But when I first started playing around with it, I was a bit disappointed.  At first it seemed that the quality wasn’t as good but then I had been testing it on those days when the sun wasn’t out in full force.  Most digital camcorders have a reputation for not performing very well indoors but I was told this one did – at least in comparison to SONY’s.  I almost returned it in haste but decided at the last minute to give it a shot.  What you’re about to see in a few moments is what I was able to do with it. 

Have you ever heard of Ho’oponopono?  It’s an ancient spiritual teaching that was brought to light by Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len from Hawaii (and others) to help us heal parts of our inner selves that create negative outer experiences. 

According to ancient Hawaiians, errors of our ways arise from thoughts that are tainted by painful  memories of the past but we are not always aware of them because they are often deeply embedded within our subconcious.  This spiritual philosophy teaches us to let God handle what we can’t do for ourselves, which would be wiping the slate clean and allowing for divinely inspired thoughts to come through and take immediate action on. 

I heard of this teaching about a year ago but over the last few weeks, I had been running across Ho’oponopono from various articles on other blogs, emails and random Google searches.  It finally dawned on me that the universe was trying to bring this to my awareness for another look.

After researching the subject, I decided to try it for myself.  A few days later, I realized I had an opportunity to make a video post with the new camcorder and share with you my thoughts on Ho’oponopono.  If you are an email or RSS subscriber, you are invited to click on the title of this article so that you can be transported to the Adversity University blog for the 5 minute subtitled video:

In short, here’s the mantra (or prayer, as I’d like to call it) along with the meaning of each phrase:    

• “I’m sorry” – for whatever is going on inside me causing memories to replay
• “Forgive me” – for whatever is inside me that is causing negative outer circumstances to occur (i.e. financial hardships, negative people, illness, etc.)
• “Thank you” – trusting that God, your higher power or the universe will clear away old memories, allowing for inspired thoughts to come through for you to take action on
• “I love you” – unlocks the healing to take place from within

As I promised, here are a couple of useful links to learn more about this ancient spiritual philosophy:

• What is Ho’oponopono?
• Ho’oponopono Basics
• Do you Ho’oponopono?
• Saul Maraney’s Notes of Zero Limits

It’s too early to tell whether it’s working for me but I do want to share something that happened almost immediately after I began reciting the mantra.  First, I experienced a sense of lightness – a peaceful feeling, if you will.  Then the following day, I received an email from a potential client who had seen my demo speaking tape at my speaking website (you can see the demo tape by going to the “Hire Stephen” tab above). 

The man wanted to know, “Was a DVD copy available to show my steering committee while they decide on a keynote speaker for our conference in 2009?”

A coincidence?  Would he have asked me for this anyway?  Who knows?  It’s hard to say but I couldn’t dismiss the timing of this man’s inquiry.  It made me wonder if my work with this spiritual philosophy unlocked hidden memories that were wiped away by divinity (defined as whatever you like it to mean whether it’d be God, the universe or higher power).  Still too early to tell but I’d think it had something to do with it.

What about you? What do you think of this spiritual teaching?  Does it resonate with you or does it sound like something far off?  Your thoughts and comments are always welcome!

Until next time, enjoy the beginning of your week.  We have the final part of my interview with Karen Putz coming up on Wednesday plus updates in connection with my win in the BeTheNextBestsellingAuthor video contest!

Stay tuned……

a

These feelings are hunches.  It’s something we can’t explain or prove – it’s just there.  I haven’t met anyone who hasn’t had a hunch at least once or twice.  They are often right, even if they make no sense.  These hunches often seem to come from the inside and are not based on anything we’ve learned.   It’s a direct knowing.  You just know the answer.  That’s it. 

Consider what happened at the barber shop where I was to get a haircut one day.  While flipping through magazines, waiting for my turn, I had a funny feeling something wasn’t quite right with the barber.  On the surface, I observed nothing out of the ordinary but my intuition was telling me to go elsewhere.  Unfortunately, my ego protested and I ended up paying the price as you saw with Adversity at the Barber Shop.  This is what is meant by the notion that we are given “free will.”  Your angels can provide you with guidance but it’s up to you to act on them.  If you don’t, well, then that’s your choice. 

Years ago while living in New York City, I was riding my bike, going downtown on 8th Avenue at a high rate of speed.  As I approached a certain intersection, something told me to stop.  Thankfully, I paid heed to that inner voice for when I came to a screeching halt, a car shot out like a speeding bullet, narrowly missing me.  

You learned from my “Confessions of a Motivational Speaker” post that I won first place at a humorous speech contest some years ago.  I distinctly remember sitting in the auditorium while they were announcing first, second and third place winners.  The moment they started to rattle off the names, beginning with the third place winner, I was suddenly overcome with a strange sensation.  It was like a special coating of warmth with a tingling sensation inside my head.  The words You won flashed in my mind.  It was startling to say at the least!

