Many a Little Makes a Mickle

2010-01-28T00:17:00.001-08:00

About 'Many a Little makes a Mickle'

2009-11-06T00:43:00.000-08:00

Hi and welcome to http://www.little-mickle.com/ .

What is http://www.little-mickle.com/ ?

The title of this website comes from the proverbial phrase “Many a little makes a mickle”. I chose it because this blog is dedicated to personal and spiritual growth and the above phrase nicely describes one of the best ways to better ourselves – by having a great goal and going about achieving it step by step. The idea that we can reach any heights by consistently doing small things that brings us closer and closer to a desired outcome is definitely not a new one. Another ancient proverb, this time of Chines origin, says “Even a thousand-mile journey begins with the first step...”. To that I'd like to add “...and the journey unfolds one step at a time.” (While researching the origin of the saying I actually found another variation: “To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping“).

You can learn more about how the idea was born from my very first blog post. As you can see the initial motivation was financial freedom but I quickly realized that “money” alone won't keep me motivated long enough to get this place off the launching pad. From my very modest initial goal it's obvious that I am not a financial guru or entrepreneur and I barely have any internet marketing skills. Obviously I couldn't provide much value writing on these topics.

However, for the past several years I've been fascinated with the potential of our minds and how we can significantly improve and transform our lives by tapping into this potential. Over the years I believe I achieved some level of insight into this matter and sharing it with others is a really joyful experience. So this will be the main subject of this website.

I have plans to develop little-mickle further and offer unique vlaue to it's readers but I am not ready to disclose any details about the future … I will as my ideas start to take form.

About me...

I'll write more about myself in a separate post. For now you can catch me on twitter or add me on facebook.

First Financial Milestone Reached ... With Flying Colors

2009-10-26T23:23:00.000-07:00

In the very first post of this blog I talked about financial abundance as a mindset and I also mentioned how I intend to go about adopting this kind of mindset. Very simply put, I set for myself modest goals that seem achievable, get to work and once the goal has been reached I set a bigger one and start working on it.

My first goal was making just one dollar on the intrawebs :) Well, this post is to inform you that the goal's been reached...in a noteworthy way. Basically I posted the text from my previous post "Interesting Affiliate Opportunity with Think and Grow Rich" on a few facebook groups and it must have attracted the attention of someone with more marketing skills then me because so far I've received nine second-tier referral payments .... of exactly $1 each ... isn't that a funny coincidence. :) The other guy has made 5 bucks per referral and 9 people will receive their almost free copy of "Think and Grow Rich". Feels good.

The money didn't come from where I expected it (this website) but I am perfectly fine with that. I accept it as a wink from the universe that I am doing something right.

It's now time to updated my financial goals. The next milestone will be ... a whopping 2 bucks. :)

Interesting Affiliate Opportunity with Think and Grow Rich

2009-10-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

Make money by giving away an amazing success book

Here is the deal: as part of his business campaign Vic Johnson - a famous entrepreneur - is giving away copies of Napoleon Hill's all-time success classic, Think and Grow Rich.

The crazy part is that he's paying 2 bucks for every book you give away as his affiliate. Since the campaign is just starting he is actually paying 5$ per book right now.You also earn 25% of any products he sells to your referrals in the future.

This can work especially well if you already have a list of people interested in the topics of wealth and success that you can offer it to. Think And Grow Rich is a book that has influenced millions of people to pursue their dreams and change their lives for the better. I think spreading the word is indeed a good idea.

If you have a way to get the word out go to this website and scroll down to the bottom and look for "Give This Book Away & Earn Cash".

Got Your Free Copy of
Think and Grow Rich?

You can always read Think and Grow Rich for free on PsiTek. It's definitely worth it to have a printed copy though, and the offer above is the cheapest way to get one.

From now on I am on VACATION :)

2009-10-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine recently quit his job so he can pursue his passion and he was telling us how being unemployed is causing him some discomfort. Another friend pointed out that he should replace the idea of unemployment with a more productive statement like "I am now self-employment". I thought that was a great advice but then a third friend stepped in with something that simply blew me away. "I've been on vacation since I was 21", he told us. Now this guy is no bummer...in fact he's running a serious business. While I don't know what his exact financial situation is, he is definitely not struggling money-wise and more importantly he's living a free and relaxed lifestyle.

Isn't that a fantastic way to view your life and work?

From now on I am on VACATION! :)

Inspiring Quotes - The Daffodil Principle

2009-10-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

A while ago I wrote a post about inspiring quotes, and about the benefits of getting them daily in your mail. I also recommended the Insight of the Day service (see the banner below). With Insight of the Day you get quotes Monday to Thursday and an inspirational story on Fridays. I wanted to share one of my favorite stories, which emphasizes the idea of this blog in a beautiful way.

The Daffodil Principle

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come and see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. Going and coming took most of a day - and I honestly did not have a free day until the following week.

"I will come next Tuesday," I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call. Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove the length of Route 91, continued on I-215, and finally turned onto Route 18 and began to drive up the mountain highway. The tops of the mountains were sheathed in clouds, and I had gone only a few miles when the road was completely covered with a wet, gray blanket of fog. I slowed to a crawl, my heart pounding. The road becomes narrow and winding toward the top of the mountain.

As I executed the hazardous turns at a snail's pace, I was praying to reach the turnoff at Blue Jay that would signify I had arrived. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren I said, "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in the clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these darling children that I want to see bad enough to drive another inch!"

My daughter smiled calmly, "We drive in this all the time, Mother."

"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears - and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her.

"I was hoping you'd take me over to the garage to pick up my car. The mechanic just called, and they've finished repairing the engine," she answered.

"How far will we have to drive?" I asked cautiously.

"Just a few blocks,"Carolyn said cheerfully.

So we buckled up the children and went out to my car. "I'll drive," Carolyn offered. "I'm used to this." We got into the car, and she began driving.

