Part 1 of this three-part series covered the first 3 of 11 Ego Tricks to be aware of. (Click here to read Part 1 in the series.)Here are the next 4 ego tricks:
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5. That’s good and that’s bad. That’s right and that’s wrong. I’m right and they’re wrong. The ego is full of judgments. It has a need to judge people and situations as good or bad, right or wrong. The ego will always try to convince you that you’re right and then it will try to convince you that you have to convince others that you’re right.
Symptoms: when you hear yourself saying (or thinking) that’s wrong, he’s wrong, she’s wrong, I’m right, this is right, they’re wrong, or any variation, know that you are in ego judgment. Holding onto your position. Wanting to have the last word. Keeping arguments going.
Spiritual Solution: It’s all good because it’s all God. All things work together for our good.
Affirmation: I let go and I let God!
6. I know this already. The ego tries to convince you that you know everything already.
Symptoms: when faced with learning something new, or when you’re in a learning environment, if you hear the little internal voice that says: I already know this, realize that you are in the clutches of your ego.
Spiritual Solution: Humility. Willingness to learn. Heartful listening. Mastery.
Affirmation: I am open to learn and grow!!!
7. Shame and guilt are born of the ego.
Symptoms: Looking back over your shoulder at the mistakes of yesterday and still feeling the pain of them in your solar plexus. Wishing you had done things differently.
Spiritual Solution: Forgiveness. Compassion for self. Self-love. Self-honor. Self-appreciation.
Affirmation: I AM THAT I AM
Stay tuned for Part 3…
In the meantime, love yourself and everyone else too… regardless of what they do. (-;
VAL
Tags: conscious living, Destiny Living, Life Coaching, living with passion, New Thought, Spiritual Life Coaching, wisdom of life
The ego is tricky.
What’s ego? That aspect within the human psyche that edges God out. It’s the aspect of self that’s married to the physical world of effects and receives all its information from the 5 senses.
We can either choose to be in the God space, which is all-love, all-joy, all-abundance and all-good all the time, or…
we can choose for the negative ego, which is rooted in fear and is about lack, limitation, confusion, disagreements, and every energy that’s not Divine.
The issue here is that the negative ego is tricky, and we may not always recognize its antics. This series of 3 articles is written to shine a bright light on the tricks the ego pulls with the intention of increasing awareness.
When you’re aware, it’s hard to be taken by surprise.
So welcome to the first in a 3-part series I’ve titled: 11 Ego Tricks
Also included are symptoms, just in case you wonder whether you’ve got the malady or not. And, of course, since this is a blog about creating a destiny you love by developing yourself personally and spiritually, you’ll find spiritual solutions and affirmations here too.
Let’s get started with the first 3…
1. Seek but don’t find. This is a favorite trick of the ego because seeking but never finding keeps us endlessly busy doing human things, whether or not they’re important or fruitful.
Symptoms: dog chasing its tail syndrome; exasperation; overwhelm; always busy but not productive.
Spiritual Solution: Sit down. Get still. Be silent. Meditate.
Affirmation: I AM THAT I AM
2. Never enough. The ego believes that there’s never enough: never enough hours in the day, never enough money in the bank, never enough love to feel good about. The ego is never satisfied and cannot be satisfied, so no matter how much you have, the ego will try to convince you that it’s not enough.
Symptoms: lack/limitation thinking & results; stress; the evil triplets of fear/worry/doubt.
Spiritual Solution: Prosperity/abundance consciousness; contentment; inner calm; peace & tranquility of spirit; inner knowing that all is well and you are well taken care of; gratitude.
Affirmation: I have everything I need and I am deeply grateful!!!
3. They’re better than me–I’m better than them/he/she. Any variation of the ‘better than’ syndrome is an ego thought and is based on comparison. Comparison is lunacy unless you’re in the market trying to figure out which melon to buy.
Symptoms: feeling somewhat inadequate in the company of people you highly admire; thinking superior thoughts like: I’m glad I’m not like her/him/them! or thinking inferior thoughts like: I wish I could be more like her/him/them; pride; arrogance; inferiority.
Spiritual Solution: Humility; equanimity; self-worth, self-love, self-honor, self-appreciation; appreciation of each individual’s uniquely valuable contribution to the global whole.
