Tuesday Motivation doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as Monday Motivation. But since the focus of my motivation this week is on balance, taking most of yesterday off was definitely needed!

Let’s talk about balance for a minute. James Ray says that “Balance is Bogus.” He suggests we look for Harmony and recognize that at times certain areas of your life will crescendo and other areas will move into the background.

I agree with James that there are most definitely times for intense focused activity and growth in one area of your life. And I also feel that those intensive times need to be consicously balanced with times of restoration.

Can you imagine a symphony that was all crescendo and climax? Well, just as that would not make for a very enjoyable listening experience, a life filled with just crescendo and climax (ok, get your thoughts out of the gutter) is not very enjoyable either.

We absolutely need those times of calm and rest. And that is what I need to focus on this week: Brining some conscious calmness to my life.

April felt like a major crescendo in the business area of my life. Beginning with the 5-day Train the Trainer seminar from Peak Potentials three weeks ago, moving into the preparations for and the production of the first Law of Attraction Live seminar last Saturday and climaxing with my presentation on the Energetics of Attraction to well over 100 people at Sunday’s New Living Expo in San Francisco, April was a whirlwind of activity and growth in my business.

And I have been very aware of the other areas of my life that have dropped off into the background. So this week is about bringing some balance back and picking up some of the threads of my life that I have dropped in the past few weeks.

And the tricky part is going to be focusing on that balance and rest while maintaining the incredible momentum and excitement that all of this wonderful activity has generated during the past few weeks.

So here are a few of the key targets that I am going to commit to completing by Saturday at noon.

Take at least two hikes.
Send the final CD master of An Introduction to Brainwave Entrainment Technology for Personal Growth and Success to the duplicators.
Schedule a visioning meeting for my business.
Clean the kitchen!!!
Post two joywork assignments in the Enlightened Entrepreneurs Intensive online forum.

There you go. Nothing earth-shattering. And that’s just the way I want it! The point for me is to continue the momentum I’ve created while bringing the intensity level down.

I’ll let you know how I do.

And by the way, there was not a winner from last week’s Monday Motivation. I got everything done! Sorry.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Productivity, Well-Being

I Thought The Earth Remembered Me

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Yesterday I needed a break. I’ve been going non-stop for over 2-weeks. I felt off-balance, disconnected and un-grounded. I probably should have listened to my wife who suggested that I take Monday off. But the little voice inside me was too strong. “You have too much to do. You can’t take a day off. Blah blah blah.”

By yesterday afternoon I knew I had no choice.

So after a nice lunch with a good friend, I walked up into the hills of Annadel State Park. I had not walked very far when a clearing at the top of a hill called to me. I wandered off the trail a bit, found a soft spot and laid myself down in the tall grass.

And I listened to the sounds of the Earth around me. Songbirds were singing in the gnarled Oak trees, a bee would occasionally buzz by, and every so often a puff of wind rustled the hanging seed pods of the grass that hung over me.

I drifted in an out of sleep, content to let my body sink into the arms of the Earth and find its center once more.

And as my body found its center and my mind loosened its grip, one of Mary Oliver’s poems drifted into my awareness.

Sleeping in the Forest

I thought the earth remembered me,
she took me back so tenderly,
arranging her dark skirts, her pockets
full of lichens and seeds.
I slept as never before, a stone on the river bed,
nothing between me and the white fire of the stars
but my thoughts, and they floated light as moths
among the branches of the perfect trees.
All night I heard the small kingdoms
breathing around me, the insects,
and the birds who do their work in the darkness.
All night I rose and fell, as if in water,
grappling with a luminous doom. By morning
I had vanished at least a dozen times
into something better.

from Sleeping In The Forest by Mary Oliver
© Mary Oliver

As these words poured through me, I felt humble and blessed that the Earth did, indeed, remember me, even though I had forgotten her for these past two weeks.

It is so easy to forget the Earth. It is so easy to get caught up in the seductive call of computers and phones and seminars and cars and kids and other distractions.