In a few minutes I was aware that we were back on the Rim-of-the-World Road heading over the top of the mountain. "Where are we going?" I exclaimed, distressed to be back on the mountain road in the fog. "This isn't the way to the garage!"

"We're going to my garage the long way," Carolyn smiled, "by way of the daffodils."

"Carolyn, I said sternly, trying to sound as if I was still the mother and in charge of the situation, "please turn around. There is nothing in the world that I want to see enough to drive on this road in this weather."

"It's all right, Mother," She replied with a knowing grin. "I know what I'm doing. I promise, you will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."

And so my sweet, darling daughter who had never given me a minute of difficulty in her whole life was suddenly in charge - and she was kidnapping me! I couldn't believe it. Like it or not, I was on the way to see some ridiculous daffodils - driving through the thick, gray silence of the mist-wrapped mountaintop at what I thought was risk to life and limb.

I muttered all the way. After about twenty minutes we turned onto a small gravel road that branched down into an oak-filled hollow on the side of the mountain. The fog had lifted a little, but the sky was lowering, gray and heavy with clouds.

We parked in a small parking lot adjoining a little stone church. From our vantage point at the top of the mountain we could see beyond us, in the mist, the crests of the San Bernardino range like the dark, humped backs of a herd of elephants. Far below us the fog-shrouded valleys, hills, and flatlands stretched away to the desert.

On the far side of the church I saw a pine-needle-covered path, with towering evergreens and manzanita bushes and an inconspicuous, lettered sign "Daffodil Garden."

We each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path as it wound through the trees. The mountain sloped away from the side of the path in irregular dips, folds, and valleys, like a deeply creased skirt.

Live oaks, mountain laurel, shrubs, and bushes clustered in the folds, and in the gray, drizzling air, the green foliage looked dark and monochromatic. I shivered. Then we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight, unexpectedly and completely splendid. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes where it had run into every crevice and over every rise. Even in the mist-filled air, the mountainside was radiant, clothed in massive drifts and waterfalls of daffodils. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow.

Each different-colored variety (I learned later that there were more than thirty-five varieties of daffodils in the vast display) was planted as a group so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue.

In the center of this incredible and dazzling display of gold, a great cascade of purple grape hyacinth flowed down like a waterfall of blossoms framed in its own rock-lined basin, weaving through the brilliant daffodils. A charming path wound throughout the garden. There were several resting stations, paved with stone and furnished with Victorian wooden benches and great tubs of coral and carmine tulips. As though this were not magnificent enough, Mother Nature had to add her own grace note - above the daffodils, a bevy of western bluebirds flitted and darted, flashing their brilliance. These charming little birds are the color of sapphires with breasts of magenta red. As they dance in the air, their colors are truly like jewels above the blowing, glowing daffodils. The effect was spectacular.

It did not matter that the sun was not shining. The brilliance of the daffodils was like the glow of the brightest sunlit day. Words, wonderful as they are, simply cannot describe the incredible beauty of that flower-bedecked mountain top.

Five acres of flowers! (This too I discovered later when some of my questions were answered.) "But who has done this?" I asked Carolyn. I was overflowing with gratitude that she brought me - even against my will. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"Who?" I asked again, almost speechless with wonder, "And how, and why, and when?"

"It's just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory.

We walked up to the house, my mind buzzing with questions. On the patio we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking" was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman, two hands, two feet, and very little brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."

There it was. The Daffodil Principle.

For me that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than thirty-five years before, had begun - one bulb at a time - to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top. One bulb at a time.

There was no other way to do it. One bulb at a time. No shortcuts - simply loving the slow process of planting. Loving the work as it unfolded.

Loving an achievement that grew so slowly and that bloomed for only three weeks of each year. Still, just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, had changed the world.

This unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of ineffable magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.

The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principle of celebration: learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time - often just one baby-step at a time - learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time.

When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.

"Carolyn," I said that morning on the top of the mountain as we left the haven of daffodils, our minds and hearts still bathed and bemused by the splendors we had seen, "it's as though that remarkable woman has needle-pointed the earth! Decorated it. Just think of it, she planted every single bulb for more than thirty years. One bulb at a time! And that's the only way this garden could be created. Every individual bulb had to be planted. There was no way of short-circuiting that process. Five acres of blooms. That magnificent cascade of hyacinth! All, just one bulb at a time."

The thought of it filled my mind. I was suddenly overwhelmed with the implications of what I had seen. "It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years. Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"

My wise daughter put the car into gear and summed up the message of the day in her direct way. "Start tomorrow," she said with the same knowing smile she had worn for most of the morning. Oh, profound wisdom!

It is pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson a celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use tomorrow?"

Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards

Internet Revenue Update - 15.10.2009 - a few cents more :)

2009-10-15T06:19:00.000-07:00

OK, time for another money post. :)

To make a long story short - I earned a few cents and I think didn't even come from this blog but from an inforbarrel article. I am at $0.65 now so I am getting nearer to my first "big" financial goal. :) The poor results are perfectly fine, as I still haven't done any promoting whatsoever. I don't worry much about getting traffic at this point. Work on "pillar content" is more or less done but I need to quadruple-check it for mistakes in grammar, spelling, context etc.
Here are some things I want to do before I start thinking of attracting readers:

-make a post that serves as about me page since I don't like blogger's default one
-check content for mistakes
-add links to related posts
-I really like this template but with a few changes it could get even better
*fix "Read more >>" not appearing issue
*add a field for 125x125 ads on the right
-create some personal twitter and fbook icons
-add images to posts where appropriate
-basic SEO optimization

How to Find Your Guru

2009-10-14T00:10:00.000-07:00

(I originally wrote this post with spiritual practice in mind but I think the ideas apply to choosing a teacher in any area of life.)

If one is serious about spiritual growth one should find a trustworthy and experienced mentor.

You should observe your potential teacher carefully.

