The Breathing Prosperity blog

Today I passed a remnant of a past life; a green folder was in my kitchen and in it sat bills stacked neatly with dates of every bill I got, this folder held bills from - WAIT FOR IT - 2004! So in 2004 my life and my bills were in order, 2004 was also the year my son was born and I attribute it to my life going to hell shortly thereafter but back to my green folder. In this folder I had neatly labeled each bill when it was due and each creditor had its very own section, all checks that I wrote to each creditor was also filed along with the folder- I even filed my paychecks of course there was a misc section for any bills that just popped up as we call it, so this morning as I passed this green folder with bills, paychecks from 2004 the thought occurred to me that my mailbox was now currently overflowing, I had no clue when bills were due and paid them barely on recollection, If a creditor said I owed x amount, I’d have to go by their word as I had no files or bills to prove anything as a matter a fact most of my life had been going in this direction. My employees would tell me they made x amount and I’d make payments based on their calculations - as a matter of fact you could say I AM IGNORING MY LIFE. So today when I passed this green folder I decided today might be a good day to start organizing my bills, I had basically lived on the edge for 4 yrs not even sure if I was paying my bills on time and frankly not really caring either as long as I wasn’t 30 days late. Now that I think back, up until 2004 I had some of my most prosperous years and part of that probably had to do with the things that I did including having some organization to my life and my finances.

With the state of the Economy and us basically going into a recession it gets harder to think positive thoughts about finances and everything revolving money issues. I have some very good friends of mine who are now losing their homes in foreclosure, and one of the things I hear often is that they ignore phone calls and bills and the creditors trying to contact them to work things out…they feel if they just ignore things it will get better but instead they wake up and there is a sheriff at the door taking their house. My response to alot of things is just NOT TO DEAL with it, but not dealing with things and ignoring them does not help your life, actually it makes it worse when you realize if you had just answered a creditors phone call or told them the problem you could have been helped.

IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN A SITUATION - WHETHER LOSING YOUR HOME OR YOU OWE DEBTS AND YOU CANNOT PAY - STOP IGNORING YOUR LIFE, START ANSWERING YOUR PHONE CALLS, START TELLING THE CREDITORS YOU HAVE A PROBLEM AND NEED HELP BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY STOP IGNORING YOUR LIFE!!

As many of our original fans have seen, Ophelia and I have been ‘away’ from this blog and site for quite some time. I see Ophelia has been posting lately, and we have decided to come back and revive our beautiful Breathing Prosperity. We both cherish it far too much to let it go.

Thanks so much to everyone who has already written to say hi, and that you have been waiting for us to come back. Who knew? We’ve each been off doing our own thing, and working/playing in our own separate arenas. I have had a wonderful time at Follow Your Path and other blogs and sites I own and contribute to, and Ophelia has her own set as well. As Ophelia intimates in one of her April posts, however, nothing is ever dead until you actually kill it, and I’m sure there must be myriad reasons we were never able to fully let this one go…we love it too much, and it has meaning not only for us, but for many previous readers as well.

For everyone, welcome back! We are delighted you are still here with us, and we look forward to interacting with you once again. For those new to us, please feel free to read our archived posts, as we have written much from our hearts and the lessons we have learned can apply to anyone on the path to prosperity, open-mindedness and happiness and success in life overall.

The path away from and back to Breathing Prosperity has not been an easy road, but it has - as always - been interesting, and a deep and powerful learning experience. Please bear with us as we play with the theme here, and update and re-vamp the site somewhat.

Success and prosperity to you, now and always.

