AFFLUENCE.

This is my word of the year. My goal for 2010 is to experience financial freedom for our family. This is something I’ve always wanted but now is the only time I’m really focusing on it.

One thing I’ve been working on is changing my beliefs and attitudes toward money because I think those are vital factors in determining how much money you’ll have.

Remember how people used to say:

Money doesn’t grow on trees.
Money is the root of all evil.
You have to work HARD to earn money.
People who have a lot of money all end up UNHAPPY.

I bet those who firmly believe in this are still stuck at being poor.

Here’s what I choose to believe:

“Money DOES grow on trees.”

You won’t have money if you sleep all day, dream about having a lot of it and wait for a tree of money to grow beside you. BUT if you have faith that GOD made an abundant Universe with more than enough riches to go around for everybody, when you believe that HE will provide for all your needs (and wants too) then you’ll find that money comes to you.

Suddenly, you get a raise, you are offered opportunities to earn more money or you receive money from unexpected sources. These are all trees that grew from the seed of your faith. And money is right there on the branches waiting to be picked.

But here’s an important thing to remember: you need to pick the money. Even if the money falls from the tree, you still need to catch it if you want to get it. Some may define this as hard work. But I like to call it: TAKING INSPIRED ACTION.

When you get a raise, you need to work efficiently to retain it. When you get offered an opportunity to earn more money, seek God’s guidance (or your intuition and good judgment) then grab the opportunity and work it to the hilt. When you receive unexpected money, spend some but save more and make your money grow. This doesn’t have to be hard. This could be easy. Which brings me to my next belief:

“You can earn money EFFORTLESSLY.”

Years ago, I was working as a TV producer for different shows. I loved the work and it was fun. It felt like an adventure. But then when I got married and I became a mom, my priorities changed and I felt that my work was really work. I was on call most of the time, I didn’t have weekends all to myself and I didn’t have work benefits that I need for my family.

Right about this time, I got offered a regular job (Ting! Did a light bulb just pop over your head?) to build blogs and write content for TV shows. Back then, I was already enjoying blogging and surfing the waves of the web so that job was effortless for me. Later on, my job evolved to being a Lifestyle writer for our news website — a job which I do enjoy — so it’s still effortless for me.

When I say effortless, it doesn’t mean that I don’t do anything or I don’t get physically or mentally exhausted. My definition of effortless is work that doesn’t feel like work because I enjoy doing it. So even if I’m physically or mentally exhausted sometimes, I see that as part of the job. But my job is still enjoyable for me.

I earn money doing something I enjoy.

What if I’m in a job that I don’t enjoy? I hear you. That used to be my excuse / complaint too.

Here’s the thing: I always believe you have a choice in everything you do. Either you leave and find a better job or you stay and change your attitude.

If you choose to leave and find a better job, congratulations! You’ve made a tough choice but if you find what you’re looking for, you’ll be more profitable in the long run.

If you choose to stay, then throw those complaints away. Change your attitude about your work, your colleagues, and your boss. See, enjoyment is a subjective thing. No one can enjoy your job for you. It’s something you have to do yourself. Find reasons to be grateful about your job. Look at your colleagues and your boss as people who are helping you to prosper. Don’t be surprised if, after adopting a more positive attitude, everyone treats you better and everything goes more smoothly for you. Try it and see.

“Money is neutral. Money is GOOD if you use it for GOOD.”

If you love money, money will love you back. Loving money is good. I can hear the battling voices in your head, “But that’s greed. That’s bad, that’s a mortal sin.”

Well then, let’s review what greed means:

Greed : a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (as money) than is needed. (Merriam – Webster)

Notice the word selfish in the definition? My take on greed is “a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (as money) than is needed” and fulfilling that desire at the expense of other people. That’s plain greed.

But love for money is different. Because when you love money, you seek good ways to earn it, you use it bring happiness to your loved ones and you share it to as many people as you possibly can. When you do these, then you’ll be living proof of my next belief.

“People who have a lot of money and A LOT OF LOVE in their life are always HAPPY.”

In fact, even if you don’t have a lot of money but if you have a lot of love in your life, you’ll always be happy. I’ve read somewhere that money acts like a magnifying glass, it just enlarges what you already are or how you already live your life.

If you’re a loving and generous person even now, you’ll become more of that. If you like taking out your wife and kids to simple dates at the mall, you’ll do more of that — maybe in different malls all over the world.