What made this even more incredible was that I was up against a formidable contestant, Julie Morgenstern (who I mentioned in the above mentioned article went on to appear on Oprah, becoming a best-selling author in the process).  Despite this “reality,” I knew I had beaten her.  I honestly did not think I did better than her nor did she falter, stumble or anything like that.  In fact, both of us gave great performances.     

You all know about the beach story when I woke up from a nap and received a strong impression that I was supposed to quit Wall Street and become a motivational speaker and writer.  You can see that at Trust that Bigger Things are in Store for You-The Beach.

The thing is, how in the world did I know all this stuff?  

From God and my guardian angels.  Angels are assigned to everyone for the remainder of his/her life, never interfering except for certain life threatening situations that happen “before it’s time to go home.”  They stand ready to serve and guide you.

The main thrust behind most of my writing and speeches is that we all have the capability of getting in touch with our inner spirits. Based on my own experiences, all of us have a direct line to God and the angels.  It is open 24/7, ready to serve as a conduit for guidance and inspiration.  But not everyone is aware of this nor do they know how to access it.

Doreen Virtue, best-selling author of Divine Guidance, says that everyone has the ability to tap into this inner well of wisdom.  According to her, there are five ways of receiving divine messages:

• Visions, images or mental pictures
• Sounds, voices, words
• Feelings and hunches
• Thoughts, ideas and inner certainty

How do you keep the divine hotline open?  The following is by no means a complete list of but they are among the most helpful to me:    

1. Spend time walking in nature – if you do this often enough, you realize you’re not alone.  Somehow you feel a subtle sense of quiet strength in the forest, teeming with positive energy.  I often feel refreshed after such a walk, feeling as if my mind cleared up. 
2. Become consciously aware of unseen forces – this brings into your awareness that there is more to what meets the eye.  It trains you to be on the alert for so-called coincidences and messages just for you, to name a few.  You begin to see answers on billboards, car license plates, a phrase you overheard in someone else’s conversation or perhaps you saw an ad in the newspaper, giving you the answer you’ve been seeking.  By raising your awareness, you become super conscious that God and the angels are always trying to communicate with you and they do it in a number of different ways.    
3. Meditate – focus on your breathing and let all other thoughts pass through you.  This empties the mind to make way for more room for divine messages, in essence decluttering your mind.  See Todd Goldfarb’s suburb article as a guest writer at Zen Habits called ”Meditation for Beginners… “
4. Relax and know that your gut feeling is often correct despite lack of evidence.
5. Talk to God and the angels frequently as possible.  Have a conversation with them throughout your day.  I am always talking to them regardless of whether I’m in the shower, driving, walking in the woods or writing.  I’m always acknowledging their presence (silently or out loud if I’m alone) and thanking them for blessing me with gifts.  The more you talk to them, the more you’ll be able to receive their messages. 
6. Even better than all of the above tips, is the importance of “letting go” of the results.  Be open and not attached to what might happen.  If you try to force the answers to come from within, it’ll block the way.   

By the way, don’t forget to tell me how you would like to name the new interview series at Adversity University by leaving a comment here.   So far readers have responded with “Stephen Hopson’s Interviews,” “The Adversity University Guest Lecture Series” and “Scholarly Visits.”  Let’s see if you can come up with a couple more today and then you can all vote for the best name and win a PRIZE. 

Food for thought:  Have you ever experienced a hunch that you either followed or didn’t but it turned out to be right?  I’d LOVE to hear your stories.  I’m a huge sucker for divine miracles so please indulge me!

a

For those of you who have been part of Adversity University for quite some time, you are familiar with my journey as a former stockbroker turned motivational speaker, writer and pilot.  I’ve always known from experience that when you focus on what you want, you eventually manifest it – good or bad.  I’ve also known that I didn’t get to where I am alone.  I’ve had lots help along the way.

But one thing I’ve never really utilized was the power of masterminding.  Up until now, I’ve not taken advantage of organizing or even joining a group of like-minded individuals.  After reading several books that emphasize the importance of masterminding our way to success, I finally made a firm decision to put out a request to the universe to help me with this.  Then I promptly forgot about it.

One day, I was online and found someone who belonged to a local law of attraction group.  There was something about this person’s photo that drew me.  My intuition prompted me to contact her (Shelley Kimberly) and so I did.  A meeting was set up and towards the end of the hour, she told me of another person who she thought would make a great mastermind partner for me.

His name is Myron Brown of Myron Brown International.  Another meeting was set up between the three of us a week later.  I couldn’t have predicted the outcome of that meeting.  Not only did we hit off immediately but we bonded right away.  When he walked in, I knew that he was the right mastermind partner.  There was no doubt about it.

The fact that we felt a deep spiritual connection, while very significant, is actually not the focus of today’s article.  What I want to emphasize is what Myron later told me later on.  On our second or third meeting, he revealed to me that after we met for the first time, he excitedly went around and told everyone within his circle of influence that his new masterminding partner was once on Oprah.  The funny thing is I never said any such thing because I’ve not been on her show!  

So what made him think such a thing?

What Myron did not know was that I had been visualizing myself on Oprah for many years.  On my refrigerator door is the cover of People Magazine dated December 20, 1999.   Guess who’s on it?

