Nobody knows what anticipation is anymore. Everything is so immediate.
Joan Jett

 
There is an energy available to all of us during this time of the year. It’s powerful anticipation. Regardless of our spiritual faith practice this energy affects all of us. For the children it is waiting for Christmas morning to open their presents. Gathering family and friends during the holidays has been traditional for both of our biological families. It is a tradition we have carried forth and will hopefully pass on to future generations. Jeanne and I have also incorporated a program for Advent of viewing a short daily video on John’s Gospel as we anticipate the new birth on Christmas Day. I must admit though that a tremendous part of our anticipation during this season evolves around preparation for the Christmas day gathering of our children and grandchildren.
 
I realize there are many people who are not blessed with family or even close friends in their lives, but the energy is still out there to tap into. We find this time of year also creates in us a desire to have special time with close friends. So we just get our calendar out and make sure it happens.
 
I had an experience yesterday of how much influence this energy has on people’s lives. It was late last night my neighbor was putting Christmas lights on his house. I told him I wish I had that much energy. I said to him “You never seems to get tired!” He said “No, I am tired, but my wife said we were the last undecorated house on the block.” Apparently, she did not want to miss out on the festive energy in the neighborhood.
 
Once the day arrives and the presents have been opened there is then the opportunity to use the energy of the new birth in our own lives to create a life of abundance.
 
There have been many challenges this year that have at times discouraged me to share my true beliefs with others. This has been a year of attending many funerals of family members and friends. It has been a year of medical challenges for my wife and friends. It has been a year of putting aside focusing on my Dream Board postings. Sometimes life just happens but blessings always show up and that’s what this season of anticipation is giving to me.
 
I am preparing myself for the new year by my daily practices of journaling, reading inspirational material and viewing the daily video on scripture.  You may want to take advantage of the powerful energy of anticipation and write down a few things you plan on doing to create a life of abundance. You will be creating presents for yourself that will keep on giving throughout the year.
 
 
 
 
 
 

​“It's a good place when all you have is hope and not expectations.”
 Danny Boyle


I have been told in the past “You teach what you need to learn!” I do not see myself as a teacher when I write articles for my blog. I see it more as just sharing my story. I must admit though I am learning from my readers by the comments I receive.
 
The following insight struck a nerve because I immediately started reflecting on how this has created a block in my positive approach to creating a life of prosperity. Prosperity for me is not only defined by financial success, but also includes the emotional and spiritual aspects of life as well as living each moment to the fullest. The following is a reader’s comment to last week’s posting on Attitude.
 
“Positive Pops: Attitude is important but please meditate on the word “expectations” because I think I have had to face that in many areas in my life. It can be a positive or negative aspect in your life depending on your attitude that you decide to choose. Therefore expectation comes first and then I decide what to choose. Kind of what comes first the chicken or the egg. So glad you are back.”
Sincerely, Y.G.
 
I realize I have been blessed with having a great attitude about life. I have trained myself to focus on the positive regardless of how overwhelming the challenges may be. However reflecting on the word “expectations” I realize this is an area in which I definitely need some growth because it can certainly create a block in my living a life of abundance and prosperity. For example, I started writing this blog because my wife could not get me to write in a Grandparent’s book that was given to me when our first grandchild was born 18 years ago. At one point I was also encouraged by my spiritual director to write my story in a blog and that could be my story for my family.
 
This new initiative in my life, my Positive Pops Blog, created a whirlwind of expectations three years ago. A few friends started to call to tell me they enjoyed my postings. After that a few people I did not know commented on different topics and said it was helpful to them. That now sparked the success drive in me. A strong ego and a natural positive approach to life fueled this drive. I used these natural gifts to attract a much larger audience. So I set a goal that I would have 2,500 weekly visitors. That is when I realized my expectations were out of control because once that happened, I started to focus on having 3,000 readers.
 