But if you’re a miserable person who constantly finds negative things about life and laments about your poor conditions, well…. you know the answer. Don’t be surprised if you stay poor or even if you suddenly get a lot of money, you’re still unhappy or you end up poor anyway.

These are my beliefs. I know that these beliefs coupled with my inspired actions will make me really, really affluent.

I like the word affluence because its etymology means to flow. Flowing abundance. Flowing wealth. That sounds really good, doesn’t it?

You have the power to choose your own beliefs about money and about everything else in your life. Choose beliefs that empower you and bring you good.

Every morning, I see the birds out our window flying from tree to tree, presumably looking for breakfast and singing while they’re at it. Just think, if God cares for and provides for these little birds’ daily needs, don’t you think He will care more and provide more for you?

Trust Him. Thank Him for what you already have now. Believe that He is sending you more wealth and prosperity in the days to come. And watch the miracles flowing into your life.

It all starts with faith that money grows on trees.

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Tags: faith, God, life, Money

Today has been a test on patience and forgiveness.

My day was going fine until I learned that the gift I gave Kernan was taken away. Then the bank shut down its systems for maintenance right on payday and I can’t withdraw my salary from anywhere until Monday. I go home to an empty house because Kernan and the kids went to visit their aunts.

I could probably go on and on about the bad things that happened today if I look for more reasons to be disgruntled. But I won’t.

So I bought myself two pieces of buttered toast using the 100 bucks I had left in my wallet, went home, settled in the bedroom, plugged my happy movie “The Holiday” while I blogged.

Yes, unpleasant things can still happen but this is just like dust on my shoulder that I can brush away easily. One reminder kept ringing in my head: Be thankful for your blessings.

Gratitude is always a major mood shifter. And when I think about it, in the grander scheme of things, these irritations are all small stuff.

I now have the perfect reason to give Kernan a better and cooler pair of Nikes. I can be thankful that I had more than enough money left in my wallet so I can get a ride home. I can be thankful that tonight I will be snuggling next to my angels and we can sleep in tomorrow because it’s finally Saturday.

I’m feeling better already because I still choose to focus on all the blessings I have today. And when I reflect on it, I have all the big stuff.

I’ve passed the test.

Tomorrow will be an awesome day.

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Tags: gratitude, life lessons, patience, positivity

Meditate.
Visualize.
Journal.
Thank God.

For the past days, I’ve been practicing this daily morning ritual beginning at 4am. It’s great how I am able to overcome the challenge of waking up early and I’m getting more disciplined about it day after day.

I am growing to love meditating. It brings me an incredible sense of peace. It’s so priceless. Now I understand why it’s so beneficial to do it so early in the morning. My body is calm and my mind is receptive since I’ve just woken up. My surroundings are quiet except for the rhythmic whirring of the fan and the occasional stirrings of my darling babies.

I still need some practice in visualizing but I’m getting better at it. It feels so good to see and experience the things in my vision journal and it reinforces my belief that big dreams do come true.

Writing in my gratitude journal will always be part of my morning ritual. It always makes me happy to feel and realize that I am so blessed in so many ways. As I told some young ones during my talk a few nights ago, always be grateful and you’ll be happy every day of your life.

The wonderful thing about having this morning ritual is it sets the tone for my day and everything goes right.

What’s your morning ritual?

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Tags: life, morning ritual

I watched as the flames devoured every word, every page and every inch of my pink journal.

Seeing it turn into ash felt liberating.

Thank God, I was finally free.

—

I have loved writing in journals all my life.

It felt good to have some form of release, a way to make sense of my thoughts and emotions.

And although it seemed right to record everything I thought and felt, I realized I was doing it wrong all along.

Words are powerful.

Very powerful.

Writing about your past and your imagined future does not serve you.

When you put all your negativity, pain and bitterness into words, you are only creating even more of it.

—

If there’s one thing I learned for sure, it is this:

If I’m going to put anything into words, it will always begin with THANK YOU.

If I’m writing about my life, I will only tell the story of the wonderful life that I want to create. And thank God for it.

I consider each entry as my prayer to Him. I thank Him for all the blessings He gives me and the blessings He has yet to give.

I’m still amazed how everything I write becomes my reality.

I’m still using a pink journal but I now write words that bless me.

