The word “manifest” has become a golden word that can’t seem to go wrong in any situation.  Want more money?  Manifest it.  Want more love?  Manifest it.  The desire to manifest things usually leads to one question - “how?”.  Many will say, “set the right intentions”, or “use all your heart, mind and soul”, or “think positive”.  Still, the ability to manifest more effectively seems to delude most people.  There’s so much talk on “how” … we see that everywhere in books, blogs, seminars, videos and all.  Perhaps it’s time to ask “why” instead.

One of the most common things that people want to manifest is money.  The benefits of money are so obvious, it would seem silly to ask why anyone would want to manifest money.  But here’s where we may be short-changing our intentions.  Do your intentions have depth?  Do you know why you are setting these intentions at all?  Are your intentions merely “shells”, manifesting into nothing but thin air?

If you tell yourself, “I want lots of money”, ask yourself WHY do you want that.  The string of answers that follow may reveal your true intentions behind wanting that money:

• I want lots of money.  - Why?
• Because I want to be debt-free, and I want a big house.  - Why?
• Because I don’t want to worry about having no money to pay my bills.  I want my family to live in a nice big house that we can be proud of.  - Why?
• Because I want to feel secure and I love my family.

So now we know it’s not just a superficial intention of “wanting lots of money”.  There’s now the energy of “security” and “love” that backs it up.  You can probably feel the intention now with more intensity.  Wouldn’t that make a more complete, more powerful intention to send out to the Universe?

Sometimes, asking “why” may lead us to set new intentions that are way different from what they were when we first started.  We may discover it’s not “money” but “power” that we really want.  Or we may realize it not “a slimmer body”, but “real friends who love me for who I am” that we really want.  Or maybe not “to win the Salesman of the Year award”, but “to be truly recognized for my gifts, no matter where I go”.  You get the drift.

Personally, I feel getting to the root of my intentions have given them more depth and meaning - it’s kinda like giving my intentions ”souls”.  This has helped me manifest things with greater success.  It has also helped me declutter my mental vision board, so that I can focus my energies on manifesting the things that truly matter … and not just wanting EVERYTHING blindly.

Start asking “why” if you haven’t already done so.  Give your intentions an energetic boost, then send them soaring to the Universe.  Let me know how it turns out.

Blessings,
Irene

Akemi Gaines from Yes to Me tagged me for the “10 Things That Make Me Happy” meme!

Actually, just reading Akemi’s post on this, as well as the ones who got tagged before her, already made me feel rather warm and fuzzy.  So I thought: what the heck, I shall indulge!

1.   Being with my daughters.  They drive me nuts … they tell me I’m a weird mom (I take that as a compliment), stare at me when I meditate (and I can sense their stares), watch the same DVD 30 times in a row (and still find it entertaining) and pay more attention to the Nintendo DS Lite than to me.  But as I watch them sleep at night and wake up to their smiles, I can’t imagine my life without them.

2.   Dark chocolate.  Cadbury’s or Godiva, doesn’t matter … I embrace them all!

3.   Reading good stuff.  They can be books, magazine articles, blogs, biographies - anything that inspires me, touches me or shocks me (I’m not that easily shocked).

4.   Watching Discovery Channel, Discovery Travel & Living, Discovery everything and anything, and MTV.  I feel totally relaxed when Discovery Channel is on.  I used to travel quite a bit for work, and if the hotel I stayed in had Discovery Channel on its TV menu, I’m happy.  Ok … I’m not saying I have an answer to how an interest in Discovery Channel actually links to an interest in watching MTVs, but sometimes I do get shocked by MTV, and I do enjoy the occasional shocks (see point 3 above).  They remind me how weird and fun life can be.

5.   Walking meditation.  I’m really not very good with sitting still - see my previous post on Active Stillness.  I get more insights, clarity and ideas when I go for walks, and occasionally when driving.

6.   Seeing positive changes in the lives of my clients.  In case you’re not already aware, I do intuitive work and offer Soul Realignment™ readings.  Being able to touch the lives of others and witnessing their growth bring me a deep sense of joy.