Expectations have always been an issue for me. In my career in sales I developed a Creative Marketing approach to increase sales. Because of the success I was having I expected everyone to use this same approach to marketing. I experienced much disappointment when I would travel to other areas of the country and there was very little interest in this marketing strategy.
 
I had the same high level of expectations when we were in leadership in the Church. We were so excited about the experience of being a team in Marriage Encounter. When other couples were invited to be a part of this leadership, I could not understand how they could turn it down.
 
This same high level of expectations often leads to disappointment with family and friends. My awareness is now heightened in my realization that this is definitely an area on which I need to continue to reflect and make positive changes.
 
You may want to note a few areas in which you have expectations in yourself and others and how that is holding you back from living a life of abundance.
 
 
 
 
 
 

​For the past two months I followed my typical routine of writing in my grateful journal and then reading inspirational and spiritual material. This has been my routine for years. The last three years I took this routine a step farther by selecting a word to which I was particularly drawn and expand that thought to create a posting for my blog. Then something strange happened. Week after week went by and nothing surfaced for me to share with others.
 
I just accepted the fact that my blog had come to an end. I visited with my spiritual director and she said “You share yourself in your blog and that has not come to an end. You are on a mini vacation so just relax and you will know when to start posting on your blog again.“
 
While I was on this mini vacation, I refused to check my site to get the statistics on how many people were going to my website to read my past postings. This weekend I was pleasantly shocked to learn that 2,400 people a week are still checking into my website.
Encouraged by the words of my spiritual director I am writing once again. The following insight in particular boosted my incentive to activate Positive Pops. “Man creates because of his attitude. Man hinders because of his attitude. The importance of keeping the river running and flowing...when we have a bad attitude, it creates a dam. Everything stops. This is why people cannot get beyond it many times. So, you have a glow in life that others learn from, a good attitude.”
 
Those words were given to me, but I truly believe they can be beneficial for everyone. Having a good attitude can change everything.
When we eat breakfast out, I usually tip at a higher rate than the minimum expected tip. The service is typically as good as a luncheon meal at half the cost. Last week our waitress obviously did not enjoy the work she was doing. Her attitude and service were terrible. Just a little smile would have gone a long way. Yes, I still tipped her, but I would be very surprised if she remains in the service industry. Her attitude will certainly affect her success.
 
You may want to select one of the following quotes on attitude and post it to inspire you to take an inventory and see how you’re doing!
 

• “Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.” Dale Carnegie

 

• “For success, attitude is equally important as ability.” Walter Scott

 

• “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” Lou Holtz

 

• “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude”. Maya Angelou

 

• A joyful heart is good medicine. But a broken spirit dries up the bones”. Proverbs 17:22

 
A note to all who have been checking into my website for new material: I appreciate your patience and that you did not give up on me. I am excited to be back doing what I love to do…sharing my story that was initially  intended only  for my grandchildren.
 
 
 

Bad news travels at the speed of light; good news travels like molasses.
                                                                                                ---Tracy Morgan


I  overheard a conversation in the grocery store about the terrible things happening all around the country. I thought to myself how amazing it is that they missed some of the good news that is out there! Just this week there were several uplifting articles in the newspaper. Ironically the positive news is not headlined. However, it is there, usually not quite as obvious as I think it could be! I typically find “good news” because I urgently search to balance the constant deluge of bad news that dominates broadcasts and social media.

                                                    Good News

·        Unemployment rate fell again reaching a record low of 3.4%. At the same time the construction industry employed 303,000 more workers nationally compared to 2017.
 
·        America has a massive truck driver shortage. About 51,000 more drivers are needed to meet the demand of Amazon and Walmart. Efforts are being made to allow 18-year-olds to drive trucks across the country. Great salaries will be offered for entry level young people. 
 
·        Wall Street closed higher again this past week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at an all-time high.
 
·        The US economy logged its best performance in nearly 4 years. Output expanded 3.2 % in the first half of 2018.
 
