Rituals: Your Secret Weapon for Getting What You Want

Even if you don’t think you have rituals in your life, you do. For example, Do you brush your teeth every morning? That’s a ritual. Do you eat lunch pretty much at the same time every day? That’s a ritual. Do you go to bed at the same time every evening? That’s a ritual, too.

However, if you’re like most people, I bet a lot of your rituals are pretty unconscious and feel more like a habit than anything more meaningful. You do them because you’ve always done them. But, have you ever wondered how they truly serve your life?

Rituals, or meaningful and consistent routines, are actions you take for the sake of keeping you on track and focused on the big picture you have for your life.

For example, every day I read something that will help me grow as a business owner. Every day! It has become such an important part of my day I always make time for it. Reading material that will help me become a wiser, more effective business owner serves my goal of building a successful business I love.

Another ritual I have is to take a mid-afternoon break, every day, to quiet my mind and get in touch with what my gut is telling me. This time helps me reconnect to my spirit and that helps me stay on track. I LOVE this time I’ve made for myself. Love it!

The rituals you create should be things you WANT to do, rather than things you think you “should” do. The basic idea of a ritual is for it to be something you look forward to doing. Rituals will enhance your life and they are fun to do. Rituals are conscious actions you take that serve the life you are choosing to create.

Examples of life-giving rituals include:

*Eating a healthy breakfast every day
*Daily reading of spiritual, personal growth and success books
*Daily quiet time
*Attending mastermind group
*Lighting a candle before important conversations
*Exercising
*Twice monthly massages
*Prayer
*Giving thanks at the end of each day for the gifts that day brought your way
*Beginning each day with a plan, or intention
*Eating dinner with your family, at the table, each night
*Kissing and hugging every family member before going to sleep.
*Telling the people you love, you love them, every day

The idea is for your rituals to be fun and supportive and something you WANT to do.

Success in life is a result of taking a few good actions, over and over again, until you achieve the results you want. Rituals will add substance to your actions and make life feel more meaningful.

How Much Money You Make is Directly Tied to How Deeply You Recognize and Feel Your Value

Did you know how much money you make is directly tied to how much you value yourself and the gift you are offering to others? Did you also know that the more clients you offer your gift to the more you will start feeling your value? In other words, having a deep connection to your inner value isn’t a solo journey… you need others!

This is tricky for newer solopreneurs because you probably haven’t worked with that many clients yet! That’s OK, as Bob Proctor says you start where you’re at and you give it everything you’ve got! As I told one of my clients, put on your stilettos and strut your stuff because you’re good! Know you’re good! Feel how good you are at what you do and how you help others transform their lives!

With each new client you work with I want you to pause and take a moment to reflect on exactly what gift you are bringing to their life. I know most people I work with seldom do this but when they start doing it they’re able to start recognizing the deeper essence of their work. This is also one way to discover the REAL work you do with your clients.

I will say this about knowing your value; it’s a feeling, not a thought. And the journey for most of us is to fully recognize, acknowledge and appreciate the gift that we are.

Here’s what I want you to do: I want you to start patting yourself on the back for just how terrific you are. I want you to brag a little! I want you to shine the light on yourself for a change! Not in an egotistical way, but in a SELF-honoring way. It’s OK…it’s actually a fundamental piece of turning your passions into profit!

To RECEIVE, Share YOUR Prosperity

Have you ever heard the expression to attract what you want on the outside you have to BE that on the INSIDE? Honestly, that expression always stumped me because I thought I’m me, and not something else, so how can I be IT on the inside?

And then I had an “A-HA”. If you think of this question in terms of PROSPERITY, in other words to attract prosperity you must BE prosperous within, it makes much more sense…here’s why.

You see, YOUR prosperity (all the richness that is you) comes down to one beautifully golden thing and that is… Your Brilliance.

That’s right… your brilliance, or your gift, is your ultimate form of prosperity and when you begin aligning with and valuing what makes you brilliant and then start sharing your brilliance with others you will receive so much more in return. (That is if you’re open to receiving…but that’s another topic for another day.)

That’s because your brilliance is the divine gift you are here on earth to express. In other words, it really doesn’t get much better than that AND you could never GIVE more than that! It’s really THE THING you have to offer the world! And the good news is you already possess your brilliance! Even if you can’t put it clearly into words, it’s still there; all you have to do is peel back the layers and bring it to the light. (And yes, I can show you how to do that!)

