Metaphysically speaking, there is only one of us here, so when we can personally transcend the bondage of Fear, the world becomes a better place for us all.

Regardless of the disguise it wears, the one thing every Fear has in common is that they’re all attached to a concern of death or loss of something or someone.

Unmitigated Fear can be a bully, and like all bullies it needs to be faced down, called out, and revealed for what it is. Instead of running from Fear, we need to confidently stand up to it, listen to it, and face it straight on. The new acronym for F.E.A.R? Face Everything And Rethink.

When we understand what our messengers of Fear are telling us, a new life of health and prosperity comes into focus.

Things change with a belief that beyond what we Fear lies a Power greater than ourselves. As our Perspective changes, we see things differently.

It’s important to acknowledge and embrace the fact that our Fears will never go away. They’re not supposed to, because when seen clearly and proactively, they become gifts of awakening.

If we ask and listen mindfully to this messenger of Fear, it will help us understand its message and how to mitigate the problem.

As it has been for thousands of years, the world today is fraught with angry people, and most of them do not know that Fear is having its way with them.

Worry is like a sneaky burglar. It stealthily moves through the deepest and darkest corners of our mind and steals the joy and optimism from our tomorrow long before we even get there.

Unlike Discernment, Judgment always draws a line of demarcation between “us and them,” rife with assumptions. We make assumptions about other people and situations long before we have actually gathered all the necessary information.

Merging the concepts of “me” and “we” leads to a natural transcendence of Selfishness.

The origin of Guilt, Embarrassment, and Perfectionism arise from a shared common source; Shame. They all ascend from Fear and contaminate the moment with more of the same.

Taking time daily to sit alone in Silence is the master’s way to transcend the Fear of Loneliness and access an inner Peace that passes all human understanding...one breath at a time.

The Universe knows nothing about Uncertainty. Uncertainty is a concept humankind invented to stifle its own evolution and growth because it finds great comfort in “the zone of the known.”

It’s a good thing to remember our Fears are nothing more (or less) than emotionally-driven thought impulses coursing through our mind and body that have absolutely no power other than the power we give them.

There is a fundamental difference between abundance and prosperity. Each plays an equally crucial role in creating a fulfilling life, and it is important not to get one confused with the other. Abundance must precede Prosperity.

… beyond everything you think you want, what you truly seek is quite basic: a life of wholeness, a life of peaceful satisfaction. The irony is that such a world already exists…you don’t have to earn abundance—you have to learn how to accept it.

What does it mean to do what is yours to do? Simply put, it means that when you were born, you arrived here predisposed with certain unique gifts and innate talents that were meant to be used; you came on a mission of sorts and were equipped to succeed on that mission.

…few of us fully actualize our oneness with the Universe in our lives because we have fallen victim to the “legend” of duality: the spoken and unspoken stories (beliefs) passed down from one generation to the next that draw their energy from one massive fear, the fear of not enough—not enough money, food, time, respect, love, land, oil, power.

All fear arises from a belief in death in one form or another—the loss of someone or something. It might be our physical death that we fear, but it could just as easily be the death of our bank account, job, lifestyle, relationship(s), health, reputation, and so on.

Living a prosperous life means being established in a belief that there is more than enough of whatever creates a sense of freedom in your life. While that may mean an abundance of money, it could as easily mean an abundance of time, or good health, or new friends, and so on; freedom allows you to enjoy the life you choose to live.

The practice of present-moment awareness invites you to mindfully see and feel the Universe expanding, pushing out, creating more of itself through you and all around you.

Too often the focus of our attention is misplaced, glued to what we believe is missing—which, in turn, directs the unbiased law of expansion to create an abundance of more of the same.

Freedom! To mindfully actualize the principle of abundance opens the floodgates of prosperity. It is the belief in our oneness with “more than enough” that sets us free.

The Universe is continually conspiring for your good when you are available to consciously participate in the process. You live in an expanding Universe, which can only do for you what it can do through you.

When you change your consciousness, everything changes for you. The world may not change, but how you perceive it—and yourself—will change. With that change comes a new relationship with an abundant Universe.

When you understand the power of a focused mind, the results speak for themselves. Arriving at your chosen destination of an abundant life is a given when you establish and maintain a disciplined, focused mind; it will take you where you truly want to go.

The law of circulation is manifesting in your life today as either a cornucopia of more than enough or a vortex of not enough, depending on how freely energy flows through you. There are an in nite number of ways the principle of abundance can be channeled through you. It’s empowering to remember that you are the gatekeeper who directs the flow.

