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Overseeing my monthly budget has always been a nightmare, juggling between usual monthly bills and unexpected expenses. My paycheck was already spent as soon as I got it. I got a stack of bills every month and put them off to the last minute, then did them all in a flush. This leads to me taking money from the next pay just to make it through. The problem was not related to how much money I made, it’s that I had no control of mybudget. In the case of any emergency, landed me even deeper in debt.

Most of us have been in this situation. We try to be cautious with our spending and be careful with our money, but long before the month is over, the money is spent. Paying bills is a juggling act that we don’t have the time or energy to handle. There’s always one bill that was forgotten or delayed, one more expenditure we weren’t prepared for. With school supplies and fees for the kids, groceries, new tyres for the car, and the rising cost of petrol, just making it from paycheck to paycheck is difficult enough; saving money is out of the question. Meanwhile, debt is quietly stacking up. I asked myself how I can get mybudget under control?

Luckily for me, I discovered a service which will help me budget my money more wisely and take away the tension of paying monthly bills, allowing me to concentrate on the things that really matter to my family. I can eventually relax not worrying about money, knowing that my monthly budget are in good hands.

The financial planning process:
During your initial consultation, your budget specialist will go over all of your existing debts and monthly payments to come up with a program that works for you. They will set aside money for savings, emergencies, and long-term investment, ensuring your family’s financial security. If you are planning a major purchase, this will be forecasted into your budget so that when you are ready to buy, the money will be there for you.

Your paychecks are generally deposited to your financial planner, and a seperate living expenses account is setup for you. Bills and repayments are diverted to your budgeting specialist for payment. There is a chance that your consultant can lower your monthly payments and reduce your outstanding debt by negotiating with creditors. A low monthly fee is assessed for all these services.

For me, the greatest monthly service my budget consultant provides is peace of mind. No more hassle with bill payment; I know my bills will be paid on time, and that I’ll have money in reserve for life’s little emergencies. My budget is finally under control, thanks to my financial planning service.

While overseeing your budget can be stressful, not handling your budget can contribute to putting you further in debt if you are not cautious. Managing your budget properly has many gains including saving you money and help relief some of your stress over debt. Always keep in mind that a budget is mainly a plan for your monthly spending. Your budget, like any programme, needs some level of management to get a successful outcome. The way I oversee my budget, for instance, is by concentrating on maintaining information coordinated and controlling my spending.

My first focus is on organising the information in my budget. I keep track of recurring expenses like utilities, motorcar and loan repayments, insurance, and the like, for example. I can very easily lose track of my expenditure without coordinating my budget. By being conscious of what expenditures repeat every month, I have an approximate grasp on the minimum amount of money I have to set away each month before I spend on other things I can control a little more such as entertainment, clothing, and holidays.

To make a financial advancement, I make sure that I supervise my expenditure closely in my budget. A strong measure of advancement is putting money into a savings instrument or paying down debt. However, if I over spend, the contrary is true because rather than saving money I will use debt to help me cover the monthly expenditure in my budget. Distinctly, giving in to the stresses of budgeting can have expensive consequences for my finances, specially if I am unable to pay down my debt.

There are two benefits for watching and coordinating my budget: First, I save money by avoiding unnecessary expenses. Second, my finances are headed at reaching financial goals. Fundamentally, by spending wisely and buying only things that are necessary, I am actually freeing up money that I can either use for something else or save. The extra money can also be useful in paying off debt or saving it for a holiday. In addition to having extra money, it will also allow me to establish longer term financial goals like saving and investing for retirement or paying off my mortgage or student loans. With my budget being coordinated and moderated, not only does my financial situation become more stable but successfully managing my budget reduces the stress that often comes with being in debt.

A bunch of folks characterize me as a romantic, only ‘caus that’s my second nature. I make a point to suggest singles try having Great Expectations. I can’t avoid it, cupid happens when I don’t even realize it. Expert singles networks, like this Milwaukee dating service (one of the best), know singles well. They build promising social events like a mutual friend, and that’s my method as well. That’s just a little role delivering powerful payoffs by changing companionship for eternity.

