Law of Attraction in Action: Respect

This is my eleventh post in my Monday series on the Law of Attraction, inspired by watching Louise Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life, the movie, expanded version.

I’ve encountered some interesting views of the concept of RESPECT. Some people tend to use the concept without really knowing what respect means. I’ve heard complaints about a boss, romantic partner, friend, service person, client, etc. saying or doing inappropriate things and called them not being respectful. Yet they never addressed what they complained about. That tells the person it’s OK to keep doing it. People complain about their opinions or input not being respected. Yet their actions attract it.

Years ago, I was on the board of an organization. During board meetings, other members would call out and often refused to follow the rules of order. Sometimes it became a free-for-all. I was the chairwoman, but when someone wanted to speak out of turn, she ignored me. I’d encourage respecting the way board meetings are supposed to be run. They scoffed. I encouraged respecting each other, and themselves as board members. One day, one said in disgust:

“You and that respect word! Don’t you get tired of it?”

No, I don’t. I try to respect others while respecting myself. Yet so many folks don’t get this concept or what a lack of respect attracts to you. When you don’t respect yourself, the Law of Attraction supports your not being treated with respect. When you don’t respect others, the Law of Attraction brings negative behavior back to you. The woman who asked that questions was normally a people pleaser. She didn’t get much respect, which may be why she bristled so much at the word.

When I was on Oprah, audience members discussed how much they please to be liked. But RESPECT? Not important!

Many equated being respected with alienating people, which is far from the truth! I understand, and felt that way when I was a DoorMat. If I didn’t jump to do someone’s bidding, that person might not like me anymore, which back then was tantamount to death. The more I gave no matter how they behaved, the less respect I got. But I didn’t care! DoorMats usually don’t like themselves anyway and feel undeserving of respect. I hated me back then and couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to respect me. Needless to say, I didn’t respect me!

When you make pleasing others most important, the Law of Attraction supports that belief and you don’t attract respect.

When you don’t respect yourself, you send the message that you’re not worthy of respect and therefore, don’t expect it, so RESPECT continues to allude you.

Oprah’s audience talked about all they did for others. One person after another sheepishly stood up to share the great lengths they took to give or do for others. Was it often reciprocated? Not really. They tried to justify it by explaining how good it felt to give and make others happy. Yet there was an underlying unhappiness in their defense of people pleasing ways. Fear drove them to give and sacrifice respect. They were scared of losing friends or just not being liked. Insecurity does that to people who were brought up to be nice, without learning to set boundaries.

Most of Oprah’s audience thought you couldn’t be liked and respected at the same time. But you can, by earning respect first.

Add RESPECT to your vocabulary! Doing that was the ticket to my first destination out of DoorMatville. As I began to respect myself and my right to have my needs too, it became easier to turn down favors I didn’t want to do. Yes, some people didn’t like not getting everything they wanted from me. And yes, a few friends disappeared. But by then I accepted that the ones who turned on me for not doing favors weren’t real friends anyway. Now I value respect and get it from most people. And since I’m still a kind and considerate person, most people still like me!

A nice person whose behavior commands respect is more sincerely liked than one who keeps friends by being agreeable.

Do you associate respect with alienating people? Au contraire, respected people get more! Respect must be earned but many of us weren’t taught how. I was taught to please, not to expect good treatment from others. And, people must be taught to treat you with respect. That begins with respecting yourself. After all, if you don’t, why should people give it to you!

Respect yourself enough to stop letting people play on your kindness! As I said, respect must be the priority. As you learn to respect yourself—which to me means expecting courteous and polite treatment from everyone—AND treating yourself with similar consideration—the Law of Attraction will bring more respect to you.

If you want to attract respect, pay attention to your behavior:

* Do you let people put you down without speaking up? Insults or unasked for input (usually criticism under the guise of “helping” you) make you feel bad, which is disrespectful. Recognize it for what it is and put a stop to it. You don’t have to be confrontational. Respectfully tell the person it’s unacceptable to say those things as it makes you feel bad and thank them for their consideration. If it happens again, remind them of what you said before and if necessary, leave.

* Do you put yourself down to make people laugh or to try to make others feel better? That’s so disrespectful to YOU. It also puts out the message that you don’t respect yourself or think you deserve good treatment. The Law of Attraction will bring it back to you as more disrespect. Listen to yourself and become aware of when you do it. When I had major body image issues Try to catch yourself when you can. Reassure others without putting yourself down and entertain with less personal jokes.

* Do you jump to be accommodating, even for people who aren’t considerate to you? Ask yourself why? What are you afraid of? Losing someone who doesn’t care about you beyond what you do for him? Not being liked by someone who uses you? Having her get mad if you say no? Think before agreeing to something. Ask yourself if the person deserves it. If no, politely decline. Then consciously feel the self-respect it brings!

Fyodor Dostoyevsky said, “…only by self-respect will you compel others to respect you.”

