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Climb Your Stairway to Happiness

Thursday, July 1st, 2010 by Debra Oakland

Climb Your Stairway to Happiness by reading David Leonhardt’s book – Climb Your Stairway to Heaven.  Everyone searches for inner happiness, but it is not something you can purchase or build.  David has written a book that is funny, insightful, full of great quotes and antidotes.   You will receive instructions on climbing the stairway to greater happiness.  Imagine becoming happier every day.  It really is possible to make your dreams come true. You will be taught nine habits that are achievable.  You will enjoy the pop quizzes, quotable quotes, and stories to learn by.  Most people like to learn while they are having fun, and this book delivers from cover to cover.

I quote David Leonhardt – “Many happiness books on the bookstore shelves are just some author’s personal viewpoint. That’s fine, if you happen to be extremely similar to the author. But what about facts? True, I include many of my own experiences in this book — in fact, that’s what inspired me to write. But I also spent three months with my nose in the psychological journals. This self-help book is based on both my personal experiences and the best psychological research available. I did the work so you don’t have to.

On the other hand, several happiness books are written by very knowledgeable authorities, but most tend to the boring side. Many even sound like a session on a therapist’s couch. What gives? Shouldn’t a book on happiness energize you? Motivate you? Inspire you? Pump you up? Shouldn’t a book on happiness be fun to read? So I decided to write a fun, energetic, and engaging book. Go figure!”

Book like this are inspirational, encouraging, fun, courageous, motivating, and give value to the reader.  I hope you enjoy this excellent manual on Happiness!

Debra Oakland @ Living in Courage Online



 

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The Best Time To Be Rich – Courage Alan Cohen Style

Monday, May 4th, 2009 by Debra Oakland

I would like to share an article with you from Alan Cohen, an inspirational speaker and author.  I met Alan many years ago several times when he was speaking in Southern California.  I find Alan Cohen to be down to earth, funny and very wise about the ways of the world we live in.  Living in Courage is what Alan does.  Are you living from your heart, where courage lives?  It might be time to start.

The economic times we are in have affected everyone.  This article is timely and full of wisdom, reminding us that challenging times can offer us the greatest opportunities.

Debra Oakland @ Living in Courage Online

The Best Time to be Rich

An ancient Chinese blessing suggests, “May you live in interesting times.”  We sure do. Actually, all times are interesting, as they offer unique opportunities for awakening and growth.

Our most interesting opportunity at the moment proceeds from the economy. As you well know, lots of people are talking lack. While you may be tempted to go there with them, or judge, resent, or resist them, you can make far better use of the moment. The best time to practice wealth is in the face of the appearance of lack. It’s easy to feel prosperous when the outer world appears to prosper. If you can find a sense of wealth in the face of the appearance of lack ― ah, that’s the stuff that mastery is made of.  Plus, you set yourself up to create wealth and thrive.

Metaphysician Neville (check out www.devorss.com for his books) illuminates “The Law of Reversibility.”  You know that if you can obtain a certain object or situation, you can get the feeling of having it.  Getting a car can make you feel mobile, and finding someone who cares about you can make you feel lovable. What most people don’t realize is: if you can get the feeling you want the thing or situation to bring you, the feeling will attract the thing. So rather than sweating to get the car or lover, cultivate a sense of mobility and lovability, and the object of  your quest is likely to follow.

That’s why you have to feel prosperous before you can get rich. When Ted Turner donated a billion dollars to the United Nations, he declared, “The world is awash with money.”  “Easy for him to say,” you might scoff, “he has billions of dollars.” But does Turner know the world is awash with money because he has billions of dollars, or does he have billions because he knows the world is awash with money?  The latter is the case.

If you would like to contribute to getting the economy rolling, beginning with your own, here are some tips:

1. Recognize and celebrate wealth. Money is just one slice of a far larger pie called prosperity. We have been conditioned to believe that if you have money you are wealthy and if you don’t, you are poor. Nothing could be further from the truth. Right now you are wealthy in many, many ways independent of money. Make a list of the riches you now own:  Friends, family; people who love  you; health; the beauty of nature; your spiritual path; tasty, nourishing food; cuddly pets; stimulating hobbies; a career or a vision of a career that empowers you; expansive ideas; and on and on and on.  You are richly blessed in a thousand ways. If money isn’t showing up in a big way at the moment, why distract yourself from your true riches because of one small slice of the pie?  There are plenty of other pieces to enjoy.

When you get into a prosperity consciousness, regardless of what your checking account says, the Law of Attraction and the Law of Reversibility will kick in and send more money your way. So don’t wait for the money to feel prosperous. Cultivate your inner wealth, and the outer will follow.

