One of my sayings that I always try to share with people is that, “the key to greatness is discipline.” And yet, despite the knowing of the truth of this statement, I must admit, that I have not been nearly as disciplined in my life as I would like. For this reason, I want to go on a mental exploration of exactly what discipline is, and how it is possible to be impeccable in the application of such discipline.

I think that a lot of people, when first exposed to the philosophy that “we create our own reality” naively believe that this process is much more simple then it actually is. Though this philosophy rightfully restores our freedom to create in our lives whatever it is we choose to create, this does not mean that this freedom can not be tedious, when divorced from discipline. In other words, freedom comes at a cost. And, more or less, the cost of the freedom to be, do, and have whatever it is we want in our lives, is that of being disciplined in your application of the wisdom life has offered us all (whether that wisdom has come to you from the Bible, the Torah, the Koran, the Taoist texts, the yoga sutras, etc.).

It is undeniable that all of us, no matter what our culture or background in life, have all, at some point in our lives been offered the wisdom of the Universal Laws. Again, the source of these teachings an be as diverse as the Bible or the Koran. But, nonetheless this wisdom has been offered us to all in one form or another. The problem, then, is in our failure to do that which we (at some level) know we need to do in order to make our lives what we really want them to be. And, I suspect that the cause of this disconnect between principles and practices lies in our failure to ever clearly decide exactly what principles that we have been exposed to mean the most, and resonate the most with us. If you can clearly articulate a small set of principles that really resonate with you, you will find that your discipline in applying those principles to your life will increase dramatically, and from there, from that place of applying that which you know to be truth, it will only be a matter of time before you find yourself living the life that you have always dreamed of.

So, what I am saying is that, you can literally stop everything you are doing right now, take out a pen and paper, and write out how you would like the rest of your life to unfold, and release that once and for all, and sit back as that wish you have asked of the Universe becomes your experience. Here is how you can do this:

1) Take out a note pad and a pen
2) Title this page “My Dream Life”
3) Write out in sequential order, everything you would like to have happen in your life today, tomorrow, this week, this month, this year, the next five years, the next ten years, and the rest of your life, in the form of : It is my intention to…
4) Be very specific in your intentions for your life, including describing details of the experience(s) you want to attract to you such as what, when, where, and why (never mention who or how because these are not up to you, they are the responsibility of the Universe to surprise you with how it manifests your desire
5) Never again ask for those intentions. They are already manifest at the moment you ask for them, but asking again can have the effect of “canceling your previous order” in that, you are essentially switching the “light switch” of manifestation back to the ‘off’ setting by asking for it again. So, ask once, and never ask again, because having turned the Universe on with your initial intent, you do not want to turn the switch ‘off’ again by asking again and again.

This is truly the final exercise for you to complete on what has become a sort of “school of magic” here on the internet. If you do this exercise as instructed, there will be nothing else that you will need to do in order to have the life of your dreams. There is a great saying that the great mystics often employ when they speak of doing nothing but accomplishing everything. There comes a point in your understanding of the magical process when you realize that all that you have to do to have anything in life is to ask the Universe one time, let go and let God, and surely it will be yours. And, at this point when you realize that the greatest power you have in life is to surrender yourself to the Universe by asking that it exercise its awesome power in you life, you will find yourself doing nothing and accomplishing everything. So, take the time out to do this exercise as instructed and after that truly there is nothing again that you will ever have to do to achieve success in your life. Just ask this one time for everything you could ever dream of to happen in your life, release those desires once and for all, and surely, in ways you could never have imagined, the life of your dreams will be yours.

A less traditional path, one that tends to lead to true success is that of the creator. The creator, unlike most in our society, has recognized the limitations of living life within the worker mold, and had, consequently, chosen to live their life as a creator rather than a worker. These people, unlike the herd, have chosen to direct their imaginative, intuitive, and intellectual capacities towards bringing into the world something that has never before existed. As such, that which they create is of immense value in the marketplace as it has the quality of originality- a quality that is always of value in any society at any point in human history.

