’re stressed? Blow your top at the drop of a hat when you’re overworked? Some introspection can help you work toward changing these bad habits.

Give You Peace, Even On Difficult Days

If you can fit in a mere half hour of yoga or just ten minutes of meditation somewhere in your day, it can give you something relaxing to anticipate. Thinking about your impending “me time” can help get you through a miserable day at work or a rough patch in your personal life.

Bring More Balance To Your Life

Yoga and meditation do this both literally—through balancing postures like Tree Pose— and emotionally—through an increased ability to manage stress and unhappiness.

Teach You To Slow Down In A Fast Paced World

People are working longer hours and taking less vacation time thanks to the tough economy. Moms and dads are stretched thin between their careers, their parenting obligations, and just trying to find time for date night. Putting everything on hold for even a brief yoga class or meditation session is a great reminder that we all have to take time out for ourselves and just slow down.

Show You How Consistency And Determination Will Improve Your Life

Routinely practice yoga, and you’ll be able to lean further into every stretch as time progresses; routinely put in time toward achieving another goal in your life, and you’ll get closer and closer to realizing that goal.

Lift Your Mood

The exercise aspect of yoga and the relaxing practice of meditation can increase your endorphin levels, which helps to elevate your mood. Happier people are healthier people, which means you take fewer sick days from your job and are generally more of a go-getter. Not only will you find yourself accomplishing more, but your good mood will win over your friends, co-workers, and more—all things that lead to success.

Force You To Unplug And Focus On Yourself

You can’t check Facebook on your laptop while you’re in Downward-Facing Dog, and you can’t answer your cell phone while you’re meditating in a Half Lotus. Instead, yoga and meditation make you focus on yourself, your mind, and your body. Being more in touch with your self is a huge step toward developing increased inner strength.

I am an ex-U.S. Army soldier myself, so I have a special appreciation for those men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice so that I could have the freedom and the opportunity to sit here, safe and secure in my home, writing this tribute to them.

As we all go about our activities this holiday weekend, hitting pools, ponds, beaches and barbeque’s, don’t forget to remember that while you’re out partying like a rock star, there are soldiers who never came home, children without one of their parents, and family members who will never again see their son, daughter, brother, or sister.

It’s not about being down and depressed about it, it’s about celebrating the freedom that we have, showing gratitude for those who made it possible, and never taking it all for granted.

As you tip a glass this weekend, and officially kick off your summer, give a moment of remembrance to those who made it possible, and then make the rest of the party – and the rest of your life – something that was worthy of their sacrifice.

Much gratitude to Domestic Divapalooza for gathering a list of Memorial Day tribute blog posts!

First up is the 6-week teleconference that Edward Mills is about to launch entitled Basic Energy Awareness Skills for Deliberate Creators. Ed is one of my mastermind partners, which means, quite frankly, that I don’t cut him much slack. When he tells me about something he is working on, I look at it from the consumer’s point of view, and I grill him with those types of questions:

• What are people getting out of this?
• Is this going to be something that people can actually do?
• Is there plenty of content for the price?
• Is there enough value?

In this case, Ed has definitely brought some great stuff to the table, and in a format that will be both understandable by “regular” people, and also delivered in multiple formats so that people can take it in using whatever systems work best for them. Definitely worth taking a look at, and here’s the link:

Basic Energy Awareness Skills for Deliberate Creators

Next up is a reminder about the very cool Conscious Creation Retreat that Debra Moorhead is holding on May 30th in Maysville, KY. I wrote up an informative post about her retreat back in March, and the event is definitely something worth looking into.

Debra is a stand up gal, and I have no doubt that anything she takes the reigns of will be worth taking a look at. Check it all out over at her blog:

Conscious Creation Retreat

And finally, James Arthur Ray has come out with a new book called Harmonic Wealth that has been getting some great reviews.

I haven’t read it yet myself, but I am a fan of James’ philosophies, and he has been talking about ‘Harmonic Wealth’ as a concept for quite a long time. I’m sure his recent experiences since starring in The Secret have added to his teachings quite a bit, so the book should be worth checking out. There is also a a DVD edition that (at the time of this writing) is out of stock, but for those of you who don’t like or want to read, that is another option for you:

Harmonic Wealth – Book ~ Harmonic Wealth – The Movie

That’s it for now! Enjoy your Conscious Creation efforts and create something worthy of you!

Ed has the recording up from the first seminar, and it is available for free, and the 2nd teleseminar on Wednesday will also be free. I found out about this one a bit sooner, so hopefully more of you will be able to grab a seat this time around with a bit more notice.

Ed’s experience with the energetics of the human body as well as his history with the Law of Attraction make him the perfect man for this type of project, and I’m sure he’ll deliver more than enough information to make it worth your time.

Check it all out over at Ed’s site, and enjoy!

Energetics of Attraction Teleseminar

"Dare To Be Rich in All Areas of Your Life!"

When I was approached by the site creator, Gary Evans, and asked to share the site with my readers, I promised him that I would check it out and do an honest review of the site to let people know if it is really all that it claims to be.

I certainly found the site to have plenty of value, and when I do a product review my goal is just to report the facts, and then let the reader decide if the product is worth their time or their money.

So, without any further ado, here is a brief overview of each of the major sections of PositivitySpace, and I will include some closing thoughts at the end.

1) PositivitySpace Downloads

Definitely an extremely valuable area of the site. With over 100 eBooks and audio files that members have unlimited access to, there will be no excuse for not having enough education! 

The content consists of dozens of incredible and classic books available for instant download in eBook format, as well as other books by authors that the personal development/self improvement community will recognize. In addition, there are many original audio files that cover an entire host of subjects, and the entire download area is divided up by subject matter so you can go right to the information that you are looking for.

The downloads area is available immediately to all members as soon as they sign up, including members who take advantage of the $1 membership special that Gary has going on during the launch.

2) Book and Movie Reviews

I liked this area of the site as well. The review area is divided up between books and movies so that you only need to go through the type of media that you are interested in.

Once in the book or movie review section, all of the material that is reviewed has some significance to wealth, abundance, conscious creation, success, etc. Also, what I really liked about this section is that the members can review every title that is listed. Rather than reading a biased review by one or two people, every member can go in and review a book or a movie, and also leave a rating for that title. That really helps to keep the system honest and gives people impartial data they can use to decide on their interest level in that title. 

Also, members who want to be very active in the PositivitySpace community will like the fact that whenever they review a title, a link is automatically added back to their profile. This helps them gain exposure with both active site members, as well as "lurkers".

3) Manifestations

Having my own site that is based around the magic of manifesting, I definitely saw value in this area of the site.

Basically, members can go here to share their manifesting success stories. It is a chance for us adults to play "show and tell" by sharing with others what we have accomplishmented via our efforts. 

In addition to the obvious educational and confidence-building aspects of this area of the site, the peer-review system is also in place here. PositivitySpace members can read each others manifestations and rate them. I like that idea because most people are short on time, so they'll skip right to the manifestations that have the most implied value.

4) PositivitySpace Forum

Over at PDP I have seen that the forum environment is massively popular, even when other bells and whistles are available to site members. Apparently, people like to talk!

Well, at a site like PositivitySpace, there is certainly plenty of information to be shared between the members, and the forum section seems very easy to use and navigate. Frequent forum/message board users will recognize the common format.

