What Is Treasure Mapping?
Transcription
What Is Treasure Mapping?
1 For more great resources on using the Law of Attraction visit: www.ManifestTheSecret.com How to Create A Visual “Mind-Magnet” To Attract What You Truly Want by Debra J. Lindegren Speaker, Author, Trainer & Lifelong Enthusiast www.AuthenticallySpeaking.net ~ www.UltimateSpeakingSuccess.com 2 For more great resources on using the Law of Attraction visit: www.ManifestTheSecret.com What Is Treasure Mapping? Clear, Focused & Repetitive Visualization of Your Goals for Faster, Greater Results A Treasure Map is a collection of pictures, images, words and phrases that represent the people, places and things you want to become a part of your life. It is called a “map” because, once completed, it serves the same purpose as a road map to get you to your destination. A road map shows you where you’re going; so does a Treasure Map. It is a “map” leading you to your treasures— however you have defined them for yourself. Also known as Vision Boards, Treasure Maps are usually created with multiple images, including words, phrases, quotes and/or affirmations, which are glued onto one or more poster boards. When thoughtfully designed, a Treasure Map serves not only to remind you of your various goals, it also will “get you fired up” each and every time you see it. It becomes an anchor for visualization and manifestation. Therefore, it is vital that you create your Treasure Map with deliberation and intention. Below is an example of a Treasure Map that was created with five categories of goals : Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Healthy Family, Healthy Society, Healthy Finances. It is approximately 32” wide and 10” high when fully open, and 8” x 10” when folded. This one is “read” from left to right, starting at the top left-hand corner and following the first “row” all the way across to the right. Then the 2nd row, 3rd row, etc. Even though the rows overlap in several areas all 5 health goals are represented, starting from the top concluding at the bottom. 3 For more great resources on using the Law of Attraction visit: www.ManifestTheSecret.com Treasure Maps are highly personal and can be created in many forms. There is no right or wrong way to create your Treasure Map. You will see several more examples and suggestions for use later in this book. Most often, a Treasure Map is derived from what we value most, i.e., the principles upon which we live our lives and those things that we would like to attract or attract more of into our lives. Why Create A Treasure Map? Creating your own Treasure Map addresses “The Big 5” Do you find yourself daydreaming about… …the things you’d like to have or the places you’d like to visit? …starting your own business or rising to the top in your profession? …living year-round at your favorite vacation spot? …driving in your new car, or watching your kids graduate from college? …doing humanitarian work in a developing nation or for a non-profit organization? …raising great, healthy kids while also nurturing your own creative and intellectual needs? Daydreams are a form of “visualization.” They all include our imagination (thoughts) and, if strong enough, the emotions of our hearts. Every time we visualize or imagine? something, we create a little mini-magnet to attract that thing, person or circumstance to us. Perhaps you’ve had the experience of thinking about someone, and then they call you. Or you say something out loud you wish would come true, and then it does. We’ve all had “micro miracles” like these throughout our lives (although often they go unnoticed). Simply put, the stronger our desire for something and the more frequently focus on its image and the stronger the magnet we create to attract it to us. ___________ ? Imagine means to “image forth,” i.e., to put forward an image of something we want. 4 For more great resources on using the Law of Attraction visit: www.ManifestTheSecret.com People often say, “Then why don’t I have everything I have imagined?” There are many reasons, but for starters: 1. We are unclear about exactly what we want so we “imagine” in generalities, e.g., “I’ll take any guy. I just don’t want to be alone.” 2. We become focused on what we don’t want, instead of what we want, e.g., “I wish I could get out of debt.” 3. The vision of what we want (our imagination) fades over time and we forget about it, e.g., “Where was that vacation spot we loved so much?” 4. Our commitment is not strong enough to make the investment of “right actions” that support the manifestation of our desires, e.g., “Yes, I want to get married, but I’m too tired to go to those singles meetings.” Or, “I’d love to have more clients, but I hate selling.” 