These things require a person to be a giver, and being a giver is one of the keys to joyful abundance. Think of the number of people out in the world trying to get, take and hoard. These people live a shallow existence. They often have out of control egos, operate from a fight or flight mentality, and if they were honest with themselves, they would probably discover that deep down they feel insecure. This insecurity drives them to get, take and hoard, because they fear that if they don't, there won't be enough for them in the future. What a shame. They don't realize that it's their own fear and insecurity that is driving away the abundance they seek.

The truth is each of us can be abundant. We can have rich relationships, heaps of happiness, and yes, fat bank accounts if we choose. Where does a person start? They start with what they have. To give thanks for the abundance they are now enjoying - possibly their health, their friendships, the buck and a half they do have in the bank account, or simply enjoying the beauty and lessons of nature. If we come from a mindset of abundance, we don't feel we need to get, take and hoard. We become givers, we get into free flow, and strange things start to happen. More abundance appears!

Earl Nightingale, the co-founder of the Nightingale-Conant Corp. was a great believer in giving. To explain the concept, he would use the analogy of a person sitting in front of a fireplace, and the person would say to the fireplace, "First give me heat, and then I'll give you some wood." Well, of course we have to give first.

What have you got to give today? How about a sincere compliment, a smile, or giving your time to someone who could use an ear? Here's a concept to think about: Whatever you want more of, give it away. You want more love? Give some of yours away. You want more laughs in your life? Dig up some good jokes to share with someone. Give away what you want more of, not expecting anything in return, and watch the magic flow into your life.

Louise Yale is a giver. I met Louise some time ago in a Tai-Chi class. Since that time we've been sharing some of our favorite writings with one another, and I'd like to pass on this gem which she recently gave to me:

"There are two types of people in the world; those who come into a room and say, "Here I am!" and those who come in and say, "Oh, there you are!"
- American Salesman

This is called "comparison tripping" and it's one surefire way to erode our confidence. Unfortunately, it happens all too often. We may hear about the successes of a family member, friend, or colleague and rather that feel genuinely happy for them, we may compare our results to theirs and begin to feel inferior if we are not achieving the same results.

This sense of inferiority causes at least two problems. First, we may feel that we should be achieving the same results, and we may begin to focus our attention on pursuing those results. Once those are achieved we may not feel fulfilled, as we've been chasing after something that we really didn't want in the first place.

I met a lady by the name of Laura during one of my seminars who owns a very successful retail store. She told me about a one-day seminar she attended on how to expand your business. One particular session dealt with franchising your concept worldwide. The speaker had done this himself, and she was excited by the idea and took copious notes. Later that evening as she was reviewing her notes, it occurred to her that she didn't really want to franchise. She realized that what she really loved about her business was living in the community where she was, and that she valued the quality of life that she was currently enjoying.

Although franchising may have been the right concept for that speaker, she was not prepared to dedicate the time and effort into pursuing that particular avenue. She stopped herself from comparing her results to his, and going after something that deep down she really didn't want.

The other problem with harboring a sense of inferiority is that we may prevent our selves from taking action to really test the extent of our capabilities. As many of you have heard me say time and time again, you really do have deep reservoirs of talent and ability within you. Our lack of confidence can and does prevent us from discovering all that we can be, because as our confidence erodes we tend to take fewer risks, we become more critical of our self, and we're not as effective as we can be.

To prevent "comparison tripping" in the future, we need to take the time to create our own definition of success. What is success to you? What are its components? When do you feel successful? Once you have identified what success means to you, you'll find that the only person you need to compare yourself to - is you!

Having our own definition of success is so vital to our self confidence that it is one of the ten traits we explore in No Limit Confidence to have reliable, sustainable confidence on an ongoing basis.

Without our own personal definition of success, we can easily fall prey to comparing ourselves to others and start to feel less than okay.

Once we begin to be true to our own definition of success, we can genuinely feel happy for other people's success. Hopefully they are living their definition of success and we now realize that our version may simply be different from theirs. - JP

As a road warrior in this business, I know through experience that luggage gets lost. It seems to be a fact of life. Because of this, I never let my carry-on, which contains my notes, overheads, and other seminar essentials leave my sight. Well, almost never.

It had been a good tour that week. I was presenting a new seminar and traveling to a different Canadian city each day. Due to the flight schedules, it wasn't until midnight Thursday that I arrived at the hotel in Edmonton where, in the morning, I would be presenting the final seminar of the week.

