Abundance & Prosperity

How to Find Happiness

July 28, 2011 By Roger Allen 13 Comments

We all want to be happy. Few would disagree. However, the question is, what is the source of happiness? We’ve been socialized to believe it has to do with:

Money
Possessions
Status
Power
Talent
Beauty
Achievement
Recreation
The “right” partner
Other people doing what we want

For example, we hold a belief that people who have more money are happier than those who have less. People who live in a big house, achieve more, or take more vacations are happier than those who do not. We are driven by an implicit belief, in our society today, that “more is better.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Abundance & Prosperity, Live Big, Live Successfully, Power of Choice

How to Make Better Choices in the Middle of Conflict

July 13, 2011 By Roger Allen Leave a Comment

Although our “key moments” are difficult to face and handle, they bless our lives because they are the means by which we grow. They give us an opportunity to interrupt old patterns and act from a new set of principles. Here’s an example from The Hero’s Choice. Think about Hal’s interaction with Kathy as he entered their bedroom one evening, intent on making things right and communicating with his wife in a new and better way. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Abundance & Prosperity, Key Moments, Power of Choice, The Hero's Choice

Being Real

May 20, 2011 By Roger Allen 2 Comments

Being real means being who you are rather than trying to be who you are not for the sake of pleasing someone else. It is being comfortable enough in your own skin that you don’t have to play games, pretend, manage an image, etc. You can be you, warts and all. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Abundance & Prosperity, Live Big, Live Successfully, Personal Development, Power of Choice, Self Actualization

The Source of How You Feel About Yourself

April 29, 2011 By Roger Allen Leave a Comment

Certainly one of the most important decisions we make in life is how we will feel about ourselves. We don’t usually think about it as a decision. It’s a given, just the way it is. And yet, I want to suggest it is a decision and one with far reaching consequences. Self esteem is the filter through which all of our life experiences are interpreted. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Abundance & Prosperity, Positive Thoughts, Self Actualization

The Power of Beliefs to Shape Our Experience…and Destiny

March 25, 2011 By Roger Allen Leave a Comment

“The things that you keep silently telling yourself are your most important conversations. Whatever you habitually dwell on in your mind, you will become, express, or experience. Your subconscious mind will be your best friend or your worst enemy. Everything depends on the way you train it and the use you make of it. It is your individual share of the universal creative mind. It is the great cosmic playground of your freedom to think, choose, reason, and decide for yourself. It shapes your destiny and determines the attraction and repulsion of your life. Guard its portals well. It is your hope of heaven.” -Elinor MacDonald

A few weeks back I told the story, “You Get What You’re Looking For.” I’ve had so many people comment that they liked the story that I decided to pick up on this theme again and for a little longer. The point of the story is that we don’t necessarily see things as they are. We see life through a filter and that filter (not reality) determines how we experience life and, eventually, our destinies. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Abundance & Prosperity, Live Big, Live Successfully, Positive Thoughts, Power of Choice

Resilience in the Face of Hardship

March 18, 2011 By Roger Allen Leave a Comment

“The strongest oak in the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It’s the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.” Napoleon Hill

I look around at people who have suffered incredible hardship and wonder how they do it. How is it that some people grow up in very challenging circumstances or experience great trauma or loss and yet survive? In many cases, not only survive but thrive. Like Charlie Plumb in my last post. Upon being captured, tortured and tossed in a small cell, Charlie wasn’t sure he’d make it or that he wanted to make it. Yet somehow he developed the “attitude,” as his doctor back home called it, to overcome his hellish circumstances. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Abundance & Prosperity, Live Successfully, Personal Development, Positive Thoughts, Power of Choice

You Get What You’re Looking For: The Power of the Mind

March 4, 2011 By Roger Allen 1 Comment

A number of years ago I moved my family from Denver to Spokane, Washington, where I had accepted a new job. I was not aware at the time of how difficult an adjustment the move would be to my children, who were then 14, 12 and 9 years of age. It was especially difficult for my 12 year-old son, Jonathan, who came home from school every day complaining about life in Spokane. Nothing was right. He hated the weather. The kids at his school weren’t nice. His teacher was boring. There was nothing to do at home at night. And on and on. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Abundance & Prosperity, Personal Development, Positive Thoughts, Power of Choice, Self Actualization

The Gateway of Emotional Maturity

February 18, 2011 By Roger Allen 3 Comments

I’m passionate about understanding people like Eduardo. How is it that some human beings live in a place of such, joy, abundance, goodwill? Are they born that way? Were they fortunate to be born into incredible families? Are they of a stronger character or constitution than most of us? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Abundance & Prosperity, Live Successfully, Positive Thoughts, Power of Choice

The Pathway to Fulfillment

February 11, 2011 By Roger Allen Leave a Comment

In my last article, I discussed three ways of living or themes around which we organize our lives–survival, security and success. As I stated, we live from all three at different times or in different areas of life. However, we have less experience with a fourth paradigm–”Serenity.” Lots of folks believe that it will “happen” to them when they master success. Consequently, they find themselves on a treadmill in which they continually strive for “more,” “better,” or “different,” but somehow feel anxious, like they come up short, even unfulfilled. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Abundance & Prosperity, Live Successfully, Personal Development

Stages of Emotional Maturity (Intelligence)

February 4, 2011 By Roger Allen 1 Comment

I’ve wrestled with this topic for some time. On again, off again. Do I write about it or not? Obviously, I decided to go for it. My hesitancy was knowing that this is a complex topic. I studied developmental psychology in graduate school. In fact, it was the topic of my dissertation. So I’m aware of many theories related to childhood, moral, cognitive and ego development as well as extensive literature from the new sciences of emotional intelligence and positive psychology that describe the stages of human development and especially human healthiness. These subjects have been fascinating to me but I also realize that they are not easy to quantify and measure. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Abundance & Prosperity, Live Successfully, Personal Development, Positive Thoughts