The Secret DVD Blog: February 2007

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Video of James Arthur Ray on The Today Show - February 27, 2007

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Dr. Demartini from "The Secret" comes to CT - March 17th

The Secret DVD Fan Store

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Monday, February 26, 2007

James Arthur Ray on THE TODAY SHOW - February 27, 2007

Catch me three different ways this week...

The Today Show

I'll be on The Today Show tomorrow, Tuesday, February 27, on NBC for an interview about whether or not the Law of Attraction really works. I'm scheduled to appear sometime between 8am-9am Eastern. I can't go into details, but it should be quite an interesting appearance...
You'll definitely want to tune in.

US Weekly Magazine

If you only purchase one US Weekly Magazine in your life, this is the one to get... They're doing a piece about The Secret this week and contacted me for an interview. The magazine will hit newstands this Wednesday, February 27.

Newsweek

Also, there's a buzz going around that The Secret is also scheduled to be on the cover of Newsweek in the next week or so. I can't officially confirm when, however, when I find out more, I'll be sure to let you know.

As always, be sure to email each show or magazine after the interview... We're reaching millions with this message, and it's going mainstream. The planet is transforming, and you're a part of it--I appreciate you.

To your continued wealth and happiness,

James Arthur Ray
President/CEO
James Ray International

P.S. I'll be seeing a few thousand of you this week at one of my free events, The Secret of Attracting True Wealth. The events this week are full, although
I do have more on the calendar. They're filling up fast (we've had several recently that were standing room only), so be sure to take action.

- All books & more of The Secret Teachers!

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Title	Date		Event Status
Parallel Universes	February 27, 2007 10:00 AM Pacific ·Convert to local time.	· Registration Closed	SEMINAR FULL
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Choosing Your New Mindset - by James Arthur Ray

Choosing Your New Mindset

How do you come up with your new mindset? How do you choose new thoughts to replace your old, limiting ones? Here are some tips for creating your new mindset:

Make your mindset as real, concrete and comprehensive as possible. That means writing it down exactly as you want it to be.

Think in an unlimited way. Give yourself permission to envision yourself, your attitudes about yourself, others and how the world works exactly as you would like them to be.

Be sure to use the present tense. You must not think in terms of "someday," or write "I will be." Write it and experience it as if it were true right now...even if the results have not yet manifested. Write, for instance, "I love making money and running a successful business, because it allows me
to be generous to others." Give your unconscious mind the message that this reality is already manifest in your life.

Make your mindset emotional. In addition to writing in the present tense, include emotional words and get involved emotionally in what you are writing. Remember, feelings are the gateway to the unconscious mind... and your unconscious mind is the real power behind your success. Emotion creates motivation. You must get passionate. Unless you are passionate about your new mindset, unless you truly fall in love with it, it will not come into physical form.

Be careful to state what you do want, not what you don't want. Our minds cannot process a negative. If I tell you not to think about an ice cream cone, what do you think about? You must first think of what I told you not to think about before you can tell your mind not to think about it! All this thinking will cause you to attract the very thing you don't want. So remember to state what you do want.

Create a picture of your mindset and be in the picture... not just an observer looking at it. When I ask people to do this exercise, they almost always find that they are looking at themselves in the picture. This doesn't work. You must be in the picture of your new mindset. If you're looking at yourself in the picture, you're telling your unconscious that it's not really you, that you're not really there yet. When you're actually in the picture, you are experiencing the emotions and results that you already have your new life. You are telling your unconscious, "This is real!" Your unconscious immediately goes about creating that reality. See what you would see if you were in the picture, not looking at yourself in the picture.

"Lots of success programs tell you what to do, but only the Harmonic Wealth Weekend shows you how to think and create the life you really want.."

These tips are effective whether you are working with a new mindset or with a new vision or goal.

To your continued wealth and happiness,

James Arthur Ray
President/CEO
James Ray International

Thursday, February 22, 2007

The Science of Success - by James Arthur Ray

The Science of Success

My studies of the highly successful prove that they continually achieve their results by doing "certain things in a certain way." I have also found that "like causes produce like effects." Therefore, if you and I consistently employ the same thought processes and actions of these highly-successful individuals, we must produce the same results. This is why success is an absolute science. If you apply the principles (thoughts and actions) of peak-performers you will accelerate your business and life results far beyond your current level of achievement. Put it to the test.

