Are You Putting the Cart Before the Horse?

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Estra Roell

Happy SunThere is nothing we want for any other reason than we think we will be happier by having it. Whether it is more money, a lover, physical fitness and vitality, a baby, a better job–you name it. Certainly having those things all feel good! But many, if not most, people get stuck in what transformational thought leader and best selling author, Marci Shimoff calls “The myth of I’ll be happy when…”

The problem with thinking ‘I’ll be happy when..”, is that we attach being happy to something in the future. It’s the same as making a declaration that, “I am not happy now.” Since the universe always matches us right where we are, it’s easy to see that those things we think will make us happy are going to stay in the future. And studies have shown that we humans are not very good at predicting what will make us happy. If, through sheer effort of will we do get what we think we want, we experience either only brief happiness or actual disappointment. The stuff we want just doesn’t do the job of creating happiness. But we soldier on, trying to manipulate the outside environment, thinking that the next bright shiny object will do the trick. It doesn’t. True happiness is an inside job, and we create it in the only moment we can–NOW.

So, how do we create happiness? In her book, Happy for No Reason, Marci Shimoff addresses seven areas in our lives where we can raise our happiness level. For each of those areas she offers three happiness habits that can be practiced to actually re-set our happiness “set-point” to a higher level. Like any new skill, these habits need to be practiced in order to produce a result. As you practice these new habits and discover happiness within you, you raise your vibration. When you are operating at a higher vibrational level you then become a match to the things you want. Now, when you receive them you’ll truly be able to enjoy them, because the are simply the icing on the cake. The real happiness is being generated from within.

Rhonda Byrne, creator of “The Secret” wrote…
“I want to let you in on a secret to ‘The Secret.’ The shortcut to anything you want in your life is to BE and FEEL happy now! It is the fastest way to bring money and anything else you want into your life.”

If you have been putting the cart before the horse, thinking that you’ll be happy when…. and want to change that around in your life, I invite you to join me May 15 at 8:30 PM EDT or May 17th at 3:00 PM EDT for a free Happiness Tribe webinar that will cover the principles in Marci’s book. Learn how to be happy NO MATTER WHAT is going on in your life and experience an authentic state of sustained happiness! You can register for the webinar at:  HappinessWebinar

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Letting Go to Receive

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Estra Roell

Letting GoOne of the things that keeps us from moving forward in our lives is our tendency to hold on to things that no longer serve a purpose. This can be in any aspect of life–certain activities, thoughts, feelings such as worry, relationships, jobs, objects, your past.

Everything that we attract into our lives has a higher purpose. When that purpose is fulfilled, we need to let go in order to make room for our next stage of growth and expansion. Holding on to things that we no longer need is a form of lack thinking and fear. I remember a comedy routine by George Carlin many years ago about how people relate to leftovers in the refrigerator. They open the door, look at the leftovers, realize they are spoiled and then put them back in the refrigerator. Of course he acted this out in a very funny way, but as I was laughing hysterically, I realized that he was absolutely right! We hold on to things long after the life has gone out of them.

Those things we hold on to past their purpose act as energetic roadblocks to our growth and to new opportunities, insights and success. Energy is always in motion. In order for the new to come into your life, you must recognize what things are no longer serving you and release them. Doing this is an act of faith in the abundance of the universe and your own ability to allow abundance. Continue reading →

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Change Your Beliefs to Change Your Life

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Estra Roell

The most important thing you can do to change your life is to change your thoughts. Sounds simple, but as anyone who has tried it knows, those default thoughts that we have been thinking for so long keep rearing their heads. We have, on the average, 60,000 thoughts a day. That’s one thought per second during every waking hour! Of those 60,000 thoughts, 95% are habitual–we thought them yesterday and the day before and so on. They are so habitual, that in many instances, we don’t even notice ourselves thinking them. Of those habitual thoughts, 80% are negative. That means we have, on average 45,000 negative thoughts every day! No wonder, when we decide to make changes it can feel like we’re driving with one foot on the brake pedal! Continue reading →

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Do You Know Where You are Going?

