Cogito, ergo sum...

Descartes, Aristotle, Archimedes, King Solomon, Napoleon Hill, Obama, Oprah...

The Law of Attraction swept through the nation a year or two ago with the release of the book with that same title, as well as, through the hugely successful book and video, "The Secret", that was discussed quite a bit of "Oprah". All of this stems from the long running personal bible to many, the Napoleon Hill book "Think and Grow Rich" or the old testament biblical stories of King Solomon.

It seems that the rules do exist and are exemplified quite strongly today. Or are they? It is discussed throughout the self help world with guru's like Anthony Robbins and others to envision your successes. Whatever that may mean to someone whether it be in love, finance, personal health or anything in life. If you can see it, you can achieve it, is a common workshop mantra.

It is also discussed in philosophy classes throughout the world that, as Descartes wrote, "Cogito, ergo sum" or "I think therefore I am", that not only are we the creators of our existence do to that theory, but by thinking of your life and how you want things to produce themselves, it is said that you create your own life. Aristotle stated, "But if life itself is good and pleasant and if one who sees is conscious that he sees, one who hears that he hears, one who walks that he walks and similarly for all the other human activities there is a faculty that is conscious of their exercise, so that whenever we perceive, we are conscious that we perceive, and whenever we think, we are conscious that we think, and to be conscious that we are perceiving or thinking is to be conscious that we exist... (Nicomachean Ethics)

There are three important notes to keep in mind here. First, Descarte only claims the certainty of his own existence from the first-person point of view — he has not proved the existence of other minds at this point. This is something that has to be thought through by each of us for ourselves, as we follow the course of the meditations. Second, he is not saying that his existence is necessary; he is saying that if he's thinking, then necessarily he exists. Third, this proposition "I am, I exist" is held true not based on a deduction nor on empirical induction, but on the clarity and self-evidence of the proposition.

But, as in Isaac Asimov's principles of robotics, The Three Laws, and how they are broken in "I, Robot", was the basis of the hit movie with Will Smith. Constantly, the robot malfunctions as a result of "thinking" about itself, its behavior, and loopholes in the Three Laws of Robotics from this quote.

Although, Descarte's theories came from the first person perspective, we also know through emergence theory and mob mentality as a collective, that we exist albeit not in a vacuum. We exist in an ever shrinking global community of beings. The global energetic is a key factor to helping us create the world we wish to live in. As the global leaders, the press, one's own community and familial environment show us that, as Roosevelt stated so clearly, "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself."

We have been running or shall I say, the world has been following an administration that bred fear throughout the world to which they created a global stream of people who manifested that fear and confusion. We are in the midst of changing this energy and turning things around. As we went from positiveness to eight years of darkness and turmoil instantly, we can turn things around just as quickly and powerfully with the right global attitudes and consciousness.

Whether you believe in these theories or not, it works. This seems to be true. When people began to believe there was no way out for the economy, since that was the only topics of the water cooler discussions, the global press and the blogoshpere, the economy had no other means but to fail. This can change!

Well, can we see ourselves getting out of this global catastrophe? Can we end the occupation of Iraq? Can we put positive back into our lives? We must! Obama has shown us all that thinking positive and acting with purpose can bring one the results they are looking for. He gave us all the example that these books tout so clearly. We must begin to do as Obama has done to set the example and only think of the positive. There are solutions to any problem and we must think clearly and act with decisiveness as to our desired outcomes to reach a positive result.

In conclusion, and in the words of our modern metaphysical President elect, who said, "Yes We Can."


(c)Copyright 2008 Doug Boggs

Visualize Success

Imagine yourself successful and always picture yourself successful. Visualize the person you desire to be. Visualize things in the present. Set aside some time each day to be alone and uninterrupted so that you can get comfortable and relax. Close your eyes and begin to concentrate on your goals and desires. Relax. Breath. See yourself in the new environment, capable and self confident.

Use your past successes to reflect on. Whether they be large or small successes it is proof that you are capable of reaching and achieving more success. Celebrate your successes. Find a gesture or a move ( a power move) that you do when you are successful. Jump, cheer, scream, clap, whatever it may be, but celebrate your life and its successes. Celebrate each success and you will be able to recall these when you begin to lose faith in yourself.

Set definite goals. Have a clear direction of where you want to go with your life. Be aware when you begin to deviate from these goals and take immediate action to correct you to your path.

Live life positively. Respond to life positively. Find your happy place. Develop a positive self image. This is your image. Your image and reactions to your life and decisions are completely within your control. If you do not like how you are feeling, change that feeling. You choose to be happy!

Go out an make it a great day.

