The Prosperity Podcast

Taking a chance on love and more

Life has a way of becoming routine. We wake up at the same time every day and drink the same coffee and get comfortable in the life we have. Sometimes, this routine is transformed by an outside force or event and we are forced to adjust. But instead of letting necessity be the mother of our innovation, why not step out and take some chances on our own.

Being Enough

It’s easy to let ourselves wallow in self-defeating behavior. When things don’t go our way or we have less than we hoped for, we can lapse into an orgy of self-criticism. This can turn into depression if we don’t face facts and realize that we are appropriate to life. We all have the ability to make our lives happy and fulfilled by taking certain definite steps. Don’t expect overnight change. Don’t expect things to be PERFECT all the time. But do expect that you can make a difference by knowing that you and your abilities are enough to provide you with lasting satisfaction.

Practice Enthusiasm

It’s one thing to say, “Don’t let it get you down.” It’s another to do a complete turn-around and push away the dreary and gray feelings with a burst of sunny enthusiasm. Truly successful people are positive. Woody Allen’s on screen persona would never have made an Academy Award winning film. To get out of bed each morning and to conquer the challenges that we are all faced with takes a positive outlook. Let us be your cheerleader and yell the rallying cry that brings out every ounce of enthusiasm you can muster.

Julia’s Adventures in India

The old song goes “Join the Navy, See the World, And what did I see, I saw the sea…” But, in reality, when we travel, we when we see the world, we see much more. We see people, cultures, and all variety of natural and man made wonders. Whether it’s marveling at the power of Niagra Falls or the elegant delicacy of the Taj Mahal, there is something that will take us beyond the limits of outhe mundane. Join Julia now as she samples just a tiny bit of the sprawling and majestic sub-continent of Inda.

Interview with Psychic Adam Higgs

Adam Higgs is a Los Angeles based psychic with incredible gifts of perception, prescence and insight. Julia and I interview him to get the ins and outs of his calling.

Ahimsa

Ahimsa is the Sanskrit word for non-violence. With war raging around the globe causing immense death and destruction, it might be time we turned our attention to this venerable practice. In our personal lives, finding inner peace and committing to avoid violent thoughts and actions is a tremendous aid to our personal prosperity.

Soon it will be the Year of the Ox

Happy New Year from the Prosperity Podcast. Instead of simple New Year’s resolutions, we recommend you make a review of the past year and look for areas where you have grown and improved. Build on your success. Fighting our shortcomings just brings attention to our trials and tribulations. Bring attention to your personal growth and continue to build momentum for ever more prosperous years to come.

You are ready to give of yourself?

The holidays can be a lonely time. Do we give gifts to win affection and appreciation or is giving simply the free expression of our generosity?

A Visit from Julia’s Mum

Over the American Labor Day Holiday, Julia hosted her mother for a fun weekend of California sun. We interviewed her Mom, Doreen, who has survived divorce and even a broken neck to reach a happy and fulfilled life in Cambridge England. Share the joy of a mother and daughter laughing at the odd twists and turns in their lives.

The Sunny Side of the Street

The Power of Positive Thinking is a great concept but one that we often misunderstand. Positive thinking isn’t something that you turn on and off when you meet someone face to face. It’s impossible to be successful if you habitually think and say negative things in private and then do an about face in public. We need an authentic correspondence between our inner and outer selves. The practice of thinking positively is just that - a practice - that becomes a habit. Make it habit to direct your mind to the sunny side of life.

Like a needle rolling on a thread…

We’ve said it before and we say it again, stress is a killer. It is best if you can structure your life so that stress and pressure are only minor influences. But face it, we do not live in monasteries. Life is going to intrude on our calm and quiet and throw us out of balance. It is our job to recognize this and bring balance back into our daily routine by deliberately cultivating states of mind that encourage and nurture calm and clear thought and action.

Do Your Own Work

Byron Katie is a woman who fell on hard times in her life and these lead her to a clearing technique which she calls simply, “The Work.” Julia and I apply “The Work” to situations in our own lives with mixed results. We discover that the most troublesome areas of our lives are, almost always, our close personal relationships. You can apply “The Work” to any area of your life but it helps most in relationships where projection and/or judgement are the most active issues.