The site literally just launched as I am typing this, so the conversations haven't taken off full-steam yet, but again deferring to my experience with PDP, I'm sure that they will in no time!

5) Articles

If you are dying to get your hands on a lot of in-depth content about creating success, this is the place to do it. The articles section is divided up into 2 content-packed sections: Exclusive Articles and Guest Articles.

The exclusive articles I believe were all written by site founder Gary Evans, and the guest articles are written by various other professionals, all of whom can be reached via a link to their website that is included at the bottom of each article.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but in addition to the loads of great content in this area, I am once again drawn to the simple to use peer review system.  You can submit a rating for any article and/or a comment about it. In addition, all of the commenting areas on the site have simple to use buttons for adding colors, pictures, etc. to your comments. 

6) Time Management

This is a very exclusive feature of the PositivitySpace website, and one that I was fairly impressed with.

Basically, the time management system is a downloadable document that you can easily customize for your own time management needs, or you can let Gary do all of the work for you by downloading and installing monthly time management forms.

The system itself is based off of some pretty fancy manipulating of Microsoft Excel, and having doctored up a few spreadsheets in my day, I can appreciate the work that must have gone into that system. Also, it comes with a complete User Guide, so you don't have to be an Excel wiz-kid to use it.  

7) Success Mindset Interviews

Another exclusive feature of the PositivitySpace website is an on-going series of interviews with people who have successfully applied the type of concepts that PositivitySpace members will be learning about and using in their own lives.

Personally, I am a big fan of interviews because they give you a real-world overview of how someone has accomplished something. Books and movies are great, and the good ones can be a part of the process, but I also like to hear from a living, breathing person who has actually "pulled it off".

The first monthly interview has already been posted to the site, and more will be added each month. The October interview is with Dean Shainin, someone who went from $35,000 in debt to running an Internet business worth over $100,000.

8)  PositivitySpace Training

One thing that I really like about this site is that it isn't just made up of "fluff" content that is available elsewhere. There is plenty of original material, and the training section of the site is an example of that.

This section is made up of 100% original training videos put together by Gary, and new material is added every month. The present videos are all centered around practical, real-world ways to utilize the Law of Attraction in order to identify and bring into your life the things that you desire.

Gary uses the term "deliberate creation" which is a term that I think people should intern
alize. If you don't deliberately create your life, then you just attract a "default" life that will most probably not be to your liking!

9) Private Messaging

A "mainstay" of any community-based website, PositivitySpace lets you stay in contact with other members via private messaging, or "PM" for short.

Private messaging is a great alternative to email as a way to communicate with people. Since most of us already have more email than we need, this is a great feature to stay in touch without adding to the email burden.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I am fairly impressed. Gary has done a great job of bringing together an absolute plethora of great success-related content, yet his website offers that content in a way that is not overwhelming or confusing in any way.

In fact, I would say that the biggest problem with PositivitySpace is that there is so much great info already on the site that it will take you awhile to get through it all. However, that isn't to say that you shouldn't do exactly that!

I remember back when I was a personal trainer, there was a site very similar to this that was made specifically for people who were in the health and fitness industry. It took me over a week after joining the site to read/listen to all of the content, but by the time I was finished, I was armed to the teeth with new ideas!

As I indicated earlier, Gary has recognized that people tend to fall into the "I'll believe it when I see it" category, so he has temporarily set up a $1 membership that buys you 7 days to tear the site apart and access all of the content that is there.

I definitely recommend that you check out the site and make your own informed decision about whether or not you see enough value in it to stick around for awhile.

p.s. – In my personal opinion, Gary's sales copy on the information page for PositivitySpace is a little over the top (sorry, Gary!), but as with all products, it is the content that matters, and PositivitySpace has plenty of that!

This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader. Enjoy!

I haven’t posted a Link Love edition in several weeks due to the intense work on Personal Development Partners, but I have saved up a list of some great reading in the meantime. Enjoy! 

Just over a year ago, I watched ‘The Secret’ and my life changed forever. My life did not change because of the hype surrounding the movie, the ensuing marketing frenzy that erupted after it was released, or even because of the Law of Attraction itself.

No, my life changed because in the 90 minutes that it took me to watch the movie and to learn about the Law of Attraction, I became aware. I realized with great torrents of emotion that I was far more in charge of my life than I had been giving myself credit for, or that I had been taking responsibility for, either.

In the end, that is what it all boils down to – responsibility. You need to be 100% accountable for your entire life, including your thoughts, your feelings, and your actions.

The Law of Attraction is not some magical, mystical mumbo-jumbo, but rather a set of guidelines that you can use to create a wonderful life for yourself by attracting the people and the circumstances that are needed in order to make that happen.

So, after spending the last year of my life being aware and being responsible, here are 3 ways that I answer the question “Does the Law of Attraction work?”.

1) Positive Attitude

The first thing that changed in my life was my attitude, and as a result I resolved to surround myself with people who had similar states of mind. Although I’ve always had a fairly positive outlook on life, I am a hot-headed Capricorn and was previously prone to giving in to my anger or frustration during negative circumstances.

Once I learned that all vibrations which we create will attract other vibrations that resonate with our own, I quickly realized that no matter how justified a negative emotional outburst was, I was still shooting myself in the foot by allowing it to happen.

Since that realization, I have almost completely eliminated negative emotions from my life. It wasn’t instant, and I’m still not at 100% positive flow, but I did make the resolve to only allow myself to be around positive people and circumstances.

What did the Law of Attraction bring me 1 year later? I now spend probably 80% of my waking hours interacting with positive people, writing or reading positive content, and building positive friendships. Most of the other 20% or so is spent doing positive things by myself. Yes, there is still the occasional argument or other negative circumstance, but by and large, an incredibly small amount of my life is spent in a negative vibration.

Was I required to take action? I had to consistently and repeatedly remind myself and the people around me that negativity was no longer allowed. And yes, some relationships had to change or go away in order to make that happen.  For the dozens of new and positive friends that I’ve made in the last year, some were a direct result of my own actions, while some were the result of circumstances that I could not possibly have foreseen or orchestrated.

2) Health

Despite the fact that I had just left the personal training profession shortly before watching ‘The Secret’, I was not in as good of shape as I wanted to be, and working from home initially found me starting to lose some of my strength and physical fitness because I wasn’t exercising nearly as much.

Remembering the Law of Attraction lesson that I am 100% responsible for everything in my life, I started focusing on and visualizing the perfect body that I wanted, and I even wrote an eBook about losing weight.

What did the Law of Attraction bring me 1 year later? As I type this, I am in  even better shape than I was when I left my personal training career, and I weigh less than most of my friends or family members have ever seen me.

Was I required to take action? Oh, most definitely. However, the circumstances that led up to me getting back into a healthy lifestyle were actually a direct result of starting this website. There were so many occasions when I needed to dispense health or exercise advice, that I ended up relaunching one of my old training websites, Fitness Destinations, and as a result of doing so, started exercising on a daily basis in order to stay on top of my game.

After purposefully leaving behind a career in personal training, I could not possibly have predicted that my own physical transformation would come about as a result of helping other people. By asking the Universe for a healthy body, I was inspired to help others to be more healthy. In so doing, I lost weight and became more healthy, and my advice to others has been seen via tens of thousands of page views over at the Fitness Destinations blog – a site that I had previously completely abandoned and was going to get rid of.

