Opportunity to Prosper: Rejoice in 2007!

Let me tell you about someone dear to me. About 5 years ago, I struggled with a dilemma unrelated to money. In search of peace, after exhausting all other resources, and as a last resort, I actually turned to the internet, which for me at the time was nothing more than the great and scary unknown. Before long, I came upon a website called SheLovesGod.com and, impressed with what I found, became a subscriber.

Eventually, the creator of the site wrote an article on the very thing I was struggling with at the time: forgiving. I responded to it with some questions of my own, and was surprised but grateful when she replied back. Through email we became good friends, and discovered that we had a lot in common, including having attended the same University among other things. She supported me as I searched for answers, and in turn I shared with her what I had recently discovered about the principles of prosperity.

She writes, “After only 2 weeks of using the principles [of prosperity]… I was able to double my sales from my web sites.” She was so excited about what she had learned that she asked me to write a series of articles for her subscribers. Eventually those articles were expounded upon and compiled into the book that is now called “Hidden Treasures: Heaven’s Astonishing Help with Your Money Matters” which is now available in 3 different formats at the bookstore.

About 6 months later, she hosted a virtual women’s conference and asked me to be a guest instructor to teach “Leaning on the Lord in a Financial Crisis”. However, something dawned on her, and she said, “After the participants learn from you, they’re going to want to go to a website… you need a website!” Thus, ThoughtsAlive.com was born, thanks to Marnie. She threw one together for me and taught me how to code, and after learning the ropes, it simply evolved (and continues to evolve) from there.

As the author of “10 Steps to Fulfilling Your Divine Destiny: A Christian Woman's Guide to Learning & Living God's Plan for Her,” Marnie also gave me the encouragement I needed to believe I could write a book, which eventually led to the creation of “The Jackrabbit Factor.” I knew that not everyone would immediately pick up a “how to” book like Hidden Treasures, but everyone could enjoy a story to introduce them to the principles of prosperity that Marnie had embraced so well.

In her own words she says, “As a direct result of learning these laws, I've tripled my internet income, and my husband has retired from his day job to start his own personal chef business (which he's been dreaming about for years)! To say the information is life changing would be an understatement.” I’ll also add that she recently became a best-selling author with her latest novel, “Angel and the Enemy”.

So why do I tell you all of this? Because she is starting a new project, out of gratitude to God for all she has been blessed with, and wants to invite you to participate in it at no charge. It’s called “Rejoice in 2007”.

I endorse this project because I know what she stands for and that it will be in complete harmony with all the principles of prosperity that I hold dear.

She says, “Look back on 2007 as the year everything fell into place. There’s no charge to participate. This is my gift to 2,007 individuals. I only ask that you commit to the process. Do the weekly exercises I’ll send you and keep me posted on how you’re doing. You’ll also be invited to attend various teleclasses, and I'd love for you to participate in the ones that meet your schedule. I'll be teaching many of them myself, but I'll also be inviting guest experts to talk on everything from finances, to business, to health and relationships.”

In hindsight, I'm grateful for the struggle that caused me to find her. "Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit." — Napoleon Hill. Let each of your adversities be the start of something great. Marnie can show you how!

Sign up here.

Happy New Year!

Leslie

When “Feeling the Prosperity” isn’t Enough

So you’ve learned to “see” what you want in your mind, then “feel” it as though it is already true, and then move your feet until it happens, right? Well, what if you’ve done all that and it still didn’t work? Let me add some insight to help you achieve your goal…

When it comes to little things (like getting the perfect parking spot at the grocery store, or locating a lost roll of packaging tape) simply seeing the success in my mind and feeling the gratitude I expect to feel when the goal is achieved is often all that seems to be required. The goal is accomplished with relatively little effort. I've been able to really develop my faith in the principles of prosperity through accomplishing trivial things such as these.

However, when I'm striving for something more significant, sometimes it's much harder to sustain my faith. A half-hearted attempt to apply the principles of prosperity isn't enough. It makes sense that the bigger the goal, the more focused I need to be.