How do you write?

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Tags: love dare, Writing

Have you ever been filled with so much joy that you feel like you’re overflowing?

I wake up with a smile on my face saying, “Thank you God for this wonderful day!”

I look at my loving husband and my beautiful daughters and I am so happy because God has blessed me so much.

I feel at peace with myself and with everyone in my life.

I see beauty and miracle in everything around me.

What has changed?

One thing I know for sure: it’s an amazing feeling when we are filled with so much gratitude in our lives.

Gratitude transforms you. It lifts you up. It blesses you in so many ways beyond your imagination.

Life takes on a whole new meaning and rises above a whole new level when you are always thankful. It’s like celebrating Christmas everyday.

I have received so many gifts that have put a smile on my face. But the best gift I will always be thankful for, the gift I will always treasure beyond compare is my family.

They are God’s love in human form.

This Christmas, let us be thankful because God has already given us the greatest gift He could ever give: the perfection of his love, Jesus.

Photo by: Barandalla

Everything else you received today is just a bonus.

Amid all the festivities, take a moment to pray and remember to greet Him a happy birthday.

Happy holidays everyone!

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Tags: life lessons, Love, love dare

8 o’ clock.

I glanced at the time and silently computed how fast I needed to move if I wanted to make it to work at 9 a.m. Not very much, I thought.

Until I suddenly realized, it’s a Sunday today. I sighed in relief and relaxed a little bit.

“It’s okay, you can go back to sleep. The bed looks so inviting…” That’s the lazy part of me talking.

“This is just the right time to get up. Church starts at 11 and you need at least two hours to get the kids ready.” Of course, that’s the more sensible me.

I was tempted for a moment to justify my laziness thinking weekends are the only days I get to sleep in. I even thought I could skip Church today. One day wouldn’t hurt, right?

But then I remembered how I’ve been waking up tired and sluggish for the past days, always dragging myself from place to place.

When I look back, I can always trace those blah and tired days to mornings like this: giving in to laziness and gobbling on more sleep.

“You can make this day different, you know. You can make it great!”

I got up from the bed and scooped my pink journal out of my bag.

Then I started writing…

“Thank you, God….”

I filled up three whole pages for my gratitude journal and I felt energized instantly.

I took out my vision journal and reviewed my life goals and dreams. I felt on track immediately.

I read my abundance affirmations out loud and finished with a prayer. I felt blessed simultaneously.

Two hours later, I was at the church service with Jamaine and Kalia thanking and praising God for blessing me with motivation and inspiration to start my day right.

Just imagine how much of a difference it would make if I started every single day like this? I would go from blah to good to great.

Do you want to have a great day?

Say thank you the moment you wake up. The fact that you opened your eyes and you’re alive means God is blessing you today.

Take time to remember the things you are grateful for and thank God for all of them. I assure you, it would instantly make you feel better about your life and blessed beyond words.

Review your dreams and goals. Imagine them, write them down or say them out loud. Doing this will help you to act on purpose, remembering that everything you do should be aligned with your goals and every step you take should help make your dreams come true.

Days pass by so swiftly. Years end before we even know it. Every day that passes is a valuable part of your life, you owe it to yourself to make it great.

Photo: ifatma

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Tags: dream life, Inspiration, life lessons

I have been battling a severe case of writer’s block for weeks now. I’ve been staring at blank screens waiting, then forcing inspiration to come out of me. But nothing comes out. I felt like I lost my muse and wondered where she had gone.

And now I’ve found her.

She’s been with me all this time, waiting for me to come to that inner wonderland where all my ideas and inspiration arise.

I was the one who was lost all along.

Getting lost

It all started weeks ago after one of the pieces I wrote got “severely edited.” At least for my standards, it was.

I was passionate about that piece and I thought I wrote it so well. When it came back to me all cut up and mixed with words and ideas that were not my own, I felt like my muse disappeared taking all the inspiration I had in me.

So when the next assignment came along, I couldn’t write. It was a relatively simple piece that needed very little inspiration to begin with, but whenever I tried to type something, I still ended up with a blank screen.

Truth: I was afraid to get cut up again.

First there was pride. I’ve fallen in love with my writing too much, I convinced myself that I was a perfect writer. And perfect writers don’t get edited like that.

Then came insecurity. Am I such a bad writer?