Energy in any form will follow the path of least resistance. Passion is energy that naturally follows that path because when you are doing that thing you love to do, you are in the flow. You are not pushing energy—you are being effortlessly lifted and pulled by it.

Because you are one with a Universe that is expanding by its very nature, when you bless something, you are instructing the Universe to enlarge upon it.

There is no better way of initiating the flow of abundance in your life than through the act of serving others. To serve is to extend your essence—your energy—to others in a manner that enriches and makes their lives better. Your intention (motivation) in serving others sets the precedent for how that energy shall return to you, as we now know it must.

The principle of abundance awaits those who are willing to come to the edge of their own perceived boundaries and courageously venture beyond them. Those who do so are the visionaries, explorers, and risk takers who believe that beyond the horizon and safety of the known lie endless opportunities wherein anything is possible.

Being a catalyst for good in the world connects you directly to the secret of creating an abundant life: your oneness with the Universe. When you are guided intuitively to do the right thing, the world benefits greatly from your being alive; in turn, you benefit greatly from being alive.

The belief in scarcity and the perpetuation of that belief is all about power and control, and it always has been; it is a play of energy between those who have it and those who believe they don’t have it. Can you imagine how the world’s balance of power would shift if every human being on the planet knew the secret to life and claimed the freedom to call back their energy, to take back the power they have unknowingly given away, by embracing and practicing the core concepts found in the ten Abundance Rules?

"Many of us live in denial of who we truly are because we fear losing someone or something-and there are times that if we don't rock the boat, too often the one we lose is ourselves...It feels good to be accepted, loved, and approved of by others, but often the membership fee to belong to that club is far too high of a price to pay."

"If we were to excavate the deepest recesses of our consciousness, we would discover many beliefs about ourselves that are simply not true and that may never have been true...We may have defined ourselves in a limiting way based on our history and the opinion of others...and we stay stuck there because we fail to recognize there is a door right in front of us providing another opportunity to redefine who we are today."

"Your authentic self is continually trying to get your attention so it may be more fully expressed. The lesson to be learned here is that when your redefining moments pop up, be prepared to go where you had no plans on going - because that is where your bliss awaits you."

"Living closer to the center of our being is the practice of a lifetime, but so, too, is skillfully living on the horizontal plane-the surface of life-where our purpose for being on the planet is uniquely expressed. Redefining moments are simply energy vortexes that draw the authentic self up (vertically) and out (horizontally) and into present moment awareness, revealing it to the light of day and the gifts it holds."

"One of the telltale signs of one who has completely embraced their authentic self is that they are, with great consistency, the same person in public as they are behind closed doors. Until you learn how to access your authentic voice, the uniqueness of who you truly are will never be fully realized. What makes you special (just like everyone else) is that you were placed here on this planet to express the one-of-a-kind being only you can be."

"Challenging your own beliefs can serve as a filtering system that enables you to compare what is in your mind with what is in your heart and to confirm there is a congruency between thought, feeling, and belief. If you are willing to mindfully challenge what you think and say what you believe, you may find that what is rattling around in your head and so easily tumbles out of your mouth doesn't honor what you know lies deeply embedded in your heart."

"You don't have to go on a quest to "find" silence-it's a matter of uncovering it right where you are. Think about it: if all external and internal sounds were eliminated, only silence would remain. The question is, how much silence can you bear? How deep are you willing to go below surface living to reconnect with who you truly are?"

"Is it possible that "that" which we refer to as our "authentic self" is simply our "being," an individuated aspect of the Original Self, which is the infinite Intelligence behind all creation, by means of which we each access and express our own unique individuality and purpose?"

"Why do we resist the mystery that change brings? When we get too rigid and inflexible, rigor mortis of the soul sets in. For proof of this, we need look no further than to those who choose to stay in a relationship or job long after the soul, or life force, that originally brought it passion and joy has vacated the premises."

"Paying attention to where we have come from and don't want to go back to is sort of like staring into the rear view mirror as we speed down the highway, rather than paying attention to where we are going. It can be very detrimental to our future plans."

"Metaphorically speaking, the pathway of uncertainty meets with a fork in road; one path leads to the gates of heaven, the other to the gates of hell. Heaven and hell are not physical locations, but rather they are states of mind. Which would you prefer to live in? Your attitude will determine which path you will follow."