Yep, there she is, smiling at me every time I get hungry!  Next to her photo are the words, “How Oprah Changed Their Lives.”  The simple little action of opening my refrigerator door metabolizes, on a deep cellular level, the thought of engaging in conversation with Oprah in front of millions of viewers.  For those of you familiar with the law of attraction, “thoughts become things.” 

Long before the law of attraction entered mass consciousness, I’ve used the power of visualization towards the achievement of my dreams.  One way of doing that is through the help of photos placed in strategic locations throughout my home.  

Her photo in the kitchen subliminally sends a powerful message almost every single day that I am home to my subconscious mind, the one place inside you that has been called ”the gateway to the universal mind.”  You attract what you put your focus on.  That means the more you internalize your thoughts, the more you give off that energy.

In other words, Myron was picking up on that vibration and read my mind on the first day we met!   

For more information on the power of metabolizing your thoughts, please see “Metabolizing Your Daily Thoughts.”

Food for thought:  If people can pick up your inner thoughts, you might as well fill it with stuff worth reading about! 

a

James talks a lot about what I’ve written in this blog, namely the importance of making a life-changing decision to reprogram your mindset and change the way you perceive yourself and the world around you. He said something that triggered a long buried thought.

Raise your hand if you’ve gone through the annual ritual of clearing away the cobwebs in your closet. Maybe you’ve held a garage sale or two (or have been meaning to). Bulky winter clothes automatically go into hibernation in the cedar closet in exchange for old summer clothes. Sound familiar?

Now, how many of you see this spring cleaning ritual as closely connected with the law of attraction? If this one caught you off balance, you’re not the only one. I was thrown for a loop too.

Stay with me on this.

Go take a look in your closet. Are there articles of clothes in there that you haven’t worn in years? Perhaps you’re saving them because you think one day they will come back into vogue (how about those bell bottomed jeans?).

You say they’re a couple sizes too tight yet you’re secretly hoping you’ll lose enough weight to squeeze back into them?

Well, what about those shoes, belts, hats, caps, blouses or whatnot — when was the last time you wore any of that stuff?

Last night I decided to take a good look and see for myself.

What I saw shocked me.

To my utter amazement, I still had a handful of custom-made suits and shirts that I used to wear during my Wall Street days (early to mid 90′s). With the exception of professionally expanding the pants of my favorite charcoal grey pinstriped suit, I haven’t worn any of the suits since the mid-nineties! Running my fingers along the closet, my jaws dropped at the sight of musty, yellowish ring-around-the-collar shirts that hadn’t seen daylight since forever. What’s more, some of those custom-made shirts still have plastic covering over them because for the life of me, I could never seem to find a matching tie so I never wore them!

My goodness. How could I have not noticed this?

This, of course, prompted me to examine my inner thinking. I walked out of the closet and sat on the edge of my bed with my right elbow on my thigh and the palm of my hand cradling my chin, deep in thought, just like Plato.

Why do you have so many unused clothing hanging in there Stephen huh??

Suddenly I had a light bulb sort of moment.

It dawned on me that on a subconscious level, I was hoping to save money by waiting until after shaving off unwanted pounds so that I could wear some of those tight fitting clothes again. Then my mind did a quick flashback to the price tag on some of the clothes in there. Much my chagrin, I found that I hadn’t wanted to part with the more pricey ones even though I hadn’t worn them in years!

Wow! What a shocking revelation!

Now, I don’t think of myself as a hoarder because my mother used to tell me that ever since I was a kid, I never had a problem throwing things in the garbage or giving them to someone else. The moment I had no use for something, I always found a way to get rid of it. My home is a testament to that. It is the least cluttered place you’d ever see in your life.

But NOOOOOO, NOT MY CLOTHES! The closet is jam packed with em!

At that moment, I knew what I had to do this weekend.

Forget garage sales and e-bay. Give away clothes that no longer fit or those that are no longer of interest. Why not?

Think of it this way. If you have hard time giving away money as part of the law of giving, why not start by giving away clothes? Psychologically speaking, it’s easier to give away articles of clothing compared to dollar bills or checks.

But remember that what you give away, you get back. In the last article or two, I mentioned that if you give away books, you’ll get books back. If you give away money, you’ll get money back. Give away love, you’ll get love back. So be prepared. If you give away your clothes, you’ll get new ones in no time flat. After all, nature abhors a vacuum and will soon fill it back up for you.

Do you see what happens when you make a life-changing decision? Everything you do and say becomes congruent with your level of thinking. Little things like the annual spring cleaning ritual take on an entirely different meaning simply because your perceptions have changed.

Thanks to my bedtime reading last night, I discovered that I had been harboring one last piece of scarcity thinking. By hoarding old clothes and not giving them away, I was allowing scarcity thoughts to permeate my mind.

Here I come closet, ready or not! GRRRRRRR!

