If you’re like a growing number of the work force, you’re either trying to arrange a work-at-home scenario or you’ve already made the leap. Even the most hard-nosed business person these days cannot faily to notice the changing face of the working world: more and more people are expanding the dynamics and definition of what is possible.

The majority of this change, although it is a complex, comes from people wanting a more flexible and less confining work environment and schedule. Working form home has seemed like the ideal solution for most of these people, but it’s not without it’s challenges and pitfalls. Anyone who is already doing so will tell you that the happy, glossy scenario sold to you on websites and commercials doesn’t quite tell the whole story.

While working successfully from home can be and certainly is being done, there are some important things to consider and address to ensure you maximize your productivity and minimize frustration. These include:

• Distractions: One of the biggest complaints from converts seems to be that their families and friends are always bothering them. The best advice here is to be your own boss and not to allow it. You can politely and respectfully let your family know what you need and expect from them, and put plans in place to ensure you get uninterrupted work time. Use your answering machine for calls that are not of a professional nature and stick to your schedule.
• Distractions II: You may find, as others have, that it’s difficult to continue avoiding that pile of laundry or those dishes that need taking care of. If you are able to manage both personal and professional work in way that ensures they both get done, great, but most people aren’t. Even those who were super-organized in an office environment sometimes find that they suddenly have no direction when at home and away from supervision. They feel compelled to do house- and yardwork and their productivity slips. Housework can suddenly seem urgent if you have work in front of you that you don’t want to do. Make a plan and stick to it, or working at home will not work for you!

More detailed versions of these tips, along with many more, can be found in the Work at Home Guide to Financial Freedom, found below (now only $3.97 for a limited time!).

The Work at Home Guide to Financial Freedom – ONLY $3.97!
(Note: This guide is in .pdf format – it will open in your Acrobat Reader program! Don’t have Reader? Download it for free here.)

With all the news of the ‘financial crisis’ people are running scared, worrying about their jobs and futures, and finding ways to cut back on expenses and pare down their lifestyles. While we’re all for being frugal and careful with our resources – as an individual, as a family, as a nation and even globally – we think there’s a better, more life-affirming and empowering way to live.

Think about it. How does cutting back and living with less and being afraid all the time make you feel? Do you feel happy, excited about your future and your prospects and generally enthusiastic about life? My guess is no. Instead, everyone is feeling scared and discouraged, and this feeling spreads as people talk at water coolers and coffee shops about a possible depression and global warming and many other frightening and depressing possibilities.

Instead, how would the world look if we all began to trust in ourselves and our abilities to face and meet challenges? What if, instead of fear mongering, we empower ourselves and our kids with positive talk and encourage everyone to come up with solutions to our financial and environmental and social problems? Now is the time for positive action and creative solutions. Never before has the world so sorely needed our human ingenuity and some truly global, INclusive thinking. We need to embrace and encourage each other when instead we are hoarding things and participating in separation mentality.

For a start, there are many many things an individual and family can do to ensure whatever resources they have are long-lived rather than finite. As Robert and Kim Kiyosaki have been telling us for years, we need to be sure we take care of our individual financial futures instead of relying on corporations or the government to do so. It has become obvious that such entities not only don’t have our best interests at heart but also cannot keep their commitments even if they wanted to. It is important to put our personal power to work, and soon. For every dollar you make, you need to begin thinking about how you can find ways to put it to work for you so that you will always have money coming in instead of being constantly worried. Would that not be a nice feeling?

If this thinking sounds new to you but you feel a spark of hope, try the following recommended resources to start you on your own path to financial and personal empowerment (also be sure and invest in our instantly downloadable e-book ’30 Days to Wealth!’ and ‘Secrets of Saving Money’ - see sidebar!). Once you are not as worried anymore, you’ll find your creative abilities stirring and those solutions to the world’s challenges we all so desperately need may just come from you!

Chakra meditation is a style of meditation which involves focusing on energy points within your body called Chakras. Your chakras are said to be like swirling vortexes of energy, and correspond to various of your physical body parts and attributes. The individual chakras are responsible for different aspects of life and experience, and proponents of chakra meditation and manipulation claim that you can solve and improve many of your life situations by improving your energy flow, and specifically by focusing on a certain chakra connected with whatever challenge you are facing.