As long as you’re still kind, considerate, and courteous to others, you’re still being nice, even if you stop being their fairy god-DoorMat. The ONLY person you owe more to is YOU! As you begin to show yourself the respect you DESERVE, the Law of Attraction will bring it back to you. When you earn respect first and continue to be nice to others, people who aren’t just there to use you will still like you. But it can’t come the other way around. Kissing up to everyone doesn’t attract respect.

Having enough self-respect to keep your well-being as your first priority will attract a lot of respect from those who are healthy to have in your life. That’s a good use of the Law of Attraction!

Practice showing respect to yourself and to others for the RIGHT reasons—to be a courteous person, not to gain approval. When you make RESPECT part of your working vocabulary and do nothing unfair to others, you’ll like yourself more and others will like you more too. When you begin with earning respect, you can be both respected and liked.

As I valued me more, tolerance for disrespectful behavior crumbled. Since I’m friendly, fair, and courteous, most people still like me. Those who don’t—hey, it’s their problem! If you don’t feel respected, examine how YOU treat you. You get respect by respecting yourself.

As yourself, what’s more important: being liked by others, or yourself? You can guess what this recovering DoorMat chooses now! ☺ Having RESPECT for yourself and for others attracts wonderful people a situations.

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Nasty Bosses

I was at a diner I like recently and asked my usual waitress if she felt better, since the last time I was they said she went home sick. She whispered to me that she’d has a run-in with the manager and got so upset she felt physically ill for 2 days. What happened? Charlotte said the boss picked on her for unfair reasons. Really railed her. Not long ago, I witnessed this same guy lose his temper with a waiter, who quit on the spot. Yet he continues to verbally attack his staff.

Many people can’t control their anger or frustration. But, they NEVER have a right to take it out on you!

Charlotte said that she was ready to quit. I admired her because I know she needs this job. Yet so many people complain and accept being yelled at by a colleague or boss. Not saying anything gives them permission to continue it. Yelling back just sinks to that person’s level. The best way to address someone who speaks to or yells at you in a disrespectful manner is to calmly let him or her know it’s unacceptable. Period!

While it’s important to speak up, your choice of words and the tone you use determines the impact of your response.

When I was a DoorMat, I whined a lot. “Woe is me for being spoken to like that!” “I’m upset that my colleague often loses her temper and directs the venom at me.” But I was too busy being miserable and hurt and angry to say something that would stop it. Just saying you don’t like it, or getting angry back, doesn’t rectify the problem. You must make it clear to the person that it can’t happen again. Some of the things I’ve found helpful are:

* Don’t get bent out of shape. Losing your own temper gives the person control over you and won’t get you taken seriously. Force yourself to stay calm when you speak. That can rattle someone who’d prefer to rattle you. When you keep your cool, they know you mean business.

* Tell the person it’s inappropriate to take their frustrations out on you. Inappropriate is one of my operative words when dealing with behavior I don’t like. It gets a message across clearly in work situations, better than yelling back!

* If someone yells uncontrollably or irrationally like Charlotte’s boss did, immediate that it’s unacceptable. Unacceptable is another one of my favorite operative words. It makes clear that you won’t tolerate the behavior, under any circumstance.

* Don’t accept blame for being yelled at. The person might say that you provoked the response. You didn’t do the project fast enough so she lost her temper. You said something that annoyed him. That’s a cop-out! No one has the right to yell at you!

* Take professional action. If there’s someone with a higher position, ask for a meeting and request advice on how to deal with the unacceptable behavior. File a complaint. Keep a written record of the behavior so you have something to show later. Yelling at you is harassment if you’ve warned the person and it doesn’t stop.

* Be prepared to walk, if the yelling at you won’t stop. You shouldn’t accept it. Period.

Charlotte returned to work the next day and calmly told the assistant manager that she’d leave for good if it happened again. He spoke to the manager and made him see reason. So far he’s left her alone. She’s a good worker and he didn’t want to lose her.

Just because someone has a higher position that you at work does not give them the right to to talk to you in any way that's not respectful. Accept that verbal attacks are unacceptable. Sometimes we don’t recognize the damage they cause. Being physically hit seems more like abuse. But verbal railing leaves mental scars, that can hurt you even more! Be very careful.

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Law of Attraction in Action: Recovering Your Health

This is my tenth post in my Monday series on the Law of Attraction in Action, inspired by watching Louise Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life, the movie, expanded version.

I haven’t been feeling well for 3 weeks. It began with my trip to Miami to speak. I had a lot to drag with me. On the plane, it was hard to get enough water to drink. I normally bring my own but one can’t get through security anymore with water. I brought a nice lunch, which I ate around noon. Schlepping through Miami airport took a while. When I finally got to my hotel, I was exhausted, but went downstairs to meet the others who were there to speak. Forgot to drink enough water.