"The pathway to the top of the mountain is lined with campsites along the way, occupied by those who yielded to the resistance of walking the path of uncertainty and who weren't able to embody the deeper meaning of commitment to going the distance. The universe conspires to support us when our commitment takes us beyond the point of no return, and the point of no return always opens the door to the mystery of what lies ahead on the pathway of uncertainty...to that which is yet to be."

"We were born to be free, to expand our horizons by going where we have never gone before, and not to hang out in the relative comfort and safety of the nest, the known. There is a place within us that is courageous beyond our human understanding; it yearns to explore beyond the boundaries of our daily life."

"It can be very seductive to tell our story to others who will listen because, lets face it, who doesn't love to 'commiserate' (in this context, meaning to share their misery) with other likeminded people. It justifies our attachment to the drama. The interesting thing about telling our story over and over is that it becomes even more deeply ingrained in our minds each time we tell it, and the universe delights in keeping whatever we claim as our story alive."

"Though they are two very separate concepts, many people confuse abundance with prosperity. Abundance is a supply of more than enough of whatever you can possibly conceive of, while prosperity is a demonstration of that supply in the material world. My sense is that most of us are more worried about the well running dry than about the size of the bucket we're taking to the well. Here is the good news: From a perspective of universal abundance, the well can never run dry because it is Infinite in supply."

"Have you ever stopped to consider the number of choices you make daily Paradoxically speaking, every time you have a choice to make and you don't make it, by default, you are making a choice not to make a choice, which is, of course, a choice. You have no choice in the matter. This is an important question because the more conscious you are about your choices, the more likely it is you will end up where you want to be at the end of your stay on this planet."

"You can try to wait until everything is perfect in your life before you seek that moment of enlightenment, but you will be waiting an eternity-literally. You can chew each mouthful of brown grain rice one thousand times before you swallow it, but still one day, your body will become an unfit garment in which the soul self can reside. Take care of the temple, yes, maintain it well, but don't believe it has to be perfect in the eyes of the world before you can have the spiritual experience you came here to have."

"Have you ever taken yourself a bit too seriously, thinking that who you are is actually defined by what you look like, how much talent you have (or don't have), how well known you are (or aren't), or how much money you have (or don't have)? Those are all "garments and labels" you wear during the course of your stay here on this planet, but it's not who you are. At the end of the day, when it's all said and done, you will turn all of that back in just like a car you had on lease."

"Where do we find happiness? Unfortunately, the common belief with most people is that happiness is something that happens to them when conditions are just right rather than something that happens through them when they choose to make space for it. While outer conditions may stimulate the feeling of happiness, it can never come from anywhere other than within us. Authentic happiness isn't something we can go out and get, buy, borrow, or steal. Nor can any form of artificial sensory stimulus generate true happiness; it's only something we can be, and it's a choice we make with every breath we take."

"The universe doesn't hear words, it senses our feelings and the intention behind the words . . . and says yes to our intentions. Therefore, if our intentions are dishonorable or simply cloudy and confused, it has to show up in the body of our relationships. To be impeccable in our word is to bring our spoken word and our unspoken intention into alignment so that the inner thought and the outer action are the same."

"In Zen, there is an old saying: The obstacle is the path. Know that a whole and happy life is not free of obstacles. Quite the contrary, a whole and happy life is riddled with obstacles-they simply become the very stepping-stones that help lift us to a new perspective. It is not what happens to us in this life that shapes us, it is how we choose to respond to what happens to us."

"What we continually focus our energy and attention on becomes that with which we ultimately identify as the basis of our reality! Begin to explore where your mind is taking you. With what are you identifying as the core of your reality? To what are you giving your attention? Either you are rooted in Being (Infinite Presence, here and now) or you are rooted in the external world where the mind runs rampant, feeding on the latest fear presented by the media and unconscious others. You can't have it both ways. A house divided always falls."

"Herein lies the paradox: If you want more of whatever it is you desire, you have to first prove to the universe that you are capable of having it by developing a consciousness that affirms there is no shortage of it. The only way to do this is by creating a vacuum or space for it to be received, and the only way you can create a space for it to be received is by letting go of what you do have, trusting that the universe knows what it is doing. That's the law of circulation in action."

"The ability to control our experience in life takes on a new depth and meaning when we come to the realization that the only thing we really have even a modicum of control over is our own mind. What happens in our mind determines if we shall react or respond to that which is set before us at any given moment."