Being drawn to a teacher and intuitively trusting him is important but it may not be enough. Manipulative people can also be very attractive yet in reality they only want followers for their own agenda. A good teacher on the other hand has a genuine desire to be of service to his/her students.

Carefully check if he practices what he preaches. This can be difficult because there is some controversy surrounding practically every person who has ever risen far enough above mediocrity. My Buddhist teacher used to smuggle and do drugs and I just found out that Steve Pavlina (also influential in my life) was a kleptomaniac when he was a teenager. You can even find controversial information about people like the Dalai Lama (after all he is involved in politics :) ) if you dig deep enough.

So how do we decide whether to trust a guru or not?

Well, if he's not trying to conceal his past "mistakes", if it's obvious that he's learned his lessons and moved on then that would make him even more trustworthy in my book then someone who tries to convince people that he was born enlightened.

Further when there is criticism of his or her present activity, one should check if that criticism is based on facts or is it just gossips and wild theories.

The teacher should be able to balance kindness and strictness. He should be able to comfort the students when they need it and challenge them when they are stagnating.

Finally it is great if you can meet your guru in person at least once in a while. Having a real connection with an experienced teacher brings fast results.

Meditation - How to use Visualization

2009-10-13T23:52:00.000-07:00

During meditation you are often required to visualize something, be it the object of your desire, lights or enlightened energies etc.

Basically the more clearly you can see things in your mind's eye, the better. However it's a fact that most of us can't visualize very well. I believe we can get better with practice but in the meantime we need some "workaround" to keep us motivated and help us improve our results. The best advice I was given is this: even if you can't see the object of your visualization clearly you have to know it's there.

For example, look at something in the room, say the desk in front you. Even if you looked away you would still know it's there, right? Of course, there will be no doubt about it. If you can apply the same kind of attitude towards your visualization, your practice will be successful.

Finally “visualization” is not limited to mental images. If for example you have the ability to hear sounds clearly in your mind or to experience sensations, then do that. Do whatever you can to make you picture as vivid and as real as possible.

Meditation - Which meditation is the best?

2009-10-13T23:10:00.000-07:00

Which meditation is the best?

In a previous post I explained my view on meditation and it's purpose.

As I mentioned, we can divide meditations in three categories:
-relaxation
-law of attraction/manifestation
-understanding the nature of reality (Enlightenment)

None of the above meditation types is better then the other, they are just different. Understanding reality brings the biggest benefits both for yourself and others but it's also the most demanding and difficult to grasp. People come from different backgrounds, have had different experiences and hence, they have different needs and goals.

I am not saying we shouldn't challenge ourselves but we should also be honest with ourselves about our level of development. If you start a meditation practice just because it's "cool" or it makes you look "spiritual", yet it is not in alignment with who you really are, you won't be able to carry on with it. There is a good chance that you'll drop it eventually, since sustained practice is absolutely necessary if you want to see results.

For that reason I believe the is no ultimate meditation practice that is right for everyone. What we can do is find the best meditation for us individually. Here are some objective qualities that you can look for when choosing a suitable meditation:

-do I feel intuitively drawn to this practice?

-is the goal of the meditation aligned with my own goals?

-can I incorporate it in my schedule and practice it on daily basis?

-do I feel compelled to do it regularly or does it feel like a chore?

-how do I feel when I don't have time to meditate? (feeling slightly disappointed is a good sign in my opinion)

-does it bring the desired results? (you have to give it some time to find out)

In my case I first started meditating regularly when I was introduced to Tibetan Buddhism, where the goal is the full development of mind(a.k.a. Enlightenment :) ). It thought me a lot and really opened me up to meditation but after a while I noticed that I couldn't sustain the constant work that is required if I wanted to see results. My goals just weren't supporting my practice. Eventually I "switched" to manifestation meditations. My Buddhist friends will probably see it as step back but I can't live for the approval of others.
I am currently practicing the two meditations from Wayne Dyer's book “Manifest your Destiny” and they've been awesome. Wayne Dyer himself got them from an Indian guru who's videos are now on youtube. You can learn the first meditation here.
The second meditation is not available as far as I know. In essence it's another sound meditation, this time one recites the mantra “OM” focusing ones' attention on gratitude for all the wonderful things that are already in one's life.
I personally prefer the way Dyer explains the process and recommend his book and audio program.

Meditation - What is the Point of Meditation

2009-10-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

Meditation is a somewhat evasive term. When we hear the word “mediation” we usually imagine someone sitting still, turning his attention on the inner world but even that is not true in all cases. There are so called "active" practices, which involve the body in some way or another.

There are many types of meditation but we can roughly classify them into three categories - some are simply meant to relax the body; others can help you "attract" or "manifest" your desires; still others can be used as a means for understanding the nature of Mind (or of the Universe) itself.

What is the point of meditation?

Obviously, that would depend on the type of meditation.

I think the goals of the "relaxation" and "manifestation" meditations are pretty much self-explanatory: respectively to relieve the body or to “attract” a desired outcome.

The third type is slightly more complex. There are several aspects to meditation when one attempts to understand the nature of Mind .
Mind is sometimes compared to an eye because it can perceive other things but it cannot see itself. Therefore certain meditations act as a mirror in which your mind can see it's true nature. However, the consciousness of most beings is covered in the "veils" of ignorance - disturbing emotions, anger, selfish desires etc. ... Let's face it, that's probably not a pretty sight :) Therefore some meditations seek to purify mind and remove the “veils” so that the meditator can eventually experience mind in it's full splendor.

Metaphors are often used to explain the purpose of meditation. Some of those are absolutely brilliant. Here is my favorite:

Imagine your mind as a glass of water with some dirt inside. Your daily activities are the equivalent of constantly stirring the content of the glass and the result of course is muddy water. In other words - confusion. Meditation allows the water to become still and the dirt to settle down. Thus you get clear water or clarity.