I traveled to the hotel via an airport shuttle, and in those vehicles ALL luggage (including my carry-on) is placed in the rear compartment. It's amazing how luggage looks so similar these days! I was the last to be dropped off, and as I went around to the back of the vehicle to pick up my luggage, there was a carry-on in there, but it wasn't mine! Someone had taken it by mistake.

The driver and I felt that this would not be a major problem. There was a luggage tag on mine and the one remaining, so we could simply call the other hotels he had stopped at, find out who had mine, and make the switch. If only it had been that simple!

As it turned out, a few people that the driver dropped off were not staying at the hotels. They were merely using the telephone there to call a friend or relative in the area to come and pick them up! It was determined that it was one of these people who had my carry-on.

I then spoke to the manager of the shuttle service who suggested that they could probably track down my luggage sometime tomorrow. I suggested that wasn't an option. I had over 200 people arriving the next morning for this seminar, and I needed my materials that night. The irony of all this was that the seminar I was to present was entitled, "Self-Assured, Relaxed, and in Control.®" Needless to say, it was a good opportunity to practice what I preached.

The hotel security manager and the shuttle bus driver became part of my S.W.A.T. team with the mission to find the suitcase that night. I set up command central in the hotel lobby next to the telephones. As my accomplices followed leads, I broke open the lock of the carry on that I did have looking for clues. While playing Sherlock I was able to compile a profile of this woman, which was fun, although it didn't leave me any clues as to her whereabouts.

I then turned my attention to the nametag. It gave me her name (Olive), her address in a suburb of Vancouver, and a phone number. I immediately called that number hoping a relative was home and could tell me where Olive was staying. Someone did answer when I called, a young man by the name of Mark. However, he said he had never heard of Olive. For a moment, I thought I was at another dead end until St. Mark (as I have since been calling him), said that her address was a few blocks down the street, and he asked me if I'd like him to walk down to her house and see if anyone was home! Now keep in mind it was about 12:30 in the morning at this point. I said to St. Mark, "Wow, I'd love it if you would do that for me." He then told me he'd call me back (long distance) in about 15 minutes. Which he did.

As it happens, Olive's husband was home and explained that she was staying in Edmonton with her nephew. Eventually when word got back to Olive, her nephew called me at the hotel and asked me it he could come by to make the switch that night rather than in the morning because "Auntie Olive hasn't been able to brush her teeth tonight because you have her overnight bag." I told him that would be just fine. By 1:00 a.m. we had made the switch.

To this day, I don't know how Mark's phone number ended up on Olive's luggage tag. They have never met, her real phone number was unlisted, and Mark has lived in his house with that phone number for over twenty years. I'm just thankful that Mark happened to be home that night, and that we was willing to help me out the way he did.

As many of you who have been in my seminars know, "When you think you've exhausted all the possibilities, remember this: you haven't." That quote from Robert Schuller kept ringing in my ears each time we came to a dead end. I truly believe that there is always a solution if we have a positive, expectant attitude. This is especially important when there seems to be no solution in the horizon. If we can keep ourselves open to all possibilities, it can be amazing what or who can show up, how synchronicity unfolds, and/or the clue to the next step we need to take materializes.

How much time did you spend planning your last vacation? How much time and effort did you spend planning your last party? How much time and care have you spent planning your life?

I'm being serious! The majority of people spend more time deciding where they would like to go for a holiday, than they do deciding where they want to go in their life.

It's a shame really, because as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen." But we have to take the necessary steps.

Decide what you would truly like to have, do or be. If it were impossible for you to fail, what would you strive towards? Think about that for a moment, and then try this. Imagine that you and I are having lunch together in your favorite restaurant. Now describe to me your ideal future. What will your life look like five years from now? Be specific. Where are you living? What are you doing? Who are you doing it with? How are you generating income? What service are you providing? Now come back to present time and ask yourself, what can I do THIS year to move towards that picture?

Write out a list of S.M.A.R.T. goals that you'll reach this year. S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym we use to describe the components of a goal.

Specific - Be specific in your goal setting. If you want a new vehicle, describe it. What is the make, model and colour? What extra features does it have? The more specific you are, the more likely you will find that which you seek.

Measurable - You'll want to be able to gauge how you're doing. For example, if you want to spend more time with the family, specify the minimum amount of time.

Attainable - Rest assured that you will not seriously desire something that you can't attain.

