The truth is we manifest our complete reality from behind the layer of ego.

For instance, an entrepreneur might experience periods of extreme profitability but then go through a time of decreased sales and depressed activity. It’s not easy making it through such a fluctuation with a positive frame of mind.

But the moment an individual begins to feel as if the current events of their life are going against them, he or she loses touch with their higher self. When we feel as if the Universe, god, fate, or whatever is somehow not letting us prosper, dealing us a bad hand, etc. we are assuming the role of victim and robbing ourself of our creative powers.

Whatever happens in our life, we have at least some responsibility for it. And at our conscious level we often don’t see how or why we would attract to us a series of negative experiences.

Often when we look more closely and maintain responsibility for whatever is happening, we find that things are in fact no entirely “negative”: after all. When we look for the good, or for the lesson in all things we see that slow period in a business was a good indicator that our hearts were not fully involved with our work and perhaps we should look for new opportunities… for example.

If we seek but truly can’t find the lesson we may need to consider the possibility that we are not loving ourselves, and that we are on some level not comfortable with happiness and thus sabotaging ourselves. I see this every day in people; many individuals like their drama and enjoy being able to point to an unust world where things always go against them.

I suggest that when we find ourselves on the downstroke in whatever area of our life, we do two things:

1. Look for the good and the lesson.

2. Ask if we are trying to avoid happiness because it makes us uncomfortable.

Those who read this article and sincerely try the exercise above will expand their happiness and their wisdom tremendously.

And whenever you are not aware of the moment - when you are in a pure state of timelessness, then too do you have access to endless bliss.

This post is not about happy thoughts or looking to the upside of life. It’s an attempt to put into words the basic nature of simply being alive.

This of course cannot truly be done, but by making an attempt it’s my hope that I will point a few readers toward the truth of the present moment.

When you step away from the immediate demands of your ego, and let go of all the things your mind tells you it must have you find the peace of right now. Nothing needs to be added to this moment to make it right, as it is perfect in its purity and stillness.

The daily practice of meditation and the ongoing allowance of mindfulness will set you free from the worry, confusion, and grasping that billions of people will take to their graves. You do not have to live a life of stress and chaos.

When you let go and embrace nothing but the moment, being aware only of the feelings of your body, the subtle flow of your own energy, and the space that surrounds you, by nature you’ll find a peace that can’t be put into words. This is the true stuff of manifestation!

If I could urge my readers to do only two things, I would tell them to meditate every morning for 5 to 20 minutes, and to pause several times each day to observe the present moment without trying to add anything to it. These simple intentions alone will set you free and give you a joy and power that an entire library of self-development books cannot impart.

These two things, meditation and mindfulness, are the true paths to bliss beyond words. And since all of our strivings in life are in the name of being happy, it makes sense to place our focus on meditation and mindfulness.

Happiness and empowerment have nothing to do with what amount of stuff we have, or with how many things we have done. Everything you could possibly ever need in terms of joy and “success” can be found when you learn to allow the moment to flow through you.

Linear time does not exist outside of our constructed reality. The current moment is actually all we ever have in terms of time, yet most people spend all of their time regretting the past or anticipating the future.

Most people live in the past and in the possible future. Almost nobody stays grounded in the now.

This is without a doubt at the very heart of every problem we face as a society, as a planet, and as a species. And certainly it’s the root of almost every individual problem you can imagine.

It’s difficult to do this topic “justice” in a short article. So many perceived problems can be allowed to melt away when one embraces the present moment entirely.

When our minds are focused entirely on being in our body and observing everything in the present moment as it occurs, we find no space for our petty problems and insecurities. We see the things that overwhlem us are niehter real in the purest sense or as powerful as we have made them out to be.

Infinite creativity and joy want to flow through each of us. And awareness of the moment is the key to unlocking a life of moment-by-moment bliss and excitement.

For thousands of years sages and teachers have urged people to remain mindful of the present. And for thousands of years people have struggled to heed these teachings.

In truth there is no need to struggle. All we need to do is allow and recognize.