Food for thought: Clean out your closet and give what you no longer want away. Affirm to yourself that what you give away, you will be able to replace easily and effortlessly. Your attitude about giving truly determines whether you have an abundance or scarcity type of thinking.

a

Ever since “The Secret” hit mainstream consciousness, a lot of people have misunderstood the principles behind the law of attraction. They think it’s about sitting in their favorite recliner and imagining themselves being, doing and becoming the things they want to attract.

Yes, that’s part of it but there’s more. A lot more.

It involves elevating your level of consciousness and becoming more aware of your thought process, examining your belief system and actively changing what doesn’t work.

If you desire better health, you’d be choosing to eat healthier foods and exercising more. Your thoughts will no longer remain mired on aches and pains and all the medications that go with them.

Let’s say you’ve been invited to a picnic with your friends on a beautiful, gorgeous day. Assuming you’ve made a decision to get healthier, rather than complaining to everyone how much your leg hurts or regaling them with horror stories from the last visit to the hospital, you’ll be in the moment and take in the beautiful weather, enjoy a fun game of horseshoe and feel grateful for the friends who are there with you at the picnic. If you think and behave like this consistently in every area of your life, the aches and pains will soon become a thing of the past because you are no longer focusing on what you don’t want!

By making conscious changes to the way we think and perceive the world around us, we become more aware of the quality of thoughts that go through our minds and discard the ones that don’t work. We begin to metabolize the kind of thoughts that allow us to see the good in others, develop an attitude of gratitude and believe that everything happens for a divine reason, to name a few.

We all want more prosperity, right? For the law of attraction to work in this area, visualizing financial freedom is only one aspect of it. Examining your money belief system is another piece of the puzzle. You could be visualizing a bulging bank account until you’re blue in the face but if you have limiting or self-defeating thoughts like, “Money is the root of all evil, ” “Donald Trump is filthy rich” or “Becoming wealthy only happens to other people,” then you’ll be stuck in a rut until you actively dismantle those thoughts.

The law of attraction requires what I like to call the “metabolizing of prosperity thoughts” to manifest more money. How do you do that? By acting “as if.” Tithe as if you already have a lot in the bank. Dress nicer. Expect a check in the mail. When writing a check, instead of thinking it will lower your bank balance, see it being replenished easily and effortlessly. White out your bank balance and add a few zeros to it.

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

I’m sure you’ve heard that one before. Perhaps you’ve said this yourself at one time or another. In order to attract what you want, the opposite is true. The unseen needs to be metabolized in your thought process before they arrive in physical reality.

Why?

Because the universe is like one giant mirror. It reflects back to you what you see in your mind’s eye and believe on a cellular level that you will be, do or have. I think it was Gandhi who said that we need to change our inner world first before the outer world will reflect it.

Here are a couple of quotes I have up on my vision board. They are from the mega-best selling book from the 1990′s, “Conversation with God” by Neale Donald Walsch (he made a brief appearance in “The Secret”):

“When you “make up your mind” about something, you set the universe into motion. Forces beyond your ability to comprehend — far more subtle and complex than you could imagine — are engaged in a process, the intricate dynamics of which you are only just now beginning to understand.”

“Nothing comes to you by accident. There is no such thing as coincidence. Nothing occurs at random. Life is not a product of chance. Events, like people, are drawn to you, by you, for your own purposes.’

Food for thought: Let these two quotes “metabolize” in your mind and take precedence in your daily thinking. They will go a long way to helping understand the law of attraction and gradually bring about desirable lifestyle changes for you!

a

Ready for another story?

Unbeknownst to me, one of the vice presidents in charge of enrollment counselors at the University of Phoenix was in the midst of preparing for a celebratory meeting for her staff members. They had reached the magical 1,000 student enrollment number (700 students on campus and 300 online) and she wanted to acknowledge her group for their hard work.

She originally contracted with a comedy troupe to entertain on the day of the staff meeting. But right from the start she was beset with an overwhelming nagging feeling that the comedy troupe wasn’t exactly what she wanted. Whether or not she was aware of it, God was speaking to her. Fortunately, she listened to her intuition and went online in search for the right keynote speaker. Almost immediately she found my professional speaking website (http://www.sjhopson.com/).

Her eyes were drawn to one of my keynote topics (“That’s Right, Stephen!!”) that felt like a perfect fit. It’s about the impact my fifth grade teacher made on me years ago with three words and how it caused a ripple effect throughout the rest of my life. It fit like a glove because she wanted to remind everyone the impact they were making on the students, many of whom are the first within their families to attend college.

With great excitement at this unexpected discovery, she emailed me at the very last minute to check into my availability on Friday, March 16, 2007. It so happened that I was available. A speaking contract was drawn up and a flurry of emails flew back and forth to make final arrangements.

Little did I know the universe had something bigger planned for me. It would lead me to take action on an inspired thought that I had not considered before. A couple of the teachers in “The Secret” DVD said when the universe gives you a course of action to take, do it! Don’t delay, don’t doubt, just ACT with faith.