3) Finances

Much like the change or elimination of certain relationships that was required for me to surround myself with positive people, I had to shed a bunch of self limiting beliefs about how to create wealth as well.

I was previously a “work hard for your money” type of guy, but I also realized that no matter how much someone gets paid by the hour, there are still only 24 hours in each day. That wasn’t enough time for me to make the kind of money that I had in mind, so I started focusing on my goal of financial independence via residual income sources. 

What did the Law of Attraction bring me 1 year later? I have opened such a floodgate of wealth-building ideas that I literally do not have time to take action on all of them! I have a to-do list of things that I can do to create wealth by helping other people, and this blog and the Fitness Destinations site are just the beginning. Both sites have experienced significant, measurable growth every single month.

Was I required to take action? By focusing on financial independence via residual income sources, I have been inspired to tend to many different tasks that I would never have thought of before. Every time I think that this site is “done,” I get inspired to tweak the design, I attract an advertiser that brings value to the site, or I learn something new about how to create wealth by helping other people. In each case, the inspiration itself is the Law of Attraction at work – the taking action part is my job.

So, does the Law of Attraction work or doesn’t it?

I can honestly say that there have been far too many “coincidences” or “synchronicities” for me to chalk it up to luck. I have been exposed to both people and circumstances that would never have been a part of my life had I kept going on the path that I was on before I started consciously using the Law of Attraction.

Likewise, there are also people and circumstances that aren’t in my life anymore as a result of me living by my understanding of the Law of Attraction.

Overall, the answer to the question “Does the Law of Attraction work?” is unequivocally YES! However, the Law of Attraction itself is not the key, nor are the hundreds (thousands?) of Law of Attraction rela
ted products that are available.

You are the key.

Your focus. Your belief. Your resolve. Your perseverance. Your inspired actions.

Without you keeping your head where it needs to be for goal attainment, the Law of Attraction will simply continue to bring you more of what your life is already made up of. However, if you want change, the Law of Attraction is a powerful tool.

Related Downloads:
Law of Attraction
Positive Thinking
The Hidden Secret
Mind Power
Goal Setting Nonetheless, just like a can opener will not work without a human to take action on the can opener as well as the can, the Law of Attraction will not bring you success unless you focus on the things that you want, and then take action when an opportunity is presented to you!

I have hosted a FREE question and answer service on the Today is that Day website for many months now, but many of the blog visitors don’t get over to the main site very often. 

In addition to the writing that I do here on the blog, I want people to be able to ask specific questions that they want answers to, which is why I set up the Q & A service to begin with.

I will take a look at the navigation scheme here on the site and see if I can slide in a permanent link to the self improvement and law of attraction question and answer service, but in the meantime, you can click the link below to see the latest updates.

There are a total of 10 questions and answers already on the site, and 2 of them just came in recently. Also, assuming that new questions come in regularly from this point forward, I will post updates here on the blog to let people know that there is new information for them to check out.

In the meantime, enjoy the questions and answers that are already there, and feel free to ask one of your own!

Self Improvement and Law of Attraction Questions – and Answers!

This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader. Enjoy!

This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader. Enjoy!

Just a short list this week because I am taking some time away from the computer on the Saturday when I normally spend several hours working on this post. The small list of links this week are all great posts, though, so be sure to check out each and every one of them!

I’ve gotten to know Ed not just via the blogsphere, but also by exchanging various emails related to the Law of Attraction, personal development, etc., and I give him 2 enthusiastic thumbs up!

Not only is he very knowledgeable about the Law of Attraction, and very active in communities dedicated to people improving their lives, but his Law of Attraction Blog Carnival is the longest running blog carnival dedicated to the LOA concepts.

That carnival is now at its 1-year anniversary, and Edward is throwing a month-long Law of Attraction bash that has 3 very cool concepts powering it:

1. It’s based on having fun
2. It doesn’t cost a dime to take part in
3. There are some incredibly valuable prizes that will be given away!

I’ll leave you to go check out the party details for yourself, but before you leave I want to encourage you to read the entire post! There are a lot of details about the valuable prizes, as well as plenty of info on how you can get your hands on them for free, so be sure to soak all of that up.

Also, one of the easiest ways to possibly get some prizes is just to sign up for the Evolving Times RSS feed.

• Simple
• Free
• Potentially huge benefits

What are you waiting for? Get over there and check it out!

No matter what you call it, or how you define it, the simple truth remains that human beings have the ability to manipulate their lives in order to get exactly what they want, and that thought fills me with joy on a regular basis.

However, the problems start when people start thinking along the lines of “Well, if I have unlimited power, then I can manipulate other people as well”.

Ummm…no, it doesn’t work that way. Each person does have unlimited power, but their power is over themselves and their own experiences, not to control other people’s lives. Can you imagine the chaos if we were all imbued with the ability to control each other’s thoughts and actions like pieces on a chess board??

That’s not the Law of Attraction – that’s anarchy!

So, in doing my part to educate the masses (which actually means I’m educating myself, for you Ho’oponopono fans), I have put together this list of 10 Things you Can’t do with the Law of Attraction. Enjoy!

You can’t manufacture Money

The belief that you can sit around visualizing millions of dollars, and then suddenly they will just show up for you is nothing less than a total fantasy. As James Arthur Ray says, if you sit around on your couch doing nothing but visualizing being rich, they’ll come and take your furniture away!

Law of Attraction Equivalent: What you can do is visualize being rich or abundant, and then pay attention to what starts happening in your life. The Law of Attraction will line you up with opportunities to gain wealth, but if you don’t get up and take action when you are inspired to do so, visualizing will do very little except help you to realize what it feels like to have a bunch of money in your head, but nowhere else…

You can’t make people do Things

Despite your own unlimited power over your life, you have zero power to influence what other people do. Focusing on the desire to see your boss come groveling before you asking for respect and begging to give you a raise will just make it that much harder when he/she instead comes to your desk and yells at you for sitting around daydreaming.

Law of Attraction Equivalent: The LOA is all about resonance, not attraction. You will resonate with certain people and experiences, so those people and experiences will then show up in your life. If you want people in your life to do certain things, then focus on what it will feel like when those certain things happen. They will then be delivered, but they will very likely be delivered in a way – or by a person – that are a far cry from actual control over any specific individual.

You can’t impose ill-will onto Others

Just like you can’t control other people’s actions, you can’t wish for bad things to happen to other people, either. Also, based on the fact that you will be attracting things that resonate with you, it is far more likely that you will end up with some ill-will in your life, rather than the other person.

Law of Attraction Equivalent: If you truly want something negative to befall someone else (and shame on you for thinking that!) it is because you want to feel a certain way. You want to feel vindicated, vengeful, righteous, or whatever. Although most people would consider those to be negative emotions, again, the LOA is about resonance. By focusing on feelings such as that, you will eventually attract the circumstances that will allow you to feel that way. You may not like it when it actually happens, but that is a discussion for another day…

You can’t make someone love You

Relationships are all about you, not about the other person. By trying to impose your will of “love” onto someone else so that they will love you, the vibrations that you will be sending out into the universe will be those of lack, loneliness, low self-esteem, etc. If you continually send out those vibrations – even if you don’t realize that you are doing it – all you will attract are more opportunities to continue to feel that way.