Chakra meditation evolves from a concept originating in ancient India. Ithelps in understanding and freeing our natural energy systems, and sometimes uses colors to create harmony and balance within the body. The word Chakra comes from the Sanskrit word “cakra,” which in English means “wheel” or “disk.” Over the years, chakra meditation has been adapted in many parts of the world. At present, there are many people living in North America and Europe who are practicing this type of meditation technique to get rid of stress and heal their bodies from the effects of stress.

There are nine primary chakras involved in the common models, although some deal with many more. By working with your chakras, you can alleviate many physical symptoms and maladies you may be experiencing. An Ayurvedic doctor can determine much about you from examining your energy flow.

• First is the muladhara which is said to be centered in the tip of the tailbone and is associated with the basic drives – sex, survival and security.
• The second is the swadhisthana which is centered in the lower abdomen, and is said to be the center of unconscious emotions and of physical sensations.
• The third chakra is the manipura at the navel, which is the center for dynamism and is where you feel your direct feelings. This is where you will get a ‘gut’ feeling, whether good 9a hunch) or bad (gut-wrenching emotional pain).
• The fourth chakra, at the solar plexus, is the manas/surya, associated with thought, reasoning and reflection.
• The fifth chakra is the anahata, at the heart, which as you might expect is the seat of love, but also of respect.
• The sixth chakra is the vishuddha, located in the upper chest, and associated with a sense of structure or purpose.
• The seventh chakra is the lalata at the throat, and controls self-expression and personal sovereignty.
• The anja at the brow denotes wisdom and manifestation, and is the eighth chakra.
• Finally, the sahasrara, divided into three parts, is uppermost, extending from your head into your surrounding life force, and is rarely worked on in chakra meditation, for the simple reason that the vast majority have so many blocks in the lower chakras that they rarely reach the uppermost chakras in meditation work. Reaching this chakra is said to involve your higher consciousness and feels like utter bliss.

TIP: For more information, you can conduct an online search on chakras and find a wealth of information at your fingertips. Below are some chakra meditation and energy videos you may enjoy:

Have you ever noticed that whenever you want to learn something new, you are faced with a million experts who want to tell you ‘THE WAY’?…

For instance, last year I was immersed in learning about the stock market, and spent many months studying various books and courses, from books about trading and investing to courses covering economic and financial basics. As I progressed, I noticed that although my comfort with financial and market concepts grew ever stronger, the information I was reading was more and more conflicting.

As my knowledge grew I could see the contradictions in what people teach, moreso than I could when I had just started and was only trying to grasp terminology. In every book or course there is someone who says ‘If you follow my way you will make money. If you don’t then good luck while you crash and burn!’…but how can they all be true if they are completely conflicting?

I found this all a little confusing until I remembered that in ANY industry or subject, we find the same phenomenon. Whether you are studying the Law of Attraction, health and fitness, or almost any other ‘How To’ subject, there will be conflicting opinions from ‘experts.’

The fact is that there are many ways to make something work, and this is reflected in the many different strategies you will find to accomplish a given objective. Each person can only speak from their own expererience and perspective, and the more you learn, the more you can apply to your own life and create your own unique strategy using what works for you.

Of course we need to learn from the trials and errors of others so that we can shorten our own learning curve, but we are all different in our likes and dislikes, schedules and tolerances, etc.. Thus, what will work best for us is usually a combination of techniques as unique as we are. In fact, I would go so far as to say that if we follow someone else’s strategy blindly, we may actually fare worse than if we experiment and try and find a combination that works best for us. Because we are unique, what worked wonders for someone else may not be best for us at all.

Do not lose sight of the truth that whatever strategy you choose in any endeavour, it is the back-up traits that you bring to the game that will help you win – traits such as commitment, consistency, integrity, desire for growth and learning, and ability to visualize the end result – NOT the strategy itself. With this in mind, choose your strategy/ies, commit yourself, and change as you feel the need to make adjusmtents. As the always awesome Brian Tracy says, you cannot adjust the direction of the arrow until you launch it into flight!

Do you get very drowsy and wish you could just fall asleep in the afternoon? Perhaps you hate your job and find yourself daydreaming all day about being elsewhere?

While you may not get a new or better job today or tomorrow, there are things you can do to keep yourself fresh, motivated and energetic at work. You may even find that your newfound energy gets you noticed by your boss – who knows what could happen?