5. We don’t really believe it will come true, or that it could happen to/for us, e.g., “I’ll never lose weight.” Or, “I’d love a new job, but who’s going to hire me at my age?” For a visualization to manifest in our life it must have “The Big 5”: ? It must be crystal clear and specific ? It must be positive (something we want, not something we don’t want) ? We must focus on it again and again to keep it “energized” and on the front burner ? We must be willing to take action toward what we want ? We must believe that we deserve and can achieve or have what we want Once you are clear on what you want, you need a way to keep it alive in your mind and in your heart, something that offers a little motivation or a reminder of what you are working towards. Treasure Mapping is a simple tool to help you do just that! While visualization itself is a very powerful technique, Treasure Mapping makes visualization more concrete. It is the icing on the visualization cake! 5 For more great resources on using the Law of Attraction visit: www.ManifestTheSecret.com To show you just how powerful The Law of Visualization is and how we can use it to manifest what we want, read the following story from The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles: “I recall now the case of one student who was told that he must get in mind a clear picture of the things he desired, so that the creative thought of them might be impressed on Formless Substance. He was a very poor man, living in a rented house, and having only what he earned from day to day; and he could not grasp the fact that all wealth was his. “So, after thinking the matter over, he decided that he might reasonably ask for a new rug for the floor of his best room, and an anthracite coal stove to heat the house during the cold weather. Following the instructions given in this book, he obtained these things in a few months; and then it dawned upon him that he had not asked enough. He went through the house in which he lived, and planned all the improvements he would like to make in it; he mentally added a bay window here and a room there, until it was complete in his mind as his ideal home; and then he planned its furnishings. “Holding the whole picture in his mind, he began living in the Certain Way, and moving toward what he wanted; and he owns the house now, and is rebuilding it after the form of his mental image. And now, with still larger faith, he is going on to get greater things. It has been unto him according to his faith, and it is so with you and with all of us.” Wallace Wattles, The Science of Getting Rich Treasure Mapping is also based on The Law of Repetition, which simply stated is, “That which we focus on expands.” When we focus on our goals everyday through pictures, thoughts and words, they become stronger and stronger in our mind. The stronger they are, the more likely they are to become true for us. Our mind is like a giant receiving station for all of the thoughts, pictures, images, feelings, experiences, etc., to which it is exposed. Over our lifetime our mind gradually builds a “library” of beliefs and understandings, anchoring what it sees or hears most often. These beliefs may be true or false; our mind simply offers them back to us as “reality.” For example, “The world is flat” was a widely held belief by Europeans in the 17th century, until Columbus sailed the ocean blue and offered up “new information.” People then incorporated the new belief that the world is not flat, and proceeded accordingly. Likewise there are myriad beliefs that we have incorporated throughout our lives. And as we focus on them (consciously or unconsciously) they become a strong magnet to attract or create experiences that mirror back those beliefs. 6 For more great resources on using the Law of Attraction visit: www.ManifestTheSecret.com For example, the belief “I’ll never get out of debt” will most certainly create a stream of circumstances that will keep someone interminably in debt. This is why it’s vital that we feed our minds “the right stuff!” And it’s also why, through The Law of Repetition, that we can create, have, do or be anything that which we genuinely focus on again and again.? While to some degree we can accomplish this through mere daydreaming, Treasure Mapping makes the process a lot more powerful and concrete and ensures that we stay focused. Success in any endeavor is always preceded by vision. And the people who ultimately become successful are those who keep their visions (goals) fully alive and energized by making them compelling and by revisiting them on a regular basis. Successful people all have a system for staying focused and on track. Why not you? Getting Started: Create Your Own Personalized Treasure Map! 5 Steps to Using The Law of Visualization and The Law of Repetition to Create the Life You Want Now it’s time to play and have some fun! Let’s get you started creating your very own Treasure Map. First read all of the instructions in this section (pages 7-15) so you get an idea of the project before you. Then come back and complete the 5 steps, which are: 1. Get Super Clear On What You Really Want 2. Organize What You Want Into Categories 3. Gather Photos, Pictures, Words, Quotes, Phrases and/or Affirmations 4. Sort Your Photos & Clippings According to Your Chosen Categories (optional) 5. Create Your Treasure Map ___________ ? Further in this book you will learn about two other factors that also will “make or break” your goals, namely, your emotional investment in them and the actions you take towards achieving them, including what you say out loud about them. 7 For more great resources on using the Law