Living a Charmed Life by Victoria Moran

A wise man once said: “In the magician’s craft, the magic goes away when you know how it works. In life, when you know how it works, the magic begins.”

If you could use a little magic in your life right now, bestselling author, inspirational speaker, and life coach Victoria Moran knows how life works, and she can help you to get the magic in her brand new book Living a Charmed Life. AND, if you order today, you’ll receive over 100 valuable bonus gifts from other noteworthy authors and experts.

Go here now and get the details:
http://www.victoriamoran.com/charmed/

1. Decide That Purposeful Living Is For You

Although living a life of purpose is available to everyone, not everyone is willing to make the choice to move forward in the direction of their reason for being. The great thing about living a life of purpose is that it’s a choice, and not something that’s forced upon you. As you go through life you may see your purpose appear at various stages and in multiple areas of your life, but it’s also possible that at the times when it does, you simply won’t recognize it because you’re not sure what to look for. These instances usually appear at times when we’re either moving far away from, or directly towards, what we’re here to do. It’s at these points that we usually become more aware of, and keen to the possibility of living a life with meaning, purpose and fulfillment. When you’re ready, step right in!

2. Do What It Takes To Uncover Your Purpose In Life

The process of discovering your purpose in life can seem huge when you’re just getting started, however if done properly it can be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things you’ll ever do in your life. There are numerous books, reports, and processes available on the market in order to help you through the process, although the best I have come across so far is a new book by Tim Kelley; ‘True Purpose’. In it he describes 12 different methods you can utilize in order to help you simplify the process. I found this to be a great tool and although it may not be for everyone, it will give you a great start. If you have other methods you have come across then give them a shot and see where they take you.

3. Align Your Life Around What You Are Here To Do

Once you have decided to live the purposeful life and know what you’re here to do, the largest task that remains is to begin the process of integrating purpose into your life on a consistent and regular basis. This task although simple to understand in concept, is one which you will no doubt spend the rest of your life working on. Piece by piece, decision by decision, and minute to minute, you will be faced with challenging situations in your life. And just as with the first step of this process, the choice is yours on whether or not to continue down the purposeful road, or to back up and head down another path. It may bring you comfort however to understand that the more you practice the purposeful approach to life, the easier it becomes, and the less likely you are to backtrack down a path that takes you away from living a meaningful, purposeful and fulfilled life.

If I were to ask you the question; “If you had all the time and money in the world and knew you would be successful, what would you do?” how might you answer? What about the question; “What will you do with your life?” What then? At first glance they appear to be easy questions; however when you start to dig into what they really mean to you, the word ‘easy’ no longer seems relevant.

Most people go through life each day on autopilot, sometimes arriving at the end of a week, month, or year and wonder where the time went. We generally find that although time has passed we are usually in not much of a different place than from where we started. Imagine if we traveled that way for vacations… we would pack up our cars, unsure of what exactly to pack or for how long and then just start driving. But where is it that we’re going? When will we arrive? Are we even on the right road? Are we prepared for the trip? These questions all seem like common sense for a road trip; however when it comes to our lives these questions largely remain unanswered.

Finding your purpose in life can be looked at similar to how you would prepare for a vacation. Just like in planning for a vacation, it helps immensely to know where you’re going, what you’re planning to do there and how you can best prepare yourself for the journey. Your life purpose can help you answer all of these questions, plus more, about your life. The last thing anyone wants to have happen is to arrive somewhere and realize that we are not where we are supposed to be.

Many of us have numerous glimpses of our life’s purpose at various stages of our lives. We may be the closest to, and yet furthest from it as children. As children we usually listen to and follow our inner urges and desires on a pretty regular basis, what we find however is that when these urges and desires cross paths with others they generally lead to pain and frustration for us. As children we then unconsciously equate these pursuits of meaning and inner joy with pain and roadblocks. These ideas are carried with us into adulthood and as we approach the cross-roads where our purpose once again presents itself as an opportunity, we run as fast as we can from the approaching train.