To experience the now for yourself, simply become aware of the sensation of your body sitting in the chair you are now in. While noting this become aware of the sights and sounds, and other sensations that inhabit the moment with you.

Note the space between you and the other objects in the room. Finding space is a great way to return to the moment from any frame of mind.

See and feel the moment. Your mind will begin to drift but even a few seconds will give you a hint of the power and peace you’ll find in the present.

You don’t need any special knowledge or meditations to find the moment right now. And you don’t need anyone’s permission to continue allowing the moment throughout your day.

It takes practice and patience, and this is why most people either don’t try or stop trying after a short time. Most people are so addicted to their state of confusion and complaining they really don’t want to be happy anyway.

But you can find another way of relating to yourself and to life by simply observing and allowing to unfold the present moment. You may find a desire rises within you to return to the present often throughout your day.

This is the beginning of your awakening.

Learning about, knowing, and transforming the self is the ultimate quest. And a lack of self examination is at the heart of every problem people in this society spend their time wailing and whining about.

It may even be true that not knowing the self is at the heart of the world’s political “problems” and staged controversies. But that’s a story for another article.

I can say with confidence that to the extent an individual chooses to ignore self discovery and taking an honest look within, he or she must be suffering. It’s both sad and pathetic really.

I know so many people who are miserable in this life. They are unhappy about a lack of money, a lack of fulfillment, and so forth.

But they are absolutely unwilling to look within for a solution. In fact they will let nothing bring them to the point where they submit to a journey of self discovery.

Anything going deeper than the evening news or the plot of the Sex And The City movie is taboo for the majority of our civilization. Staying as shallow and clueless as possible about all matters of the self and spirit is imperative it seems.

And thus, the suffering on a mass scale will continue. I’ve resolved not to let it bother me as much as it once did.

My task is my own self. And if it’s true the world I observe is really within me I should set to work on creating the vision I want, knowing the people in my world will benefit from this work.

In my mind there is no higher calling than an inward journey. The Tao Te Ching, Proverbs, and many other ancient texts compare the outward strength required to conquer armies with the inner power needed to master the self and say pointedly the latter power is the greatest.

By knowing the self we can know the ways of the Universe. For thousands of years humanity has known the meaning of life, and still it remains hidden in plain sight.

By making self discovery the most important part of your life journey you will leave the petty problems of modern society behind and become one with a higher purpose. It won’t matter what appears to happen on the face of the outer illusion, and in time the outer will conform to your inner vision.

Imagine a world where everyone took full responsibility for knowing his or her self and transforming that self into it’s highest aspiration. Such a transformation takes place on an individual scale, one mind at a time. 

In terms of manifesting our dreams this is bad business. The moment we place a limit or worry about not being able to see how we might do something, we place stress on the process.

And unless we are fully trusting, flowing freely, and having fun with our visualization odds are the results will be less than spectacular. The key is to visualize as if there are NO LIMITS on our potential.

A popular theme on this note is to think like God. See your dreams the way you might view them if you were God and could create anything.

How different would your vision of yourself be if you know you could have and do absolutely anything you wanted? This is a very liberating exercise that results in greater confidence and certainly more fun.

And here’s a practical way of looking at it as well:

Often martial artists and athletes are trained to focus “through” something. A Karate student is taught to think two inches past the board he is going to break, an offensive lineman might  focus on an invisible target several feet behind his defensive counterpart, and so on.

The purpose here is to generate a sort of momentum and drive. By focusing beyond a target it is most likely an individual will easily generate the force required to effect theactual point of contact.

So if you think like God and in essence focus larger and beyond your average goals it is very likely you will accomplish your core goals with ease. For instance if you regularly see yourself earning 5 million dollars next year you could land on 1.5 million with relative ease.

Make sense? Play with it and see what you come up with.

For thousands of years spiritual teachers have told us to remain free and in the moment. This simple instruction is all about recognizing the now and not being constantly lost in thoughts of our past or future.

Just about everything we seek to learn about manifestation, self development, and happiness can be summed up in our striving to remain in the present moment. All the power, energy, and joy we need is right here, right now.