Because of people arriving late, dinner wasn’t till nine. I was distracted and didn’t at least grab some of the nuts I had with me. It was a high energy evening, followed by a full day at the event I was there for. After all the schlepping, running around and going long periods without food or enough water, I began to feel shaky. The very high humidity didn’t help any either. And, I was very wound up from all the activities.

I was ragged by the second night. And it didn’t get any better!

I stayed in Miami an extra five days at an apartment someone offered me. I was kind to myself but my body didn’t want to heal. Just couldn’t unwind, which made sleep tough. As I began feeling a little better, I had to go home. That trip was more stressful than usual. Returning home, I had a lot to do and a lot on my mind. Sleep wouldn’t come easily. I began to have ailments I never had before. It was scary. I was so weirded out, stressed, and exhausted I didn’t know what to do.

So I chanted affirmations. Over and over. “I feel fabulous. I’m VERY healthy, VERY relaxed, VERY energized, and I’m sleeping VERY well. All is truly well in my world.”

For the last three weeks I’ve been saying that many times a day—with enthusiasm I didn’t feel. I thanked God too, for my good health and for feeling fabulous. And, I treated myself with the Reiki skills I have. But nothing seemed to work. During this time I had to take some smaller trips, which tended to wipe out any progress I made in getting my good health back.

But I never stopped chanting my affirmations and thanking God for my fabulous health, even though I was getting shakes and poor sleep.

I plodded through my writing with no energy. It got scary. But I tried not to talk about it much. When someone asked how I was, I resisted the urge to share my woes, and just said I was great. I wanted sympathy so badly, and reassurance. But I knew the more I complained, the more energy that went out saying that I wasn’t well. Instead I told most people nothing, or that I was good.

The two friends I mentioned it to pushed me to go to the doctor. They suggested diseases I could have. But my faith is so strong that I continued to put my health into God’s hands and enthusiastically affirmed how fabulous my health was. It actually was hard. But the more I said it the more I believed it. It continued sending my expectation of good health out to the Universe. Friday night I noticed a shift in my energy. I’d been doing affirmations and felt more relaxed. That night I fell into a deep sleep and woke up refreshed.

It felt like a miracle. But I knew it was the Law of Attraction in action. I continually put out good health. I guess it took time for my body to respond. But it did!

The common response to not feeling well is to succumb to the energy, or lack of, and put out a vibe of illness, etc. I know that the Law of Attraction will pick that up and support it. That sure wasn’t what I wanted! So despite not feeling it, I did my best to put out that I expected good health. It took a little while but eventually worked!

I’ve had people tell me they must have the flu or a bad cold when their noses get stuffed. I’ll try to suggest that maybe it’s nothing much, or allergies, but they aren’t having it! Self-diagnosis can make it worse when you expect it to be something unpleasant. Next time you don’t feel well, do what you can to nurture yourself and help the symptoms, but don’t take your mind to places of bad illness. Keep telling yourself it’s really not a big deal and you’re healing.

Let the Law of Attraction aid your healing, instead of prolonging your health problem. It really can work when you let it!

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Interview with Richard LeMieux

Today I’m continuing my Embracing SUCCESS series with Richard LeMieux, who ran his own successful business for 14 years and was very financially solvent, had a happy marriage and lived a decadent lifestyle. But when his business failed, he lost his livelihood, his home, his possessions, his wife of 17 years, and his children.

Suddenly, he was living out of a van with only his dog Willow for company. Willow saved him from committing suicide when things looked bleak.

Richard was homeless in Bremerton, Washington for a year and a half. With a secondhand manual typewriter, he sat at picnic tables in parks writing his new book, Breakfast at Sally's (Skyhorse Publishing, 2008), about his journey living off the kindness of the Salvation Army's and other organizations' kitchens. He also describes folks he met along the way. Richard’s memoir tells the story of one man's resilience in the face of economic disaster. His quiet determination and determined willingness to live with his situation is evident in this story of an all-too-common American condition.

Richard created the Willow Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit organization to raise awareness about the homeless and to help other service organizations assist the homeless with emergency housing, food, and other necessities and services. Funded by book sales, royalties, speaking fees, and corporate and private donations, The Willow Charitable Foundation is dedicated to a community-based approach to the problem of homelessness.

Richard LeMieux may not be rich but I consider him a role model for SUCCESS. He’s using his book to help people in the situation he’d been in. Here’s what he said:

What was your life like before you were homeless? I had a great life with all the trappings that indicated my success. A beautiful home on the water, boats, cars, hot tubs, exotic vacations were all part of my ‘success’ in business.

How did you become homeless? I had a directory publishing company before days of Internet prevalence in our marketplace. I did not see some of those changes coming and in one year all my biggest clients decided to build web sites instead of buy advertising in my directories. I hadn’t really built a safety net for myself that would have sustained that level of business loss.