Law of Attraction Equivalent: If you want someone to love you, it is because you want to feel a certain way. You are likely looking for feelings of confidence, safety, nurturing, passion, happiness, and similar concepts. In order to bring those things into your life, you need to focus on those feelings. The LOA will then deliver opportunities for you to feel those things, although for the record, there is a very real chance that those opportunities will not be with the person that you tried to make love you.

You can’t force your children to Change

What parent wouldn’t want to just wave a magic wand and have their children suddenly start doing well in school, having good health and social relationships, and start building a great future for themselves? Ask yourself this, however: Is that what YOU want, or what the child wants?

Law of Attraction Equivalent: Once you get past your own selfish desires, if your goal is truly the happiness, health, and success of your children (for them, not for you), then that is what you need to focus on. By using the power of the LOA to benefit another human being, you will attract opportunities for that human being to benefit from your efforts. However, that individual needs to accept the opportunities that are presented to them. You can only lead them to the door; they have to open it.

You can’t make other people Understand

Most people who learn great things or become “enlightened” immediately want to start spreading the wealth. They want other people to know what they know, and by educating the masses, will be doing their part to make the world a better place. Here’s the thing, though: People will only attract the knowledge of better days and levels of enlightenment when they are ready to. The fact that you personally understand the LOA is completely irrelevant to someone who isn’t ready to learn about it.

Law of Attraction Equivalent: You are looking at an example of the LOA equivalent right now! I understand the Law of Attraction, so rather than going outside and grabbing people off the street, and then forcing them to sit down and learn about it, I just put my knowledge out there. I write these words with the sincere intention for them to be of good use to other people, and then I just send my words out into the world and release them. You can do exactly the same thing, whether that be via blogging, writing books, podcasting, praying, or even just sending out good thoughts to the world. Put the intention out there, and then let it go.

You can’t ignore Reality

If something that you consider negative happens, then it happens. Ignoring it will not make it go away. You can’t sit there on the side of the road after having run out of gas and say, “But how
did this happen? I was using the Law of Attraction to keep my gas tank full!”

Law of Attraction Equivalent: Again, it boils down to knowing when to take action. If you consistently use the LOA principles in order to always have plenty of gas in your car, then you will be presented with opportunities to do exactly that. They may come in a myriad of different forms, but I guarantee you that none of those forms will include watching your gas gauge plummet, yet doing nothing about it. Remember, it is all about knowing when to take action on the clues that the Law of Attraction puts before you.

You can’t attract what you don’t truly Want

This is a really tough one for a lot of people because everyone thinks that they know what they want, at least in a general sense. Here’s a newsflash for you, however, again compliments of James Arthur Ray: If you really wanted it, you would already have it! If your life right now includes a lack of financial abundance, a lack of career opportunities, continual bad relationships, etc., that is because deep down inside you are attracting those things, even if you aren’t consciously aware of doing so.

Law of Attraction Equivalent: It’s called “conscious creation” for a reason! You need to consistently focus on the things that you think you want, because by failing to do so, your subconscious will simply keep creating and recreating the scenarios that have led you to where you are right now. Unless you take the action of consciously focusing – consistently and passionately – on a life different than the one that you are presently leading, nothing will significantly change.

You can’t suspend Disbelief

If someone thinks that anything is possible with the Law of Attraction, so they jump off of a building and think that they can “attract” a miraculous rescue before they hit the ground, what do you think is going to happen? Although seemingly miraculous rescues are possible, the LOA did not work for that jumper because deep down inside – again referring to the subconscious – that person did not truly believe that someone or something was going to keep them from hitting the ground. So, of course, no miraculous rescue manifested itself.

Law of Attraction Equivalent: If you truly want to change your belief system about any given thing, then you need to do exactly that. Once again, we refer back to the fact that you have to consciously create the life that you want to be living. So, if you want to change your belief systems about anything from empty gas tanks to jumping off of buildings, you need to immerse yourself in the study of concepts that will allow you to reprogram beliefs that have likely been buried in your subconscious for decades.

You can’t do Nothing

I saved this one for last because I think that it sums up everything that has already been stated.

The Law of Attraction is not some mystical, “wave a magic wand” type of ability where you can just sit on your throne manifesting all of these wonderful people and experiences into your life. You must TAKE ACTION!

In addition, as with all methods of attaining our desires, we must take consistent action. One session of intense visualization, or reading through some affirmations once in awhile is not going to cut it. If you truly want to harness the universal power of the Law of Attraction, then you need to practice its principles on a regular basis, preferably every single day.

By sitting around and thinking that you can just “wish” your way to success, all you will do is cause yourself to believe less and less in the power of the Law of Attraction, which will in turn cause it to be less and less effective in your life.

Here’s the best part, though: All of the principles that are used to invoke the Law of Attraction will also serve to make a better life for you, even if you are not a believer. So if you know for a fact that you can improve your life, it costs little or nothing to do so, and no one else even needs to know that you are doing it, my only question is this:

Why wouldn’t you do that???

This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader. Enjoy!

This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader. Enjoy!

1) Tupelo Kenyon - In a great post that many people would do well to read and internalize, Tupelo's 10 Ways to Grow a Relationship of Mutual Personal Development points out some real truths about relationship and growth.

2) Live the Power – One of my favorite phrases is "If you can create gold, you don't have to horde it (James Arthur Ray)", and Karen Lynch's post Chasing Butterflies echoes a similiar concept. If you create wonderful things that last in your life, you don't have to spend your life chasing wonderful things!

3) Christine Kane – Christine is getting a lot of Link Love exposure because I totally agree with and endorse her series about "Attention Splatter".  Part III of that series, Attention Splatter: The Top Ten Cleaning Solutions, has some incredible tips. I got smacked in the face when I read the tip about using small chunks of time, and my productivity has already improved.

4) Evolving Times – Edward Mills details a situation that many of you will recognize in his post Balancing Positive Expectation with Past Experience. In a nutshell, it explains that sometimes just walking away with good expectations is better than standing there insisting that your way is the best way.

5) The Happiness Project - Gretchen put up an awesome list that includes Seven tips for having an original thought or finding a solution. Some very unique ideas, several of which I have used myself and I can attest to their effectiveness.

6) The Pulse – Darren Hardy, President of the incredible Success Training Network put up a great post on his blog entitled Success Principles are no "Secret". Want it told to you straight? The title says it all, so go check it out!

7) John's Place Online – In true blogging style, I came across John's site purely from the power of word of mouth, and I sure was happy that I did! The very first post I read there was Link Love worthy, and it's worth your time to check out, as is his site in general: Reading Road Signs on the Highway of Life.

Zen Habits – Want some tips on how to brighten things up in your life? How about 75 of them? Leo, you have outdone yourself once again: 75 Simple Pleasures to Brighten Your Day.

Blogs that have featured Today is that Day:

My good buddy Stephen Hopson over at Adversity University gave me the Courageous Blogger award, and for that, I thank you, Stephen! However, I am even more excited to pass this award on to the the first person who instantly came to my mind for showing massive courage in recent weeks with his writing as well as his personal development. Lyman Reed, this award is for you!