Throughout your day, practice moments of mindfullness to help anchor yourself into the moment. Whatever you are doing, just become aware of your physical body. At the same time you begin to notice your body, also be aware of the things you are hearing in your environment. These two simple steps will bring you into the present moment instantly.

If you are like most people, your mind will drift out of the moment in only a few seconds. It’s normal so just take note and return to the moment.

Strive to be in the here and now as much as possible because this moment is our only moment of true power. All that is real and good are right here, right now, and they always are, whether or not we choose to acknowledge them.

It can be pretty frustrating to accept all the spontaneous doubts and fears that just leap out of our minds like unwanted pop up windows. It can be like surfing the Web a couple of years ago: you’re crusing along just fine when out of nowhere… BAM… you get it by a pop up that won’t close!

And I was just thinking about how new Web browsers and default operating system tools have made the pop up ad pretty much obsolete on the Internet. By the same token we can achieve a state of mind where negative thinking is reduced to a passing shadow.

We can install a sort of pop up killer in our minds that eradicates negative thoughts and images the moment they occur. Keep reading for suggestions on how I do this.

It’s worth pointing out that our tendency to think in “negative” terms is believed by scientists to be an attribute left over from a more primitive time. Thousands of years ago (and longer) our species had a lot of “competition” and numerous natural enemies; it is commonly assumed the general state of awareness for early humans was one of negative expectation.

Survival actually depended on assuming the worst possibility was waiting just over the next hill or that great danger was constantly at hand. Today, with less legitimate concern about predators (in the developed world at least) and far less worry associated with basic survival needs, this instinctive mental energy is channeled into other forms of apprehension.

So if you struggle with doubt, fear, mistrust, and insecurity the fact is you are functioning from a somewhat normal state. But the good news is that we don’t have to accept this condition as permanent.

Since we are far more developed than our primitive ancestors we can choose to recognize the “flaw” in our thought patterns and actively deal with it. Here’s how:

Recognizing What Thoughts Really Are (And Aren’t)

First of all, we can understand that our thoughts flow constantly through our minds. Perhaps they come from memories, current experience, and impressions that have been suggested by others; whatever their source the majority of our thoughts just rise and subside constantly like tidal waters.

We do not have to identify or associate directly with any of the thoughts that pass through our minds. We are NOT our thoughts - in fact our thoughts are simply a naturally occurring stream of information produced by the phenomenon of consciousness.

What this essentially means is you can affirm to yourself that your thoughts do not own you, nor are they a firm representation of who/what you are! You have the power to entertain and accept only those thoughts that serve you, and to simply let negative thoughts pass away.

This realization was one of the most empowering moments of my life. In fact coming to this point in your self-awareness is very much a part of the mental and emotional enlightenment that spiritual adepts seek through years of meditation and contemplation.

There is no need to feel threatened or controlled by your thoughts. You can simply choose to acknowledge and use them, to watch them as they drift away, or to pay them no heed at all!

Transmuting Negative Thoughts Without Resisting Them

Another powerful technique you can use is to simply recognize a negative thought and then use the momentum of the thought process to literally transmute, or transform, it into positive thinking.

Once you become aware of negative thinking or images, immediately ask yourself: “What is it I really want?”

This provides you with the opportunity to insert your positive alternative and, using the energy created by the initial negative thought, literally transform your current thought process to a supportive one. For example…

Let’s say Claire is driving to meet her date at the movies for their first time out. She begins to imagine him turning out to be a jerk who is only interested in her for physical reasons; this is a common issue with men she meets and this concern pops up often when she meets someone new.

Immediately upon becoming aware of the negative thought she asks herself: “If I don’t want to meet another jerk, then what is it I really want?”

She answers the question with: “I want a guy who has a real interest in getting to know who I am, what I like and don’t like, and what I think about important issues.”

With this, she finds herself imagining the man she is on her way to meet as a charming character who asks her lots of questions and hangs on her every word. And he’s not just playing along - he really seems to want to hear her thoughts! In a matter of seconds Claire is immersed in a vivid fantasy about having her ideal date!

This is a very powerful advanced thought technique. It takes a little practice, and it requires you to seek awareness of the current moment throughout your day. But it is definitely something you can master with just a little work.

