How Can Going After The Prize Lead to Remorse and Regret? It's Easier Than You Might Think.

If you could change one thing in your life; I mean anything right here, right now what would you change?

Although I can't know what your answer might be or what drew you here specifically, one thing I do know to be true about you, me and everyone else, is that we each have a desire to be, do and have more in life.

Now I'm not a gambling man and never have been. But I'd be willing to bet a thousand dollars (Heck, let's go for a hundred thousand) that you do too right? You have a desire to be, do and/or have more of something in life?

Of course you do. We ALL do. We ALL want something more and we're all going after that prize, whatever it might be regardless of what that means to us individually.

Well, fasten your seat belt because I'm going to reveal how you can not only get more, but more of what you "truly desire."

And yes, in most cases there is a huge difference between what so many "think they want" and what they "truly desire" more of.

First Let's Get Clear On and Define What Going After The Prize Means For You Based on Where You Are Now Versus What It Might Mean For Someone Else

Maybe what you're going for doesn't seem like a prize at all.

Because for some, going after the prize in the way I'm referring to it, means nothing more than basic survival and getting by.

That can be difficult to look at and see as a "prize."

But it is in a sense.

And it is because it doesn't matter where you are currently. It could be a lot worse right? I mean let's face it if you're broke, is there something worse than that?

Absolutely. You could be diagnosed with a serious life threatening illness. Which would you pick? The point is there are many things in life that are worse than being broke.

So even if you're in survival mode and just getting by and the more you want is a hundred bucks to get you through the week or the end of the month, that's still your prize.

Let's shift to the other end of the prize spectrum.

For others going after the prize might mean really big achievements of one form or another. For some fame, others fortune and still others something else. It doesn't matter what going after the prize means for you really, we're ALL going after some prize...regardless.

Ultimately though, our desired prize; the real prize that we "truly desire" as unique, individual and varying as they might "seem" on the surface, really boils down to one thing. Although the labels are many, that one thing is that we all want to experience at various levels, what's often labeled as Prosperity.

Does that hold true for you? If you thought you could have prosperity would you want it? Would you take it? Would you go for it if you knew you could have it?

Here's a REALLY IMPORTANT question...

What do you "think" prosperity is? What is your personal definition? Have you ever thought about it? I mean REALLY thought about it.

We all have our individual perspectives regarding what prosperity is and isn't for sure. But many haven't ever really thought about it so they don't REALLY know what their definition of prosperity is.

My personal perspective regarding prosperity has shifted; or at the least been greatly enhanced over the years. But not before walking some paths that revealed what prosperity WASN'T even though I "thought it was." I had an idea and knew what what I wanted more of, but after I got it I found that it wasn't prosperity.

I often look back on and think deeply about that initial perspective I held back then. In reflecting back, my initial definition of Prosperity was acquiring and amassing material wealth. And I was pretty good at it too. Really good actually. I reached what many today believe to be and would label as the pinnacle of success.

Bottom line, I made A LOT of money. Got a lot of toys, traveled, did this, did that, yadda yadda yadda.

But what I discovered after getting there, is that it didn't provide what I "thought and believed" that it would. I made a lot of money, got some stuff and even got to do a lot of traveling but I still didn't feel very prosperous and I certainly wasn't happy.

Not a long term from of happiness.

And yes, I set my sights on my perception of prosperity, focused on getting it, set out to claim it and actually received what I had defined and thought was "my prize." But once I got it, I found that something was still missing.

You could say, that although I made a lot of money and acquired a lot of stuff, prosperity and long term happiness still eluded me.

And what I discovered, although very simple, at the same time it's quite profound, potentially transformational and may very well assist you to get clear on what prosperity really is, define, get focused on and achieve real prosperity and long term happiness far quicker and in a far more simple way than I and many like me have.

How so?

Well...I've since discovered that my perception and the choices I made based on those perceptions to reach what I thought at the time would enable me to FINALLY experience happiness and prosperity, were very "blind and short sighted choices."

Although those choices did lead to making a lot of money and getting some "stuff", they didn't actually lead me to or provide what I thought they would.

I've also since found that A LOT of people do the very same thing. Many of the people who I personally connect and communicate with today, have experienced and have come to the very same conclusion. I'm far from alone in that discovery.

You could say we made "blind choices" based on a limited perspective as we engaged and we're going after and doing our best to make our individual prize real.

We "thought and honestly believed" that what we chose to do and actually did would provide it, but then we found that it didn't.

I suppose the simplest and most succinct way to describe it would be to say that our perspectives and our beliefs were misaligned or disharmonious with achieving what we "truly desired" without realizing it at the time.

So, I'm going to ask you...

Are you where you want to be in life? I mean are you really and truly at the place in life where you "truly desire" to be?

More specifically, are you experiencing prosperity and happiness in every area of your life?

And if you're not, are you open and willing to admit at this point that the choices you have made, are making and will make can be improved upon and enhanced so you can experience that?

That's what we're going to be discussing here.

Maybe what I have to share can assist you in getting really clear on, defining, going after and making your "prosperity choices" in a way that is more aligned and harmonious with what you "truly desire."