Your current thinking regarding your abilities, your product and your industry is habitual--and we call that programming. This programming is buried in your unconscious mind, and it drives your behavior on a daily basis.

These programs, or your mindset, came from outside sources and we often accept them without question. Many times our mindset contains lack and limitation because a parent, teacher, coach, or another person we respected wanted to protect us from disappointment. They told us to "be realistic," "don't expect too much," "life is hard," and many other disempowering beliefs. The moment you accept their programs, they drive your behavior and often limit your results. Following are the first steps in building the habits of a top performer... habits that will drive massive action and create incredible results!

"Lots of success programs tell you what to do, but only the Harmonic Wealth Weekend shows you how to think and create the life you really want.."

Set a clear and measurable goal. Make it one that you are excited about accomplishing. The human spirit will not invest itself in mediocrity--so if you want to succeed in overcoming limiting habits, your goal must create passion! As you set your goal, two things are important: it must be specific and measurable. Write "I want to make $70,000" versus "I want to make more money." When your goal is measurable, you will know exactly when it is accomplished..

Write your goal in the present tense. This will cause you to fully associate to the achievement of your goal. Your unconscious mind is totally deductive, and therefore, it accepts anything that your conscious mind gives it without question. Consequently, correct phrasing is imperative. Write your goal as "I am so happy that I earn a minimum of $70,000 per year" versus "I want to earn $70,000 per year." Write your goal as if you already have it right now.

Write your goal every single day, carry it with you everywhere you go, and read it as often as possible. Remember, you are learning habits of the highly successful-- new ways of thinking and acting. Therefore, if you get tired, or you find yourself thinking this step is redundant, realize that it has taken years to create your current programming and it will take concentrated effort for it to be replaced.

Take action and make daily decisions with your goal in mind. In other words, ask yourself the question "What decision would I make right now or what action would I take right now as a $70,000 income earner?" When you answer the question--act! If you act based upon your current status, you will continue to create your current results.

Any time you experience frustration with these action steps, realize that it is caused by your old programming trying to push you back into old behaviors. The mark of a master is the person who has the ability to give themself a command--and then follow it!

Commit to these 4 steps for 30 days. I promise it will make a positive impact on your personal and professional results.

To your continued wealth and happiness,

James Arthur Ray
President/CEO
James Ray International

P.S. Conventional wisdom is wrong again... Balance is bogus! Only harmony yields happiness and real wealth... Join me for two full days of complete immersion into insights and technologies that are guaranteed to help you achieve true Harmonic Wealth® in all areas in your life: Financial, Relational, Intellectual, Physical and Spiritual.

What The Bleep Is All This Quantum Physics Stuff About?

What The Bleep Is All This Quantum Physics Stuff About?
By James Arthur Ray

"Quantum Physics is the science of gods... Newtonian Physics is the science of the small minds of men."

CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA: "Now don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that you should forget the Newtonian world of three dimensions (3D) and just operate in the quantum soup--not if you want to get any results, that is.

To be effective, you must develop understanding and mastery of both quantum and Newtonian realms.

I recently had lunch with a unique individual who was telling me he was going to lose weight. He then proceeded to hold his hands over his pizza while stating that he was turning it into a salad at the quantum level. I thought he was joking... but as I continued to watch his intensity, I realized he wasn't! Give me a break!

Unfortunately, this type of philosophy isn't that unusual in certain circles. I've been told many times that a person was going to sit in their living room to meditate and "manifest" large sums of money or a new job.

Look. If you sit around and meditate in Western society... they'll come take your furniture away.

Chardin told us years ago, "You're not a physical being having a spiritual experience... you're a spiritual being having a physical experience." The spiritual realm is another way of saying "the quantum field," while the physical realm is the 3D world of Newtonian physics.

Yes, you're a spiritual being, but don't be silly enough to forget the rest of the statement. You ARE having a physical experience! And in the physical world, there is no substitution for action--big, bold, fast and frequent!

I interact daily with people all over the world; and I can assure you without question that the biggest problem people have in creating what they want and deserve in life is that they are missing the mark in one of these two critical areas--quantum or physical.