Affirmation: I am a unique expression of Spirit!
Be on the lookout for these ego tricks and use the spiritual solutions and affirmations with intention.
Stay tuned for the next part in the series…
Until then, much love to you and remember to live passionately!!!
VAL
Tags: abundance, conscious living, Law of Attraction, New Thought, transformation, wisdom of life
I’ve been using a Gratitude Blessing in the mornings that’s been powerfully effective. I thought I’d share it with you here:
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Morning Gratitude Blessing
(To be said to yourself with enthusiasm in the mirror–gazing into your own eyes.)
Good day Bright & Beautiful Spirit!
Good day Bright & Beautiful Spirit!
Good day Bright & Beautiful Spirit!
I AM Grateful for a new day!
I AM Grateful that my life gets better and better every day in every way!
I Am Grateful that I Am well taken care of every day in every way!
I Am Grateful that everything works out perfectly in my world!
I Am Grateful that all things work together for my good, regardless of what it looks like!
I Am richly BLESSED!!!
Everything I set my hands to do is a success!
My mind is blessed!
My heart is blessed!
My spirit is blessed!
My soul is blessed!
My body is blessed!
My home is blessed!
My children are blessed!
My mate is blessed!
My work is blessed!
My relationships are blessed!
Everything I set my hands to do is a success!
I Am richly blessed!
I Am Grateful Bright & Beautiful Spirit!
I Am Grateful Bright & Beautiful Spirit!
I Am Grateful Bright & Beautiful Spirit!
Amen
∞
Use it with joy and passion!
Love ya,
VAL
Tags: affirmations, conscious living, Gratitude, personal development
Val with daughter Varonika, AKA Super Sassy Shophia
You are here to L.A.U.G.H.:
L. - You are here to love unconditionally
A. - You are here to allow your good
U. - You are here to understand your divinity
G. - You are here to give
H. - You are here to be happy & wholly joyous
Today, remember who you are and why you’re here.
VAL
The Destiny Creed
I Am the creator of my Destiny.
I live authentically,
I share generously,
I act courageously,
I learn studiously,
and
I grow tremendously.
I Am not the same person I was yesterday,
and tomorrow, I shall be even better.
I Am here to live passionately, joyfully, purposefully and abundantly.
I Am here to be ALL I Am created to be by leaving a rich legacy.
Who I Am matters.
What I do matters.
My life makes a difference.
I Am free, I Am in love with me,
and
I Am living my destiny!
Tags: affirmations, Destiny Life Coach
There are things I say to myself often to tame the inner ramblings that try to keep me off purpose.
At any given time, there could be an array of internal voices, some helpful, some not so much, some downright destructive or inhibiting. An effective internal voice management system is essential for living at peak.
What do you say to yourself to counter internal negative dialogue?
Here’s a little something I say to remind myself of the truth (it’s quick and powerfully effective):
I Am Master of Me
I am Master of Me.
I am Master of my thoughts.
If I have thoughts I don’t like, I have the power to change them.
I am Master of my feelings.
If I have feelings I don’t like, I have the power to change them.
I am Master of my habits.
If I have habits I don’t like, I have the power to change them.
I am Master of my life.
If I have a life I don’t like, I have the power to change it.
I am Master of me.
Use this well and often (especially when you’re not feeling particularly masterful).
Here’s to Destiny Living,
VAL
Tags: conscious living, discover my purpose, mastery, success, transformation, Valerie Love
Just a quick note to give you a heads up that I’ll be interviewed on Jerome Tucker’s show Third Eye Open on Blog Talk Radio on Friday, 5/15/2009 at 1:00 PM. Join us for the chat, call in with questions, or just hang out.
Call-in Number: (646) 595-3705
Here’s the link for all the info:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/THIRD-EYE-OPEN/2009/05/15/THIRD-EYE-OPEN
VAL
Tags: Destiny Life Coach, Destiny Living, personal development
Ever since I first heard the concept, I’ve been fascinated with Kaizen.
What It Means
Kaizen is a Japanese principle for creating change. Kai in Japanese means “change” or “to correct” and Zen means “good”. So Kaizen is a way of creating continuous good change, in personal life and in organizations.
