When Do We Get to Meet God's Parents?

If God is the creator of the universe, who is the creator of God? When I was born, I had a mother and a father and supposedly the two of them together had created me. One could not have created me without the other and therefore I am a product of my parents. I know who my parents are and I even know who their parents are but who is God's parents and were we made in the images of our parents or creators.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth but before that, we know very little about God. Did he have brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, grandparents and even God parents. If he did have brothers and sisters, did they create worlds like he did or she did, we don't know whether God is a man or a woman, transvestite, homosexual or a combination of all of these. We really don't know what God is, even though Michelangelo painted him on the Sistine Chapel.

In the book of revelations it mentions, Revelation 22:13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." God says that he is the first and the last, does this mean that there was no one or no entity before him. It goes back to the chicken and the egg, what was first the chicken or the egg, no one knows. Well god knows doesn't he. I don't know why I keep referring to God as a he but bear with me on this one.

I wonder if God was disciplined as a child or even if he was a child. Maybe God was born a full grown person or even a mysterious entity in the form of a smoky cloud. That couldn't be, because God made us in his image and I'm sure that his mother and father look like us. Well, hopefully they look better than us, maybe someone like Brad Pitt or Jennifer Aniston. I hope that he wasn't an ugly person or entity. That would be discouraging.

I guess that's enough of the humor, I rarely hear anyone talk about, who created God. If God formed out of nothingness, why couldn't our earth have formed from nothingness, without God. If God did have parents, brothers and sisters, have they created other universes and what is the purpose of their creations. Are we just one big experiment, part of a big science project?

Anyone interested in using this article to make a movie, feel free to use this information at no charge, I would love to see the movie, when it's done.

Good Christian News

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Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

If you're really seeking the kingdom of heaven, the glory of God and the true vision that Jesus had, check out some great Christian articles. These articles are designed to teach and educate Christians.

Rethinking Today's Religions - Misleading Our Children

When I was a young man, my parents told me about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Every Christmas, there would be presents underneath the tree from Santa Claus and on Easter I would get a basket full of candy and eggs. However, when I was 11 years old, my parents broke the devastating news to me, there was no Santa Claus or Easter Bunny.

As you can imagine, I cried for hours over the frustration and disappointment. For one, I thought that I wasn't going to get any more Christmas gifts, but my parents provided me with the needed psychological relief and told me that they were going to provide Christmas gifts for me, until I died. Even though I was upset, I was relieved and confused.

If my parents lied about this, could they have possibly lied about something else, anything else. Have you ever thought about this and is there a situation in your life today that could be an old habit that never got corrected. Some theme that your parents told you when you were a child that was a lie and they never told you the truth. Maybe they never told you the truth because they don't even know themselves that it's a lie.

Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny were obviously disappointments to me and most people that I've talked to about their experiences, with their parents and even their children. Why do we do this as parents to our children, even though we didn't like it when it was done to us. Hard to explain why we can't break certain habits and certain traditions.

I love Christmas and the joy of giving. Even though I am no longer a Christian, I enjoy going over to my relatives homes and spending Christmas or Christmas Eve with them. Now for the bad news, if you were raised to believe in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism or any other large religious organization. Let me ask you this, do you think that it could be like Santa Claus, do you think the religion you believe in so strongly could be a story that has gotten out of control over the centuries.

I've spent a life time rethinking today's religions and can't find very many facts to prove any one religion is superior over another. Do your own research and find your own answers. Enlightenment could be as simple as gathering the right information.

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, You Can Have It All

Greg is currently working on a self help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Where Did God Come From?

If you believe in certain religions, like Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and even Buddhism, there's a good chance that you believe in some sort of God like being or cosmic force, especially the one that created our world that we live in today.

Where did God come from? What are we doing here? And where are we going, after we die. Some of these questions, are hard to answer and scientifically difficult to prove. There is very little evidence to prove, where God actually came from, what are we suppose to be doing here and where we are going to go, after we die.

If nobody knows where God came from, why are there so many religions, that believe in a God? Think about it for a moment, the Christian God, was the creator of the universe, and the creator of everything. Where's the proof? Why do people continue to study the Bible, and believe in a God, that they can't really even put their hands on?