2. Activate a Personal Economy. You have the power to generate an economy independent of the one most people are living in. There are always people who thrive during lean times, as well as people who flounder in prosperous times. Just because other people are worrying about money and not feeling prosperous, does not mean you have to go there. The two greatest architectural achievements of the twentieth century, the Empire State Building and The Golden Gate Bridge, were funded and erected at the height of the Great Depression.  While other people were afraid and protective, visionary people were acting on their impulses and creating expansive ventures with large sums of money.

You need not feel guilty about prospering while others aren’t. The more money you spend, the more you will prosper others and provide them with money to spend.

3. Refuse to participate in thoughts and conversations of lack. It’s easy to get caught up in ideas of scarcity when so many people are indulging in them. You can hardly turn on a newscast without hearing “experts” spouting bad news. The only reason the newscasts indulge woeful news is for the drama, shock, and sales value. The news thrives on bad news, but you cannot. So switch off the TV and read an uplifting book or take a walk under the stars. Look up and you will see where your real riches live. If others get into discussions of scarcity, change the subject or walk out.  Protect your precious mind from fear and replace thoughts of lack with affirmations of abundance. Then you will be a force for prosperity that will lift others.

Challenging times offer the greatest opportunity to build spiritual muscles. A Course in Miracles tells us that the world “challenge” is a misnomer for a spiritual being, because challenge implies doubt about how things may turn out. When you know who you are, what your source is, and how rich you are, there is no doubt about the outcome.

Alan Cohen is the author of many popular inspirational books, including I Had it All the Time. Alan has recently inaugurated All About U., a university without wall for people without limits. For more information on All About U., Alan’s free inspirational quote program, or his daily Wisdom for Today lessons via email, visit  HYPERLINK “http://www.alancohen.com” www.alancohen.com, email  HYPERLINK “mailto:info@alancohen.com” info@alancohen.com, or phone 1‑800‑568-3079.



 

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Who Is Doing Your Voting? – Patrick Ryan Speaks of Courage

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 by Debra Oakland

I have been out of commission for 5 days with severe food poisoning and had many hours to contemplate how each of us can live in courage and what this means for our country.  Now is the time for each of us to stand tall and reject fear. This country has been fear driven for far too long. The old systems are crumbling faster than a house of cards. New systems are quickly moving forward to create a much better world for all to live in.  Are you going to be part of the solution?  Change must occur, it is inevitable.  We must all be courageous at this time and make the decision to be part of the solution.

I found a wonderful article by Patrick Ryan that I would love to share with you.  I enjoyed it immensely as it is written by a Canadian who can see the clearer picture. Visit Patrick at Awakened Wisdom and enjoy reading his blog. Patrick is an author, executive coach and leadership trainer. Look for Awakened Wisdom in my blogroll for easy access.

Debra Oakland @ Living in Courage

Who Is Doing Your Voting?

Well here we are again, about to choose the next generation of leadership in the United States. As a Canadian residing in the US, I do not get to vote so I have a unique perspective on what is unfolding. It’s an interesting time in the world right now, and as I’ve been traveling about the world lately I appreciate the opportunity I’ve had to hear so many different perspectives on the changes taking place. The current global economic challenges are trading headlines daily with the US election process, and the entire world is keeping an eye on the United States as it all unfolds.

Obviously running a presidential election campaign is stressful. One gauge of a great leader is how he or she responds to stress and how he or she continues to manage a campaign under pressure. After all, if you can’t manage your own campaign in a good way, how could you be expected to manage the role of President of the United States of America and its attendant global responsibilities?

Consider, both candidates in this US election said very clearly early on, that they would not stoop to the pressure to include negative campaign ads In their strategy.

Low and behold, both have. Why is that?

Election strategists tend to agree that negative ads can and do work, and some might insist the use of such ads is necessary to win. But what do we gain in a campaign that’s “won” with negative ads? Negative ads do “work” in that they prey upon our often-present underlying fears and cause us to doubt our deepest voting instincts. The fearful side in each of us is always on the look-out for things to be afraid of so, yes, negative campaigns can “work” if they gain power as THEY feed on our fears.

During the presidential debates, groups of undecided voters are hooked up to electronic equipment, which indicates when they are either attracted to or repelled by a candidate. The meters flip quickly into attraction when candidates speak about solutions from a resourceful and wise aspect of themselves; when a leader is able to stay clear and grounded in his or her wisdom, this in turn activates the wisdom of those observing. If an undecided voter were to stop right there, and vote from this place of wisdom, we’d likely end up with a candidate who has some pretty sound ideas.