Rather than doing what I and many like me have done because we "thought and believed" we knew what prosperity was only to discover many years later that it wasn't "really and truly" what we thought it was at all, I'm going to introduce you to and point you toward what I've found to be the "short path."

You with me here? Does that make sense?

I'm definitely not here to tell you what prosperity should or shouldn't be for you. Nor am I here to define what happiness is, isn't or should be for you. What I am here to do is assist you in bypassing what I call the "long path" and point you to the shortest path I'm aware of for achieving Real Prosperity.

Then if it makes sense to you and it feels right you can begin walking that path if you choose to.

Are we on the same page?

I suppose the "main thing" I hope to do is to assist you in getting what you really and truly want in the quickest way possible. At the same time, maybe what I share will enable you to eliminate any potential future regrets that I've found so many unknowingly and unwittingly choose as they navigate toward the individual prize that they "think they want" only to find that it didn't lead to or provide what we ALL without exception "truly desire."

Now you might be thinking that what you want and what you truly desire are one and the same thing. That's what I used to think, but it's not. In MOST cases it's not.

How so?

Because, unbeknownst to many, there are 2 ways to look at happiness and prosperity. One way is to move toward it based on what you think you know and the other is a much bigger picture view of what happiness prosperity really is.

What it REALLY and truly is.

So what does the big picture view of this happiness and prosperity picture look like?

Quite simply, in this bigger picture view, happiness and prosperity (The Real Prize that we're ALL attempting to get) entails achieving physical, financial, relational, emotional and spiritual harmony.

That's REAL prosperity. That's also what enables and allows Real Happiness to not only become but remain a way of life long term.

Do you see that? And if you do, are you ready for some of that? Are you ready to actually experience it?

If so, stay with me, follow along, remain attentive and I'll do my best to point you in the direction where I know you can find it.

Fair?

let's set the stage...

First of all, it's a very common thing in our busy and hectic world for people who have big hopes, dreams and visions for their life (or even those who consistently struggle just to make ends meet) to sometimes get so caught up in "trying so hard" to create success or simply survive, that they often lose sight of and forget how to live.

Really live I mean.

All guilty parties please raise your hand.

I'll be the first to step up and raise my own hand because, as I've shared, I've been there and done that personally. But since we're connecting and communicating through text and I don't know how to make a "text" hand I'll do the next best thing and just type…ME.

Now that I've stepped up, I'll ask you the same. Do you find yourself always busy doing this and busy doing that, thinking about doing this thing, that thing or this other thing and find yourself with little or no time to enjoy and savor life?

Or are you always thinking about, talking about and perhaps even stressing, anxious and maybe even freaking out about what you don't have and think you need rather than slowing down, tuning in and being grateful for what you DO already have?

And if so do you find that you never get any further and barely ever get past beating yourself up and maybe to some degree consistently find that you're worrying about what tomorrow holds?

Hey, if so you are definitely NOT alone. But that's precisely what creates what I like to call "life blindness" and has life passing so many by without them ever getting what they want and without ever realizing that life is passing them by.

But it is and it does. And once they discover it, it's often too late to change it. Not always but often.

I can't know specifically where you currently are in life or what your currently desired prize might be. For me it was creating success. What I perceived as being success at the time I mean. In my mind I was going for BIG success and I was determined to do whatever it took to get there.

Now on the surface that may seem to be a commendable goal and to an extent it is. I certainly thought it was. That's why I was always working really hard, always busy, always doing whatever it took to move toward and create what I "believed" at the time to be "success." And doing all that stuff is part of what enabled me to get the money and stuff I mentioned earlier.

And I did get there because that was my desired prize and I did what it took based on what I thought was necessary. And believe me, what I thought was necessary aligned perfectly with what it did take and I'll assure you that was PLENTY.

And then I "got there" only to find that it wasn't the prize I really wanted at all and definitely NOT where I wanted to stay. I definitely enjoyed "part of it" but I was missing so much in life to "get" what I later discovered to be only a very small part of what I truly desired.

Maybe your prize currently, as is the case with many people is to simply survive and get by. But you also find yourself working really hard, always busy, always doing whatever it takes to create and make sure you do survive?

That's what most everyone is doing regardless of how they view their prize. It doesn't matter if it's BIG success or mere survival and getting by.

And in either case, whether it's going for BIG success or mere survival, ultimately, at some point in time, most find or at least think that life is passing or has passed them by.

They also find at some point, that they didn't get to do what they truly wanted to do because they were always busy chasing this, chasing that, doing this, doing that only to find that the entire time they had been overlooking the important "stuff."

I know in my own personal life in years past that I could sometimes get so hung up focusing on and chasing this "all important prize of BIG success" that I forgot how to enjoy the game. Put another way I got so caught up and focused on winning the race that I forgot how to slow down long enough to even look at, let alone enjoy and savor the scenery along the way.

Can you relate? If you're still reading this, chances are better than good that you can.