Other times in life such as what some would call a ‘mid-life crisis’ the desire for more meaning, purpose and fulfillment once again breaches the surface of our conscious and can cause us much grief and discontentment. Why? For the simple reason that we begin to see that we’re not where we should be, and the gap between where we are and where we feel we should be begins to appear to us more clearly, and at an alarming rate. We begin to see that our inner passions, talents and gifts are not being used to their full potential. And that our true nature of being of service to others has been largely ignored while we pursued more material and ego driven desires.

So how do we rectify this situation in a positive and pro-active way? We commit ourselves to finding a life of meaning and purpose once the question first arises within us. How can you identify and know when that is? Honestly, if you’re reading this, it’s time.

If you’re anything like I have been in the past you no doubt find yourself feeling both unfulfilled and as though you’re lacking something quite often. This can manifest itself as needing the newest technology toy, fastest or largest vehicle on the road, something that someone else has and you want, excess food, or any relationship that isn’t yours…

Generally when we begin to feed these feelings of need by shopping, eating, exercising, or other activities to bring temporary relief to the issue we usually find that within a short period of time, the same urgent need has once again reared its ugly head and is looking for immediate satisfaction. You might bend yet again and take the steps necessary to place a temporary band-aid on this unending desire, however never quite get to the root of what the real need is; true fulfillment.

The first step in breaking free from this common situation is first to identify that you’re in it. If you aren’t able to take a step back from your life and see it from another perspective then identifying it may be a challenge. At times like this close friends and family members may be your window to identifying and pointing out the pattern to you.

The next step is to start looking beyond the material need and attempt to get at the root of what it’s all about. When we are faced with the ‘lack’ or ‘scarcity’ of some type of material or external need, generally there is a larger and more pressing internal need or desire that is underlying the issue. Placing your focus and energy on this internal need not only brings light to the sometimes unnoticed need, but also brings you back in control of what’s really going on and removes the ‘external’ factor from the equation.

The final step after going through the discovery steps above is to begin the process of taking the time to nurture the underlying needs that have been ignored or neglected in the past. This can be as simple as adding a 30 minute exercise routine to your day or as large as a career change, new relationship, or physical move. The key is to take action and ensure that it’s in a purposeful direction for you.

You may have to utilize this process many times in order to flush out multiple areas where you are experiencing the ‘can’t get enough’ feelings you are experiencing. However, by following the steps above you will, without a doubt, find yourself further down the path to living a life with more meaning, satisfaction, joy and peace.

Many people fear the search for purpose primarily because of the possibilites that may arise once they discover what they’re here to do. Most people usually know when they’re in the wrong career and may have known it for years, yet fear the changes that would arise if they had to do something about it.

What some people don’t consider however, is that they can possibly shuffle around some responsibilities in order to make their current job more purposeful for them. In your current job you may just find that there are pieces of it that you enjoy more than others and that you most likely excel at above that of your peers. In the same way many of your co-workers may also excel at tasks in which you struggle.

A growing trend for many startup and more progressive companies is to use a ’strengths based’ or ‘talent based’ approach to job responsibilities. Research has shown that this type of approach can lead to both higher levels of productivity and profit along with an increase in employee job satisfaction and loyalty.

The bottom line is to try and find ways that you can harness your strengths and passions in your current role before considering a move into another job or career. Talk to your current employer and see if you can leverage those talents in other areas before making the decision to jump ship and start over. Who Knows? You may just start a new trend in your workplace that will benefit everyone!

In my last article we discussed how the process of ‘dream seeding’ allows you to plant seeds in the abundant soil of the Universe and reap the benefits of the unbounded knowledge found there.  The idea is for you to place a problem, question or other situation into the Universal Mind and trust that what you need will be on its way immediately to you.

The basis of the technique I utilize both in my practice and personally was derived from the work of Deepak Chopra and other mentors I have studied, however I have modified and added pieces based upon personal experience.  The biggest challenge you will face is to stick with it even during those days or weeks when you feel as though you may not be making any progress. I encourage you to take this as a model to learn from but understand that it’s not the only way. You may even decide to personalize this one, as I have done, and use the pieces that make the most sense for you in your life.