But the wonderful thing about the Earth is that, no matter how long we forget her, no matter how disconnected we become, she always remembers us and she will always welcome us tenderly back.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Inspiration, Poetry, Well-Being

Law Of Attraction Carnival Delayed 1 Week

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If you’re a regular reader of the Law of Attraction Carnival you may have noticed that it did not get published this past Tuesday. You may also have noticed that in my Monday Motivation I did NOT included an intention to publish the carnival on time this week. I did that on purpose.

On Tuesday I drove from Sonoma County down here to LA where I am attending the Peak Potentials 5-day Train The Trainer Certification program. And on Monday, I could tell that there was a good chance that, even with lots of positive thinking, feeling and vibrating and loads of vitamins and supplements, I would not be able to avoid the cold/flu that had gone through my wife and daughter last week.

And, indeed, as I drove down here, I could feel my body moving deeper into that physical expression of resistance that we call “sick.”

It’s been quite an interesting experience observing and playing with the different levels of presence that I can bring to the seminar. I’ll have much more to share with you about that in the next few days.

But the key thing I’ve learned is that no matter how “positive” and “up” you are emotionally and energetically, a seminar that goes from 9:00 am - midnight every day is a bit too much for a body finding its way back into a state of well-being.

And the last thing I want to do is add another stress point - publishing the carnival.

So look for the Law of Attraction Carnival next Tuesday. And then I’ll update the following carnival dates to reflect the change.

And on another blog-related note, here’s a big thank you to all of you who have left comments in the last few days. Please don’t take my lack of response as a sign of disrespect. Again, I am focused on managing my time and energy so that I can help my body move back into its natural state of well-being.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Carnival, Law of Attraction, Physical Body, Well-Being, blogs

The Top 10 Secrets To My Success

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What sets successful people apart from those who just get by?

It’s a great question. And Aaron Potts of Today Is That Day, has issued an invitation to a few (alright a gazillion) successful bloggers to share the habits that contribute to their success. I’m game. And I must say, narrowing down the list to just 5-10 things that contribute to my success was no easy task. But I managed to pull it off.

Here they are, in no particular order, The secrets to my success.

1. Waking up at 5:00am every morning. Since my 30-day trial of waking up at 5:00am, it has become an ongoing and indispensable part of my daily routine. Those extra morning hours, before the rest of my family wakes up are often my most creative and productive.

2. Meditate every morning. No matter how busy or overwhelmed I might be feeling about my task list, I begin every day with 30-60 minutes of meditation. Being someone that likes variety I rotate different meditation enhancements into this time including the Holosync Brainwave Entrainment technology, guided visualization and hypnotherapy recordings, self-guided energy medicine techniques, intention setting, as well as simple breath-counting meditations.

3. Use brainwave entrainment technology. In addition to using the Holosync solution in the mornings, I use the Neuro-Programmer 2 at least once a day to refresh my energy level, enhance my creativity (when I’m writing) or help me relax when I’m up against a deadline.

4. I use the Simpleology web cockpit every day. I can’t say enough about Simpleology. The simple elegance of this program serves to keep me on task and on target. Using Simpleology, I get at least twice as much done on a daily basis. As a side note, the entire Simpleology system is so full of powerful tools to boost efficiency, increase income and enhance personal energy that I could list at least 10 more habits from Simpleology that I have integrated into my daily life. If you have yet experienced Simpleology, I highly recommend that you sign up for a free account right now.

5. Get outside every day. It’s so easy for me to stay cooped up all day in my cave…err…office, punching away on the keyboard. To counteract the potential for blogger’s butt, I walk to and from my office on most days and get outside for a lunch-time walk.

6. I hike at least three times a week. I need my nature fix. Without it I get grumpy. Just ask my wife! Getting out into the wild is a top priority for me.

7. Take a day off from the computer each week. This day of rest is a recent addition to my success habits. And I must admit, while I have been successful, it has not been easy. The temptation to turn on the laptop, “just for a minute,” to log into my WP control panel to approve and respond to comments or post a quick thought, or… well you get the idea. But while it has not been easy, the benefits have been great. My computer-free day is usually Sunday. So when I wake up Monday morning, I am champing at the bit (or would that be byte?) to start writing.