What was your life like when you were homeless? For the first 6 months, in my mind, I could sort of tell myself that Willow (my faithful canine companion) and I were on a ‘camping’ trip. Migrating around town from church parking lots to campgrounds. I was fortunate, I still had my car, a van I stayed in, many people did not have that.

Where did you eat/sleep when you were homeless? My van was Willow’s and my “home on wheels” and we could get hot meals at The Salvation Army and other meals programs around town like The Lord’s Diner, the Methodist Church and the Lutheran Church.

How did your dog, Willow, affect your experience of homelessness? Willow continues to be my companion and she is a certified mental health service dog. The need to take care of her was and is what keeps me going.

Do you think Willow saved your life one night on a bridge? Absolutely. There was really no way that from the center of the Narrows Bridge I could have actually heard her barking in the car when I left her at the observation deck with a note on the dash saying, “This is my dog Willow, I call her the Wonder Dog, Please take care of her.” But I ‘heard’ her nonetheless. I could not leave her there by herself not knowing if she would be cared for.

What role did mental illness play in becoming homeless? My therapist at Kitsap Mental Health once told me that I should not be alive. The number of things I lost in one year, my successful business, my house, my wife, the estrangements of my children all contributed to my fall into depression and struggle with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). The darkness of this time consumed me. I saw no way out.

There are a lot of stereotypes of homeless people – is there a common thread of why people become homeless or what types of people become homeless? In the ‘beginning’ when I started writing (or journaling as my therapist called it) Breakfast at Sally’s there was no purpose. Now there most definitely is a purpose. If you’d told me when I was 50 years old, atop the Eiffel Tower that I would be homeless when I was 59, I’d have said there is no way. And at 55 when I was on a cruise through Greece, I’d have said you were crazy. There will always be the stereotypes of homelessness, but what I found on the streets were people like you and me, educators and nurses, teachers and skilled labor, children and teenagers, families split between shelters. A cross section of our country and people just like us fallen on a bad time, a lost job, a medical condition, a death, a foreclosure.

How did people treat you when you were homeless? I felt like an outsider in the store, the bank, all the places that were a part of my previous life. Those that I met on the street turned out to be the purest form of relationship, there were no expectations, there was no judgment, there were those who maybe only had $5 to their name and they would give you $3 if you needed it. Generosity like I’d never seen before. I “found myself” there so to speak, in a way I never had.

What is your relationship with the Salvation Army? How do they help homeless people? I still go see Pat the cook, Major Baker, eat meals and do what I can for those still on the street. The Salvation Army does an amazing work in our communities, many times un-acknowledged. I am always struck by their “motto” so to speak and it resonates with the kindness I found there.

How can we solve this crisis of homeless people in the U.S.? WE can. That is the answer. It’s each of us doing a small thing that snowballs into a movement in our society. I am part of the formation of Willow Charitable Foundation that will work toward doing just that. Using the awareness tool of Breakfast at Sally's and the arts through music and visual arts in a unique way to put faces on our homeless, put a face on the statistics. Only in connecting with a story will we change our future story.

What is your life like now? Willow and I share life in an apartment and still pinch ourselves to realize what a special opportunity we have make life different for many, many people. I am ready to sit on Oprah’s couch. I want to win the Pulitzer and march that plaque down to our Salvation Army corps in Bremerton and slap it up on Major Baker’s wall. Just this far is a dream, why not dream big!

I highly recommend reading Breakfast at Sally's if you want some inspiration and to read more about Richard's incredible story of hope.

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Law of Attraction in Action: "Too Blessed to Be Stressed"

This is my ninth post in my Monday series on the Law of Attraction, inspired by watching Louise Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life, the movie, expanded version.

"Too Blessed to Be Stressed"
Stress is all around us. I hear folks often discuss how stressed they are. The energy of working hard, taking care of family, and fitting everything you might want to do into a time deprived existence can lead even the most spiritual of us to be stressed. And the current economy can certainly exacerbate stress about your finances. People are more worried today than ever before, at least in my lifetime. Is my job, savings, investments, retirement fund, college fund for my kids, etc. safe?

It’s scary times right now—IF you allow it to be.

Fear, stress, worry, etc. all send the message that you don’t have total faith that everything will work out for your highest good. It expresses doubt in your spiritual power. The Law of Attraction, which isn’t selective about what to support, brings more fear, stress, worry, etc. back to you. This is so important for you to understand!

Faith can create miracles in a situation that doesn’t look good. But you must be willing to surrender your control of it and just expect it to all work out well for you.

Yes, investments are tanking, jobs are decreasing, the economy is in the toilet, the news sounds bleak. But it doesn’t mean that your world has to be bleak. Many people still have their jobs. The stock market is rebounding. It will take time to sort itself out and make a positive impact but it will happen. You can focus on all that’s wrong and attract a bad mood and negative situations, or look forward and find the blessing in your situation.

When you can put a lid on your worries, have complete faith that things will work out for you, and focus on your blessings, miracles can happen.