I suggest you start with something small at first and then as you get more practice you can up the ante and increase the complexity and number of questions you’re seeking answers to. It’s generally best to work with just one item at a time as you get started.

I’ll break it into a few simple and easy steps for you here to get you started…

I have found that it’s best to practice dream seeding when you know you will have at least 5-7 hours of continuous uninterrupted sleep, although I have seen results with much less. (New babies can cause the much less sleep I speak of!)

1. Locate a notebook, sketchbook or pad of paper that you will use as your new ‘dream journal’.
2. Come up with one question to a problem or dilemma that you’re currently facing on your journey to a more purposeful life and write it down. (This should be a single question, not a question on top of a question or a barrage of many ideas in one. It can be as simple as, ‘I want to know how I can best be of service to others.’)
3. Once you have your question written down in your dream journal place it on your nightstand or next to your bed on the floor along with a pen or pencil and possibly a book light or flashlight.
4. As you prepare for bed read the single question you have written in your journal aloud several times and try and commit it to memory. (This is why it’s best that your question is kept simple and short.) Your objective is to have this question on your mind right as you drift off to sleep.
5. As you’re lying in bed say something similar to the following; ‘Tonight I would like to know (insert your question). I release this question into the Universe and ask that I remember the answer when I wake up in a way that I can immediately understand.’
6. Go to sleep…..

Okay… believe it or not, that was the easy part, the actual planting of the seed. Now I will give you a few more items that will make this journey a success, and that are equally important in this process.

When you wake up in the morning, even if it’s at 2a.m., write in your journal anything that you can remember about your dreams. Try to capture every detail down to the colors, smells, feelings, images and words. You may find that once you write the main idea, others immediately pop into your head, just keep writing until there’s nothing left that you can remember.

It is extremely important that you do this while in bed and that you don’t jar yourself too much or move to another location if at all possible. Also, use your flashlight rather than turning on the room light (your spouse will also appreciate this!).

Again, I can’t stress enough how important it is that you do this immediately upon waking up before doing anything else, even using the restroom! No matter how strong the mental image is when you wake up, these dreams can disappear back into the unconscious mind before you know it leaving you frustrated and unable to recall any details.

Don’t become upset or feel that you did something wrong if when you wake up you don’t remember anything about the dreams you had that night. Also don’t become angry at yourself or the process if you either forget, or don’t have the complete picture you were expecting. The dreams may not seem complete when you start this process, however as you progress you will learn the best questions to ask to get the more complete picture of what you’re truly seeking.

Finally, I recommend that you don’t put too much pressure on yourself to get it all perfect, just experiment with it and find the way that it works best for you. Your dreams are your playground, enjoy the journey!

Using dreams as a tool to solve problems and seek guidance has been used for centuries by many leaders, mystics, philosophers and teachers throughout the world.  These early teachers saw the value of reaching deep within ones own consciousness in order to tap into the infinite knowledge of the Universal Mind.

Hidden deep within each of our minds lies our unconscious mind or ‘non-local’ self; the ultimate connection to the Universe. By learning to connect to this part of us we are able to tap into a virtually limitless realm of creativity, knowledge and wisdom that break the boundaries we generally experience through conscious thought.

There are multiple states of mind that we can enter into that allow us to reach into this Universal realm. Many people prefer to use meditation, others use prayer, and by far the vast majority of us utilize the most popular method of connection, our dreams, oftentimes without even realizing we’re doing it.

No matter who we are, where we live, or what our life experiences have been we’ve all had dreams at one time or another in our lifetimes. Most of us dream on a daily basis regardless of whether or not we remember it in the morning. Of the dreams that we do remember we either forget them within a few minutes of awakening, or recall bits and pieces of them likely in no particular order or with little to no direct meaning in our lives.