For goals that make a positive difference in your life, or in the world at large, there will probably be more opposition to overcome than for trivial goals that affect very little. I don't recall much opposition when I was trying to locate packaging tape, but I experienced quite a bit when I was trying to start a seminar business.

I don't say this to scare anyone off from setting lofty goals. Set them anyway; it's worth it! I just want to prepare you to tackle them in a way that will yield the prosperity or the success you seek. There is one element that has made all the difference for me, and it is not mentioned in The Jackrabbit Factor.

When I have a general idea of what I want, it can take time (days, weeks, even months or years) to develop the picture in my mind to include detail. It's really hard to "feel" it as though it is accomplished when those details haven't been decided upon. Sometimes I simply don't know what I want those details to be, and that's okay. I write as much as I can, and think on it often. As the details I do know become second-nature to me, and I can recall them in my mind at the drop of a hat, I'm able to add a little detail here and there.

Eventually, it becomes easier to "feel" it as though it has already been accomplished. But for the big things I've strived for, the "feeling" wasn't what finally prepared me to receive it. Something was missing. The feeling that gave me what I needed was actually a different kind of feeling, one that I didn't create.

Let me explain: It's important to me to know that I'm not "asking" for something that God wouldn't want for me. Intellectually, I can decide if it seems to make sense that it would be for my good, but ultimately before I can put my whole heart into a goal, I need to know that God approves. Inevitably, there comes a time in the quest when I feel like I need to get that figured out.

So in my meditation, or thinking, or prayer (however you want to call it), I address Him and try to picture myself truly speaking with my "Father" as if He were in the room with me. I see Him as a glorious Father figure, not as something nebulous and vague. I take time to feel what it would really feel like to be with Him, like a daughter returning home from a long and difficult journey. I express - and feel - my gratitude for all He has blessed me with.

I picture myself with the success I desire, just as I've been 'practicing' all along, and express my desire for it, and ask if I have His approval. I live prosperously in my mind for a time. I pay attention to my initial feelings - the ones that come too quickly to invent myself. If I feel at peace, then that's confirmation to me that He wants it for me too, and that it's truly on its way, so long as I continue to believe. If I feel scatterbrained and confused, then I may even rephrase my request by saying, "would it be better that I NOT pursue that particular goal?" and again, I pay attention to the immediate, first feelings I feel.

The initial feelings, like I said, come too fast to generate on my own, and sometimes only last a split second. It is in the next few seconds that we as humans tend to second-guess and over analyze, sometimes clouding the answer. This process can take some practice, and it requires trusting the initial feeling. Sometimes it will be a word or phrase that pops into my head, like "be still". One time, it was simply that I sensed a smile. It was not what I expected, which helped me believe it wasn't something I just conjured up myself.

So from now on, when you hear me say that you have to "see" the goal and "feel it" - remember, "feeling" it may also refer to feeling a confirmation of God's approval. Once you really know (through feelings) that God is on your side, and desires the goal for you as much - if not more - than you desire it for yourself, your confidence will be stronger than ever. And, as you keep the memory of that confirmation forefront, you'll be unstoppable.

Know that God lives and loves you more than you can comprehend. He is your Father, and waits for you to give Him a chance to communicate with you. Know that He wants to be involved in your life, and He wants YOU to have all that you need for your complete mental, physical, and spiritual unfoldment. If you feel that this is true, trust that feeling, and don't second-guess it anymore.

For more on the relationship between God and the law of attraction from my personal perspective, read Hidden Treasures: Heaven's Astonishing Help with Your Money Matters. Choose your favorite format at our Bookstore.

Prosperity and a Portrait

In 1998 I was vising the home of my friend's parents. Their front room was large and beautiful, but the part that affected me the most was an enormous portrait on the high-ceilinged wall of a mother and her baby. It must have been taken 30 years ago, but the feeling in the picture was magical.

At the time, I had just had my 3rd baby, and I thought how wonderful it would be if I could have a portrait done with my newborn... something that would create the same cherished feelings of love for family as that portrait had done for me. But at the time we couldn't afford it, so it never happened.

Each time I had a baby after that, I wanted to get a portrait done, but either lack of money or lack of time always prohibited us from accomplishing such a thing. I didn't worry too much about it, because I always felt like I'd have another opportunity with the next baby. Surely by then we'd have the prosperity to warrant it.