Love,

Shauna

Today I was reading a book Get Real and Get Rich and the author of the book Farrah Gray says his grandmother always told him to ask a question- Why not me? So I’m asking myself the question today- Why not me? It’s actually a really great question.. because the more I ask the question the more the answer that keeps coming back is NO REASON- There is no reason it can’t be me!
The book is about conquering the 7 lies keeping you from getting rich. I believe some of the lies were
The born rich lie, the winning the lottery lie, the famous lie but don’t quote me on the lies but this book caused me to think- WHY NOT ME?
If people are on the internet making $1 million a month- then why not me? This guy became a Millionaire at 14- GET THAT 14! and again you ask the question - WHY NOT ME?? He is now a 22 yr old millionaire.
You may have noticed that the blog now has a new design and if you scroll down to the bottom you will see it was made by yours truly- You can check out some of my designs at my own website- Yes that’s right there is an Ophelia Nicholson.com so there is a theme competition going on at lunarpages and I decided to enter. So far I’ve entered Missing Kids which is a missing kids theme that updates automatically from National Center for Missing and Exploited teens, I also entered Creation and then I thought about entering my ipod creation that plays mp3’s yes a wordpress theme has a built in mp3 player- but then the question kept coming up why would I ever win- till I asked well why not me- I don’t see any reason why I can’t win, I do great original designs, why shouldn’t someone else win- WHY NOT ME? So today the question is Why not you? There is no reason why it can’t be you too!

This morning I kept asking the Universe, to show me a sign that what I was doing was the right course of action then the thought accorded to me if it was a bad course of action I wouldn’t be asking for a sign now would I - I’d have just written it off as a bad course of action and moved on.. Why do we sit around waiting for signs? Could it be that signs means we don’t have to make the decision ourselves and we can just blame the Universe for it’s bad signs or say well we didn’t really make the decision on our own- Had I not saw that sign, I would have made a better decision..
What sign are you waiting for today?

Alot of people will think I’m crazy for making this post- who has ever heard of a blog deserted for almost a year and then started up again…that never happens right! I think that a lot of times we fall off the horse be it, our exercise goals, our financial goals, our spiritual goals but how often do we fall off the horse and actually have the courage to get back on.
As you may have noticed we haven’t updated the blog in months or even been a part of the community for quite a while, part being the fact that your goals do change and shift into different directions and part being that sometimes your original goal may not be what you currently need in your life- It’s like having a goal of losing 20 pounds in march and you carry that goal for 1 month till you realize that maybe losing weight should not have been your aim but you should have made the strive to tone your body and that may not mean a 20 pound weight loss or it maybe having a goal to get rich and then realizing that you first need to learn financial money management and how to invest.

Moving away from your goals and then coming back

A lot of times we move away from our goals and we face a fear with coming back because we all hate to be seen as failures, I have thought a lot about coming back and updating the blog consistently but the fact that I had fallen off a horse (the horse in the instance happens to have been my spiritual growth), Left a huge sense of failure in my mind and sometimes when you look at failed project you feel its easier to keep walking away as opposed to giving it another shot. My son now 3 Nicholas, I haven’t spoken to his dad in more than two years, I remember at one point he disappeared for 6 months and when he finally made a phone call he said that the more time that passed the more you feel that you should just keep going in that direction and not try to go back and fix any old mistakes or work on any old goals that you may have given up on.
It’s even easy to give up when you feel you are continually putting in effort and seeing no results, that can be discouraging to keep going to the gym and after months you look the same or keep writing a blog and feel you are not changing anyone’s life ESPECIALLY YOUR OWN

Growth isn’t straight up, Growing doesn’t happen in a straight line
What did I learn from falling off the horse- I learned that despite what I think I am human, I do make mistakes, I do leave things unfinished but I also noticed that my spiritual growth and my practice and belief in law of attraction slowed or halted once my writing stopped. Growth doesn’t happen in a straight line, it doesn’t matter what it is, it could be losing weight, spiritual growth, a tree or a child growing, it never just happens in a straight line, sometimes you have a plateau, a rest period where none or little growth occurs and then like all things you have a growth period where everything grows at endless speeds.

Where am I now?
It maybe hard to believe but this post has been almost a year in the making, I would come and write a post, feel like a failure and stop so this time around I’d like to learn more about me- more about goals that I had high expectations for that got killed before they had time to grow.

