During these unique and challenging times, many feel that it’s selfish to be focusing on success.
But think about it for a minute. Is it really?
If you look at success as the dictionary definition — “The attainment of money, fame, material possessions, or power”– then yes, this might not be the time to just focus on those types of goals.
But I think you and I would agree that in today’s world, that dictionary definition of success is as outdated as the BlackBerry at the bottom of your junk drawer.
Our society has begun to redefine success and for most, it’s no longer about just money or fame or outer achievement but must include contribution and inner fulfillment.
My dear friend, Debra Poneman is an international success expert and mentor to some of the most renowned transformational teachers of our time. In her acclaimed e-book The 5 Secrets to a Life of True Success, she offers a new paradigm of success and the simple steps to live it.
In her ebook Debra suggests (and research confirms) that the reason the old paradigm of success so often leads people to despair is the expectation that attaining goals will lead to fulfillment.
Although Debra is in no way averse to setting goals and making plans to achieve them, she believes that there’s an important component missing from that approach. In her ebook, she shares spiritual and energetic practices we can use to first create an unshakeable foundation on which to build our outer success. Then, whether or not we reach our goals, our self-love and inner silence never diminishes.
She also gives us tools and techniques to live our dharma as well as heart-warming, real-life stories that illustrate how engaging in sacred activism and opening to receiving love makes the manifestation of outer desires become effortless.
We particularly love the story about what the great spiritual teacher Maharishi Mahesh Yogi told Debra when she asked him why everyone else loved him more than she did.
Tens of thousands of people all over the world have used the formula Debra shares in her e-book to create lives of ultimate success.
“I’d become immune to e-books and their promises of changing my life, but I heard you on a podcast and loved what you had to say so I thought I’d just take a glance at your book. I just finished it and I am in tears. My heart has been burst wide open by the stories you share (especially the one about your son) and I am completely committed to following your steps to true and lasting success.” ~ Carolyn D., Chicago
“I read every word of your book and it was breathtaking!! Truly amazing. I’m inspired and filled with a sense of awe. It’s very clearly not just a thrown-together loss leader like so many. This is the best ebook I’ve ever read. And The New Success is definitely an idea whose time has come.”
~ Shelly Lefkoe, Founder of the Lefkoe Institute“Of all the teachers we have access to in our on-line world, one extraordinary woman stands out amongst the crowd. Master mentor Debra Poneman leads the way to continual inspiration. I’ve seen first-hand how the depth of her knowledge, the wealth of her wisdom, the vastness of her love, the breadth of her humor, and the contagiousness of her joy can and will inspire you to say YES to a life beyond what you can even now imagine. From the truest place in my heart, I encourage you to take advantage of anything she offers, including her profoundly life-changing ebook. Your life will never be the same.”
~ Katherine Woodward Thomas, NY Times Bestselling Author, Conscious Uncoupling and Calling in the One“Over 30 years ago I first attended Debra’s Yes to Success seminar. I was completely blown away by her unique vision and practical tools for how every one of us can live our most cherished dreams — and by her powerful presence and radiant spirit. I ended up attending the seminar so many more times that I lost count and each time I gained new insights that impacted my life and allowed me to formulate The Passion Test. And now she’s taken the essence and put it in this e-book. What an incredible gift.”
~ Janet Attwood, Co-author NY Times Bestseller The Passion Test
The world needs you to live true success now so that you can have peace and happiness in your soul and BE the contribution you long to be. Debra’s beautiful e-book shows you how.
GET YOUR EBOOK NOW => The 5 Secrets to a Life of True Success:
Till Next Time, I’m Sending: Love, Phire, and the Violet Flame of Peace
Jill Hughes
PS Don’t miss the story in Chapter 2 where Debra tells about the time she broke her foot and sprained her ankle two days before one of the most important presentations of her life and how she turned the pain into a monumental success.
PPS When you download Debra’s e-book, you’ll then be invited to attend her free live webinar, The 5 Pillars to Your Ultimate Life, as well as a 5-hour LIVE “Yes-a-Thon” titled Living a New Paradigm of Success with special guests including Marianne Williamson, Marci Shimoff, Janet Attwood, Katherine Woodward Thomas, Sonia Ricotti, John Newton and Jose Hernandez!!