How Kaizen Has Been Applied
It’s been used for decades at Toyota (where Lexus vehicles are also manufactured), which has earned Toyota and Lexus an excellent reputation for producing some of the best built cars in the world.
At Toyota, Kaizen is used to improve all aspects of producing vehicles. Any person on the production line can stop production if there’s a tiny change that can be made to improve the speed or efficiency of car-making.
In that environment, employees are encouraged to talk about what they see as problems, and they’re never penalized for pointing out what’s not working. They’re encouraged to offer their ideas on how the process can be improved, even if the change is tiny.
Think of it this way: 100 tiny changes add up over time.
Kaizen vs. Innovation
Kaizen means making tiny incremental changes over time, which is the opposite of innovation–which means making giant forward leaps.
Both Kaizen and innovation are necessary for change.
The difference between the human reaction to Kaizen as opposed to innovation is huge. There’s much less resistance to Kaizen, because each change is so minute. Innovation, however, causes radical change which can be difficult for humans to embrace and which can cause upsets in an organization. Radical change means radical reactions.
Kaizen & Everyday Living
So what’s the point of me talking about this anyway? This blog is about making your life better, so you can live a destiny that creates a legacy and shapes global destiny.
So how does Kaizen make your life better?
Glad you asked.
The reason Kaizen is so powerful for creating change in everyday living is because the changes that Kaizen calls for are so tiny that your brain offers zero resistance.
I don’t know about you, but for me that’s huge. Every time I want to make a change, no matter how beneficial I know the change will be, there’s internal resistance to it. Since I’ve never done the new thing before, I’m probably going to have challenges.
As a change agent and catalyst for transformation, I’m always looking for ways to create change that are pain-free and effective that I can implement in my life and that I can share.
Practicing Kaizen
A teacher of Kaizen told a group of people who wanted to start meditating to start with one minute per day.
Meditate for one minute per day? What in Sam Hill will that accomplish? Sounds like it would have no effect whatsoever, but the opposite is actually true…
If you tell yourself you’re going to begin meditating for 20 or even 30 minutes every day, your brain will offer resistance. If you’re not meditating now, there’s a reason why. You’ve got internal resistance to doing it, otherwise, you’d be doing it.
When you tell yourself that you’re going to wake up in the morning, sit up in bed and meditate for one minute before you get out of bed, your brain offers no resistance. It doesn’t even care.
The magic happens when you CONSISTENTLY meditate for one minute per day.
Your brain pays more attention to the consistency of your actions than it does to the duration (how long you sustain) the action.
Your brain will notice, after about 10 days, that you’ve been waking up every morning and meditating for one minute. After 21 days, it becomes a habit.
And the beautiful thing is, one day, you’re going to forget to stop at just one minute of meditating.
You’re going to meditate for two minutes.
Then two minutes turns into 3.
The next thing you know, you’re meditating for 5 minutes.
Yeah, you get my drift, you’re on a roll now baby!
You’re unstoppable, and your brain knows it.
And it all happened with zero resistance.
What Kaizen has to do with you is that you can use it, starting today, to make tiny incremental changes in your life that add up over time. Here are some examples of how Kaizen has been used for practical, everyday purposes:
- Use Kaizen to quit smoking. When researchers used Kaizen to help folks stop smoking, it was too effective to ignore. The only thing smokers were told to do was to pause for 10 seconds before lighting up whenever they wanted a cigarette. Of course, the smokers never told themselves they were quitting smoking. That would be way too painful. Anytime they wanted a cigarette, they could smoke. The only thing they were asked to do was simply count to 10 before lighting up . After they were used to that tiny change, they waited 20 seconds before lighting up. Then 30 seconds. The tiny and continuous good change meant that they could eventually wait a whole hour before lighting up, then a whole day. There was zero resistance because there was no denial and no declaration that they were going to quit smoking.
- Use Kaizen to release pounds. Kaizen was used to help folks slim down by asking them to fix their plate as usual, but before eating, they were to take the first forkful of food and put it aside (on another plate, or give it to the dog, or give it to someone else at the table who wanted a taste). They continued eating their meal as usual, with zero denial, which meant zero resistance. Their brains offered no resistance to giving up one forkful of food. After they got used to one forkful, they would give up two forkfuls and so on. All the while, their tummy’s were shrinking and pounds were falling off.