The cosmic foo-foo (technical term), wants to sit around meditate, philosophize and think about doing great things but doesn't want to get off the sofa (or their cool meditation pillow).

While the diehard, "rational scientific-type" individual typically doesn't want any part of the spiritual realities. This limited thinker is frequently states with pride, "If you can't touch it, taste it, see it, measure it, then it doesn't exist!"

I enjoy asking these people if they've ever experienced love... for it can be proven by none of the above criteria. If you happen to be one of these diehards, you may be thinking, "I can see, touch, experience love." But that is untrue. At best, you can see and experience the effects of love but not love itself (think about it).

Ultimately, the process of mastering both the quantum and physical worlds is the only way to accomplish outrageous results in every area of your life. Period. Every other effort or approach will leave you at a shortfall and frustrated.

James Arthur Ray of James Ray International is an expert in teaching individuals how to achieve Harmonic Wealth® in all areas of their life by focusing on what they want, opposed to what they don't want. He has been speaking to individuals as well as Fortune 500 companies for over 20 years and is the author of four books and an inventor of numerous learning systems. His studies of highly successful people prove that they continually achieve results by taking control of their thoughts and actions to create and shape their own reality.

Harmonic Wealth® Weekend will explain in detail how success is state of mind and how the principles of quantum physics (as seen in the movies What the Bleep and The Secret) can be applied to proven success-building techniques. James will also cover why people who are successful in one area of their life tend to be successful in all areas. For more information, visit Harmonic Wealth® Weekend.

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LOA Podcast & Worksheet - by Jack Canfield

LOA Podcast:Jack Canfield's Breakthrough to Success Tele-Seminar

Create a playlist with this song on imeem
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Decide What You Want
by Jack Canfield

In order to get what you want, you must first decide what you want. Most people really foul up at this crucial first step because they simply can't see how it's possible to get what they want — so they don't even let themselves want it.

Don't sabotage yourself that way!

What scientists now know about how the brain works is that you must first decide WHAT you want, before your brain can figure out HOW to get it. Once you lock-in your desires, your mind and the universe can step in.

Are you ready to get started?

Be Willing to Dream BIG Dreams
As soon as you commit to a big dream and really go after it, your subconscious creative mind will come up with big ideas to make it happen. You'll start attracting the people, resources, and opportunities you need into your life to make your dream come true. Big dreams not only inspire you, they compel others to want to play big, too.

Set Goals That Will Stretch You
Another value in giving yourself permission to go after the big dreams is that big dreams require you to grow in order to achieve them. In fact, in the long run, that is the greatest benefit you will receive from pursuing your dreams — not so much the outer trappings of fulfilling the dream (an expensive car, impressive house, loads of money and philanthropic opportunities), but who you become in the process.

As I've seen many times over, the outer symbols of success can all be easily lost. Houses burn down, companies go bankrupt, relationships end, cars get old, bodies age and fame wanes, but who you are, what you have learned, and the new skills you have developed never go away. These are the true prizes of success. Motivational philosopher, Jim Rohn advises that "You should set a goal big enough that in the process of achieving it, you become someone worth becoming."

Service to Others
Something else you'll discover is that when your dreams include service to others — accomplishing something that contributes to others — it also accelerates the accomplishment of that goal. People want to be part of something that contributes and makes a difference.

Turn Your Dreams into Goals and Objectives
Once you are clear about what you want, you must turn each item into a measurable objective. By measurable, I mean measurable in space and time — how much and by when. For instance, if you were to tell me that you wanted more money, I might pull out a dollar and give it to you, but you would probably protest, saying "No, I meant a lot more money — like $20,000!" Well, how am I supposed to know unless you tell me? Similarly, your boss, your friends, your spouse, your brain — God, the Universe — can't figure out what you want unless you tell them specifically what it is. What do you want — exactly — and when do you want it by?

Write Your Goals Down
Write your goals down in detail, and read your list of goals every day. This will keep your subconscious mind focused on what you want. For an even more powerful approach, close your eyes and focus on each goal and ask yourself, "What is one thing I could do today to move toward the achievement of this goal?" Write down your answers and take those actions.