I was also incredibly grateful to receive a second award from Ms. Christy over at Writer's Review, and to then get the same award from Meryl Evans at the Bionic Ear Blog. Thank you both SO very much – I am truly honored and grateful!

I would like to pass the award on to Ms. Christine Kane for her continued wisdom and entertainment, and then also past it right back to Ms. Christy for continuing to be a leader in her efforts to make blogging a community, rather than just a bunch of writing on the web!

I also want to thank all of the following bloggers for sharing posts from Today is that Day with their readers:

• Mr. Biggs at One Powerful Word
• Raymond Burton at The Happy Soul
• BrighterLife 

Blog Carnivals that have recently included posts from Today is that Day:

The 10th Edition of the Carnival of Creative Growth included the post 'Successful Blogging – Are you Creating Something, or just Reading and Writing?'.

Both Karen Lynch's Live the Power Unlimited Carnival and the Personal Development Carnival both listed 'Self Improvement Hack: I am NOT that kind of a Person!' among their other quality entries.

My from the heart post 'How to Deal with Negative Changes' was part of the most recent edition of the Carnival of Positive Thinking.

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This concludes Volume 23 of the Self Improvement and Law of Attraction Link Love Series. VERY much gratitude to all who participated via their reading, writing, their link love, or just their wonderful attitudes!

This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader. Enjoy!

Are you visualizing a grand landscape that for some reason never seems to actually manifest into reality?

Are you consciously creating with clarity a cornucopia of coolness that curiously constructs…not much of anything?

Okay, I'll admit I got a little carried away with that last one, but you get the picture!

You are working the Law of Attraction for all it is worth, but you have yet to really see the type of results that you were looking for. In fact, despite how much you were excited about the concept, you are beginning to wonder if it all wasn't just a bunch of nonsense after all.

If that describes you, then have faith, Grasshopper. Your salvation is at hand!

Actually, it's at…well, it's everywhere! It's you. Or, to be more precise it's what you're not doing. Confused? Let's simplify this:

You are thinking about the Law of Attraction, or you are thinking about what you want, but you are not allowing yourself to become a vibrational match to it.

Oh, and for you non-believers in the Law of Attraction? Stick around, because this lesson will teach you to be successful, too!

The problem has become – in and out of the LOA circles – that people have allowed themselves to get far too caught up in the methods of achieving success, yet they have forgotten one very important thing.

Oh look – there it is! Right up in the header of the very website that you are reading right now:

Success is Something you Attract by the Person you Become.

It's that simple. The Law of Attraction (or your own self improvement strategy) is not working because you have not become a vibrational match with the things that you want to attract into your life. It's all about the way that you FEEL.

If you don't feel like the kind of person who has the things that you are attempting to bring into your life, you'll never have them.

Let's see a few examples:

You've been single for awhile, and the primary thing that you want to bring into your life is some hot young thang (said with appropriate southern drawl) who is so mentally and physically attractive that he/she needs a cadre of full-time bodyguards to fight off the masses.

Sounds great, right? Any of you who are in the situation of trying to conjure up a satisfying relationship will know what it is like to envision that "dream mate". So let me ask you this:

Are you that type of person? Do you walk around town so sure of your level of magnetism that you know for a fact that every individual you come across is saying either: A) I want that person, or B) I want to BE that person!

So, is that you? Is that how you feel when you go through your life? Are you that confident in who you are and what you have to offer? Honestly?

No? Well, then what makes you think you are going to attract someone who does feel that way?  

By the way, I just used the "hot young thang" to illustrate my point. Whatever it is that you are looking for in a mate is what you should put yourself in vibratory alignment with. If you don't, you are doing the equivalent of saying:

"I want something, but I am not willing to be the type of person who deserves that thing."

That doesn't make a lot of sense where I come from…  

Let's say your primary goal is to attract wealth. Moolah. Currency. CASH! You can do anything that you want if you have enough cash, right? So, it's a fine goal, but are you a vibrational match for being rich as you go about your day to day business? Do you walk, talk, and act like a rich person?

When you talk to other people, do you talk to them as if you are made of money? Do you have conversations with people as if you have no financial worries whatsoever?

Do you think that the average millionaire hangs around a coffee shop complaining about the cost of gas these days? Oh sure, he/she may discuss it as a political or economic issue, but that millionaire isn't about to drain his bank account while standing at the pump. I bet you have had a negative thing or two to say about it, though, haven't you? 

What about your rent or your utility bill? Do you complain or worry or become distraught, angry, or frustrated about paying that? Again, put yourself in the shoes of a millionaire.

That millionaire might very well count every single red cent when it comes to his/her real estate dealings. However, it is only because they are being smart about money, and they are managing money, and they are at ease about money. Money doesn't control them, they control the money!

What about you? Are you vibrating on the same level as someone who controls money, or are you wondering where you are going to come up with the cash to pay your water bill?

In each of these examples (and there are endless others), the actual circumstances are irrelevant. It doesn't matter if you are trying to manifest a relationship, a pile of cash, a good job, or even just a low level of bodyfat, the circumstances are exactly the same:

If you don't feel and act like that person, you will never become that person!

Give this idea some thought. Go back and re-read this post a few times if you need to. Feel free to share it with your friends, and get their thoughts on the matter.

See if you can find anyone who says that you can act like one person, yet become a different person.  

I'd love to hear your thoughts! 

This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader. Enjoy!

This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader. Enjoy!

After 19 weeks straight of putting out the Link Love Series every Saturday, I am finally missing a day. Is it because there weren't any good posts?

Pfffft! Hardly!

To the contrary; there were so many that I got buried in them! By meeting my goal (thank you very much!) of launching Personal Development Partners by midnight EST on June 19, 2007, I had to jump through some serious hoops when I would normally have been reading in the blogosphere.

If that had been all, then I would still have had some time on my hands. However, there were a few internal technical glitches after the launch, and by the time I got those straightened out, I had gone almost 7 full days without reading my RSS feeds.

To say that there were thousands of posts backed up would not do it justice!

So, although I did read through most of them, skimming would be a much more appropriate phrase to describe that process.

I am happy to say, however, that in getting caught up, I also took the time to re-organize my RSS reader for more productive tracking of some great blogs. The benefit to you is that now I will actually be able to spend more time reading the best of the best, and I will be sharing that quality with my readers in the future.

In the meantime, please check out the following guest post that I did for Alex Shalman, and be sure to track his blog over the next week as Steve Olson, Scott H. Young, and Steven Aitchison will all be guest blogging there as well. Here is my contribution:

How to Deal with Opposition

Also, as I promised before, I will take this opportunity to start the Today is that Day Way Back Machine, and show you links to the most popular posts from days past. 

If you've seen these posts before, then go ahead and revisit them – most of what I write is timeless. If you haven't, then here is a chance to see some great content from the past that you missed the first time around. Enjoy!

Great Today is that Day Posts from September 2006

Synopsis: This blog was started in late September 2006, and most of these posts are powerful "in your face" Law of Attraction and Conscious Creation pieces. I just re-read them all myself and my day is now even better than it already was!  

• Self Empowerment, Self Improvement, and the Law of Attraction
• Thoughts become Things…
• Your Success vs. The Negative Zone
• Creative Destruction

When you add in Oprah Winfrey endorsing the whole concept, even more fuel was added to the fire, and the basic question kept coming up again and again:

Does this work?