These are just two examples…catch my post later this week on 21 Ways to Implement Kaizen In Everyday Living for lots more.
In the meantime, take it slow and steady. There’s no need to rush. You will certainly transform, and you can do it easily, joyfully and with zero resistance.
Here’s to your good change,
VAL
P.S. — To read more, here’s the Wiki explanation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaizen
Tags: conscious living, Destiny Life Coach, Destiny Living, Kaizen, Life Coaching, success, the art of being, transformation
I’m a metaphysician and I’ve heard this question enough times to talk about it here. There’s no really easy or simple answer to this question; you could line up 20 different metaphysicians and possibly get 20 different answers.
Here’s my take on it.
Meta means ‘beyond’ and physics means ‘nature’. So a metaphysician is one who studies what is beyond the natural world. There are unseen elements at work always, and the metaphysician makes a study of these elements, with the intention of improving all aspects of living in the natural world.
What does that mean?
It means that I, as a metphysician, give more attention to what’s not seen and perceived by the 5 senses than I do to what is perceived by the 5 senses. By the time something shows up in the physical, manifest world, there’s been much activity about that particular thing in the unseen world.
What unseen world am I talking about?
Kabbalah puts it in a way that works for me, so I’ll share it here. (If you’re not sure what Kabbalah is, click here to read my post “What’s Kabbalah Anyway?”)
Kabbalah teaches that there is a 1% physical world, and there is the 99% unseen world, comprised of thought, intention, belief, emotion, and all things unseen, including God
, angels and cosmic energies.
The 1% physical world is ruled by the 5 senses, and is governed by chaos. When we are deep in sense perception, relying too heavily on the 5 senses, we’re not looking to or calling upon our unseen spiritual/mental/emotional powers. This is why many religious and spiritual traditions teach that materialism is a sin. It is the idea that being too attached to the physical world takes us out of connection and communion with the spirit realms.
The 99% unseen world is ruled by Spirit/God/The Light. Here is where all physical creations begin. Nothing can show up in the physical world without first having been thought of, felt and conceptualized in the 99% unseen world.
For instance, you’re probably looking at this blog from a computer. Before computers showed up in the physcial world, there was years of thought and discovery that led up to the creation of computers.
The first computer didn’t just fall out of the sky and land on someone’s desk.
There were discoveries of unseen laws that govern the creation of a computer.
There were clear intentions to create something that would make our human life easier; we wanted a means of calculating complex problems easily and quickly, without spending hours and hours of human effort.
There were those who had ideas about how a computer could be created.
There were beliefs that we could create something that would make our lives infinitely easier.
All this and more was going on in the invisible realms, inside of people’s minds and hearts, before the computer ever sprang into the physical world. The process took years. Exactly how many years it took to move the idea of a computer from the minds of humans into the physical world, we have no way of knowing. Maybe the first caveman started the process when he looked up at the night sky and started asking questions.
Anyway, in my worldview, a true metaphysician doesn’t spend a whole lot of time arguing with what is. What shows up in my world began in my mind, and was shaped, molded and massaged into manifestation through the channel of my consciousness. I may not always like that truth, because it means I have to take TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR EVERYTHING IN MY WORLD (without blaming anyone for anything–I’m still working on that one), yet it also acknowledges my infinite creative power and ability to change what I don’t like in my life and create what I do.
That’s how reality is created, through the channel of consciousness.
A true metaphysician works with unseen energies to create what is desired on the earth plane.
What unseen energies?
1. THOUGHT. Thought could be an inspired idea, or a flash of insight. Thought is the progenitor in the creative process.
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2. INTENTION. This is my bold inner statement to the Universe of what I desire. When I intend to do something, I’m putting the Universe on alert to what I desire. Then the unseen forces begin to move to bring it to me. I have supernatural help as soon as I create and state a powerful intention and speak it with conviction. Which brings me to…
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3. BELIEF. I’ve got to believe in what I’m doing — I won’t get anywhere without it. Belief is simply a thought I’ve held onto for so long and energized with so much emotion that now it has creative power. Beliefs create.
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4. PRAYER & MEDITATION. For me, prayer is essential in the creative process, not only for purifying and refining my desires, but also for putting me in communion with my Highest Most Holy Self, who supports me unconditionally in creating a better reality for myself and the world. Prayer and meditation raises the vibration of what I’m doing.
