Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend… when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present — love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure — the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth. –Sarah Ban Breathnach

For thirty-three weeks, I’ve gotten into the habit of jotting down whatever I happen to feel grateful for something so that when it came time to do the weekly gratitude post, I’d have something to refer back to.

Here’s a photo of a list I wrote this week – it was taped up against my closet door, in clear view, to remind myself to jot down whenever I experience moments of gratitude:

Before I share with you this week’s gratitude post, I need to be honest with you about something.  While most of the time I’m feeling pretty up and raring to go, for some reason, despite good things happening this week, I found myself operating on a low dosage of energy and felt a bit more sluggish towards the end of the week.  Not exactly sure why but I allowed it to put off my gratitude post until this morning.  But once I got going and actually began to go through the motions of putting up such a post, my energy sprang back full force, increasing my sense of vitality 100 percent.   Suddenly I was enthusiastic again!

The point?

Even if you don’t feel like doing something because of low energy or whatnot, once you get started on a task, you might be surprised to find yourself already on the rebound because you are in the act of doing something. When your body is in motion like that, the blood begins to circulate and somehow you’re back in the groove.

We all hit pockets of sluggishness.  One way to get out of it is to consciously put yourself back on the treadmill of life and do something.

In my case, it was the act of taking a snapshot of this week’s gratitude post and getting on with it.  Now I’m feeling VERY GRATEFUL because my energy level is back up, my back is ramrod straight (instead of slouching) and my chest is puffed out (all of which are signs of eagerness, confidence, excitement, etc.)

Alright, shall we?

Recommendation on LinkedIn

Chris Brogan surprised me with a glowing recommendation on LinkedIn.  The timing of his “testimonial” couldn’t have come at a better time because I was just starting to question the effectiveness of this platform, wondering if it would lead me anywhere.

Then a few days later, Chris wrote the following at LinkedIn:

“I haven’t seen Stephen speak on a big stage myself, but I’ve heard him speak to me at the recent SOBCon business conference, and I would recommend him emphatically to speak to your organization on one of several topics in his repertoire. Why? Because Stephen speaks from the heart with a professional demeanor, a clear message, and an actionable presentation that drives one from being an audience member into being an active participant in one’s own personal transformation. Award-winning professional speaker Stephen Hopson is truly the speaker your company’s been waiting for. Connect with him now, learn from him, and build your program around his capabilities.” June 15, 2008 Chris Brogan, Publisher, Speaker, and Trainer

Wow! I couldn’t have been more proud and honored – thank you Chris!  I’ll let you know if this leads me to a speaking gig.

The Power of Asking

Everyday I ask myself what three things I can do to bring me closer to the dream of publishing my first book.   You all know that I won Simplelogy’s Bestselling Blueprint online course as a result of winning the video competition earlier this year.  Well, I’m at a point in that course where I am now actively seeking testimonials from well known people in both the blogging and personal development worlds.  I’m grateful that two major figures in the blogging world have accepted my request to review the manuscript in exchange for a testimonial.

I do not want to release their names until after they’ve given a statement because, well, it’s not cool to put them on the hot spot until they’ve had a chance to look it over.  But they know who they are and I know who they are.  My gratitude goes out to them for taking time to look through the manuscript.

So far, 4 people have given me powerful testimonies:

• Howard Putnam, former CEO Southwest Airlines
• Mark Joyner, founder of popular Simplelogy
• Arielle Ford, famous publicist, author
• Azriela Jaffe, speaker and author of 12 books

This goes to show that you never know if you don’t ask.  The worst that can happen is people will politely decline (or not respond at all).  I’ve already received a handful of “No’s” from people I respect and admire. Same thing with no responses.

Oh well – NEXT!

Gave Away Expensive Suits

Ok, I know you’ll poke me in the ribs with this one.  Several months ago I wrote A Cluttered Closet Means a Cluttered Life! My take was if you have a cluttered closet, your life is probably cluttered too.

After writing that post, I actually did a pretty good job giving away clothes that no longer fit or served me.  But when it came to selecting some of those business suits, I kept seeing dollar signs.  Hanging in my walk-in closet were some pretty pricey suits that I was reluctant to let go of.