Skeptics will tell you that it's all a bunch of nonsense, while believers will tell you that you get what you "vibrate" for, so if you don't believe in it, there is no way for you to believe in it! You simply won't attract the knowledge or the experiences that will lead you to a better understanding. 

In addition, the skeptics have pointed out some very specific things that they believe undermine the validity of the entire Law of Attraction concept, and some of the big ones include:

• The Law of Attraction says that "like attracts like". Well, if that is true, how come magnets with the same polarity repel each other? How is it that some of the happiest couples in the world are completely unlike each other, to the point of being complete opposites?
• Why is it that Law of Attraction believers are always talking about money? That points to the fact that the whole thing must just be a marketing ploy designed to steal money from gullible consumers.
• The Law of Attraction seems to indicate that by constantly thinking about what you want, your desires will "magically" manifest into your life. Who ever accomplished anything by just thinking about it???

These are the types of arguments that have been coming up repeatedly ever since the Law of Attraction went "mainstream" and now, someone has finally come forth with some answers.

One of the teachers from the movie 'The Secret' is also one of the sponsors of the Today is that Day website, and his name is Bob Doyle.

Now, although it would seem that anyone who was featured in the movie would quickly jump to its defense, Bob has put together a short video about the Law of Attraction debate, and he specifically calls out the fact that his video has nothing to do with the movie or anyone associated with the movie.

I'm sure a skeptic would argue that Bob could just be lying in order to get people to listen to him, and that of course is a judgment that each person needs to make on their own.

However, I am going to personally endorse Bob because I believe in him as an individual, not as a teacher of the Law of Attraction, or as a cast member from the movie.

When I first learned about the Law of Attraction, I went above and beyond the call of duty to learn more about it. I researched every single one of the teachers from the movie, and I looked into their websites, their products, and their services. I also watched and listened to hours of audio and video files that consisted of teleseminars, recorded interviews, live events, classes, etc.

I did what anyone should do if they become truly interested in something, and I became a voracious student. During that time Bob Doyle kept coming up again and again not as the most famous teacher, but as the most believed in person.

In fact, his website is full of so many testimonials – a "preponderance of evidence" over 30 pages long – that he finally just took them all down and put them in one document that could be downloaded for anyone who wanted to read it.

So, when I found out that he had recently released a free video that was explaining many of the misconceptions about the Law of Attraction, I immediately went to his website to check it out.

Once there, I watched it once, and then I watched it again to take notes for my readers. Here are the high points that he covers that I think both believers and non-believers in the Law of Attraction can learn from:

• Why do so many people who talk about the Law of Attraction constantly talk about money?
• Are you living your dreams when you have created enough money, or do you create money by living your dreams? 
• How do you explain the Law of Attraction statement that "like attracts like," when in all actuality, opposites often attract each other?
• What about people who say they just need to visualize their way to success? Where does taking action come in?
• Law of Attraction believers are constantly talking about being positive and happy all the time. That is not a realistic point of view for many people. Where do negative emotions fit into the equation?
• What about self-limiting beliefs? Are they a part of the process of using the Law of Attraction?

So, without any further adieu, if you have been a Law of Attraction naysayer, or if you believe in the Law of Attraction but want to better understand how it all works, get your pen and paper ready and click the video below:

Why isn't the Law of Attraction working? 

This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader. Enjoy!

Okay, maybe “cheat on your spouse” and “indiscretion” are too severe of a description, but I do need you to start spreading the Love around if you want to achieve success.

What I am talking about here is not actually stepping out on your spouse or significant other, but it does involve you falling in love – with your goals, that is!

I was actually inspired to write this post while responding to this comment over at my Fitness Destinations blog, when it occurred to me that being in love with your goals is the key to attaining them.

How can being in love with a goal cause it to manifest into your life?

Because you will do anything to get it!

Do you remember back when you were in high school and you would do anything to be with the girl or the guy that you were head over heels in love with?

You know, that girl who had the picture perfect body and the face of an angel? The one that you would mow down all opposition for, and that you would walk miles in the snow or rain just to be able to hang out at her house, hold her hand, and hopefully get a kiss before the night was over?

What about that guy with the dreamy eyes, and the smile that made you melt every time you saw it? As far as you were concerned, you and him were made for each other, and you would have left behind every friend and family member that you had if he had asked you to run away with him.

THAT’S the kind of love that I am talking about here, and that’s the kind of love that you need to have for your goals. Do you know why you need to have that sort of love for your goals?

Because you will likely need to mow down opposition, walk miles in the snow and rain, and you may even have to leave some of your friends  and family members behind!

The problem with people who are not attaining their goals is not a lack of opportunity or knowledge, but rather a lack of willingness to do whatever it takes to achieve those goals.

Oh sure, people say that they are willing to do whatever it takes. They say that “this time will be different”. They say that they will not let anything stand in their way.

But then what happens? They let things stand in their way. And their goals don’t get accomplished.

This is what happens when you are not truly, madly, deeply, head over heels in love with your goals! Deep down inside where it counts, you simply want your goals. In fact, you may even really want them.

However, until you profess your undying love for your goals, and you pledge to have and to hold them until death do you part, through sickness and in health, you aren’t in love.

If that’s the case, you might want to think about sparking up that love affair before you end up as a bitter old man or woman sitting on your porch all by yourself thinking back on all the lost-love goals that never came to fruition!

This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader. Enjoy!

Just a short version this week. Between the short holiday week and the Doing it Differently Blog Carnival, I didn't have as much time to scour the blogosphere as I usually do. However, the links this week are worth the Love, so enjoy them!

This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader. Enjoy!

In November 2006 I put together a post about Ho’oponopono after listening to a very informative conference call with Dr. Joe Vitale. I have just listened to a second call, this time with Mabel Katz, 10-year Ho’oponopono veteran who is the author the book ‘The Easiest Way: Solve Your Problems and Take the Road to Love, Happiness, Wealth and the Life of your Dreams‘, which is based on the Ho’oponopono principles and how to apply them to your life.

I was impressed not just with the amount of knowledge that Mabel Katz has about Ho’oponopono, but more importantly, with her understanding of how to incorporate it into your life in order to achieve success. Briefly, here are some of the highlights from the call that I felt were worth sharing.

There are 4 general phrases that most people are familiar with when it comes to using Ho’oponopono, and in no particular order they are: “I Love You”, I’m Sorry”, Please Forgive Me”, and Thank You”. How and when to use those phrases was one of the first questions that was answered on the call.

The answer was that in order to get the benefit of using these phrases in order to do what is called “cleaning,” you should focus on what feels right for you, not what someone else says that you should do. Understanding why you use the phrases is far more important than exactly how you use them.

The purpose behind using these phrases to “clean” is nothing more mysterious than what Law of Attraction proponents would call the “art of allowing”. In laymen’s terms, it means to recognize something that you do not wish to have in your existence, give yourself permission to see it and form an opinion about it, make an intention about what you want to happen, and then just let it go.

Many people have also called this process “Letting go and letting God,” which is the same concept.

When using the Ho’oponopono phrases, you should focus on releasing your negative thoughts and emotions, rather than getting hung up on the process itself. You must truly give yourself permission to not just let go of your negative feelings, but to let go of your attachment to a resolution as well!