·        A friend called to let me know about the positive message etched on the glass bathroom door at the hotel in which he is staying. The following message covered the full length of the door: Have a Great Day! Be Grateful
 
·        Food and Wine magazine surveyed supermarkets that it considers “regional gems.” Dorignac’s, a local supermarket in our area, is listed as a “supermarket hero” and is listed in the top 10 in the country.

The last two items may seem somewhat trivial but in my way of thinking they reinforce the point that great things are happening all around us, but one dose of the evening news can destroy anything positive and refocus our thoughts and outlook in a very negative way.
​
There are many other life-changing positive things happening around the country. I would like to offer encouragement to my readers to share in my comment section one positive thing that is happening in your area of the county. You will be helping good news travel like the flow of fine wine instead of traveling like molasses.

Your most precious, valued possessions and your greatest powers are invisible and intangible. No one can take them. You, and you alone, can give them. You will receive abundance for your giving.
                                                                                      .---Clement Stone


 
We are living in a time of abundance much greater than our parents or grandparents could have ever imagined. I can understand their fear of letting go of any material possession because they did not have the resources to replace anything. Today we have so much “stuff” many people are renting storage units to hold on to possessions that they are not using. The current self-storage industry statistics that the annual industry revenue is $38 billion and there are 50,000 units in the country.
 
In addition to storage units many families never park their car in their garage because it is filled with “stuff” they may need. I was amazed by a  family who had most of their 4-car garage filled with possessions their married children were not using. On an emotional level  this is holding on to the past. On a physical level this keeps our daily environment cluttered. It is blocking energy of both emotional and financial abundance.
 
In the book Feng Shui Your Life by Jayme Barrett she states the following:
“Cleaning clutter and cleansing space are the first steps in creating awesome energy within yourself and your surroundings. Just as an artist paints a masterpiece on a fresh canvas, a clean environment is essential for you to implement Feng Shui effectively. If you start with a clean slate, your dreams and goals will manifest much faster and easier.”
 
My wife should have a master’s degree on clearing out clutter to allow the flow of new energy to come into our home. There is a bag in our office in which we discard the things that are not being used.  When it gets filled we bring it to one of the Habitat for Humanity donation bins set up in various locations near our home. Recently she reminded me that some of the shirts I was wearing were getting frayed around the collar. There were other shirts I just never wore. I threw away the old ones and put the good ones in the “recycle” bag.
 
A  few days later we went to the department store and sport shirts were marked down 50% . I decided to purchase two of them to replace the ones I gave away. When I paid  the cashier, she said that for today only   they were giving an additional 50% off the 50% marked down price. I love a bargain! As insignificant as this experience may seem it reinforced the principle that holding on to things only blocks attracting new things into our lives. 
 
You may want to start at a slow pace by looking at the clothes you have in your closet that you have not worn this year. Gradually remove them, put them in a storage bag, then at the end of the week drop them off to a charitable donation center. The next step would be to look into those hidden spaces where unused things are stored such as  the attic, garage or storage units. Decide on one thing at a time that you want to give away. The positive energy flow that can occur when we make even the smallest effort is worth it. It opens the doors to new abundance.

 
“You can be anything you want to be, if only you believe with sufficient conviction and act in accordance with your faith; for whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.”
                                                              Napoleon Hill, “Think and Grow Rich”
 
 
Our granddaughter was at our house a few days ago and let me know she was working on her list of affirmations. I then let her review my list. She made the comment that she didn’t know Granny and I were going to New York during the Christmas holidays. This was her response to my affirmation “I am enthusiastic about planning our trip to New York during the Christmas holiday season.”
 
We then discussed the whole process. I told her it is important that affirmations be written in a way that confirms the intentions will happen. Having a clear intention and elevated emotion will help you succeed in using the powerful tool of affirmations. I explained to her that we may not be going to New York this year and that doesn’t matter. It will happen in the future because I am selecting the hotel, making a list of the plays we will see, and making plans to see the Rockets Christmas show.
 
