Category: Prosperity

Bubble Your Pleasure, Bubble Your Fun

Some years ago, a friend saw an item for sale and immediately thought, “Yashoda will love this”.

I did.  Her gift was a bubble wand – the kind that made huge bubbles!  With practice you could even encircle your body with these bubbles!  And, if you added glycerin to the soapy water, glorious rainbows filled bubbles as they drifted towards the sky.     

The more bubbles I made the more fun I had.  I loved the way I could use the wind, gently turning my arms and body in a graceful way which made the bubbles.  I knew I wanted to sell bubbles as extra income.

Some time before, another friend and teacher, Leonard Orr, told a group of us “If you are really intelligent, you will create many sources of income – 50 sources of income!”  I thought he was daft, that it was easy for him to say because he is fairly well-known and is in many money making adventures.  But I remember what else he said: that when we have one main source of income a sort of dependency gets created; along with that comes an unconscious fear of losing that source of income.  I also knew of people who were in stifling uncreative jobs for that very reason.  So, since I already was selling other things, I decided to broaden to three sources of income.

I called the manufacturer and purchased 200 bubble wands, at about $2.15 each.  That was a sizable amount for me at the time, but I had this feeling that I could have fun and make money. 

My bubble wands arrived, I put on my best working boots and hat, something colorful and crazy in between, and set off for the Canby County Fair in Canby, Oregon, I rented a space and set up my table, bucket and a simple sign that said: “Mystical, Magical Bubbles…Bubble Your Pleasure, Bubble Your Fun!”

And I did.  I had fun.  I got so INTO making the bubbles, watching each as a surprising, magical occurrence, that I completely forgot that I was selling! Why, people were asking ME if they could GIVE ME money so they could have their bubble wand. 

In three days, I was delightfully wiped out!  And substantially filled out in my wallet! I sold the wands for $10 (I knew they retailed for $12) or two for $15.  I ordered more and sold them whenever I saw the opportunity, gave some as gifts, traded some, even took some as I traveled to Europe and India.  I sold them atop a hotel in London and traded my last wand in Katmandu for a night stay in a guest house – if I did the demonstration!  Yes, I was successful at selling these bubble wands.

Leonard also says it is smart to always have something to sell, I learned a valuable secret that has remained with me still:

  1. I was fired up by the product, thinking and feeling them to be so wonderful for me to demonstrate and for people to buy and,
  2. I forgot I “had” to sell them which gave me freedom to relax, to play…to sell!

Apart from my setting up and showing up, this experiment was not only easy, it was effortless because of the fun that I had.

It is intelligent these days for all of us to create many sources of income.  There are wonderful products that can be sold person-to-person, services and ideas (giving a workshop or class).  That is how money is made: ideas, goods and services.  Think about something that “turns you on”, “gives you a hit” or “fires you up”.  Get a few and sell them and make a profit.  Do you remember how good you feel when you find something that’s fun as well as a bargain?  Well you can do the same for people you know or strangers by offering them something that can enhance their pleasure or practicality of life.

Note: No one will do without because you “turn a buck”.  It is not true that there is only a limited amount of money in Humboldt County.  All it takes is imagination, some creativity and energy on your part.  And this is how most money making ventures begin.  Leonard Orr likes to make money jokes, here’s one: It is the not that money is the root of all evil…It is the lack of money that is the root of all evil.

 

Susan Deschenes leads classes in clientele building, energy breathing and spiritual purification practice in Humboldt County.   On her last pilgrimage to India, she left California with a train ticket to Montreal and $75…She returned 2 years later with $300 and never-to-be-forgotten experiences in England, Spain, Austria, Italy, India, and South Africa using these principles.

 (c) 2002 Susan Yoshoda Deschenes

Playing for Change…

From the award-winning documentary, “Playing For Change: Peace Through Music,” comes the first of many “songs around the world” being released independently. This is an amazing version of “Stand by Me” that I think will delight you as much as it did me!

This cover of Stand By Me was recorded by completely unknown artists in a street virtual studio all around the world!