If God is truly real, why wouldn't we have ever seen him? It doesn't make a lot of sense, to believe in imaginary beings, or invisible entities and pray to a God that we might not ever see or touch. It might not make a lot of sense, but if you ask serious religious followers, of these religions a question like, can you prove that there actually is a God, there's a good chance that these religious believers will reply, with a simple yes.

They have no proof, no evidence, and almost base their entire beliefs on faith, instead of facts. Rarely do they seek any evidence or even read their religious text, with a goal to understand what they're reading. Most of these people take everything that they learn, lock it away in their head, and never ask any serious questions about their religious beliefs, like these.

If there is a God, why wouldn't he show himself? If there is a God, why wouldn't he prove that he does exist, so that others wouldn't have to doubt his existence? Something to think about, on the days that you're not going to your place of worship.

Who's God Is More Powerful

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If your interested in a different point of view READ THESE ARTICLES - Great Articles For Christians

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author and a inspiration to millions of people. He has been involved in religious research for almost 30 years, and his influence in the Christian community is growing. The Holy Bible, is the core to Christian beliefs and most Christians don't even question it. Was the Bible actually written by men?

His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible.

Tithing Education - Giving From Guilt

If you're part of any organized religion and donate money on a regular basis, do you know where your money is going? Have you ever asked what they are spending the money on? Are you one of those people who feels that your pastor and church leaders know best and never even ask them, because you might feel inferior to them? Have you asked in the past and were told not to worry about it but still would like to know.

Before you give your hard earned money away, whether you're doing it out of guilt or pleasure, make sure you're supporting the right organization. You should never feel the need to donate money if you don't have it to give.

I went to a church that had funds for everything, building funds, starvation funds, church funds and even funds to fund of funds if they ran out of money. Okay I just threw that last part in their but all kidding aside, there's plenty of stuff to be done in our country, to help the starving, the poor and the needy. Why do we need to go to other countries?

I want to make a suggestion to people who can't afford to give their money away but feel guilty if they don't. In the Bible it tells you to give away 10% of your earnings to the church. The part that it doesn't tell you is what to do if you can't afford to give 10% to the church. I personally have known quite a few people who give money out of guilt and fear but will tell you that this is a requirement of their religion and its okay. God will take care of us and he always does.

I don't really believe God, the all powerful all-knowing and loving creator, wants us to suffer, if we just don't make enough money to survive. If you're planning on sending your child to a Christian private school and could only afford to send them to that school, using the money that you were going to tithe to the church, what will you do? Tithe the money to the church so that they can use it to feed hungry people in other countries or build a new church somewhere or help with your child's education.

Some of these decisions are made difficult by religious doctrine and these are the parts of organized religion that I have problems with. When do we use common sense, combined with a little education to seek the truth. Does your religion ask you to seek the truth but not to gather your information beyond their religious boundaries?

Only give what you can afford to give and feel good about it. If you don't feel good about giving your money away, don't do it. Take care of yourself, so that you can take care of others, if you choose to. Living a life of fear and guilt doesn't make sense.

Question Your Religion

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a religious help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

The Power of Leadership

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King had it, Sen. Barack Obama has it, and in fact, all great leaders have it according to Rev. Tim Costello; it's the ability to tell a good story. The is a quote from Costello from his book, Tips from a Travelling Soul-Searcher:

"The distinguishing mark of a great leader... is his or her ability to tell a good story--one which encompasses enough of human experience. It must acknowledge pain, anxiety and crisis, but then it must transcend the self-pitying aspects of this so that it lifts a person to new ground with hope and a fresh map for the way forward."[1]

In a slightly different way Stew Friedman from Harvard Business Press says the same thing:

"Effective leaders use their imaginations to connect the actual stories of their pasts with the hoped-for stories of their futures."[2]

This quality of story-telling is not simply the art of oratory or skill in engaging the heart. It is however, ostensibly about demonstrating a compassion and empathy of people and struggle through an actual happening as a way of projecting hope out of a despairing situation.

President-elect Obama has his work cut out for him with the Global situation as it is; yet it is his job, as much as anything else, to remain the eternal optimist, embracing the unknown with power and resolve during each day of his Presidency.

He will have to use all of his stories, and many others he learns about and can connect to, to inspire a generation of people who are flailing with a sense of despair for what is in front of them. He will need a team of leaders behind him who know too, how to tell a good story to inspire hope and positive change.