I’ve offered singles dating advice on my blog and to quality Milwaukee singles. My latest post won’t be clich©s. You know all that. Pay attention to what your date has to say, be diplomatic, try not to be uncomfortable, be in touch with yourself and (an often-overlooked one) don’t start grading qualifications on a shopping list. Just feel it out and take your time! Invite spontanaity in any situation. Obviously, don’t bother to come off as something is not you. Because if the date becomes deep, then you have no choice but to come to terms. But here’s the secret to dating, there are perks to joining Great Expectations Milwaukee Singles. Indeed, companionship building is a gift I have practiced, striving for perfection. Couples I matched from singles around me created that reputation. The results can’t go unnoticed.

First of all take Julie and Juan now toting about their flock of little ones. Guess who introduced these two at an improv class in college, and their result is apparent. Frank and Cristina also hit it right off after I introduced them at a wedding not long ago. But most importantly my step-sister Andrea and her life-mate. You know I’ll be there when these two head to the alter in Deluth this September. I love them both and they built their love via Great Expectations, on my behest.

So I’ve been right on with these arrows, and very resourceful too! But all this time, while I focus on the art of assisting people to understand the way to companionship, I neglected my own dating happiness. Can you guess what goes down when Miss Cupid Herself requests a matchmaker? I have Great Expectations Milwaukee, ’cause when you’re you’re a pro it’s easy to spot flaws. Perhaps these sentiments has kept me from really getting serious about dating. Not unlike other Milwaukee singles, I must realize that you can’t walk life without companionship. Here I go, taking my own advice by expert matchmaking.

Wendy Noe Just Call Me Matchmaker

For years, well-crafted wigs weren’t always my passion. Anchoring the nightly news was what kept me pretty busy. This applied till the second my hair began to thin due to medical hair loss. I resolved that I wouldn’t allow for the possibility of showing up at work as a chrome-dome Bruce Willis of this world.

I believed that I’d lost myself, robbed of my trademarked hair do. This was a sign that that it was out of my hands to get back full fashion and the hair to match. Oh, how wrong. Way before I found my favorite real wig, I tried out a wide array of silly synthetic hair pieces that didn’t match my scalp. My partner Reginald worked his magic and found some dignified wig stores where I could get invisible lace front wigs I could wear proudly.

Well I jumped into the car and took a good look at their wigs. I found a cornucopia of astonishing, dignified lace front wigs. Their breathable lace front wigs did wonders for me.

Provided the proper hair piece, a proud individual akin to myself can grow confidence while growing comfortable with her medical hair loss. Not since I was a girl did I want to expose my new hair styles. It meant a lot to me to proudly regain my personality on the job.

It wouldn’t surprise me if I’m getting out of hand as I ramble, but hair and fashion are essential to my career. Is there something else to life than a fabulous style of hair? Darn-it, it wouldn’t be right if it were true. Here’s the good news: women’s hair loss can be beat!

You couldn’t imagine what this has meant to me. Only close friends and family know the truth of me and my cancer. Anyhow that’s life, I’m just set to fearlessly approach my career again. Having hair again enriched life for me.

Many may feel this life’s course superficial. Oh well. How is existing on earth so fantastic? For me, I adore my family and my new wigs.

Love Yourself.

Denise Holton

Now, I couldn’t characterize myself as pleasantly satisfied living alone and not be lying. But, I’m not uncomfortable in that way, either. I only bring it up on the blogosphere as an appetizing little tidbit foreshadowing what I will shortly reveal to you

This time last week yours truly was walking the dog, Corey, pondering about joining a Dallas Singles dating service. As of this minute, I type to you as a surprisingly pleased member of the matchmaking service. No kidding, it’s true. It’s full of fun, attractive people! If you know me at all, you’re probably thinking, “You got some ’splainin to do, Lucy!”

Well, I noticed this Great Expectations Dating site and liked what I saw. They’re for the serious singles who think dating doesn’t have to be so frivolous and stupid.

Quite frankly, I’d never enjoyed or even tolerated whatever it is that most people so aptly entitled “dating.” I faced it more than anyone should. Day and night people pester, “You’re still single? ” and “Oh I know just the guy for you!”