Some tips:

• Set a financial goal: So that you can feel as if you are working towards something that is important to you, decide you will put a little of your paycheck towards something meaningful. Even if it’s a small amount at first, saving for something can help you through long hours at work, and give new meaning to your job. Some of the more motivating ideas include a gym membership, a trip somewhere fun or a bi-weekly spa treat. Even better would be to begin studying investing in the evenings and consider your days to be working towards your better financial future – every extra penny you make can now go towards building something important and deeply personal.
• Bring healthy snacks to work: Often, afternoon lethargy is due to either hunger or its opposite – pigging out on carbs or unhealthy food at lunch. Instead, stash your work desk or fridge with healthy snacks such as fruit and cut up veggies, healthy snack bars, mixed nuts, etc.. By eating little bits every hour or two you’ll stave off the lunch time pig-outs and avoid feeling low energy in the afternoon.
• Stepping stones: if you really don’t like your job and can only dream of leaving, open your eyes a little and look around as to what benefits you can derive from it while you’re still there. Change your focus from how much you hate the job to what you can gain from it, and give to it, while you are there. For instance, perhaps by doing a fantastic job you will impress someone who holds a key to a new position in an entirely different company. you never know who you’ll meet or who knows someone who can help you move on, so always stay motivated to perform at your highest and you’ll behave with self respect and integrity that attracts attention.
• Listen to personal and professional development audio sets on the way to and from work: Whether you’re driving a car with an old tape deck, or you have an ipod in your ears at all times, you can find motivational audios that will knock your socks off. It is extremely motivating and centering to listen to the wise words of others, and you feel more connected to the succesful, powerful person you wish to become. Many, many extremely succesful people have credited their audio sets for making a significant difference in their mindset, behaviors and outcomes in life. Master motivators abound, including Brian Tracy, Jim Rohn and many others.

Are relationships complex and difficult to spark and maintain? Or are they simple and easy?

How you answer this question will depend greatly on your own web of beliefs about who you are, your ability to interact with others, as well as your personal history, from your relationship with your parents, to friendships and romantic interests. It’s all connected, and everything we’ve experienced in our past informs how we behave in the present.

Having studied success for many years, naturally my study would include successful interactions and relationships. I have noticed, as you may have, that many self-help ‘gurus’ offer advice about how to improve relationships or how to attract the ‘perfect’ mate without offering a way to change our underlying assumptions and beliefs. This is important, because you can perform exercises from courses and work on your social skills, but if you still have fear or hesitation or resentment (just common examples of blocks), you may find it difficult to make progress. You will attract the same kinds of people and create the same kinds of conflict or challenge. How we behave comes from, as mentioned above, our inner web of beliefs, and unless we have a shift in which we are coming at things from a new perspective, it can be very hard to change.

Perhaps you will benefit from a shift at a different level – a change in paradigm. I’d like to look at this from a different point of view – from a higher perspective.

When thinking about how we interact with people, it really doesn’t matter whether we are dealing with our spouse, kids, friends or even a potential but as-of-yet-unrealized mate. What matters is how we feel inside when we approach life, and this can be vastly different for different people. Those who feel – and engender – a sense of connection with those around them find success in relationships others can’t even come close to. Have you ever had the pleasure of meeting someone who made you feel special instantly, who made you feel as if you’d always known them and you felt an instant connection? This is possible for you as well, with everyone you meet.

You may have heard that we are all connected, but have you ever given some deep thought to this concept and how your attitude towards it affects how you talk to people, even what you communicate when you look a stranger in the eye? By expanding your sense of self, you will see remarkable changes in your relationships, with loved ones and strangers alike. Those closest to you will likely provide the most challenge, as you are accustomed to behaving in certain patterns with them. They offer perfect mirrors to your inner self, and when you ‘get’ this you can use them for this purpose – the purpose they were always meant to serve!

Don’t think it’s true? Then why all the affirmations, meditations on creating abundance and efforts at improving your financial situation? Why the yearning for wealth and the buying of the occasional lottery ticket?

There are at least three immediate things you can do to attract money to you more quickly:

ONE: Remove your emotions from the subject. We all have attachments to the subject of money, and underlying beliefs and emotions which conflict with each other. We behave in ways which contradict our desire for more money and then wonder why we don’t have more of it. For instance, do you strongly desire welath but then spend every extra cent you have? Building wealth is about keeping money, not spending it (at least initially). Remembering that money is just a tool – an instrument – and can be used for the good of all concerned when attracted to someone ike oyu, can help dissolve those negative, frustrated emotions you have surrounding money.