My lesson for today to myself
Just because something shows no growth or movement doesn’t mean that it’s dead! What goals are you afraid to face and try again? Is it a blog, your health, a hobby, excerise -

Here is the question for myself today
Who am I afraid to face by coming back and writing the blog- Is it myself, the people who listened as we wrote- Who are you afraid to face by picking up goals that you had long forgotten about.

My thought for today
I am always making the best decision in that moment.

Ophelia

What if I’m are wrong and just I’m just an ordinary guy who should get a job? I heard that phrase on Night at the Museum -When Ben Stiller said those words it struck a cord with me, What if I’m wrong and I’m just an ordinary person seeking to be extraordinary? What if I’m wrong and there really is no greatness inside of me? What if I’m wrong and there is nothing special about me? What if I’m just ordinary…?

Are we really able to live up to the dreams we hold inside our heads? 

We all seem to have these great pictures of ourselves achieving great standards and reaching the heights of men/women we hold as our heroes. We all dream to be basketball stars like Michael Jordan, Composers like Mozart, Amazing chefs like Wolfgang, Have voices like Mariah, Money like Bill Gates and the looks of a supermodel but do we ever get up and wonder one day What If I’m wrong? What if none of these things apply to me? What if I’m just me and what if there is nothing special about that?

What if I live my life and die and I didn’t achieve any of these great things that I have filled in my head? 

Do We Need To Achieve World Recognition to Be Extraordinary?

My biggest goal to date is to be on the Forbes 400 Richest List which will give me tons of money and just slight recognition but do we really need that to be extraordinary? Do we really need that to be special? Do we really need that to be remembered?

Isn’t that all what it boils down to - Everyone wants to be remembered, Long after they are gone, they want to be remembered for something they did or achieved.  They want to know that they change someone lives years from now when there is nothing left but a gravestone and when everyone they ever knew has already passed.

 I got a phone call from a guy who I had spoken to a few months ago, he told me his name and where he lived and bits of our conversation and he got angry because I couldn’t remember who he was, he kept trying to give me hints but still I couldn’t remember him, frustrated he got off the phone as if he had just lost a huge battle, I know deep down he probably felt hurt that he was so unimportant to me that I’d forgotten him..

Does the need to be remembered fuel our lives?

We go thru life just like this guy, we go thru relationships both love relationships and regular relationships hoping to create some kind of lasting memory, or impression or feelings so that person won’t ever forget us. Sometimes we will even leave the person with a negative image just so we won’t be forgotten…

We want to be the girl or the guy that someone falls madly in love with that they tell their grandkids about when they are 70, or we want to be the one who made such a life changing impact on someone lives that they keep retelling the story over and over again…  As a matter a fact we will even take the role of the person who broke your heart and you cried for weeks if that means that you won’t forget us, We will take the role of being a crazy person because then you won’t forget us. That’s why no one wants to be ordinary because they feel no one will ever remember the ordinary guy, the one sitting in the corner at the party, the one who you pass every day on the street and never really notice anything about him, the one that passes on and no one shows up at their funeral…

Being remembered is even the reason why alot of people have kids- It isn’t a conscious thought but still a big reason as they want their bloodline to continue or their last name to continue- They want some part of them living even long after they are gone, they want someone to come to their gravesite and remember them and they want to live on in someone’s memories.

Is there any value in just being ordinary?

I believe Shauna said this a while ago that she would run from that thought of being just a regular person… I believe we all have that we fear being ordinary, we fear being one of the masses; we fear what it means to us… What does it mean if you are ordinary? What negative connotations does it bring if we are just ordinary? Can we be ordinary and still change someone’s lives? Can we be ordinary and still be remembered throughout the centuries? Can we be ordinary and have someone talk about the relationship they had with you when they are 70? Can we be ordinary and have a huge gathering at our grave?

The vast majority of us work for money, and the fact is, we need money to live. If it weren’t for this, many of us would choose not to work. True? True. (Of course there is pure value in physical labor for its’ own sake, but that is another story.)

