Gifts Give Profit...

Laura and I are getting lazier and lazier here in our love nest, so instead of going out shopping for food, we ordered our groceries online from FRESH DIRECT.

Because it was our first order, they packed in an unadvertised special "Thank you gift"- a box of "Chocolate Crisps", normally sold for $9.

They were chocolate, andLaura is a woman.

Laura LIKES the Chocolate Crisps.

I thought they were ok- not great. However, I WAS impressed that they sent them to us.

So when Laura ordered again yesterday, she not only bought the $9 Chocolate Crisps for herself, but so that I wasn't left out, she bought me the $7 "Chocolate Bark" made up of Chocolate, pretzels and peanut butter chips.

Yummy.
Wow, Yummy.

So, the $9 gift, which cost them a considerable amount less, became $16 on our next order.

Not a bad return at all for a gift.

Now how can I make this work for me when Christmas comes around?

Gifts Give Profit...

Laura and I are getting lazier and lazier here in our love nest, so instead of going out shopping for food, we ordered our groceries online from FRESH DIRECT.

Because it was our first order, they packed in an unadvertised special "Thank you gift"- a box of "Chocolate Crisps", normally sold for $9.

They were chocolate, andLaura is a woman.

Laura LIKES the Chocolate Crisps.

I thought they were ok- not great. However, I WAS impressed that they sent them to us.

So when Laura ordered again yesterday, she not only bought the $9 Chocolate Crisps for herself, but so that I wasn't left out, she bought me the $7 "Chocolate Bark" made up of Chocolate, pretzels and peanut butter chips.

Yummy.
Wow, Yummy.

So, the $9 gift, which cost them a considerable amount less, became $16 on our next order.

Not a bad return at all for a gift.

Now how can I make this work for me when Christmas comes around?

Hillary's Joke- IS a joke...

C'mon people- who cares?

So Hillary intimated that she MIGHT know some evil and bad men- and then the audience laughed first, and then she laughed too. Big deal.

MAYBE she meant her husband, who has been known to behave badly-
MAYBE she meant Ken Starr, or the current administration,
MAYBE she meant her ex-boyfriend in high school.

WHO CARES- it was a joke, and she's a human being.

-and then there is just as much debate about what people say on "LOST" or some other TV show.

It's like we're expecting our fiction to be real, and our reality to be fiction.

If we keep insisting our leaders be perfect, we leave ourselves open to being manipulated and deceived.

Hillary's Joke- IS a joke...

C'mon people- who cares?

So Hillary intimated that she MIGHT know some evil and bad men- and then the audience laughed first, and then she laughed too. Big deal.

MAYBE she meant her husband, who has been known to behave badly-
MAYBE she meant Ken Starr, or the current administration,
MAYBE she meant her ex-boyfriend in high school.

WHO CARES- it was a joke, and she's a human being.

-and then there is just as much debate about what people say on "LOST" or some other TV show.

It's like we're expecting our fiction to be real, and our reality to be fiction.

If we keep insisting our leaders be perfect, we leave ourselves open to being manipulated and deceived.

My last words....

I saw WAKING LIFE recently, and it made me think- what if THIS is the dream world from some OTHER state of consciousness?

Freaky.

So, while I was thinking this, I came up with this sentence:

"My last words were 'I'm going to wake up now'..."

Freaky.

Like what if I were in another dimension (the other side?), and I was talking to someone there, and when I die HERE, those are my last words, and then I'm recounting the story to that someone on the "other side"?

Freaky.

My last words....

I saw WAKING LIFE recently, and it made me think- what if THIS is the dream world from some OTHER state of consciousness?

Freaky.

So, while I was thinking this, I came up with this sentence:

"My last words were 'I'm going to wake up now'..."

Freaky.

Like what if I were in another dimension (the other side?), and I was talking to someone there, and when I die HERE, those are my last words, and then I'm recounting the story to that someone on the "other side"?

Freaky.

"Let Go and Let...HUH?"

Ok, so if you read my REAL MEN'S GUIDE TO OPRAH blog, then you know that I wrote about this woman who has been trying to get pregnant, and who is FREAKING OUT about it not working.

I happened to catch the "after the show" episode, and it all centered around her, and her need to "Let Go and Let God".

I dunno if I buy that one Oprah.

Here are my thoughts on it:

We are all taught that persistence, prayer, and whatever else you can do to get something you want should be done or else it is YOUR FAULT if you don't get it.

I firmly believe that our lives are in our own hands, and I think every other success person feels that way. However, when something DOESN'T work out, you hear:

"It wasn't part of God's plan"

Was it not part of "God's Plan" when Edison failed 1,000 times before inventing the electric light?
Or rather- 10,000 times??

What about after Lincoln failed at EVERYTHING he tried, but then became one of the best presidents of the United States?

Why wasn't it just "part of God's plan" to have him fail? Wasn't he going AGAINST the "signals from God" when he persisted?

So, I was taking a lot of issue between being persistent, and "letting go".
To me, it sounded like "Letting go" was kinda just "hoping", and basically giving up.

But then Oprah said "It's not giving up- it's using MORE POWER"

Oooh- what the hell does THAT mean?

Well, she meant using "God's Power"- but what the hell is THAT?

It was very frustrating for the woman trying to get pregnant, and for me, as I like things to be explained WELL, or not explained at all.

However, as I sat there, and listened very carefully, and also discussed things with my ever-patient wife, and thought back on all of the success books I have read, I think I got it.

Between many platitudes:

"God helps those who help themselves"
"When you prey, move your feet"
"Do what you can, and let God do the rest"

I think I understood something that I had read before:

It's ok to want something, but it's the being too attached to it that drives it away.

So, she WANTS to get pregnant, but she is SO PETRIFIED that she won't, she gives more energy to the fearful future than to her being pregnant.

It's like when I am HYPER-FOCUSED on making money, it's really out of a fear of NOT having any, so even when I DO make a bunch, I get so scared of losing it all- and I do exactly that.

(I SHOULD edit that last sentence to be all in the past, but I'm going to let it go for now!)

So, I have heard that it's the "Attachment" to your dreams that can trip you up- the vigorous NEED for a CERTAIN, PERFECT result that is really a fear that it won't work out EXACTLY that way.

Joe Vitale mentions that you should end every prayer or visualization or whatever with the words "This, or something better", just to allow for the Universe to add to your dream, and maybe even surpass yours.

Oprah always says that God has a bigger dream for you than you can imagine.

So, I have taken this away: As I am working towards my future stardom and wealth- I am doing what I am doing, and staying focused and all that, but it's the FREAKING OUT that can mess it all up.

Now I'm gonna try not to FREAK OUT about not freaking out!!!!