What do you think of when you see someone smile?  Do you notice?  Does their smile ignite anything inside of you?  Do you ever wonder what they are so happy about?  Have you ever thought to yourself, “that person is living in a state of awareness?”

Smiling releases all the muscles in our face.  It can mean that we’re at peace, joyful, feeling gratitude, hopeful, calm.  And a smile spreads to others.

This simple concept - the peace available just from smiling - is only one of dozens of ideas relating to personal development, that are explored in the book, “Peace is Every Step, The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life,” by Thich Nhat Hanh.

This creative approach to experiencing inner peace actually adapts the ancient Buddhist teachings to apply uniquely and simply to today’s modern times.  With the frantic pace we live our lives, with the negativity and challenges we face as a community, as a people, as a nation…we often neglect to recognize the peace that is available to us in each moment.  If  we only allow ourselves to be aware.

Self Realization

Another should read that is adapted from Eastern philosophy, but is a spiritual celebration of awareness is “How to See Yourself as You Really Are,” by his Holiness the Dalai Lama.

If you’ve read Eckhart Tolle, you are probably aware of his own aha moment.  Tolle speaks of being spiritually bankrupt, and on the verge of suicide.  His own negative thoughts brought him to the brink of insanity.  And in a moment of deep despair, he experience a profound spiritual awakening.  He realized that he was living as though he existed separate from himself.

“Just as a chariot is verbalized
In dependence on collection of parts
So conventional a sentient being
Is set up depending on the mental and physical aggregates.”
– Buddha

“How to See Yourself as You Really Are” explores the four steps to realization.  The steps include Identifying the target, limiting the Possibilities, Analyzing oneness, and Analyzing Difference.  Many chapters include meditative reflections, meant to serve as tools for gaining further self awareness.

At the end of every year I have a ritual where I acknowledge and celebrate at least three things I did well during the prior 12 months.  Celebrating the things that make us unique is not the same as bragging, I believe it’s a powerful tool for allowing great things to manifest in our lives.  And it keeps gratitude at the top of our awareness.

If you watched the movie “the Secret” you might have been captivated, as I was, with the idea of creating a vision board. The vision board is meant to keep your focus, your awareness, your intentions set on what it is you wish to manifest.  The vision board itself doesn’t create or manifest  things, but is a tool that meant to help with your focus.  Awareness, Intention and Gratitude are three very powerful states of creation.

In my quest for gratitude, I take time to acknowledge my accomplishments of the prior year.  If you had to answer the question: “What are 3 things you did in 2008 that you’re proud of?” what would you say?  Would the answer come easily, or would you be hard pressed to acknowledge your divine accomplishments?

Times of great struggle offer us the opportunity to feel gratitude.  Whether it’s a vision board or other tool, consider focusing on what is currently working in your life, what you’ve done well, and your unique abilities and talents.  What did you do well in 2008?

We’ve talked about vibrations before and you know that high energy emotions, positive thoughts and feelings, vibrate at a higher frequency than low energy emotions and thoughts.  Since the law of attraction is tuned into vibrational frequencies, it makes sense that you’ll attract at the channel, or vibration, you’re plugged in to.

If you are struggling with money, and in this economy the topic comes up a lot, your vibration is in the low energy vibrational frequency.  Want a better outcome, tune yourself into a higher vibration.  How?  Focus your thoughts and energy on abundance.  Abundance and gratitude vibrate at a high frequency, manifesting high frequency experiences.

To give you an example of this at work, I’ll share a personal story. Someone close to me has been struggling financially for the past couple of years.  My brother-in-law is a skilled draftsman and is able to charge a high fee for his services.  He can create a lot of wealth, but he has trouble keeping it.  He holds a core belief that it is hard to make money.  So he experiences great difficulty in having money to pay his bills.

Now what’s wrong with this picture?  His beliefs that holding onto money is hard, and that making money is hard.  He creates wealth, but doesn’t experience abundance, because he’s vibrating at the frequency of lacking or needing.  So this successful draftsman has actually filed for bankruptcy and continue to complain about how hard it is for him to make money.

If you want to experience abundance, you’ve got to be tuned into the right channel.  What channel is your receiver set to?  Are you dialed into abundance, are you focusing your beliefs on having, creating, and enjoying?  Or are you vibrating at the place of wanting, needing, and losing?  It might not come instantaneously, or manifest overnight, but you can only experience what you’re attracting.  And you attract at the channel you’re vibrating at.