“Ugh, and double ugh.” I say to them, and playfully so. “There’s nothing to date!”

“Not true,” they level with me. “That’s just an excuse for your cynicism.”

That’s just my partner in crime (she’s the best) Patty Feldman. She offers reality to my brain to put me back on course. Friends I depend on for fresh advice. She made a good point, and I thank her for it.

Back to the point of this essay. As I selected from more than three hundred outfits (hah) and desirable, honest singles for my first Great Expectations date, a revelation hit me deep. For years, I hadn’t had any emotional great expectations for dating in the adventurous winding course of being alive. Single life has its perks, even more so if you use the freedom to date. Having great expectations makes a difference for those who believe.

~Monica Ross

Nicole is a smart ten year old. She, like all smart ten year olds, is full of questions, some embarrassing, some mundane. But to her they are just things she needs help with. Things she doesn’t understand. Things she knows her mum, Anita knows the answer to.

“Mum. What’s death meditation?” she shouted from her bedroom.

“Where did you hear that love?” Anita called back from her study.

“I heard two men talking about it on TV”. “The red headed man said a man called Steve Jobs said every morning he looks in the mirror and asks himself,

“If today were the last day of my life would I want to do what I am about to do today? And whenever the answer has been No for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something”

“Oh!” said a relieved Anita as she saved the presentation she was working on and headed off towards Nicole’s bedroom. “It’s a way of looking at your life and only doing what’s important. People think that if they know when they are going to die then they would do different things”.

“Well. If I’m going to die tonight I don’t want to think all I did was go to school today. I want to spend my time playing with my toys” replied a sharp Nicole.

“Ah. That’s not quite what it means. It doesn’t mean you stop doing things you don’t like doing. It means you must look at the reasons you do things as well as the activities themselves”.

“Look, I know you don’t like school very much and if you listen to what the red headed man said, you shouldn’t go. But another way of understanding what the red headed man is saying is to look underneath the words. He is also saying what do you feel? Are you doing things that you wish you weren’t every day. Things that you know deep down you shouldn’t be doing. Are you learning new things that will be of benefit to you and the world? Or are you just doing the same things everyday out of habit.”

“Oh I get it. If I go to Miss Smiths English class and look out of the window and just say what I know she wants me to say just to keep her happy then I might as well not be there”.

“Yes. In other words a robot, like your toy, could be programmed to do that”.

“If that’s what you do. Then the red headed man is saying you need to change your attitude otherwise what’s the point of being alive”.

“So if I don’t want to do what I do in Miss Smith’s class. I can change the way I behave and ask Miss Smith questions when I don’t understand”.

“Exactly”.

“It’s like when you play with your toys. I call you and call you for lunch but you don’t hear me. You’re in a world of your own. You’re totally involved in the game you are playing. That is what the man means”.

“But mum. He said. Death meditation. What’s that?”

“Ah that’s doing what Mr. Jobs does, saying to yourself every morning before you go to school. If I was to die tonight would I be happy with what I am about to do? What would be the best thing to do with the time I have left?”

“Now it may not be playing with your toys. It may be that it would be better if you said sorry to Dominic for stamping on his lunch when he dropped it on the floor. It may be better to do your best at everything you do rather than just turn up. It may be you try harder at the things you find difficult rather than just give in”.

“It may be that you spend time with Jane rather than ignore her because she doesn’t like the toys and pop songs you like”.

“You see some people of the world believe that the way you get out of bed and what you say to yourself first in the morning affects the way the day will be. So, if you get out of bed in a bad mood and say to yourself that school is terrible and English sucks then that is the experience you will get. But if you make an effort to start the day by being happy and seeing the good things then things happen differently”.

“So, Mum, if I think of Mr. Thomas as a nice man who is trying to help me rather than a horrible teacher who just tells me off all the time. It will be better.
“Yes. You will learn more”.

“Mum!”

“If you died right now would you be pleased with what you have done today?”

“No. If I look back on my day there are some things I would like to change.”

“What do you wish you’d done?”

“Most of it’s about my attitude. The way I spoke to people. I wish I hadn’t been so aggressive, so arrogant with people. I wish I had listened more to Josey when she was talking to me”

“That’s enough. It’s time for bed now.”

