The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.  Marcel Proust

The endless round of our ordinary lives can dull our ability to see beauty and feel wonder. This is one of the reasons why traveling can be so amazing. Because we see things that are new, we are invited to look with new eyes. When I climb a mountain in the Alps I am in awe of the grandeur, and when I sit in a temple in Bali I see spirituality in a whole new way. When I walk through a German forest I am enfolded in the land of my ancestors. When I sample the wares in a French market I am treated to a host of fresh flavors and a riot of colors. Each moment invites me to stay open, be present, and really SEE life in all its beauty.

This is like looking at life with the eyes of a child, or beginner’s mind as the Buddhists call it. By bringing wonder, adventure, and the desire for discovery into how you view the world, you become open to a new way of seeing it. This invites you to find where Spirit is trying to break through and where love is lingering, waiting to be noticed.

Spiritual Contemplation: What invites you to open and see life with new eyes? How can you build more of this into your life?

Affirmation: I am open to the wonder and beauty of life. I see how Spirit shines through it all.

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Going-to-the-Sun Road is an engineering marvel of road building in Glacier National Park. Hairpin curves overlook tremendous drops into the valley and rivers below, while towering peaks above cast shadows and waterfalls onto the road. The best and easiest way to experience it is via a red shuttle, but many visitors choose to use their own cars, so the road is gridlocked with vehicles. Hiking trails are crowded with the human footprint, which puts pressure on wildlife, like the amazing, sure-footed, white mountain goats. Close encounters with them are often the talk of the trip, yet because of the traffic and crowds these extraordinary experiences are diminishing.

If you are losing your peace in your quest for peace, you are not on the road to peace. The road to peace is peace.  Alan Cohen

Sometimes in life you find an extraordinary place and you then return to it so many times that it loses its wonder and mystery. Or maybe social media makes it into a commonplace cultural event—a happening that everyone now knows of, talks of, and writes about . . . and for you, this rubs the shine right off. Now is the time to reclaim the wonder and mystery of life. Find a new way to engage with your favorite place or allow life to guide you to your new magic spot. Experiencing the wonder, awe and majesty of life bring so much peace and expansion, it’s worth any journey. By open to your vortex of wonder wherever you go.

Spiritual Contemplation: Do you have a special place that reminds you to wonder? Is it time for you to be guided to the possibility of a vibrant place in consciousness or on earth to feel the magic and awe of life? Follow where you are led.

Affirmation: I am open to the wonder and awe of life. I am open to the wonder of places that feel my heart with magic!

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What could I say to you that would be of value, except that perhaps you seek too much, that as a result of your seeking you cannot find. Hermann Hesse

Have you unknowingly kept away the very thing you were looking for? Ever recognize that the harder you push for an answer, the further it seems to retreat from your awareness, like that word on the tip of your tongue. The more you attempted to grasp it, the more elusive it became. How you have been so convinced of how difficult something was going to be that you couldn’t do anything at all? This paralysis is actually a great opportunity to chill out and allow yourself to open to the abundant good all around you that’s looking for a portal of entry.

If your time is filled with seeking, where’s the space for the wealth of the Divine to pour forth Its blessing? And where can this blessing find a home? If you want an abundant life of joy, harmony, and health, rather than efforting from sun up to sun down, just STOP. Love, good friends, and the freedom to enjoy them are here for you now! The answer you are looking for is inside you, and the love you are looking for is the love you must give. So the next time you are too tired and too stressed to make things happen, your body‘s telling to you to take a break. You’ve become too full of yourself and have forgotten to leave the door open for God to come visit.

Spiritual Contemplation: When do you struggle to make things happen and take the fun out of the experience for those around you? Where do you get so consumed with your perspective at how tough it is that you forget there is already an answer that can ease your stress? Relax, go play, and let God back in.

Affirmation: That was easy!

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Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast—you also miss the sense of where you are going and why. Eddie Cantor

I grew up listening to Paul Simon’s “Feeling Groovy” and loved the message of slowing down. We’ve all heard the admonishment, “Stop and smell the roses!” The question is—are we listening? It always seems like there’s one more important thing that needs to be done before the day is over, so I often feel like I’m pushing right to the last minute. Then when I do get home and am ready to relax, sometimes I just collapse and escape. Unfortunately this means I’m missing the life I am in the process of creating.

This year I made an agreement with myself that I would find a new rhythm. I practice walking more slowly, having longer conversations and shorter meetings. I work to have regular breaks in my day and in my week. All this slows me down considerably. Surprisingly it doesn’t make me any less productive or effective. Actually the opposite. In the meantime, I’m rediscovering things I like to do, places I like to go, and people I like to spend time with. My life is much more fulfilling and I’m feeling way more “groovy” than stressed. How would it be if you decided to do the same thing?

Spiritual Contemplation: Are you moving too fast? What can you do to slow down?

Affirmation: I slow down and enjoy the ordinary moments of my day. I am present to the beauty and wonder of life!