I continue to research credible resources to support the tools I suggest that my grandchildren use to help them release negative blocks at an early age. The following quote comes from the book "Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing the Uncommon" by Dr Joe Dispenza, that I am currently reading. It supports the benefits of having intentions and using affirmations to affirm them. It is amazing to realize that there is now scientific evidence that proves it works!
 
"Changing Your Energy: Combining a Clear Intention with Elevated Emotions. Once you’re in the sweet spot of the generous present moment, where all possibilities exist in the quantum field, how do you turn one or more of those potentials, those immaterial possibilities, into reality in the three-dimensional world of matter?
 
This requires two things: a clear intention and elevated emotion. Your clear intention is exactly what it sounds like—you must get clear on what it is you want to create, getting as specific as possible, and describe it in detail. Let’s say you want to go on a great vacation. Where is it you want to go? How do you want to get there? Who do you want to go with, or who do you want to meet when you’re there? What sort of accommodations do you want to stay in? What do you want to do or see when you’re there? What food do you want to eat? What do you want to drink? What kind of wardrobe will you pack? What will you buy to bring home? You get the point. Make it detailed—make it as real as you can because you are going to assign a letter as a symbol of possibility to all those conditions.
 
As you read in the previous chapter, those thoughts, which make up your intention, are the electrical charge you are sending out into the unified field. Now you must combine that intention with an elevated emotion, such as love, gratitude, inspiration, joy, excitement, awe, or wonder, to name just a few examples.
 
You must tap into the feeling you anticipate you will have when you manifest your intent, and then feel the emotion ahead of the experience. The elevated emotion (which carries a higher energy) is the magnetic charge you are sending out into the field."
 
Think of a special event that you love celebrating. It may be Christmas, Birthdays or any other special occasion. With that thought in mind use that excitement, anticipation and enthusiasm to write down your list of intentions that you plan on bringing into your life. Then take that list and transform it into affirmations beginning each with “I Am.”
 
 

 
“I can't change the direction of the wind,
but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”
                                                                                                           ---Jimmy Dean
 
While driving to the beach this weekend my wife and I were listening to a talk given several years ago by Dr. Wayne Dyer on the power of affirmations. This is a topic I wrote about in my last posting but since it keeps drawing my attention through several books, articles and CDs I feel compelled to expand on this helpful tool. One of things Dr. Dyer emphasized is that affirmations should begin with “I Am.” These words make the affirmation a present experience and even programs your mind to expect them to happen.
 
As soon as we came back home I spent some time rewriting several of my affirmations to start with “I Am.”  The Jimmy Dean quote I used today  is something I have always done when I am determined to reach my destination. The tapes reminded me of what I somehow had forgotten. Now I’m back on track! The “I Am” put the focus and the power in the present moment.
 
If you are a follower of my blog, you certainly know I am motivated by success. When anyone has success using some of the principles I have written about I consider that a success for me also. That is why it is important for me to share what is working in my life. When I was reviewing my affirmations, I noticed one that I had coincidentally worded as such and realized that it was already working.
 
“ I am confident in my ability to attract financial abundance.”
Unexpected maintenance expenses to our car surprised me but were handled with ease. Surprises of that sort can really throw me but not this time. This may seem trivial, but it was a major confirmation letting me know that affirmations work.
 
Another support of the value of writing affirmations of things you plan on experiencing in your life comes from a book I am reading by Dr. Joe Dispenza.
 
"So, when you’re fully engaged and focused, the inner world of imagination will appear as an outer-world experience—and your biology will change accordingly. That means you can make your brain and body look as if a physical experience has already happened without having the actual experience. What you put your attention on and mentally rehearse repeatedly not only becomes who you are from a biological perspective, it also determines your future."  from Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing the Uncommon by Dr. Joe Dispenza
 
If you have not yet written your affirmations I encourage you to spend some time this week writing them down. I printed several copies so that I can have a copy available to read when I go to bed at night and one next to my computer in my office.