Rather than getting frustrated, take a breather and consider this: as you set out giving up the struggle you feel around money, you create a new dynamic, a new possibility.  You begin to trust that you can and will experience a flow of riches.   As you begin to trust the flow of abundance that is yours, you will begin to attract and manifest riches into your life. If you think about quantum physics, you’ll probably begin to realize that everything exists as a probability of existence, you need only become aware of it for it to exist in your life.

Let’s focus for a moment on what your beliefs are about money.  Your belief system and your habits are what keep you from experiencing wealth. They keep you from being rich and they are what create the struggle you feel around financial prosperity.  You know that holding tightly to limiting beliefs limits your possibilities, because your awareness is focused on what you perceive isn’t happening, rather than turning your awareness to the limitless possibilities that already exist.   Once you’re prepared to begin experiencing a rich life, you have to release what you believe you know and begin trusting the stream of wealth that’s ready to enter your life.

Liberating your confining notions about wealth allows for you to replace your old feelings with fresh ones.  You are able to at last release the conflict, and recognize that you’ve utterly no more cause to worry about money.  Permit abundance to come into  your awareness and consciousness.  In order to create, you must be conscious of the abundance that is yours for the taking, just recognize it and embrace it.

Remember that whenever you liken being happy with having money, you’re setting yourself up for continuing struggle and financial unease.  Feel secure about your present-day state of affairs, just as it is today.  If you cannot be satisfied with what you have now, you’ll not be capable of feeling satisfied with any amount of money.

It does not have to be hard to produce, have, or hold on to money. Our fundamental beliefs build our habits and mental attitudes toward money.  If you can release your fear of money, and abandon the notion that having money entails struggle, you’ll consciously allow for an unstoppable flow of wealth into your life.

Health and wellness generally tops the list for most, including eating better, losing weight, and exercising more.  Good goals for all of us, since our physical health is instrumental to our overall spiritual and emotional well being.  Here’s the problem with measuring our success and setting goals:  sometimes the goals seem so big, that after we set them, we become immobilized and don’t know the action steps we need to take to get there.  It’s easy to measure our progress and determine that we’ll never get where we want to be.  But personal development is a journey, and not a destination.   Changing our habits is the hardest thing we’ll ever do.

Some medical journals report that once we reach 35 years old, our personalities are completely developed.  Our habits are hard wired to our brains at that point.  Conflicting medical research suggests that by the mere age of 8 years old we’ve fully developed our personalities and how we respond to certain stimulus is set.   Those reports seem like evidence that we can’t really change our habits our belief systems.

In his book “Evolve Your Brain: The Science of Changing Your Mind”, Joe Dispenza, DC,  recounts his personal journey from disaster to triumph.  He was in a near fatal bicycling accident and was told by 6 different medical experts that he would most likely never walk again.  They recommended an extremely complicated surgery that would leave him in frequent pain for much of his life, and offered no guarantee that he would return to optimum physical health.  Joe decided that he would refocus himself, and dedicated 4 hours each day for several weeks, to envisioning and believing he would walk again.  When he quieted his brain and focused on his goal, he had a miraculous recovery.  In just ten weeks, he was back to seeing patients and he had completely healed.  Not only did he forgo the surgery, he returned in perfect health, completely able to walk and compete in future bicycle races.

His book goes on to discuss habits and the relationship our bodies and mind have with each other.  The power of thought is limitless.  He believes we can change any habit or physical condition, with the right belief system and thoughts.   For example, if a person wants to be 40 pounds slimmer in 2009, he or she must envision themselves as 40 pounds slimmer.  We believe what we tell ourselves, so if we have an underlying belief that we’ll always be overweight, then when January rolls around, we decide we want to lose those extra pounds, what we’re telling ourselves and what we expect from our bodies are at war with each other.  Change happens when we have an emotional and mental investment in achieving the goal.

When we set goals and work towards them, we all do it differently.  Sometimes outlining the action steps and setting milestones help.  Other people respond by beginning with mini-steps, one day at a time, maybe even one hour at a time.  Some folks go to meetings with other like minded people, an example might be Weight Watchers or a smoking cessation support group.  Surrounding ourselves with others who have similar goals can keep the goal in our consciousness.

Believing in your own success is key to achieving goals.  If your underlying belief system is at odds with your goal, you will be facing an uphill battle.   If you find yourself wanting inspiration, consider Joe Dispenza and the amazing odds he overcame.  All with the power of his beliefs.