The heart of humanity is a universal heartthrob—it pulsates at the center of every human being—it is that place within each of us where God has personalized Itself as unconditional Love. It knows it is one with something infinitely larger than what we see gazing back at us in the mirror.

When another person pushes our buttons, perhaps the gift they offer us is an invitation to practice tolerance, non- judgment, or patience with ourselves.

Honoring and embracing our humanity with all our perceived flaws is a crucial component to living a life of wholeness. The practice is to remember that irrespective of where we are or what is happening, the Original Life that is God is there. That life is our life NOW and it is perfect just the way it is; it always has been and shall forever be.

Do you ever ask yourself why you were born? Your perspective regarding your presence on the planet is crucial because it determines the level at which you shall see your own life’s purpose.

In its purest form the word compassion means “together with feeling.” This means that when we enter into compassion we heal all sense of separation from one another and we allow ourselves, to the best of our ability, to enter into the other’s pain—not to fix it or heal it, or even share in it, but simply to be there and allow the healing energy of our presence say, “You are not alone—I am with you.”

Our relationships are the vehicles for our evolution as individuals and a species. If we are fully conscious, our relation- ships offer us the clearest view of our own souls because they invite us to look directly into the face of the Divine and see our own reflection.

Mindfulness is the process of being present in the moment with “what is” and allowing it to be your experience. Suffice it to say, mindful living is a lifestyle—it’s a way of consciously walking a sacred earth, incorporating purpose and an awareness of God’s presence in all we say, think, and do on our journey of a lifetime.

Grace is the eternality of life forever flowing. Grace is what we see in the eyes of an infant as she draws her very first breath, or an elder’s eyes as he releases his very last. And it is that same Grace that spans the sacred continuum between those two events which blesses and sustains us always, in all ways. We simply need to awaken to Its presence and accept the gift that has already been given.

To live with spiritual integrity and wholeness is the practice of skillfully blending our spiritual beingness with our human doingness while never losing sight of either.

No doubt, people can say and do some incredibly cruel and thoughtless things that can understandably trigger our anger. However, at the end of the day, without exception, justified or not, it is we who suffer the toxic effects of being the conduit or vessel through which that energy of anger flows.

From the day when humankind first discovered music by beating a stick on a hollow log, to this moment in time, the music that flows through us is really the outer manifestation of an inner urge to express life.

Unless we are mindful and vigilant, it’s quite easy to fool our- selves into believing that what is coming from our minds, mouths, and hearts is harmless idle chatter. That’s how gossip works. It’s hard to detect when we are in the process of gossiping because it is provocative and seductive, but most of all, it is destructive.

The wisdom of equanimity can be applied when navigating our way through difficult times as well as when dealing with difficult people. It is a mindfulness practice that helps us be the observer of our thoughts and feelings before we act on them in a manner that we may later regret.

Every act of kindness creates a ripple effect that reaches out far beyond that of your own. That’s the empowering thing about generosity of spirit—when we receive kindness we are naturally inspired to extend it to others.

To realize we are in command of our mind (and therefore our life) is immensely empowering and liberating. Easy to say but difficult to do? Certainly. Let us not be naive to think this is a practice we can master overnight; that is why it’s called a practice.

The takeaway for me is this: while we may prefer roses over weeds it doesn’t mean one is more sacred than the other. The Divine imbues Itself equally in all living things, which includes each of us. What value shall we place on all that our eyes gaze upon today?

If you are willing to see any problem through new eyes you will be set free. It is important to understand that your current consciousness is more than your objective mental awareness; it is the sum of everything you ever believed and accepted to be the truth about yourself. The point is, you’ve always had the power to set yourself free.

There is nothing quite as empowering as the feeling that arises when we stand toe-to-toe with our own dragons of lethargy and slay them.

When we feel powerless, the tendency is to seek power in external things such as money, position, physical strength, beauty, sexuality, possessions, job titles, and so on—all of which fuel the egoic self’s ongoing quest for even more external power because it knows it has no power of its own.

We are all visionaries—that is to say, we each hold in our mind a vision for our life: what it can or can’t be, might or might not be, or will or won’t be. So the question really isn’t, do you have a vision for your life—if you are alive you have a vision. The real question is, what is your vision? Are you looking down at the rocks or up to the sky? Remember, the Universe is listening.

In the end, when you leave this planet, will there be a surplus, or a deficit of love left in the wake of your life? Love who you are and love what you do with who you are, and the answer to that question will be self-evident.