I know, I know.  That’s a sign of “financial blockage.”  What’s more, none of them fit me anymore!  So why was I holding on to them?

For one thing, I was desperately hoping I’d get back down to Wall Street size (how about between 29 to 32 inches at the waist?  – I’m at 34″ now!).  The other part of it was the imaginary value of those suits – I kept thinking “these are darn expensive – I can’t just give them away!”

But then that’s the whole point of giving and receiving isn’t it?  Why not give them to some deserving young man just starting out but can’t afford good quality suits?”

Yesterday I took ALL of them (leaving only two behind – one will be tailored to fit me at the waist again while the other one was already adjusted at the tailors last year) to my church where they will be given to someone who could make good use of a suit for his first job interview.

There, that felt good.  I have released the last of my inner financial blockage – I think, I hope.

Clackberry Toy

Gosh, now I know why they call it “Crackberry.”  Ever since I received my new Blackberry Curve, I haven’t been able to get enough of it.  I proudly carry it inside the clip-on holster at the waist.  I get excited when the darn thing vibrates – it means I have a message!

Note:  A few of my loyal fans and subscribers left comments and sent emails about the title of this paragraph.   Thanks!  When I first noticed the “typo,” I was about to change it to “Crackberry” but then “Clackberry” struck me as very funny so I decided to leave it in.  But thanks to everyone who notified me of the potential oversight.  I’m GRATEFUL to have a pair of extra eyes everywhere!

Sometimes the strong vibration scares the beejesus out of me, kind of like getting an electrical shock.  But I LOVE it.

It even gave me an edge because one day I received a message from a Forbes magazine reporter wanting to know if I’d be interested in commenting on Bill Gates pending retirement from Microsoft.  Huh?

Of course, I was flattered so I responded right then and there, using my Crackberry.  I shared my thoughts with her and that was that.  I don’t know if the reporter accepted my answers (never heard back from her after I replied) but at least I’m now in a position to respond FAST.  Never again will I miss out on a potential opportunity because I didn’t have access to email while traveling.

Now I’m stuck with it for at least 2 years – not that I’m complaining!  One thing I have to be careful of is text messaging while driving.  I used to rail against people who talk on the phone while driving and NOW I’m texting behind the wheel!  ACK!!

Yes, I know – I’m learning – NOT!

Found Way to Do FREE Teleconference Calls

Ever since I had the new telephone system set up (see last week’s gratitude post under “telephone” for more information), I’ve been participating in more teleconference calls.  On one of them I discovered, to my astonishment, was a site where you can set up your own teleconference calls for free.  I kept reading through the website to see if there was a catch.

There wasn’t any!

Thanks to FreeConferenceCall.com, I plan to hold my first-ever Adversity University teleconference call in the near future.   Would you like to be a part of it?

Let me know in the comments if this is something you’d be interested in.

Potential Biz Relationship w/ Meeting Planner

An amazing development took place this week.  It came out of nowhere but developed into an unforeseen potential opportunity.  This is what happens when you’re open to recognizing opportunities that might come your way.  I’m at a point with my speaking business where I now need help in going to the next level.  Somehow a meeting planner, who I’ve been working with on a future speaking engagement, made it known to me that she would love to explore the possibility of becoming my personal assistant.  I could not have planned this any better – she had no idea I was looking nor did I know she was looking for this kind of opportunity either.  It just came tumbling out – surprising both of us.

I’m grateful the universe put this very qualified individual in my life who could very well help me transform my speaking business into an even bigger enterprise.  Thank you God!

Lost 6 lbs

Ever since I made a FIRM decision to go back to the basics with regular exercise and adopting conscious eating habits, I’ve lost 6 lbs.

Last year when I made this same decision, I ended up losing 20 lbs – I went from 178 to 158, with 155 being my goal.  I felt GREAT but then I fell off the wagon and ballooned right back up to 178.  And stayed there for several months.