It all started with a base track—vocals and guitar—recorded on the streets of Santa Monica, California, by a street musician named Roger Ridley. The base track was then taken to New Orleans, Louisiana, where Grandpa Elliott—a blind singer from the French Quarter—added vocals and harmonica while listening to Ridley’s base track on headphones. Then Washboard Chaz added metal percussion.

The producers took the resulting mix all through Europe, Africa, and South America, adding new tracks with multiple instruments and vocals, which were assembled into this final final version — all done with a simple laptop and some microphones.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!! (Thanks to Dr. Mercola for sharing this with me!!)

New Year, New Choices

Well, we’ve hit that time of year when we’re encouraged to put together resolutions for the next 365 or so days. 

Unfortunately, most of us, if we thought much about it, would realize we’re simply recycling the same things from the past several years (or decades!!).  Perhaps that’s part of why such a large number of people break their resolutions within the first month of the new year.

I’ve never been big on New Years’ resolutions, but I do appreciate the periodic review of effectiveness and setting myself back on a healthy, prosperous and/or more interesting track.  And of course, that can happen anytime – not just on December 31 or January 1!  (I like to use my birthday.)

Rather than fixating on the specific things we consider to be deficiencies,  it’s so much more effective to focus on the larger picture.  Successful businesses, while they look at the particulars regarding their success (or failure) in the marketplace, periodically take the opportunity to actually create a larger vision or purpose for themselves, ultimately leading to methodology that allows them to create the results they want. 

I’m thinking this would be a very useful exercise for all of us – sort of a strategic plan for our lives.

When we focus on specific acts (tactics), rather than our overall desired outcome or the plan to get there (strategy), it is much easier to fail.  For instance, having a resolution to give up coffee or sugar is very specific.  But it’s a tactic, rather than a strategy.   And, as soon as you succumb to the sugar or coffee, you have failed in your resolution.

How much more room is there for success when you shift “giving up sugar” to “eating healthy foods”, or “eating mostly unadulterated foods”, or “having natural fruit as a snack”, or even “leaving additional sweeteners out of anything I eat”?  While these last are tactics, too, they are much more broad, and they offer solutions rather than deprivation. 

That’s another problem with resolutions (re-solution – to solve again).  Not only are we attempting to solve something for the second or third or twentieth time, most resolutions are formulated in the direction of deprivation, loss, removal of some pleasure, etc.

While there are those among us who are motivated by fear and loss, most of us are more likely to achieve what we desire when we frame the choice in a positive direction – just like when we write affirmations.  Giving yourself something is always more pleasant than taking something away.  And of course, you can always use both the stick and the carrot – which for some people is an effective strategy, too.

As you think about what you would like to be different in your life this year (or month or week),  kick it up to a higher level than just a tactic by identifying what you are attempting to fix, correct, or what you stand to gain by accomplishing that tactic, not just what you must give up. 

What is the result you are looking for in giving up coffee?  Is it having a natural energetic balance?  Is it getting rid of gastro-intestinal upset?  Is it to calm your nerves?  Is it to keep that extra $4 per day instead of giving it to Starbucks?  Use whatever you discover to create that larger outcome and ultimately to create an overall strategy. 

Once you identify the larger picture for yourself, you can set your natural problem-solving talents on the task of coming up with multiple ways to accomplish that larger outcome.  And in doing that, you will have many more ways to be successful and feel good about your results.

Rather than depriving yourself through your resolutions, I encourage you to offer yourself more choices this year by looking at your own larger picture to develop the new habits you want in your life. 

Good luck, and let me know how you’re doing!!

Affirmations…Do They Really Work?

[PLEASE NOTE:  Although the items discussed below are still available, the special offer has expired.]

 It seems the jury is still out on the usefulness of affirmations.

Some people swear by them, and credit affirmations with helping them to make massive positive changes in their lives.

Other people say they are ineffective and wishful thinking.

Well, this is a case where both sides really are correct. Although the use of affirmations and the reasons behind their effectiveness is definitely up for inspection!

Affirmations, when done correctly, can help desired change happen far more quickly. When affirmations are framed appropriately, designed to support the desired change(s), and implemented in the proper manner, then they can seem to work like magic.