And if you can, you already know that we can get so involved, in such a hurry, so focused, so busy and so anxious about manifesting the end result; what we honestly believe and truly think is the prize, regardless of how big or small it might be, that the scenery just whizzes by in a non-distinguishable flash.

And based on my own experience, before you know it; in what "seems like" the blink of an eye, you’re looking up and wondering where all those years went.

We find ourselves asking, "Where did life go?"

And many...most actually look back at what they wanted to do, what they could have done, what they should have done yet didn't do, or in some cases what they did do based on blind and short sighted choices but still, as a result, they feel regret.

And they also all have one other thing in common. They all say how life passed them by. That the years were a flash and that 10, 20, 30, 40 or more years "seem like" the blink of an eye.

And I think you'll agree, a number of years doing this or that, whether to create "perceived success" or mere survival that ultimately leads to regret is NOT a "good place" to be.

It certainly doesn't provide prosperity and happiness regardless of how much "stuff" you might have acquired along the way.

I'm far from alone in that observation. I not only know, fully understand and have experienced what that’s like personally, I interact with and assist countless others from all over the world who have as well. People from all cultures and all walks of life.

Maybe you're there now or beginning to realize just how true that is for yourself. But if you're not there yet, take just a minute and think back 2, 5, 10 or even 20 years and think about something that you thought of doing, really want to do and maybe even really meant to do beginning from whatever time frame you chose, but you still haven't done it yet.

Now come back to now. Does it seem like yesterday or somewhere close when you first thought about it?

If it doesn't "seem that way" to you yet, it will at some point.

Now, whatever time period you chose to look back on, what was there that you wanted to do, didn't do but really wish you HAD done?

Is it more time with the kids or the family? Is it traveling? Is it starting that business that you've "thought" so much about. There are an infinite number of possibilities so I'll just ask you specifically.

What is it for you? What is it that you wish you'd done but haven't yet got around to doing? When did that initial desire surface that you wanted to do but didn't?

How much time has actually passed and how long does it seem like it was? The blink of an eye right?

Do you feel regret or at the least have strong feelings that you should have done it by now or at least wish you would have?

If so, for now, don't worry about it. Just for now. Because it happens to A LOT of people and as far as the time passing in what seems like the blink of an eye, that applies to ALL of us and will become a reality at some point...regardless of where you are now.

No exceptions.

But you have to slow down long enough to think about it sometimes. Really think about it.

And once you're aware of it, if you truly desire to change things and actually get done what you hoped and wish you had, but didn't, it's going to be necessary to do something in the future that you DIDN'T do in the past.

Or the years are going to continue on and 5 years from now, 10 years, 20 years or more are going to seem like the blink of an eye.

As I sit and write this, I think back to what seems like yesterday when my kids were all still at home, the sounds of their little feet pitter pattering around the house, hearing those occasional giggles moving from room to room; and those occasional short lived arguments that would seem to come out of nowhere because something didn't go exactly as one of them thought it should.

Those memories are many. And they're very fond memories that go way way back and span the course of many years. But as I think back and reflect on these memories, even many years ago, it "seems like" yesterday. Although it's only been a few years since my youngest son went out to explore the world on his own, that "seems like" yesterday too.

Although I knew that was inevitable, somehow the years got by me much quicker than I thought they would or even believed they could for that matter.

And I don't mind saying, I miss those days. I miss all the cute little things they said and the many hilarious little occurrences that they were a part of, many of which they weren't even aware that I observed.

And as I think back and reflect I realize there's MANY things that I wanted to do yet I didn't DO them.

Ok, back to going after the prize.

Although I did get to experience and savor some of those precious and memorable moments over the years, at the same time I can't help but wonder how many of those moments I missed unnecessarily, overlooked or simply didn't take the time to slow down a bit and do, because I was "too busy" and so fixated on what I thought was the "real prize" at that time.

It's not so much a wonder as if I'm wallowing in the past in remorse or regret, because I'm not. But admittedly, on occasion the "human side of me" ponders those days at times wondering how I might have been there more and made it "better" for all of us.

That's why I do what I do today.

I made a commitment a number of years ago to do the best I'm able to make life "better" for anyone who's willing to listen and who truly desires to be, do and/or have more of what they "truly desire" in life. It's actually my passion to show and assist people to DO things differently than they have been so they might achieve more of what they "truly desire" to be, do and/or have more of.

And I do so by reflecting on, using and conveying my own experiences to assist anyone who is willing in doing that with the hope and intention that I might play a role in helping them to eliminate any possible future regrets.

That's why you're reading this right now. It's the best way I'm able and know to do that.

I certainly can't go back and redo things in my own past. Neither can you. But you CAN make a choice to do things differently starting right here, right now so you might HAVE what you truly do desire at some future point in time.

That way there's no regret, no remorse or no constantly thinking about, anxious about, worrying about what you could or should have done or what you could or should do but aren't.

That's how it came to be that I'm doing what I do today. It's also what enables me to achieve and "get done" what I thought about and wanted to do for many years but didn't get around to because I was so focused on what I thought to be BIG success.

I was too busy focusing on my desired prize and so busy that I missed A LOT of other things that I really and truly wanted to do but didn't do anything about.