And here is why I cringe when I think about setting New Years resolutions:
Setting goals does a few things:  first, we acknowledge that we’re unsatisfied with our current situation.  It could be dissatisfaction with our career, relationships, bank account, our home.  We want something different.  We want what’s on the other side of the fence.  When we get, have, or achieve “that”, life will be better.

Secondly, setting goals often means developing an action plan to achieve those goals.  Sometimes outlining what needs to get done to accomplish the goal is overwhelming.  We end up spending a lot of time planning.  Not doing, but planning what we’re going to do.

Next, we need to determine how we will measure our success.  Let’s say the goal is weight loss.  We will have achieved our goal when the scale gives us the magic number, or when those jeans fit again.  If our goal is to have $5,000 in our savings account, it will be easy to measure when we’ve accomplished our goal, the bank statement will be proof.

So once the goal is achieved…what comes next?  Does that feeling of achievement, of satisfaction, of accomplishment last very long?  Do we take time to celebrate and embrace the positive emotions and joy we feel when we reach the top of a mountain?  Or do we quickly start to slide down the other side of the mountain, looking up at other things we want to achieve, hoping to fill the void?

Our journey of personal development is always an ebb and flow.  Some things come easily and “click” for us while other things require us to keep working.   My difficulty with goal setting is that it’s easy for us to never feel good enough.  We set a goal, we may or may not take actions to achieve the goal, we might or might not get there.  But we usually get pretty down on ourselves and focus on what we think we’re not, or what we think we don’t have.

As the New Year begins to take hold in our lives, rather than focus on what you don’t have, and where you want to get to, spend time feeling gratitude for who you are, what you have, the life that belongs to you.  From a loving place of gratitude, you can then begin to shift behaviors and attitudes to be more in alignment with your Authentic self.

You’ll likely want to take actions to make shifts in your life: that’s why we begin journeys of personal development.  As you dedicate yourself to improving your life,  remember the immense power that your vibration has over how you feel about your life, and the experiences you will manifest.  Love your life before you begin to change it.

Not to sound cliché, but once she entered my life, I felt God for the first time.  I actually was so overwhelmed with joy that my body rejected the pain and I felt hopeful for the first time ever.  That hope enabled me to start to build a life on purpose, though it took me several years to make progress.

I don’t go to church, I don’t see God as one in robes, residing from an altar built above the clouds, I’m not convinced of the existence of “heaven” or of “hell” for that matter.  But I am convinced of cosmic and Universal energy that provides me help, support, and hope when I need it.  When I give it permission to enter my life.  When I allow it.

For me, the concept of God is a tricky one.  I was raised in a church environment that was judgmental and fear based, a foundation of fire and brimstone.  I reject those ideologies, because they don’t fit for me.  If that’s what works for you – that’s alright by me.  Any belief that allows one to feel hope, gratitude, peace…those can look very different to each of us.  I believe there is room for all beliefs, regardless of whether I subscribe to them.

This is a time of year when folks make resolutions for what they want to accomplish in the coming year.  People take stock of what matters in their lives.  They begin to hope, plan, dream of what they can and will accomplish.  As we welcome the New Year, let’s all feel gratitude for the gifts in our lives.  Be thankful that we have our health, or our homes, or our jobs, our families, our friends, our experiences, our pasts, our futures.  Be thankful that in each moment we have the ability to allow for greatness.  We have the ability to allow for hope.  We can be grateful that we’ve made it this far.

Our experiences are unique to each of us, just as our belief systems are unique.  The individual beliefs and experiences of all contribute to the collective consciousness.  Feel gratitude for your role in your own life, and the role you play in others’ lives. If you are one to set goals and resolutions for the New Year, first allow yourself some moments of gratitude for the amazing journey you’ve been on in 2008.  Happy New Year!

How do you see yourself today?  What does your personal blue print look like?  Does it match the person you truly wish to be?  If your answer is “no” then it’s time to create a new one.  Focus on the person you really want to be.  That person with high self-esteem.  Folks with high self-esteem know what they want because they believe in themselves, and they listen to themselves.  They hear their inner voice and trust their intuition.  They believe they deserve to be happy, they deserve to have everything they want.

People with high self-esteem tend to be problem solvers.  They are capable of taking responsibility for any situation and are capable of solving any problem that faces them, without waiting for the people around them to change, or for the situation to take care of itself.  They tend to be self-disciplined and will work for what they want. Instant gratification isn’t all that attractive to folks with healthy self-esteem, because they understand that things don’t happen without effort and action.