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Do check out our previous blogs. You can find the last four here:
- Debra Poneman: [LIVE EVENT] The New Success for 2020
- Debra Poneman Free Video – Heal Your Heart
- Debra Poneman: Free Video – Harness Your Innate Ability to Effortlessly Manifest:
- Debra Poneman: Free Video – The Power of Living Your Truth
Ecocide is the extensive damage to, the destruction of or loss of ecosystems of a given territory, by human agency to such an extent that peaceful enjoyment by the inhabitants of that territory has been or will be severely diminished- Polly Higgins the co-founder of a group by the same name ergo, STOP ECOCIDE, was a lawyer who sought to make ECOCIDE a crime.
Maya Zacharow, Environmental Scientist who grew up near the Black sea, is hosting an Attuning to the Voice of Mother Earth video summit with lots of top speakers giving interviews, over the next few days – she agrees that the regulations are not sufficient, and like the indigenous cultures we need to reconnect with Earth – you can sign up to the series for 
You may also wish to avail yourself of our fantastic FREE report: 3 Proven Ways to Pull More Prosperity to You in 30 Days. 
Finally, today, please do pop on over to the 
As you know, this blog series is broadly titled Awakening Alchemy. It is our hope that some of the topics we cover in this blog may awaken the inherent spiritual side that resides in all of us. Our goal is to open your mind to the incredible possibilities that are happening all around us, right now, on planet Earth. The old, tired paradigms are being swept away, as science and especially quantum physics, begins to illuminate the true nature of matter, of consciousness and of spirit. Many of the old philosophies, and beliefs are again coming to the fore, as science begins to show us there is much more to this Universe than that which we can see, feel and touch. We are celestial beings that harbor greatness inside of each and every one of us. It is my dharma to spark some of that interest, excitement and questioning nature within the readers of this blog. 
For most of us westerners, the idea of Shamanism is perhaps that which we have had portrayed to us on the silver screen, as the idea of “medicine men”, especially as it relates to the early Native American tribes. Essentially this is true, and shamanism is still practiced routinely, and ritually in many places, especially in the Northern Asian areas of Mongolia and Siberia. 
There are absolutely no set rules as to what animals can be power animals. They certainly don’t have to be mammals and can just as easily be reptiles, insects, birds, or sea creatures. If it lives, then it can be a power animal. In this vein, even plants and trees can serve as spirit guides. One thing to note, however, domesticated animals are generally not considered to be power animals because they are already acting in service to mankind. What the experts say is that you should always keep an open mind when looking at power animals. Try not to associate or “lock in” certain characteristics to an animal e.g. Lion is fierce and courageous. All animals have attributes that we, as humans, may not even be aware of until we bond, communicate and share with them. 
A couple of ways of honouring your power animal are to regularly thank him/her for being there and to have objects (knick-knacks) where you can see them every day that represent your power animal. This all shows that you care and can only deepen the bond. As in shamanic practice we need to get into the habit of honouring and valuing all things in our life – they all have something to teach us and power animals, especially, have a wealth of knowledge and wisdom to impart to us. 
Meditate to discover what your power animal is. If you don’t practice meditation, check out my previous blog on 
Butterfly:
Grasshopper:
I hope I’ve piqued your interest in this topic. If you have any questions at all, or you’d like recommendations on where to research further, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment here on the blog or contact me via the website. I’d love to hear from you.
You may also wish to avail yourself of our fantastic FREE report: 3 Proven Ways to Pull More Prosperity to You in 30 Days. 
Maybe check out 
Finally, today, please do pop on over to the 
It is precisely these benefits, perhaps, rather than the search for enlightenment that saw yoga begin to take off in Western civilization toward the middle of the nineteenth century. One of the results of this rise in popularity of yoga in the western world has been the many differing offshoots and schools of practice that have developed. It is important to understand there is no right or wrong way to practice yoga, just different methods and sometimes different sought outcomes from the practice. 
The experts, however, paint a different picture of the benefits of yoga. They would argue that the aim of yoga is to actually transcend those things of the world, meaning to move your consciousness away from the day to day hassles of life and actually discover a higher, more spiritual plane of thinking. They would suggest that other forms of exercise can achieve fitness and mental wellbeing, like running, the spin-bike or lifting weights, whereas yoga is seen as food and exercise for the soul. Whatever the reason for doing Yoga there are definitely some real benefits to be had from it: 
Medical reviews, such as one published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology have shown that practicing yoga will reduce the risk of heart disease as much as any of the conventional forms of exercise. On average, people taking part in yoga regularly (weekly) lost five pounds, decreased their blood pressure, and lowered their LDL (Low-density Lipoprotein) Cholesterol – also known as “bad cholesterol” by 12 points. Research is now starting to show many more health benefits of practicing this ancient art, including: controlling obesity, reducing chronic pain, asthma relief, minimizing fatigue and aiding irritable bowel syndrome. 