For instance, if you are fighting with your children (See? Ho’oponopono for the kids!), then you must allow yourself to recognize the contrast of that conflict as being a part of you, not a part of them. You cannot be a quality parent to your child if you don’t recognize your own inner struggles first. One you have done so, then you can truly “let go” of your desire for conflicts to be resolved.

Now, make no mistake. Letting go does not mean that you do not want something, but rather that you are giving yourself permission to be happy even if it doesn’t happen.

As the old saying goes, what we resists, persists. If you are attached to being a great parent and raising your children to be model members of society, then you will be clinging to the fear that you might not succeed. Then, being the Master Manifester that you are, you will allow that lack of success to come into your life.

We sabotage our success by even having expectations! Whenever we “hope” that some solution will present itself, by hoping, we have unconsciously given ourselves permission to believe it is possible that the solution will not manifest.

Always remember that your primary job in life is to simply be happy.

You cannot be happy if you need someone to do something, or if you need some circumstance to manifest before you can experience happiness. You can only truly be happy when you are able to say “Yes, I want this to happen, but I will still be happy even if it doesn’t”.

Not very many people truly and 100% honestly have the ability to do that, which is why so many people meet with only limited success when trying to use tools such as Ho’oponopono or the Law of Attraction.

Yes, you can have desires. However, if you want to call upon the power of what or who you personally consider to be all powerful, you have to be willing to let go of your attachment to whether or not you actually get what you want.

Yes, it is difficult to not care whenever your rent is late, you don’t have the money to get your car fixed, or if you are concerned about the health of a loved one.

However, if your true desire is to resolve those situations, then you must recognize that healing or fixing negative circumstances is really all about healing or fixing you. From your point of view, you are the center of the universe. You always have been and you always will be!

If you want to incorporate the 4 key phrases into your use of Ho’oponopono, here is an outline that you can follow whenever you come upon a negative set of circumstances:

“I Love You” - Recognize the fact that it truly is all about you, and that you are so very worthy of as much self-love as you can muster!

“I’m Sorry” – You are apologizing to yourself because, as the conscious creator of your life, if you become aware of negativity, you are the one who created it. This apology is not about blame, however, but rather about recognizing the contrast that you have allowed into your existence.

“Please Forgive Me” – Again, you are forgiving yourself, not the people or circumstances who have brought this negativity into your life. You are both the people and the circumstances. It’s all you.

“Thank You” – Simple gratitude. You are thanking yourself not only for bringing the contrast into your life to begin with, but for now allowing yourself the opportunity to “clean” that negativity away, effectively erasing it from your very existence.

So, does all of this sound wishy-washy, completed unfounded in any scientific proof, and generally unbelievable?

Well, then, it won’t work for you! Consider concepts such as Ho’oponopono, the Law of Attraction, and even religious beliefs as being the same thing as strong political views, or even parenting styles.

If you don’t believe in a certain way of life, then trying to force yourself to live that lifestyle will never work. It’s simply not who you are.

However, if you do believe in concepts such as these, or if you are willing to open yourself up to the fact that there are concepts or belief systems that have not yet been a part your experience, then Ho’oponopono is definitely worth you taking the time to learn more about.

Here are links to resources where you can get more information:

My previous post on Ho’oponopono

Mabel Katz’ book, ‘The Easiest Way‘

Dr. Joe Vitale’s book, ‘Zero Limits‘

Audio Recordings of the Beyond Manifestation weekend

This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader. Enjoy!

New News This Week

In addition to all of the links to great self improvement and Law of Attraction content, be sure to catch LOADS of additional greatness below, including:

• Muchos Gracias to several bloggers who have taken the Simply Successful Secrets Roundup to the next level (including more link love for the participants)
• My advice in GREAT company with some people more wise than I in Drew McLellan's free eBook on helping college grads to succeed in today's workplace.
• Lots of Link Love from other bloggers pointing to recent Today is that Day content
• Even more great blog carnivals than usual that have featured Today is that Day posts

1) The Happiness Project - Gretchen Rubin shares the very real fact that even if we don't want to do something, by simply being in control of whether or not we have to do it, the negativity surrounding it can be lessened or even disappear completely. Check out Another important element of happiness: having a sense of CONTROL over your life.

2) CoachChar – Are you happy? Hold on – before you answer that, ask yourself what other people would say if asked that same question about you! Char gives us some powerful questions to inspire introspection in her post Your values determine your legacy.

3) Life Learning Today – I am about as "anti-job" as a person could get, but I know that a lot of other people still enjoy a rewarding career working for others, and I wish them nothing but the best. On that note, if you want to get a job, I found the post 3 Tips to Landing the Job You Want to include some valuable information for doing just that.

4) The Dragon Slayer's Guide to Life – In a post that delivers a slap to the face in less time than it will take you to click the link and get there, Laura shows a great way to ask Are You Who You Say You Are?

5) Liz Strauss – In another short post, Liz does a wonderful job of defining goodbyes and new beginnings that might might you sad, or it might make you happy. Personally, I chose happy: Good-byes and New Beginnings

6) The Rule of 5 – Takuin Minamoto shares some timeless wisdom from Jack Canfield, whose system of grading yourself can help you to realize if you are putting forth enough effort towards any given goal in your life. Check out The Most Valuable Question You May Ever Ask.

7) Success from the Nest – Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting. Everyone is waiting for success to show up in their life. Keep waiting. In fact, pack a lunch. Or, get your butt in gear by reading Tony's post Are You Waiting for Success or Planning for Success?

Evolving Times – In his post Tracking As A Powerful Personal Development Tool, Edward Mills shares a great analogy about personal development. I agree with his wisdom and recommend that you actually get out in nature and do it! You might be surprised at how close we can actually get to the energy of Mother Earth.

9) Change Your Thoughts – 3 simple steps – 60 seconds of your time – change your life: How to change your life in 60 seconds. Powerful stuff from Steven Aitchison worth giving more than 60 seconds of thought to.

10) Brian Kim – As with so many of his posts, Brian doesn't just put forth some grandiose idea and then tell you to have it. Rather, he puts together a full-scale plan of attack to get to your goal, and that is definitely the case with his post How to Get Out of a Job You Hate.

Simply Successful Secrets Roundup

I am filled with such a sense of gratitude towards all of the people whose wisdom was shared in the recent Simply Successful Secrets Roundup post.

Well, that gratitude keeps coming back to me in waves as several of those people not only linked to the roundup post for the benefit of their readership, but many of them also linked to all of the Simply Successful Secrets participants!

In "link love" terminology, what that means is that I promised all of the participants a link from one website – Today is that Day. However, as participants are handing out Successful Secrets link love like it's candy, everyone is benefiting as a result! I truly can't tell you all how much I appreciate your efforts to not only spread the Success Secrets, but to help out the other participants as well.