The refrain from Obama's acceptance speech seemed to be "Yes we can," employing much the same technique as Rev. Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech in connecting people to a simple meaning. Refrains connect people listening to the story to a simple truth. For Obama, and the picture he's presenting to the American people, anything is possible. His election is proof of that.

Story-telling in leadership is way of engaging people through the use of imagination. It's about engaging the heart as well as the mind. Inspiring leaders all around the world and in all different spheres learn of the implicit need to connect with people, their people, in ways that inspire hope, courage and faith--the broader good.

ENDNOTES:

[1] Tim Costello, Tips from a Travelling Soul-Searcher (St. Leonards, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, 1999), p. 167. The chapter this quote is taken from is called, "the public and private anatomy of leaders." Costello offers a fresh and a not-necessarily-secular take on leadership.

[2] Stew Friedman "Obama's Authentic Leadership -- And Yours" in Better Leader, Richer Life (posted November 6, 2008 2:38 PM) available at: http://discussionleader.hbsp.com/friedman/2008/11/obamas-authentic-leadership-an.html?cm_mmc=npv-_-LISTSERV-_-NOV_2008-_-LEADERSHIP.

Steve Wickham is a safety and health professional (BSc) and a qualified lay Christian minister (GradDipDiv). His key passion is work / life balance and re-creating value for living, and an exploration of the person within us.

Steps to a Positive Attitude - Self Help Tips

Habitually, life is a grind, don't you think? Ask your friends, "Why do you go to work everyday?" Nine out of ten of them will probably say, "Because everyone else does." How about that for inspiration? It's that painful attitude that we find ourselves subjected to every living day. Therefore, you could ask me, "What makes you think that I can break free from the bonds of conformity?" And I would answer, "Because you can. It's a choice; as your attitude is a choice and not a feeling."

So you wake up this morning still thinking about last night's argument you had with your spouse about the pile of debt you have collectively constructed. You swing your feet off the couch only to feel the cold remnants of the dog relieving his bladder in the middle of the night because you were too depressed to let him out. You ooze into the bathroom to rinse off and take the obligatory shower and there stands your counter-part. With the argument still lingering in the air you both choose to avoid the topic by not speaking at all.

How frustrating can this be since your son has the biggest game of the season tonight and your daughter's performance at her dance recital this evening will make or break her scholarship opportunity. You have a mountain of responsibility riding on a positive attitude today, but your ghastly experience of last night still lingers like a leach; slowly draining your life's energy one little suck at a time. How do you let go? How do you strap on a positive attitude?

Here is a short process that you can put to work right now to brighten you life...for at least a moment. You decide whether to change your life forever. It just takes a little courage.

First, connect yourself with the discomfort that wrecked your attitude. Whatever created this mountain of debt must be recognized. You granted the power to create the situation that brought on this discomfort, so be proud! At some point, this situation you created served you well, didn't it? It just took a quick turn for the worse. So forgive yourself. Express your gratitude towards the ability to have created the mountain of debt to begin with. Express your gratitude towards the ability to pay the bills that support your purchases. Forgive yourself! Now, reclaim your power so that it can be used for a greater purpose. Reflecting on the current example: to support your children in a time when they need your positive attitude the most. Serving the greater purpose with a positive attitude is a choice.

Secondly,allow your reclaimed power to rush through you like you have just leaped into a cool, fresh-water spring in the middle of a hot summer day! Feel it. Really feel it. Then remember this feeling and revisit this place over and over and over again. Indulge in the wonderful feelings it conjures. Smother your children with a positive attitude when they need it most. Serving this greater purpose with a positive attitude is a choice. And be happy you made the choice.

Third, now that you have reclaimed your power, choose your attitude. While experiencing your heightened state of happiness, make the choice that will carry with you an uplifting, positive attitude throughout the rest of the day. And when you begin to feel the intrusion of discomfort, immediately revert back to step two and remember that you have reclaimed your power. Remember the rush of energy that consumed you and brought you to this happy, powerful moment. Smother your children with a positive attitude when they need it most. This is your greater purpose.

Lastly, practice, practice, practice. Once you become even moderately efficient at reclaiming your power, your positive attitude will become a clear choice. Doors will open that will lead to places and dreams that you had only imagined for you and those for which you feel deep affection.

Make the choice to spread the virus of "positive attitude" with everyone you encounter and try to encounter as many people as you possibly can everyday. This epidemic you create will spread faster than you can presently imagine. However, with practice, you will soon realize how commonplace choosing a positive attitude can be.