7.   Trees.  Like Akemi, I love trees.  I especially enjoy seeing big lush trees lined up in rows when I’m driving.  Every tree is special and unique, each with a character of its own.  They look like supermodels in a row, each with its own unique pose and hairdo.  Beautiful!

8.   Music.  I believe there’s not one genre where I can’t find something I’ll like.  Of course what I Iisten to today may be drastically different from what I will listen to tomorrow, it all depends on my mood.  But there’s something for every mood when it comes to music.  It feeds my soul.

9.   Vacations!  I love going places, seeing and experiencing different cultures.  When I can’t travel, I watch Discovery Travel & Living.

10.  Being with like-minded people.  It’s just a whole lot more interesting and easy when I’m with them.  I can be myself and the energy just flows among us.

I realized once I sit down and think about the things that make me happy, I can probably fill a list of 50 or even 100 things!  I will probably continue to build this list on my own, outside of this blog … before I bore the tears out of you.  Doing this little exercise has definitely made me happy, and I think it’s beginning to feel a little addictive!

Time for me to tag some friends:

• Evelyn of Attraction Mind Map
• Slade of Shift Your Spirits
• Patricia of Spiritual Journey Of A Lightworker

I’m not going to list all my friends here, but if you’re reading this, I urge you to join in the fun.  Consider yourself tagged if you’ve reached this far in this post, and share - either through your own blog posts or via comments here.  Have fun and be happy!

Blessings,
Irene

I was inspired by a post written by my good friend, Evelyn, yesterday on Think Simple Now and Grow Rich, where she discussed about the phenomenal blogosphere success of Tina Su, and how energies come into play in this success.  How interesting!

I have subscribed to numerous blogs and I noticed there are usually two main reasons why I click on the RSS buttons:

1.  The articles relate to my own interests and help with my growth.
2. The content brings out a part of me that is usually hidden, and needs to be triggered to get out - for example: laughing out loud when I’m all by myself, being moved to tears while staring at my laptop, or just feeling so good that I want to hug someone … usually I end up hugging my singing bowl or my stuffed bunny, when my kids are not around.

Point number 2, to me, is really all about the energies that the blogs exude.  There are blogs that just call out to me, even though the topics are just not the usual ones I would read about.  There’s something about the style of writing, the sense of humor, or the feelings that go into each word that the authors have put in that really draw me to them.  Sometimes it’s the genuine comments in the posts - all that energy buzz - that pull me in.  I’ve realized it’s the energies of authenticity and giving that attract me.

Some people have asked me why I don’t blog as often as others.  My reply is very straightforward … I’m very busy with work and life (and reading too many good blogs), and sometimes I just don’t know what to write about.  Also, I find myself asking - is it necessary for me to blog as often as others?  Do I need to scramble around for information just to find something to write about, or do I prefer to write only when I genuinely want to?  Is that doing justice to my friends who choose to stop by my blog, only to see it’s the same post I’ve written 2 weeks ago?  Actually, I think so.  I would assume that my friends in blogosphere would want to read something I wrote that comes from my heart (people, please correct me if I’m wrong here!).  I feel the energy of authenticity comes from the heart, and it can be felt very strongly even when you don’t ever meet the fantastic bloggers who write articles that make you laugh or cry.  I may not be one of those fantastic bloggers, but I do know why I’m attracted to them.

Outside of blogosphere, the same energies come into play in our daily lives.  Have you ever tried so hard to cook the perfect dish for a potluck, and it turned out to be the one that was least popular?  What went wrong?  Surely things must go well when you’ve put in so much effort, right?  You’ve bought the best ingredients, spent more time than ever in the kitchen and read all the cookbooks in Borders … yet your expensive stew was still blah compared to your neighbour’s cheap fried rice.  Has it ever occurred to you that simplicity, authenticism and the spirit of giving are the energies at play that make your neighbour’s dish so much more delicious and accepted?  Perhaps you are just trying too hard and have lost the authenticity of cooking from your heart?  Perhaps you wanted recognition for your dish so badly that you overlooked what the potluckers really like?