of Attraction visit: www.ManifestTheSecret.com Let’s look at each Step in more detail: 1. Get Super Clear On What You Really Want Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it? But surprisingly, many people have difficulty articulating exactly what they really want, or, even if they know, they can’t describe it explicitly, in great detail. In both cases, the lack of a clear, specific and passionate description of what we truly want to have in our life not only causes us to lose interest, it also doesn’t create a “matrix” around which our mind creates magnetic thoughts to attract it to us . For example, we’ve all heard people say something like, “I want to live in a nice house.” What’s wrong with this picture? Well, it’s not a picture; it’s an abstract concept. It’s like the alphabet vs. poetry. Here is one way to make it more concrete: “I live in a 4-bedroom, 3,000 square-foot house within a 15-minute drive from the ocean, that includes a magnificent state-of-the-art kitchen with ‘smart’ appliances; a 1,000 square-foot great room with a flat-screen TV and a games area that allows our family to spend quality time together; a master bedroom with walk-in closets and a double Travertine shower and whirlpool; a home office and library with built-in shelves for 500 books ; and a 2-car garage with a separate workbench area. We love spending time in our outdoor kitchen and dining area, which overlooks lush tropical landscaping, beautiful rose bushes, a large grassy lawn and an infinity pool.” Now which house would you rather attract and live in? If you’re stuck in generalities when it comes to your dreams, here are a couple of tips for getting crystal clear and explicit: a. Write down in simple terms what you want, e.g., a healthy body, a satisfying career, a collaborative and understanding partner, etc. Now go back and write a detailed description of what you want it to look like / feel like / sound like, etc. Add as much detail as you want—it’s your dream! When you can read it aloud to someone and feel butterflies in your stomach, you’ve got it! For example, let’s say you own your own business: ? ? ? ? ? How much monthly gross income do you want? How much spending money do you want to have every month? What kind of clients or customers do you want? What kind of people do you want to work with? What about your office environment? Do you want to commute or work from home? 8 For more great resources on using the Law of Attraction visit: www.ManifestTheSecret.com It may take several days to think of every important aspect. Don’t worry! As you go about your daily work more and more ideas will come to you, ideas like, “I want to take Fridays off and still have the abundance I need for my family.” Great! b. If you try and try and can’t articulate what you want, try writing down what you don’t want. For example, “I don’t want to be single my whole life.” This is a great starting point. Your next step is to clearly define the opposite of being single for you…what does that look like / feel like / sound like, etc? Write it down…in detail! c. If you’re still stuck, you can look at aspects of quality partnerships (or careers, homes, families, communities, etc.) that you see all around you: in your friends or colleagues, in print (books, magazines, etc.) or even in movies. While you don’t want to create an unrealistic “Pollyanna” version of a mate, for example, this process may help you to tune in to what you sincerely want in your life...in great detail. d. Use any of the above methods to come up with goals or dreams for every area of your life. You also can use the categories in the next step to stimulate your thinking. If writing down goals for every areas of your life seems too intimidating right now, choose 2-3 areas with which to get started. Just start! 2. Organize What You Want Into Categories This step of organizing your dreams and goals into categories serves two purposes: 1) It will help clarify your thinking, and 2) It will make it easier for you to carry out steps 3-5. The following categories are not meant to be an exhaustive list, nor are they meant to represent how you should think about your life. They are simply a starting point. Some people have only 3 categories, e.g., God, Family and Career. Some have 5 or 6. Remember, this is YOUR life. You can organize it and create it in a way that inspires and motivates you. There is no right or wrong way to do this. To the contrary, Treasure Maps are magnif icently unique to each of their creators! That said, here are some sample categories for goals and dreams: 9 For more great resources on using the Law of Attraction visit: www.ManifestTheSecret.com Health & Wellness Personal Appearance Business Success Wealth & Prosperity House(s) Retirement Career Advancement Romance/Relationships Friendships/Community MasterMind group Family (kids, parents, siblings, etc.) Professional Development (public speaking, leadership training, etc.) Spirituality/Personal Growth Vacation/Travel Community Service/ Volunteer Work Personal Lifestyle/Possessions Personal Environment Global Wellbeing / Peace 3. Gather Photos, Pictures, Words, Quotes, Phrases and/or Affirmations Now we get to