Podcast Postoned for Blessed Event

Mother and son are doing fine. Podcast returns next week.

Falling in Love with Love

Go to Yahoo.com’s home page and every day you will see an ad for meeting your ideal love. It’s big business and websites abound promising compatibility and even marriage. Simply, they are playing on the basic need for people to not be alone. We are social animals and as the French philospher Rousseau stated, “the family is the basic unit of society”. If we are going to start a family, we need a mate. And as celebrated in poetry, song, novels, films, movie, stage and screen — this entire process starts with falling in love. Julia and I talk about how finding the right love can benefit your health and wealth as well. Love gone wrong, of course, is another screenplay entirely.

Take Your Bucket to the Well

There are many important steps and attitudes that can help us lead a better life. To me, the most important is having a definite major purpose. Our heart’s desires are many as the world is an amazingly rich and varied place. But whatever soul stirring experience you have, can you find the one that speaks to you loudest and clearest? Make this the focus of your efforts. Some people are searching for their soul mate in love. Your major purpose is your soul mate in life. Give it the love, attention and dedication it deserves and it will nourish you beyond your wildest imagination.

Making an Idiot of Yourself

When I was a kid, I would often have a dream about showing up in class in my pajamas. I know many people have similar dreams about doing something mildly to wildly embarassing. Sometimes, in our real lives, even while we’re acting with our best intentions and efforts, we end up falling flat on our faces or perhaps the other end. If you want success and prosperity in life, you have no choice but to get up, shake it off and try try again. Perserverance indeed furthers but finding the energy to give it another go might be blocked by fears of success, losing control or just plain making an idiot of yourself. We suggest you let go of the inhibitions and start acting as stupidly as the rest of us. As Bob Dylan said, “Even the President of the United States must sometime have to stand naked.” It’s your turn., Mr. President.

Resistance is Futile

Wisdom from Star Trek the Next Generation. There are many occurences in our lives that don’t go exactly as we plan or hope. Yet, it is often convenient for us to cling to the notion that the bad stock pick will go up tomorrow; the spouse won’t be abusive again; another Republican adminstration will cure the ills of the nation. These are not based on reality. They are based on the fact that we hope that something outside of ourselves will change and make us happy. Sorry folks, it’s time to take 100% responsibility for what happens in your life and stop directing hope and blame at others. Clinging to what isn’t true or real is not just being strong willed; it’s pig headedness.

The unexpected is what you are expecting.

I think sometimes that I hope for an unexpected miracle to appear in my life that will somehow solve my problems. A lost, forgotten, relative leaves me gobs of money and I never have to go to work again. Oprah listens to this Podcast instead of her own and decides I can sit in her chair and talk to boring authorities on spirituality as well she. But the expectations that disappoint the most are the ones that I consider possible. If I were to examine closely the chances of these reasonable miracles occuring, I might find, I’ve set it up so that they are less likely to occur then the proverbial freeze in hell.

Cultivate Creativity

I have met many artists in my life. Some seem like they are from another planet; others act as ordinary as yesterday’s news. What they all have in common is a dedication to creative expression. That may seem like a trivial conclusion but it is very important. Many of us spend more time saying no to our ambitions, ideas and projects than we do in actually getting things done. Not so with the artist. With an attitude of childlike curiosity and play, my artist friends are about to start the next project. Sure, maybe it’s not a masterpiece (maybe it is) but I bet the piece they create spontaneously brings them a lot more enjoyment than the piece that you never even started.

Food Glorious Food

The starving orphans in Oliver! sing about the luscious rich foods they can only dream about whilst being served gruel and porridge. Over stuffed Americans go on starvation diets in reverance to a cultural obsession with appearance. Obsesity is a national epidemic. The one thing that we seldom experience in our culture of fast and processed food is balance and harmony. Food has become a terrorist plot. Julia and I tackle a trinity of food faith. Eat consciously and exercise regularly and pretty soon food may be your friend again.