Then I went to SOBCon08 (Chicago) and I met many fit and trim bloggers.  It made me realize just how much I had let go of myself.  Subconsciously I knew what was happening but ignored it.  That conference was a wake-up call for me.  Once again, I made a firm decision to get back on track and I’m keeping it simple with the following steps:

1. Become a conscious grocery shopper – be aware of what I’m putting in my grocery cart (never mind the calories or whatever – I ask myself:  “Is this good for me?  Does it make me feel good?’)
2. Go to the gym at least 3 times a week.  Run for 30 minutes – do it at a comfortable pace and then go all out in the last few minutes. If I feel sluggish at first, I go easy and then pick up the pace later.
3. Give myself at least one day to eat like a pig – for me that’s usually on Saturdays – it gives me something to look forward to!

Honorable Listing

Guy Kawasaki, the author and venture capital superstar, dropped me an e-mail this week to let me know that Adversity University has been added to the very exclusive Lifehacks.alltop.com.  I’m very honored to have been chosen among such great company.  Simply scroll through the page and you’ll find “Adversity University Blog.”  Thank you Guy!

Blog Posts that Inspired Me This Week

Frustrated That Everything Costs Money:  Do you remember a few weeks ago when I got an email from a man who wanted my advice on how to deal with a woman friend of his?  And how he thought my coaching fee was outrageously out of reach for him?  Well, I wish I had read Wendy from Creation Thoughts’s post on how to respond to that.  Wendy cut and pasted a copy of her response to someone who wrote a similiar email to her.  I thought it was brilliant, loving and quite inspiring.  I even printed a copy so that I’ll know how to respond the next time someone chides me for charging money for my coaching services.   Thanks Wendy for this priceless gem!

Developing Intuition:  The Mind Trap:  Even though I subscribe to Andrea Hess’s Empowered Soul blog, I was made aware of this article by Slade from Shift Your Spirits.  Instead of taking immediate action upon receiving an inspired idea, most people think about it – rationalize it – justify it.  Andrea says that’s a big mistake and I agree with her.  She provides a simple solution by outlining an exercise that will help you learn how to take immediate action instead of over-analyzing every inspired idea you get.  Thanks to Slade and Andrea!

Quit Playing Small and Insignificant:  I’ve been following Patricia Singleton’s Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker for a long time now and I continue to watch in amazement her spiritual path unfolding.   As a child, she experienced incest and now openly blogs about her healing journey.   In this article, she describes how she faces her fears by voicing them out loud.  A great resource for those of you who are looking for ways to overcome your fears.  Thanks Patricia!

Lessons Learned in My First 90 Days of Writing:  I think I discovered Chris Guillebeau on Twitter (we follow each other) but I know I had seen his blog a few times before.  While this was a great post about lessons he’s learned from writing, I truly got excited over what he had to say about his goal of reaching 1,000 visitors a day.  Here’s a short excerpt:

I originally said that I wanted 1,000 visitors a day by the end of the year.  Well, I achieved that goal much earlier than I expected, but I also realized that I should have been more specific.  I am happy about the lurkers out there who are just reading along whenever they have time (that’s totally fine), but my long-term goal is 1,000 true fans.  The concept of true fans comes from an amazing essay written by Kevin Kelly that is probably my favorite reading of the whole year so far.

Chis, thank you for leading me to Kevin’s 1,000 True Fans post.  It got my wheels turning!  See below…

Become a True Fan!

1,000 True Fans:  Kevin Kelly does an excellent job describing just what a true fan really is.  I know I have a handful of them here already. In fact, one of them, Jennifer Abbot created a “Stephen Hopson Fan Club” over at Facebook.  If after reading Kevin’s article, you feel that you are a true fan of mine, please go to Facebook and sign up for that club!  It’d be great to see you there.

Let me state for the record that my intention is to have 1,000 TRUE FANS by December 31, 2008.  Can you help me get there?

For those of you who consider yourselves my true fans, please spread the word about my fan club at Facebook.  Simply instruct them to go to Facebook, sign in and do a FB search for “Stephen Hopson Fan club.”  That’s it!

Oh yes, I am GRATEFUL for my true fans – thank you!

Food for thought:  What are you grateful for this week?  Go and tell!

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