Tip #4 - Live Life As If It Could End (It Eventually Does)

I just had to say something about the end of the world today; afterall, we are on the last day of the Mayan calendar and who knows what will happen at midnight (said with my tongue in my cheek).

Many moons ago (we won't say how many), when I was a mere slip of a girl (early 20's), I participated in an exercise about setting your priorities.

To summarize, we started by envisioning that we had been invited, on short notice, to join friends on a wonderful vacation trip.  Motivated by something we truly wanted, how quickly could we tie up loose ends, get our essential work done, get packed, etc.?

Now, how would you do it with a time restriction of just a day or two?

The result is that you have now confirmed for yourself that you have the ability to make choices and get organized when properly motivated.

Next, take the exercise to another level.  Imagine that you have been given bad news by your physician and you only have 10 years, 5 years, 4 years, 3 years, 2 years or 1 year to live.  What becomes important in your life given these timeframes?  What feels undone?

Is it any easier to set your priorities with these thoughts in the back of your mind?

I've also enjoyed a couple of other tips when doing these types of exercises.  The first one comes from the book Don't Sweat the Small Stuff - "Your inbox will never be empty."  The second is also along the same lines and comes from Ether and Jerry Hicks through The Teachings of Abraham - "You will never be finished."  I find that these sayings take some of the stress away when I am feeling overwhelmed and also they remind me that life is not a race to the finishline.

So hopefully, we'll all be here tomorrow and now you have some interesting tools to help you with your New Year's Eve goal setting.

Are You Paddling Upstream?

If our life experiences form the river that we flow in, which direction are you traveling in?

I have always had an insatiable interest in what the human mind is capable of.  Ever since I was a young kid, I read all kinds of books on psychic phenomena and the supernatural.  To this day, I am interested in all belief systems from the main stream religions to the ones on the edge.  I am a bit of a self-help book junkie too, because, like my interest in sci-fi, it helps me to, if only temporarily, step out of my box and look at the world through a different paradigm.

I've just finished reading a book written by Esther and Jerry Hicks entitled

The Astonishing Power of Emotions Let Your Feelings Be Your Guide

I feel that I have to mention that these authors credit the material in their books to an energy known as Abraham, an energy channeled by Esther. Alternatively, I also feel that I have to mention that I don't believe you have to accept the idea of channeling to get something of value out of reading the interesting perspectives being presented in their books. So if you don't believe in this school of thought, put aside where they say the information comes from, and I'll attempt to share with you what I got out of reading this book.

The analogy used here is one of a stream or river whereby the flow is made up of all of our life experiences.

It's simple really.

If you feel unhappy because life seems hard, you have been paddling upstream. When you are happy and everything seems to be falling into place, you are moving with the flow downstream. And, as you can imagine, you are never moving solely in one direction.

So why do so many of us use up our energies by continually paddling upstream?

For me, I believed that everything I ever wanted or needed was upstream. I come from a belief system that tells me that hard work and sacrifice is necessary to be happy in the end. The journey was not something you were intended to relish or look forward to - only the end result counted.

So what if I'm wrong? Or maybe, not so much "wrong" as, "misguided" - only seeing a small portion of the puzzle and not the big picture. Maybe, working hard is a choice. Maybe, it's my choice to work hard because it gives me a feeling of satisfaction. Maybe, I don't have to work hard for everything. Maybe, I can give up that belief if it no longer serves me.

Let's go with that thought for a moment.

So, where's the bleep, bleep map showing me the big picture!

Well, obviously we don't get a map, or a user's guide for that matter. But, think about it - if the only direction we should be taking is downstream, do we really need one?

But what if I'm not always aware that I'm paddling against the current? Wouldn't it be nice to, at least, have a compass handy?

Voila! We do have a compass - our emotional guidance system.

So where's the bleep, bleep manual you ask?

You don't need one. It's easy to navigate. When you are feeling happy you are moving downstream.

How simple is that?

If you found these ideas interesting visit my folder on SkyDrive and download a series of audio files of Abraham to listen to.

http://cid-741e2a2b5c830ef8.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/.Public/Abraham

Also, here is the website for Esther and Jerry Hicks.

http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionsource/index.php