I’ve also had the honor of having some very nice people write to me, asking me for tips on starting their own blogs … I was stunned, but very flattered.  I mean, I’m a new small-timer on blogosphere, who am I to give advice on starting blogs?  Anyway, most of them just want an outlet for creative expression, and I’ll say “go for it!”.  If you’re authentic and sincere about reaching out and sharing with like-minded souls, you may not be so bothered about blog stats and comparisons … you’ll just be happy to connect, and believe me that intention will bring in the results you want and even more!  However, if your intention is to be competitive and outshine others, that’s a totally different kind of energy, and I’m definitely no expert in that area. sorry!

Hard work does bring in an essential form of energy that’s almost always necessary for success of anything in life.  I do, however, feel that sometimes over-doing things can turn positive energies into clutter.  We just need to be wary about what we put out there.  It does bounce back to us.  If we combine enough hard work with smartness, add a dash of gratitude and humbleness, plus a lot of heart and authenticity … I’m sure that’ll make some powerful dish!

Before I end this post, I just wanted to thank three other friends for helping me with some energy overhaul in my life for the past few weeks.  I’ve been so exhausted from work and life in general, and I needed some boost.  My room is now decorated with beautiful intuitive art pieces from Ayako - gosh that totally changed the energies here!  I’ve been attending wonderful meditation sessions at Cosmic Phoenix where Timotheus uses Photon Reiki energies to recharge me.  And my friend Danny actually came to personally install a hydrotherapy home spa system to help me with my body aches (and my kids are crazy about it too!).  Thank you!

May the Universe bring each and every one of you energies of love, abundance, health, success and authenticity!

Blessings,
Irene

I’m having a wonderful time!  I started this humble blog with one main intention - to connect with like-minded individuals out there - and that’s what my Guides have been bringing me.  It’s amazing how these people just pop into my life within the past few weeks.  Life has been very busy, but so exciting … love that exchange of energy!

Through the course of my spiritual work and interactions with others, I have noticed a common trait among us.  I get the following questions in almost every conversation I’ve had with people:

• What’s wrong with me?
• Why can’t I see or hear or feel like you?
• You mean I can actually DO that?  But I’m not gifted like you.

Hmmm … first of all, I feel I’m no different from anyone I’ve met.  For a start, I ask the same questions about myself too!  Sure I’m trained in Soul Realignment™ work, I can see my Guide, Norman - who, by the way, impulses me in several ways so I don’t ALWAYS see him.  In fact, through my conversations with people, I discover that everyone has at least a gift that’s different from mine.  Most people are just either not aware of their gifts, or they do not want to acknowledge them.  I meet people who can draw beautiful pictures, speak in tongues, write words that can heal, perform mudras during meditation, see auras, sing like angels, look like models, have business instincts so sharp they can cut through diamonds … gosh the list goes on and on!  And you know what … I don’t have ANY of those gifts!  Hmmm, and they ask me what’s wrong with them and tell me they’re not gifted like me … very interesting!

So do I ask what’s wrong with me?  YES I do, all the time.  I’m here to learn, I’m not perfect, just like everyone else.  There is one thing I do that has made a difference in my life though.  I’ve learnt that we need to start asking also, “What’s right with me?”.  Start finding the little things that you’re happy about yourself, your “gifts”, no matter how weird they may seem to you.  With every “what’s wrong with me?” question, match that with a “what’s right with me” discovery.  It does not have to be an answer to your question, but if you do this long enough, you’ll start to accumulate a nice little list of your “gifts”.  This is all about embracing yourself - all the good and bad - and knowing that you are both “wrong” and “right”.

Yeah, I’m a “glass half full” person.  I feel this is aligned to living a life of gratitude.  I have been on the other side before.  Looking at my glass, going ”gosh, it’s half empty” and then running amock in a state of panic, trying to find out if the glass is leaking, or if someone else drank from my glass … I can identify with that side of me too, but I don’t enjoy it.  It’s just not productive and does not contribute to my growth.  I prefer to count my blessings.  Even if there are few … it’s better than none!

Try letting go of all that you think is “wrong” about you, and start seeing your glass as half full.  What’s there to lose?  It’s free!  Give it enough time … you’ll be surprised at how all the “right” things within you will start sprouting out to say hello.

Blessings,
Irene