People post their blessings on my Conscious Gratitude Yahoo group. One lives in Houston. We didn’t hear from her for a week after the hurricane hit. When she finally had access to Internet service, she shared a long list of her blessings. I bet most people wouldn’t have found the blessings like she did! Her house was flooded. Much of her possessions are ruined.

She and her family rode out the storm at a neighbor’s house. The roof blew off and several families sat huddled together as pieces of the roof came down all around them. This woman posts her blessings every day. Her faith is strong. She wrote that as pieces of roof flew around them in the wind, it was like someone had put a bubble around the families because no one was hit with even a bit! Now that’s a miracle of faith and the Law of Attraction bringing more blessings to someone who expresses gratitude each day. She focuses on blessings and got a BIG one. And she continues to post blessings, despite still having many residual problems from the storm. Having your family and friends safe is much more valuable than anything else.

Focusing on your blessings can neutralize negatives and attract more blessings. The Law of Attraction loves to provide blessings to those who focus on them.

I recently had a visit with a woman who did work for my parents for many years. Though my parents are gone, Nazzy and I have stayed in regular touch. She and her husband Henry are in their eighties now. Yet when they walked in, they radiated the same sunshine in their positive and exuberant energy that they had when they were young.

All my questions about how they are were answered with very positive responses. “I’m blessed to still be healthy.” “I’m blessed to have my kids and grands around me.” “I’m blessed that our home is paid for.” I pushed. Surely this economy was making them stressed, since they’re not too financially solvent to begin with. But Nazzy kept smiling and in a joyous tone said,

“I’m too blessed to be stressed!”

She always focused on what she had and felt great appreciation for it. Her faith was strong that she and her family would be safe. “I’m too blessed to be stressed!” She was so happy with all she had that she couldn’t worry at all about potential problems. Since they weren’t on her mind, the Law of Attraction didn’t bring the problems or when they came, it brought solutions too. Being stressed gets supported by the Law of Attraction. Why attract it?

When life, or all the bad news about the economy get you down:

* Turn off the news on TV or radio! I normally watch the news but the last weeks I change the channel when dark scary reports air. When I listen to the radio, I do the same thing when negative stories are discussed. I don’t read newspapers too often. The news is scary. It puts thoughts in your head that attract negatives to you. I’m so much happier since I stopped listening to negative news reports. It really does all work out on the other end when you expect it to.

* Put situations that worry you into God’s hands. Whether you believe in God or the Universe or another spiritual being, put yourself in those competent hands and rest assured that things will be OK. I can’t always cope with things as well as I’d like but God can. That belief allows the Law of Attraction to bring me good outcomes.

* Remind yourself, “I’m too blessed to be stressed!” Then list your blessings and focus on them so you create more.

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Interview withMahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda--Swamiji

I recently was honored with a very special visitor. His Holiness, Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda—known as Swamiji—came over to do an interview. Swamiji has traveled around the world 35 times to help spread world peace to as many people as he can through his practice of Yoga in Daily Life. This a holistic system for the body, mind, consciousness and soul, based on ancient teaching of yoga and adapted for today. Swamiji says through practice you can regain your physical, psychic, social and spiritual health and achieve self-realization and God-realization.

Swamiji has addressed people in many countries, dignitaries at the UN, and me! ☺

It takes a lot for me to be in awe of someone. But when Swamiji entered my place, with an entourage of people from around the world, it felt like the energy suddenly changed. My doorman felt the same way. Bearded, in long orange robes, Swamiji’s presence brought calm. His smile radiated out. I felt very happy. Originally from India, he’s spent most of his time in other countries. I asked him to explain how his system of yoga creates inner peace:

“Yoga is a part of discipline, a science of body, mind and consciousness. Practitioners of Yoga in Daily Life harmonize their body, mind, and consciousness. The yoga exercises are psychosomatic movements. They’re not a sport. They influence our body and psychic, and beautify our intellect. It gives you inner peace and contentment.”

Swamiji’s system, Yoga in Daily Life is designed with ancient wisdom for modern life. It’s a scientific system that has many, many steps so that you can baby step, step by step, gradually, to come forward. The first aim in Yoga in Daily Life to achieve is physical, mental, social, and spiritual health. So it’s a lot more than most of us associate with yoga. Yoga in Daily Life is a lifestyle, not that different from what how I encourage people to live. It’s practiced around the world in more than 35,000 different locations.

I was confused, since there are different yoga disciplines. I asked Swamiji if he thinks they all bring the same kind of inner peace or have some taken a different direction. He answered:

“Yoga is yoga. Many are practicing yoga only on the physical level—to be relaxed and have good health through this practice with good energy. Yoga in Daily Life is a completely holistic system. Every kind of yoga brings goodwill, to give the people something good.”