Isn’t that great news? If your ultimate source of prosperity is YOUR GIFT that means that you don’t have do or be anything you’re not…you are perfect, as is, to attract more prosperity into your life!

Your INNER prosperity remains intact and untouched by the world. It is DIVINE and that trumps anything that could happen to you on a human level that your human self might think makes you “less than” or unworthy to receive prosperity. For sure your fears and outdated, ill fitting beliefs keep you separate from your brilliance, but here we have more good news…you can heal ALL of that. Every “block” you heal allows your Brilliance to shine through even more.

I know writing about this is much different and much easier than living it and really KNOWING it. So I want you to sit with this…soak in it…and believe in your brilliance and the power it has to attract to you all the good fortune your could ever imagine.

Awaken your brilliance…get to know it…and then share it with others. THAT is your path to good fortune.

Aliveness: It Has Everything To Do With How On Track You Feel

Question for you:

In this moment how alive do you feel? And by alive I mean, how joy-filled/blissful/happy do you feel?

Why do I ask?

Because…

How alive you feel in any given moment is a good indicator of how on track you really are.

You may have heard this said many times but it’s worth repeating, your emotions are always a sign as to whether you are on track or off track. Feelings like joy, despair, sadness, peace, happy, angry, held-back, inspired, etc. indicate immediately how aligned you are with the core of who you really are. These feelings mean something and what they mean has absolutely nothing to do with what’s happening outside yourself!

For example:

A woman is spending a day with friends when one of them announces her plans to quit her job and start her own business. Suddenly, in her mind, she starts judging her friend for her choice and she notices herself feeling very uneasy. At first thoughts like “who does she think she is” and “that’s the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard” run through her mind. She thinks her friend must be the most foolish person she’s ever met.

Then she starts noticing how uncomfortable her body is feeling. She feels agitated and notices she starts to withdraw from her group of friends.

So what’s really going on? Well for sure her inner judge came to the surface, and along with the judge came a deep feeling of envy.

You see, secretly this woman has dreamt many times of starting her own business. She knows exactly what she’d do and how she’d do it. But she doesn’t see HOW she could do such a thing! Isn’t it irresponsible? Selfish? Naïve?

But instead of turning her attention inward, she focuses her attention outward. She puts her focus on what her friend is doing because that’s the only way she has of not putting her attention on where it should be…herself.

She’s not giving herself something she really wants at a deep, core level of her being…the experience of leading and creating her own life by following what makes her feel deliciously alive! Because she hasn’t said YES to what she really wants she feels uncomfortable and even envious of people who DO give themselves what they want. Her inner being…her spirit…knows how it wants to be expressed, but because she’s not allowing herself the experience she wants she is out of alignment with the core of who she really is and that makes her unhappy.

We’ve all known someone like that…and at some point in our own lives we have been like this.

When have you felt angry, jealous, frustrated, sad, worried, etc. etc. but instead of taking ownership of how you’re feeling you’ve blamed someONE or someTHING else for your feelings? How have your judge and critic defense mechanisms jumped in to stop you from feeling your true feelings?

I guess you could say it’s human nature to do so but doing so too much will keep you from living the life you were born to live.

So what’s the answer?

To start you can ask yourself a simple question whenever you feel a negative emotion arise:

What, in this moment, am I not giving myself?

You see, negative emotions are always an indicator you aren’t giving to yourself something your heart and soul needs and wants to feel the most alive. And as hard as you try to get it from something or someone outside yourself you’ll always be left wanting more because getting anything anywhere but within yourself is simply a band aid.

If you ever wonder how on track your life and business really are just check in with yourself. How alive, in this moment, do you really feel? If you feel good deep inside, great, you’re being, doing or having something in this moment that is aligned with your authentic self and your deepest burning desires. But if you feel “bad” then ask yourself what needs to change, and then give yourself the gift of changing what’s not working for you.

Dream Checklist…Are You Saying NO or YES?

You know you’re saying NO to your dream when:

-You say “no” to something you’ve wanted for a long time and that decision haunts you.
-When opportunities appear you often have an excuse why you can’t.
-You know deep in your heart what you want, but feel afraid of taking the leaps you need to have what you want.
-You worry about what others think.
-You find fault with those around you or the world.
-You blame others for your unhappiness.
-You use words like don’t, can’t and won’t regularly.
-You judge those that are following their dreams.
-You are unwilling to make a sacrifice for your dream.
-You have an escape plan.
-You skimp when it comes to spending money on your own personal growth.
-You feel a dullness to your life.
-You feel stuck.
-You focus on drama more than dreaming.
-You say NO.