Subliminal Blaster

2009-10-08T09:01:00.001-07:00

A week ago I wrote a short post on Internet Marketing Affirmations and I said I wanted to make a video with the affirmations flashing on screen for a split second. Well I stumbled into something better - Subliminal Messages Software. It does just what I wanted - it flashes text messages on my computer screen and best of all it doesn't take any of my time. Messages just pop on screen while I am working, writing or whatever.

I initially found a review of a paid piece of software but I figured that there might be a free one. It didn't take me long to find one. It's called Subliminal Blaster. It doesn't have many fancy features but it doesn't lack anything I need either. It comes with many predefined programs (a set of messages aimed at a specific problem) - "Anger", "Concentration", "Dissolve tension" among many others. You can also add you own program, which is what I wanted to do. The process was very straightforward and within minutes the Internet Marketing Affirmations were flashing on my screen. I choose the recommended options - messages pop every 4 seconds for merely 0.02 seconds.

Does it work?
I have no idea :) It should work, considering the experiments with subliminal messages that proved so effective, that subliminals are now banned from television and cinemas. I don't expect any miracles though. I'll just let the results accumulate over time as with inspirational quotes.

Is it safe?
Again, I don't know. I haven't found any source saying it's not. I don't see any danger, as long as the messages are positive and constructive.

PsiTek.net and InwardQuest.com

2009-10-06T00:02:00.000-07:00

PsiTek.net is a collection of great metaphysical books that are aboslutely free of charge. You just go to the webpage and choose among 60 or so titles. Books that can litteraly change your life like “Think and grow rich”, “The master key system”, “The Message of A Master” and many others are just one click away. Most of the titles are in the public domain but that does not make then any less valuable. On the contrary it shows that they stood the test of time.

Simon, the creator of PsiTek.net contacted me the other day to inform me about the launch of a new website called InwardQuest.com. Inward Quest aims to become a community driven website with a focus on spiritual matters. It's somewhat similar to Yahoo Answers. Basically anyone can ask questions or give answers. Then the best answers are chosen by the community in democratic way – the more votes an answer receives, the higher it goes. The website is just starting out but I think it has a lot of potential. I hope the active community grows quickly.

Inspiring Quotes – Get Inspiration in the Mail

2009-10-05T21:12:00.000-07:00

A simple yet powerful way to change your life for the better little by little is to sign up for a free “Inspirational Quotes” service. I've been receiving quotes for about two years now and I won't be unsubscribing anytime soon.

What's so great about quotes?
For starters, you'll be receiving the wisdom of some of the greatest minds the world has ever known conveniently to your e-mail. Instead of having to read entire volumes you get the very essence of their knowledge condensed into 2-3 sentences. You could open up the mail, read the citation and move on with your day - all in under a minute, unless of course the message inspires you so much that you decide to meditate on it or take some action.

The effect will accumulate over time
As you sign up for a quotes service and start receiving them daily it might not feel like much is happening at first. For the most part you'll be like “Awesome, another 'Anything-is-possible' quote” or “Yeah, yeah 'I can do it!', whatever” :) and move on. Every now and then though you'll get a citation that really fires you up and motivates you for the whole day or even over a longer period. But the real benefit is this: day after day the quotes will reinforce positive ideas and those will eventually turn into beliefs and convictions, with almost no effort on your part.

The only drawback I can think of is that it takes relatively long time before the effect becomes apparent. But as a supplement to personal growth nothing beats a good quotes service ;)

After I'd been getting inspiration in the mail for a year and a half or so, one day I opened up my daily quote...it was of the “you can achieve anything”-variety...as I read through it I was surprised by my own reaction to it...I thought to myself: “I KNOW that”. Not that I knew that particular quote...but the message it held was already in my system, it had found it's way out of my head and into my heart. It was now an unshakable conviction.

So that's the power of quotes. Give them some time and you'll be amazed by the results.

I think there are many quotes services out there but the one I am using is provided by Bob Proctor, one of the guys on the “The Secret(DVD)”. His quotes are diverse, yet very well selected. Unlike other services which might send you random quotes from a large database, it seems that Bob has carefully hand-picked only the kind of citations which reinforce positive ideas. Bob is an entrepreneur so occasionally he will be promoting his products along with the quotes but it's quite unobtrusive. You can subscribe to his service by clicking on the banner below.

Recommended Product:

Buy from Amazon

Expanding the idea of the blog

2009-10-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

When I started this blog a couple of weeks ago my idea was to write about achieving financial freedom using a kind of “baby steps” system. But then I thought: the concept is sound, why not apply it other areas of life?

There are a lot of things I wanna do but I often find myself waiting for that wonderful day when everything will be perfect, there will be no distractions and then...then I can really get to work on my ideas. I guess many people can relate to that. However that longed for day never comes, I keep putting tasks off and worst of all delaying them becomes a habit.

Having convinced myself of the unproductiveness of this approach I'm now trying out a new on. It consists in doing the things I'd usually put off even if I can't spare more then 10 or even 5 minutes. The idea is to put my mind on these tasks on daily basis and let the results accumulate over time.

I actually started another blog that is nothing more then a todo list.
I write down the tasks for the next day before going to bed and at the same time review previous day and mark each item as either completed or not.

Karma

2009-10-02T08:02:00.001-07:00

Since I mentioned “karma” in another post I thought I'd explain this concept the way I understand it. I've studied Buddhism so this is where my knowledge on the subject comes from.

The original meaning of the Sanskrit word “karma” is “action”. This probably doesn't tell you much though, so a better translation for the purpose of this article is “causality”. The law of “cause and effect” is always active in the universe – everything we're experiencing right now is the result of previous actions and what we do, say and think in this very moment determines our future. The world is always in perfect harmony, whether we feel that way or not :)

Not every “effect” we are experiencing now has it's cause in this lifetime
It's really difficult for most people to accept this idea. “That's not fair! Why should I be judged for something that I did in another life and that I don't even remember!” :) Now, I gotta admit I don't remember my previous lives either. :) Therefore I just want to humbly offer the most reasonable explanation I've come across so far: rather then a concrete being, each of us really is an endless stream of consciousness that is constantly moving from one form to another. Thus passing karmic impressions from one lifetime to the next doesn't seem so unlikely. As for not remembering what we did in a previous life...well, we don't remember what we ate the other day either, but nevertheless it is now part of our bodies. Think about this for a moment.

