reikijoyliving

You can’t escape it nowadays. Listening to NPR while I ran errands this evening the announcers talked about trying to forestall the housing crisis. CNN is full of talk about the treasury secretary and the bailout the automakers want. There’s a fine line between “for the good of all” and “you made your bed, now lie in it,” especially since every action has many ramifications. And, a situation like a foreclosure is touched by so many other individuals.

I don’t think it matters what your views on the topic are, because we all have our own opinions. Mine are shaped by my years working in the mortgage industry and talking to loan officers and real estate brokers. Others are shaped by their experiences. For good or bad, we all have an opinion, and no one is one hundred percent correct.

Reiki can help. It can’t provide all the answers or make it rain money (though wouldn’t that be awesome if it could, LOL!). But it can clear out any emotional blockages we have to prosperity or abundance. And it can offer calming stress-relief. It can help us nurture ourselves. Because when fear and negative emotions are rampant, we can use it to calm ourselves and move forward. That’s the power of reiki.

 Semi-related to yesterday’s post, I have a couple of semesters of college under my belt. I was working towards an AA in Equine Science. Well, recently, I’ve begun thinking about returning to college and finishing my degree. Of course, being as busy as I am, my first thought was meep! When am I going to find the time? Followed by, where am I going to find the money?Well, I know I can do both. It may be tough, and I may have to scrimp and save, but I can. However, I can also trust the universe to take care of things too. I needed to do my part. I also believe the universe will do its part, too. So I can send reiki.

Because reiki is a great tool for stress-relief it can help me stop worrying about things, because frankly, if Olympic Gold Medals were given out for worry, I’d have half a zillion by now. Instead of worrying, I can give myself reiki, work towards my goals, and trust (hope?) that everything will turn out okay.

 Following is a sample “write your own story” from an abundance journal. I hope you can use this to craft one that works for you.

***

I work at a good job that provides prosperity and abundance for me and my family. My work is appreciated, and I am considered a valuable member of my team. My supervisor sees my contributions and rewards me for them. My paycheck allows me to pay my bills and have money left over for luxuries and fun events with my family.

My environment supports me. My partner cares for me and provides support and love. I live in a good neighborhood. I have all my needs met personally, professionally, spiritually and emotionally. All is well and the Universe hears my needs and takes care of them. I want for nothing. Everything I need is provided for me by the Universe. So Mote It Be.

***

You can add an “Amen” or whatever works for you on the end of that, but basically you’re looking at this like a prayer. This is what you are telling the universe you want.

So we’ve thought about wording our requests in a positive manner. We’ve thought about what we want and where we want to be. We know what kind of abundance and prosperity we want to bring into our lives. Now, it’s time to write your story.

When writing your story it’s important to remember a few things. First, make strong, powerful statements that reflect a positive attitude and what you want. This is not a time for wimpy language. Words like “should” or “hopefully” or “maybe” have no place in your story. Write what you want as you want it to be.

Second, don’t be afraid to get specific. If there is a certain dollar amount you want to make, write it down. If you’re looking for concrete goals, then make sure they’re in your journal. Studies have shown the more concrete the goal, the better someone’s chance of achieving it.

And lastly, don’t get caught up in “but it isn’t like this now.” You’re not writing about now. You’re writing your story as you want it to be, as you expect it to be. This is the world that you’re envisioning for yourself, one full of abundance and hope.

Things aren’t going to happen overnight. They may not change in a week or a month. But to me, writing your story in an abundance journal is part of good goal-setting habits. Using an abundance journal, along with other processes, will help you to work toward your goals.

In addition to thankfulness, the second part of an abundance journal is to create your own story. You have to believe your story in order to live it. So that means sitting down and thinking about what story do you want to create. Don’t say “I wish I had more money.” Statements like those focus on the lack. Say “My prosperity allows me to live a comfortable life. I can pay my bills, put food on my table, and have money left over for luxuries.” Don’t say “I wish my job didn’t suck.” Say, “My job fulfills me and allows me to use my talents.” Focus on what you do want, not what you don’t have.