I recommend writing down a minimum of 3 goals in each of the following 7 areas:

1. Financial Goals
2. Career/Business Goals
3. Free Time/Family Time
4. Health/Appearance Goals
5. Relationship Goals
6. Personal Growth
7. Making a Difference

To help your reticular activating system begin finding YOUR wants in unexpected places, take time now to decide what you want and start writing!

If you want help getting started, I have a handy worksheet for you that models this formula, including examples. Click here to download this free resource and start creating all that you want from your life this year.

Remember, don't hold back!

If you missed previous issues of Success Strategies,
I keep an archive of past issues you can always refer to.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include this complete statement with it: Jack Canfield, America's Success Coach, is the founder and co-creator of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

The Secret on Oprah - 3 times!

Oprah Show - The Secret - February 8, 2007

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Oprah 021607 One Week Later: The Huge Reaction to The Secret
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Oprah After The Show - February 17, 2007

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Leaping Forward By Stepping Back - by James Arthur Ray

Leaping Forward By Stepping Back

Quantum theory asserts all matter is energy. Let's go a step further and explore this idea: Energy is all that matters.

The great spiritualists all knew what scientists have only recently proven. The force that moves through us, enlivening our successes, exciting our passions, soothing our souls... the same sub-microscopic force powering photons and atoms... it's all energy in one form or another.

How We Experience and Expend Energy

In gross terms, energy exists on two levels for us: the conceptual and the practical. It's collected on the conceptual plane and expended on the practical one. Eastern tradition might call the practical aspect yang, where we focus on physical and mental activity, and the conceptual aspect yin, where we experience our deeply emotional and spiritual selves. In psychological terms, we can call the practical ego and the conceptual superconscious.

So many of us are laser focused on doing (the practical/yang/ego) that we don't regularly focus on stepping back and being (the conceptual/yin/superconscious). When we become too focused on exertion and neglect receptiveness and reflection, we can deplete our energy sources. We can become so hell-bent on yang that we don't even know the shape of yin any more.

Harmonizing the Yin and Yang

To the degree that you increase your personal velocity through the constant harmonizing of yang (activity) and yin (inactivity/receptivity), you will find your environment and your world will change.

Let your intuition be your guide:

If you passionately feel that something is right to do, do it passionately. If you are ambivalent or uncertain, wait. Take time each day to be alone and journey inside (yin).
Turn off "the plug-in drug" (a.k.a. the TV). This income and energy reducer transmits a constant stream of electrons right into your brain that can put you in a trance and dull your mind if you're not mindful of what you're watching.
Stop listening to and reading the news. The barrage of mayhem and sensationalism ultimately dulls the senses, limits creativity and suggests to us that we are totally out of control and unable to do anything about the world in which we live. It's OK to be informed of what's happening in the world but not inundated.
Take time to "be." We're called human beings not human doings. There's a good reason for this. Decide that this year that you're taking time for growth. Put it on your calendar. Inspiration comes from those moments of silence and contemplation, and you'll never run at highest octane with an empty tank.

The power to direct our own lives is not found by doing (yang). It's contacted by being (yin). That power is also known as Spirit. You cannot think your way to empowerment or enlightenment. While there are activities and learning that will advance you, ultimately you must go into the Silence to experience a profound awakening to Power/Spirit.

Pay Attention

Most of us in Western society are so busy talking to God that we never listen to God. What might happen if we stopped asking and instead started paying attention? In the final analysis, silent, undemanding prayer or meditation, whatever label we use, is the only answer to life's most important questions.

And for the dilemma of harmonizing our drive toward doing (expending energy constructively) with its absolutely necessary inverse of being (collecting spiritual energy)? Ultimately, stepping back is the only way to leap forward.

To your continued wealth and happiness,

James Arthur Ray
President/CEO
James Ray International

Is "The Secret" a lie? - by Joe Vitale

: Name: Joe Vitale; Location: Wimberley, Texas, US

Author of way too many books to list here

View my complete profile

It's the ebb and flow of life.

Sooner or later the critics come flying out of their dark hiding places and start finding holes in anything that is popular. Start talking about global warming and eventually others will start talking about global cooling. And both will have sound arguments to defend their cases.

