You know when you get locked in, and cross into the zone.  You know when you’re doing better than you’ve ever done before.  And you also know the opposite…

You know when it’s not quite there yet, but you settle because it’s good enough.  And you know when you just phoned it in.

Everyone knows these things if they allow themselves to.  Most do not.  They operate slightly below this consciousness, settling for the standards of the masses.  But people who do amazing things, people who right injustice, people who live an epic life – never settle for mediocrity.

No one “catches” them doing less than their best or has to admonish them to do more.  They do that themselves.

They developed the character, to create the self-discipline.

Yes there are times they are frustrated.  Yes there are times they want to quit.  Yet there are times they don’t want to do something.  But they do it anyway.

So what about you?

-RG

And it’s not just becoming wealthy.  This is true for whatever definition you would use for success.  It’s hard.  But failure is even harder.

So which would you prefer?

Assuming you make the choice for success, there’s a great new book you should get that’s releasing today.  It’s from my colleague and good friend Rory Vaden, and it’s titled, Take the Stairs. 

Yes taking the escalator is easier, but taking the stairs is better for you.  I was fortunate to get an advance copy of the book to read, and Rory uses the stairs analogy to help you plot out the self-discipline and actions you need to take to create the life and success you desire.  It’s a great read and it will help you.  Get it and let me know what you think.

-RG

I see this often when counseling people on prosperity.  They start the discussion by suggesting that they’re looking to learn what will help them live a life of prosperity.  They want to know what they can do to create a breakthrough.  Usually they will swear their fierce determination to do whatever it takes.

Until I tell them…

That’s when the argument starts.  Because when I tell them they need to release the bitter feelings they are holding against someone or something – they start making the case of how victimized they were, trying to make me understand and come around to their way of thinking.

They want to replay their custody case, divorce agreement, or duplicitous business partner blow-by-blow, to rally me to see the grievous injustice they have endured.

Like a bulldog with a bone, they simply won’t let go. 

But you have to let it go.  You have to forgive, and move on.  You have to figure out what YOU did to cause this, or what lesson YOU are meant to learn from the situation.

Your peace and prosperity have nothing to do with the person or institution that harmed you.  It has to do with what you learned from the lesson and how you choose to respond moving forward.

Now if you’re like most people, you’re reading this and already mitigating how this doesn’t apply to you…

You’re validating and justifying how horrific the treatment you received was – and how naive and insensitive I am not to understand this.  You want to point out how mean, or how evil, or how unjust your victimizer was.  But remember, this has nothing to do with them.  It’s all about you…

You can be a victim.  Or you can be a victor.  But you can’t be both.

What are you choosing?

-RG

Worthiness issues.

They’re infected with mind viruses and don’t think they deserve prosperity.  So they don’t ask for it.

This may manifest as repeating abusive relationships, making bad investments, addiction behavior, poor food and exercise choices, or a myriad of other surface symptoms.

To get healthy, happy and prosperous, you have to know that you deserve it.  And once you know that, you have to claim it!

Meekness need not be weakness.  Stake your claim.

-RG

Because there is still so much wonder in the moment…

Do you realize how freakin’ amazing it is that a plane this size can fly in the air?  Or that you can travel 500 miles an hour eating ordinary food?  There’s a power outlet for your laptop.  And do you realize how freakin’ amazing a laptop is?

And what about your cell phone?  Forget cell phones. Have you ever seen a fax machine?  You’ve got to be kidding!  You take a piece of paper, write something on it, push it through some rollers in New York and the exact replicate comes up two seconds later in Hong Kong?

Have you ever studied a praying mantis?  Noticed the bark pattern of a tree?  Just sucked on a blade of grass?

Think of all the astonishing, amazing, and spectacular things all around you at this very instant.

When’s the last time you appreciated it with wide-eyed wonder it really deserves?

P. S.  I’m here at the NSA Conference.  If you’re here and you see me, give me a shout.

-RG

Let’s go deeper…

Do be afraid of fear.  Be afraid the day you have no fear.

Because the point you have no fear – is the point when you settled for a life of mediocrity.  Don’t you dare ever settle for that!

Seek out your fear.  Embrace your fear.  And live in the fringe of fear – because that’s where the breakthrough live!

- RG

Now we have a little different take on it at my church than some others do. 

Some read the Bible and classify man as having original sin.  In Unity, we see it as original blessing.

That’s why if you watched the service, when the choir sang Amazing Grace, they substituted the word “soul” for “wretch.”  We don’t think people are wretched.  We believe you are a perfect child of God.

But because we’re human, we sometimes get off course and make mistakes.  When you are getting less than prosperous results, that is a sign that you have made a mistake.  Those mistakes offer us the lessons we discussed in the last post.

When you’re on the path of enlightenment, you learn from the lesson and move on to the next one.  And here’s the gospel, which actually means good news:  If you do make a mistake, you have the benefit of grace.

And that’s amazing!

-RG

The title was, Be Rich for God.  And one of the areas we looked at was the lessons we receive from the universe, and what they mean for us.

A dysfunctional relationship is a lesson.  An addiction is a lesson.  So is a scary medical diagnosis, a business failure, or a car accident.

Sometimes we are being taught the lesson, and sometimes we are the vessel teaching it.   And when the lesson is for you, and you don’t want to learn it, there’s no rush.  The universe will be happy to send it again! 

One thing I know is this:

The things I hated the most, the most difficult challenges I ever endured – offered me the greatest gifts.  Of course I didn’t realize it at the time…

When my business was seized by the IRS and auctioned off, that wasn’t a lesson I wanted to learn.  But if that wouldn’t have happened – I would still be working 14 to 16 hours a day in a restaurant, and never discovered my true assignment in life.

Getting shot and left for dead isn’t a learning experience I would particularly recommend.  But if I didn’t face down death like that, I could never appreciate life the way I do now.

Whatever challenge you’re going through, make sure it’s one you’re also growing through.  Learn the lesson and look for the hidden gift.

And know that the more difficult the challenge – the greater the ultimate gift!

- RG

Even more important are the questions you ask yourself…

Because you are capable of a tremendous amount of self-programming yourself, whether you are aware of it or not.  A big component of this is your expectations, mindset, and how you frame things.

For example, you could ask, “Can I do this?’  Or you could ask, “How can I do this?”

You could ask, “Can this even be done?”  Or you could ask, “If it could be done, how would it be done?

If that sound simplistic or trivial to you, I promise you it is not.  So what kind of questions do you ask yourself?

-RG

As I am preparing the service I will be doing at Unity on the Bay this Sunday, those words from Psalm 35 keep rattling around in my mind.  After much reflection, the title I chose for my talk is, “Be Rich for God.”

As always, I’m not here to convert anyone.  And labels don’t interest me.  It doesn’t matter to me what you call your God, or even if you think of it as nature or a universal power.  I love the scripture above for a number of reasons.  Shouting for joy in a righteous cause celebrates that God has our back, and everything that happens is Divine Order.

The next part reminds us to always be grateful, and encourages us to exalt a power greater than ourselves.  And the last part really brings it home, because it affirms that your creator wants prosperity for you.

Sunday I will take it farther and suggest that God not only wants you to be prosperous, but actually needs you to be prosperous.

What do you think about that?  Any questions or thoughts you’d like to see me address Sunday?

BTW, doesn’t matter where you live.  We’ll be streaming the entire service live.  Join me to get a peek at my spiritual home.  You’ll see the service, a guided meditation, and a musical sign language performance from a troupe of deaf kids you have to see to believe.   It will go from 11 am to 12:30 eastern time on Sunday.  Watch the live feed here:   http://www.livestream.com/randygage

- RG