Due to the fact that we were short on time and that I require a 50% deposit to hold all speaking dates, I gave the meeting planner two options. One was to FEDEX the check and the other was to use the donation button on this blog for immediate payment (look to the right and you’ll see a yellow PayPal decal).

To my surprise, not only did she opt to use the PayPal donation button but she paid the entire speaking fee two days ahead of time! It was unprecedented, taking me completely by surprise. This is where the universe inspired me to create a new payment center on my speaking website so that future clients have the option of electronically paying my speaking fees in full or at least with a 50% deposit prior to the engagement.

Wow, why didn’t I think of that before?

Clearly, this was a message from the universe telling me several things. One was how to increase my prosperity. Two, the fact that this client was willing to pay the entire fee upfront, sight unseen, was an indication that I continue to be in sync with the universal spiritual principles. Three, it was telling me that I am attracting other people with integrity because what you give out, you get back.

Despite these messages, the universe was not still not done with me yet. It had more surprises up its sleeve.

Not only did I have a lot of fun with the audience (I invited a staff member up onto the stage to perform an act, upon which I gave a free copy of the “heartwarmer” book containing the story about Mrs. Jordan), but they also gave me an unexpected standing ovation. Several people approached me afterwards simply because they wanted to hug me. Others wanted some advice. A few told me they were going to share this story with their families at home. Some even asked for an autograph!

It was a most amazing day and it all happened because the meeting planner had a nagging feeling and acted upon it. Her actions triggered a series of events that I could never have orchestrated on my own. It was the law of giving and attraction at work in its finest hour!

This is another example of how you receive in other ways and not necessarily from the recipient of your gifts. By consistently giving and tapping into the law of attraction, you draw to yourself other people and circumstances of like-energy.

Food for thought: Consciously adopting and integrating the law of giving and attraction opens the way for miracles to happen. Why do you think the meeting planner had a nagging feeling? How do you think she was led to my site? Do you think any of that was an accident?

a

The most recent act of giving and receiving actually transpired on the same day I wrote the article. It certainly helped that I was feeling GOOD because that opened the way for an attitude of gratitude, an important co-existing spiritual principle.

Plans were made to have lunch with a friend who happens to be an airline pilot. Since he had a flight to catch (no pun intended), we agreed to meet at a restaurant close to the freeway so that afterwards he could head straight to Cleveland airport with minimum delay.

Since the article I had just written that morning was still fresh on my mind, I decided I would “walk the talk” and do something about it. So I made a secret decision to treat Les for lunch. It felt free, clear and without any expectation of return (important rules of true giving).

When the waiter took our order, instead of asking for separate checks like I normally do, (it makes dining out with friends so much easier, wouldn’t you agree?), I requested that our orders be taken on one check this time.

As I was saying this, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Les raised an eyebrow. He was caught off guard.

Good!

Inwardly I chuckled with delight. This was really fun – there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing the surprise register on an unsuspecting recipient’s face!

When the check finally came, I immediately snatched it from the waiter’s hand and paid for it with minimum of fuss or resistance from Les (a good thing because receiving is just as important as giving – it keeps the give and take cycle flowing).

We bid farewell with me wishing him a safe flight. On my way home, it occurred to me that I needed to do a fresh load of laundry. I had recently bought a new brand of Tide detergent called “Simple Pleasures” (Vanilla and Lavender scent) and was eager to try it.

The first thing I did after arriving home was to rip the bed sheets off the mattress and take them down to the laundry room. After piling them in the washing machine and pouring a full cap of delicious smelling detergent on top of it, I inserted the laundry card to pay for the load.

The digital readout flashed: LOW.

Darn! There wasn’t enough on the laundry card to pay for it.

I had forgotten to add more money to it the last time I did laundry. Galloping back up the stairs two steps at a time to my apartment, I peered into my wallet and found, to my relief, a crisp ten dollar bill waiting for me.

There was just one more thing I had to do to make this laundry a reality.

Jumping into my car (I was operating on pure adrenaline – I must have had one too many cups of coffee that morning), I sped up to the management’s office where they had a wall-mounted money laundering machine in the lobby so that tenants could put more funds on their cards 24/7.

Upon arriving, I breathlessly inserted the laundry card in the designated slot and then attempted to slide the new ten dollar bill into the mouth of the red machine.

To my horror, the beast spit it out not once but several times. Apparently its taste buds found the crisp paper money too bitter of a bill to swallow!

No matter what I did to coax the temperamental machine into eating its lunch, it steadfastly refused to nibble. In an attempt to stem the rising bile of desperation, I took a deep breath and murmured to myself, “Okay, okay, all is not lost.”

There was one last course of action.

I spun around and went straight to the assortment of buttons behind me and rang the bell of the leasing agent’s office. It took a few minutes for the pleasantly plump woman to answer the door and buzz me in.

Apparently she was in a good mood for she was smiling and seemed to have an extra spring in her step. “This is a good sign,” I thought.

Do you have an older ten dollar bill to swap with me?” I asked hopefully. “I can’t seem to get this in the machine.”

“No, we don’t keep cash in our office,” she said. “Here, let me try.”