Be well and know that you are loved...

Published by J.C. Spearry whose goal is to introduced you to ideas that will transform your life, define your purpose, determine your motivation. Discover effective goal setting techniques that will inspire you, your congregation, your charitable organization or your sales staff so that you can take on the day with integrity and passion! Visit http://www.find-your-purpose-for-life.blogspot.com to gather more information!

Can You Ask God For Wisdom

Religious Education And Fear
W Clement Stone
Stop Feeling Guilty Part 2
What Do I Do If Someone Insults

Personal Goal Setting Year-Plan

So how will you break down your personal goal setting year plan? Believe it or not, it might be easier for some people to think about what they'll be doing in ten years than it is for them to think about what they'll be doing in one year! A personal goal setting year plan forces you to get into that thought process necessary to organize your goals and objectives for the entire year. You will be able to determine what major milestones you have to achieve and how you will get to that point.

As you tackle your personal goal setting year plan, it is advisable that you start planning either the year before or at the very beginning of the year you are planning for.

As we have done on previous pages, here are a few questions to ask yourself. What exactly is your vision for the year? Without getting too specific think about how you see the year playing out. Imagine yourself in 12 months time, looking back on the year. What does that reflection look like? What does success look like for you in a year's time?

Once you have answered these questions you can use your answers to help formulate your goals for the year. If your year plan involves a trip to the Swiss alps, start visualizing yourself there, this will give you the inspiration you need to start setting goals and feasible plans for that trip.

Here's another question to ask yourself. What is your your mission or duty for the year? Who do you plan on helping? What solutions can you provide? What new skills or qualifications will you develop? These questions help you to think about the action steps toward achieving your goals. Begin to think about the specific strategies or tasks that will help you reach your targets and don't forget to set time lines.

As you continue to map out your personal goal setting year plan, consider setting five key goals. Write them down and as always they must be specific. Your aim should be to have a balanced life, so if you can, try to have goal from all aspects of your life i.e. career goals, business goals and relationship goals.

Once you have your goals for the year set, how often will you review these goals? Write down whether you will review them monthly, weekly or better yet daily. As you review your goals think about how you will measure whether you have been successful in achieving these goals? Write down the milestones or your criteria for determining your definition of success.

Another important part of your personal goal setting year plan is figuring out how you will celebrate after achieving all your goals for the year. Planning, prioritizing and evaluating your yearly goals will ensure that your next 12 months will be truly successful.

FOR MORE GREAT CONTENT CLICK HERE - http://www.settinggoals101.com/personalgoalsetting.html

A Customer's Review of Jonathan Manske's Book, the Law of Attraction Made Simple

I have been studying the law of attraction for quite some time now and find the concept absolutely extraordinary. There is no denying the forces of this law when you look at instances in your life or things you have acquired. I have many examples in my own life of the law of attraction in action and every time I reflect upon those things I realize the power of the infinite as well as the power of myself.

While I have manifested many wants and desires in my life there are still things that have fallen short. Therefore, I am always seeking out new resources to better my skill of attraction and to help others who want to master the creation process of their own life as well.

Not to long ago I came across a video interview of Jonathan Manske in which he spoke of his book The Law of Attraction Made Simple. I was intrigued and for the nominal price of $27 I felt it could be a good resource for me.

After spending only a day and half reading it from cover to cover I concluded that it was one of the best books I had read when it came to utilizing applicable strategies to create your desires. The law of attraction is powerful, but unfortunately most of us just go through life blindly attracting things, wanted and unwanted.

Jonathan gives you a step by step process to truly master your creation and clear out any blockages you may have. I found this part to be exceptionally useful and I use the techniques taught in the book on a daily basis. Jonathan gives you, what I call, a blueprint to the law of attraction with real strategic exercises to perform through out your day.

Thank you, Jonathan, for writing such an educational tool for the betterment of society.

You can order your copy of Jonathan Manske's book at http://www.jonathanmanske.com

I am no way associated with the income of this book. I simply am a happy customer

Stacy McIntosh is a leader in the network marketing industry and shows others in her organization how to powerfully utilize the law of attraction in their own life and business. Stacy can be contacted through her websites http://www.theDNAdevelopment.com or http://www.successinyourslippers.com

Memories and Questions Can Uncover Purpose and Passion

By exploring the things you love to do, your strengths and skills, and what you'd do even if you weren't paid, you can discover your purpose in life.