I thought I couldn't at the time but I COULD have all along.

So this is the best way I know to make sure that I know to eliminate any possible "future regret" and make certain that I achieve what I've since defined as my "Soul Purpose." It's the best way I know to keep moving forward, keep on keepin on and hopefully make a meaningful and significant difference for you and as many as I possibly can along the way.

And although I do so for you and for anyone else who's willing to listen, learn and benefit from my experiences, I do it equally for myself.

Because I've discovered what the "real prize" is for me, what's truly important and what I truly value today. And it plays a HUGE role in bringing happiness, harmony and fulfillment in my own life and the lives of many others at the same time.

That's why I share what I do now. To perhaps provide a bit of my personal insights to you based on my own experience, with the hope and intention that I might provide you with the opportunity to experience more of what you value most too.

Maybe for you that means engaging and experiencing more of those cherished times with those who you love and who are extra special to you. Maybe it's something else altogether different for you.

Regardless I do what I do for you and for those that you might not be currently considering or thinking about as much as you will someday after you've finished going after and maybe even "getting" what you currently "think and believe" is your prize.

Maybe you know that applies to you currently and maybe you think it doesn't. Maybe you already know that it will impact your life in some way and maybe you think it won't.

I can't know what you're thinking or what you believe. But what I do know, based on my own experience as well as the experiences of countless others, is that someday it will.

And something else I do know is that the things that are important…I mean REALLY REALLY important are the things that we can sometimes; with all the best intentions, tend to temporarily put aside or even unknowingly take for granted as we progress toward attaining our treasured prize.

And all the while it's very easy to begin thinking and justifying to ourselves, “Well…it's only temporary and I'll get around to it someday" or "Hey, I'm doing this for them so they'll understand.”

Believe me when I tell you, I KNOW that it can prove to be a constant balancing act sometimes. Sometimes even, as it often was for me as well as many others I know, it can get damn frustrating at times.

Don't get me wrong…there’s nothing wrong with wanting and going after the BIG prize. It's a commendable trait in my opinion. Because to truly win in life, to be able to fully enjoy life and experience what we all desire it’s essential to take action.

It's an important, essential and necessary part of the game.

And although we all have desires; although those desires do vary from person to person, at some point we all come to the realization that what we really wanted all along and were really and truly attempting to attain is physical, financial, relational, emotional and spiritual harmony.

Yet so few ever do.

I had and still do have a desire to win the game like I think most everybody does. I have a desire like everyone else to be, do and have more.

But at some point I think it's also important to come to the realization that spending the majority of your life and the short time we have here staying focused and fixated on acquiring the material prize whether in large or small quantities isn't nearly as important as many “believe” that it is.

Nor is it nearly as important to attain as it sometimes "seems" as you discover once you achieve whatever it is that you've set out to do.

Because as we all find at some point, there's always more.

Once you get there, once you attain or achieve this “thing” whatever it might be, there will always be something else…something bigger…something better…something that you might currently believe will make you happy once you have it just like the many things before it which never delivered long term the sense of security, satisfaction, wholeness or completion that you “thought” it would.

And the reason is simple.

Buckle up because we're going to make a "radical shift" here.

It's because the real prize; I'm talking about The REAL prize that we ALL "truly desire"; the prize that underlies all this doing and getting isn’t anything physical.

And what that is, is a sense of completion. Completion isn’t derived from doing this or doing that or amassing and accumulating “physical stuff.”

Completion is something that happens and is experienced on the inside and has never, is never and will never be achieved through creating and acquiring things on the “outside.”

Real Happiness, Real Prosperity and a sense of completion is why we do whatever it is we do and often work so hard to get whatever it that we set out to get. Most are just doing it blindly without realizing what it is that they "truly do" want out of life.

Achievement and making progress in life is a part of it for sure. But at some point, what most “perceive” the real prize to be is going to go away like all material things do.

What is important…extremely important…is thinking about and becoming keenly aware and conscious of the needless and unnecessary sacrifices that so many have made; that you might be making currently or at some future point in time will make if you take your eyes off of what we all really and truly want and you; whether knowingly or unknowingly let your priorities get out of order.

If you allow whatever it might be that you’re doing to attain whatever your desired prize is; if you enable and allow it to dominate all your time and attention and, whether knowingly or unknowingly forget about those things and/or people that you love and value most, you're going to look back one day and know in an all too painful kind of way EXACTLY what I'm talking about.

I'm not just blindly rambling here. I speak from experience. I was engaged in a career for years that dominated ALL my time. I found myself seeking the BIG success prize 12, 14, sometimes 16 or more hours per day 6 days per week based on what I had been taught and "honestly believed" the prize was.

But guess what? What I had been taught and honestly believed was necessary to be happy and successful in life turned out not to be the Real Prize at all. It didn't provide happiness, harmony or Real Success in any way, shape or form.

Not even close.

As I learned by walking this "long path" that I chose, success isn’t about money and things in and of themselves. Success is about creating happiness and harmony in life...