She proceeded to do exactly the same thing I did with the same dismal results.

But after the third or fourth try, the machine suddenly decided that it was hungry after all and greedily lapped the money up.

During the ensuing feeding frenzy, the machine’s brain went haywire because instead of reading $10.00, it reported that it just took in $20.00, TWICE THE AMOUNT!

Shocked (and awed at the same time) I had to take a double look, just to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. I even pointed it out to the leasing agent and she was like, “Hey, you lucky boy!”

To the average person, this incident would have seemed to be a lucky stroke of coincidence.

But you and I know better.

It was not an accident.

It was a message from the universe that I was in the flow, in sync with universal spiritual principles. It was a sign of more prosperity to come because I, the giver, gave with an open heart, without attachment and with complete freedom and joy earlier that day.

And look what happened – the universe indirectly paid for my friend’s lunch!

Yesterday’s experience was an example of how you don’t always get something back directly from the recipient of your giving. It also shows how quickly the universe can respond to your generosity. Other times, you may not see anything tangible for days, months or even years. It all happens on the universe’s timetable, not yours. That’s why it’s important to trust and let go.

Yes, I have a couple more “give and take” stories to share with you in the coming days. It has to do with a speaking engagement that came about unexpectedly last week and the rip-roaring success I am having with the “Flight to Hartford” project with my church.

Stay tuned!

Food for thought: The most effective remedy to unblock the flow of prosperity is true giving. This law of giving will never fail to astound you. Try today!

a

As a result of googling “Law of Attraction,” I stumbled onto a wonderful website whose name caught my eye: http://www.wingsfortheheart.com/

Can you guess why?

Hint: The key word is”Wings.”

You may recall that I’m a pilot. Not only that, but I’m heading up a book project for my church that happens to have “wings” in the working title: Wind Under Wings. Compelled, I opened the door to her website and was hooked. I ended up burning the midnight oil and read every single article she had on the subject of the “Law of Attraction.” I was so taken by her writing that I delved even deeper and that’s when I hit pay dirt.

On her site is a free e-book by Joe Vitale. Does his name ring a bell? It should. Long before the wildly successful “The Secret” DVD came out (he is one of the teachers featured), he was already famous for his best-selling book, “Spiritual Marketing.”

Joe has a most amazing story. For 15 years he lived in poverty in Houston, Texas. From there he rose to become a well known marketing guru with a special twist. Like me, Joe is an avid student of metaphysics. He is famous for harnessing spiritual and marketing principles together.

If you haven’t seen “The Secret,” you’ll love listening to him. Even though I can’t hear his voice (I’m deaf, remember?), I’ve heard that he has a hypnotic voice. People love listening to his tapes because they are so soothing and have a wonderful calming effect. He has the capability of inspiring people to action and touching their hearts because he is so genuine. There is nothing fluffy about this guy – in fact, I’ve put him on my list of people I desire to meet during my lifetime!

What I read stunned me.

The title of Joe’s e-book? The Greatest Money Making Secret in History!

It should have been titled “The Greatest Secret to Unblocking the Flow of Prosperity” but then which title holds greater emotional appeal?

Exactly.

It is 111 pages long. I read it in under two hours. I went to bed so excited, I couldn’t wait to write about it the next morning. I’ll give you the link to his e-book at the end but let me have the opportunity to share with you what I learned first:

1. You can never “out give” the universe. When you give from the heart and without any expectation of return, the universe returns the gift multiplied many times over.

2. Never, ever expect anything in return, especially from the beneficiary of your giving. Just know that you will receive. Sound confusing? It isn’t. Knowing and expecting are two different things. When you expect to receive, you put yourself in the “if I do this, I’ll get that.” That’s called manipulation. On the other hand, if you give without expecting any return, you put yourself in the mode of knowing you will get back but letting the universe handle the details for you. How exciting is that??

3. You may think you have little to give because of the current size of your bank account or debt situation but all you have to do is open your eyes and look. Even the little you have can be shared with others. Don’t wait until you have “a lot” to give away. Do it now and you’ll open up channels that were previously closed to you.

4. Sometimes the return from giving happens very quickly. Other times it takes longer. Never put a timetable on your return. Stay open and trust the universe.

5. Don’t give out of a sense of obligation or fear (i.e. people or organizations that prey on your sense of guilt or a preacher who says the bible demands that you tithe, etc.). Give with genuine gratitude. Give to people who inspire, heal, serve and love you.

6. In fact, the best time to give (especially when your bank account is extremely small and you do not yet have the financial abundance that you envision for yourself) is to wait until you are feeling GOOD. We all have our mood swings – we all have our ups and downs because that’s the natural ebb and flow of life. Sooner or later, you will be feeling really good about something for whatever reason. You will be inspired, motivated or given a ray of hope to the point where you are feeling very grateful. That’s the perfect time to give. When you give without any fear, attachment or expectation, you unlock the universal law of prosperity, making way for more to come back to you from unexpected sources.