“Awe Mum!”

“If you were going to die in a few hours would you be doing this?”

“Yes because it’s for your benefit. You can sit and think about what we said before you go to sleep rather than just ask more questions”.

“That’s what death meditation is about. As well as thinking about doing your best in life. Meditation is also about reflecting on what you have done and thinking about the answers people have given you to the questions you asked.”

“It’s called reflecting on life”.

See you in the morning.

Graham and Julie
http://www.desktop-meditation.com

If you want to improve and enhance the quality of your life go to:
http://www.desktop-meditation.com It’s free.

Transformational Counseling is about assisting others to
transform their life. Transformational Counseling is a process
of assisting others to learn how to let go of the past and live
fully in the present. To live fully in the present is to become
awaken to what is truly real and to our own natural power. Much
of our life is spent living in the past, and in the process,
attempting to fix it, to make it something that it is or was
not. It is from living in the past that we also attempt to
create our future, the result always being a living of life as
it was in the past. Transformation takes place when we learn to
exist in and be present to the Now.

The practice of staying present to our natural power and to that
which is real is becoming conscious to what is so, to the Now,
to the present. What is so, the Now, has no meaning and exists
outside of thought and language. As human beings we tend to give
meaning to everything, including other people, ourselves and
even life itself. It is in our meaning making that we leave the
present and create our life from the past, a life that can be
filled with a great deal of anxiety, fear and stress. What is so
merely exists and it is in the experience of the Now that we
begin to live a life of power and freedom, a life and way of
being free from our past.

A specific technique that is very powerful for practicing
staying present to the Now is meditation. It is in meditation
that one creates the space to experience a very deep state of
relaxation, a state that is very healing to both the mind and
body. As we know, in meditation ones metabolism slows down,
including heart rate and blood pressure. The consistent practice
of meditation will reduce anxiety and stress. For some the
practice of meditation allows them to access true Being. For
others it is way of reconnecting to the Spirit within us. It is
in the consistent practice of meditation that the subject and
object distinction inherent in language, thought and meaning
making collapses thereby resulting in our access to the present,
to the Now.

The meditative process can be enhanced by the use of therapeutic
relaxation music. Music has always been a very powerful modality
for promoting a very deep state of relaxation and even healings.
I have found that musical compositions that are harmonically
slow, repetitious, with sustained voices, which are
rhythmically, random in tempo assists an individual in
experiencing a very deep state of relaxation. A second important
component of the use of therapeutic relaxation music is the use
of binaural audio tones that have been interwoven into the
music. The binaural tones, through a process referred to as
entrainment or frequency following, gently guides or directs the
mind/body to generate more of the targeted frequency of brain
wave activity for an even more profound state of relaxation.

The meditative process of practicing staying present to the Now
is as follows:

1. Take a comfortable position in an upright sitting position.

2. Allow your legs and arms to be open.

3. Allow your eyes to focus upon a chosen object. The chosen
object could be a candle light in a darkened room or any point
that you choose.

4. As you focus on the chosen object, allow your muscles to
slowly relax from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.

5. Take three slow deep breathes in through your nose as you
inhale. Hold each breath to the mental count of four. Slowly
exhale each breath out through your mouth. Continue to breath at
a slow pace after the three breaths.

6. Continue to focus on the chosen object. When your mind
wanders to some thought or thoughts slowly and gently bring it
back to your focused concentration upon the chosen object.
Simply let go of the thoughts that arise. The thoughts are from
the past. Stay focused to what is so.

7. Continue the practice for a prescribed period of time and
then go about your daily activities. Each day that you practice
you may even choose to lengthen the time you spend with this
technique.

The ability to stay in the present, to access the Now, can be
enhanced with the consistent practice of meditation. What this
will necessitate is one making the practice of meditation apart
of his or her daily schedule. With the consistent practice of
meditation one will also create the ability to stay even more
present to what is so even when not actively engaged in the
meditative process. It is through a commitment to the practice
of meditation on a daily basis that one will begin to live more
fully in the Now.

1. Be grateful: start or end every day by appreciating what you have rather than what you don’t have. Make a ritual of it: “I’m grateful for ..” Do this 5 times, listing a different thing each time.