Physically, financially, relationally, emotionally and spiritually...period.

I “woke up” one day after many years of spending the majority of my “time” attempting to acquire this form of “perceived success” before I realized that. It's what I refer to today as a form of illusionary success that I've found most are blindly and anxiously chasing after only to realize at some point that it wasn't what they were truly looking for.

That can be both a sobering and an eye opening experience when you come to that realization.

Like so many in our hustle and bustle world do today, I spent many hours a day for many years of my life chasing that material prize. Won it many times too. Made a lot of money, lost a lot of money. Made more, lost more. Had a lot of toys, lost a lot of toys.

Did we enjoy them…sure. But as I reflect and ask myself, were the missed ball games, being the absentee parent at many of the school functions, or missing those precious Halloween nights once a year taking your little Spider Man and Princess from door to door to get their treasured little candy treats worth it?

Was the constant mental, emotional and physical drain I experienced by constantly focusing on and chasing the money prize really worth it?

For me it wasn’t. For many others who I connect and communicate with it wasn't either.

And what I've since discovered in my own life is that those who I claimed to be doing it for didn't want what I thought they did either. I found that what I could give TO them and what I might do for them materially wasn't nearly as important as I thought it was.

What they REALLY wanted was ME being there for them.

I'm not talking about just physically being there. I'm talking about being FULLY there. Being fully attentive, receptive and 100% present when I was there and showing them how much I loved, appreciated and cared for them.

Until I came to the realization that although you can achieve a level of “material success” or some other exclusively focused on goal, hope, dream or desire, chasing, and struggling and putting your all into it, working long and hard to acquire it, there’s more to it than that. There's more to life than that.

So much more.

And I've also discovered there's a much easier and far more fulfilling way to achieve it and still experience the harmony and balance in other vitally and equally important life areas than most understand or are even aware of for that matter.

That way is developing the internal harmony; a way of being that happens and takes place inside. It's a way of BEING that enables, allows and creates the external having without having to scrape, struggle, sacrifice and work so hard to get it.

And it's a way of being that keeps your priorities in order and enables you to also do and have what you "truly desire to do and have.

It enables you to attain the material prize as well as other important life areas without having to blindly make so many unnecessary sacrifices or experience the many potential regrets that so many experience in their lives at some point in time.

And anyone can achieve it if they're willing to and they simply choose to.

Here’s the conclusion I’ve personally come to…

In life, time is the real prize. Having and being willing and able to take and spend the time to do what you love with who you love. Being able to spend your time doing whatever it might be that you love and value most.

That's the REAL prize.

Although many of us go after the material prize, whether it's for basic survival or in large quantity, I think at some point most discover as I did, it's not really the material prize you're after as much as you might think, but rather having the time and ability to share and enjoy life with those you love.

That's the REAL prize. So I guess a really important thing to think about and consider as you’re chasing your own prize is how much time does it take away from what matters to you most and are you neglecting or taking for granted the "really" important things as you go "out there" and do whatever it is that you do to get it.

If you have no one to share your prize with once you've got it in your hands; someone to celebrate your victory with you once you cross the finish line, to share and savor the fruits of your labor with you, the material prize really doesn't mean a thing. The same goes for mental, emotional and physical health.

Without those, all the money in the world won't do you a bit of good as it pertains to achieving Real Happiness and Real Harmony in life.

You can always spend and always get more money. But when you blindly spend your time, you can never regain it.

So my recommendation to you as I recommend to so many around the world is to become really conscious about how you might be spending yours. And if you find that what you think you want is narrowly focused, you might strongly consider expanding it and if necessary making some new life choices to achieve it.

By all means go for the prize but become consciously aware and think about what it takes to get it and make certain that you remember and understand that the Real Prize is really about love and happiness…both the giving and receiving.

The bottom line is, it’s never the material prize we’re after in and of itself, but the feelings that we believe having the prize will provide once we’re standing there holding it in our hands.

The Ultimate prize in life is really all about having, expressing and experiencing love and happiness and then filling in the other areas.

That’s where a “true” and lasting sense of harmony, happiness, fulfillment and a sense of completion comes from.

Although I'm well aware that a lot of people have to figure that out for themselves as I and so many like me have, the material prize and all the other "stuff" in and of itself can’t and won’t ever give you that.

Never has never will.

Love, Abundance, Happiness and fulfillment comes from within. It has nothing to do with having and has everything to do with “Being.“

Once you develop the ability to align and harmonize your internal way of being with your externally desired prize, you’ll discover that it comes to you in far simpler and faster ways. It’s not necessary to chase it or struggle to acquire it. In fact those factors can and will keep it from you or at best make it much more difficult to acquire than is necessary.

Be love…be abundant…be happy…and you’ll find that you’ll become complete and better enabled and empowered to do and have whatever your heart desires.

Find it within, share it with others and everything on the outside will fall into place.

If you’ll only choose to do that, you’ll find that you don’t have to “chase” the prize or anything else. In fact, you’ll start attracting it.

Coming to that realization could save you many years of toil, a lot of heartache, unnecessary anguish, any future remorse or regret and WILL make all the difference in every aspect of your life…physically, financially, relationally, emotionally and spiritually.