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5. VISUALIZATION. I make mental pictures, images and movies of myself enjoying what I’m creating. Visualization is the mind seeing it as already done, and includes feeling the feelings of the goal already achieved. For instance, if the desired creation is of a new home, my mental movies will be of me in the home, moving from room to room, sleeping in the master bedroom, taking a bath in the jacuzzi tub, sitting on the deck just out back with a glass of lemonade and a good book. The visualization includes the minutest details. I assure you, your mind is paying attention to even the slightest details.
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6. RELEASE & TRUST. After I’ve done the internal work, I release my desires with full trust and knowing that they will be delivered to my doorstep in divine perfect timing and divine perfect order. Period.
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Throughout the creative process, I hold my intention with belief and passion as I pray and meditate on it, and I create mental movies, complete with full emotion, of me enjoying my desired outcome. Then I release it to the all-loving, all-wise Universal Intelligence, which always knows how to bring me what I want, in the most elegant fashion. The Universe knows how best to line up all the elements for me to have what I desire. I haven’t got a clue about how to do that, so I choose to trust that it will be done on my behalf.
It’s a matter of doing your part, then having the faith, (firmly relying trust) that the Infinite Love of the Universe will do Its part by arranging people, places, events, resources, and any and everything else required to bring the desire into manifestation for the highest good of all.
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This is how I, as a metaphysician, seek to create a better life on the earth plane, not just for myself, but for the highest good of all. (Though there are countless variations on the creative process, and different metaphysicians may use different tools and practices in creating reality, basic elements are always present.)
It’s pointless to try to manipulate the conditions that are already in place. The wisest course is to go back to the source, the origin of the condition, which is consciousness. The metaphysician knows that you can’t heal a diseased tree if the seed that planted the tree was diseased. Best to uproot the tree and begin again with a healthy seedling.
Metaphysics is not just about creating reality.
It’s about the way one looks at the world, always remembering that there are countless unseen energies at work. The manifest physical world is simply an outpicturing of our collective consciousness. And our individual world is simply an outpicturing of our individual consciousness.
The metaphysician knows there are laws which govern the harmonious and orderly workings of the universe, including the Law of Cause & Effect, the Law of Attraction, The Law of Mind Action, The Law of Creation, The Law of Infinite Supply, the Law of Love and many more.
And there are principles which govern human behavior, such as integrity, honesty, truth, acceptance, trust, faith, discipline, commitment, responsibility, excellence, mastery, wisdom and understanding, and many more.
Consistent violation of these laws and principles will cause pain and suffering. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, nor does it except us from the consequences of ignorance. It’s your business to know how the Universe works.
There are also experiences we as humans are collectively going for. For the most part, we want to experience love, joy, peace, abundance, security, harmony and fulfillment. If you have all of these in your experience, you’re probably a pretty happy camper and you’re probably making the world a whole lot happier too!
So there you have it, a metaphysician is one who studies what is beyond the physical world so as to create a better world for us all.
As a metaphysician, I know that the elements bend to our will. You have the power to create anything you desire, using the stuff that’s between your ears and in your heart. Inside your being is all you require to be, do and have all you desire.
Namaste,
VAL
Tags: intention, Law of Attraction, metaphysician, metaphysics, prayer, reality creation, religion and spirituality
In December 2007, I made a radical change.
For several months prior, I had been feeling a disconnect between what I was doing in one of my major business endeavors and my life’s intentions. There was a growing divide between my mission and purpose (my destiny) and what I was spending a lot of my time building.
I knew I had to make a change.
Which was scary, because at the time, I was building a multi-level marketing business and I had a large team, along with a 4-figure monthly residual income rolling in.
The thought of not building the business anymore was frightening, not just from an income perspective, but, more importantly, from the perspective of the close relationships I had built with my team members and other leaders in the company.
Even still, I did what I was feeling within myself was the best move for me: I shared with my team members where I was, and communicated to them that I would no longer be building that business and conducting the weekly meetings as I had been doing for two years. If they were willing to take over that responsibility, great.
Then I sat down.
I sat down for almost a year.
It was painful.
Sitting down doesn’t pay well.