Real for me - Often times when we set an aggressive goal, we tend to doubt our ability to actually pull it off. Here's the test: In a relaxed state, see yourself in your mind's eye already in possession of the goal. If you can see and feel yourself with it, that's the proof you can achieve it. If you can hold it in your head, you will eventually hold it in your hand.

Timed - Set a deadline for each goal. Someone once said that a goal is a dream with a deadline. Chances are, you'll need to complete many smaller tasks in order to reach your goal. The deadline helps you set up a time line for the completion of those tasks.

Visualizing your heart's desire allows you to become a magnet for the good that you desire. Spend some time each day seeing yourself already in possession of your goal. Place physical reminders around you. You'll see them on a daily basis to remind you what you're working towards. These could take the form of photos, pictures, or symbols. Stay focused on your goals, keep your eyes and ears open, and I guarantee that you will see opportunities open up.

Taking action is probably the biggest stumbling block. We can work through Steps 1-3 and still remain in our comfort zone. However, seizing those opportunities that arise and taking action can be scary. Reaching your goals will likely require you to step out and do things that you haven't done before. Recognize that this is how you will tap into your hidden talents and discover abilities that up until now may have been lying dormant.

Through applying step #3, you'll be consciously aware of what you're working towards. In addition to this, I recommend doing a quick review at least monthly of how you're progressing. You may find that some goals are quickly materializing. You will also become aware of any areas of procrastination.

Last but certainly not least, celebrate your successes. Sometimes we can become discouraged when we are not making the progress that we think we should. Celebrate how far you have come. This will create added motivation to help move you to the next phase.

It's easy to get so caught up in earning a living, that we don't take the time to seriously step back and design a life. The truth is, we DO find time for those things that are important to us. What is important to you? Follow these 6 steps and you will be living a life by design. Someone, somewhere is going to achieve the goals that you set…let it be you! - JP

If you've ever had the opportunity to deliver a presentation, you can likely relate to the following: The brain starts working the moment you are born, and it never stops working until… you stand up to speak!

Whatever your past experience with presenting might be, it's a good skill to develop regardless of your chosen field of work. It's almost certain that somewhere, sometime, for some reason, you'll be required to share your ideas in front of a group. Years ago if someone had told me that in the future, I could stand up in front of a group, words would coherently come out of my mouth, and it would be something that I would look forward to, I would have told them they were hallucinating! However, if a person has a deep desire to do something, they'll find a way.

Working with an audience can be one of the most rewarding events you could ever experience. I find great joy in speaking in numerous countries to thousands of people each year. To create a more memorable message and to add more punch, poise and pizzazz to your next presentation, here are some tips that you can apply whether you are speaking to a group of 5 or 500 people.

It can be argued that these are the two most important components of your presentation. Spend a great deal of time crafting these and have them memorized. People form impressions within seconds, so grab their attention with a powerful opening. Rather than say, "Today I'm going to talk about traffic safety," open with "Fifty family members die each month in traffic fatalities." Instead of saying, "Thank you for the opportunity to be here today," grab their attention with, "During the next 15 minutes, I'll show you how you can increase your sales by 20% in the next 30 days."

The purpose of the opening is to capture the audience's attention and create interest. Begin with an appropriate quote, story, startling question, or challenging statement. Unless you are a bona fide humorist, I wouldn't advise starting with a joke. It's too risky. If it isn't well received, you'll have a more difficult time gaining a good rapport with your audience.

After you have shared the body of your presentation, you're ready to deliver a memorable close. This involves a solid call to action where you tell your audience what you want them to do as a result of what you said. Let's not take it for granted that they know what to do. In a sales presentation, assume the sale! A common mistake made by many inexperienced salespeople is that they neglect to ask for the sale. In a training session, make suggestions for a change in behavior.

You've written a captivating opening, a powerful close and you know the main points you want to cover. You're all set to go, right? Nope. Not yet. As dazzling as you and your material may be, you have an interesting dynamic to deal with. People speak on average at a rate of 140 - 200 words per minute, yet they process information at a rate of up to 1500 words per minute. Do you see the gap? There's plenty of time during your presentation for their minds to wander.

To help keep the group engaged and to create excitement, add "spice" to your presentation. Spice acts like a wake up call, refocusing your audience on the point you want to convey. Add spice every 6 - 8 minutes. Here are a few examples of spice:

Adding spice brings your content alive. Use it in your presentations to create more effective, powerful, and memorable experiences for both you and your audience.