the fun part: stage one of creating your actual Treasure Map. In this step you gather images and words that represent the dreams and goals you wrote down in Step 1. These images and words will be pasted or glued onto a poster board or used in another format (see below). To create your Treasure Map you are going to need a few supplies. Following is a list to get you started: ? Magazines, brochures, calendars and/or catalogues (lots of them!) - especially those that have images of things you want. You can either buy them, or collect them from people/stores that are done with them, check your salon or barbershop, doctor’s waiting room, etc. You can often find free real estate magazines by the door in many supermarkets, which contain lots of photos of houses, pools, land for sale, etc. ? Photographs of you and your family – best to be current ? Scissors ? Glue stick, tape or other adhesive ? One or more poster boards (any size), card stock (80 lb. paper), blank portfolio or journal – this will depend on the style of Treasure Map you choose. ? 3-ring binder (optional) ? Colored pens, pencils or markers - for decorating or writing on your Treasure Map (optional). ? Stickers, decals, gel pens, glitter – for decorating or writing on your Treasure Map (optional). ? Words, phrases or affirmations that represent your goals, dreams – that which you want to attract into your life. These can either be cut out, hand-written or printed on your computer. Once you’ve got a good supply of magazines, brochures, calendars—whatever you have that contains the images you want—it’s time to start looking through them and cutting out the pictures, phrase and words that “speak to you!” You can start with one of your categories or several, and sort them later. As you flip through the pages you’ll find yourself saying things to yourself like, “Oh, I really need this one!” Or, “That’s exactly the kind of refrigerator I want!” When you do, cut them out. Words or Headlines will also jump out at you, e.g., “Healthy Foods” or “50 and Loving It!” Tip: It’s really fun to work on your Treasure Map with one or more friends. It’s great camaraderie, and you’ll find that you inspire each other. You also may find the perfect picture in one of their magazines, or they’ll find it for you. “Ooh! Here’s a picture of Africa. Didn’t you want to go to Africa?” Keep on going with this process of collecting pictures and phrases until you feel that you have enough images and phrases that represent what you want to attract in a particular area. Remember, you will be using the Laws of Visualization and Repetition, i.e., looking at these images a lot, so it’s imperative that the ones you select accurately and completely represent what you want. You also don’t want to be skimpy; the more specific the dream the more specific its manifestation. Don’t worry if it takes several days; it’s worth it! An all-time favorite greeting card illustrates my point. On the outside it reads: “You are the answer to my prayers!” On the inside it reads: “You’re not what I prayed for exactly, but apparently you’re the answer!” Be specific! If you are working in a group, you can support each other toward being super clear and super specific. Tip: If you are not sure if an image is right for you simply ask yourself, “Does this picture excite me?” If so, cut it out; if not, keep looking. And if you just can’t find the perfect image, you can search for it online and/or create it on your computer. The same is true for phrases or words. 11 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com 4. Sort Your Photos & Clippings According to Your Chosen Categories (optional) At this point, it is probably becoming clear that you will be pasting or gluing your images onto some kind of board or in some kind of book. You’re right! But why do we do this? So that you have a handy system that allows you to effortlessly focus on your dreams and goals 2-3 times a day. If you just have a bunch of images in a box, for example, what you focus on would be hit or miss, and it’s awkward to keep on handling dozens of clippings. They get messy and disorganized. At this step, then, you will want to select what type of Treasure Map you want to create, and then organize your clippings according to your categories (Step 2). Choosing which type of Treasure Map to create is really a question of which format will work best for you. Here are some to consider: a. Giant Poster Board – Poster Boards are readily available in most drug and grocery stores. Using white helps your images stand out, but you can use any color. You also can make just one, or several. If you choose to combine all of your images onto one poster board (a popular and easy choice), you won’t need to sort your images and you can proceed to Step 5. Otherwise, you will want to sort your images. b. Blank Journal or Portfolio – Available in a wide variety of stores. These are more portable and therefore can be carried with you wherever you go. However, since you will need to turn pages to focus on all of your images, you probably will want to fill one or more pages with one category before you move onto the next category. Therefore, you will need to sort your