You can begin a process of discovering your purpose in life, or rediscovering a purpose you previously held that has become neglected and forgotten, with two simple techniques. One is recalling times in the past when you had a strong sense of the direction you should go and followed it. The other technique is answering several questions you may not have thought to ask yourself.

Incidentally, you will probably get more from this process if you don't try to force the memories and answers but allow your responses to bubble up from your subconscious in whatever way feels most comfortable. You will gradually get a sense of the direction in which you want your life to flow, much as a caterpillar needs to go into a chrysalis before it can emerge as a butterfly.

Your memories can help define the purpose of your life. So recall a time when ...

People wanted you to do something and you chose very deliberately not to do it. This may have happened in childhood or later as an adult. As your memories of this event come back to you, experience as fully as you can how it felt to stand up for what you believed in, to choose your own way.

You were very excited about a goal, either large or small, because it was something you wanted to do very much. Remembering that event, experience what it is like to move with determination toward something you want, even if you don't accomplish it as well as you had hoped.

Fate, luck, God, or whatever you would call it, placed an opportunity in your path and, because you took that opportunity, the direction of your life was changed. Experience what it feels like to take advantage of circumstances and challenges you had not expected, but which offer you a chance to grow in some way you would not have been able to grow otherwise.

You were quiet and your mind was not chattering, as it often does, and out of seemingly nowhere came a flash of inspiration showing you just what you needed to do to resolve some problem you were having. Experience as clearly as you can what it feels like to listen to your intuition, to follow your own inner guide.

You achieved something important and others praised you for it. Experience what it felt like to have others acknowledge your achievements.

You accomplished something you wanted to do, but no one else knew you had done it. Experience what it is like to do something well, whether or not others know about it.

Questions can guide you in your quest to discover a deeper purpose in life.

• What do you love?
• What do you like doing so much that it recharges your batteries even when you're too tired to do anything else?
• What are your strengths and skills?
• Was there ever something in your life that was so important to you that you felt at the time you absolutely had to accomplish it in order for your life to have meaning? Did you do it? And if you didn't, what got in the way?
• Is there something you would like to do if money, time or energy were not a factor? And when you realize what that is, ask yourself how you might get the money, time or energy to do it.

One final question deals with the principles and values upon which you have built your life up to this point.

Like everyone else, you have chosen, out of the many possible religions and philosophies, one approach, or a combination of several, that resonates most clearly within you. Even if you follow the faith of your parents and accept their values, the question to ask yourself, in order to deepen your understanding of how you make decisions, and thus how you might discover your purpose, is:

What is it within you that caused you to choose your values, your beliefs and your philosophy of life?

All of these questions can guide you toward an overarching purpose for your life. When, in addition, you need to overcome some difficulty, there are seven questions you can ask every day that will remind you to live with purpose even when the going gets tough.

Arlene F. Harder, MA, MFT is Founder and Editor-in Chief of the websites Support4Change.com and ChildhoodAffirmations.com She has been a licensed psychotherapist for more than 20 years. Her specialties include healing imagery and reflective meditation techniques, and she is certified by the Academy for Guided Imagery. She is a co-founder of The Wellness Community-Foothills in Pasadena, California, and the author of the book Letting Go of Our Adult Children: When What We Do is Never Enough, and Questions to Ask Yourself When You Want Your Life to Change. She is currently developing her Better Tomorrows Program. Arlene can be contacted at arleneharder@support4change.com and can be found at her blog, support4change.squarespace.com

Smart Thinking - Saving Money For the Future

While we are all aware of the importance of putting away money for the future, the reality is that saving doesn't come naturally to most of us. When it comes to putting money away, setting "smart" goals is the first step in finding the motivation to save.

What are "smart" goals? SMART is a popular acronym for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. These five characteristics are vital for setting goals and the acronym provides an easy way to remember each of them.

When it comes to saving money it is important to make sure a goal is specific. Rather than telling yourself that you need to put away a little money each month, set a specific figure. This will give you a balance to base the rest of your monthly spending around, as well as a measuring stick to see whether or not you are achieving it.

Why is it important to have measurable goals? If a goal is not measurable, it's difficult to know whether you are actually achieving your goal. A measurable goal means that you will be able to monitor your success and hopefully this will give you a boost to continue saving.