TWO: Study from mentors who know how to attract money fast. Joe Vitale’s article How to Attract Money Fast provides an example of what can be done, and how. Joe is a master manifester and has taught many hundreds of people his effective methods for attracting wealth and abundance of all sorts.

THREE: Expand your perception and think of money as energy. Everything in the physical world, from your body and your chair to your thoughts and also, of course, money, is simply energy when you get right down to it. As Bob Doyle, founder of Wealth Beyond Reason reminds us, if you were to look at your desk and your hand under a very powerful microscope, they would look the same. Everything is made up of the same stuff – it’s ALL energy. If the energy called ‘money’ isn’t coming to you, perhaps you are keeping it away with how you think about it. Perhaps by remembering that it is only energy and by warming up to the thought of it, you can open the doors to the flow. Align yourself with the enrgy of money – imagine how it feels to BE lots of money, and to HAVE lots of money, and keep those feelings uppermost in your mind. Pay no more attention to thoughts of lack, for your thoughts literally attract your circumstances.

FOUR: OK, one more – you can get another job and/or build skills which will allow you to make more money, but remember – always remember – that it’s how much you KEEP that matters. For more on this, see ’30 Days to Wealth.’

Our lives are full of the unexpected, no matter how much we plan…there’s no getting around it!

The good news is you can boost your capacity to handle life’s ups and downs with grace, and ensure you have the strength and health – inside and out – to handle whatever comes your way.

The following tips are geared to helping you integrate healthy habits to nourish all of you – your mind, your body and your spirit. After all, it’s all one in the bigger picture, and when any one part is improved, we reap the benefits in every other aspect of our lives as well.

BODY

Taking care of our physical bodies makes us feel great, and it also has many added benefits, such as heightened mental clarity, improved feelings of well-being and increased self-confidence. The psychological benefits we enjoy in addition to the physical are well worth the effort it takes to be mindful of how we treat ourselves physically.

A New Perspective

Consider viewing your body as the miraculous vehicle by which you get to experience all life has to offer. You’ll notice a sense of gratitude when you make this shift in perspective, and you will likely find yourself respecting instead of judging it, and wanting to nurture it, inside and out. Now activities and behaviors which have always seemed like chores or sacrifices – such as exercising and eating healthy, nutritious foods – become gifts you give yourself happily. Don’t you want to make your beautiful body last as long as possible, and have it be in the best shape to help you explore your world and handle daily challenges?

It doesn’t matter whether you run, work out with weights or practice a gentler art such as yoga, you will reap benefits just from the choice to get moving. For a start, even walking alone or with friends is a great salve for the body and soul, and can help you gain perspective on your daily life as well as the larger picture.

When it comes to nourishing your body with food, consider exploring your emotional reasons for eating certain unhealthy foods. You may also try visiting a reputable nutritionist to explore how you can eat in healthy ways while thoroughly enjoying your food.

If you are plagued with frequent feelings of fatigue or moodiness, try removing various items from your diet, one at a time, and see if you can’t find the culprits. By consuming foods that are as fresh and as close to their natural state as possible and eliminating those that cause you problems – digestive or otherwise – you can help yourself feel light, energetic and capable of handling anything that comes your way.

MIND

If we let our minds run on only the ‘standard’ stimulus every day, we will find ourselves reactive and uninspired. From the various media we are exposed to (think TV shows and commercials and various news and advertising media), to the comments and opinions of people we meet, the input can be mostly negative, and definitely not inspiring! Have you noticed?

It’s possible, instead, to be proactive, and to feed our minds with satisfying, empowering material that enriches our lives. When you change what you ‘feed’ your mind each day, your thought patterns will begin to shift, creating a positive ripple effect in your ‘outer’ world.

You can create a life filled with happiness, inner balance and a strong sense of empowerment and possibility. Experiment with various tools to see what works for you, your schedule and your temperament. For example, if you believe in the value of meditation but find it difficult to calm your mind, try some guided meditations instead. Making your daily commute a learning and growth opportunity is another really great tip – use this time to listen to empowering personal development or peace of mind-oriented material…you could even listen to audios which help you learn another language!