images. c. 3-Ring Binder – Available in any office supply or discount store. The advantage of this type is that you can have as many pages as you want (one or more per category), and also include additional, separate type-written sheets with your affirmations for that category. You simply paste your images onto one or more consecutive 8 ½ x 11 sheets of paper or cardstock, completing one category before proceeding to the next. Tip: On pages 17-25 you will find photos and instructions for a unique way of creating Treasure Maps using a 3-ring binder. Once you have decided what type (form) of Treasure Map you want to create, you will know whether it will be beneficial to sort your images according to the categories you selected in Step 2. If not, proceed to Step 5. If you DO want to categorize them, following are two examples of images sorted into their respective categories: 12 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com Images in the Category of Romance / Relationships / Marriage: Images in the Category of Health / Wellness / Personal Appearance: 13 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com Below you can see all of the categories and their respective images that I chose for my various Treasure Maps this year. (There is no particular order to the categories; it’s just how they ended up sorted into piles on the table.) Personal Wealth/Success, Health & Wellness, Living Environment, Career/Business, Spiritual Life, Romance, House, Travel, Family: Remember, you don’t necessarily have to sort all of your images into Categories—especially if you plan on creating one, large poster board—but there are definitely some advantages. (Read on for more…) Now that you’ve got everything organized, it’s time for Step 5: Create Your Treasure Map! Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. A whole clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve! - Andrew Carnegie 14 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com 5. Create Your Treasure Map! Without a doubt, this is the part of the process that is the most fun, especially when you do it with a friend or group of friends. You have probably decided at this point which format you are using for your Treasure Map . Now you simply begin gluing or pasting your images, words, phrases, etc. onto your chosen medium. You can even add drawings, stickers, decals or glitter—anything that energizes you, heightens your experience, and/or causes you to become more emotionally involved with your Map. Again, as we mentioned before, there is no right or wrong way to do this. You can arrange everything even and straight, you can put some sideways or in a circle. It doesn’t really matter, because your subconscious mind will take it in no matter what the format! You might find a bit of crossover between 2 or more categories. That’s okay. Life isn’t necessarily linear, and abundance shows up in many ways. Tip: To aid in your visualization process, you can also include actual photographs of you and/or your family members on your Treasure Map. You might want to paste a picture of yourself in the driver’s seat of your new dream car, for example. Or maybe you want to place a picture of your mother on your Treasure Map, along with a word or phrase that represents what you want to manifest in your relationship with her, e.g., “Nurturing,” “Supportive,” and so on. It’s all up to you what you attract and create. As you are creating your magnificent collages, your personalized Treasure Map(s)—take a moment here and there to reflect on what you are declaring for yourself. Renew your commitment to stay focused, and to take the actions that will support them in becoming a reality. When you are all finished, you can either hang up your Treasure Map in a place where you will see it everyday, or you can practice the sacred science of Alchemy,? keeping it tucked away in a drawer and bringing out to focus your conscious and subconscious mind on it several times a day. On the following pages, you’ll find a unique way to create Treasure Maps using a 3-ring binder. _________ ?Alchemy is an ancient science of transformation, historically known as the ability to transform base metals into silver or gold, symbolic of man’s evolution from ignorance to enlightenment. In more modern usage, any sincere seeker can practice Alchemy—i.e., the art of personal transformation—in any area of his or her life. One of the ancient keys of Alchemy is to keep one’s goals/plans/ideas “close to one’s vest,” only revealing them to others when absolutely necessary. This guards us from the negative energy of skeptical or critical onlookers who secretly may not want us to succeed, or who don’t believe that we can. 15 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com A Unique Approach to Treasure Mapping Using a 3-Ring binder The system which follows is how I prefer to create my personal Treasure Maps. I like this format because everything is neatly organized and I can move easily between my nine categories. In addition, I can include separate pages of my personal declarations and affirmations that are connected to my categories. This way I have “visual” representations of my dreams and goals, as well as customized affirmations I can recite aloud either before or after I have “focused” on those images. It’s a great one-two punch! And it works really well to keep me focused and on track. Personal Story: The first Treasure Map I completed this year was “Family.” It contained lots of images and phrases representing babies and children, even though I had no clear picture of how this might happen. It was a mere three months after completing this Treasure Map that my husband and I got a phone call from a foster agency that a little baby boy was waiting for us. And now we are in the process of adopting him! To use the 3-Ring binder format, first, proceed through Steps 1-4. Then organize and create your Treasure Map using the steps on the following pages. 