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Estra Roell

Having a vision for your life is a beautiful thing. It makes your dreams feel more concrete and obtainable. It gives you focus, direction and a barometer upon which to make life decisions. With a vision, you live with intention and purpose because you know where you are going. Without the direction of a clear vision for guidance, it is unlikely you will feel fulfilled because you will not base your decisions on what you want and where you are headed, but instead you will base them on circumstances of the moment.

When I ask my clients what their vision is for their lives, many of them have no idea. Instead, they begin telling me all about what isn’t working for them. This is understandable. When we are in the midst of experiencing things that we don’t want we’re very much aware of them. They are at the forefront of our attention. We develop habits of thought around those experiences that, by law of attraction, bring more thoughts and circumstances to match the ones we just had. This continues to create more circumstances that we don’t want in our lives.

An exercise I use with my coaching clients in this circumstance is called “Clarity Through Contrast”. Since they are so clear on what they don’t like about their current situation, I have them make a list of all the things that aren’t working. Then, we go back through the list and one at a time, flip each statement of what they don’t want to it’s opposite.
For example:
“My boss never acknowledges my accomplishments or shows me any respect.” We can flip that to “I have a boss that respects me as a person and an employee and values and acknowledges my accomplishments.”

We continue through the list that way, and when they’re done, they have plenty of material for creating their vision of their ideal life. I also have them destroy the list of things they don’t like by shredding it, tearing it up, or safely burning it. A great feeling of liberation results!

Try creating a vision of what you want your life to look like in all areas of life, and picture it in your mind every day. The more you focus on what you do want, with all the delightful feelings of already having it, the quicker you will begin to see evidence of small shifts taking place. When inspired ideas occur to you from this better feeling place, take action! Even the smallest steps will lead you to your goals.

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Treasure Your Passions and Purpose

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Estra Roell

When I was a teenager, it was my ambition to become a professional ballet dancer. I began lessons around the age of eight for fun and exercise and by twelve I was a serious student. My parents were very supportive, driving me to classes several times a week and allowing me to spend a summer at the National Ballet of Canada studying with top teachers. At the age of sixteen, after auditioning and gaining acceptance, they gave their blessing for me to enroll in a year round ballet boarding school in Buffalo with schoolwork sandwiched in between morning and afternoon dance classes. We lived close enough to allow me to come home on Saturdays after a two hour morning class and go back on Sunday evening. Needless to say, they invested quite a lot of money in my ambition and I invested my work and heart.

But here is where the mixed messages started. Perhaps seeing that I really was intending to make a career out of this, they began talking about how hard a life a dancer has. They acknowledged that I was good, but that good wasn’t enough in the highly competitive field of dance. A lot of people are good. You had to stand out, to shine! They told me they didn’t think I was aggressive enough–I didn’t push my way forward. They spoke of the sacrifices dancers had to make in order to get ahead. I wouldn’t be able to really have any kind of love life and I wouldn’t have much time off. They had stories of the cutthroat things dancers would do to each other to eliminate the competition. And don’t expect to make any money! They knew of dancers who had to have three roommates just to make ends meet. This barrage of all the reasons why I couldn’t or shouldn’t follow my dream became more and more frequent. A war began to rage within me between my desires and my fears. What my parents had to say disturbed and confused me. Why were they saying these things? Continue reading →

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Overcoming Procrastnation

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Estra Roell

Procrastination picWe had a surprise snowstorm here in Virginia last Monday. Eight inches! No road treatment was done since only a tenth of an inch was expected so most of us stayed home until there was some afternoon melting.

During the storm I received an email from a client who had decided to use the time stuck at home to catch up on billing her clients. The only problem was, she just couldn’t make herself sit down and do it. She kept finding all sorts of other things to fiddle with, so she asked if I had any words of wisdom to help her.

Procrastinating, especially for those tasks that don’t rank high on your list of passions, can be a challenge! I gave her a couple of quick tips that I thought I’d pass long here.