The secret to success of anything...

The difference between success and failure or happiness and misery can be found in our level of resistance and our willingness to be fully present. We must take action, be willing to make a change, continue to shift our thinking, and take risks. If you’re not willing to do all of these things, you can be 100% certain of the results and your experience. Your life will look exactly as it is and what you’re experiencing right now. If you keep doing the same things you’ve always done; you’ll keep getting the same results, history repeats itself. It's time to change history!

Do you sometimes get in your own way? You can do this without even knowing it...but, then if you really try to feel it, you know you are. Do you find yourself sabotaging your own best efforts? Again, when you allow yourself to really feel if this is true, you know it. Do you find yourself going in the same circle over and over with your finances? The world spins, we don't have to!

Joseph Campbell said, "We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."

The personal mindset of money, relationships, health, spirituality all boils down to two pairs of emotions. Those being fear/opportunity and scarcity/abundance. If you fear that world doesn't have enough to go around, that is what your world will be. If you feel that there is plenty for everyone, then it is so. There is opportunity everywhere, but you must be open to receive it. Not just see it, but receive it. You must be ready to take action, and you must be ready to do something that you have never done before. This is where the juice of life is. If you tell the universe you are ready, then you better be ready, because it only does what you tell it to do.

We'll discuss finances here and they are pretty easy at its core. Create more than you spend, save, and when you spend spend wisely. Numbers don’t lie and usually our financial challenges have far less to do with facts and more to do with our relationship to money. Money is an amazing mirror into how we feel about ourselves. Make sure you are seeing what you want to see when you look in that mirror!

The universe allows for mistakes, but history can teach us. This makes us capable of learning, growing and changing. We must go with those changes and make a new history for ourselves.

All in the mind?

I have discussed previously various books that relate to today's topic. There is much power in all of these books as to defining our relation with our life. Having all of this information is supposed to make things run smoother...perhaps if you have the keys to the car it will run...but you must put the keys into the ignition and turn the switch for things to work correctly...

Let's begin with Napolean Hill's book "Think and Grow Rich". This book expresses the energetic of positive thought. Not just positive thought, but that thought also backed by true belief. This is where the power lies. If one is to believe that something in one's life is to be they must feel it in their core. Be able to see one's self having already experienced what one is believing to be true and knowing what that feels like to one's own core upon completion. Feeling it, tasting it, smelling it, touching it, being it...

In more simple terms, we create what happens in our lives whether we like it or not. So, as we enter into times of turmoil, we manifested this turmoil through various means of action, interaction, and non-action. In order to break the turmoil one must recognize that one does not need this any longer. Let's say, we have found the pearl to which life was to show us through this turmoil and we can now move on...please...

In so, if it takes just as much energy to have a happy life as it does to have a crap experience, then why not focus on only good. As there is good in everything, this is a doable concept. Leave the negative out.

When you begin to have feeling of something that you do not like or makes your stomach feel not right, this is a good sign that your body is telling you to think differently. Change your thoughts to something good and let the other negative thoughts go.

"The Secret" is another book, taken directly from the Napolean Hill book. The concepts are nothing new in this regard. But, it puts things in different terms for different readers. This book was expressed on "Oprah" numerous times to which she expressed to her audience that she was living this. Hey, if it works for Oprah...

There is also a book called "Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets" by Bill Bonner. Part of the concept of this book explains how this same concept of self realization can get caught up and become huge fast due to the volume of people thinking and feeling the same things. Hence, the world can experience a Hitler, and Bush, just as a Ghandi and Martin Luther King. What we do with our information at the time is where this can go as a society. We manifest our life!

"Creative Visualization" is another book that takes these concepts and helps one find ways to make things happen into their daily lives. Through prayer, meditation, or yoga, and other means to silencing the exterior world and connecting to the power of ourselves.

"The Law of Attraction" is another book that helps one learn the process to creating what you want in your life. This works for love, happiness, money or anything. We have the power inside ourselves to make the life we live exactly what we want to experience.

In fact, what we experience happens whether we know this or not. The law of attraction is there whether we know it and follow it or not. Once we know and understand this, we can utilize the power of this law and help create the life we are all wanting.

One must want something first. To know what it is you are wanting is the first step to getting what you want. If you don't know what you want, you will still get something...

If you are wanting good health, happiness, success you must learn to separate these ideals and be able to focus on exactly what it is you are looking for. Since you have the power to manifest exactly what it is you are getting in life, whether you know it or not, it is best to be very specific in what it is you are looking for in life. Letting life know what your desires and boundry's are helps life give you exactly what you want.

We will leave things here for today. More tomorrow.