One of the interesting things that Yoga instructors and most students who progress further in the practice have noticed is that their reasons for doing yoga, change over time. What started out initially as a physical activity slowly morphs into a more spiritual and mental activity – a journey of self-discovery, self-actualisation, self-fulfillment, and reflection along with a greater capacity to care for themselves and practice self-love. By reaching back to the very spiritual roots of yoga, people, it seems, actually begin to discover the true purpose for which the practice was developed. 
Initially, the key to success is breathing and determination. Don’t give up just because you can’t make the pose shown on your video instruction. Do as much of the pose as your body feels capable of and breathe, always breathe, through the nose, filling your belly and keeping your body relaxed and controlled. 
Begin on your hands and knees, with your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees in line with your hips. 
Begin on your knees, as with the Cat-Cow pose, your wrists under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
There are a ton of resources out there to help you (thank goodness for the internet!) so don’t be afraid to look and if you join a structured yoga class – don’t be afraid to ask for help. We’re all ultimately seeking the same thing. 
Now, these are all great lessons to learn but, what do they teach you about loving yourself and caring for yourself. Do they tell you to hug yourself? Do they tell you to be kind to yourself? Let’s be honest, the only time our parents allowed us to interact with ourselves was when they placed us in “time out” for being naughty and then self-love was far from our minds. Invariably we were fuming about losing, our play time and our toys, for a while which seemed like an age.
This is why, let’s say you see some new activity, sport, idea that you think would be brilliant, your ego immediately kicks into gear and reminds you just how “ordinary” you really are. The ego says things like: “sure, that looks like fun but remember the last time you tried something new… well, that was an abject failure wasn’t it?” It constantly seeks to remind us that we aren’t good enough and we genuinely think it is us that is saying it – it’s not.
Why is it that we are invariably our own harshest critics? We have this tendency to do things or take particular directions for all the wrong reasons; either we’re striving for something we’re not quite ready to achieve yet, or we’re seeking the approval of others. Often when we make a decision to improve our lives (self-love), we’re not motivated by what we want but rather by impressing others or from a sense of guilt (in the example of being overweight for instance). When our motivation is not driven by what we want, it is a lot easier to give up and add that to the impressive list of failures the ego will bring out to bombard you with next time you make a positive decision about yourself.
Not eating properly: Comfort foods are a temporary fix at best. Eating a well-balanced, healthy diet keeps you good not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well.
Next week, I’ll be looking at some practical ways to break down these barriers that keep you from self-love and as always, I’ll be reminding you to LOVE YOURSELF because you absolutely deserve it – you are a unique and beautiful human being.
In my three recent blogs on happiness, I gave you some simple, yet very effective, practical steps you can take to ensure that you make that choice of happiness every single moment of your day. 
Maintain an attitude of GRATITUDE. Most of us think we are grateful people but when we sit down and analyse it, are we really? How quick are you to blame other people when things go wrong? How often do you say, “why me, what did I do to deserve this?” or “damn, nothing good ever happens to me”.
“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is, thank you, it will be enough.”
Now, don’t get me wrong, there is fear that is good and legitimate. It is what we know as the “fight or flight” response. When we are in potentially lethal situations, we have imprinted into our DNA an automatic fear that is meant to save us from these dangers. I’m not suggesting, for a second, that we get into a cage with a tiger, or try to cross a gorge on a thin tightrope (unless that’s your thing, of course). No, what I am talking about here is psychological fear – the type of fear that stops us from achieving our true potential as human beings.
So, forget that wild little ego chatter, forget what people will say (who cares?), and forget your innate sense of failure – failure is and has always been a crucial building block in success. Very few people get it “right” first time – but here’s the rub; if you don’t participate in the race, you sure can’t win it. You want to do all these things; whatever they are. They are the things that give you passion, joy, excitement and achievement – and it is your right to do them; but if you don’t even try because you are paralyzed by memories of past failures, you have condemned yourself to nothing more than mere existing.