2. Put your fork or your sandwich down between mouthfuls. This way you are likely to eat less and enjoy your food more.

3. Talk to a friend - not by email, but over the phone, or better still get together.

4. Sit at the table to eat, but clear the table of bills, things to do, etc. It doesn’t help your digestion, looking at your unpaid bills while you eat.

5. Walk (or jog or run) a little more. You should be taking 10,000 steps a day, but most people are only taking 3,000 to 4,000. Buying a pedometer will help to keep your motivation up.

6. Drink more water. It’s good for your skin, helps you to avoid constipation, and may help you to lose weight as we often misinterpret the body’s thirst request as a food request.

7. Volunteer to help someone else. Research shows that we live longer and happier lives if we spend time helping others rather than just thinking about ourselves.

8. Have a laugh. Buy yourself a child’s joke book, and indulge, or buy a bubble making machine and run around after the bubbles (see tip 5)

9. Look at the sky. Research has shown that people in hospital make a better recovery if they can see the sky from their hospital beds. Why wait to be ill? Enjoy it now.

Jane Thurnell-Read is a writer and researcher on happiness, health and alternative medicine. Go to her web site at http://www.healthandgoodness.com for self-help tips, information and inspiration on how to be happy.

You are about to discover a simple technique for creating massive changes in your quality of life.

Do you want to be happier? This technique can help.

Do you want more time to spend with your family or friends, or even just time to relax by yourself? Then this seven day challenge is perfect for you.

And best of all, it’s really easy to do.

What is it?

For the next seven days, turn off the news!

Do not watch any news on the television.

Do not listen to any news on the radio.

Do not read the newspaper.

And do not have a news headline website as your browser’s home page.

Seven days! No news!

Can you do it?

Reducing exposure to the negativity of the news has produced massive changes in my life. It can and will do the same for you. However, please don’t take my word for it. Try it for just seven days and see for yourself.

The time will pass very quickly, so what have you got to lose? Worst case, you’ll miss a bit of news. Best case, you’ll be happier and more excited about your life. So, let’s give it a go!

Why does this work? Simply because one of the fundamental laws of nature is that our thoughts produce our reality. If we focus our attention on the negatives in life, we will give power to the negativity, and it will grow.

If we remove that negativity from our lives and focus on the positives, we will tend to create more positives.

The news is extremely negative. And the fact is that exposing yourself to most of this negativity adds NO value at all to your life.

Simply put, turning off the news shields you from the onslaught of negativity and leaves you with time to fill your life with positives.

So what you do with the extra time you now have available?

No, do not just watch other TV!

You want to replace this time with positive experiences which add value to your life.

Spend some time alone considering your life. Find out who you are. Find your life’s purpose, or your higher calling. Set some major goals for your future. Where would you like to go? Who would you like to go there with? What would you like to do for a living, if there were no limitations?

Spend some time with the people who are important in your life- your family and friends.

Consider getting back to nature. Take some time out for a relaxing walk in a park. Or sit at the beach and watch the waves. Relax!

This is not just hiding from reality, and living in a fantasy land. I don’t expect you to forever hide from what’s going on in the world, especially in your local community. Just cut out all exposure to the negativity for seven days and then consider whether you feel happier and more excited about life.

Once you’re aware of this alternative, happier way of living, you can then find a balance between being aware of current affairs, and your need to maintain separation from those issues.

There is absolutely nothing to be gained by worrying about what’s going on elsewhere, especially when it’s outside of your sphere of influence. When you understand that, you can then choose what you listen to or watch on TV. You will regain control.

If there is something that you need to know, trust me, someone will tell you anyway.

And you will have more time available to experience a positive and friendly world.

If you like the improvement this brings to your quality of life, then perhaps you could consider this is just a start. Why not also eliminate other TV which adds no value to your life.

Seven days, no news! The results will be life-changing.

It’s easy to do. However it’s also easy to not-do. Which will you choose?

Even if there’s only the smallest chance of this working, wouldn’t it be worth trying?

I know you can do it. Go for it!

Lance Beggs.

Copyright Lance Beggs. All Rights Reserved.

