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It’s taken me a while to get my head (and heart) around the idea that uncertainty is not a bad place to be. But I’ve been coming to realize that when I "know" something, often my knowing becomes set in stone, and the result is a rigidity and inflexibility that is at odds with the whole concept of deliberate creation.

The other day, I came across a quote from Deepak Chopra, in The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, which really summed up what I’ve been discovering about uncertainty:

Uncertainty … is the fertile ground of pure creativity and freedom. Uncertainty means stepping into the unknown in every moment of our existence. The unknown is the field of all possibilities, ever fresh, ever new, always open to the creation of new manifestations. Without uncertainty and the unknown, life is just the stale repetition of outworn memories. You become the victim of the past, and your tormentor today is your self left over from yesterday.

These days, when I’m faced with a fork in the road, and I’m unsure which way to go, I let myself settle into uncertainy. I don’t have to figure anything out, here and now.

And in that stance, I find myself in the flow of allowing.

Last month I began a new gratitude practice. I’m not so sure what prompted me to do this, but it would not be exaggerating to say that my life has been truly incredible ever since.

If you’ve been maintaining a gratitude process like a gratitude journal, you might want to try what I call the "every moment" gratitude practice.

It’s exactly what it sounds like - practicing gratitude in every moment.

The results are just amazing. Of course, the first thing you’ll realize is that you feel better. But it’s not just that - feeling good is just the top layer of it all.

I find it’s a spiritually renewing practice, much like meditation. You go very quickly from simply feeling good - no, make that feeling great! - to having this awareness of the beauty of the world, and an immediate sense of the love that’s inherent in everything.

I think we have a gratitude muscle, and like anything, the more you exercise it, the easier it gets. And even when events happen that you don’t particularly like, it starts becoming easier and easier to see through things to something you can appreciate. Because there is always something to appreciate.

With the every-moment gratitude practice, you see the gifts that have always been there, all around you, in every moment of the day, with every breath that you take.

Now What?

Okay, so you’ve figured out what it is you really believe, and it’s not helping your desire out at all. What next?

Living and Breathing Your Desire, As If It’s Already There

If you can live and breathe your desire, as if it’s already there, you’ll begin the process of shifting your beliefs. The more you do this, the easier it will feel, and the more real it will seem.

This isn’t about simply visualizing what you want. It’s choosing to BE the you who has that desire fulfilled. One excellent resource is Denise Coate’s book, Feel It Real. The first edition of the book is now out of print, but you’ll be able to get a copy of the second edition this coming spring - it’s being published by Atria, the publishers of The Secret. Denise is also in the process of relaunching her Web site, and there will be lots of Feel It Real resources there once it’s relaunched.

Affirmations and Subliminal CDs

There’s a little trick to using affirmations and subliminal CDs - they work if you believe they will work.

See? There’s that belief thing popping up again. Scientists have a name for beliefs at work when using subliminal materials, by the way - they call it the Placebo Effect.

I’ve tried a number of subliminal CDs, and the company that works best for me is InnerTalk. You can download some clips for free here - you have to give them your email address, but it’s well-worth it if you want to give their material a try. And if you live in the States, you can request a catalog from them. If you don’t live in the States, they will send you one with your order, or you can download it in PDF format.

BE the YOU That You Want To Be

This has been the most powerful practice for me - getting to know who is the Me that I want to be. And then, making the choice to BE the me I want to be.

It all comes down to choosing. We always have a choice. And whether we know it or not, we’re always making choices.

Getting in tune with who you really are is really just a matter of deciding to make these choices consciously.

It’s very simple and basic - but at times, challenging to do. The more aligned you are with who you want to be, the easier it will feel. And the more you consciously make this choice, the easier it gets.

It’s a practice.

My friend Holly Sorensen puts it this way: our only job is to Be who we want to be. And this can be everything and anything. Whatever qualities we want to give to ourselves, we can. Just focus on Being who you want to be.

And let the Universe do the heavy lifting work of manifesting your desires.

The key to this practice is a commitment to Being who you want to be for you. Not for the manifestations. They’re just a byproduct. You’re doing this for you.

• Rebirth depends on inner work on one’s self. No one can be reborn without changing this self. - Neville #
• Posted: Abundance Journal Daily Thoughts (2008-05-22) http://tinyurl.com/5mhyte #
• If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. - William Blake #

• The practice is choosing who you want to be. Everything else follows. - AJ #
• Try this today: “Even the thought of giving, the thought of blessing or a simple prayer, has the power to affect others.” - Deepak Chopra #
• Abundance Journal Twitter Updates for 2008-05-21 http://tinyurl.com/57yo5e #
• What you love to do the most is the shortest distance between where you are now and your dreams. - Emmanuel, through Pat Rodegast #
• Whatever you’d like to know, you already know. Be still. - Notes from the Universe #
• Posted: New Feature at Abundance Journal: Daily Thoughts http://tinyurl.com/6z84pr #

I get emails from people saying that they wished I wrote more often here at Abundance Journal, and I have good news: I’ve recently been getting back into the writing groove, so you should be seeing more frequent articles from me.

I’ve also discovered the joys of microblogging recently, and that has lead to a new feature here: the Abundance Journal Daily Thoughts post, a compilation of quotes, thoughts and "Try this" tips and suggestions that I will be microblogging each day.

I’m also posting each Daily Thought as a Twitter update, so if you have a Twitter account, or like the idea of receiving little inspirational messages via text messages on your phone or as an instant message, you can sign up to follow Abundance Journal at Twitter.

I hope you enjoy the new Daily Thoughts feature as much as I expect to enjoy writing each daily thought.

• You can always choose to feel better about something. It’s like a muscle. The more you do it, the easier it gets. #
• It’s good to have an end to journey toward; but it’s the journey that matters, in the end. - Ursula LeGuin #
• Posted: Abundance Journal Twitter Updates for 2008-05-20: Your level of self-regard must come from k.. http://tinyurl.com/5dbcql #
• When you’re inspired you’re connected to this Force that’s greater in every respect than your physical being. - Wayne Dyer #

• Your level of self-regard must come from knowing within yourself that you have a sacred connection. - Wayne Dyer #