Have you ever been doing all the right things and yet feel nothing right is happening? Is this the reward for living good?
One day not long ago, a friend of mine came to me with great distress on his face. Without saying a word I knew something was seriously wrong. John’s (not his real name) construction business was bankrupt.
After working for more than twenty years, he was facing total financial devastation. As John started to share his plight with me, he said, “I don’t understand, I live good and do good but it seems like only bad is coming back to me.” I listened to my friend talking with intermittent tears for the next 30 minutes without saying a word.
After John said what he felt the need to say, I looked at him and asked, “John, do you understand your thoughts create your reality and your actions (or lack of) create your results?” John looked perplexed and replied, “I don’t see how or why I would create my business failure.” To that, I solidly looked into his eyes and asked, “Did you handle everything in your company in a timely, responsible way? Did you do everything you knew would create success or did you do what you wanted and felt it was the best you could do?” Ashamedly, John whispered, “No, but….” I interrupted my friend and said, “Why don’t you activate your inner power by feeling and doing the things that would change your present situation into success?”
At first, John looked confused and asked, “What are you talking about?” I asked, “If you were looking at another person like yourself in the same business and in the same situation you’re currently experiencing, what would you tell him to do? John, a little puzzled said, “Well, I would tell him to….” John started rattling off a number of sound, business action steps to turn things around. Stopping him as he started on his roll I directed, “John, write these ideas down as you are telling them to me. John looking calm yet more confused asked, “Are you saying I have all the answers to my problems within me?” “Precisely,” I exclaimed. “When you don’t recognize your inherit power, you live a perpetual life of confusion and failure. Do the things that you know would produce your desired results and Do It Now!”
I handed John a piece of paper and pen and said, “Write down this formula to turn any negative situation into a success.”
1. Give thanks. Stay in gratitude for all of the good things in your life. Actually walk through your day looking for things to be grateful for. The more you look for things to be grateful for the more you will find. As a matter of fact, you will actually attract more situations and things to be grateful for. Whatever you look for is exactly what you find. Observe the doom and gloom and that is what you’ll find. Observe the blessings and that is what you’ll find instead.
2. With deep conviction, know everything and everyone is in your life for the reason of making you better. No matter what happens to you, if you feel the reason (good or bad) is to improve you as a person, then that is what happens.
3. Concentrate on what you want out of life. If you want more money, concentrate on what emotions and feelings money will bring you. Know the money is another expression of God. Since everything in the Universe is simply an expression of God, when you recognize the Godliness in everything, you give things a divine meaning and establish a spiritual connection with things. The spiritual connection will attract your desires into your life—just as many religious books have said throughout time in one way or another.
4. Be at peace and stay in happiness. Peace and happiness are the two most powerful emotions you can possess to turn bad situations into good. When you are at peace and in a state of happiness, regardless of what is going on around you, you have a more true connection with your higher self—your connection to God. You may not be able to control everything that happens to you in life but you can control your thoughts and reactions to the events. Instead of having a negative predetermined thought process to a negative event, experiment with having a peaceful and happy reaction to negative things. Remember, everything is what you say it is. If an experience is “devastating” then so be it. If you look at everything as a conditioning to strengthen and improve you—you will get better and better.
5. Make the best plan you can, Keep Going, and stay open to other possibilities. As St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” When you get moving with what you feel is necessary to do, and you Do It Now, the Universe steps in to provide you with unknown ways to make it happen better. Be open to the Universe providing the “how” to the impossibilities in your life and watch how much easier things become for you.
John left that day and I hadn’t heard from him for a few months. One day, the phone rang and John yelled with elation, “Life is great!” Taken aback for a moment, I asked, “John is everything alright?” My friend said, “Better than alright. I just received a multimillion dollar contract and I’ll be able to do the job in less than ninety days. You were right.” I had to stop to think what he meant and then inquired, “Are you referring to the list I had you write out?” John almost singing into the phone replied, “That list made all the difference. I memorized it and used the information as if I brainwashed myself and look what happened—I’m doing better than ever before in every area of my life and business!”
I rejoiced for a few more moments with John before my other phone rang. You may have guessed it. Another desperate person was on the other line explaining how his entire financial life has fallen apart. I told this dear soul, “Now take out a pen and paper. You will need to write down five steps….”
Here is a little poem I wrote for you in light of an affirmation:
Life is about as complicated as I choose it to be.
Life is about as happy as I want it to be.
Life is filled with misery if that is all I see.
Life is about abundance and it is all up to me.
I bid you a good week and look forward to our next time together. Until we share a little life again, I am
In loving service,
Dr. Michael J. Duckett