This is just beginning to happen with critics of the movie The Secret. One recent article even went as far as to say The Secret is a lie. And even dangerous. The article defends its position with mental images about the poor in Africa, or children dying of diseases.

It's a pretty bleak view and a strongly worded emotional argument.

So, is The Secret a lie?

Of course not.

It's no more a lie than anything else taken out of context and reinterpreted in a filtered, limited, negative way.

The movie is all about one idea. It doesn't pretend to tell you the secret-s of the universe. Just one of them.

And is The Secret dangerous?

At most, it may be guilty of leaving out some important extra steps to creating your ideal life.

If I were involved in the making of the movie (I'm in the movie but I didn't produce it), I'd also point out there is a law of right action, too.

Also, there are often counter intentions that need cleared for The Secret to work.

And I'd make sure people knew that feeling is more important than thought in creating your own reality.

But maybe those topics will be discussed in the sequel.

Still, the movie reveals the Law of Attraction in a powerful, inspired and inspiring way.

It's not at all dangerous.

But it's so easy to be a critic. Simply focus on the negative, find situations or people who the item won't or didn't work for, and then condemn the item.

I could take virtually any self-help, personal development, financial success, science of influence, rules of engagement, or any other book, course or topic out there and with little effort find situations where it won't or didn't work.

Critics do that all the time.

The media does that, too.

What would be the point?

It would be staying in the negative and keeping people feeling bad.

How would that serve anyone?

I prefer to inspire myself and others.

In fact, my next book, Zero Limits, explains that what you have to do to change the entire planet is change yourself.

My own take is that The Secret will work for anyone who will apply it.

What about the people in Africa?

Well, do you think they know The Secret?

Hardly.

What about children dying?

Well, do you think they know The Secret?

Hardly.

And what if someone who knew The Secret ended up in Africa or with a disease?

Obviously (as the movie points out), they could change themselves and their situation.

That's the whole point of knowing The Secret.

Rather than condemning the movie by citing examples where people don't even know the principle let alone practice it, I think a wiser stance is to find how The Secret works, demonstrate it in your own life, and let your life be a model for others to be inspired by.

I think that's what the teachers in the movie, including myself, are trying to do.

All in all, I'd rather be a creator than a critic.

By creating a life worth living, I make a difference in the world -- first in my own life, and then in the lives of others who are inspired to dare something worthy, too.

The Secret isn't a lie; it's a law.

You just have to apply it.

Ao Akua,

Joe
www.mrfire.com

PS - I got a traffic ticket a week ago. I attracted it to me -- by not obeying the law. The law is there for me to obey or not. Follow it and I get good results. Don't follow it and I may get results I don't want. Traffic law can be considered less important or concrete than the law of gravity. But it's still a law. So is the law revealed in the movie The Secret. Go watch it again.

TIP: Most people who criticize The Secret are doing so because they want it to work but can't seem to make it work. One of the biggest reasons The Secret doesn't instantly work for someone is due to lack of forgiveness. An entire culture can experience this. But it can be changed with one person forgiving. Namely you. I'm doing this myself, and constantly going through my mental files to see who or what needs forgiven in my life (including me). For help, consider the Subliminal Manifestation DVDs or of course Miracles Coaching. And dare something worthy, that will inspire yourself and others, rather than raining on a parade that could heal millions. Don't be seduced by the dark side. Go toward the light.

An introduction to 'The Secret'

An introduction to 'The Secret'

Marla Hardee Milling

Do you know The Secret? Chances are you've heard of it by now -- in mid February 2007, "The Secret" was the top-selling DVD on Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com, while its companion book hit the number one spot on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. For a movie that was independently released and sold only online, it's received a great deal of media hype, having been featured on Oprah, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Larry King Live and in countless other media outlets.

For those wondering what the big "Secret" is, let us clue you in: It's essentially the Law of Attraction, a universal law that says "like attracts like." More specifically, it's based on thoughts and emotions: What we focus on is what we create in our lives.

But The Secret producer Rhonda Byrne is hardly the first to embrace this ideology.
Some of the greatest minds of our time have understood it.