When you understand that you can consciously and effectively harmonize those pillars of your life. And if you choose to do so, you’ll know what “happiness, harmony, wholeness and completion” really and truly is.

And achieving that; getting that and experiencing that is what I personally choose to refer to as Real Abundance, Real Happiness, Real Harmony and Real Freedom.

That's the Real Prize.

If what I've shared here makes sense to you. If you currently find yourself "seemingly stuck", or in some way out of balance and unable to focus on or attain whatever it might be that you value most as you navigate your life path, chasing whatever your prize might be, I can assist you with that.

I do so through a publication called the Enlightened Journey Newsletter. Enlightened Journey is a free publication sent out each month that will lay a firm foundation and guide you step by step toward whatever your prize might be yet still enable you to maintain the harmony and balance that everyone in life desires yet which so few know how to achieve.

Not because they can't but rather because they blindly choose not to.

Enlightened Journey is a very unique newsletter. It's actually a personal empowerment publication that provides clear, insightful and effective steps for moving forward and experiencing whatever it might be that you "truly desire" and truly value in life.

Doing so is quite simple. In the form below, simply fill in your name, e-mail address and the country you reside in and we'll take care of the rest.

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The Power Of Living In The Now

Posted by Chuck Danes

Living In The Now : You’ve heard it a thousand times. You’ve read about it for years. Most everyone has been exposed to the concept of living only in the present, without giving thought to what has happened in the past or being concerned about what may happen in the future.

As good as this advice is, we as humans can sometimes find it difficult to implement this ever so simplistic principle into our day to day lives. Simple, yes. Easy, no.

In fact, to many it may initially appear to be impossible. The key word in that statement is appear. Until you know how, it will appear impossible. But once you grasp this simple concept, once you are able to make the necessary shift in your thought process, and once you are able to understand how, fully accept why, and begin to learn to implement the awesome power that this principle holds, you’ll soon discover that your life will begin to change in a dramatic and seemingly miraculous way. Mastery of this powerful principle is essential in relation to your ability to change the circumstances that you are now experiencing as your reality.

But how do you get to that point? What steps are necessary to develop the ability to not be concerned with what currently appears to be huge insurmountable obstacles? How is it possible to be able to ignore the experiences that have previously created hardship in various areas of life in the past, and learn to effectively shut off the thoughts of concern that these very things might be repeated in the future?

These are questions asked by many. All valid and all seemingly impossible to master, until you begin to develop an understanding of how the human mind and the universe were created to operate harmoniously to bring about the events, conditions and circumstances that you experience in your day to day life.

That understanding, combined with the knowledge of basic and simplistic universal laws that determine how and why things happen as they do, will awaken you to new hope and unlimited possibilities.

This understanding will allow you to banish from your mind, the illusions of fear, doubt, worry and guilt, and allow you to begin to replace those counter productive emotions with those that will better serve in bringing about your desired outcomes.

So, how do you do that?…

The process must begin, first of all, with developing an understanding of where these emotions and concerns originate from and why we feel certain ways about the various events, conditions, and circumstances that we experience in our day to day lives. To accomplish this, it is necessary to explore and become "conscious" of the inner workings of the human mind and develop a basic understanding of it’s operation, before you can effectively initiate a plan and begin to consciously make the changes that are necessary which allow you to begin attracting that which you want, and realizing how you have, to this point, been unconsciously attracting those things that you say you don’t want.

Once this basic understanding is mastered, the next step is discovering and developing an understanding of the ever so powerful, unfailing, and unwavering Universal Laws that determine each and every end result and which brings in to being the ultimate outcome of every thought, decision, action, event, and condition that we witness and experience in our day to day lives.

The third step is allowing the understanding of this new knowledge to permeate your innermost being, allowing it's truth to become a part of you, which begins the internal process of allowing it to overwrite the self limiting, counter productive, and many times self sabotaging beliefs held based on ill given advice that you have absorbed and allowed yourself to accept as truth to this point.

The fourth and final step is putting your newly acquired knowledge into daily action and begin consistently and consciously applying each of the newly discovered principles acquired. The knowledge gained without proper application will be of no use to you. It is through the application of this powerful wisdom that you will begin to experience a life that you previously considered to be out of reach.

You’ll soon discover that the things that you, at one time, found to be a struggle will begin to fall into place with unbelievable ease. The once negative thoughts and emotions that at one point haunted you and which are responsible for attracting these "undesirable" events, conditions and circumstances to you, will be replaced with feelings of well being, understanding and an unexplainable yet profoundly empowering deep inner peace.


The financial concerns that once haunted you will melt away and be replaced with a sense of assurance. The relationships that once seemed to be difficult or impossible will become effortless, fulfilling and satisfying. The physical health that at one point was a constant concern will almost magically be renewed and you will emanate vitality, happiness, and energy far superior to anything that you have previously experienced.