So for today, think about those statements that you want to make about your life and rewrite them to be positive and focus on what you want. Turn those negatives into positives. Then, you’ll be ready to write your story.

The first half of your daily abundance journal entry should be thankfulness. After all, it’s only polite to thank the universe for whatever you receive. I also think it helps to set the proper mood for creating our story and inviting abundance into your life. Otherwise, if you simply ask for what you want without being thankful for it, then that makes you look greedy. There’s plenty for everyone. We just need to not be greedy and accept our share.

Finding things about which to be thankful shouldn’t be difficult. The daily list can be a mix of small things (thankful for getting a good parking spot, for example) and large (thankful for a continued ill family’s members improving health). And, being thankful doesn’t have to be strictly money related. Abundance and prosperity isn’t just dollars and cents. We have an abundance of joy, health, friendship…there are many things we can be thankful about, and by letting all the forms of abundance into our live we can “pave the way” for prosperity.

The important part is to make the thanks you offer meaningful. Don’t be thankful about something that you’ve griped about all day. Be thankful about things that you really do want more of in your life. And, don’t stress over this. Simply relax and let it flow. At first you may not be able to list a lot, but as your work with the abundance journal goes on, you’ll find more and more things you’re thankful about. Once you have that, then writing your own story comes naturally.

 So you’ve decided you want an abundance journal and you think that it’s going to be helpful to you. The next step is to choose how you’re going to journal. Basically there are two ways: electronic journaling and paper journaling. Each one has its merits, as well as its downside.

Electronic journaling means typing, whether it’s on a desktop or laptop or by using a PDA, Blackberry, or other portable device. You keep an electronic journal. The largest benefit of this I see is portability, because if you use a device such as a PDA, then wherever the device is the journal will be. This allows you to journal wherever and whenever you want. It also means that you can review your abundance journal at any time.

However, electronic files can be lost and do need to be backed up. Plus, it’s easier to type, and I think we oftentimes give less thought to what we type than if we have to handwrite out every word. To me, it lacks the weight of actually sitting down with a notebook and writing something. That’s a deliberate action, one that needs time and forethought. To me, that adds gravitas to the abundance journal and tells the universe that you’re serious.

If you can’t tell, I prefer paper journaling. Pick a pretty notebook, or a leftover spiral notebook from the back to school stack, or even buy a blank book complete with hardbound cover. Whatever makes you feel good and that you’ll enjoy using is what you need. You can find pens that suit your mood. Personally, I enjoy sparkly gel pens, because they add a little fun, and when you’re writing in gold in your abundance journal, well, you can’t help but think of abundance and money.

Sure, you’ll need to be careful with paper journals because there isn’t an easy “backup” system. But to me, I think they’re better suited for abundance journaling, and you’ll have a tangible record of your past journals.

Next, we’ll talk about the first part of your two part abundance journal entry.

Yesterday we talked about what an Abundance Journal was. Today we’ll chat a bit about why to have one.

I’m sure there are naysayers who will tell you that writing down what you want won’t actually get it for you. I mean, if we all wrote down “I want to win the lottery” every day, then why is the Powerball prize still unclaimed from week to week? However, what studies have told us is that people who plan and have goals are more likely to realize those goals. And that’s, in essence, what our abundance journals are. They’re a way for us to plan and have goals.

But, if we’re writing down our abundance goals, then doesn’t it get repetitive writing down the same things from day to day?

Continue Reading »

In these economic times, it’s far too easy to get in the not enough money - need to work more trap. After all, it’s what we’re taught.  Hard work equals more money. The early bird gets the worm. No pain no gain. All those says help foster our belief about money and abundance in the universe. And to some extent that’s true. We haven’t quite evolved yet to tap into the cosmic ATM and wish our every wish into existance. But if we could, wouldn’t that be cool?

I’m not saying that we can lay on a sunny beach somewhere with a drink and an open bar tab and simply manifest our every desire with our mind. What I am saying is that our minds can be powerful tools to help bring out our own abundance and prosperity. And that is where an abundance journal comes into play.

Continue Reading »