There is no substitute for rehearsal. Knowing your material will greatly reduce your anxiety. Practice with your audio-visuals so that you become familiar with them and can use them seamlessly through your presentation. For ongoing practice, join your local speaking club! Check your newspapers or the Internet for a club near you. Toastmasters is the world's largest with locations around the world. Visit them at www.toastmasters.org for the location of a club near you.

Recently while delivering a seminar on presentation skills in England, an audience member told me that he sometimes has to face "difficult" audiences. This can be our perception when we are the bearers of bad news or when the information may not be well received. Regardless of your situation, know that your attitude towards the audience will be the single most important determining factor in how you connect with them. View the audience as your best friends. You can't do this literally as you may not know your audience members personally, however, you can treat them as you would your friends. How? With your friends, you are open, caring, honest and willing to do whatever you can to help your friends. How then do you perceive your audience? As people with whom you'll be open, caring, honest and willing to do whatever you can to help. When you make the decision to do so, your audience will sense this and you'll have a greater chance of success.

Your body is your very best visual aid. Make eye contact. Be expressive. SMILE. The more you rehearse, the less you'll rely on your notes and the more natural and fluid your gestures will be. I never choreograph movements. Gestures should flow automatically as a result of expressing the message.

To help build a positive attitude towards yourself as a presenter, ensure that your self-talk is positive. If you're thinking negatively towards yourself yell "SWITCH" and replace it with a positive statement. "I can do this. I am capable. I see myself responding effectively to questions. I remember what I want to say." Over time, what you think about comes about, so be sure that your thinking is aligned to what you really do want.

Each time you work in front of a group, the more polished and at ease you'll become. Like many things in life, it's simply a matter of practice. Seek out opportunities to present to groups and incorporate these tips. Speak from the heart, be enthusiastic, practice positive self talk, and your brain will continue to work…even when you stand up to speak! - JP

Every once in a while, you hear a story that makes a strong impact. It sticks with you. You remember it. The following excerpt is from a story that fits this description for me. It was forwarded by a Posivy's Picks reader and it reminded me that life really is precious. As none of us knows for certain how much time we have left, we owe it to ourselves to truly appreciate each moment.

How does one snap out of the daily, habitual grind and really begin to recognize and cherish these moments? First, we need to become consciously aware of our values, and then we must reorganize and adjust our lives to ensure we are doing and saying those things that are congruent with our values. For example, if we truly value our friends and we happen to be waiting in a long line up with one of them to see a show, we won't become frustrated by the wait. Instead, we'll appreciate the time that we are spending with them and probably be so engaged in conversation that we'll hardly be aware of the wait. This of course won't happen if we're focused on the lineup!

The belief that "every day you're alive is a special occasion" is an attitude. It's an attitude of gratitude and a way of perceiving your life and events. With this attitude, we automatically appreciate the simple pleasures that each of us is presented with on a daily basis (if we've programmed ourselves to look for them) and we tend to put a positive spin on whatever life presents.

As I am writing this, a Rufous hummingbird has just stopped to hover in front of my window for a few seconds. His orange throat colour is absolutely brilliant. Is this an earth shattering event? No, but I think it definitely qualifies as a special moment. Our days are filled with special moments if only we are willing to consciously open up to them.

Here's an exercise for you. For the rest of the day, become consciously aware of all your special moments; a kind word said, a good laugh with a friend, co-worker or customer, a relaxing walk, a good workout, your favorite bag of cookies on sale, whatever! By nightfall, I trust that you'll be able to reflect on a multitude of special moments. Keep doing this, and you'll form the habit of not only recognizing and cherishing your moments, but your entire life!

After all, what comprises a special life? Special years, made up of special months, days, hours and …moments.- JP

Do you know someone who you believe experiences true peace of mind?

If we took a survey of these people, we would likely discover that there are more differences between them than there are similarities. They would come from different backgrounds, locations, careers, lifestyles, and financial status. However, I can assure you that there would be at least one common denominator between them all.

They all possess something that each of us has, and that is - problems. Having an absence of problems does not guarantee peace of mind. In this day and age, is not having problems a possibility? Not likely.

What these people do lack however, is fear.

It's only when we no longer fear what the future holds, that we can experience true peace of mind today. If we're fearful about what's going to happen tomorrow in our jobs, our family life, our health, or our financial life, we are not going to experience the peace of mind that is truly possible today.

How can we not fear the future? By recognizing that each of us has deep reservoirs of talent and abilities within us. By knowing that the way will be shown if we are solution oriented. By focusing on fixing the problem rather than fixing the blame. By turning inside for the answers and the guidance, versus relying solely on external factors.