Common misconceptions
-Karma means fate
Of course you can define words as you please. However in the kind of worldview I am trying to describe here karma is actually the opposite of fate. Fate implies that everything is predefined, that some god-being has decided what my life should be like and there is no way I can interfere with this plan. Karma on the other hand suggest that we are free and we are creating our own destiny, moment by moment.

-Karma implies that we are being judged by a supreme being
No, we are not being judged, karma is NOT a system of punishment and rewards. It's not performed by some deity. Instead, our own actions leave impressions in our minds, and these later manifest in our lives as events in harmony with the actions.

How we create karma
According to the eastern philosophy four conditions create a strong karmic effect:
-we understand what we are doing
-we consciously want to do something
-we do it or someone else does it for us
-we are happy with the result
The example that is often given here is killing another being. If for example someone is out hunting deers, then they clearly realize what is going on, they also hold a conscious intention of killing and they probably rejoice once it's been accomplished . This is sowing the seed of future suffering.
On the other hand, when someone drives his car and runs over a deer that just came out of nowhere the “scar” in mind is much weaker – yes, the deer is dead but it wasn't consciously intended and the driver probably isn't happy about it.

Karma and the law of attraction
I think that both are connected but not the same thing. Karma explains how we create impressions in the mind. Using the law of attraction we can “attract” to us the best already available impressions and avoid unpleasant ones. Eventually though each impression will find it's way into our reality, unless we purify our minds through compassionate thoughts, kind speech and good actions, as well as meditation.

Internet Marketing Affiramtions

2009-10-02T01:49:00.000-07:00

A week or so ago I stumbled upon the blog of a guy whose name is Jonney Jay. I read some of his posts and he seems like a really nice, genuine guy. He writes short, sweet and to the point articles. The one that caught my attention was on affirmations. He has listed 12 well thought out positive statements to keep his mind on his internet marketing goals. He also made a video in which the affirmations flash across the screen at fast speed, so one cannot really read them consciously, but supposedly the subconscious picks on them and they get internalized quickly.
I liked the idea and decided to steal it :) I changed some of the affirmations slightly and also altered the order to my liking. I'll see if I can make a video like his'. Maybe adding some visually stimulating content and music will make it even more effective.

1.I love my customers and readers
2.I love being of service to them
3.I bring MASSIVE VALUE to them
4.I work because I love what I do
5.I love making money on the internet
6.I love making money while I sleep
7.I earn MASSIVE income FAST
8.I AUTOMATE my business so it works without me
9.I create awesome relationship that are based on love and freedom
10.I live my life with PURPOSE & PASSION
11.I love LIFE
12.I AM FREE

You can read the original post of Jonney Jay here

Internet Revenue Update - 01.10.2009 - ZILCH :D

2009-10-01T01:17:00.000-07:00

First revenue update: The result is zero.

No big surprise since I haven't done any promoting yet. I haven't posted the content I was working on lately either. Will do that over the next few days.
I am exploring "social media" now. Currently focusing on Digg.com. I am trying to create a network of "friends" there, as this seems to be the way to go if you want a story you publish to rank high. Time will tell if it's worth it. I think I'll be writing more about digg in the future. Oh yeah, if you are using digg be my friend :)

I also started tweeting. My first impression is that twitter swarms with people obsessed with the idea of "getting followers" :) . I only have two-three tweets as of now. However around 20 random people started following me and at first I followed them back...but them I figured it was meaningless, unfollowed everyone except for 3 guys I am actually interested in hearing from and now I am down to 9 followers or so. Whatever.
Of course if you want to get blog and revenue updates you can follow me.

★Tosh★

Focusing on what matters most

2009-09-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

The best and fastest way to achieve something we desire is to focus fully on this one thing and take action. I think this should ring true with anyone, whether you subscribe to the idea of “the law of attraction” or you strictly believe only in what you can see and touch.

Here is what I mean: regardless of our believes, when we see someone who is very determined and very dedicated to what she/he does, no matter what her/his current situation may be, we say that this person is sure to succeed. I wonder why even though we can draw such a conclusion, the thought to make practical use of it rarely crosses our mind...

Unfortunately this kind of single-minded concentration is not an easy task for the average guy. I personally have to deal with many different things every day. What wee have to realize though is that this condition is the result of (careless) past thought and action and it shouldn't be an excuse to not focus on what matters most. Even though in my current situation it is difficult to concentrate on a single thing, I can still define the few truly important things going on in my life right now that require my attention the most and immerse myself into them, leaving the unimportant behind. This will surly bring results. For me personally, those few essential things are:

-school
-my indy-game project
-working on my art skills
-cashflow
-meditation and spiritual practice
-achieving a state in which I have the freedom to concentrate on a single task :)

Yeah, I think it's actually a very good idea to concentrate on reaching that state, which will allow me to fix my mind on a single task, without much distraction. After all, focusing on something is the sure way to achieve it. :)

I am quite “lucky” because even though I listed six items above they are all more or less interconnected. I am going to art school and I am creating art for the game project I am involved in. Thus by focusing on those two I am working on improving my art skills. And I believe my art will become a good source of income. Also, at least in my current mindset, money is a prerequisite for becoming free to do what I really want – you know, it's hard to focus on lofty ideas if you lack basic things like food and shelter. So by focusing on and trying different things to create wealth I am getting closer to my goal for complete freedom.

As for meditation, it simply improves my life as a whole.

I wasn't always that “lucky” though. I have made the mistake of ignoring my passion (the thing I instinctively knew I should be doing) and follow a path that other people expected me to follow. However an inner voice was nagging at me all the time. It just wouldn't let go and I felt compelled to do what really mattered to me, yet at the same time I also felt obliged to do what others were expecting from me. As a result neither was getting enough attention and I wasn't making much progress in neither – again focused effort seems to be the only way to advance.