You know you’re saying YES to your dream when:

-Good fortune flows your way.
-Drama finds a new home.
-You feel a deep sense of SELF.
-You look forward, not back.
-You feel like you’re riding an amazing wave and you like it!
-Life and business FEELS easier.
-You love what you do, who you are, and what you have.
-You feel at peace and experience joy on a regular basis.
-You look for how you can “serve” others vs. serve yourself.
-You wake-up every morning excited to start your day.
-You invest in yourself on a regular basis because you believe in yourself.
-You feel the fear and do it anyway.
-You have no “plan B” and are willing to do whatever it takes.
-You let go of what you need to let go of to have what you want.
-You say YES.

Doing Whatever It Takes, “No Matter What”

That’s me and motivation master (and my new soul-sister) Lisa Nichols at an event yesterday in the Twin Cities.

What an incredible day.

As I listened to several top experts throughout the day I was reminded (again) of how important it is each of us take a “No Matter What” approach to creating our BEST lives and businesses…

…that we share our messages with passion and conviction

…that we trust our instincts

…that we surround ourselves with amazing people who can help us see our own brilliance

…that we put LOVE and SPIRIT before SPOTLIGHT and LUXURY

…that we BELIEVE in our VALUE and what we have to offer the world.

…that great things happen in SMALL numbers.

This kind of soul-inspired life does take guts…and lots of courage. But here’s what I believe…if you have the dream you have the guts and courage. You may not fully realize that yet, but you do.

So, if your PASSIONS are speaking to you…if your flame is burning powerfully and trying oh so hard to get your attention PLEASE do not be afraid to look in its direction! There are LOTS of us out here on the journey with you and we’d love to have you join us!

What to Watch for On Your Soul Journey

In Your Power to Create by Caroline Myss she states that as soon as you set out to create something new…as soon as you make a declaration, the next thing to happen, every time, is self-sabotage.

I hope in some ways that’s good news! 1) It happens to all of us! 2) Its a sure sign you are growing. 3) Simply being aware this is how it works gives you power to choose how you respond in the moment.

Your soul journey - awakening your brilliance - is also called a “hero’s journey” for a reason. It’s not for the faint of heart and there will be ups and downs. BUT, (and this is a BIG but), listening to, feeling and being aware of your soul and your soul’s nudges will awaken your life in a way nothing else, or no one else can.

Your soul journey can be made a bit easier by knowing what to watch for along the way. Here are some common traps to be aware of:

• Knowing vs. KNOWING: Have you ever given someone positive feedback and have them respond with a wave of their hand and a “oh, I know that”, dismissing your compliment and their brilliance in one quick wave? There’s a difference between knowing your brilliance (like in a head sort of way) and really KNOWING your brilliance (like an in the bones sort of way).

• Pushing vs. Allowing: When you feel your soul nudges do you start pushing your way to the finish line or do you allow the “seed of desire” your soul plants in you time to germinate? Think of it this way, you can’t make an oak tree grow faster. You can only nurture it along, take care of it and pay attention to it.

• Pretending You Don’t Know When You Really DO KNOW: Ever fall into this trap? Your instincts are telling you to turn right and you still go left. What’s that about? Many times that’s about denying what you’re really feeling because you know if you start closely listening to your soul your life will change. (But who said that would be for the worse?)

• Trusting Others More Than Yourself. It’s important to listen to experts and mentors…it’s important to get feedback, but never replace someone else’s gut instincts for your own. Your soul depends on you to trust yourself enough to make decisions based on your highest potential. You won’t be able to do that if you dismiss your own instincts for someone else’s.

• Failing to Put into Words Your Brilliance: Words will make your brilliance feel more tangible and is how you start the process of molding your brilliance into form. I know that language often fails us, but still it’s important to have words to describe your brilliance. Remember, the words you put together really only have to mean something to you.

If you’re looking for a business model that honors your soul journey and helps you build a profit-filled business around that, then check out the Passion into Profit Blueprint Home Study System. It’s a business model that is built on YOUR BRILLIANCE. It’s proven. It’s simple. And it works. To learn more visit www.PassionIntoProfitBlueprint.com!

(c) 2009 Cari Vollmer
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Life On Track, LLC