"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions." - Albert Einstein

"Whether you think you can or you can't, either way you are right." - Henry Ford

"You create your own universe as you go along." - Winston Churchill

"All we have is a result of what we have thought." - Buddha

As The Secret points out, throughout history the greatest thinkers and achievers knew how to apply the Law of Attraction in their lives. In addition to those quoted above, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison and Ralph Waldo Emerson -- to name just a few -- were said to have implemented this credo into their everyday lives.
That doesn't necessarily mean they knew how it worked, though. As Alexander Graham Bell said, "What this power is, I cannot say. All I know is that it exists."

Everything is made of energy. That's not a metaphysical philosophy -- it is scientific fact. At the atomic level, you can see it. On a soul level, that's all we are.

You can create wealth, harmonious relationships, strong health, and anything else your heart desires. But here's the tricky part. This is not some "get rich quick" scheme, or some type of cult that brainwashes people into "feeling good." The Secret is not an organization or a charity -- it's simply the vehicle Byrne uses to present the universal Law of Attraction to a larger audience.

When Rhonda Byrne discovered the Law of Attraction, she found the teachers she was seeking to present this ancient principle to the world in the members of the Transformational Leadership Council founded by Chicken Soup for the Soul author Jack Canfield.

While many of people featured on the movie The Secret have strong spiritual beliefs, the Law of Attraction is not religion-based. In simplest terms, it's about believing in yourself and aligning your thoughts and beliefs with your greatest desires. However, the Law of Attraction is complementary to a wide range of religious beliefs. As Michael Beckwith pointed out on Oprah, Jesus said, 'Pray believing that ye have that ye may receive.' Says Beckwith, "That's 'The Secret' in a nutshell."

James Ray agrees. He says The Secret is about supporting the great spiritual traditions in a more modern form. "It really is just putting Christianity, Judaism, all the great teachings into a current vernacular," says Ray.

Along with Beckwith and Ray, other teachers featured in the movie include Jack Canfield, Lisa Nichols, Bob Proctor, and John Assaraf. (Esther Hicks appeared in the first edition of the movie, it is now a collector's item.)

Oprah said on her program that she's been living "The Secret" for years, but she didn't know it was a secret. In fact, all of us are living "The Secret," whether we're aware of it or not. By the Law of Attraction, we are constantly drawing into our lives good experiences or bad experiences, based on what we are focusing our attention on.

Everything is energy, as proven by Quantum Physics. Our bodies, our cars, our possessions -- everything is vibrating on a certain frequency. Likewise, as practitioners of The Secret point out, our thoughts are also things that carry an energetic frequency. Our thoughts become like magnets, drawing back into our experience those things that vibrate at the same frequency.

The Law of Attraction is based on what you are thinking and what your beliefs are. It's as real as the Law of Gravity. We know if we throw an apple into the air, it's going to come down. Likewise, if we concentrate on negative thoughts, we're going to draw negative circumstances into our lives. Transform your thoughts and you'll transform your world.

It's not necessarily easy, though, to replace thoughts that have been ingrained in our minds – some since childhood. There's some hard individual work ahead -- you have to identify those negative thought patterns that have been building throughout your life and work to replace them with more positive patterns.

Lisa Braun Dubbels, who told of her success with the Law of Attraction on Oprah's follow-up show on The Secret, which aired Friday, February 16, 2007, told us recently, "It's not an overnight process.

"I read hundreds of books," she continues. "I was trying to get into a place where I was emotionally healthy again. At first I was pretty skeptical. But I was in a situation where I was struggling in every area of my life. The more you struggle, the harder it gets for you. When I allowed myself to believe it could work, that's when it became easy to me."

Dubbels said at the time she began searching for a way to turn her life around, everything that bottomed out. She'd left her job, which she considered her identity, and no longer knew who she was. She faced incredible debt, the lack of a relationship, and was told by doctors that she had an incompetent cervix and most likely would never have children. But she says she did a lot of inner work and focused on changing her negative beliefs.

"A lot of good things happened when I put the Law of Attraction into place," she explains. "I put in a lot of work on myself so I could be grateful for what I received. You can manifest change, but you have to be prepared to do the action to see it through. Every day I'm so grateful for the life I have. I have financial freedom, an amazing husband and two wonderful children, and a house I love."