Once we begin living our life on purpose, and our actions and decisions are congruent with our core values, then the problems that do appear before us, are viewed more as growth opportunities or perhaps as signals that a change of course is required. This allows us to focus our energies towards fully living today, rather than in fear of the future and missing so much of what can be enjoyed in the moment.

As the late, great, Val Van De Wall was fond of saying, "Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around us in awareness." Become a personal development addict so that you're involved in an ongoing process of discovering the true essence and potential that lies within you. As you do, you'll be shedding away the learned insecurities, restrictions and self imposed limitations and stepping into the realm of unlimited possibilities for yourself and experiencing true peace of mind. - JP

In the past, particularly in the 80's and early 90's, there was a strong emphasis for many people on accumulating "things" in an effort to prove to themselves (and those around them) that they were successful. Expressions like "keeping up with the Jones' ", "what will people think" and "the one with the most toys wins" were common. Success was measured largely on a materialistic level. However, times they are a changin'. You may have noticed the new car commercial with the slogan "the one who has the most fun wins." For some, the focus has been changing. In talking to people throughout North America during my seminars, I have noticed a definite shift in people's perception of what is important to them.

I believe that one of the reasons for this is that more and more people are coming into a conscious awareness of what their true values really are, and they're attempting to live more in alignment with those values. As a result, many individuals are reevaluating their own definition of success. Often what they thought was their view of success, was actually society's version that they adopted without giving it much thought. Consequently, they set out to become successful and accumulate the accouterments thereof, only to discover that something was still missing. Often this feeling of something missing is caused by the individual focusing their attention outwardly (the accumulation of stuff) without looking inwardly as well.

As we turn inwards and focus more on our higher spiritual self, we can become so self-actualized that we no longer need the status symbols around us in order to feel safe, secure and worthy. Please don't get me wrong. I am a great fan of having pockets bulging with cash, and nice things around me. What I am talking about are the excesses and the motivation behind the accumulation of things. For example, how many TVs can you really watch at one time? Is yet another one really necessary? Unfortunately for the environment, it will eventually end up in a landfill site. Consider your clothes closet. There's a good chance that you actually wear a small percentage of what's in there. If so, this may be a good area to start your de- cluttering process. There are many charitable organizations that would love to have your excess of clothes that are in good shape.

If you discover that it is difficult to part with a lot of what is actually clutter, ask yourself, what is making it difficult for me to let go? Perhaps having a lot of "things" around you provides you with a sense of security. Maybe this is because at some time in your life you experienced real lack. If so, that may be an issue that you want to deal with, as it may be holding you back from making better choices for yourself. My husband and I have been getting rid of "things." I've discovered that as a person de- clutters their life more and more (on all levels), they can experience a heightened sense of freedom and flexibility. Security really is an inside job.

Suppose you want to embark on a de-cluttering rampage in your home. Here's a guideline you can use to determine if something is worth keeping, or it's clutter: "If you don't know what it is or why you have it and/or you don't use it, it's clutter." As you go through boxes and shelves, you'll discover that some items are going to be hard to let go. To make it easier for you to decide, ask yourself the following questions: Have I used it in the last year? If the house were burning down, would this be one of the items I would save? Does it have personal meaning to me? The answers to these questions may help you decide what to keep and what to toss or give away.

If you really want to make some headway, you're going to have to be brutally honest with yourself. To the clutterholic, everything has potential so they don't want to let go of anything!

After you have made some real progress, celebrate your accomplishment. But please, don't let the celebration involve buying more clutter! - JP

I would love to be able to tell you that your path to reach your major goals will be a smooth one, but you know intuitively, and perhaps through experience, that this is not the case. I believe however, that our ability to move through our struggles and challenges more easily has a lot to do with how we perceive these obstacles.

As always, we have a choice. We can view these obstacles as something negative, or we can view them as opportunities to grow. If you really think about it, the times that you learned more about yourself and discovered your real strength, have been during times that you transcended some major challenge, rather than when things were easy. Our challenges prepare us for the future, make us stronger, and make us smarter (we hope!)