8. Play with my daughter. My daughter is my most effective teacher in so many ways. She teaches me about presence, play, joy, discovery, love and so much more.

9. Remember that I am here to experience joy and feel great. One of the most powerful insights from the Law of Attraction that I have integrated on a daily basis, is the truth that I am here for joy! I am here to have fun. I have little reminders about this in my office, home and car, in case I forget.

10. Play well with others. I have come to realize, better late than never, that I can’t succeed in solitude. Connecting with others has become a hugely important part of my daily routine. Whether joining the conversation here in the blogosphere, meeting with a colleague to discuss possible partnerships, connecting on a bridge line with peers for a mastermind group, or asking for perspective on new ideas from friends, stepping out of the vacuum of “solo” entrepreneur and into a larger community has been one of the most important recent secrets of my expanding success.

That’s it, although I could definitely keep going. Thanks again to Aaron Potts for initiating this conversation.

Now I’ll tag the following successful bloggers because I want to hear (steal) some of their success habits. My apologies if you’ve already been tagged. Consider it an “I second that” tag confirmation.

Fellow 9rulers
Gleb Reys,
David Seah,
Justin Ruckman, and
Alexander Kjerulf.

Plus:

Drew Rozell

And finally some long shot invitations to a few of my virtual mentors from whom I would LOVE to hear their top ten or so success secrets:

Mark Joyner,
Rich Schefren,
Robert Middleton,
Chris Knight, and
Merlin Mann

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Meditation, Productivity, Simpleology, Well-Being, blogs, technology

Does God Feel Sad When She Sees Us Struggling?

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Last week, when I dropped Ella off at pre-school, there was a letter in her cubby from the Adapted Physical Education Teacher. She had done an assessment of Ella’s gross motor skills to track the progress she is making with her delayed left side. The assessment listed her progress in specific skill areas and gave an overall “ranking.”

At 39-months Ella’s gross motor skills are at a 21-month level. While I am well aware of Ella’s physical delay and have read various assessments in the past, there was something about this one that caused a deep sadness to well up from within me.

For some reason, I was particularly struck by the description of Ella’s jumping skills. The contrast between my perception of Ella’s attempts to jump – adorable, focused, vibrant – and the clinical terms used in the assessment – “Ella is unable to jump off the ground at this time, but she is showing emergence of this skill.” - struck me right in the heart and the tears began to flow.

I have witnessed this deep sadness in other parents and I know that I have at times been the source of this sadness for my own parents. This sadness, however, is not limited to parents of children with disabilities. It is the deep sadness that comes from watching your child – or anyone you love – struggle. It is a sadness and sense of helplessness that comes from the desire to make everything all right for your child when there is nothing that you can do.

As I drove towards my office, heart broken open, I began to wonder how God/Source/The Universe feels when she/he/it sees us struggling and living far below our potential.

It has been postulated that most of us are accessing and utilizing a mere 5-10% of our potential. If God were to have an assessment done on any of us we would certainly fall well below the “baseline” level of our potential.

Does God cry when seeing this?

My guess is no. God doesn’t strike me as one who gets caught in the trap of attachment. I believe that God sees through our struggles and into our essence. God sees our light, our full potential, shining brightly even when we don’t see it ourselves. God knows that our struggles provide the most potent opportunities to explore our self-created limitations and expand our expression of who we are.

God doesn’t get caught up in wondering what he can do to make it better. He knows that everything is perfect. Including each and every one of us!

God doesn’t wonder if she made a mistake when she created these beings (us) with limitless potential only to see them floundering to access even a tiny fraction of their power. She knows that it is through our struggles that we will, eventually, access our limitless potential.