Lance Beggs is the author of “How to be Happy Now”. His mission is to help others live a life of meaning, love and happiness! Subscribe to his FREE ezine at www.HowToBeHappyNow.com

Trust must be among the most fascinating word of the English language, as it connects the spiritual realm to the practical. See for yourself: Trust describes simultaneously an indubitable sense of certainty in a favorable outcome, while defining a legal arrangement through a fiduciary relationship. Clearly this little word has the power to join heaven to earth! No wonder it might take us a little while to get used to it! “In God, we trUSt”, which stamps our US currency, is a direct illustration of its bridging power. There is most assuredly great wealth to retrieve from having trust. Yet how do you come into it? Where do you buy it?

1. Order

Trust implies embracing a bigger picture than the little self, which wants its “due” rewards, its gratification right here, right now… Whereas the little self makes it all about me, trust espouses a bigger perspective, this of community. That is how it spells trUSt, because it makes it about US, all about Uniting our states to our Spirit, because then we can trust. Trust calls you to let go of the needs of the small self long enough you can become aware of your environment, and realize that events do not happen arbitrarily, but instead that they reflect an underlying order, potentially divine, where all works interdependently, where there are no favorite, but instead an orchestrated symphony of goodness, a magical web distributing blessings to each of us equanimously….

2. Courage

Trust implies having the courage to wait for what is good, true and beautiful to appear. It is a process well known by true artists, who will not act until inspiration prompts them to create. The movie “Jackson Pollock” offers a perfect example of that, when the artist, having received the most important commission of his life, is filmed, waiting and waiting and waiting some more, just starring at the canvas. His girlfriend, in her worrying, attempted to coerce him to paint, to no avail. Gently escorting her out of his studio, as if no thought could disturb him from waiting for the beloved, he went back to his active listening. To him, time did not exist: he knew without the shadow of a doubt the beloved, the inspiration, would come… That takes tremendous courage. That is heART!

3. Collaboration

Trust offers no pressure, no tension, and no frustration: it gives you instead the chance to take full responsibility, and to merge impeccably with the task at hand. This partnership with the divine is an evolved friendship where no one participant is led astray, left abandoned, or betrayed. Never in this co-creation is there a sense of victimhood, of false expectations, of irrational demands that ruin the mood for love and limit excellence. Not at all passive, but an act of willful participation into the workings of the universe, trust is relaxed enough, easy, playful, light enough, that things happen for the good of all, naturally. In playing your part, your work transforms into worship, and your doing becomes a prayer that has no attachment to the outcome… Delicious!

4. Economy

Economy is such an economical word: I love it! And in fact, distrust is as contracting as it can be expensive, and yes, I did check my spelling! Think of all the errors you made, because you did not have the heart to wait for the proper romantic partner, for the right house, for the job that would really fulfill your sense of self! Even down the smallest decisions, where would you be if you had the forbearance to wait for your turn, be in purchasing socks, in speaking to a teller, in driving… Wouldn’t that trust spare you a few inconveniences, dollars, and challenging emotions? “You can’t hurry love, no, you just have to wait…”

5. Integrity

Generally not influenced by the opinions of others, people who trust are their own masters, and know they are perfect, whole, complete, and connected, as would say my friend Goddess. Doubt is viewed as an outsider’s opinion, an intrusion which is not welcome in their mental space. They do not spend energy descending in the nauseating pit of worrying either. What for? They resolved at some point to starve their ego by not feeding it prideful worry… Worry as an expression of pride? Think of it: when you worry, aren’t you rivaling against goodness? Aren’t you putting your money on not trusting God, (what an irony!)? Aren’t you placing a bet on no God, no good, no grace, and no celebration? Integrity starts at home, and builds a foundation that has no cracks, and that offers no possibility for doubt or worry to creep in… Integrity is whole, not hole.