1. I asked her to get in touch with how she was thinking about the billing task. Where was the resistance? Perhaps–It’s tedious, boring, hard–or all of the above? Then I asked her to think how she could shift her thinking into the positives of this task to soften her resistance. For example: “Isn’t it great that I have clients to bill?”
“Once I get the billing done I can look forward to the flow of money coming to me!” Picture the task done, get into the feeling of accomplishment or whatever feeling you expect to have upon completion. Imagine a nice full bank account!

2. Think of ways to make the task more enjoyable, such as putting on beautiful background music, and settling in with a nice cup of tea, coffee, or hot cocoa. Perhaps set up a reward for when the task is completed, such as a good movie.

3. The Five Minute Method: This is a great technique for when you just can’t seem to shift out of resistance to a task. Tell yourself you will commit to doing it for only five minutes. Set a timer. At that time, you get to take a break for ten minutes. Then commit to another five minutes. Most of us can do anything for just five minutes. Knowing you don’t have to force yourself through hours of tedious work will lessen the resistance and allow you focus in. At the five minute mark, assess how you feel. Do you want the break, or are you now on a roll? Either choice is fine. I usually find, however, that the most resistance is at the beginning, and once I’m into a task I like to keep going. It is still important to stop and assess how you feel at regular intervals, however. When you overwork at a task and don’t give your body the movement, hydration, or other break it needs, this reinforces the feeling of the task being monumental and difficult. Stop before you are mentally exhausted, even if it’s not all completed. Celebrate your progress!

I don’t think we’ll find ourselves stuck inside during snowstorms too often at this point in the year, but hopefully this will help with those necessary yet unpleasant tasks that you just can’t seem to settle down to do. Ready for joyful tax preparation, anyone?

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The Happiness Hop by Tim Pond – Review of a Fascinating Self-improvement Book

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Estra Roell

You cannot learn much new in life; you can only remember.
– Carlos Ruiz Zafon

I just read one of the most fascinating self-help books this year, and wanted to write a short review of it. I skimmed over new Amazon Kindle titles in the Self-help category, and the unusual title “The Happiness Hop” caught my eye. The cover of the book was enticing too. So, I decided to check it out.

The first pages were pretty interesting. Suddenly something extraordinary happened, and I just couldn’t stop reading.

What’s the book about? I won’t reveal too much here, you really need to check the book out yourself. All I can say that if you’re interested in living a more fulfilling life and finding and living out your unique purpose, do read The Happiness Hop. The book is very enjoyable, it is captivating and inspiring. And helps me to remember…

Below is one of my favorite passages of the book:

“Gaining insight into your purpose in life gives you strength. A person who has fully grasped his purpose is strong and able to endure a great deal of pressure because he has gained a sharper view of the world. He sees everything with increased clarity. As Jung once put it, “Purpose and meaning make a lot, if not everything, bearable.” Despite suffering, disease and hardships, one can seek to fulfill one’s purpose – each according to his own ability. In the words of the philosopher Nietzsche, ‘He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.’”

THE HAPPINESS HOP has a unique approach of combining non-fiction and fiction into a conversation between Everyman and a wise mentor. It discusses profound themes with humor, enlightening stories and astonishing elements. As Tim Pond says: “Don’t look for happiness; look for purpose.”

Magnificent bonus gifts ($297 value!) for action-takers (time sensitive offer)

When I bought the book, I noticed that Tim Pond offers a spectacular bonus gifts to the buyers of his book. If you purchase the book in the next 48 hours, you’ll get a fabulous collection of bonus gifts by top self-improvement experts.

To check out The Happiness Hop and to claim your marvelous bonus gifts now, visit

http://tim-pond.com/happiness-hop-amazing-bonus-gifts.html

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Unconditional Love

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Estra Roell

February is the month of love! We’re just past Valentine’s Day, when our thoughts and attention are on romantic love. Many people feel that romantic love is the highest form of love. While it certainly feels good, is healthy and rewarding, there is actually a higher, more certain love that comes from within us and enhances all of our relationships, including the one with ourselves.