I hope these ideas help you overcome your negative thinking and install your own mental pop up killers.

However, as you surely know, our mind does not always cooperate with us. In fact sometimes it seems determined to flash before us images and feelings that completely contradict what we wish to manifest.

There are many articles online about how to get clear of such thinking, and even how to counteract negative imagery the minute it enters your mind. But I want to go in a different direction with this post.

Let’s imagine for a moment that everything we experience, including our sometimes bizarre and random thought patterns, ultimately move us in the direction we want to travel. From this perspective even those annoying flashes of negativity and doubt can be used for our ultimate good.

Consider this: For most people it’s difficult to articulate what they really want in life. It’s not uncommon for it to take a long time (as in months) to really identify what an ideal life would look, sound, and feel like.

And even when we have a crystal clear picture it can begin to slip away if we don’t manage our intentions correctly. This is common for the majority of us, even when we have a good understanding of attraction and manifestation.

We can use our negative thinking, and our awareness of what we don’t want to our advantage. And we can do so either by consciously bringing what we don’t  want to mind, or we can just wait for these things to surface on their own and then turn the tables by using them in a productive manner when they do!

Here’s how this exercise can work…

The next time you become aware of the things, people, and events you don’t want as part of your life, embrace the thoughts. Spend a minute building a clear picture in your mind, and even make a detailed list of what these undesirable things consist of.

Don’t allow fear or anger to be a part of this experience. Detach yourself form the undesired experiences and just become intellectually aware of them in great detail.

Hold this in your mind for a few minutes, and then let it go. Then immediately bring up the things, people, and events you really do want as part of your life.

If you have made a detailed list about the things you don’t want, now is the time to contrast that list with details about what you do want. And as you think in vivid pictures about what you want, bring your emotions into play.

Notice how you now feel even more strongly about what you want! This is due to the stark contrast created by visualizing what you do not want beforehand.

This exercise has tremendous power, and variations of it are taught by many Law of Attraction writers like Joe Vitale, Michael Losier, and others. I strongly recommend you give it a try, and if it feels empowering to you consider using it from time to time.

By default a lot of us are lousy receivers. We downplay compliments, refuse to let others buy us lunch, and get hung up on exactly how we are “supposed to” get most of our money. This must change or we’ll stay (relatively) poor and frustrated.

Open yourself up to the gifts of the Universe and other people:

When someone pays you a compliment thank them.

If another person offers to buy your movie ticket, your meal, etc. take it and thank them!

Be open to getting money from anywhere and not just from your job or business. This is a big one… many times we obsess with our “primary” income stream and thus shut ourselves off from the flow of money from elsewhere.

Rejoice any time you receive even the smallest gift. If you find a dime in the parking lot celebrate out loud! If you get $1 off a grocery store item with a coupon be trhilled about it! Abundance comes in many forms and we should count them all as blessings to be grateful for.

By getting into this reception mode we create the vibration of joyful receiving. Hence we open the door to even bigger and better gifts from life.

Change the way you look at receiving for just one week and you’ll be shocked and amazed with your new results. Get into the frame of mind of deserving as much good stuff as life wants to throw at you and your cup will surely “runneth over“!

Our life is not as real as we sometimes think it is. We are manifestations of the Universe, and this phenomenon we call life is only a small part of that.

William Walker Atkinson, author of Thought Vibrations wrote:

“The things we see around us are the playthings of the Kindergarten of God, playthings which we use for our game tasks. Help yourself to them - ask for them without bashfulness and demand as many as you can make use of…”

There’s something quite empowering about this notion. When we begin to think of life and all the things we want to do and have in the right context it becomes clear that we really can have all we desire.

We are part of the greater whole, as are all things around us. By wanting this or that, we are only asking for what is already a part of us.

It’s all worth a good laugh really. Money, love, health - all of these things are ours by right and we need not worry about offending God by asking for and expecting what is rightfully ours.

Sometimes it’s good to step back from our “serious” desires and just play the game. Letting go of deep needs and just having fun with it all is the sure way to attract and manifest all that we want and love.