We are not here to do this alone.  The most important aspect of manifesting the life we desire is to find connections and expand our experience to those who are here to work together.  I don't know about you, but my mind has a tendency to find everything that is wrong, with you, with me and in the world.

Thoughts have energy, and they tend to reinforce themselves.  So if I keep having negative thoughts towards you, well, you can imagine that we won't have the best relationships.  Even if I don't say these things aloud, my thoughts and belief about you will be noticeable in the way I engage with you. 

Did you ever notice the effects of peoples preconceived ideas about you on how well they are able to listen and receive what you have to say?  

These can be good or bad?

For instance, have you ever gone to a seminar or workshop, where you were excited to hear the speaker?  How did you feel?  Compare that to the feeling you have had when you were forced to listen to something by somone you didn't like.

When some people hear the name Trump, they get excited and start to listen for wisdom.  When others hear the name, the cringe, and if they have to listen, they are tuned in for all things offensive.

What if we could do it differently?  What if we didn't have to create baggage in our relationships?  If we could do this, we could see things accurately, without bias.  More than that, we could work effectively with each and every person on our life's path.

So my goal for this month is to start to have clear and clean relationships.  This follows that Buddhist tradition of the 8 fold path.  The first two steps on this path being the most important:
1. Accurate Perception
and
2. Correct Expression 

To have clean and clear relationships means that I am looking for the best in you, but I am not completely tuned-out to those things that are out of integrity for me.   I can be supportive and encouraging in your shining your light, and I can help you shine the light on your shadow, and notice when you are shining the light on mine.

Shadow work is important for us all.  Being positive all the time can often result in a blow-up of self-sabotaging negative character traits that we have refused to acknowledge exist within us. The importance of clean and clear relationships is to be consciously aware of what belongs to me.

I have attended so many workshops on healing and spiritual practices and those that are often most attended are ones devoted to increasing prosperity and abundance.  I received a handout at one that included 31 affirmations for prosperity.  It somewhat surprised me that the affirmations weren't all about having positive thoughts around money, most of them related to tuning into my purpose, living my truth, and following my path.  

For example,  "My energy is focused and directed toward my goals."
Or, "I find my life's work by looking within rather than without."

There are a few also, trying to remove some of the blocks or emotional pitfalls that block me from trusting my path.

"I send love to my fears and hold them up to the light of my soul."
"I let go easily, trusting that nothing leaves my life unless something better is coming."

I am trying to remain in this state of faith and trust as I am participating in the emergence of this vision with much trepidation.  Even though I am constantly working on my inner-thought life, and lately in particular have been focused on fearing nothing, it is very difficult to believe the vision at times when I am not seeing it in front of me.

What I know to be true is that starting from the beginning takes time.  All of these learning experiences are here to help me grow and evolve.  People show up when they are needed, and all of the help needed always arrives just on time.

So, if you are wanting more abundance in your life, don't be afraid of taking that step, no matter how small, towards your hearts desire.  Each journey begins with a tiny step.  Every step, no matter how wobbly is part of the learning process, and is moving you towards something greater.

Living your best life is what you were meant to do.  Opening up to this, creates a flow of divine presence.  

Most importantly, Don't Fear Failure!

From the book by Robert A. Russell "The Way of Mastery."

"Failure isn't even remotely possible...why?  If you plant a garden and the seed does not turn into a beautiful flower but withers and dies, that experience is a creation and you have done it, and because all events in space and time, everything you experience are completely neutral, there is no failure.

The only failure seems to occur within your own consciousness.  When you believe it is not acceptable to receive and own and embrace your  creation with love and with innocence. Instead you can choose to look upon it and to experience it, and recognize your perfect safety in doing so.  For it is from there that you can decide whether to continue in that form of creation, or whether to think differently and approach things differently."  

When I let myself view all of the forms of the creation of this project as beautiful in their own way, I let go of the fear.  I can create from love, instead of trying to manipulate outcome out of fear.  I can enjoy the process.  I can connect to God's vision of my life and feel the flow of abundance.