6. Discernment

Discernment is another big deal. I often hear how hard it is to recognize the voice of ego from truth. And how true is that statement? It really comes down to the powerful serenity prayer of the 12 steppers: discernment is simply the wisdom to know the difference. And truth is: you will only be finished with your addiction to smoking when you will be. You are only done when you are, not one minute earlier or later, be it with overeating or worrying. Be it with overworking or arguing. When it’s over, it’s over, and you’ll know it. Anything else is trying, not trusting! So next time you are confused, see if you can accept you are not quite ready for the way truth is going to change your life. Discernment is only that: the willingness to know the difference between stage 1 (accepting) and stage 2 (transforming). Thus discernment asks you to grow up into maturity, and own the consequences of your actions. “I did it! I am confused: that must be perfection!”

7. Paradox

The beauty of the trust challenge is that it is a paradox, in the sense that it requires you to quit wanting to know, or wanting to be right! That is an enormously big deal, a deal which is the most terrifying experience for humans… It is indeed much easier to buy insurances, to hire a fortune teller, to invest in strategies and techniques, to analyze the courses of stars, and listen to forecasts, JUST SO THAT WE COULD RELAX. Until the day when all the strategies, all the charts, all the plans, all the safety devices fall apart. And that is the good news, because this breakdown can be a breakthrough to allow your metaphoric tent of peace to be built, without a roof, just so that we could see the stars before falling asleep… Or falling awake, peaceful and now relaxed, because you came to trust your lucky star, rather than question it!

8. Surrender

As I write these words, I cannot help but take a deep breath. As I know how much I have worried, and schemed, and manipulated, and strived. I know how hard I tried (that word, again) to control a particular outcome. I know how much I worked at losing weight, how much energy I placed in building my business, how long I looked for love… If these words are touching you, if the truth of my heart reaches you, if you are tired and have followed so many paths, turned so many stones, and still have found no peace, then stop. That’s right: simply STOP, right here, right now. And I do not mean to go indulge on ice cream if your weight is a concern. I do not mean to not call your clients. I mean to stop the madness. I mean to relax. I mean to take a breath with me right now. I mean to look around the room you are in. Yes, let go of this computer page, and simply look around you. Go follow a butterfly. There is life. You are not alone. And you are invited. Come!

9. Totality

Yes, the invitation is total. There is no looking back, or you will be turned into a pillar of salt: not a sweet deal, I promise! You cannot surrender half way, no more than you can forgive half way, no more than you can commit half way, or trust half way. You either do or you don’t. You have to let the soul orgasm ride you utterly, and bring you, defenseless, to the ecstasy of your true self. You have to know in your heart that you will be OK on the other side. Yes, it is a passage, a death of sorts. Totally! Yet, do you like what you’ve got now so much that it is worth hanging onto? I don’t think so… I have always found that the pain was before making the decision. That is how there is talk of cold feet before getting married. Totality is a love story. Totality jumps fiercely and responds yes, a big YES, an “I do”. Totality trusts, wholeheARTedly.

10. Freedom

The memory of that moment is engraved in my heart forever, when Byron Katie, one of my beloved teachers, answered my expressed jealousy to see her having it all: “Yes, honey, I have everything I want because I want everything there is.” I knew that for her it was true. True that she wanted it all. That she ultimately had no parts inside her that was attached to an opinion, a preference, an idea, a judgment, an expectation. That all hang-ups, all contractions were gone. Gone for good. That what was left was an open heart, an open hand, a compassionate listening, and a willingness to serve, no matter what, ready to do what it takes. I cannot but gasp as I settle as I would into a really cold bath, little by little, into the freedom of wanting it all, sickness and health, poverty and wealth, birth and death: what a trip! What an adventure! How delightful can trust be!

Mahalene is an Inspiration Anchor, an Artist, an Author and the President of Soulvision Axis, Inc., a company assisting visionaries to unleash their creativity and awaken their spirit. She authored the Ten Techniques for heARTful living, as a result of 22 years of study and experience in creativity, communication and human development.

Beyond several local publications and national e-publications to which she is a regular contributor, she currently writes a blog (http://www.mahasblog.com) and publishes a monthly e-zine, Stop Trying, Start Trusting Mahazine, addressed to visionaries, holistic coaches, and consultants on the way to birth their personal and professional leadership. She also offers a Seven Weeks Mini-course, mad from the heART, and mini inspiring movies. Please do feel free to check out her work; http://www.mahalenelouis.com.

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