Well, we just had our seventh, and last. Knowing that I did not ever expect to have another baby, I knew that this had to happen now or never. I would not accept excuses this time! Sure, money could be spent on more important things, and I don't feel like I have an overabundance of time at my disposal, but I was not going to let this opportunity pass me by this time. These pictures were going to represent motherhood for me... and baby Sarah would represent all of my children, each one.

There was still one other obstacle to overcome, which I think only other parents of newborns would understand. I hadn't really thought about the physical workout it would require! I'm only just over 3 weeks post-partum, and getting it done was tougher than I thought it would be. But I did it. Why do I share this in my blog? Because I'm celebrating!!!! Another dream came true. I mentioned on a teleclass the other day that we should focus on dreams that can bring a tear to our eye. This one always did for me.

To see my brand-new little collection of mommy-baby portraits, click here.

Principles of Prosperity in Action

One of my subscribers recently shared an experience that brought tears to my eyes. Her story shows the principles of prosperity in action. She writes, "I got The Jackrabbit Factor for Christmas last year and read it to myself and then to my husband. He shared it with a friend and now they talk rabbit talk.

"My husband is a professor of Acoustics at BYU. We have 6 children, one just graduated and the youngest is 3. We have heavy student loans for all the years in school and our finances are worse than they have ever been. I have always stayed at home with the kids and have home schooled all of them up till high school. Anyway, I’m sure you didn’t need to hear all that but I finally got a copy of your Hidden Treasures: Heavenly Help with Money Matters before Thanksgiving.

"My husband is so swamped at work with all the many demands that BYU has and he is trying to decide on a business idea because we know that we can’t afford to stay there with out any other income. So he told me to read the book and learn it so well that I could teach him. So I read it once and then came to the question section. While he is in Hawaii at a conference, I stayed up late and pretty much reread the book and answered the questions. I think I finally get the rabbit book now.

"So yesterday I remembered that a radio station was giving away 4 tickets a day to the 10th caller when a certain song was played to the Trans Siberian Orchestra. My 16 year old is way in to music and wanted to go so badly but no way could we afford $50 tickets. So I decided to try the laws (I thought of the story about the ticket). I signed up to find the hour that the song would play and told my family I was going to win 4 tickets. I tried to visualize all day them saying I had won and how excited my son would be. I wrote down how grateful I was that we won and how we would feel. I even called my husband in Hawaii to tell him I was going to win and then I was going to get new blinds for our front window which has ugly lace curtains. He laughed and said OK!

"Well the song was to play between 4 and 5PM so I turned on the radio and my 13 year old was right there with me. I punched in the number on my 18 year olds’ cell phone and told her to call when I told her to (so we would have at least 2 chances). My excitement was growing and I did think “well I have tomorrow I could still win but it has to be today”. Of course they waited till 4:51PM to play it but when I heard it I called 3 times but the lines were all busy. My daughter came out of the bathroom and said mom it’s ringing. I grabbed the phone and went into the garage because all my kids were screaming by this time. I could hardly hear the guy as he said hello. I immediately screamed, “did I win,” and he told me I had. A roar went up from the house and I began dancing, yelling “It works, it really works.” I had to give him some information and I need to go pick up the tickets but we are going to the concert next Saturday!!!!

"My kids were all amazed. What are the chances that you actually get through, let alone be the 10th caller? The Lord worked his miracle and now I have greater faith and hope that we will prosper and that these business ideas my husband has will work. I am so excited to teach him. Oh, by the way, he was astonished that I won. (My curtains are coming down to make room for new blinds.)

"I can’t thank you enough... It is so clear now. I think I will teach this to my kids also, then my sister whose husband has given up on all hope of a better life. Thank you for following the promptings. I know you have been inspired on all this.

"My husband has been listening to Earl Nightingale for years and years. So when he heard you learned from Bob Proctor, who learned from Earl---He was ready to listen. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Thank you, dear reader, for taking the time to share this wonderful, inspiring story to show the principles of prosperity in action!!!!