Will it take effort on your part to come to realize and experience these results? Yes. Will it require discipline to go within and make the changes necessary to begin to experience the things discussed? Absolutely. Will it be necessary to seek out and find the real truth concerning the life that you were destined to experience and created to enjoy? Most definitely.

Regardless of your viewpoint concerning spiritual matters these truths are set, unwavering, unbiased and totally without prejudice. These eternal laws work exactly the same for everyone whether you are young or old, black or white, Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Agnostic, or whatever other numerous labels man has contrived to place on the human population.

It is these very laws that govern and are responsible for creating the events, conditions, and circumstances that you experience in your day to day life each and every minute of every day, regardless of who, what, or where you are.

Your awareness of them or ignorance to them is of no conciliation. You are creating something every minute of every day. With this being true doesn’t it make sense to discover the process that will allow you to begin consciously creating that which you want?

Your newfound wisdom will allow you to begin the ever important process of living in the here and now, which is precisely where you want to be.

To Recap…

*Explore and discover the basic operation of your mind.

*Familiarize yourself the simple and powerful laws of the universe.

*Allow this knowledge to permeate your inner most being.

*Apply daily, the knowledge acquired.

Make a conscious and intentional effort to consistently keep your attention on living in the now and Your life will change in a dramatic, pleasing and powerful way.


© 2008 Chuck Danes and Enlightened Journey Enterprises. All rights reserved worldwide

What Are You Attracting?

Posted By Chuck Danes

There are so many varying types of people in our world with unique personalities, different perspectives, varying degrees of beliefs, varying levels of self esteem, etc.

Each and every individual that makes up the population of this place we call earth is unique in one way or another.

One common thread with the mass majority, regardless of ones uniqueness, is a desire to become more. More what you ask? The answer to that question is as varying and unique as each individual.

Some want more money, others want more love, some want a new car, still others want a new house. Some believe that if they could only get that piece of property they have been looking at, then they’d be happy. If they could only attain that million dollar portfolio, then everything would be alright. If they could only find just the right mate then life would be perfect. If they only had better health then they would be fulfilled.

Many receive the material things that they want only to find in an unspecified amount of time that what they thought would make them happy, eventually loses it’s appeal and they find themselves wanting something else. Something More.

They rationalize in their minds that they made a mistake. The thing that they initially thought they wanted, and what they thought would make them happy, wasn’t really what they thought to begin with, but now, this time, they really know what it is that they want, and if they can only acquire that thing, then they will be truly happy.

It’s an endless cycle. Wanting more, receiving it, and then wanting something else after that thing loses it’s appeal.

Many today assume that material things will bring them the happiness they seek, only to be let down time and again.

Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to attain things, and wanting to become more, there is far more to true fulfillment than just acquiring material possessions. The desire to become more is a totally natural and actually commendable human trait, and not one that anyone should feel any guilt about.

Although most everyone wants to be fulfilled in their lives, most unknowingly and "unconsciously" go about it in the wrong way. The majority believes that they must find their fulfillment in an external world. They fail to realize that what it is they desire must first be manifest on the inside before it can ever be experienced on the outside.

Let’s look at the 3 main groups of people…

Some it seems, receive everything they want. Regardless of how far fetched or impossible it may seem to others, these people seem to effortlessly attract to themselves whatever it is they desire, whether it be things of a monetary nature, rigorous health, or fulfilling relationships. This small class of people are truly fulfilled in their lives. They have discovered the key to attracting the unlimited and immeasurable abundance that has been made available to them. They refuse to accept the common self limiting, self sabotaging thinking of the masses and as a result, experience the fullness of life which they have come to recognize and accept as their birthright.

Then there are those that appear to excel in one or two of the three important areas, but fail to realize fulfillment in the others. It seems that this type of person can manifest results in a specific area with ease, but appear totally helpless and unable to bring about the desired results in the other areas.

And finally there is the type that wants, wants, wants, but seem to continually fall short time and again, and never receive the things wanted. The specific reasons for this are again as unique as the individual, and can have as many possible reasons for not receiving whatever the desire is, based on the mind of the person doing the wanting.

So what is the difference between the first group and the following two? What allows some to attract and receive whatever it is they desire, why others seem to just scrape by , barely able to make ends meet? Why is it that some seem to float through life with seemingly effortless ease, while others appear to be in a constant state of struggle?

Quite simply, though seemingly complicated on the surface, at it’s core it is based on an individuals beliefs. It is based on what you have come to believe to be true. It is based on your ability to accept and love yourself enough to allow the incredibly powerful law of attraction to draw to you those events, conditions, and circumstances that you most desire to have in your life. It is based on your ability and willingness to see yourself worthy of receiving them. It is made possible due to an internal harmony.

How do you attain this harmony? By going within. It is achieved by learning to quite the noise of the external world and allowing the Source of all wisdom and knowledge to communicate with you through the silence.

You were created to become more. By becoming more you are able to contribute more. By contributing more, you are assisting others to become more. By assisting others to become more you are fulfilling the “Grand Plan” that you were put here to fulfill.