16 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com Start with 2, 3 or 4 sheets of 8 ½ x 11 cardstock paper, enough to accommodate all of your images in one of your categories. Tape the sheets together, as shown, to create a really wide map. This one approximately is 11 x 25 inches (3 sheets). 17 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com Make your first fold on the left panel, so that it will fit nicely into the 3-ring binder. Fold the right panel over the center panel to create your second fold. 18 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com You can use the first fold to guide you as you fold over the right panel. Use your fingers or the edge of a ruler to make strong creases. 19 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com Now fold over the 2 right panels, following the creases you have already made. This is the size your Treasure Map will be when it’s in the binder. Now unfold all of your panels so you can begin gluing your images. 20 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com Start gluing your images one at a time onto cardstock panels . In this case, I am creating my Health & Wellness Treasure Map. If you prefer, you can first layout all of your images, and then glue them to the panels once you are happy with their placement. 21 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com You can see that I include lots of words and phrases! You can also add stickers, decals, glitter—whatever energizes you! If you find that you are running out of room for all of the images you want to include, simply add on another panel on the right-hand side. 22 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com When you have finished pasting all of your images & phrases, use a 3-hole punch to create holes on the left side. The next step is to simply insert your newly created Treasure Map(s) into your 3-ring binder. I then add separate sheets with my affirmations. You can even paste or write your affirmations on the back of your panels. 23 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com Take a moment to look over your Treasure Map and reflect on the things and experiences you’d like to attract into your life. You want to sear these images into your “mind’s eyes” so that they are readily available to you while you’re giving your affirmations and when you need a little boost during the day! Then fold the panels back up—you’re ready to start on your next one! 24 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com Here is one Treasure Map all folded up and neatly contained in my 3-ring binder. Easy to transport, and great for having it all in one location! In this picture you can see three different Treasure Maps: Health & Wellness, Love & Romance, and Family. See how great they look when they’re all together in one place? Very handy, indeed! 25 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com Maximizing Your Treasure Map Results 21 Alchemical Keys! 1. Create a daily habit of investing in yourself. At least twice a day, take out your Treasure Map(s) and focus on the images and phrases. Just after waking up and just before going to sleep are great because your subconscious mind is the most susceptible to new information at these times, which means you can imprint your mind with new images as you begin and end your day. (Remember, your mind accepts as true that which it sees most frequently.) As you focus on your Treasure Map(s), also allow yourself to experience what it would be like/feel like for all of those things to be true for you. Resolve to keep these feelings alive during the day, revisiting your Treasure Maps as necessary. 