However, there are some simple basics to affirmations, that many people don’t understand. There is a form (or formula) to creating effective affirmations, and a method for integrating them into our self-development work that makes a huge difference in how well they will work for you. If you’ve been using visualization and affirmations, but you’re not getting the results you want, then you are probably missing out on at least some part of this basic understanding.

If you’re ready to have better results, then this could be your lucky day! Over the past week or so I’ve discovered 2 very useful tools that can help increase your success in using affirmations.

The first was a software product that intrigued me. So I bought the rights to it, made some basic modifications, and tested it out myself. I think you’ll like it. In fact, I’d like to run a little test with it, and you can be a test subject if you’re game! More about that in a few minutes…

The second tool I discovered was a quick-read ebook called “Why Most Affirmations Fail and the Four Building Blocks of Successful Affirmations” by Jennifer Shepard, a syndicated columnist with a tagline of the Lipstick Mystic ®.

This book contains a lot of useful information about how and why affirmations do and don’t work, and what you can do to make them more successful. I really liked Jennifer’s approach, and so I contacted her to see if I could set up a special offer for my readers.

While affirmations may seem to be esoteric to those who are not familiar with them, they use some very solid premises based on how the brain codes and uses information. They are useful for any area of your life, whether your focus is personal or professional.

Well, it didn’t take a lot of convincing, especially after she saw how connected the Prosperity Challenge is to the work she is also doing. So, she graciously agreed, and the result is that Jennifer is allowing me to offer you her $27 book for only $17 – which is more than 35% off her regular price.

There is a condition, however. This price will only be good until April 17, 2007. The link and the discount disappear on April 18. You can find out about Jennifer and her book by clicking here to be taken to the $17 page.

This great little book will give you lots of insight into how to tune up your affirmations so they work better. She offers some great ideas on how to overcome blocks and get things back on track. I think you’ll enjoy reading the book as well as the articles and suggestions she has to offer on her website.

So, now that we’re talking about affirmations, this is where my new software comes in. I purchased rights to a subliminal message affirmation software program that works on your computer desktop.

The actual affirmations were written based on ideas in “The Secret” – you know, the movie everyone has been talking about for months now. But I found the affirmations to be very basic, so I “pumped them up” to make them even more powerful, using my understanding of linguisitics and how the conscious and subconscious minds work.

While the focus is mostly on wealth and abundance, there are also some affirmations and suggestions for other areas of your life, too. As we know, abundance isn’t just about money. It’s also about health, relationships, self-confidence, etc.

So, here’s my offer to you: I am currently selling this software at http://Subliminal-Messenger.com for $7. I know that’s a really low price, but I do want people to have the opportunity to use it if they are interested.

However, I also want people who want to write their own affirmations to have a solid grounding in what works and why. So when you decide to pick up Jennifer’s book, I will give you a free copy of the Law of Attraction Subliminal Software.

All you have to do is send me a copy of your PayPal receipt for the book and I’ll send you a link to get the software for free. That means you get both the book and the software for $17 – less than half of the full price!

So, if you’re interested, here’s what you do:

  1. Go look at Jennifer’s site, http://free-daily-affirmations.com
  2. Go look at the software, http://subliminal-messenger.com
  3. Then, use this link: http://prosperitychallenge.com/affirm.html to buy the book
  4. Send a copy of your PayPal receipt to prgm@prosperitychallenge.com
  5. Read the book, apply the principles
  6. Install the software, enjoy the results!

Oh yes, and if you do use the software, please let me know how it works for you – what you liked, what you didn’t like. I am planning to develop several more little affirmation scripts for various specific issues, so I really want to know what you think, and how it works for you.

By the way, personally I think affirmations are great and I use them often! But I also know their effectiveness is dependent upon several factors.

At some time in the future I will be writing my own book about my successful experiences using visualization, language and various specific techniques and processes. In the meantime, I encourage you to pick up Jennifer’s book. You are sure to learn something new and useful – I did.

To Our Continued Success!

Katie

P.S. I will be posting a link to both the book and the software on the Prosperity Challenge and the Career Life Institute blogs. The book will continue to be available after April 17 – but it will go back to its full price of $27.