I didn't give up on my true desires though and as a positive result of that I was eventually able to “create” the circumstances that would allow me to consistently work towards my goals. It took about six years, but what the heck – finally I am on my path. Consequently I believe that even with distractions a major desire or a goal will eventually crystallize as reality, however the process will be slower and filled with much more obstacles then when one uses focused effort.

This next thing might sound strange but anyway, here it goes: I read somewhere that achieving something that you consider major takes about five years, plus or minus one. Looking back at my life I kinda feel there is truth to this. A well known example of this is education – it varies among different countries but the 12 years of school are usually divided in periods of 4 to 6 years. Then you can go to university which is normally around 4 to 6 years. I haven't had a “normal” full time job yet but I can imagine that advancing in work and getting a serious promotion or a better position would commonly require a period of about 4-5 years.

Of course this only tells us about the average results the average person is getting and that is not what I am after. I believe the process can be accelerate immensely when one acquires the ability and resources to become absorbed into a single idea. To reach such a state I have to love what I am doing – no way around that. If I didn't it would be a strain, any non-sense on TV would win my attention and I wouldn't be able to focus on the task even for a little while, let alone for the extended period of time it requires to actually bring results. I believe this is the main reason why people have problem with concentration – they don't do what they love but what they “should”.

In general though, there are two situations in which I think it's necessary and good to do something even if we don't enjoy it. Those are emergencies and when fixing the mess we've created in the first place :) . Emergencies are obvious – the life and wellbeing of myself and the people around me has much higher priority then going to school, money or anything else. Emergencies tend to naturally pull our entire focus to a single objective in order to have it solved as soon as possible. There is a lesson in this, don't you think? :)

Correcting undesired circumstances I've created by carelessness, neglect or ignorance is a bit trickier. Just dropping the matter altogether is not a good idea as I've found out. It's just immature. This is especially true when there are other people involved. I don't want to hurt or burden others with my actions. And besides, so far the unfinished affairs I've tried to leave behind have had the unpleasant tendency to always catch up with me and get in the way of what I am doing now. The moral is to take responsibility for past actions and bring everything to completion before moving on.

But I digress, let's stay concentrated on concentration.

Certainly, the few goals I listed above aren't all I want to accomplish in life. Some of my other goals are mastering lucid dreaming (conscious dreaming), becoming an excellent communicator, doing a thorough research on consciousness literature and reaching enlightenment :) … among other things :). However trying to do all at once would be quite counter-productive and I might end up not achieving anything worthwhile. I've left those other areas aside on purpose. The truth is I can't wait to work on them. My conscious mind would just love it to jump from one thing to another without producing much results in the process. :) But I know better and I won't touch them before I accomplish some of the goals on my current list, thus creating some space for new aims.

Also I made up my mind not to drop things from my current list in order to make room for new ones (unless it's an emergency). This can be very tempting but I try to avoid it like the plague. A good explanation of this, as well as inspiring examples of how to stick to one's goals is given throughout Message form a Master. The following quote from the wonderful book “ TheMaster-key System” is insightful too:

“...modern psychology tells us that when we start something and do not complete it, or make a resolution and do not keep it, we are forming the habit of failure; absolute, ignominious failure. If you do not intend to do a thing, do not start; if you do start, see it through even if the heavens fall; if you make up your mind to do something, do it; let nothing, no one, interfere; the "I" in you has determined, the thing is settled; the die is cast, there is no longer any argument. “

I can imagine that people might argue that focusing on a single thing is tedious. Not when what you do excites you immensely. Time for recreation and fun is absolutely necessary though.

I would also agree that sustaining this bulldog determination 24 hours a day, 365 day a year is not always the best idea. There is time to do just the opposite – to scatter myself and try out every possible option. And that time is when I am not sure which way to go next. However, this seems to be the easier part of the equation so I won't give it too much attention here.

When is the right proportion of testing vs focus? Hard to estimate and I think it largely depends on the task at hand. However, I'd say that something like a week to a month of testing out followed by around six months of concentrated effort is a good rule of thumb.

Things I stumbled upon while writing:
Too Much Information (TMI)
Thursday, December 27th, 2007
There’s danger in consuming too much information. I’m sure you know what happens when you eat too much food. Like food, information needs digestion. It’s only useful to the degree you can distill it into actions, habits, and wisdom.
Dallin H. Oaks gave a good talk on focus and priorities:
We have thousands of times more available information than Thomas Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln. Yet which of us would think ourselves a thousand times more educated or more serviceable to our fellowmen than they? The sublime quality of what these two men gave to us—including the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address—was not attributable to their great resources of information, for their libraries were comparatively small by our standards. Theirs was the wise and inspired use of a limited amount of information.
I know where to get my information binge if I want it. (Thank you, RSS.) I’m sure you do too. The challenge is to consume less of it and use it more wisely.
I wonder what Thomas Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln would do in our shoes.

I'd like to conclude with this quote from Richard Cech:

The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at a time.
Richard Cech

Help! Concentration! - Part 2 - How to Eliminate Poor Concentration FOREVER

2009-09-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

The above list is a good start but wouldn't it be great if you can follow it effortlessly? In my experience this can be achieved through daily meditation. I just can't recommend it enough! There are many different ways to meditate and that's great because different people have different needs. Here are some guidelines when choosing your own practice though:

- you will gain more from meditations which focus on understanding mind, and not simply on relaxing the body
- it should bring “tangible” results
- it should not cost hundreds or even thousand of dollars
- you should be able to practice every day

I can't stress the last point enough. In general meditating for 10 minutes every day is infinitely better then doing it once a week for an hour.
Let your intuition tell you which meditation is right for you.
There are other techniques like NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) that one can use if the idea of meditation is unappealing. By all means find a working tool to tame the body, mind and emotions.
I'd like to share my opinion in regard to meditation methods with the disclaimer that it is neither religious advice, nor is it based on a thorough study, but it is simply my life-experience so far. I think that ultimately Buddhist methods, especially the Mahayana and Vajrayana way have the best potential for developing the mind. Their goals are very noble – reaching full enlightenment while developing compassion towards all sentient beings. Hindu meditations are also very powerful and have ways for quickly create the physical reality you want. I've been using the meditation from Wayne Dier's book “Manifest your destiny” for the past few weeks and I believe I'll be using them for a long time because the results so far have been great, especially my concentration level and my ability to follow through with my goals have improved greatly, while remaining very relaxed at the same time.

