What are your 4 Agreements?

Recently I ran across my copy of "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz. For those of you that haven’t read it, in Don Miguels book he shares what he believes are the 4 characteristics of personal freedom.

~Be Impeccable with your word
~Don't take anything personally
~Don't make assumptions
~Always do your best

Pretty basic and self explanatory, right? I believe they are what every parent looks to teach their children. They’re also the foundation for creating my own Personal Agreements – adding to his list that which helps me better serve humanity in every way possible. These agreements increased my capacity for joy, love and bliss in my life.

• Live with gratitude. The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is thank the universe for another breath, another day. If being grateful doesn’t come easy to you, begin practicing it slowly, like the first time you rode a bike. Something good will happen in the next 24 hours, guaranteed. Sometimes you might have to look a little harder than others.
• Practice Generosity of Spirit – Give of yourself freely, without expectation of anything in return, tangible or intangible. Generosity is a quality of the spirit that is motivated by Love. Practice Generosity of Spirit. Give your time and your talents, especially if you can’t give money. Simply give love and a smile. Sometimes that’s all we have. True generosity of Spirit is giving without expecting anything in return.
• Move your energy – Everything is energy; where and what we put our energy into expands, sometimes beyond measure. When that energy is not moving, it becomes stagnant. Tune in to what both your body and your mind need to thrive, to feel alive.
• Choose Bliss! - Yes, we have a choice. Choose to create more moments of joy and bliss in your life. What we focus on multiplies. Simply decide to focus more on what’s working, what feels good and notice the difference it makes, not just in your life, the life of those around you.
  

Try making your own personal agreements as to how you plan on allowing and continuing the process of life and love to unfold in an upward, joyful manner. Move your energy :):):)

"Our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive - the risk to be alive and express what we really are.” Don Miguel Ruiz

But Mom those are my friends....

The love of Facebook

5 years ago I literally banned my daughter from being on Facebook, the online social networking community that is EVERYWHERE! She was connecting with people all over the world that she didn't even know; the goal being to collect as many "friends" as she possibly could. She would adamantly say, "But Mom, those are my friends!" With that goal in mind, most of her peers announced the same thing to their parents.

From a parents perspective it was a dangerous trap - it scared the heck out of me. I felt there was too much information being shared and too many people had access to that information. I remember telling her, "Those people are not your friends, they're simply names and faces".

Well, today, I've changed my tune completely. In fact, part of the professional service I offer my clients is how to get on Facebook and how to effectively use it for your business. I've seen my clients businesses grow by 30% simply by creating a Fanpage and interacting with their fans. I've also made some wonderful friends, yes friends! Not just names and faces.

In taking the time to get social with the people I'm connected with, I've built friendships with many that I would NEVER have had the opportunity to meet in the past, both new and old. Those connections run from California to Georgia, from Illinois to Florida and across the globe to Europe, Australia, South America and New Zealand. (You all know who you are.) These people and their friendships have enhanced my life as powerfully as the friends I connect with in person and who are in my local community, bringing inspiration and joy to my life on a daily basis. Facebook also offers us the chance to keep in touch with those who have moved away/relocated, who are house bound or simply too shy to chat in person.

There is still a lot of controversy about Facebook and the information being shared. I do encourage my clients to be somewhat discreet and cautious about what they post and who they accept into their Facebook Circle. There are those that will take advantage of you no matter what you do or say, on line and off line.

Gratitude rocks and I am thankful for Facebook and the many opportunities it has provided me both personally and professionally. Especially those I call my friends. Thank you for adding a little more bliss to my life! And a GINORMOUS thank you to those of you who shared in my birthday bliss, sending wishes of love, light, peace, prosperity and again, bliss.
That's what friends are for!!

The Business of Blissness

Let’s face it, in today’s economy one may be overwhelmed by the projected outlook our media portrays. As the unemployment and foreclosure rates increase, so do feelings of fear and inadequacy in many people. Although we may have had a strong business plan, we didn’t account for the ineptness of the “economists” on Wall Street that encouraged Americans to get in over their heads, without a life preserver. What do you do to stay afloat? Change your attitude and follow your Blissness Plan, instead of your business plan.

What’s a Blissness Plan? It’s your blueprint for creating more joy in your life, including your business, defined as:

1. Lifelong plan for bliss: path to happiness
2. The “who, what, when, where, why and how” to achieve more bliss in your life.

The Blissness Plan includes 12 action steps to take, most of which we already know, yet don’t think to include in our daily practice. These steps are easily and effortlessly applied to your business. If you haven’t downloaded your free copy, visit TheBlissNetwork.com, click the Blissness Plan link and get yours today.

I grew up in an average, middle class family. My mom’s job was raising six children. She was the Project Manager, CFO, Hospitality Team Leader, Food and Beverage Manager, Travel Coordinator and so much more. My father, on the other hand, was the “bread winner.” He left the house most mornings at 6:00 a.m., car pooling with colleagues, to save money and get to his office by 7:30. Because he was very active with the UAW, some days he didn’t get home until well after bedtime. Like many Americans, he believed in “The Dream”, he believed in our right to “Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness.” Isn’t that what we all work for? I know I do.

The Blissness Plan is a practice designed to help everyone in their “Pursuit of Happiness.” Each step can easily be incorporated into your business. For example, Month 5 is creating a Gratitude Journal. This month not only did I write in my gratitude journal, I practiced a gratitude meditation every morning for five minutes, as soon as I sat in my office chair. Before I even looked at my Planner (My Blissness Planner) or turned on my laptop,I practiced with these steps:

Closed my eyes
Took three deep breaths
Thanked everything and everyone I could think of, associated with my
business, and more
Visualized what prosperity and abundance feel like
Took three more deep breaths and moved on!

Sounds pretty basic, right? You’ve heard it before, “practice gratitude and your life expands in more ways than you can possibly imagine.” Mine has! I’ve added two new workshops, two new clients, and two new E Books to my business this month! The Bliss Network is thankfully being visited by over 30,000 people in 53 different countries! Woo Hoo…So, join me in the “What’s Your Blissness?” Group on the CremeMagnolia.net’s Business Networking site this week and I’ll share a few more strategies on how I move from Business to Blissness by incorporating these steps in my own business!

Bliss ON!!