So what is the difference between working for someone else ie. being an employee, vs. working for yourself, ie. being self-employed? Do you think there is someone else in charge with the former and not with the latter? While it’s true that you are responsible to others when you work in an employee environment, the bottom line is it always comes down to YOU.

The fact is that your performance affects your outcome no matter where and when you are working. Whether your boss is another person or yourself, you are still the one in charge of putting money in the bank. When you don’t provide quality work, your bottom line suffers. You may suffer such a dramatic consequence as being fired, or endure more subtle effects on your paycheck such as being passed over for raises or a promotion, or only being hire-able at a fast-food restaurant.

Take Control

When it comes to finances, you must be the one who takes responsibility; the one who makes the decisions and demonstrates the work ethic required to get the job done. Be proactive and you will feel a sense of control and confidence because you know you can handle anything, and handle it well. Take the courses that help you develop your skills and expand your perspective. Think in bigger pictures and plan for possibilities such as job loss or a change in management. Use your spare time wisely so that you are never caught in a financial predicament you can’t get out of. NO ONE can do this for you - not your parents, your co-workers, nor your boss. Bosses come and go, but you are always in the driver seat of your paycheck/s. In fact, a new boss can be seen as an ooportunity to have someone with fresh eyes appreciate your (growing) skillset.

Do You Love Your Work?

I would venture to say that unless you are working at something you love, you will have difficulty staying on task, no matter who the ‘boss’ is. While you may not be able - or even want - to leave your current job, making it more pleasant and enjoyable is always a plus. There has been much written, here and elsewhere, about how to improve both your place of work and how you feel in it. Even if it’s a tiny step you can take, go ahead and take it. Try reading this post about The Little Things for some inspiration in this regard.

Remember, no matter who you work for, you are the ultimate boss. How would you rate the job you are doing?…

Just a quick post today to point you to a fabulous and growing list of personal development blogs.

Initiated by Priscilla Palmer, the idea was to put together a comprehensive list of people who inspire and empower us with their words, and I know many people will appreciate having the links all in one place. You can find the entire list at Priscilla’s blog by CLICKING HERE. Enjoy!

When you first begin learning about the Law of Attraction and the principles surrounding it, the very exciting prospect of being able to create your life any way you want it is usually where the motivation comes from.

As a little time goes by, perhaps you begin hitting a wall or noticing situations or places where you don’t always get ‘what you want’, and you feel some frustration. You begin to learn that you have hidden limiting beliefs that are keeping you within certain patterns. There are many effective ways to go about exploring and changing your limiting beliefs (quite a few of which you will see in our article archives).

One way in which we limit ourselves without realizing it is by fighting what is, or what has been. If you ever catch yourself saying ‘If only ‘x’ hadn’t happened, then my life would be so much different,’ or ‘If so-and-so would just wake up and appreciate me then life would be so great,’ then you are fighting instead of allowing.

Going against the stream of well-being, as Abraham-Hicks tells us, is fighting an uphill battle. Resentment, holding grudges, or being upset about a circumstance rather than concentrating on what we really want for ourselves (not others), causes us to be stuck and impedes our progress. It’s not the Law of Attraction that isn’t working - it’s us who are holding ourselves in a pattern of resentment.

While on the ultimate plane I believe we can affect reality completely, at this level we must work within the existing framework of our lives. We have a lot more power and freedom than we sometimes grant ourselves, and it is by letting go of limiting beliefs that we can be free to create in the moment, as we are meant to. For example, if you have identified yourself as a female who was abused when you were a child, you can release this identity while still being that person. Does that make sense? You are a woman. Period. The fact that you are abused does not go away if you cease resenting it. It simply loses its’ power over you, and is not part of your identity TODAY. Today, you can look forward and make conscious choices about your life and create the dreams you hold dear, without holding on to a limiting past resentment, however deep it may be.

The irony is that the things you are resenting are holding you back - YOU are the only one suffering by not letting go of grudges. As someone wise once said, resenting someone else is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die. The same applies when we resent or hate situations - jobs, relationships, circumstances - the poison is yours; you are swallowing it. 

