Here’s a thought I had about "being there". Since we come from a "striving to get there" society, we often don’t know what it feels like and what to do once we are "there". Where is "there" and what’s it really about?

I noticed myself shifting in this respect in the last few years. I used to love to strategically plan my life to a T. I’ve got the life plan, the business plan, the goals and timelines. However, the more I get into understanding my own path in life, I find I rarely look at them anymore. It all suddenly doesn’t matter as much if I reach those specific goals. I’ve let go of being attached to them. I’ve come to appreciate and trust myself and the Universe that I am leading the life I’m meant to live.

I’ve come to appreciate flowing with the here and now. It’s a feeling I never really knew before because I was was never where I really wanted to be or though I should be. I felt I had to "strive" to be somewhere else – a "better" place. I was living in my future plans and missing out hugely on the beauty of the present.

What I’ve learned in the process is that I know I can’t plan out most of the really cool opportunities in life because I simply don’t know about them. So, I’ve shifted from "needing to control the future" to being really aware and open to the abundance of opportunities right here, right now. Any given moment has the inherent potential to increase the quality of my life now and move me forward.

So, I’ve concluded that I’m "there" already….and that "there" is actually "here"….and being Here is much more fun and real than wishing I was somewhere else and I am much more fun and authentic than thinking I should be like someone else.

Last night I watched a very inspiring movie that has the power to change the way the world thinks and acts. It is called The Secret (www.thesecret.tv )and can be watched on DVD or online (for $4.95). I was so impressed with the movie, I’ve passed it on to many of my clients. It is definitely a "must see"!

Much of what life coaches teach their clients are the Principles of Attraction and Abundance and this is what The Secret is all about. These two principles are so life-changing that, once learned and lived, you will never go back to your previous way of thinking.

In a nutshell, the Principle of Attraction says that our thoughts are energy. What we think about most manifests itself. If we think about, focus on, complain about or somehow give thought energy to everything wrong in our lives, then our negative energy (and behaviors) attracts just more of the same thing we don’t want.

Conversly, when we focus on what we want (all the GREAT stuff we can have in life), we can naturally attract ALL that we want into our lives. The key here is being aware of and consciously choosing and envisioning what we think about and where we put our thought energy.

This is where the Principle of Abundance comes into play. Begin from a place of being aware of and thankful for all that you already have in life. Notice how your energy changes when you make a list of what you are grateful for! When you put yourself in a positive emotional space, you are in a position to effortlessly attract what you want. It is an amazing process that has worked for me and for millions of people for centuries!

Coaching can be quite an amusing business. I just got off the phone with a potential client. She told me she felt honored to speak with me because I am doing what she wants to do. She categorizes herself as a "global citizen" and wants to become a global life coach. Then she proceeded to tell me about her wonderfully inspirational plans to someday – in maybe 15-20 years -  have a non-profit organization where she can be living out her purpose. Problem is she thinks she’ll need money to buy a building for her organization.

After listening closely to the projects she is currently working on and how they match up perfectly with her values, purpose and non-profit’s mission, I asked her something like, "So, why will this take you 15-20 years?? It sounds like you’ve been living your purpose for quite some time now. YOU embody all that your non-profit org is supposed to be about. What is stopping you from having your non-prof NOW?"

After a long pause, which was probably the "shift" sinking in of bringing a 15-20 year goal into the possibility of the PRESENT MOMENT, she said something along the lines of "Nothing…I could do that now….I AM doing that now…"  WOW!

It is amazing, and yet amusing, when clients make that big shift! I am wondering how many other people out there are already doing what they want to be doing in 20 years, but just can’t really see it?

Amazing!!

An Extraordinary Life: Is it Possible?

Globe trotters who spend several months up to several years traveling and doing various jobs around the globe gain incredible life experience and a new perspective on what the real world is like.

Ironically, when they return home, they feel out of touch with “real world” they left and the job market that awaits them.

Many career-less travelers are left wondering if it is really possible to travel, have a successful career and an extraordinary life.

What do you think?

Ask Yourself the Right Questions

First, the path to living an extraordinary life lies in asking yourself the right questions and then

answering from a place of truth, not fear. The right question is one that speaks to the whole of

you and the integrated parts of your life.

Instead of asking, “How do I get a job and start a career?”, shift to

What are my values and global values that I want to orient my life around?

What kind of person do I want to be in this lifetime?

If I had all the time, money, confidence and opportunities (and whatever else I need),

what do I really, really, want to do with my life?

What does a career, success, traveling and living an extraordinary life look like to me?

Feel free to post your answers here or through my website at www.the-global-citizen.com.