Last weekend I headed up to Sedona for a writing workshop with Julia Cameron, inspirer of artists and champion of creativity, whose book The Artist’s Way is so popular and venerated that the hardcover edition is currently sold out on amazon.com.

I love examples of those who move past their human fears and choose to live their soul’s purpose. In doing so they thrive. Not necessarily because they are more talented or luckier than you and me. Because they dare to stay true to themselves.

Going to Sedona always reminds me of an Abraham-Hicks story from years ago, when Esther and Jerry Hicks still lived in Phoenix and Esther first began to bring in Abraham’s energy. She asked Abraham whether it would be good for her to go to Sedona and access more energy from the vortexes there.

Abraham told Esther that she, not those beautiful red rocks, was the vortex.

Most of us desperately look for something outside of ourselves to attribute power to. We look everywhere but within.

Which is not to say that getting up close to the rocks in Sedona isn’t a sublime and beautiful experience.

Only that we would do well to appreciate and radiate, vortex-like, our own powerful self expression as aspects of spirit. Imagine if Julia Cameron had given in to despair and stopped writing, composing and teaching. Or if Esther Hicks had given in to self doubt and stopped allowing Abraham to come through her.

Bell Rock vortex, Sedona, Arizona, photographed by Andrea Conway April 2008

Pressed for time, I haven’t made time for hiking recently. But today I headed to the Phoenix Mountains Preserve and walked its surprising wildness. In my first visit to the Preserve after our rainy winter, I discovered hills so green, grassy and adorned with wildflowers that I’d have guessed I was in the Swiss Alps. Except for the palo verde and saguaros… But, honest, see the photo!

I hiked up a short steep hill for an hour and stopped to gaze across a brilliant green valley. Risking scorpion bites and lord knows what else, I decided I must sit on the earth. And did. I sat for half an hour feeling exquisite peace and connection to the universe.

Though I enjoy a sweeping view of mountain and sky from my windows at home, walking into the mountains tuned my vibration to well-being in a way that mere window gazing doesn’t.

Much of the time we think working with the Law of Attraction is purely mental. We consider our meditations, visualizations and thought processes something we “do” with our minds to cause the right kind of attraction.

But joining nature on a perfect spring afternoon automatically restores us physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. It’s Law of Attraction made natural.

I once heard Abraham-Hicks say the main value of exercise is it causes us to breathe more. I’ve also heard them say — many times — we humans make Law of Attraction way too complicated.

“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” — John Muir

Happy trails,

Andrea

www.successfulselfemployment.com

Marketing expert Dan Kennedy estimates that “the average adult consumer is presented with more opportunities to spend money today in one 4-hour period than he was in thirty 24-hour periods just a decade ago.”

Ten years from now we’ll look back on today as positively serene.

Email, formerly the low-stress way you kept in touch with friends and worked from home when your boss kindly let you, is now so disruptive that Tim Ferris (The 4-Hour Work Week) cautions us not even to peek until we’ve accomplished the most important tasks of the workday.

Is the solution to blame marketers? Or to fine tune your personal filters and take back your life?

As an attraction marketer for two decades now, I know that one woman’s “sleazy hype” is another’s “just what I’ve been looking for–and it’s on sale!”

Recently I was accused of turning to “lack-based marketing tricks” by a reader objecting to the email headline: “There’s room for just 4 more new coaching clients before the rates go up.”

She didn’t read the 50 or so responses saying, “Thank you! I’ve been thinking about coaching for so long — your offer sounds great — what’s the next step?”

It’s hype if you aren’t interested and a blessing if you are.

Rather than waste your life energy denouncing hype and feeling victimized by marketers, take responsibility. Get clear on what you choose to pay attention to. Cheerfully Ignore the rest.

Because the marketing melee marches on.

Andrea

www.successfulselfemployment.com

Received an email today from an Email Marketing Consultant and subscriber to my e-zine, “Successful Self Employment News.”

In a kind but non-nonsense way she chastized me for sometimes addressing my readers as “friends.” Her recommendation was: switch to “colleagues” — it’s more appropriate for business relationships.

I don’t agree.

After 20+ years working with Fortune 50 corporations and technology companies, I understand where she’s coming from. It would be unseemly to call someone a friend in that environment, unless you connected with the person outside the office.

Thankfully, I’ve left the coldness and formality of giant corporations behind me!

I feel a heart connection to my readers. Maybe that’s why so many have stayed with me for 5 or more years… We’re in relationship, thanks to the Law of Attraction, whether we ever meet, speak or correspond.

“Friend” is how I think of my readers and how I’ll continue to address them.

Yes, yes, yes, and YES. The Law of Attraction is real. It’s way more real than the negative B.S. we’re contstantly fed by mass media, governments, schools and other institutions. The endless messages that we’re insignifcant, vulnerable and doomed to struggle are the real lies and illusions. It’s time to tune our hearing to the truth.

I’ve observed three reasons people say that LoA is a fantasy: (1) They apply it to what they observe in other people (”No one would ask the universe for such poverty!”); (2) They confuse attracting with blaming themselves for something unwanted (”There’s no way I would have attracted this illness!”): and (3) They aren’t aware of their own negative thoughts (”I’m a believer in positive thinking!”).

Once you understand that these assumptions are based on erroneous thinking, you’re ready to live the reality of happiness and success.

After 19 years of studying the Law of Attraction, I know it works. And I can help you know it too — so that you finally achieve all the breakthroughs you deserve.

If you’re ready to discover for yourself how to get attraction working for you, I promise in this blog to deliver the words and energy to help you flip the illumination switch in your own life and business.

To your happiness and success,
Andrea

www.successfulselfemployment.com