Right, so how do we eliminate poor concentration for good?
I believe that if we are not able to focus on our tasks there really are only three possible reasons for that.
The first two are mental conditions and … laziness. I'll just skip those – if you are here, actively looking for ways to improve yourself then I don't think you're affected by such conditions. (If you believe you are, then by all means seek medical help...and let me know if you find a doctor treating laziness :) )

The biggest obstacle to great concentration however is being preoccupied with lots of little, unimportant things, lot's of “shoulds”, “musts”, “impossibilities” and self imposed limitations. Doing what you ought it be doing, instead of what you love to do is the greatest problem. Think about it – do you have problems focusing on an interesting conversation, playing your favorite sport or whatever you like to do? Of course not, keeping your focus on such things is natural and effortless.
Sure, in the real world you don't get to do fun things all the time – that's why we use the above “tools” as a shortcut through the hard times. The more you align yourself with your purpose, the more the uninspiring falls away!
“Yeah, I gotta find my purpose in life, I've heard that already!”.
Well, I want you to hear it one more time. Being happy and fulfilled, and bringing that joy to others is the only thing worth living for. So what is the thing that will bring you so much joy that it overflows into the hearts of others? Chances are, you already got a very good idea what it is. You gotta work towards that ideal. As I said in the beginning, it might take time to get there, so I don't want you to get hyper-excited and burn all your energy in two days and then declair that it's “impossible”. Your ideal has to be like the Sun – always shining, no matter what. Problems may arise but they are like passing clouds in ths sky. Clouds may come and go but the Sun remains.

Help! Concentration! - Five Tips to Improve your Concentration Today

2009-09-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

My main gaol with this article is to suggest a way to end poor concentration forever. This might be a lengthy process though and I realize that people want to know what actions they can take RIGHT NOW to help them with their concentration.

So I'll start off with five things you can do TODAY and get immediate results!

1.PREVENT distractions
Unplug the TV, unplug the phone if not needed, close down ICQ/Skype/whatever messenger you are using (or use invisible mode).
Don't open up the web-browser at all. If you need it for what you do get a second one (Mozilla, Opera, Chrome and Safari are popular choices) which you use for “work” only and don't bookmark potential time wasters in there.
Look around and remove all that time-wasting stuff now!

2. Create a TODO list
Pen, paper and a cork board can work wonders for your productivity. I like to create my todo list for the next day before going to bed. IMPORTANT – do not expect to check off ALL items on your list, every day. Yes, it's OK to leave some of the less important tasks unchecked – you WILL do more then you would have without the list and that's what counts.
3. Relax, chill and take it easy!
STRESS leads to poor concentration. Honestly, I'd much rather be unproductive then stressed out. The negative effects stress has over your body and mind are just not worth it. Add “Relaxation” to your todo list and be sure it's one of the things you check off every day :). By all means, get enough sleep.
4. Your DIET affects your ability to concentrate.
Don't fall into the trap of the “health-maniac” though, as this can easily lead to STRESS. Simply choose fresh food whenever possible (fresh fruits and vegetables are awesome) and avoid caffeine, sugar, sodas and cigarettes and you'll be doing great!
5. Do the counter-intuitive
If despite all effort you still find yourself slipping into inertia and repeatedly being distracted by unimportant things just STOP trying to concentrate. Do something else instead, but do it CONSCIOUSLY! Take a minute to relax or do something involving your body. This “exercises” will give you the feeling of control and will interrupt the self-sabotaging pattern. Use your increased mindfulness to get back to work.

Understanding the Law of Attraction - A Beautiful Metaphor Describing the Workings of the Law of Attraction

2009-09-22T03:29:00.001-07:00

The idea that our minds play a major role in the shaping of our reality is not a new one. For thousand of years shamans, priests, healers and other “mystical” people have been aware and making use of this concept. In the last hundred or so years this notion has been gradually reaching mass consciousness. Today hundreds of books, movies, audio programs and what not is available to us, each one claiming to have THE solution to making the “law of attraction work for you”. :)

I've read and listened to some of this stuff and one of the main problems I find is the unrealistic promises the authors tend to make, designed mainly to pump up your expectations and lead you to buy more of their stuff.

Almost none of them ever mentions that few people have the kind of karma that will allow them to get “anything they want, almost instantaneously”. Whether there is a magic wand, which grants you every whim, I don't know. Would be nice but I haven't seen any evidence of it yet. What I do believe though is that we can use the power of our minds to realize our major desires, the things we are really passionate about.

I find that the best way to explain the functioning of these powers is by parallel with things from our daily lives and one of my favorite metaphors is that of the growing tree.

In this metaphor your desire or idea is compared to a seed of a fruit-bearing plant, the mind is the soil and you are the gardener.

Having a desire is like putting a seed into the soil. What kind of fruits you will get depends on the seed. The quality and quantity of the fruits depends on the soil, your gardening skills, as well as your patience.

So to get the fruits we want we have to make sure we've chosen the right seed. We'll never get the fruit of love and serenity by sawing hatred and anger and no material possessions came out of the seed of frustration.