Discovering how to harness the untapped power of our minds and at the same time make use of our sleeping hours has been a question on the minds of many throughout the ages. By learning how to enable this connection at will and on a regular basis in order to reach an enlightened existence, we will no doubt reach higher levels of purposeful, peaceful and powerful living. Dream Seeding, the process I will now describe, allows us to begin this transformation consciously and purposefully.

The process of ‘dream seeding’ allows you to plant seeds in the abundant soil of the Universe and reap the benefits of unbounded knowledge in order to place you on your right path in life. The process I will teach you will help you utilize your dreams on a more regular basis to guide you on your quest of purposeful living. This is something we all have the capability to do, and something that if done consistently and properly, may make the journey a much more enlightening and peaceful experience.

The idea is for you to place your problem, question or situation into the hands of the Universal Mind through your unconscious connection to it. You then tap into the insight, vision, and wisdom of the Universe as you seek help and guidance from your higher or spiritual self. Virtually overnight, issues that have been plaguing you for years along with questions that have had no clear answer are delivered to you via your dreams.

Located within this realm you will also find answers to your questions about your reason for being, or purpose in life. With experience you will learn not only how to tap into this dream state during your sleeping hours, but also while awake.

In the next article I will give you the simple step by step process to get you started successfully ‘dream seeding’ along with a few simple ways to capture what you learn and put it to purposeful use in your life right away.

Meditation is a key aspect in the practice of purposeful living. For it is without this continual inner contemplation that one cannot access the all knowing, all seeing part of yourself that enlightened and purposeful living necessitate.

Mediation consists of the practice of going within to find inner peace and a harmonic relationship with the Universe. It is through this quiet inquisition that you will find the connection to your highest self and the voice of the Universe that will aid in your success.

Mediation can be practiced in many different ways, the simplest of them being to just sit and continually bring your attention back to your breathing. Whenever a thought enters the mind you just simply immediately bring yourself back to the awareness of the deep in and out breathing pattern of relaxation.

Another method can involve the visualization of images, feelings, scents, and sounds of the ideal or dream life for you. By focusing your thoughts on these key components and experiencing their many different aspects this places you in alignment with them in the Universal mind, and begins the process of attracting them into your physical life.

Aside from the two types mentioned above there are many different ways in which you can practice meditation and bring inner peace to your thoughts. The great thing is that there’s almost no wrong way to do it, so don’t stress over it.  The key to mastery lies in practice. If you will commit to spend even as little as even 5 minutes on a daily basis you can then begin to gradually increase the time spent in this inner contemplative state over time. You will find that as with anything in life, the more you practice, the easier it becomes.

For the student of purposeful living, meditation will prove to be an invaluable key in the attainment of the frame of mind necessary for open communication with your spiritual or higher self. A connection more valuable than just about any other aspect of purposeful living since it essentially forms a core piece of the foundation necessary to begin the journey; finding your life’s purpose.

Volumes of information have been written on the many benefits of mediation; however nothing actually beats the experience of practicing it on a daily basis in your own life. You will begin to notice shifts in your life that will originate inside and eventually form the basis for creation of all that you desire in the physical.

So find a quiet place, close your eyes, and enter the world of purposeful creation.

From the Inspiration Weekly Newsletter for Dec 8th 2008 - Click here to see the newsletter

Learning to Communicate with Your Higher Self
by Joshua Aragon
www.InspirationWeekly.com

In the last article I wrote about many of the experiences you have when you first learn that a higher purpose or meaning for your life is possible. How you can go from feelings of joy and hope to feelings of despair and frustration while you transition from a life where things just happen to you, to one where you create all that is in your life. I also talked about how your new level of consciousness would raise the level at which you begin to understand and process yourself and the world around you.

Today we will dive deeper into the process and begin to clear the way by removing an old belief that no longer serves us completely, and replace it with a new and more powerful one that aligns us with our true self and our connection to the Universe.

One of the first key aspects of finding and living out your life’s purpose, aside from just the desire to know what it is, is an understanding of who you truly are. One of my favorite authors on the subject is Deepak Chopra, and he states that we are “both local and non-local”, meaning that there’s a part of us here in the physical (local), that we can see, and another part of us that is unseen (non-local). You can call this ‘non-local’ self your spiritual self, God self, Universal self, unconscious self, or whatever term carries meaning for you.

