On New Year’s Eve, we had a beautiful snowfall in the desert—a real treat! I love the start of a new year. In our home, we have a tradition of stating all that we were grateful for in the past year and proclaiming our hopes and intentions for the new.
This activity of reflection grounds us in the here and now. While this may sound like a contradiction, the activity of reflecting on the past and setting an intention for the future brings us fully present in the moment with awareness of our thoughts and feelings. It is not until we fully experience those full realizations combing thoughts and feelings can we release them to the past (which is where they belong) and focus our energy on creating the today and tomorrow we desire.
To realize your full intentions for 2013, follow these 10 powerful steps:
- Be still. In your stillness, connect with your source and the universal knowledge that exists inside of you and be present in the moment.
- Surrender your ego so you may fully hear your why and your purpose.
- Imagine yourself fulfilling this purpose, your intention. Do not rush through this process, as the more detail you see, the more energy and focus will attach to your intention.
- Don’t worry about the details in this stage; be open and go big. (We were never meant to be small).
- Now feel the feelings and emotions that accompany this picture in your mind’s eye. Again, do not rush through this. Feel the excitement, fulfillment, and joy that accompany realizing your intention.
- Visit this intention with the attitude of already fulfilling the intention. Fake it until you make it with this step!
- Write this intention down and read it first thing in the morning and again before you go to sleep. Remember to write your intention in the present tense.
- Determine steps necessary to fulfill your intention. Now is the time to exercise your backbone and not just your wishbone.
- Do the work! Put action behind your intention.
- Celebrate your milestones and always remember to envelope your actions and intentions in love and gratitude—you WILL succeed!
Dr. Dorothy Bonvillain and I are offering a telecourse to support you on your intentions, goals, and personal growth. For more information, please follow this link. http://shop.drmariachurch.com/Mastermind-TeleCourse-on-The-15-Invaluable-Laws-of-Growth-01012013.htm We do hope you will join us!
New Year blessings to you my dear friends.
With love and gratitude,
Maria
As we approach the end of a year and the beginning of a new, it is important for us to reflect on our stories. You know these stories; they are well-crafted and visited repeatedly for years and sometimes decades. These are the stories we tell ourselves, building beliefs and behaviors based on these tales. As Plato reminded us, perception is reality. Our thoughts create our perceptions and our perceptions influence our emotional, psychological, and physical response. 
For decades, our American culture has devoted most curriculum and teaching models to developing the left-hemisphere of the brain. This is the part of the brain for logic, linear and sequential thought processes. This style of learning and development continued into colleges and universities where the mechanistic model of managing business and leading people remained a primary focus. Perhaps a nod to the “soft skills” of leadership appeared in the curriculum, but not until quite recently are we teaching these skills to leaders.
Someone asked me the other day, “How can you develop a thick-skin at work?” My initial response, “Develop a strong heart.” 
I remember reading an article about gratitude several years ago. The author talked about keeping a gratitude journal. This idea intrigued me and I decided to commit to keeping this journal for a full year. Each day I listed at least five things for which I was grateful, big, or small. Some days the list was a dozen, other days I struggled to come up with five! Then something happened…I soon realized that I was receiving more of whatever it was that I was grateful! Abundance did indeed flow. Blessings surrounded me in my life; work, health, play, and love became much more rewarding than ever before. To this day, I still reflect on gratitude in my journal and continue to be blessed beyond belief. Keeping a gratitude journal has also enhanced the lives of many of my clients. 
In addition to the health benefits of gratitude, it is also an abundance magnet. The power of attraction applies; abundance creates more abundance. The challenge with abundance thinking is in the scarcity cycle many of us have found ourselves to be. Let’s face it, we have been taught scarcity since childhood. Scarcity thinking is focusing on lacking such things as finances, health, relationships, opportunities, and so on. The very important fact of this matter is remembering that on whatever we focus our thoughts and attention, it becomes our intention, and the universe conspires to manifest that energy into reality; you become what you think about, stated Earl Nightingale. It does not matter if you are thinking scarcity or abundance; it will become your reality. 
When LBL is practiced in organizations, several characteristics are present. The organization is fertile ground for knowledge creation, a learning organization. Power is shared, as is ownership of the work. Significance and celebration of others is ever-present in an LBL organization, adding to a meaningful work experience. A holistic approach to life, work, and spirituality is a way of life for those leaders practicing LBL, because LBL leaders honor themselves, their Source, and those with whom they work. 
“Wow! What a fantastic day! Yesterday, the meeting with Dr. Wayne Dyer elated me. Tonight, I feel a sense of calm excitement. Is that an oxymoron? Maybe, but that exactly describes how I feel. 
Fear paralyzes us. True, fear can be a motivator, but it is not sustainable. We cannot be motivated and live in fear for long periods without paying the physical, emotional, and spiritual costs of fear and stress. 