We learn best through repeated exposure, so be patient with yourself as you internalize new thoughts and behaviors. One day soon you’ll notice you have more patience and better coping skills, as wel las enhanced happiness and peace of mind — it all goes hand in hand!

(I love Louise Hay – check her out…she’s amazing!)

SPIRIT

Your entire being is one whole: everything you do affects everything else. Ensure you are connecting with the spiritual or higher part of yourself by investing time to go ‘inside’ regularly. Take the time to be quiet and come to know your inner voice, which offers much wisdom.

When we do this, we gain access to potent healing powers and to the universal love which permeates everything. When you approach life from this place of inner knowing and peace, you will find you feel more joy, and are better able to weather life’s storms, and offer comfort and light to others as well.

By now you will agree that by allowing a little time for yourself each day, you can benefit not only yourself but those around you as well. Give yourself the gift of cultivating a healthy mind, body and spirit!

Click here for Part I.

Do you have any goals? And if you do, are you excited about them? Would you say you are moving toward them at warp speed and can feel yourself getting closer every day? Every minute?

If not, then your goals do not motivate you enough, and it may not be the goals themselves. In Part I of this series we discussed the value and importance of setting deeply personal goals. However, this is just part of the goal puzzle, and in and of itself won’t carry you through to achievement.

One reason we sometimes lack motivation and excitement about our goals is simply because much as we want them, we can’t actually see ourselves achieving them. Wouldn’t you agree? There are several solutions to this challenge. Two of my favorites are:

1) Act As If

This in itself can be broken down into two sub-parts, the first of which is visualization. We have all heard this, but how many of us actually take the time regularly to do it? To sit quietly and really focus on how it would feel if we already had whatever it is we want is a significant key to attaining it. Our body, our subconscious mind and the Universe itself responds to our thoughts. I will not delve into thought vibration here, but this is the Law of Attraction in action! Acting as if as you go throughout your day is the second part. Now that you have created the feeling of having your goal already, try and retain it as you go throughout your daily life. As you change how you are being the world will begin to respond to you differently. Can you see that if you practiced these two steps daily – visualize each morning and act as if all day – you would create momentum towards your goals?

2) Find Role Models

We cannot always see clearly from here to there – that is part of the reason why we are not there yet! In the meantime, we can keep our eyes on the prize by finding people who have already accomplished what it is we are after. The benefits are twofold: not only can we show our stubborn little brains that what we want is indeed possible and therefore be more easily able to picture ourselves accomplishing it, we can also learn from just watching and possibly being around people who are where we want to be. Just knowing that others have traveled this road can be the inspiration we need to take our goals seriously.

TIP: If your goals are financial, you may also enjoy:

• The instantly downloadable e-book 30 Days to Wealth
• The no-holds-barred financial blog Women and Money
• The Finance Book Reviews blog

Did you rise out of bed this morning with a smile on your face and a spring in your step?

If not, why not?

I’ll tell you why not…you have no goals! Or if you do, they are not potent enough to keep you enthusiastic, let alone accomplish them.

There are many articles out there on how to accomplish your goals, but the truth is that unless you are feeling passionate and excited about what you want to achieve, your list of ‘goals’ will fall by the wayside like every other list you’ve made over the years.

Take heart, and remember: the past does NOT have to equal the future.

Just because you have felt frustrated, or hopeless, or even emotionless when it has come to goals in the past, there ARE ways to create and achieve goals that inspire you to new heights of happiness and excitement.

Resource: Try the Most Popular Goalsetting Software on the Internet!

First things first for today:

Goals must spring from deep within you…they cannot be ‘given’ to you, nor can anyone else suggest what will make you feel alive and excited.

You’ve already tried that route, right? So why not try THIS one: throw all the expectations out the window, just for a few moments, and daydream for a second about what you would do if you could do ANYTHING, ANYWHERE, right now and in the next year. Write those inspirations down, and notice the little jolt of excitement you feel.

Now imagine having a list of things that make you feel this same excitement on a much bigger and varied scale…and also having small action steps that allow you to feel that you are not only working towards these things, but that you WILL actually accomplish them in your lifetime.

Now THAT’S motivation!

Motivation is excitement and stamina that comes from within, not from without…and willpower has nothing to do with it.

Click here for Part II