It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And
once that belief becomes a deep conviction,
things begin to happen.
---Claude M. Bristol
 
A milestone event happened on December 10, 1991. This was when we met Mary Jo McCabe  https://www.maryjomccabe.com/
​ a spiritual intuitive for our very first reading for guidance.
 
We were blessed after that day to become friends with Mary Jo and participated in seminars, workshops and in-house meetings. My wife gave me a fantastic gift by transcribing the information I received from the guides over a 24-year period. These readings are in a binder that I often refer to when things occur in my life for which I need clarity or guidance.
 
The question I asked at one of the events may benefit many of my readers of my blog. It relates to the use of affirmations to create positive changes to create a life of abundance. “Do affirmations manifest prosperity, peace and change in our lives?”
 
Here is the answer I received. “You must realize that the purpose of affirmations is changing your thought plan and if it does that, then it is used in greater ways. But man must speak them from the heart. It is not of goodness to speak from his mind. If he chooses to walk a journey he has to feel the journey. No matter how much he may think it, it does not bring belief to him. He must feel it and must believe in the power of his words. Look at this as a 1 to 10 scale. When he thinks it, when he says it, it’s a 1. If he feels it and says it too, it is a 10.

It is important to understand that to create affirmations of truth and value; you must BELIEVE and have faith in what you seek. It will automatically happen if that is so. If you speak of them, that is only filling the air space between you and life itself. But if you believe what you are speaking and if you live true to them, they are powerful...almost to where they create MIRACLES!”
 
After reviewing this information given to me many years ago it motivated me to spend time today writing current affirmations using the principles she taught me.
Regardless of how much success I personally have experienced in the past using the guidance of Mary Jo I recently have become very lax and do not have an updated list.
 
I’m not sure how I allowed this to happen because two major European trips were manifested by using affirmations. At that time, I truly had a strong belief and had faith that what I was saying would manifest in my life.
 
Last week my bloodwork showed a slight increase in my Glucose level.
One of the affirmation I will now be saying is “I trust myself to always stay healthy by eating the best foods and exercising  three times a week.”
 
You may want to consider writing a short list of affirmations to create some change in your life and keep you focused on what you want to manifest in your life.
 
 
 
 

“A small house can hold as much happiness as a big one.” This was the message our nephew recently got from a fortune cookie. It was timely that he shared this message because I had just experienced a powerful confirmation of this truth.
 
Our good friend’s 94-year-old mother passed on July 3. The funeral was last Saturday, and interment was out of town. This made it necessary to schedule the celebration of life gathering on Sunday at her house. It was the family home in which she and her husband raised their four children. They were married 60 years when he passed 12 years prior to her passing. Their tradition was to have the entire family there on Sundays for lunch. That tradition continued until 3 months before her passing. The house is 850 sq. ft. with one bath. It was all they needed!
 
The size of the family has grown from 4 to 40+: four children and their spouses, eight grandchildren and the spouses of those married, and 24 great grandchildren. A larger facility was considered for the gathering considering the numbers, but they all unanimously decided it had to be in the house in which so many great memories were created.
 
My wife and I were blessed because of our lifelong friendship with her son to participate in this event. There was certainly a sadness in their loss but also so much joy in sharing the “MGILY” stories that have impacted their lives. We just learned how she decided on that acronym as the name she chose as her grandparent name. Fr. Seelos always put those initials on the top of all his correspondence. When she saw that on his letters in visiting his shrine, she learned it meant “My God I Love You.” And she knew that said it all for the precious relationships with her grandchildren. She truly was such a positive inspirational person and she did indeed have a tremendous impact on the lives of her family. Her “way of living” will influence many generations. The following are just a few thoughts written by her grandchildren about her impact on them:
 
·         “She always had a smile, never a negative word said about anything or       anyone.”
 