Swamiji says that when you practice Yoga in Daily Life, the first thing it gives you is good health. When you have that, your mind is automatically calm and relaxed. Then you realize that within you there is peace. He adds, “Within you is the fountain of the joy and the immortal soul. Leave out the ego and live the divine life. Inner contentment creates harmonious vibration and peace, and that will affect all.” Another way for the Law of Attraction to be in action. He encourages us all to see the world with positive thinking. When life isn’t positive, avoid reinforcing it by saying things like, “oh my God, what terrible things.” He strongly advises trying to accept life as it is.

Swamiji exudes love, I mean really exudes it with passion and compassion. I asked him how important he feels it is to love yourself. He says: “You have to learn to love yourself. It means to understand ‘who am I?’ ‘How am I?’ Ask yourself:

*‘Am I a good person or a negative person?’
* ‘What have I done which people don’t like and how can I change myself so that my behavior and my being doesn’t distance others.'

“Then your love will radiate outside. There’s a difference between self-respect and ego. Self-respect means that first you learn that loving yourself means to behave properly, dress properly, clean properly, speak properly. For example, if you wear makeup, you are not putting it on for yourself. You think that whoever will look at you will feel happy and good that you’re not disturbing them. So, love thyself to love all. You love yourself to keep your body healthy so that you can love others. You love yourself to keep your heart positive so that you can help others feel positive. You learn about your heart so that you can open your heart to others. That’s what I call the inner peace."

Many of us are always on the run. I asked Swamiji how we can integrate yoga into our routines to reduce stress. His outlook is very interesting, since his system isn’t just about yoga movements; it's more a lifestyle that you practice. He explains:

“Yoga in Daily Life is not just about the physical exercise or only sitting down to meditate. You go, you move, you behave according to the yogi principles. So when you walk, you walk full of awareness. If you are walking and someone is coming in front of you, it’s doesn’t cost you money to move a little bit to the side of the road. When you go on the bus and a handicapped or disabled person gets on, it doesn’t cost money if you stand up and let them sit down. If you eat something, eat it with love and decide you’ll only eat what your body needs. Even in a crowd where people smell, think about the beauty of the people and how nice it is to be close to so many humans. And that you won’t be there for long.”

Yoga in Daily Life is seeing the world through the eyes of kindness and tolerance and practicing it with everyone you encounter. It’s living on a spiritual level at all times and being conscious of how your actions and reactions affect others. Swamiji says it’s an everyday life, 24 hours practices. He’s traveled the world for the last 40 years with 3 aims. He says they are:

“1. To awaken the consciousness in people to lead a healthy way of life, to be healthy while practicing the divine science of yoga, and eating vegetarian, balanced and organic, healthy food.

2. To awake the consciousness in the people that we are not alone on this planet. Besides the humans, there are many other creatures, mountains, lakes, vegetation, desert, rivers and oceans, We should learn to live in harmony with our surrounding nature.

3. To awaken the consciousness in the people that we are all children of one God. There’s no need to fight. God gave equally to everyone. There’s only one reason for us—humanity. With these 3 aims I started my journey and have traveled around the world 35 times.”

I asked Swamiji what he’d you say to someone who says he or she doesn’t know how to be spiritual? He says:

“The belief does not change the reality. The reality is the realty. Even if you don’t believe, within you things are changing always. You are facing good and bad. But if you will accept the spiritual energy, life will be easier for you. I suggest you read more spiritual books. Not only one kind of direction or faith but open up your heart and view to the whole world. The readings and meeting spiritual persons and going to spiritual gatherings will awake in your consciousness the longing to drink that water. You will search for a drinking fountain and you will find it.”

Swamiji is very concerned about all the restlessness and fighting against religions, companies, neighbors, partners, etc. on the planet. That’s why he feels it’s very urgent to realize that love will awake our inner peace, which will go to world peace if you practice Yoga in Daily Life. It’s a comprehensive system—mind, body and spirit. This spiritual man just cares about people finding peace in themselves that can radiate out to others and create a more peaceful world.

Swamiji’s book, Yoga in Daily Life—the System, is quite big, with beautiful illustrations and detailed instructions for following his system. When he left, I had to hug him. I can still feel the light of his presence when I see the photo of us together. He continues his journey around the world to do what he can to nurture world peace. I asked him for some final words for you:

“All dear readers, brothers and sisters, we have not seen us maybe, but in this way, I wish you very, very good health; a happy, harmonious and long life; love and mutual understanding in your family and your society. And spiritual development for God realization. With this dear brothers and sisters, I bless you in the name of the almighty. Ohm Shante Shante, Shante.”

I feel VERY blessed to have been in Swamiji's presence.

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Law of Attraction in Action: Revenge

This is my eighth post in my Monday series on the Law of Attraction in Action, inspired by watching Louise Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life, the movie, expanded version. This DVD is much cheaper than The Secret and the bonus talks by some of the best experts on using spirituality for your highest good make it a lot more substantive!