There are times, quite often, actually, when I hold that Divine perception of Ella and see the incredible light that shines from her eyes: When I watch the intensity that she brings to her playing and learning. When I see her struggling to do things that her peers do easily. When I feel the uninhibited tenderness as she sits with me in the rocking chair and lays her head on my chest. When she gets frustrated and says, “Need help Dada,” and I encourage her to try it again. I even can hold the Divine perception of her (usually) in those moments when she connects fully with her frustration and sadness and expresses it freely.

In those moments, when I see her light, her full potential, I don’t get caught up in thinking that she is less than perfect, less than whole. I don’t look at her as a number on a scale or compare her with anyone else. I don’t wonder if I did anything “wrong” or if I somehow contributed to her disability.

But when I read that assessment, I could not stop myself from going to that place of wondering, of attachment, of deep sadness that Ella is not accessing her full potential. I got caught up in the clinical rankings and began comparing Ella and basing my perception of her on that comparison.

This experience reminded me just how tenuous our hold is on Divine perception. Our ability to see the full potential within everyone is easily shaken by our perception of the “real” physical world.

As we make our way up the vibrational scale of the Law of Attraction and move forward on our path of personal evolution, the consistency with which we hold others in the place of Divine perception can provide a valuable feedback mechanism.

Begin to pay attention to the place from which you are perceiving those around you. Are you focusing on their light or their darkness? Are you seeing their perfection or their problems? Are you appreciating their presence in your life or blaming them for what is wrong with your life?

The choice of how you perceive those around you is not always easy but it is always yours to make.

Remember that what you focus on expands in your life. If you focus on the darkness in those around you, you attract more darkness into your life. If you focus on people’s problems, you attract more problems into your own life.

If you want more joy in your life, focus on the joy you see in others. If you want more peace, focus on the peace you see in others.

I know that Ella is getting the best possible care for her condition and I recognize that she will continue to be assessed and evaluated. And while I don’t agree with the underlying concept of assessment, I accept that it is part of the system within which Ella will receive her care.

What I do know is that I will continue to hold as fully as possible onto my Divine perception of Ella. I will continue to see her perfection, her light and the joy she brings to this world. And I will hold onto the knowledge that her physical struggle is providing a powerful opportunity for her to expand her perception and expression of who she truly is.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Art of Allowing, Law of Attraction, Parenting, Personal Growth, Physical Body, Relationships, Well-Being

Law Of Attraction Carnival #13 - The LoA And Physical Health

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Welcome to the 13th edition of The Law of Attraction Carnival. This may be the best edition yet! We’ve got great entries on all aspects of the LoA as well as a few superb articles on this month’s topic - The Law of Attraction and Physical Health.

Physical health and the Law of Attraction is a topic that causes some people to get defensive. If we are creating our reality - as the Law of Attraction posits - that means we are creating our state of physical well-being, or lack thereof.

I have observed that even more than with the topic of money and finance, the are of physical health and the idea that we are in control of our state of health, holds a deep charge for many people.

If we accept the premise of the LoA it means that we must accept every illness, injury and disease that finds its way into our body originated in our thoughts, feelings and vibrational offering.

This can be quite uncomfortable. However, if we can get past the discomfort and begin to take responsibility for our physical health, the results can be truly dramatic.

Take a look at these featured entries for some insightful thoughts about the Law of Attraction and physical health, and watch for more entries on this topic in the future.

Featured Entries:

Let’s begin the Featured Entries section with 3 Keys to Better Health with the Law of Attraction by Aaron Potts at Today Is That Day. Aaron has this to say: “So, if everything is energy, and we can control the vibration of our energy, then we can use the Law of Attraction to bring into our existence only the vibrations that we wish to have - including those that are consistent with vibrant, long-term health.”

Next up is long-time Law of Attraction Carnival contributor Raymond David Salas of Zen Chill with How to Heal Yourself. Raymond reminds us that the key to healing ourselves is “allowing your well-being (which is already present) to express itself.”