7. The more you practice giving away, the more you stretch your prosperity consciousness. For example, in the last year and a half, I’ve made it a regular habit to tithe at least 10 percent of my income to people or places that provide me with spiritual nourishment. Lately, that recipient happens to be my church not because the preacher asks for it but because I feel grateful that I found a place where everyone is welcome, unlike many of the churches in this day and age. That, to me, is priceless spiritual nourishment. As a result, I give to my church because I want and feel inspired to, not because I have to. Huge difference.

8. When you give money away, you are sending a message to the universe that you are prosperous and in the flow. You also set yourself up as a money magnet – what goes out comes back.

9. The key principle is to know that you cannot fool or manipulate the universe – if you give grudgingly or out of pity or obligation, you are actually blocking yourself from the giving and receiving cycle. The underlying emotion when you give must be out of sense of love, gratitude and freedom. When you give, are you excited? Or are you fearful?

10. Give love, you get back love. Give time, you get back time. Give money, you get back money. Give books, you get back books. The universe mirrors exactly what you give out.

11. Here’s the greatest secret of unblocking the flow of your prosperity. How do you feel when you write checks? Do you cringe, get a funny feeling in your stomach? Let’s say you write a check for your church every Sunday. How does that make you feel? Have you ever asked yourself why you are writing this check? If you say: “I’m helping them out of a hole” or “I feel obligated” or “My preacher says I’ll go to hell if I don’t tithe,” you’re definitely on the wrong path. Not good. When you feel lousy giving money, you are sending a message to the universe that you are associating money with bad feelings. That’s like saying, “money makes me feel bad.” Have you ever thought of it that way? It’s mind-blowing!

12. Do people owe you money? Have you forgiven them? When you harbor anger or resentment against those who owe you, you are blocking yourself. Why don’t you just let them go? Silently bless them and know that you will be paid in full some other way.

13. How do you feel when you write a check to pay off your creditors? Just the other day, I wrote a check to pay off an invoice for videotaping services rendered for my speaking business. It was for a substantial amount, taking a large chunk of money out of my checking account. In the past, I would have felt fear in the pit of my stomach but on that day I actually felt exhilarated. Writing that check made me feel like a million bucks. It gave me a feeling of incredible inner peace because I could only imagine the look of surprise on the recipient’s face. Several months ago, he told me to take my time, trusting that I would eventually pay up in full. Never once did he complain or hold any grudges against me. He simply trusted that I would pay. When I finally had the money to pay him, I was feeling so incredibly thankful for his trust in me that while I was writing the check, I was actually feeling very excited! According to Joe Vitale, this kind of emotion is the back-door to unlocking your prosperity.

14. Become aware that the universe, God (or whatever label you want to put on it), is your main source, not your friends, your debtors, creditors, business associates, family, etc. Broaden your perspective and know that the universe will provide exactly what you need, ask and visualize for yourself.

15. Try giving anonymously. What a concept! What you give is between you and God and the universe anyway. Other people don’t need to know about it. Don’t give because you want your name up on some building or recognition to satisfy your ego. Why not surprise someone with an anonymous gift? True, you may never know how that person reacted because he/she won’t know it came from you. But put yourself in that person’s shoes. If you received a gift anonymously, how would that make you feel? Wouldn’t you sing your heart out or feel grateful? Sure you would! Why don’t you try that?

16. One of the contributing authors, Paul Hartunianin, in Joe’s e-book put it very concisely. I couldn’t have said it better than him: “I have no problem with someone being recognized for giving, he added. But if you give because you want recognition or you expect a ten-fold return, then you’re not giving, you’re calculating.” Wow! We humans sure know how to manipulate things, don’t we?

As promised, here’s the link to Joe’s e-book. I guarantee you’ll love it. You might even lose sleep over it!

Food for thought: Think of the person, persons or organizations that inspired you this week. Who made you feel good about your life, your dreams or your goals? Give money to that source and don’t be stingy. Come from the mindset of abundance, not scarcity. Give without expecting return from that recipient but know that you are setting yourself up for a return from some other source. And then watch what happens! You will be absolutely amazed.

(NOTE: In a future blog entry, I will list some things that have personally happened to me as a result of my “giving from the heart campaign.”)

a

A little over a year ago, I relocated to a small sleepy town of Akron, Ohio to undergo special flight training which eventually resulted in aviation history. In Feb 06, I defied the nay-sayers who said it couldn’t be done and became the world’s first deaf instrument rated pilot. You can read more about this by visiting the aviation biography section at: http://www.sjhopson.com/bio-flying.htm

When I first arrived to town, I looked everywhere for a spiritual place to worship where I could get away from the enormous pressures of making aviation history. My desire was a non-denominational church where no one was judged – another very important spiritual principle. I wanted a place where all people were welcome regardless of their race, gender, faith, nationality, creed, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation, occupation, education and so forth. I’ve always believed that God loves each and everyone of us. Many of the world’s religions would have you believe that God is like the discriminating bouncer at a popular nightclub; accepting only the beautiful and powerful while rejecting everyone else. That never made sense to me!