Consider the story of the man who found a cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home so that he could watch the moth emerge out of the cocoon. Later that day, he noticed a small opening in the cocoon appear, and so he sat for several hours as the moth struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could go. It seemed to be stuck. Then out of kindness, the man decided to help the moth by snipping off the remaining bit of the cocoon with a pair of scissors. The moth emerged easily, but it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the moth because he expected that at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand. This never happened! In fact, the moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with its wings swollen and shriveled. It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening, was the way of forcing fluid from the body of the moth into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Freedom and flight would only come after the struggle. By depriving the moth of a struggle, he deprived the moth of health.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would not be as strong as we could be. Always look for the learning experience in every struggle. Ask yourself: What's the lesson here? Why am I having this experience at this time? What am I learning? Pondering these types of questions does us a heck of a lot more for our growth (and health) than throwing a pity party.

You DO have deep reservoirs of talent, abilities and creativity within you. Often our best, most original ideas come to us when we are faced with real challenges...IF WE ARE PERSISTENT AND DON'T GIVE UP!

Move through your struggles, challenges and other opportunities with the right attitude, so that when you DO get to the other side, like the moth that struggles through it's natural course, you'll be stronger, smarter, and freer! - JP

Earlier this year while presenting a seminar in Maine, I asked the audience to share with me what they felt were some common fears of people. One gentleman summed it up quite nicely by replying, "Life!"

Although there are some people to whom this would apply, I believe the vast majority is not totally overwhelmed by fear on an ongoing basis. However, for many people, the fear they feel while sometimes more subtle, is just as debilitating.

Fear is a powerful emotion. It can hold us back from exploring our true potential. How? One of the most common fears is the "fear of failure." Why? We're afraid of what other people think. Why? We crave external approval. Why? We have not been conditioned to believe that our own self-satisfaction is enough, and we experience self-doubt. This self-doubt causes us to seek the external validation. If we feel that we will not receive this approval, we hold ourselves back in fear.

Here's a tip for beginning to change that:

I believe it was Eleanor Roosevelt who said that we would be less concerned about what other people think of us if we realized how seldom they did! Even if they do think of you in a negative, judgmental way - what do you care? Leave them alone with their toxic outlook, while you go ahead pursuing and living your own life. In time, it really becomes quite natural to do, as we develop ourselves from within, align to our higher spiritual self, and view any "mistakes" that we make along the way as learning experiences.

External approval is very pleasing and in fact it is necessary to receive when we are out in the marketplace providing our service or product, so that we know that what we are offering to people has value. However, first and foremost, we need to approve of ourselves.

Recently I was reviewing a list of the most common fears according to Dr. Robert Schacter. In addition to fear of failure (and of course public speaking), making mistakes, disapproval and rejection all came in at the top of the list. It's interesting to note that all these fears have to do with what other people think of us.

We can choose to not let this fear stop us in the future.

As fears are learned, we have the ability to change our perception of what it is we fear. However, sometimes what we think is fear, is actually our intuition trying to get our attention. We need to differentiate between the two.

As I mentioned, fear is an emotion. Intuition on the other hand, comes to you as a feeling. It's also commonly referred to as a "gut instinct" or "gut feeling." I believe that each of us is born with a perfect, fully functioning intuition. However, as we "mature" we are conditioned not to trust it. We're told to "look at the facts, be realistic and believe what our eyes tell us." The intuition continues to prompt us with subtle feelings, attempting to show us the best path to take. As we rely more and more on our intellect, we gradually lose connection with this powerful force.

If at any time you get an uncomfortable feeling about a particular person, place or thing, perhaps this is not an unfounded fear that you're experiencing but rather your intuition trying to prevent you from making the wrong move. It could be saying, "Hey, something is going to happen soon that you would rather not experience…vote with your feet and get out - pronto!"

You are probably familiar with the saying "your first impression/feeling is usually correct." That's because it's likely coming from the intuition. Then our intellect kicks in and we discount our initial impression of the situation. How do we redevelop our intuition? By once again learning to trust it. Start with the small things. For example, if you're driving around your city looking for a parking spot, ask yourself, which way should I turn? Where will I find an empty spot I can fill? If you get a feeling you should turn left, check it out. It doesn't matter if you're wrong at first. Eventually your intuition gets the idea that you're willing to listen to it again.

Thomas Troward, the great mental scientist wrote in his Edinburgh Lectures,

"When, in spite of all appearances pointing in the direction of a certain line of conduct, there is still a persistent feeling that it should not be followed, in the majority of instances it will be found that the argument of the (intellectual) mind, however correct on the facts objectively known, was deficient from ignorance of facts which could not be objectively known at the time, but which were known to the intuitive faculty."

Fear holds us back. Release it. Let intuition be your constant traveling companion through this dance of life. Embrace it and enjoy the journey with courage! - JP