This is not to say that we are two different people, but rather as Deepak and Wayne Dyer put it; we are not human beings that have occasional spiritual experiences, but rather spiritual beings that are having a human experience. Although both our ‘local and non-local’ parts remain connected at all times to the Universe, it’s only our non-local self that remains consciously aware of this connection.  Since we spend our time here on earth in physical bodies, we generally only maintain an unconscious connection to our spiritual or non-local self.

The belief that we are only human beings and have no connection to the Universe, or others around us, keeps us from finding who we truly are and what we came here to do. This belief then is one of the first that we want to replace with a more powerful one that says we are more than what our eyes can see, our hands can feel, or our minds can comprehend.

Once you open yourself up to this new understanding of life a new world of possibility will begin to expand before your eyes. You will come to see that by learning to communicate with and trust your unconscious or spiritual self, you can tap into the part of you which carries your mission, knows what and who you truly are, and can help guide you as you begin the process of living out a more fulfilling and purposeful life.

Learning to communicate with your spiritual self is a very exciting and fun experience and there are several ways to get started. Three of the most common communication methods are meditation, prayer and ‘dream seeding’. Over the next couple of weeks I will go into more detail on my blog at: www.HumanityOnPurpose.com about each of these methods so be sure to check back often. In addition, I also encourage you to work with your life coach and do additional research on other ways that you can utilize to communicate more effectively with your ‘non-local’ self.

From the Inspiration Weekly Newsletter for Nov 24th 2008 - Click here to see the newsletter

Opening Yourself Up to the Power of Purpose
by Joshua Aragon
www.InspirationWeekly.com

When you first discover the possibility of finding more meaning in your life, living out your true life’s purpose and beginning the process of living a ‘purposeful life’ you may go back and forth from high energy excitement and wonder, to negative feelings of despair, hopelessness and frustration.

This emotional roller coaster at first seems rather odd since part of what you will usually discover is that the answer to what you seek has always been a part of you, most likely has been in front of you for years, and can be a reality if you do what’s necessary to uncover it.

Although learning about this to some can be a motivator, many people become discouraged to learn that what’s best about the process of discovery is also what’s keeping them from finding what they’re looking for. It has been this way all of their lives and will continue to be as long as they keep doing things they’ve been doing, and thinking at the same level of thought they always have. So something has to change in order to move forward.

You see, to learn that it’s been there the whole time, right in front of you and available to you, yet know that you’re still not consciously aware of it can be one of the most frustrating and confusing dilemmas that you will face in your lifetime.  To know that your own thoughts, beliefs, and ideas are what have been in your way can be like learning of a Mr. Hyde lurking inside of your own mind.

Once you reach the level of thought and inner consciousness where you are seeking purpose in life, you become much more aware of your inner dialogue, thoughts and actions. It’s at this point that your inner critic begins its work picking apart why you shouldn’t be thinking this, or why you should think that and not this and on and on throughout the day.

This new awareness can lead to a mind numbing circle of emotional reactions, panicked decisions and an internal questioning of everything you do, say, and think. Hardly what one who is on the path of living their right and true life should feel, right? Wrong, and guess what? It’s all part of the process and you’re right where you need to be. 

So relax, become aware that you are now aware of your thoughts, and understand that you’re not going to be able to control every single thought that ever enters your mind. Practice controlling what you can control, which is how you choose to respond.

Focus your efforts on being compassionate and understanding with yourself during this time of transformation.  Everything will happen exactly how it’s supposed to, breathe and enjoy the process of creation you’re about to enter.

In the next article I will cover the starting point from which you can begin tearing down these old and un-purposeful thought patterns and belief systems that have held you back. I will then give you another perspective from which to look for new patterns and ideas that open us up to the point of receptivity where we are most open to the voice of the Universe, our ultimate connection to our non-physical self.