To really achieve a goal it is important to take an action-orientated approach and hone in on all the proactive steps you need to take to achieve that goal. Ask yourself what actions are needed in order make this ambition a reality. From deciding how much to save, to deciding which savings accounts offer the best deals - all of the actions you take will form a vital part of achieving that goal.

While breaking your goal down into mini-actions is extremely important, it is even more important to make sure the goal set is realistic. Is the figure you have set yourself going to over-stretch your budget? Do you have any major outgoings over the next few months which could hinder this goal being achieved? If your goals are not realistic, they will only cause you anxiety; therefore, it makes more sense to save little and often, as opposed to setting an unreachable target.

The final step to smart goal setting is making sure your goals are timely, which refers to having an overall timeframe for your goal. It can also help to set some timely milestones to monitor your progress along the way. In a similar way to setting mini-actions towards your overall goal, setting mini-milestones breaks the process down into shorter, simpler steps - making the goal seem all the more achievable.

When considering your savings and the savings accounts which will work best for you, it is all about thinking smart. While it may take a little extra time to set your goals the smart way, it could pay dividends in the long-run.

Victoria Cochrane writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content

Why Goals Don't Work

I was talking to a friend of mine this morning about her financial goals for the year. After listening to her for a few minutes, I interrupted to ask how she felt about those goals.

There was a long pause. Finally, I asked if I could share my thoughts about goals - why I don't set them for myself, and why I think they're terribly limiting and frustrating.

By the end of the call, she was in tears, and I nearly was. I had been in the right place at the right time for her, and had helped her see a new way of approaching her business, her clients, and her whole life - a way that felt scary, but spacious and even inspiring in ways that traditional goal-setting just can't achieve.

Are you ready to try something new? Here's what I shared with her; I hope it will be as inspiring to you.

Goals are like Boxes
When you were a kid, it was fun to play in big packing boxes. But squashing your life into one is a very different feeling. And that's what goals do.

I've observed over and over again, with myself and with clients, that setting goals creates limitations - and panic! Once a goal is set, you immediately start thinking about it; you can't stop thinking about it. Everything you do is focused on achieving the goal. My friend saw all her potential clients as walking dollar signs- not very comfortable for her or for them!

"How will I meet my goal? What happens if I don't succeed? Will everyone think I'm a failure?" Then, as my friend commented this morning, there's always the "Oh, I didn't really mean that" thing that happens when a goal starts to feel unreachable.

On the other hand, when you finally reach your goal you think, "Ahhh... I achieved it. Now I can relax." And you put your feet up and take a deep breath. Whether you do this literally or figuratively, you've stopped. What amazing things would happen if you kept going? You'll never know.

An Invitation to Be
So I asked my friend, "Who would you be if you weren't so focused on financial goals?"

There was another long silence, but this one was full of electricity - I could almost see the exclamation marks flying in her thoughts. Finally, she said, "I don't know!"

"I've asked myself that question before," she added, "but it's always been what would I do. I never thought of asking who I would be."

When you start with an intention to be something special, to be more of who you really are, the goals you might have set are nothing compared to what you'll actually receive, accomplish, and experience. Just as I've seen people box themselves in with goals, I've seen them set themselves free with an intention to be.

The more powerfully you set the intention, the better. Set an intention that stretches you, that pushes you out of your habits, that makes you feel nervous and vulnerable. Set your intention with commitment and heart, even when it frightens you.

I know someone who was always giving. Immensely generous of spirit and in action, she felt threatened and vulnerable in receiving. When she set an intention to be someone who receives as well as giving, she knew it would be challenging. What she didn't know was how amazingly rewarding it would be. She received gifts of friendship, service, joy, peace, and love that have changed her life forever, in ways she could not have imagined.

And all she did was set the intention - and then she noticed whether she was being in alignment with that intention.

What will you be?

(c)Grace L. Judson

Helping professionals who loathe corporate politics and want to lead with integrity and compassion.

About the Author

I'm Grace Judson, the founder of and driving force behind Svaha Concepts.

Feeling trapped between your career goals and your loathing for "playing politics"? You can remain true to your values and integrity and still be politically savvy. For more information or to access my free resources (including my free workbook "The Five Deadly Shoulds of Office Politics that Maul, Mangle, and Murder Careers (and what to do about them)," please visit Svaha Concepts' website.