On Friday, OJ Simpson was convicted on all counts in his trial for stealing his memorabilia back at gunpoint. For the first time, I saw the smug, arrogant smile disappear from his face and it felt great! I admit, I believe that OJ murdered his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman. When he was acquitted for those crimes, I was furious. And when he so disrespectfully and egotistically wrote the book, If I Did It, I wished him great evil and wanted to punch him out. But instead, I looked up and expressed that I’d leave the revenge up to God.

I did ask Him to do what would be the most appropriate form of revenge.

When someone does you wrong, it’s normal to want revenge. You may try to figure out how to get even or want to tell the person off in a forceful way. Stop those impulses and let the Law of Attraction get revenge for you! It will, especially if you let it. Why do I advise that you don’t get the revenge yourself?

* Going after revenge keeps anger burning in you. Thinking of ways to get even puts negative thoughts out to the Universe. Anger NEVER feels good! Metaphysical Science (the mind creates physical ailments) attributes holding onto anger as the cause of cancer. It also creates other physical problems.

* Going after revenge keeps what happened on the tip of your thoughts. It makes you talk about it with friends and plot how you’ll get even. That can keep you stirred up. The Universe doesn’t interpret why you want to hurt someone. It does bring you back what you put out.

* Going after revenge attracts more negatives. Evil thoughts bring evil situations. So you’ll get more of the type of behavior you want revenge against. Then you punish yourself too. Negative thoughts don’t attract positive outcomes. Until you release revenge to the Universe, you’ll attract more of the behavior you want revenge against.

* Going after revenge wastes energy that you can use to do something good for yourself. A majority of people don’t feel better past the moment of doing something to get back at someone. Negative revenge isn’t sweet. It often keeps that person in your life, especially if he or she decides to get back at you for your revenge, which can create a vicious cycle, supported by the Law of Attraction.

* Going after revenge is unnecessary, since the Law of Attraction works better than you can. It will come at the right time in the best way possible. Accept that nothing you can do for revenge will undo what the person did or make up for it. Hurting the person doesn’t replace the money she took from you or ease the heartbreak he caused.

* You live with the consequences of your revenge. When a scorned woman shreds her ex’s clothing or lies to get him fired, she creates her own hell of negatives that will return to her. If a guy sabotages a colleague who did him wrong, he sabotages himself too.

Revenge from the Law of Attraction can take time to happen. OJ’s conviction came 13 years to the day after he was acquitted on the murder charges. Hmmm… coincidence? I think not! He had 13 years to live with what he’d done and get bolder in his arrogance that he’d gotten away with the crime and could get away with others. Thirteen years to feel relief that he didn’t have to go to prison; to think he was invincible; to reinforce his negative energy.

Many folks put it out to the Universe for OJ to get his due. The Law of Attraction found a way to bring OJ's deed back to him. He got away with murder but will now be punished for a much lesser crime that could put him away permanently. That’s how the Law of Attraction can work.

When OJ got acquitted, people wanted to kill or hurt him. They lamented about how he could get away with such evil. But killing him wouldn’t have given him the punishment he’ll now get. Guilty on all counts could easily keep him in prison for life. Living a hellish existence after 13 years of enjoying his freedom and believing he was in the clear is a fitting punishment.

Success is truly the best revenge for you to get. Let the Law of Attraction do the “dirty work” for you. Next time someone does you wrong:

* Express how you feel about it if that’s possible. Don’t yell or be nasty. Smiling will dig the point in more than an emotional response. Just let them know how you feel—once.

* Put the revenge into God’s hands. Ask for Him to bring the action back to the person in the most appropriate way at the most appropriate time. Two people have stiffed me on a money for seminar fees or consulting with rubber checks. I can honestly say I rest assured they’ve gotten theirs. Both no longer have a business website. And I’m sure they’ve been ripped off by others because of what they did to me. Meanwhile, my conscience is clear and my good reputation attracts lots of other clients.

* Tell the person you’ve put it into God’s hands and won’t bother them about it again. I love to just smile and express my confidence about the person getting what ‘s coming. A few times people have bounced a check for a book they bought. If they don’t replace it after my asking a few times, I’ll just tell them if they’re okay with putting the bad karma on their music career to save 20 bucks and the bank fee, I wish them good luck. They always send a money order.

* Be patient and move on. Don’t watch for it. Knowing it will happen is enough. Dwelling on it hurts you. Trusting it will happen and letting it go will allow the Law of Attraction to work its magic. Just know it will come at the perfect time. Happy 13-year anniversary OJ!

* Forgive the person in your heart. Having that positive spirit will attract other good opportunities to you that will make up for it. Somehow it all works out when you let it!