Desperate to write, I went looking for my muse, trying to grasp at sparks of inspiration when I could. But I couldn’t find her and the glints of inspiration faded too soon.

I forced myself to write methodically, looking at other people’s works and copying how they string their words. I did manage to finish a piece. But in the end, I knew it was missing “me.”

Finding my muse again

And then I surrendered.

There’s something amazing about surrendering. Because when you finally give up, that’s when things start to work out.

I surrendered my pride as well as my insecurity.

The moment I did, my vision began to clear. And I saw the signs leading me to the place where my muse was waiting.

I was going through my feed reader when I spotted this article about hooking your audience. It had links to blog posts by author Steven Pressfield which absolutely hooked him.

I clicked links and started reading Mr. Pressfield’s post “Write what you don’t know.” It may just as well have been titled “Write when you can’t” because it was his ideas that got me writing this post at past 4 in the morning.

Here are some of his insights that really hit me:

The part of us that we write from is far deeper than our everyday selves. In fact it has nothing whatsoever to do with our everyday selves. It comes from the Muse. It comes from the unconscious. It comes from some place we only tap into in dreams or intuition or inspiration.

It takes a little madness to write what you don’t know. It’s like leaping into the deep end. But it’s also tremendously liberating. I’m reading a wonderful book now called Improv Wisdom by Patricia Ryan Madson, who for years was one of the star teachers of drama at Stanford. Her thesis is “Don’t prepare, just show up.” In other words, trust in the mystery. Open your mouth and see what comes out. I’ve heard Jackson Browne say that he writes songs to find out what he thinks about something. In other words, he doesn’t know going in.

There’s stuff “down there” in all of us. It’s vast and deep and limitless. That’s the vein we need to mine as artists and as entrepreneurs. I’ve heard start-up businessmen say the two qualities they needed most in their initial ventures were arrogance and ignorance. You gotta be a little crazy (or desperate) to write or do what you don’t know. But there’s great wisdom and magic in that act. It demonstrates faith in the universe, in the Muse, in the source of all inspiration. And that faith, almost invariably, is rewarded by the cosmos and vindicated by events. I recommend it.

After reading that, I just know I won’t be able to sleep anyway if I don’t write this. So I did. And it feels so good.

I am so fired up again and the sparks have turned into flames of inspiration inside me. I have reunited with my Muse and I intend to be one with her from now on.

***
Are you feeling uninspired or stuck lately? Find your inner wonderland and reunite with your muse. She’s just there waiting for you.

Have you gotten over writer’s block? What did you do?

Photo: john

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Tags: Inspiration, Writing

Do you remember how you and you husband were like when you were still just lovers? When people would criticize him or say bad things about him, you immediately come to his defense with a litany of all things good and honorable about him.

The truth is you could both be right. You’re looking at the same person with different perspectives.

But your perspective is that of love.

Some people say that love covers all flaws. But I’d like to put it this way:

Love chooses to focus on the best and celebrate goodness.

Loving someone doesn’t mean you turn completely blind to his faults. What it does mean is you act and react with more understanding and compassion.

You separate the attitude from the person and you help however you can to help him deal with his imperfections.

What do I love about my dear Kernie?

1. He’s very understanding of my quirks and my occasional weirdness.
2. He’s patient. Very, very patient.
3. He’s thoughtful. He remembers the things I love and surprises me with little gifts that make my heart jump.
4. He’s considerate. He always checks how I am and if he could, he would make things easier for me.
5. He’s encouraging. He always knows the right words to say when I feel down.
6. He’s supportive. No matter what I venture into, he’s always right behind me cheering me on.
7. He’s funny. He’s corny most of the time, but he makes me laugh
8. He’s affectionate. He always showers me with hugs and kisses.
9. He’s hardworking. Sometimes more than I’d like because he stretches himself too thin. But that’s his nature.
10. He’s responsible. The best father in our world.

But more than all these, he  loves me unconditionally. He accepts me for all that I am and brings out the best in me.

Photo: bitzi

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Tags: journey to love, Love, love dare

How does this photo make you feel?

I love looking at images of calm waters and beautiful landscapes. No matter where I am, I feel like I’m instantly transported to heaven.

When I feel the impending onslaught of impatience, I close my eyes and retreat to these beautiful scenes in my mind. It helps me to be peaceful and to focus on the most positive way to deal with trying situations and even small irritations.