Here are some ways to reprogram your mind:

Decide what you really want – Many people aren't satisfied with the current state of their lives, but they often have a hard time pinpointing what they really want. It's easy to say what you don't want. "I don't want all this debt." "I don't want to be lonely anymore." "I don't want to be overweight." But thinking in the negative – or concentrating on what you don't want, actually creates more of what you don't want. What we put our attention on grows. When you are thinking "debt" or "overweight," that's what you are concentrating on and what you are actually creating more of.
It's important to stop thinking about what you don't want.

Here's a profound example to further illustrate this point:
Mother Theresa was once asked why she never participated in anti-war demonstrations. She replied, "I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I'll be there." She clearly understood the power of intention and attention. She recognized that an anti-war demonstration with hundreds or thousands of people focusing their energy on ending the war would still be focused on the war. And that focused energy would contribute to the continuation of the war. - from Evolving Times
Shift your inner dialogue: Go ahead and make a list of all those things that you don't want, or you feel are lacking in your life. Now, turn the phrase around to what you DO want. Instead of thinking, "I'm drowning in debt," think "I am creating financial success for myself." Instead of dwelling on being overweight, think "I am taking care of my body, eating right, exercising and attaining my desired weight." Develop specific affirmations to reinforce what you want in your life.
Visualization – Spend some time each day picturing exactly what you want in your mind's eye. In his book, The Success Principles, Jack Canfield says, "The process of visualizing for success is really quite simple. All you have to do is close your eyes
and see your goals as already complete. If one of your objectives is to own a nice house on the lake, then close your eyes and see yourself walking through the exact house you would like to own. Fill in all of the details...
This goes for any goal you make – whether it's in the area of work, play, family, personal finances, relationships or philanthropy. Write down each of your goals and objectives, then review them, affirm them, and visualize them every day.
Let your emotions guide you: If a certain thought makes you feel bad in any way, then you're not on track. You must become aware of thoughts that make you feel bad, and work to shift those thoughts so that you can feel good. When your thoughts make you feel happy or excited or joyful, you are in alignment to receive the good things you are looking for.

In their book, The Law of Attraction, Esther and Jerry Hicks write, "Rather than trying to monitor your thoughts, we encourage you to simply pay attention to how you
are feeling. For if you should choose a thought that is not in harmony with the way the broader, older, wiser, loving Inner Being part of you sees it, you will feel the discord and then you can easily redirect your thought to something that feels better and which therefore serves you better."

They go on to say, "It is a natural process that when you look at what you want, you will feel powerful, positive emotion. So it is a matter of holding your thoughts upon what you want... As you are feeling good, all things that (by your estimation) are good will begin coming into your experience."

Focus on gratitude: Expressing gratitude is a critical part of the Law of Attraction. When you focus on what's working in your life, and you are grateful for it, you create more experiences to be grateful for.
As Canfield writes, "No matter what your situation, there are always things to be grateful for."
Take action: Visualizing your goals, reciting affirmations and expressing gratitude are all important tools for creating the life of your dreams. But there's one other component that must take place in order to move forward in your life. You must take action. What are some steps you can take today to achieve your goal? If you're trying to lose weight, it may be that you exercise five minutes longer today, or even begin a 10 minute routine.

As wild and wonderful as this all seems, there's no magic here. If you want to achieve your dreams, you have to be willing to believe that you can have them, and be willing to take the necessary steps to get there.

Along with obvious action, such as applying to law school if you want to be a lawyer, Canfield identifies what he calls "inspired actions." He says, "Once you begin [doing the things described in this article], the universe will start responding by sending people, resources and opportunities you need to manifest your desired result. You are going to find that you have inspired ideas; you must act on them. You must follow those gentle proddings from the universe. Often these intuitive impulses will have no seeming connection to achieving your goal, but if you follow them, they will lead you down a path of wonderful fulfillment."

About the author: Marla Hardee Milling is a freelance writer in Asheville, North Carolina. Her articles have appeared in Cooking Smart, LowCarb Energy, Healthgate, Pinnacle Living, Blue Ridge Country, Charleston Magazine, Smart Computing's PC Today, The Christian Science Monitor and various pregnancy and health/fitness publications, among others.

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