As a matter of fact, sitting down doesn’t pay money at all.
But what it paid in the way of clarity of purpose is far beyond what any dollar earned during that time could have given me.
Yeah, I had financial setbacks. And yes, I’m still recovering from a year of sitting down.
Yet the most beautiful thing happened during that time: I got crystal clear about what I was desirous of creating in my business and financial affairs, and I began to put that signal out into the universe. (And, during that period, this blog was born.)
Here’s what I asked for:
- A business that had high income potential (of course).
- A business that I could work from home (I’m not one for commuting).
- A business with high leverage (which means that I’d be able to build a team and attract income from more than just my own efforts). After all, I want to go sit in Barnes & Noble and read books and still be making money.
- It had to be purposeful work–work that harmonizes with my destiny and reason for being.
- I desired meaningful work–work that makes a real difference in the world.
- I desired to work with a team of like-minded folks who were committed to building something greater than each of us.
- I desired residual, passive income that I wouldn’t have to always work for. I like the concept of doing something once and getting paid for it over and over and over again. (Books are a great example.)
One of my favorite books on wealth building is The One Minute Millionaire, and from the first time I read that book years ago, I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of being an Enlightened Millionaire–one who first seeks enlightenment, and makes millions too, and uses that wealth to create a better world.
Back to my story…
While I was sitting down, I came across an eye-catching ad in Science of Mind magazine. My inner bells rang. I had no idea where that little ad would lead me.
It lead me, though not in a very straight line, to LifePath Unlimited, a personal and prosperity development company. When I saw LifePath, the inner bells rang even more intensely.
I had a full body YES! kind of experience.
Without seeing the company presentation, or hearing a sales pitch, or finding out all the details, I knew it was for me. I just knew it. Deep within. I knew it was the vehicle that was the answer to my business and financial intentions and heartfelt requests.
This is not a sales pitch. This is a story about my unfolding journey that will hopefully help you to see that you can create whatever you desire. You’re the one making up the movie that’s your life.
In the movie of your life, you are:
- The Author,
- The Director,
- The Producer,
- The Screenwriter,
- The Casting Director,
- The Leading Lady/Gent
In short, you’re making up your whole life as you go along, so you might as well make it good.
Sit down and map out just what you want in the way of a business, or an ideal way to make money.
That’s what I did, and it led me to an incredible answer to my every request.
Briefly, if you’d like to know what’s so special about LifePath Unlimited, here are my top 7 (of many more reasons, but I don’t have to tell you everything in one post):
- The Discovery Series — the entry level product is a 56-day, multi-media personal and prosperity development program. Talk about a radical shift in thinking, this program can quite possibly change your entire outlook on life. At the very least it can offer reminders of what you already know. I’m of the belief that I can never have too much personal development (or too many reminders–I tend to forget).
- High Commissions — Commissions starting at $1,000.00 and go up to $9,000.00 per sale. That’s nice. (I said I was looking for a business with high income potential.)
- Work from home.
- A turn-key, online marketing system that runs 24/7. After all, the internet is always on.
- A community of like-minded folks who desire to make themselves and the world better. Now that’s a biggie for me.
- Fun. I love having fun doing what I do. The more fun it is, the better. My LifePath business is loads of fun. I don’t do any selling, and I don’t do any convincing, which is a departure from my previous businesses, where, all too often, I found myself convincing people of the rightness of my offerings. No more.
- Travel to exotic locations for mind-altering, self-development events. This is a biggie for me too, I love traveling to exotic locations, and I love attending events that develop me to a very high degree, so put those two together and it’s a recipe for bliss.
- I know I said 7 reasons, but here’s a bonus for ya: a two-year retirement plan. I know I won’t be retired in two years, but I like the idea of having a business model that maps out–clearly and simply–how I can retire in two years with a 6-figure monthly residual income. Nice.
So there you have it, my top 7 reasons why I chose LifePath Unlimited as a business model, and more importantly, as an answer to my heartfelt intentions.
Life is good when we learn how to work it.
Until next time,
VAL
P.S. — If you’re interested, here’s a link to understanding LifePath Unlimited more and the 24/7 turnkey marketing system our team uses to create success.
Tags: Destiny Living, LifePath Unlimited, living on purpose, personal development, Prosperity