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Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.  Mark Twain

A Taoist story tells of an old man who fell into raging rapids of a river headed toward a towering, perilous waterfall. Observers were left breathless as they watched his limp body get sucked over the falls. Certain he was a goner they were truly amazed when he emerged downstream unfazed by the event. People asked him how he managed to survive. “I adapted myself to the water, not the water to me. Without thinking, I allowed myself to be shaped by it. Plunging into the swirl, I came out with the swirl. This is how I survived.”

Are you able to go with the flow of life and deal with the swirls and eddies of your world so you can emerge on the other side otherwise unfazed? In the river of life there are rapids and rough patches and if you attempt to fight them you’ll discover they have a power about them that is all-consuming. But if you allow yourself to be part of the flow, you’ll become one with the turbulence. Nature isn’t going to change her ways for you. Give up the rigidity of thinking the world is going to accommodate you. Have faith that all will work out in the divine flow.

Spiritual Contemplation: Where are you fighting the flow in your life? How do you get defensive when you can’t muscle your way through a situation? Where would it be a good place to adapt yourself to the living water of life?

Affirmation: I am one with the flow of life.

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I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.  Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali, the master of self-promotion once said, “If you even dream of beating me, you’d better wake up and apologize.” Having an aversion to promotion is one of the biggest obstacles to being a Masterful Manifester. How can you possibly build a successful business or represent one if you aren’t willing to tell people about it? When you were little, maybe you were told not to toot your own horn, but if you don’t, no one else will. You may have the best the world has to offer, but if no one knows about it, what good are you doing humanity?

All successful leaders are great advocates because they must inspire a captivating vision for people to want to be part of something that hasn’t yet taken form. Do you really believe that what you are sharing is valuable? Then why wouldn’t you tell others about it? If you had the answer for cancer and didn’t promote it but waited for those who were suffering from it to be clairvoyant enough to intuit you have what they need, you’d be either really shy or crazy. When you don’t believe in yourself, others don’t either. But if you have an answer, you must share it because it’s your responsibility to let the world know about it.

Spiritual Contemplation: Have you had something good to share but for one reason or another you withheld? How did that make you feel? When did you have something good to share and you did? How did that make you feel?

Affirmation: I am comfortable sharing what I believe in!

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I lift up my mind and heart to be aware, to understand, and to know that the Divine Presence I AM is the Source and Substance of all my good.  John Randolph Price

Spirit is the Source of everything. It is also what everything is made out of. Therefore, money is simply Spirit in a form that we can see, a way of making Spirit’s action of abundance visible. Everything we need to prosper our business is present. We focus on the service we provide or the activity we do with as much good intention and effort as we can. We know that our business is the activity of the Divine Mind moving in the world. We realize that neither our customers, nor the economy, nor the government is the source of our Good, nor the hindrance to our success.

In the downturn of 2008/2009 I worked with business owners who were seeing their markets dry up and their fellow competitors close. We didn’t focus on the problems and issues; we focused on the fact the Spirit is the Source of all Good. We spent time knowing that the Universal Law always responds to the intention of success, sound business practices, and a willingness to stay positively focused. We declared that the business would survive and ultimately thrive. In every case this was so!

Spiritual Contemplation: What or whom are you making the source of your success other than Spirit? Who do you think has more power than the Universal Power and Presence of the Source of all?

Affirmation: I let go of seeking for the source of abundance and success anywhere other than in Spiritual Truth and Reality. I use the Universal Principles and Laws for the benefit of my business.

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The healthy and strong individual is the one who asks for help when he needs it.  Rona Barrett

Asking is the beginning of receiving. Make sure you don’t go to the ocean with a teaspoon. At least take a bucket so the kids won’t laugh at you. Jim Rohn

Asking for help does not mean that we are weak or incompetent. It usually indicates an advanced level of honesty and intelligence. Anne Wilson Schaef

Overcome obstacles by reaching out for help. Negotiate detours in your life by learning the way from others who have traveled before you. You do not need to face anything alone. Pray with someone, talk to a friend, find a support group, lean into your community, and reach out to Spirit. There is always a helping hand and heart within reach.

Spiritual Contemplation: Where are you not asking for help? What holds you back?

Affirmation: I ask for help knowing it is readily available. I trust Spirit to support me in every way.

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Life is a grand adventure, or nothing. Helen Keller

Hiring a new employee, starting a new business, or taking on a new position, all are wonderful opportunities ripe for adventure. How many times do we approach them, however, with a cost/benefit or risk analysis mind-set? How often do we hear or say, “Well, the way we’ve always done it is . . . ”? Yes, sometimes doing it the way it’s always been done is necessary—in things that are very repetitive and need to be exact. However, most things beg for reinvention and new possibilities.

What if we approached each new opportunity as an adventure, as something that takes us right to the edge of our comfort zone and grows us in ways we hadn’t thought of before. An adventure creates openness and brings in new ideas. It invites us to rely on something beyond what we know, and to step out into this new possibility.

Spiritual Contemplation: Where is the adventure in your life? Where are you playing it safe?

Affirmation: I step out into new adventures without fear. I walk with Spirit in Faith!

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