2. Write and recite affirmations that allow you declare out loud the persons, places and conditions you are attracting to yourself. The power of the spoken word is ten times greater than thoughts alone (although they are all “magnets” that attract things to us .) So have the conviction to declare out loud what you want. (Note: To learn more about the practice of writing and reciting affirmations for the greatest effectiveness, please see our Ebook: “500 Affirmations You Can Customize”, available as part of The Instrument for Manifesting the Secret Kit, which is available at www.ManifestTheSecret.com.) 3. Be grateful for everything you have. It all begins with gratitude, for if we cannot appreciate the blessings we already have, how can we attract more? Practice gratitude, even for the smallest things, or for the things we often take for granted, e.g., sight, hearing, a roof over our heads, family, friends, etc. Being grateful attracts to us more things to be grateful for! 4. You are the creator of your own destiny; therefore, you have the power within you to create the life you truly want. Choose wisely, and refrain from all people, situations and circumstances that do not expand what you declare you want for yourself and your family. Instead, surround yourself with people who uplift and inspire you, and who are capable of holding the vision for you. Become conscious about your choices, and you will have an extraordinary life. 5. Be the guardian of your thoughts and feelings throughout the day. Most of us have upwards of 60,000 thoughts per day. Combined with our feelings about these thoughts, they are the strong magnets that are attracting things to us —especially when we are not conscious of them. So periodically stop and ask yourself, “Does what I’m thinking and 26 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com feeling right now support the manifestation of my dream life?” Endeavor to be as conscious as you can about your thoughts and feelings. Think about things that make you happy and bring you joy. 6. Know you are worthy. If you see someone around you who has what you want, or is living the lifestyle you want to live, say to yourself, “I am equally worthy to have all these things. I deserve to live the life I desire.” This may feel awkward at first, but practice makes perfect. 7. Whatever we focus on expands. So regularly examine the lever of your attention. Are you ruminating about what you don’t have? Are you complaining about people or situations? Are you wrapped up in the past—which you cannot change? None of these serve you or your dream life, so resist the temptation. Get out your Treasure Map and Affirmations to remind you of what’s truly important and to keep your visualizations “energized.” Create a regular practice of communicating with the Universe about what you want. 8. Know your limits. If at any time you feel overcome by fears or thoughts that immobilize you, and you just can’t get out of the whirlwind, have an SOS action plan. Arrange with one or more friends ahead of time to “be on call” to support each other when you’re “ down and troubled.” Friends are great for this. And if you are really stuck, find a life coach or therapist who can help you navigate your emotional terrain. Important Note: Life coaches will help you sort out your goals and help you create action plans for achieving them, as well as offer motivation and strategies that keep you moving forward. They do NOT handle intense or volatile emotions that are triggered by people or events from your past, especially trauma. If you find yourself immobilized by the fears or emotions from past experiences, check the yellow pages or ask your health care provider for a qualified therapist in your area. To find a qualified Life Coach, check the Reference Section at the end of this book. 9. Be totally responsible for your life. No one else but you is responsible for your life. You are not a victim of circumstances. Nothing happens TO you that you cannot change your reaction to. Even in bad situations, you can choose how to respond. This is one of the hardest lessons of all…but can have a huge impact in our lives. 10. Keep it all in perspective. We will always have challenges, but we don’t have to allow them to take over our lives. Therefore, when something challenging or negative occurs, see it in the context of your 27 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com larger life, and then create an action plan for getting beyond it. For example, if every time you visit your in-laws they are critical of you, have a plan for dealing with it. Rehearse what you’ll say, something like, “Gee, Bob and Joan, it sounds like you’re being critical of me right now, and that doesn’t feel that great. What can we do to create a more positive conversation between us?” Heaping negative energy on top of an existing challenge just adds fuel to the fire. Instead, rise above it and see what you can do to extinguish the flames. 11. Celebrate your “wins”, no matter how small. (“Yeah! I made my first cold call today!” Or, “Wow, my first sale on line—hooray!”) These mini-congratulations will keep you positive, build self-confidence and inspire you to do more. They also lead to deeper gratitude. As your gain momentum and your goals begin to manifest for you, you may need to update your Treasure Map(s). Therefore, every month or so, review your images and phrases, adding or deleting as necessary. 