Next is Drew Rozell a newcomer to the carnival, but certainly no newcomer to the Law of Attraction! Drew brings us LOA, Addiction, Feeling & Health an insightful look at the connection between, addiction, feelings, health and the LoA. Drew asks: “Why is feeling important? When we live life without feeling fully, we are stuck in the reaction mode responsible for addictive behavior. The old adage is true: “What you resist persists.” In other words, when we fail to feel fully, the energy pattern associated with the feeling stays stuck in the body.”

And finally we have Vicki Link with Healing through the Law of Attraction. Vicki points out that “The present moment is the accumulation of every thought, perception, desire, and belief you’ve had, but it does NOT have to determine your future experiences. The next moment is undecided and filled with every possibility. Your future can be whatsoever you desire it to be, if you hold an intent & belief which are congruent with that vision.”

If you would like your entry to be considered for a Featured Entry spot, you must submit an article that focuses on the Carnival topic. The next edition will focus on the movie, The Secret. For more details visit the Law of Attraction Homepage.

And now on to the rest of our entries for this edition of the Law of Attraction Carnival. Enjoy!

Deliberate Creation

Susan Velez presents Focus On Success Even Through Adversity posted at The Secret To Life.

Doug Ragan presents Self Improvement Articles: How you can create more abundance in your life posted at Writing and Speaking Articles.

Alan presents Stinking Thinking - Change your thoughts, change your life posted at Made to Be Great.

Walt presents Ask The Right Questions To Get The Right Answers posted at Walt Nation!.

Joy

Hueina Su presents Celebrating YOU: The Leading Lady of Your Show posted at Intensive Care for the Nurturer’s Soul, saying, “Remember, you are the Leading Lady (or man) and director of your own show. You are in charge and fully responsible for how your show turns out.

Law of Attraction

Nneka presents Waiting On The World To Change posted at Balanced Life Center.

Alan presents Do we reject money? - Keys to Unlock your Inner Potential posted at Made to Be Great.

Ophelia Nicholson presents Law of Attraction: Can I Have Fries, Coke and a Bentley With THAT?! posted at Law of Attraction|Breathing Prosperity |Cross the Wealth Gap Today!.

Lyn Perry presents The Law of Attraction posted at Thought Renewal

Karen Lynch presents The Power of Possibility posted at LivethePower, saying, “Start believing in your possibilities”

Bart Pair presents The Law of Attraction: Taking a Step Backward to Move Forward | 10,000 Thoughts posted at 10,000 Thoughts, saying, “An interesting take on using the Law of Attraction”

Aaron M. Potts presents Law of Attraction Naysayers and Rampant Capitalism posted at Today is that DAy.

Tristan presents Synergy Institute for Personal Development posted at The Synergy Institute, saying, “This is the most comprehensive article on vision boards on the internet and it relates the power of focus to the law of attraction.”

Susan Velez presents Limiting Beliefs We All Have Them posted at The Secret To Life.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of law of attraction using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: law of attraction, health, the secret, personal development blog carnival.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Art of Allowing, Carnival, Deliberate Creation, Feelings, Law of Attraction, Physical Body, Well-Being, blogs

Seeking Featured Entries For The Next Law Of Attraction Carnival

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So far I’ve got 15 great submissions lined up for the next edition of the Law of Attraction Carnival on Tuesday. However, at this point there is only one entry that is on this edition’s topic which is, The Law of Attraction and Physical Health.

If you want your entry to possibly appear in the Featured Entries section of the carnival - and get some focused attention from me and the carnival readers - you should submit an entry that explores how the Law of Attraction can be used to enhance physical health or otherwise relates the Law of Attraction to Health.

The submission deadline for this carnival is Monday, February 26th. You can see all the submission guidelines and read the archived LofA Carnivals at the Law of Attraction Homepage.

When you’re ready, you can submit your entry through the Blog Carnival submission form.

I look forward to receiving your excellent entries.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Carnival, Law of Attraction, Physical Body, Well-Being, blogs

Reduce Tension By Thinking Tall And Loose

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For the past few days I’ve been noticing a bit of tension in my jaw. I don’t think the tension is new. Rather, I think the awareness of the tension is new.