Seriously – thank you from the bottom of my heart. Here's some more link love right back atcha:

Keeping the Secret ~ Thoughts & Philosophies ~ Behind the Glasses ~ Live the Power ~ Grow Your Writing Business ~ Productivity Goal ~ Home Biz Notes ~ Creating a Better Life ~ Quasi Fictional ~ Coaching Wizardry ~ A Teacher's Life ~ The Rule of 5 ~ Life Beside the Edge ~ Shards of Consciousness ~ Change Therapy ~ Marketing Moment ~ <a href="http://blog.scottjelias.net/2007/05/simply_s
uccessf.html”>Do I Dare Disturb the Universe? ~ Living Out Loud ~ Kathy Calculates ~ Walks the Edge

Giving college grads a fighting chance –
Insights from the other Side

As this week continues to give me plenty of reasons to be grateful, I want to give an official "hats off" to Mr. Drew McLellan. Drew is a real stand up guy, and I read and listen to his marketing advice on an almost daily basis.

In true Giving Back style, about 6 weeks ago Drew put out the call for his readers to put forth some career advice for recent college graduates, and the blogosphere responded in a big way.

With almost 50 professionals putting forth a massive amount of real-world knowledge about the workplace, this generation of college grads is probably better armed for success than any generation that has gone before them!

I was one of those almost 50 people, and a major slice of gratitude to Drew for including my piece of advice in the free eBook that he put together on the subject.

I am happy to be rubbing noses with the likes of Seth Godin, Chris Cree, Liz Strauss, Terry Starbucker, Andy Wibbels, and more than 40 others who added their wisdom to the book.

Suitable not just for college grads, but for anyone who wants to have an edge in the workplace, you can download a copy of the Ebook at the link below, and don't be afraid to share the link with the other people in your circle of influence:

Drew McLellan's Insights from the other Side

Link Love from Other Great Blogs

Happy Brainstorm and Steven Aitchison each shared the post A Self Improvement Checkpoint: Who do you Know? with their readers.

Jacklyn at Empowering and Inspiring Lives is the second great blogger to share the entire text of my post How to Live out Loud with her readership.

Those two wonderful gals over at Breathing Prosperity have put together a great post about personal development that was partially inspired by the Today is that Day Doing it Differently blog carnival.

Blog Carnivals that have recently included posts from Today is that Day:

The Living by Design Carnival published the post The Integrity Conundrum – One simple Method for Botching Personal Development.

How Focus puts You in the Driver’s Seat with the Law of Attraction was included in the latest edition of Bryan C. Fleming's Personal Growth Blog Carnival.

Edition #9 of the Towards Better Life Carnival included the increasingly popular post Self Improvement Task: Affirmations that really Work.

At the Reach for Magnificence Blog Carnival, the post 5 Simple Methods for Banishing Negative people from your Life was listed with several other high quality entries.

The post The Law of Attraction and the Purple Polka-dotted Peanut got some great exposure when 3 separate blog carnivals all included it during the same week. See it and dozens of other great posts at the Made to be Great Personal Development Carnival, the Success and Abundance Mindset Carnival, and the 6th edition of the Carnival of Deliberate Creation.

And finally, I wrote the post How to Live out Loud after a very special weekend for myself, my wife, and some of our closest friends, and it must have showed, because everyone likes that post! It was also listed at 3 separate blog carnivals, including the Carnival on Observations on Life, the Personal Development Carnival at Balanced Life Center, and the Carnival of Positive Thinking.

And…that's it! And that should be plenty.

Major gratitude to all of this week's authors and readers, another shout out to Drew McLellan for his future-changing effort on behalf of the college grads, and nothing but love for everyone who has been a part of the Simply Successful Secrets project!

People who have been learning about the Law of Attraction are fairly used to the idea that – as James Arthur Ray says – energy flows where attention goes.

In other words, as an energetic being, you have the ability to give energy to something by focusing on it, thus making that thing prosper and become fulfilled. It is an amazing ability that all of us have, but one that we normally use to manifest a bullet that we then use to shoot ourselves in the foot!

You see, the trick to manifesting what you want by using conscious creation is to realize that you are the conductor in this little play that we call life. Whenever you consistently place your attention on something, that thing will always manifest eventually – whether you actually want it to or not.

Use the example that I gave in the title of this post – the purple polka-dotted peanut. Was it even possible for you to not envision that when you read those words?

Well, your life is just like that! When you focus on something – even if it is something that you don’t want – you create an environment where it is very difficult to stop focusing on that thing.

Piece by piece over the course of your life you have built up (or allowed other people to build up for you) preconceptions of the way that things allegedly work in the world. For example:

• In order to make a lot of money, you must have a good education and also get access to a really great career opportunity.
• There are a small number of “beautiful people” in the world, but most people don’t have what it takes to grace the cover of magazines, or to become truly popular, respected, and in positions of power.
• Life is difficult, and you should expect to struggle, have hard times, and you’ll have to work very, very hard if you want to achieve personal or professional success.

Are any of those concepts ringing a bell with you? Do you recognize each and every one of them for what they truly are?

Completely unfounded beliefs that have no basis in reality.

There is absolutely no reason to believe any of those statements, or any statements even remotely like them.

• For every successful business man or woman who achieves a high level of success due to their Ivy League education, there is someone who is making just as much money on the Internet right now while sitting at home in their pajamas, and that person never even went to college.
• Every “beautiful person” who was on the cover of yesterday’s news will be on the cover of tomorrow’s tabloids because it is their “status” that is causing them to be perceived as beautiful, not their inner strength and awareness.
• For every person who is struggling through life, kicking, clawing, and biting for every inch that they have, there is someone who lives a quiet, happy life who doesn’t really care much about what goes on outside the walls of their little self-created sanctuary.

In each of these cases, the people described have no more or less “power” than any of the other people. However, each one of their paths was decided (and continues to be decided) by the beliefs that they place their focus upon.

• People who think and focus on the fact that life is a struggle will always see a struggle.
• People who think and focus on being overweight or unattractive will always feel that they ARE overweight and unattractive.
• People who think and focus on the fact that financial success comes from hard work will always find hard work waiting for them.

Each of these examples falls into the nasty realm of what we call “self-limiting beliefs”. Whether by our own hand or by the hand of cultural contamination, we have come to believe that we have limits, so we continue to give attention and focus to those limits, thus assuring that they will continue to be a part of our lives.

If you can’t even block the image of a purple polka-dotted peanut from entering your mind – even though you probably never even heard that phrase before today – how easy do you think it is going to be to undo YEARS worth of living by the code of your own self-limiting beliefs?

It is certainly possible, and in fact, not as difficult as you might think. However, it will never happen if you don’t open yourself up to the belief that you are the conductor who is orchestrating your life.

If you think and focus on the fact that your life is “messed up” in some way, then you will continue to create and recreate that reality for yourself over and over again. Whether your perceived shortcomings are financial, physical, personal, or career-based, they are your shortcomings for exactly one reason:

Because you think they are, so you continue to give your energetic focus to the fact that they are.

If your life isn’t exactly what you want it to be, don’t you think it is time that you started focusing your attention in a different way?

“You have absolute control over but one thing, and that is your mind. If you fail to control your own mind, you can be sure you will control nothing else!”
- Napoleon Hill

Now, again with a show of hands, how many people have succeeded in doing so?

Hmmmm…I don’t see a lot of hands going up. Why is that, do you think?

Well, for starters, you can’t use the laws of the universe to work “magic”. Yes, it may seem like magic when the synchronicities and “coincidences” are piling up left and right, but it’s not magic, and you can’t use it to put a spell on anyone.

Sorry.