It is an endless and Divinely placed cycle put into place by a Divine Source that loves you far more than you could ever possibly conceive with human understanding. Anything and Everything that you can possibly conceive has the possibility of being created, and it’s actualization is only dependent on your ability to discover and tap into the tremendous creative power within yourself to reach out to it, accept it, and fully open yourself to the reality that you are worthy, and that it is in fact yours to receive.

Continue to become more on the inside and you will discover and experience a life that is fulfilling far beyond what you ever thought was possible on the outside. Continue to give more and you will receive more. Continue to love more and you will be loved more.

The choice is yours. You have the ability and the free will to become more, in each of the important areas that you desire to improve. Take the time to discover your true worth. Regularly quite the mind and ask for and seek a deeper understanding. Discover and utilize your Divinely given gifts in the proper way and you will have opened the door to unlimited blessings, peace, and prosperity far beyond what you ever thought was humanly possible.

Seek the inner wisdom that is available to you, discover and make the internal changes that are necessary for your individual situation and the external conditions, events and circumstances that you experience in your life will change, in a dramatic and powerful way.

Make a conscious effort to harmonize what is on the inside, and the external things you desire will magically manifest on the outside.

What is available to you in your life? The possibilities are infinite, and limited only by your ability to realize and accept them. You possess the ability to attract whatever it is you desire for your life.

What results do you desire? What answers are you seeking? What results are you currently receiving? What internal changes do you need to make to manifest abundance in every area of your life? Go within and discover what is right for you. The answers to living in Fulfillment in the external world are available within your internal self. Everything you desire has already been given to you. You just need to discover and unlock it.

You were created in the image and likeness of your Creator. You have been given the power to manifest whatever it is that you desire. Go within and find it. It is there waiting for you to discover it.

What internal changes do you need to make to realize a life of Abundance and Happiness?

Do you need to develop your ability to go within? You can answer that simple question by asking yourself another simple question...

What Are You Attracting?

“Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so you shall become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.” ~ James Allen


And I say unto you, ask and you shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door will be opened unto you. For everyone that asks receives, and he that seeks finds, and to him that knocks, it shall be opened. Luke 11;9-13 The Bible

© Chuck Danes. All rights reserved worldwide.

You can view this and many more articles relating to "Real Wealth" Creation, self improvement and personal empowerment at my personal empowerment portal Abundance-and-Happiness.com/self-improvement-articles

Your "Perception" And Beliefs Concerning Wealth Is What Determines How Wealthy You Will Or Will Not Become

Wealth can mean a lot of things to various people. For one it could mean a set amount of financial resources, for another health and vitality, for still another wholesome and fulfilling relationships.

These perceptions of wealth as unique and individual as they are, are formed based on what we have come to establish as truth in the various areas of our lives. More specifically, they are merely beliefs and perceptions that we hold individually.

To one who perceives wealth to mean an amount of money, and who may have amassed a multi-million dollar portfolio, to a multi-billionaire, millionaire status wouldn't be considered significant wealth at all.


The point being is that wealth is whatever you choose and "perceive" it to be. Granted, the majority perceive it to be a dollar figure, but in reality...in the bigger scheme of things money nor any amount of toys and physical pleasures is what wealth really is.


Real Wealth is experienced as a result of being wealthy on the inside, regardless of what the physical circumstances "appear" to be. Real Wealth isn't something that's acquired or earned or gained in the physical sense...it's not something that you get..."Real Wealth" is something that you are.

When you develop inner wealth, the wealth you have gained can never be lost or taken away. Yes, you could lose your money and things temporarily, but that wouldn't determine nor lower your wealth quotient. Although you may have temporarily lost the physical aspects of monetary wealth...ie. the money, toys, etc., when you are wealthy on the inside where it counts, regaining the physical aspects of wealth becomes second nature.

Multi-billionaire Donald Trump is a prime example. At one point he lost all he had in a physical sense and was up to his eyeballs in debt. What enabled him to climb back up and far exceed his previous experience was that his inner wealth couldn't be rattled or shaken.

When you develop an inner wealth, the tangible things that most perceive to be wealth happen, at times and in ways that can seem magical and effortless. When wealth is developed within, the external wealth that most perceive to determine their level of wealth happens as a by product and is limited only by the amount of wealth that you choose to develop within.

To acquire physical wealth is merely a choice which is limited only by your willingness to discover and develop the inner wealth that makes it all possible.

In a nutshell...

Becoming wealthy within will enable you to experience wealth without. As within...so without.

Real Wealth is made possible by establishing a inner harmony in every aspect of your life physically, financially, relationally, emotionally and spiritually all of which are made possible through your individual choices to develop or not develop the internal wealth that makes anything and everything possible in the physical world which most perceive to be reality.

That's something to ponder on and allow to soak in for a while.

For more information regarding "Real Wealth Creation" check out the "Real Wealth Creation" section at the Abundance-and-Happiness.com portal.

I also publish a monthly Personal Empowerment/Wealth Creation E-Zine called Enlightened Journey that provides some in depth guidance and insight for creating "Real Wealth" for yourself whether it be physically, financially, relationally emotionally, and/or spiritually. Come join us. I think you'll be glad that you did.