In fact, a commonly accepted definition of business is the “art of creating value.” Thus, the secret to success in the business world is utilizing your own creativity in such a way that will be of value to others. And, if you accept the premise that human beings are innately creative beings, it should not be of much difficulty for anyone to use their creativity to create something that is of value to others. This is because, as human beings, we are all unique beings, unlike anyone that has ever been, or that ever will be. Just think about this. No matter how much you may have in common with another, you will still find that in some ways you differ from each other. In other words, there has never been, nor will there ever be another human being with your unique physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and biographical makeup, and therefore, you are an utterly unique being. So, the expression of your unique physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and biographical makeup must, by definition, be a unique act of creativity. For, the “equation” produced by combining all of the unique factors that makeup you, must be at least slightly variant of everyone else’s equation.

Someone once said that all art -I would add, for that matter, all science- is biographical. In other words, every act of creation is ultimately the telling of our own life story, no matter what the medium through which the story is being told. In some form of expression, the biographical nature of the creation is more evident than in others. But, if you look closely enough, you can see that even an athlete in their particular sport tells their life story in the way they relate to the sport. In the sport of basketball, for instance, there are so many unique styles of play depending on the individual athletes’ physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and biographical makeup. Some players, coming from more challenging, impoverished backgrounds convey this aspect of their story in their relentless, fearless style of play. Other players, perhaps coming from families where they were the only child play this team sport as if they were the only child. They tend to be selfish players. Others, coming from families or communities that are more community-oriented tend to be very unselfish in their play. And on and on we could go. The point I that if you look the right way, you can see that truly all art is biographical.
Going back to the point about creating value in the lives of others, there may not be anything of greater value that we have to offer others than our life story, no matter what medium we use to convey it through. For, in the end, what more is a human life but a story of tragedy and triumph? And, it is through the contrast of others’ stories that we are able to make sense of our own lives. So, truly the offering of ones own story to the world is a great gift. That is, it is of value to others. Thus, I say to you that you should tell your story in whatever way you know how to tell it. Whatever the medium (painting, sculpture, fiction, essay, philosophy, etc.) your story is of great value in the lives of others.

And this is precisely what I mean by thinking of yourself as a creator rather than a worker. This was understood well by the great actor and martial artist Bruce Lee when he stated that to him, ultimately, martial arts meant honestly expressing himself. In other words, martial arts were the medium through which he could tell his story. I advise you to do likewise. Find a medium through which you can honestly express yourself and all else will be handled for you.

The first coincidence came about when I was sitting in my car one day thinking about ways that I could break out of the 40-hour-a-week work routine, and do work that is meaningful for me. I looked on the floor of my passenger seat and saw a book entitled, “Setting Up an Internet Site for Dummies.” The thought entered my mind that maybe I should start some type of website.

The next day, while browsing through a Border’s Book Store I saw a book on a stool entitled “The Law of Attraction” by Jerry and Esther Hicks. I opened the book and read the first thirty pages of the book before I closed it. When I walked out of that bookstore I felt as if I had had some type of epiphany. For years, I had studied the “science of creation.” But formerly, had no real understanding of the law of attraction, the essence, and most important principle of this science. After reading those thirty pages, I felt as if I finally “got it.” At last, I had mastered the “science of creation,” and was now ready to create the type of life I’ve always wanted to live.

As a matter of fact, my knowledge felt so complete at that moment that I felt as if I was even ready to begin teachings these principles to others. It was then that I decided I would create a website devoted to the dissemination of the principles of the science of creation.

Shortly thereafter, I decided to call a long-time friend of mine, who is both proficient in the science of creation and web design. I proposed to him that we construct a website together that would spread teachings on the science of creation. He told me that he had been thinking about doing something like that in the last couple of days. We took this as a sign that this was meant to happen.