·         “She enjoyed sitting on her swing under the big oak trees and always thanked Jesus for sending a breeze.” (Ironically on the hot July day of the gathering at her house a cool breeze came through now and again as we sat outside to eat.)
 
·         “I don’t think a day ever passed without her helping someone or praying  for those in need.”
 
·         “Nursing was her calling in life and it was a beautiful way for her to be of service to others.”
 
·         “She was a woman who lived her life serving God by serving anyone who needed help.”
 
·         “I would say she is the only person who resembles a Living Saint.”
 
·         “What wisdom in her statement! It takes two to fight and she refused to be the second party.”
 
·         “Those whom she nursed back to health said, ‘They were touched by an angel,’ an angel whom I had the pleasure to call my grandmother.”
 
Many years ago, we took a road trip with Vivian and her son. Every time we got into the car she would say a prayer “Matthew, Mark, Luke and John bless the wheels we’re rolling on.”  We are still influenced to say that prayer every time we get into the car. Our grandchildren have said this prayer with us since they were toddlers. Our grandson came home from school this past year and said he got extra points on his third-grade religion test because he knew the author of the four gospels:  Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  He told his teacher he knew that because that was the prayer we say every time we get into the car.
 
Yes, all this wisdom came to so many from a person living a very modest lifestyle. An ordinary person who truly lived and loved in a very extraordinary way. Adjectives such as positive, lifegiving, uplifting, grace-filled only touch the tip of all that was Vivian. MGILY’S energy and spirit was contagious and has influenced many beyond her immediate family. She has left the world a better place for all of us to enjoy.
 
 
 

“You become what you digest into your spirit.
Whatever you think about, focus on, read about, talk about,
you’re going to attract more of into your life.
Make sure they're all positive.”
                                                                                                          ― Germany Kent
 
Last week I wrote about the importance of having an itemized budget. I strongly believe this is beneficial to living a life of abundance.
Shortly after that posting I experienced a major mental pitfall that can happen when I must reduce the amount of money in a few of the non-essential categories to cover unexpected expenses. In these circumstances I can easily fall into speaking like I am coming from lack or the “poverty consciousness” clicks in. This is especially true when the reductions affect the monthly allocation to two of my favorite budget items, entertainment and travel.
 
When I start feeling sorry for myself the negative self-talk begins. “I do not have enough money to travel as much as I’d like. I can’t eat out quite as often, especially at fine dining restaurants. I have to think twice about those theatre tickets!” This type of self-talk will only attract more of “less” in my life.
 
I can turn this around by turning the poverty consciousness statements around to affirmations. For example, “I am grateful for road trips I have planned this year. I am blessed living in a city that offers very reasonable fine dining lunch experiences. I love supporting local theatre groups that offer great plays for half the cost of Broadway road shows.”
 
To help me to shift my thinking I took a second look at a book I read many years ago “Real Magic, Creating Miracles in Everyday Life” by Dr. Wayne Dyer. The following comes from Chapter 5, Real Magic and Your Prosperity:
 
“Take an inner inventory and see if the following statements are a part of your consciousness.
 
·       There is not enough to go around.
·       You must get yours or someone else will grab it before you.
·       There are only so many fish in the sea.
·       You will never know if opportunity will knock.
 
If these and similar thoughts are part of your personal inventory, then probably you were taught that you are living in a world of shortage. You have been raised to believe in scarcity. The following five essentials of a prosperity consciousness can help you make the shift.
 
1.    You don’t need anything else to experience prosperity.
2.    You cannot create prosperity if you believe in lack.
3.    You are not separated into categories. You are at once the seer, seeing and         seen.
4.    You cannot experience prosperity if you believe you don’t deserve it.
5.    Rejoice in the prosperity of others.”

Today I spent some quiet time reflecting on my many blessings. They are so easy to take for granted when everything is going great.
Life occasionally throws us a curve ball and poverty consciousness can slip in.  That is the time you will appreciate the resources you have accumulated in your toolbox to assist you in making the shift so that you once again create a life of abundance.