One day I stumbled onto their website by accident and learned that approximately five years ago, Pastor Bob Dreese of First Grace United Church of Christ blew away traditional norms by declaring the church to be open to all, just as how I believe God intended. At that moment, I knew I had found my spiritual home away from home.

But I soon learned how this very bold statement came at a terrible price. More than half of the congregation fled in fear because their way of thinking was still deeply rooted into the “discriminating bouncer” concept.

Since then, First Grace has been busy rebuilding its congregation. True to their word, NO ONE has been turned away. NO ONE. Because of this, I want to “pay it forward” in a very special way by helping First Grace refill the pews and make someone else’s dream of flight come true by using my God-given aviation talents.

That “someone” is Ryan Mathews who is also a member of First Grace UCC. He uses a motorized wheelchair to get around. Like me, he has never let his disability stop him from achieving his dreams. He recently graduated with top honors from the University of Akron with a degree in music education. Ryan now lives out his life’s purpose as a talented musician and educator, touching countless of lives. And would you know that one of his dreams is to actually go for a flight in a small plane?

We are renting a small plane in June 07 and flying ourselves to Hartford, CT to help United Church of Christ celebrate 50 years in existence. Also aboard will be Ron Hoff, a talented videographer who will tape the flight for a documentary to be made at a later time.

Imagine this…a deaf pilot at the controls with a disabled man in the right seat acting as a “co-pilot”! What a better way of paying it forward and showing the world that people with disabilities can achieve their dreams?!?!

We have dubbed this project “Flight to Hartford.” If you wish to help, please visit First Grace’s website for more information – there is a link on the site where you can download a donation card to send your contribution by mail if you are inspired to do so:

http://www.firstgraceucc.org/yourti110445.html

Side note: UCC has many prominent members across the United States including Presidential hopeful Barack Obama, Howard Dean (former Presidential candidate and Natl Democratic Chair), Marilynne Robinson (Pulitzer Prize winner) and Reverend Andrew Young (US Statesman) plus many others.

a

If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend you get it for your DVD library. Here are some of the highlights:

1. Your life is based on what you are thinking and feeling – you attract in your life everything that is happening right now. This is hard for a lot of people to swallow because instead of looking at themselves, they want point their fingers at other people and circumstances.

2. The power of visualizing what you want cannot be underestimated. Long before “The Secret” came out, I used visualization techniques to become the world’s first deaf instrument rated pilot, to win sales trips while a rookie at Merrill Lynch, to become a pilot long before I knew deaf pilots existed and to attract people in the literary world and many other things. I know from experience it works!

3. There is one universal law for everyone on this planet and that’s the law of attraction. It is always in operation whether you believe in its existence or not, whether you understand how it works or not. Take electricity for example. We know it works. Like Bob Proctor says in “The Secret,” we know it provides man with electricity to cook and we also know it can cook the man. We do not know how it works but we get the benefits of electricity. It’s the same with the “law of attraction.”

4. You’ve seen from previous articles that if you ask, you shall receive. You can speed up the process by visualizing the end result (with vivid images, emotion and feeling) on a daily basis. I’ve also written about the visualization process in this blog. Start by writing down what you really want in your life. Write them in present tense – for example, “I am grateful that……..” Act and feel as if you already have what you want.

5. The “law of attraction” does not distinquish between good thoughts and bad thoughts. Like the law of gravity, if you jump off the Empire State building, regardless of whether you are a good person or not, you will still fall to the ground. It’s the same with the law of attraction. Regardless of whether you think good or bad thoughts, you will attract them. In essence, you’ve placed an order with the universe.

6. The most powerful principle with the “law of attraction” is that it is important to focus on what you want; not what you don’t want. If you think about getting out of debt, you will never get out of debt! Why? Because the more you focus on how it makes you feel sick to your stomach, the more you talk about how awful your life is because you’re laden with debt, the more you will attract it because that’s what you’re focused on. Your wish is the universe’s command! Instead of focusing on how much debt you are in, focus on prosperity. Visualize your mailbox filling up with checks rather than bills. Set up an automatic debt repayment plan and just forget about it!

7. Your job is to change your thought process, focus on what you want and don’t worry about the how. That’s the universe’s job. If it’s money you need, you will attract it. If it’s people you need to help you, you will attract that as well. If it’s equipment, materials or supplies to make your dream come true, you will bring them into your life. The universe will rearrange itself to bring forth the results you ask and visualize for yourself. The universe is like one giant catalog!

7. Another thing that I’ve repeatedly written about in this blog is the attitude of gratitude. The more you are grateful for what you have, the more you will have it. Gratitude is a powerful emotion, the energy of which goes out to the universe and comes back to you many times over.

We are entering a very exciting time of our lives on this planet. “The Secret” is waking up millions of people and letting them know they can have a prosperous, happy, joyful life if they just make some adjustments with the way they think.

I’ve already purchased the DVD and I also have the hardcopy book coming. You can read about it by going to either Oprah’s website or the official site of “The Secret.”

a