However the converse is also true; when candidates start bashing their opponents, approval indicators start dropping as undecided voters start to feel conflicted. The candidate who goes down the road of negativity is counting on this, for negativity is contagious. If a candidate can get voters to cast doubt on his rival’s character and abilities, the vote may sway. When candidates campaign from this lower aspect of their nature, they activate it in others. And those who are not grounded enough in their own wisdom may get pulled down the road of negativity.

We can hope, but not expect that our candidates will always refrain from using negative ads. When one candidate starts, another may feel obliged to respond and defend – a seemingly inevitable and vicious cycle of negative ads ensues.

So what can we hope for in a voting nation when negative ads are calling out to us? We can hope for discernment.

We have two basic inner aspects of our selves through which we can choose a candidate. Awakened Wisdom teachings describe these aspects as the Divine Self and Distorted Self. Simply put, Divine Self is the resourceful, creative, empowered aspect of who we are, while Distorted Self is the fearful, critical, judgmental aspect of who we are. We each have our own personal version of these two aspects lurking within us.

As you step into the voting booth you have an important choice. You can vote for what you believe is the highest and best solution or you can vote from fear.

Whichever aspect you put in charge of your voting will determine what you’ll create in this election and in your life. If you vote according to your Divine Self, (a choice based on your best wisdom given all the insight and information you have) it is likely to attract positive results for all. (FYI – Making a Divine choice can also still feel risky. It may include agreeing to short term risks in hopes for long term, or more broadly reaching benefits, not just for yourself, but for others.)

If you allow fear to guide your vote, you are choosing to put your own Distorted Self in charge. Such a fear-based choice would continue to create more fear, resentment and scarcity. It would attract a leadership style that would be operating through the same fearful energy that has empowered it. If a presidential candidate wins through fear and negativity, these energies will no doubt overshadow the entire presidency. We have been trudging through a long stretch of fear-based leadership; we have a choice to shift this energy. The world is watching the United States as it chooses its next leader.

I cannot tell anyone which way I think he or she should vote. I am however, reminding people to choose well – through wisdom rather than fear.

When you do vote, ask your self these two simple questions:

What is most needed in the Leadership of this country at this time?

Which candidate is most likely able to create that?

I will state that it seems time for all nations to learn to create again from wisdom, trust, courage, and openness. To do this now, Americans must be willing to let go of creating from fear. That doesn’t mean being naïve, it means operating from Divine wisdom. This is the kind of wisdom that knows real, from imagined dangers and is willing to hold out for long-term sustainable prosperity versus short-term gain.

Any idea or action that does not add beauty to the next generation is not a good idea for the day at hand.

Thank you for hearing this Canadian’s two cents,

Patrick Ryan

www.AwakenedWisdom.com



 

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Courage From The Heart Of Dieter Pauwels

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 by Debra Oakland

This post was written on courage by my new friend Dieter Pauwels, who stumbled across Living in Courage and loved it here.  Dieter shared these words on courage with me and I would like to share them with you.  Please visit Dieter, who is a coach from St. Louis, MO.  Thank you Dieter for sharing your insight and courage with us.

Debra Oakland @ Living in Courage
Courage

You don’t have to climb the highest peak of the Kilimanjaro or fly around the world in a hot air balloon to experience courage.

Courage comes from the Latin root ‘cor’, which means heart. When your heart is weak, filled with anxiety, inferiority and regret, you will have little courage. When your heart is filled with compassion, love, honesty, respect and confidence, you will build great courage!

We live in a climate of corporate malpractice — fueled by greed and self interest — financial and moral scandals, and political righteousness. Today, more than ever, we need leadership to be inspired with courage. Courage to lead from the heart, courage to do what is right, courage to provide leadership based on values and strong principles.

We are all leaders of our own destiny. Leadership from within requires courage! When we lack the courage to be true to our self, we tend to conform to the expectations of others. We settle for second best or mediocrity and we choose the security of our comfort zone. Hence we cheat ourselves (and everyone else) from what could be possible.

Courage requires a strong emotional commitment to your own values and principles. The stronger your commitment, the more likely your life will unfold from a place that is real and authentic.
Courage is not a talent or an acquired skill. Nor is it a thing to be waited for. Courage is the gift we all have been given to discover our true nature and face our personal truth.

You’ve got that gift!
Be courageous!

Dieter Pauwels
http://www.dieterpauwels.com
email -  dieter@dieterpauwels.com
Dieter Pauwels is a certified professional life coach, business coach, speaker and author.
He provides an open-minded approach to provide the attitude, mindset and skills needed to empower you to create the results you want in your personal and professional life.
He works out of his base in St. Louis MO. His coaching clients are located in the US and Europe.



 

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