In contrast, someone who has low self-esteem will usually admit they aren’t really sure what they want out of life.  They might live a protected existence, rarely taking chances, a little fearful that they might not to the “right” thing.  They allow others to have some level of control over their lives.  They are living their lives by default, rather than by design.

In the end, it comes back to what you truly perceive about what you deserve.  If you experience feelings of being undeserving, you may end up unconsciously sabotaging yourself.  You might select a career or job that doesn’t satisfy you, or you might engage in unfulfilling relationships.  People with low self-esteem often feel guilty and are especially aware of what other people think, more so than even how they feel about things.

With low self-esteem, or a poor self-image it can be easy to tell yourself that you’re aiming too high anyway.  This naturally limits you from what you are willing to believe in for yourself.  Maybe you convince yourself you have no business being a writer, so you settle for a simple administrative job, with little opportunities to express your creativity.  Your ultimate goal is sidelined because of your perception that you can’t , won’t, or shouldn’t pursue your dreams.

Your ultimate goal, vision, and ultimately perception, should be that you are uniquely qualified and deserving of achieving your dreams.  Right now, you’re either seriously or casually committed to achieving personal success.  Your reality is completely shaped by your perceptions.

No matter how many times you watch “The Secret” or you create a dream board, know that your dreams won’t manifest instantly.  It’s not really important that you understand exactly how they come to be, but believe that your subconscious mind will play a very powerful role in creating them and manifesting what you desire. Every small step you take brings you that much closer to realizing what you want.

If you want to do what you love, and live a life created by design, you need to listen to yourself and follow your own wisdom.  You are the center of your own Universe. Wisdom and power are a part of your spiritual identity. Trust them. Whether you are conscious of it or not, you have a vast arsenal of knowledge that you have not used yet. And you are fully capable of shaping your own destiny.

Living the life you’ve dreamed of is a process of self-discovery. You must learn to listen to yourself rather than to seek answers from others. Quite often, we assume that someone else has the answers for us.  It makes sense to seek outside advice, but it’s vitally important that you develop self-reliance and begin to trust your own decisions. As you develop your creative-thinking and problem-solving skills, you will find that you will become a much more effective and competent decision-maker.

Do not let anyone else’s ideas or opinions about what you should do determine the path you take in life. Only YOU can truly know what your path is. Living your best life might look different from what other people in your life had in mind for you.  But if you are going to follow your dreams and realize the life you truly want for yourself, you have to follow your own instincts and follow your own passions. Being able to make independent choices requires that you take control of your life, even though it might mean occasionally going against the wishes of other people in your life.

A dream board, collage, or even a list, are excellent tools for keeping your dreams and goals in your awareness. And you do have the ability to manifest your desires when you focus on them, believe in them and yourself, and be open to the opportunities that present themselves to you.  If you are aware, you know the actions you need to take, and you’ll recognize opportunities as they happen.

How can you figure out what your passion is?  Your dream career is something, that when you think about it, causes you to feel a strong, positive emotion.  You probably feel in your heart that this particular path is the right one for you.  You get excited when you visualize it, when you talk about it, when you start making plans to do it.  If you tap into your true passion, you can count on the fact that you will make money doing it.  How? Money is the natural by-product of doing anything well.  If you believe you’ll never be able to earn a living doing what inspires you, my question to you is: “Will you earn MORE money working at something you dislike?”

If you think about a job, or work, what does this conjure up for you?  Do you feel happy and enthusiastic?  Or do you groan and imagine the alarm clock going off before dawn, shuttling yourself to the workplace, and then finding a creative way to survive the day?  This scenario puts work and pain in the same context, doesn’t it?

Call me crazy, but work was not intended to be painful.  Think about your childhood, when you dreamed of becoming a fire fighter, a singer, a teacher.  You were enthusiastic and excited about the idea of starting your career, yes?  So at what point did our childhood dreams go away?  Did we program ourselves to believe that we can’t enjoy what we do, we can’t get paid for doing what we love, or that work is supposed to be dreaded?

As you plan for the year ahead, decide if you’re truly following your passion.  If you’re not excited to go to work everyday, or you get the Sunday afternoon blues, consider making a career change.  When we are out of alignment, as in, feeling low energy emotions like dissatisfaction, we live in a low vibrational state.  When we are stimulated, happy, and hopeful, we’re operating at a totally higher vibe, and manifesting higher energy lives.