The next and perhaps, most auspicious coincidence that happened was when I was standing in a used bookstore in Boulder, CO named “The Book Worm.” There I found a book that seemed very interesting entitled “There Are No Accidents: Synchronicity and the Story of Our Lives.” While holding this book in my hand, I started to overhear a conversation about the Law of Attraction, and this new movie that is all about this law called “The Secret.” Politely, I entered my way into the conversation, and the woman that was talking told me that I should see this movie that is all about the Law of Attraction. To think, while holding a book about synchronicity in my hands, and to experience a powerful synchronicity at that very moment!

Having received these signs that this website was the right direction for me to go in, I began to sit down and begin writing rough drafts of what I intended to later become articles that would be posted on the site. Much to my surprise, these supposed rough drafts were spontaneously coming forth from me, almost as if they were channeled. There was a knowledge, a wisdom, that began to flow through me onto the pages of my notebook that reached depths that I didn’t know were inside of me. Truly, this knowledge was flowing from my Higher Self onto the page.

Today, on my way to a local coffee shop that I frequent to sit and write in, I saw a sticker posted in the conglomeration of newsstands just outside the coffee shop that read “Think Good Thoughts.” This sticker is an advertisement for a website that creates t-shirts with affirmations on them. This was yet another sign that my purpose for this phase of my life is simply to remind people to think good thoughts, for truly, in time, those good thoughts will become good things.

Synchronicity, in the overall scheme of individual destiny is nothing other than the Universe putting up road signs to guide you on your journey through the highway of life. If you would but follow them you will find yourself arriving safely and comfortably at your desired destination, which is your destiny.
 

In our society, we have been taught to think of success as consisting entirely of material wealth. That is, a person is deemed to be successful only to the extent that they are earning large amounts of money, and such earnings are accompanied by the ownership of luxurious status symbols including expensive houses, cars, jewelry, etc. Often times, no consideration is given to the nature of the work a person is engaged in to acquire their material wealth, or the degree to which they enjoy the work they do. In this regard, I believe that the conventional definition of success is extremely limiting, and therefore, limits many of us from the experience of true success.

In my opinion, success is not only having a satisfying amount of material wealth, but having a satisfying experience in the process of accumulating that wealth. Therefore, there are really two components of success: the outcome and the process. The outcome of success is quite simply the amount of material wealth that you have amassed as a result of your employment.  The process of success is your employment or vocation. In our society, one aspect of success is given importance (outcome), while the other aspect (process) is considered irrelevant.  As a result, it is not uncommon that many of the most materially affluent people in our society are completely unhappy with their lives because the process by which they earned their affluence is so unsatisfying. After all, how much could one enjoy arriving in paradise if you completely lost your health on the way there? The point is that the process towards accumulating wealth determines the extent to which we enjoy reaching our destination (outcome) of wealth. And therefore, the process is actually more important than the outcome. As Deepak Chopra puts it, “success is a journey, not a destination.”

So, the question we must ask ourselves if we are to experience true success is: what is the most satisfying process by which I can arrive at my desired destination of material wealth? The answer to this question is simple: do what you love. Most of us, as a result of our social conditioning have been lead to believe that the only way to attain material wealth is by having a job that we don’t necessarily enjoy, or even hate. But, the truth is that the true way to acquire wealth is by doing what we love. This is because that which we truly love to do is something we are also gifted at doing. Just think about it: have you ever known someone that has an undying passion for something that they are utterly incompetent at? Of course not. This is because part of the reason why we truly love something is the feeling of worth we have when we are truly excellent at something.

Thus, having established that whatever it is that you truly love to do must, by definition, be something that you are excellent at, it should be obvious then that excellent skills leads to the creation of an excellent product. And, an excellent product must, by necessity, be a product that is extremely valuable in the marketplace; and therefore, must lead to excellent returns.  Thus, the answer to the question of process is that it is by doing what you love, which, again, by definition you must be excellent at, and therefore creating excellent products which yield excellent returns, that you have a satisfying journey on the road to material wealth. For, as we have demonstrated, doing what we love is a guaranteed path to material wealth.