In her book Love for No Reason: 7 Steps to Creating a Life of Unconditional Love, Marci Shimoff talks about the difference between “love for good reason” and “love for no reason”. She states:

“Love for good reason has some limitations. The main problem is that its linked to reasons, and if those reasons change, your love usually changes too……you may feel attached, jealous, afraid of loosing the object of your love, or you may feel satisfied but still there’s something missing. …..Love for no reason is Higher Love, an inner state of pure love that doesn’t depend on other people, external conditions or circumstances.
When you love for no reason you bring love to your outer experiences rather than try to extract love from them.” Continue reading →

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What Story Are You Telling?

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Estra Roell

So, you’ve been trying out the law of attraction and it just isn’t working for you.  You are wondering, “What’s going on?  Why is it taking so long?”  You begin to think this stuff just doesn’t work, or maybe it does for other people, but somehow you’re special and it just doesn’t work for you.

Here is one area you might explore

When you get together with friends or even when you listen to the self-talk in your own head, what story do you notice you are telling about your life or circumstances?  Are you focused on your clear, bright vision of your ideal life?  Are you feeling it and speaking of it as though it is already here?  Are you feeling the essence of why you want it?
Or–are you rehashing the past or stressing about the future?  Are you complaining, coming up with all the reasons why you can’t have what you want?  Do you subscribe to the misery loves company club?  When people ask how you are, what do you tell them?  Continue reading →

Posted in Law of Attraction, Visualizing and Intending | 2 Comments

Healthy, Wealthy & Wise Gifts Giveaway Offers 675+ FREE Health and Wellness Related Products

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Estra Roell

I wanted to let you know today about a Health and Wellness site that will allow you to download 100’s of self help gifts. And the best part is that it is absolutely FREE!

If you’ve had enough of plodding along year after year and you want to improve yourself and your health to make this your BEST ever year, then you need to go here: http://healthywealthywisegifts.com/go/736

Healthy, Wealthy & Wise Gifts will be open only for a VERY LIMITED TIME from June 9th to June 30th, 2011. When you go there you’ll find a multitude of products – all FREE – provided by Health, Fitness, Wellness and Marketing experts from all over the world. Here is just a small sample of what you will find:

* Mind Alchemy: Unlocking The POWER of Your Mind – Steven Aitchison
* Getting Started With Clarifying Values – Karen Cappello
* The Stressful Lives Guide to Aromatherapy – Jill Rheaume
* Chakra Balancing Meditation MP3 – Becca Chopra
* 63 Success Strategies – Zoe Routh
* Supercharge Your Weight Loss – Hollie Hawley
* Mindsetology Package ($97 value) – Jeremy Gislason
* Secrets On Attracting Clients & Removing Your Money Blocks – Heather Picken
* The Free Inner Bonding Home Study Course – Margaret Paul
* Blooming At Midlife – Tomar Levine
* Love Your Body 30 Day Transformation Program – Kerri Kannan
* And TONS (OVER 300+) MORE!

Get all of these and 100’s more here: http://healthywealthywisegifts.com/go/736

The organizers of the event are Stephanie Mulac, Carolyn Hansen and Dr. Joe Rubino.

Stephanie started this style of event in 2006. It’s in the form of a “Giveaway” which is sort of like a giant electronic trade fair where 100’s of experts offer their products free to the public.

Because it has become so popular, this year Stephanie has enlisted the services of Carolyn Hansen, renowned fitness professional, and Self Exteem Expert, Dr. Joe Rubino.

You only have to walk into any book store in any country to see how popular the subjects of health, fitness and wellness are. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry churning out hundreds of new books, audios, CD’s and other paraphernalia every year.

These can be very expensive but at http://healthywealthywisegifts.com/go/736 you can pick this information up completely FREE.

With the year almost half over, what better time is there than right NOW to set yourself and your business up for future success? This event is a life-changing experience for those who take it.

Come and join Stephanie, Carolyn, Joe and me and see for yourself.

If you want to grab the largest collection of health, wellness and internet marketing products you’ll find ANYWHERE – all FREE – then go to http://healthywealthywisegifts.com/go/736 NOW and claim your bounty!

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