While there are moments when marriage feels like a fantastic fairytale, there are also times when it can feel like an exasperating experience.

When things are less than perfect, when situations don’t turn out your way, when your partner behaves in a disagreeable manner, it’s easy to fall into the impulsive trap of overreacting.

How many times have you snapped at your hubby because of some itty bitty irritation?

I know I have a couple of times. And when I think about it, it would have done me a lot of good if I had only stopped for a moment before I reacted.

Irritation happens when we give in to the negative emotions of the moment. We let our impulsive emotions rule us .

We also get easily irritated when have negative thoughts. When we lose something, one of the immediate thoughts that come to mind would be “someone must have taken it.”

But when we act from a place of love, we can react differently.

Love chooses to pause, to be calm and to think of how to respond in the most loving way even during the most irritating or anger – inducing situations.

It takes conscious effort to remember that you are dealing with a lovable person who occasionally does unlovable things.

When you are confronted by challenging situations, the old adage is always a good guide to follow:

Think before you act

More than that, always ask yourself this very important question:

How do I respond in the most loving way?

This can be quite tough at first but constant practice can enable you to react calmly naturally.

“Love is hard to offend and quick to forgive… When under pressure, love doesn’t turn sour. Minor problems don’t yield major reactions.”

I have been going through this love journey on and off for the past months. And though it can be really challenging some times, I believe every hurdle I overcome makes me a better person every time.

I am continuing this journey one day at a time and it’s a very enriching experience.

Learning to love, really love is one of the most worthwhile things there is about life.

Photo by: Patrick Smith

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Tags: journey to love, Love, love dare, passion

I swept one last look around the bathroom before heading for the door.

Clear drainage: check.

Bubble – free tiles: check.

All dirty clothes in the laundry basket: check.

I took another look at the shower caddy and made sure every soap and shampoo bottle was in its rightful place.

Am I being neat freak? Not really.

Though I love a clean bathroom, I run through this routine checking carefully more because I love my hubby — it is one way I show him respect.

Let’s admit it: it becomes so easy to act sloppy when we’re so comfortable with each other. We’re confident that our partner’s unconditional love can cover all sorts of shortcomings and weaknesses including bad habits and lack of manners.

Sometimes, or maybe even most of the time, we are more conscious about how we act in public than we do in private. We’ve developed this double standard that we must always be well – mannered around other people but it’s okay to be rude when we’re around our spouse.

And I’m not just talking about rude with the words we say or don’t say, like saying “stupid” or not saying “please, thank you.”

We can be rude in other ways like leaving trash lying around, messing up clothes in the closet or worse,  passing gas around your spouse. These might seem like little things but small irritations add up and can snowball into a huge argument.

Just imagine, if you had to live with royalty or some Hollywood celebrity, would you be more careful with how you act around your home? I suppose you would because it would be embarrassing to act sloppy around these special guests.

But could anyone be more special than your spouse?

The bottom line is that genuine love minds its manners…When you allow love to change your behavior — even in the smallest of ways — you restore an atmosphere of honor to your relationship.

It’s all about conscious living and loving.

When you act from a place of love,  respect comes naturally.

Photo: a.andres

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Tags: journey to love, Love, love dare

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I’m Jayme and this is my online journal. Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to know more about me. I hope you enjoy reading my blog and you pick up some useful and inspiring tidbits along the way.
Live, love, inspire and make a difference!



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My morning ritual

Gratitude Christmas

Do you want to have a great day?

Going back to Him

How to heal heartache

Kindness all around

Do you know better?

I support me



• Corinne: Very inspiring and beautifully written
• Nathan Rivera: You seemed to be a loving prophet with endearing words of “what should be” in the reality...
• AJ Ivey: I have been in many relationships and this is the first time I fell in love. I never saw myself without her....
• Mimi: This is so awesome, Jaime! Hold on to God’s unchanging hand and to not release his faith. The favor of...
• marilee: Hi, I stumbled across your blog a while back and really enjoyed reading it. I don’t know you, but I...
• BIELA: congratulations jayme! i’m glad that you realised how sufficient (and more) God’s grace is. now,...
• rach: hey nice layout! that’s nice that you have gone back to him… siya lang talaga ang makakapag-alis...
• iris: glad you found Him. thing is, He never lost us. makulit lang talaga tayo. but then again, that’s what...



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