With all the LOA information available these days and most of saying the same things, it’s easy to think that limiting beliefs are generic and easily dealt with. This misperception is what keeps many people stuck and frustrated. As you will discover and as this article illustrates, your own limiting beliefs are very personal to you. The more specific to your life you get when exploring your subconscious beliefs and triggers, ther more effective you will be. For some further resources, try the following:

EFT is a powerful releasing method that doesn’t even require knowledge of the beliefs so much as the reactions you have when affected by them. Our associate Rick Wilkes is a pro, and his website is full of good information. You can find him at Thriving Now.

As many of you know, I am a big fan of Bob Doyle and his Wealth Beyond Reason program, as it contains so many valuable resources, including ebooks, guided and brainwave meditations, interviews with many and varied experts, and much more. Visit his site at Wealth Beyond Reason.

Enjoy and prosper!

Have you ever become so caught up in pursuing your goals that you don’t even realize you are getting closer until someone mentions it?

Change is often so slow and gradual that it goes unnoticed. We can see this phenomenon with our children or others; much of their growth seems almost nonexistent until someone comments on how big they are getting or how much they have changed. Conversely, the same thing happens as we age and neglect to exercise, or as we slowly settle into a job we dislike and give up; the downward slide is so gradual that it is difficult to detect. [Just writing that makes me feel extremely uncomfortable.]

When it comes to ourselves, we must ensure we pay attention all along the road to our goals, lest we get discouraged by thinking we have not made any progress. Positive reinforcement for little benchmarks may be necessary and vital to continuing motivation. It also feels great to get little jolts of gratitude and energy by recognizing small achievements. It doesn’t matter how small they are. Be sure and stop every day - every hour if you can - and say to yourself, ‘Wow! That’s great, I just went a day without being drawn into conflict,’…or exercised each day this week, or made healthy food choices, or whatever the small things are which you are doing but perhaps not acknowledging. Remember that although your tendency may be to beat yourself up about what you are NOT doing right, this is only a habit, and you can change it.

If we can balance keeping our eyes on the big prize with acknowledging small victories and turning points, we stand a great chance of achieving what we set out to do. For instance, lately I have been thinking I have no goals, or more specifically that I have not  yet achieved the numbers I set regarding my financial independence goal. However, as a perfectly timed gift from the Universe, I found a goals sheet that I wrote only two years ago, and was shocked to see all the things I have accomplished from that list. It’s incredible…and because I am now living many of those things eg. own my own businesses, work from home, active every day, healthy relationships, travel regulalry, etc., it now seems so familiar that I forget how far I have come.

Another reminder, and the point of this post, was provided by a lovely reader named Suzanne on her own blog, who linked to us and put me in some fantastic company. She said that my posts ’shine with positive energy’, and this gave me such a huge smile and burst of gratitude because it has been my goal all along to shine with positive energy. THIS IS IT! I have reached my goal if that is how I come across. How wonderful!

When it comes to our goals, we need to reinforce our pictures of who we think we are - who we choose to be. Sometimes, as above, it takes another to remind us of this. For me, this means I have either been slipping in my goal- and self-defining work lately, or it means that I am living it so much that I didn’t even realize it. I suspect it is the former and will go write out and clarify my current goals when I am finished with this post.

NOTE: You  can never work on or look at your goals list too often. This is how we transform our lives; by becoming the person we choose to be on paper, and by constantly visiting this and amending as we go, we make it really workable. This is how we reinforce ourselves - the selves we are in our ideals. We can clearly see as we reach small milestones. We can look at that goal that said ‘I am active every day’ and remember that when we wrote it, we weren’t…we wanted to be, but it was a future goal. Now it’s so true that it doesn’t need to be a goal anymore. Don’t deny yourself of this pleasure!

For more on being your own motivator, you may enjoy the post Motivation and the Expectations of Others. Have a great day!