12. Recalibrate your self-talk. Most of us have a running dialog with ourselves all day long. Unfortunately, a lot of it is either negative or limiting, e.g., “I’ll never get married,” or “I’m so stupid, why did I do that?” Again, conquering negative self-talk is about becoming more conscious, more aware of what is passing through your mind at any moment. Practice Mindfulness. Choose positive and uplifting language when you speak to yourself about yourself. If you can’t think of anything, call a good friend or colleague and ask them to remind you. Special Note: Jack Canfield, a featured Teacher in “The Secret,” has this to say about negative thoughts: “[As you give your affirmations] you will often find negative limiting beliefs that are the result of negative programming from your childhood will come up. You may hear thoughts like “I could never afford that,” “there’s no way I’ll ever get that,” or “who am I kidding?” …If you do, use one of the many releasing techniques that are available (see the list below) to release the negative thought. Don’t fight or argue with the thought; just release it.” Powerful releasing techniques recommended by Jack: The Sedona Method by Hale Dwoskin (www.sedonamethod.com) The Work by Byron Katie (www.TheWork.com) The Emotional Freedom Technique (www.emofree.com) 28 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com 13. Allow yourself to feel negative emotions when they occur; don’t repress them. That which we resist, persists. We feel emotions because we are human beings. We learn how to put them into perspective and react to them positively because we are spiritual beings. It’s part of the Path. When students of a Zen Master queried him about whether he had any negative thoughts or feelings during the day he responded, “Of course. Lots of them! I just choose not to react to them.” 14. Feed yourself with positive, uplifting material. Avoid movies, books, magazines, TV shows—anything!—that causes you to feel down or that suggests that your goals are unachievable. Some people even goes so far as to suggest not watching the news, since much of it is negative. If all of this sounds too radical for you, why not just try it for 30 days, or even a week? And then take stock of how you feel and what’s happening in your life without all that negativ e input. (And think of the time that will become available to you!) 15. Educate yourself. Successful people in every endeavor are lifelong learners. They’re always eager to find out what’s new, what’s possible, who’s doing what. It keeps them on the edge of opportunities. You can do the same. Attend workshops or seminars, read books, get to know new people and find out what makes them successful. 16. Find a Mentor. Learn from someone who has already achieved success in the areas you want. Take them to breakfast or lunch and talk with them about how they did it. Formally ask them if they will mentor you from time to time; don’t leave it to chance. 17. Fake it ‘til you make it. “Act as if” your dreams and goals are already true for you. Play and replay the movies in your mind of what your life is like when all your dreams are manifest, and use all of your senses to experience the joy and excitement of having that lifestyle. And eventually they will become true for you! 18. Join a MasterMind group, or start one. Based on the writings of Napoleon Hill, a MasterMind group is composed of like-minded individuals who meet on a regular basis to offer support and strategies for achieving one’s goals, and to celebrate your achievement. The idea is that whenever two or more are gathered together for a common purpose, another “mind” is created that exceeds the sum total of the number of people present. If you’ve ever been in a brainstorming session, you’ve seen how this works. So find a MasterMind group. It can be one of the greatest tools to your success. 29 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com 19. Believe in yourself and in what’s possible for you. Everything you want in your life is precipitated by a combination of belief, vision and action. Once you are clear on what you want (e.g., in a relationship), you must believe it can come true for you. “It is done unto you as you believe.” Another aspect to belief is to always know and believe that The Law of Attraction is working. If you’re not attracting what you want, look at your beliefs and/or what you focus on. 20. Act with then end in mind. Everything you want in your life is precipitated by a combination of belief, vision and action. Action is a key part of the alchemical process, of manifestation itself. Thinking does not necessarily make a thing so. “Faith without works is dead.” You probably will never find the partner of your dreams if you spend every night home alone watching TV—no matter how many affirmations you give or Treasure Maps you create! So after you have a vision of what you want, take action. And when you don’t know what to do, take the next right step, and the next one, and so on. Just be sure the actions you take cause you to be happy and joyful—and you will attract more people and circumstances that bring you happiness and joy. 21. Expect Miracles. Things happen every day to people who cannot figure out how they happened. Often we call these occurrences miracles, or coincidences. The point it, there is a greater force in the Universe that is always all around us and to which we have access. It operates in spite of us, as well as in our behalf. It is also impartial. So stay focused on what you’re doing and where you’re going, and Leave the “How” to God/The Universe. . 30 For more great resources on creating Wealth and Prosperity visit: www.manifestthesecret.com