Now, many of us, having been indoctrinated to believe that we must do what is necessary to earn money, rather than doing what we love, may have a hard time rediscovering what it is that we love to do. Here is a simple indicator that you ca use to rediscover what it is you truly love to do… if you had all the free time in the world, and money was of no concern to you, is there any one thing that you would find yourself doing all day, every single day, just because you enjoyed it so much? Whatever that thing may be, it is your true purpose in life, and your personal “pass code” for experience true success.

Before you answer this question, keep in mind that there are likely to be a myriad of activities that you really enjoy, and that you could easily devote many hours to, on a daily basis, for the sake of your personal enjoyment. But, this is not necessarily your true purpose in life. Your true purpose in life is that thing that you would do from dawn to dusk, every single day, provided you had the time to do so. The former, the activity or activities that you really like doing, should be thought of as a hobby. The latter, the activity which you truly love and could spend countless hours doing, is your purpose in life.

And so, it is in uncovering our true purpose in life, which is to do whatever it is we truly love to do for the benefit of others, that we allow ourselves to have a satisfying journey towards the destination at which we all hope to arrive – material wealth and success.

Marian Wright Edelman

One of the deepest, and seemingly most difficult questions which we all ask ourselves at some point in our life is: what is my purpose in life? Contrary to many self-help teachers and career counselors, I believe that the answer to this often confounding aspect of life is elusively simple. Your true purpose in life is to do that which you truly love. That’s it. This notion, that all we have to do in life is do what we live is so contrary to conventional thinking that such a simple concept can become enormously complex. Allow me to explain. Some examples of things you, as the unique human being you are, may truly love to do (above all else) may include such mundane activities as reading, writing, gossiping, cracking jokes, drawing, painting,cooking, journaling, running, etc. Now, do you realize that there are in this society countless people that earn millions of dollars for doing these very mundane activities? The reason it is not readily apparent that people can become abundantly rich from such mundane activities as these is that often times the activity that this person truly loves to do (by the way, anything that you were created to truly love to do will also be simultaneously something that you are excellent at ) is not called by that name in the marketplace (the place where exchanges of money take place), but names such as journalist, comedian, artist, chef, and travel writer. Nonetheless, there are people living in this world that are making millions and millions of dollars simply from their willingness to do, on a daily basis, that which they really love to do. Perhaps you have heard the phrase, “do what you love and the money will follow.” This statement is more true than you realize.

If you really want to find your purpose in life, all that you have to do is ask yourself honestly what it is that you love to do above everything else. What is that one activity that you engage in on a daily basis that both during and after its completion gives you a sense of profound bliss and joy? Your purpose in life is simply to use that thing that you love to do above everything else for the upliftment of all of humanity. If you love to sing, use your gift of song to enlighten and heal the world. If your love is teaching, teach your students how to be good citizens of the world. If your love is telling stories, tell stories that amuse, entertain, educate, inform, and enlighten your audience.

Truly, your purpose in life is to constantly do what you love to do, and use that talent to make the world we live in a better place. Simply make the commitment to do what you love to do with a passion as much as possible on a daily basis, and behold as Spirit performs miracles of bestowing onto you all of the greatest blessings of life. It really is that simple. For there is enormous wisdom in the seemingly naïve statement that reminds us to “do what we love, and the money will follow.” In these words are great insight into why many people consider their lives to be a failure. Many of us, as a result of social conditioning, fill up the activities of our life primarily with a job that takes up approximately half of our waking life because we have been taught to believe that the only way that we can receive money is by working a full-time job for some company or organization. As a result, many of us spend very little time each day actually doing what it is we really love to do in life; therefore, we never come to know experientially that the true secret to wealth is to fill up the hours of our days with that one thing that we truly love to do, and leave the rest up to Spirit. This is a very difficult thing for most people to do as it requires a leap of faith in believing that there is actually truth to this principle. Nonetheless, at the very least, I highly recommend that if you are not yet ready to fully commit to living your life based on doing what you love as the basis of your life, you should begin to, over time, make this thing that you love to do an increasingly prominent aspect of your daily life. And, I am certain that you will notice that the more you do the thing you love, the more you will have of all that you need spontaneously bestowed upon you. Just do what you love, and the universe will handle the details for you.