We also have to make sure that the soil is good, that there are no weeds and pests sucking the life out of our precious plant. The best method I've found for removing “weed” from the mind is daily meditation. Other methods that seem to work for people are NLP(neuro-linguistic programming), EFT (emotional freedom technique), brain sync and others. Personally I stick with meditation (I'll recommend a meditation at the end of this article).
Also some seeds will not germinate in certain soils – if we want something but believe it to be evil or think that we don't deserve it, it won't happen. In this case it's time to change our soil :)) … or give up on that particular fruit.

As a skillful gardener we take good care of our plant, especially while it's still small and frail. We water it, we regularly remove the weeds and do what is necessary so it may grow big, straight and beautiful.

We understand that collecting the fruits takes time and we don't try to hurry things along. Using fertilizers may give us bigger fruits more quickly but they are not as tasty and as healthy as the natural thing. So for example you can “get” the fruit of happiness by using mind-altering substances but they often have a very sour aftertaste. You can even steal someone else's fruits but you have to deal with the consequences.

There are also things going on below the ground – the seed grows roots, the roots find nourishment and so on. We don't see and don't control these processes – we just trust that Nature is taking care of it all. We don't dig out the seed to see if roots are growing, as this will kill the plant...In the same way we shouldn't have any doubt that our desire will manifest, even while it is still only in our minds. Doubts are weeds that nip our dreams while they are still in the bud.

Unfortunately different things can happen to our plant and it may not grow at first. Maybe there were too much weeds, maybe the soil wasn't good enough yet, the year was droughty(i.e. things we can't control) or we simply chose the wrong seed. We may be sad but if we really want it we'll sow this particular plant again, correcting what we did wrong last time.

As the plant grows, if we've taken proper care of it, it will start bearing more and more fruits. It will not require more care then when it was little...maybe it will even need less, as it's roots are now strong and it's trunk is steady.

As we become a better gardener we can have many trees which bear fruits throughout the whole year and thus we can experience more and more abundance.

When being presented with the idea of the law of attraction we are often led to believe that all we have to do is think good thoughts and stuff will start falling in our laps, which I believe is a misconception. The gardener on the other hand is always active, always doing something to make his plants better.

I hope you enjoyed this article and the metaphor.

As I said above I would like to suggest a meditation. I've been using the two meditations from Wayne Dyer's book “Manifest your Destiny” and they've been awesome. Wayne Dyer himself got them from an Indian guru who's videos are now on youtube. You can learn the first meditation here.
The second meditation is not available as far as I know. In essence it's another sound meditation, this time one recites the mantra “OM” focusing ones' attention on gratitude for all the wonderful things that are already in one's life.
I personally prefer the way Dyer explains the process and recommend his book and audio program.

Financial Freedom (First Post)

2009-09-22T03:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, I want to be financially free, I know many people do too. But what does this really mean? And why do we want it so much?

Let's start with the second question. The origin of the desire is quite simple...worrying about money is such a drag! And ass long as we are not financially free we have to do “jobs” we don't like, while ultimately our work should be freely chosen as an expression of the fire inside us. One of the realizations I had recently is that even if your work is well aligned with your passion, as long as you are doing it FOR the money you aren't free.
Money and work are two different areas of life. The two SHOULD NOT be dependent on each other. Therefore having financial affluence will greatly supports my development in the area I feel most passionate about (art and computer graphics, as well as traveling and spirituality in my case).

What then is financial abundance? It's certainly not a concrete amount of money, not even certain figure of monthly income. I believe it's a skill, the ability to create wealth according to one's needs. Any number of things can happen to a fixed amount of money – it can get lost, stolen, robbed, made worthless by changes in the economy, it can burn down in a fire or be spent by your spouse :P . We've all heard of people who win millions from the lottery only to lose it all in a few short years.

The ability to create abundance on the other hand is not affected by such events. There are no fixed figures either. An abundance mentality dude (or gal), the kind of dude I aspire to be, would have the skill to create any amount of money according to his needs. On the opposite side of the lotto-millionaire example above we have successful people who take on challenges to create something substantial without using any of their existing money or influence...and they succeed.

So it seems it's all in the mindset.

Great! Now how do I plan to get there? My answer is – gradually, one little step at a time.

The idea came to me a week or so ago when I made my first few cents from articles posted on infobarrel. I thought to myself: Well I made a few cents...it's close to nothing...but I can do it again, right? Sure I can! Anyone can make a few cents online. Write some content, post it somewhere, throw some ads, promote it and it's done...no biggie.
But can I make a dollar? Hmm, seems very, very attainable, after all it's just 100 cents :) . By the time I've made it I'll also have content that already made a dollar and that content probably won't just die out. Chances are it will continue to create some “cash”. Also I'll have gained some knowledge of how to promote my content. Most of all I'll have gained the EXPERIENCE of making a dollar online. I will KNOW I can do it. Can I make one more then? – Yes, and I know it! I'll gradually increase the steps to 2$, then 5$ and so on, building upon actual personal experience.

Maybe it sounds childish but I want to give it a serious try. I think it is precisely the playfulness in this approach that will help me along. When we set our goal to “earning a living on the intarwebs until next month” and it doesn't work, we tend to give up. In my case though it's just attainable goals with relatively loose deadlines – as long as I am making progress, I am doing good.

My main “source of compensation” will be contextual ads, as this is what lots of people attempt to use. Thus if I have success with this plan it will serve as inspiration for others. On the other hand I don't want to relay solely on ads either. I'll also invest time into micro-niche marketing and so called “bum-marketing”. Last but not least I want to use my artistic skills in a way that produces passive or semi-passive income.

To recap, my plan is to open my mind towards new possibilities little by little. The recipe is: set an achievable goal, reach it, repeat until it becomes a conviction, set a higher goal, which now seems attainable based on previous experience and so on. The keyword here is “experience” - it's not a dream or a wish or a promises of self-proclaimed “financial gurus”.
Oh yeah, at first I'll be using free tools only, I won't invest any money that I don't have.

I'll post my results every two weeks. If you want to keep an eye on my progress subscribe to this blog or follow me on twitter.

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