I’ve never regretted not doing more to get even with someone. Nicole Brown Simpson’s and Ron Goldman’s families may feel more satisfaction from this ruling than from winning the civil suit and getting little from OJ. Let the Law of Attraction assist you next time. Truly convince yourself that the Universe will deal out appropriate revenge for whatever you’re angry about. I feel more powerful than ever know I can let the Law of Attraction take care of revenge for me. And I know it will be a better revenge than I could deal up. ☺

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Running with Goals

Sometimes I really love my runs in Central Park, but too often I don’t. It’s delightful to speed along on a perfect, clear, not humid, fairly cool day, especially when I feel well rested. But in the summer it gets humid and hot, and in the winter, it’s tough to run on very cold days, especially when it’s also windy. But I do! My body doesn’t cut me slack and burn extra calories for me when the weather isn’t good.

To stay in shape, you should be in it for the long haul, not just when conditions are perfect!

One morning I went out without enthusiasm. It was the third day in a row that I ran. I was tired from getting up early and rushing out so I wouldn’t cut too much off of work time, but the next few days would be rainy, so I needed to get my run in. I’d also done an hour of weight training yesterday, so my legs were tired. I began to give myself reasons for why I should cut my run short, just like I sometimes look for reasons not to get my work done, or do personal chores, if I’m not in the mood. So I thought about how I get myself to do other activities I don’t want to do.

I set small incremental goals and take baby steps to achieve them.

I’d never thought about applying that to something like running, but I tried. First I set the goal of running up the hill to get into Central Park. If I didn’t feel up to more, I’d turn around and go home. With that small step as my first goal, I got there easily and decided I could do a little more. I have a few spots that I stop at for a minute, to stretch and drink some water. Each became a baby step. Each leg was a goal in itself, instead of thinking in terms of doing the whole route. One leg (to a landmark along the route) felt doable when I didn’t think about the whole thing.

Pushing yourself a lot can feel overwhelming and tough. Breaking everything you must do into very small goals makes each little one feel less of a burden.
An important part of this process is to cheer yourself on to motivate more. I make each goal leg I reach an accomplishment and say, “Good Girl” or “You go girl!” It acknowledges that I appreciate that I’m making an effort, even if I don’t go as far as usual. Waiting for the bigger goals to be met deprives you of taking pleasure in each step.

Self-appreciation for completed increments feels so much better than being angry at yourself for not going the full distance!

As I struggled to keep going, I took baby stepping to a smaller, more motivating level. When I run, I always looked way ahead. If I was going up a hill, seeing how far I still had to go would make me more tired and the run seemed harder, especially on hot days. I realized I could baby step the whole route. So I stopped looking ahead beyond a few yards.

Now I look sort of down and ahead just enough to see the next tree or lamp or crosswalk or whatever was coming up next.

Focusing on what’s just ahead of me keeps me a zone that my mind never went to when I looked all the way down the road. I lost track of distance. It was almost like a meditation state. I just knew when I’d reach the next tree or other goal. Each one motivated a “yay!” from me. There were lots of them, since my increments were so small. That felt encouraging instead of running with a wish to be finished. The run goes so much faster and it’s easier.

When I reach the top of a hill or another landmark indicating another big leg is done, it still amazes me how quickly it seems to come, instead of feeling like I’m on an interminable run.

You can do this with anything. For example, I do a lot of laundry by hand. It’s not normally a big deal but I was busy over the last few weeks and it piled up. I still had enough clean clothes to wear but whenever I saw the pile, it annoyed me. Because there was so much, I just couldn’t get it started. That caused the pile to grow even more! Then I thought about how baby stepping helps keep me running. I decided what I wanted washed first and put the rest away. That made it so much easier to actually fill the sink with soapy water and make a dent.

Washing one thing motivated doing another small batch. I keep the pile in a hamper and only take out what I can do at that moment. The pile got done in record time, one small batch at a time.

Now I’m tackling my refrigerator, which has gotten out of control with stuff that needs to be thrown out and stains and spills that need to be scrubbed. I’ve been trying to get to it for a while. But, whenever I look at it, it seems like a huge job, and I choose to wait until I have more time. Now that I’ve been consciously practicing baby stepping, I decided to do it on my fridge. The best way to start any unpleasant task is to begin with the easiest part, in as small a dose as you can.

I began with the fridge door—the top part only! I put the containers I had there on another shelf and washed and dried that section. It sparkled and I congratulated myself. Each time I opened the fridge, I grinned looking at that section. That night, I did the bottom part of the door. The next day I went through the top shelf to get rid of anything I wasn’t going to use. I cleared stuff from the middle shelf on another day. Each little thing I did brought big self-congratulations. Last night I was motivated to take out everything from the top shelf. I washed the shelf in the sink and then scrubbed the sides and back.

My fridge is still a work in progress but every day I try to do a little something and it’s getting done.

Find your own way to baby step to your bigger goals. Be a cheerleader as you finish a step. I’ve actually increased my running since I implemented goals. You can tackle almost anything and reach goals if you break everything down into baby steps, take one small one at a time, and rejoice in every step taken.

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