My Closet, My House, Adventures in Downsizing

We continue this week on the theme of simplicity. We take it to our living spaces, specifically, how big and how much? Guests Dennis and Doug are downsizing their lives and share their experiences. Herbert Hoover in his 1928 campaign promised “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.” He kept his promise as Will Rogers quipped that “We are the first nation in the history of the world to go to the poor house in an automobile.” All manner of expensive possessions may in reality be the anchor that is sinking our ship before it has a chance to come in. Choose your life style with care and when in doubt — simplify.

Some Other Time

We, at The Prosperity Podcast, believe that life is abundant. The problem is that one man’s treasure is another man’s junk. And further, the problem is that what was once our most prized possession might now be simply a booby prize. Life is full of changes, adjustments, growth and revelations. Selecting what deserves our energy, attention and resources now can be difficult when we remain attached to artifacts, good or bad, from our past.

There’s a silk purse in love’s ear.

Julia sent me a message saying that she wanted to talk about “Listening with Love’s Ear” for this week’s Podcast. You would have been amused by the blank stare that took hold of my face. I really had no idea how this was going to add to my propserity. But you know, I gave her a chance to explain. I kept an open mind. I remembered how generous she’s been with her time and experience for the past 18 months of Podcasts and pretty soon it all became crystal clear. There’s a tremendous power and benefit in listening with full respect, attention and consideration. And there’s equal power in speaking in the same way. In our hurry-up, impatient, news bite world, we want to get it over with and move on but the most benefit now and in the future might be to stay open and go deeper to where the real power is.

Are you too good to get it done?

People often develop the insidious habit of insisting that everything be right. Perfectionism is a belief and behavior that can block your thoughts, actions, relationships and, of course, prosperity. When we turn perfectionism on the outside world it is bad enough but when turned on ourselves it is evil and destructive. Japanese craftsman always deliberately leave a flaw in their woodwork as a reminder of this crippling behavior. Are you blocking your prosperity because you find that it’s never right and never meets your expectations? Pride is a sin and perfectionism venal.

Paying Your Dues

If you want to be a medical doctor in the United States, unless your Frank Abagnale Jr., you have to go to college, go through medical school and an internship and for certain specialties do a residency. This can take 10 years or more but the rewards are great both financially and in terms of service to your community. It’s really much the same for just about any career. Sam Walton started out with a single store not an empire. Warren Buffet with one stock. Keeping your goals in mind, your eye on the prize and being willing to pay your dues in work and education will assure your long term success and satisfaction.

The Outer Limits

Even person has a breaking point. If situations or circumstances in our lives are not to our liking, we may tolerate them until something gives way. Sometimes, we lash out in anger; sometimes we swallow the anger and it gnaws away at our psyche leading to stress and illness. Anger is the most destructive of the emotions but we need not let it get the upper hand. By learning to set our limits, our psychological boundaries, and stating them clearly to those who matter the most, we can make tremendous progress towards a life that’s harmonious, healthy and happy.

Joe Sugarman’s Success Forces

Joseph Sugarman has had a long career in the direct mail marketing industry. He’s an authority on copywriting for catalogs and magazines. He has been an associate of many of those who have worked on The Secret. He has been an inspiration and model to me throughout my business career. We are delighted that Julia was able to interview him at his home in Maui. Joe gives great advice with his signature simultaneous bravado and humility. We know you’ll appreciate him as much as we do.

Lest ye be judged…

We have a saying around my house that the easiest thing to do is complain. How much easier to place the blame on someone else instead of acting responsibily and taking care of it yourself? These complaints are a form of judgment. Perhaps against our selves (which we get into next week) but most of the time we are judging our friends, neighbors and co-workers in a self-defeating act of criticism and projection. What fears are we dragging up that keep us from seeing our reality and companions as they truly are instead of projections of our psyche? Does it matter? What can we do about it? We try to answer just those questions.

Target - Mission Possible

The first and most important step to take to make your life happy and propserous is to learn to be positive and specific in what you ask for. The fastest way to sabotague your efforts towards prosperity is by being negative, vague and indecisive. One surefire and simple way to crystalize your thinking is by creating a mission statement. Put your life on purpose, light a fire under your motivation, make a believer out of yourself and everyone around you. One concise, specific, definite and visionary statement is all it takes. Not sure yet what your mission is? We teach you how to get off your duff and out there making a difference for your life and the world around you.