In the immortal words of Mr. Nike,
You are incredibly special – you are a unique individual who has creative talents and abilities that nobody else that has ever lived or will ever live, has. When we realize that we are limitless in our potential then we actually can change the world. If we live to our own potential and continue to grow – if we become who we really are, instead of a facade or a mask that we put on every morning, we will live a life that is infinitely happier and more joyous than we do now. Imagine the effect of that on your loved ones, your work colleagues, your friends. They will marvel at this free, happy, contented you and as in the famous line from; “When Harry Met Sally”, they also will exclaim:
Life is SUPPOSED to be wonderful: This is absolutely true and for many, something that is equally hard to accept. Many of us were brought up in an environment where there was a scarcity of everything, where Mum and Dad (or whoever was responsible for us) worked relentlessly hard every hour in the day, 24/7, just to put food on the table and a roof over our heads. We grew up with the mind-set that life was hard, that nothing came easy, and that we would always struggle to make ends meet in this cruel, unforgiving world. The problem with that type of thinking is this: “Thoughts are things and they create the reality of the world around us “ If we believe life is hard and an eternal struggle, then that is what life will be. Let us aim to adjust our thinking, to believe in abundance and more specifically in abundance for US, personally. There’s a quote from Rhonda Byrne in her seminal work, “The Magic”, that I think describes this paradox perfectly.
Attitude is EVERYTHING: Your attitude determines what you think about, your emotional state, and your beliefs. What you think about, your beliefs, and your emotional state absolutely determines what will come into your life in the way of circumstances and people. Positive thoughts, positive emotions and positive actions will lead to an upgrade of positive outcomes. The reverse, is of course, equally true. This is an immutable law of the Universe – this is Newton’s Third Law of Thermodynamics – for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Sometimes called Karma, it’s really quite simple; what you put out there into the Universe is what you’ll get back, from the Universe. What goes around, comes around.
LOVE is the ultimate power of the Universe: Almost every single leader, teacher, philosopher, and prophet, throughout history, has had the same basic message for us – LOVE one another. (The Golden Rule). There’s a reason for that – they knew the “secret”, they understood that love is the most powerful force in the Universe and that all positive things in life come from love, whilst all negative things, come from a lack of love. What an incredible shame it is, that we, humanity, have chosen to largely ignore this simple precept in favour of other dogma that suits our EGO, our plans, our ambitions, or our need for dominance over others.
The PRESENT is absolutely all that really matters to us. We cannot change what happened yesterday – yes we can apologise for our mistakes, perhaps try to atone for them but we cannot change what we did, how we reacted, or what we said. Yesterday is gone. Similarly, why waste our precious time worrying about the future, about what might happen, what potential pitfalls lie ahead? We make our own future by the way we think, act and react today! We are the masters of our own destiny, if only we realise it.
Some of the earliest recorded meditation practices come from the Hindu traditions of Vedantism and date to around 1500BCE. Meditation, in all its various forms and practices has become an integral part of many philosophies, religions and ways-of-life, over the millennia. One could argue that the purpose of meditation, as defined by many of these early practitioners, is the concept of “following the path to enlightenment” and “self-realization”. This is certainly the case in the Hindu and Buddhist practices, which we have covered in earlier blogs. Even Christianity, in the Psalms, instructs us to; “be still and know that I am God.” Being still and focusing inwards is and continues to be a vital ingredient of a happy and heart-filled life.
In today’s frantic-paced world, however, meditation has been seen and used much more as a way of cutting ourselves off from the hectic daily happenings and simply allowing ourselves to find peace and contentment. Some of today’s practitioners, it seems, are more interested in meditation to help reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and pain, whilst simultaneously boosting peace, well-being, perception, self-worth and general relaxation. Today, I want to focus particularly on meditation from the perspective of “New Thought” teaching, where it does play a vital role in establishing a degree of control over our thoughts, emotions, and ultimately, our actions.
When the mind is under control – amazing things begin to happen: If we can train our mind, through meditation, to be conscious of just one thing, for example our breathing, incredible things begin to happen – the mind becomes malleable, we begin to control our thoughts and the mindless chatter grinds to a halt- [albeit not necessarily for long periods but equally that’s fine.] A new, powerful, and mindful awareness will become part of our day-to-day activities. A peaceful mind is one of the key elements to achieving the happy and heart-felt life I spoke of earlier.
There are as many meditation techniques as there are practitioners, so just do whatever feels comfortable for you. For a beginner, I’d suggest focusing on your breathing. Listen to it going in and out of your lungs, feel the oxygen, from your breath, flowing through your bloodstream, from your brain to the very tips of your toes, and then returning to be re-oxygenated, again, in your lungs. Just spend ten minutes focusing on your breathing. There are also many apps. available that can help you to meditate, or conversely you may want to try repeating a mantra. Remember, there is no right or wrong way, it is whatever works best for you, so do experiment.
We’d love you to join in the meditations while using your Inner Balance with the Global Coherence app. There are two opportunities to take part:
As stated, there are two meditation events. The UK event is Saturday at 12pm British Summer Time. The Global event is Sunday at 3pm BST. Both last up to one hour.