For much (most) of my life, I have carried tension in that area – jaw, neck, and shoulders. In the past, I would not become aware of the tension until it became acute and painful. Now, as I continue to deepen my awareness of my inner state – thoughts, feelings, beliefs – I find that my awareness of the state of my body is naturally heightened and I am noticing the tension in the early stages.

So noticing this tension is not a bad thing. If you want to change something you must be aware of it first.

I find it interesting though not surprising that this awareness has blossomed after reading the post Look Like A Million Dollars on Noel Kingsley’s blog.

Noel writes:

In order to maintain your proper slim shape, you should free your neck and ‘send’ your head upwards. Do this by thinking only. Also think of your back lengthening. Your body is very springy and it’s more than likely that your full height is taller than you normally experience. The important thing is that you don’t make physical effort to achieve this as you will only get stiff. Think loose and tall as often as you can. You are tapping into the natural instinct you have for good poise that you’ve had from birth.

It’s impossible for me to “think loose and tall” and continue to carry the tension in my jaw. I’ve been practicing this technique whenever I catch myself holding some tension in that area. I’ll stop and breath into my jaw, neck and shoulders. I’ll pull my head back slightly so that it is resting comfortably above my shoulders and I’ll imagine my head being gently pulled upwards like a hot air balloon tugging on its tethers.

This technique is especially helpful to me when I am sitting at my desk for a long stretch. I’ll catch myself beginning to hunch forward and compress down towards my keyboard. Remembering to think loose and tall helps restore a more supportive posture.

So if you want to feel more relaxed, reduce tension and maybe even gain a bit of height, remember to think loose and tall.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Healing, Physical Body, Well-Being

A Day Of Rest Continues

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You might remember that, last week, I committed to taking a full-day away from the computer each week. Today I am continuing that commitment. I wrote this post yesterday (today for me!) and scheduled it to post tomorrow (today for you!).

It’s interesting, though certainly no coincidence that as I dove deeper into The One Who Is Not Busy, (see yesterday’s post on shifting your mind’s focus) one of the first points she makes is the need to take regular breaks, both short breaks during the day and longer breaks on a weekly and yearly basis.

She calls the weekly breaks sabbath-type breaks and compares them to the strict sabbath guidelines set forth in many religions.

There is a reason for these guidelines: Without them, it is far too easy to fall into the habit of saying “I’ll take my day off tomorrow, or the next day, or the next.” And before you know it, your day of rest and recreation has been pushed into the next week.

You don’t need to follow a particular religion to experience the restorative benefits of a sabbath-type break. But, in order to receive the ongoing benefits, you must make a commitment to make these breaks a non-negotiable part of your week.

In the book, Cohen writes:

In order to build Sabbath-type breaks into one’s life and maintain this commitment over the long haul you have to be very, very convinced of its importance.

What your day of rest looks like is up to you. For me, the main thing is that I will absolutely not touch a computer one-day each week. Beyond that, I give myself flexibility to be alone in the woods, or spend the day with my family or friends, or play and plant in the garden.
I have gone long enough without a commitment to these weekly breaks that I am absolutely convinced of their importance to my overall well-being. And I fully intend to make these breaks an ongoing part of my weekly schedule.

What will your day of rest look like and feel like? Leave a comment below and let us know what you will be doing and/or not doing on your day off.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Inspiration, Intentions, Personal Growth, Well-Being

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Pre-release Special On My New Brainwave Entrainment CD

Tuesday Motivation For May 1st Balance and Harmony

I Thought The Earth Remembered Me

Law Of Attraction Carnival Delayed 1 Week

The Top 10 Secrets To My Success

Does God Feel Sad When She Sees Us Struggling?

Law Of Attraction Carnival #13 - The LoA And Physical Health

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Deliberate Creation

Joy

Law of Attraction

Seeking Featured Entries For The Next Law Of Attraction Carnival

Reduce Tension By Thinking Tall And Loose

A Day Of Rest Continues

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