The Bliss Book

by Maggie Shayne

  Germany, $33,333. Portugal, $19,880. Malaysia, $9860. Serbia $5310. Madagascar, $400.[6]

  I pasted a quote by Dr. Wayne Dyer to my wall, where I’d see it every day. “Abundance is not something we acquire. It’s something we tune in to.”

  So I got myself aligned. I might not have been matching the vibration of wealth, but I’d definitely dialed it up from OMYGOD I’M SO BROKE. I called the credit card company again, this time on a day when I was in an excellent mood, and they happily granted me six months at the introductory rate they offer to new customers. The rate change dropped my minimum payment by a third, but I kept paying the old minimum, more when I could. In six months, I’d made a dent in the balance. The rate went back up. I waited a couple of months and called again, making sure to pick a day when I was in a very good mood. Again, they gave me six months at a lower rate, and I was able to pay the balance down some more.

  I kept this up until I got that entire debt paid off. And the best part was, it felt good. I felt empowered. I felt like a financial freaking genius. And maybe that was the vibration I needed to go for. Not from I’m broke to I’m wealthy. But rather from I’m terrible with money, to Look how I figured that out! I’m good at this.

  My energy had shifted with every payment, until it got to where I was looking forward to bill-paying time. I kept a tally in a notebook, with the remaining balance at the end of each line, and every line below it, that number got lower and lower and lower. It was so fun to see how much I’d paid down, and to pay down a little more every month. It felt good!

  Paying my other bills started to feel good, too. It became something of a game. A balance-the-energy game. I could hardly believe it. I used to let weeks pass without even looking at my bank account balance, because I just knew there wouldn’t be enough to go around. I didn’t even open the mail when I was feeling impoverished, just let the bills sit unopened, with my stomach tied in knots of fear about what might be inside.

  And yet I moved from there to here, where I open every bill when it arrives, where I look at the bank accounts weekly, and pay whatever there’s enough to pay, and trust that there will be more on the way. And there always is.

  Bill paying is something I enjoy doing now. I even enjoy it during temporary tight times, because I am getting so good at manifesting just what I need, just when it’s needed, even when it looks like I might not.

  During the time I was making this change, more money started coming in almost unnoticed, because paying that debt made me feel more in tune with enough than not enough. My success on the phone with the credit card company gave me the courage to take the same approach with the IRS, to whom I also owed a bundle, and I soon realized that the folks on the other end of those calls are people, just like me. They have debts and worries, same as I do. And they have jobs that entail being yelled at on the phone by irate consumers every day.

  So when I call them, and I’m in a great mood, and I am friendly and pleasant, and I explain my situation and my goals, and what I’d like to do, they practically fall over themselves to help me figure it out. Extensions are granted. Payment plans are suggested. Penalties are removed. We end up talking about our dogs and kids and even laughing a little before we hang up.

  People, by and large, are awesome and I love them. And if I give them a chance to help me out, they will. Because on some level they know that they are Source in body just like I am, and that Source is the same one for all of us. When I’m aligned with my Source, I’m connecting with them through theirs. And there is no power greater.

  And just in case you somehow missed this tip, I’ll shine a light on it here. Always make these kinds of calls and do your bill paying when you are in the best possible mood. You’ll attract a better outcome that way. Never call in a panic, or on the verge of tears. You can’t attract anything but more reasons for panicking and weeping.

  Overwhelmed?

  When we’re overwhelmed, that simply means we are out of sync with our Higher Self. Our Source isn’t overwhelmed with that list of things we think we have to do. Our Source sees that we don’t really have to do any of them. Source knows it can handle all of it for us, if we’d just allow it.

  After all, do we worry all night about making the sun rise on time the next morning? Are we poring over lunar charts to be sure we keep the tides set to match the phase of the moon? Are we slaving away to keep the seasons changing on time, while keeping our planet’s atmosphere in place?

  Of course not. But these things happen all the same, reliably, regularly, unfailingly.

  We all have an endless to-do list and a certainty that something tragic will happen if we don’t get it done.

  But it’s not true. Nothing tragic is going to happen. We didn’t come to this planet to check things off our to-do list. And I guarantee, no one leaves this life with everything on their list done. We all leave behind an unfinished to-do list and somehow the world spins merrily on. You and I are no different.

  The to-do list is entirely self-imposed. Yes, it is. (I hear you saying, No, it’s not.) Yes, it is. (Stop arguing with me.) Yes, it is.

  I don’t care if it was handed to us by someone else, we can always say “No.” Or “Not today.” Or “This isn’t my job.” Or “I’m going to need more time.” Or “No living human being could get all this done in the time allotted.” Or “I need help.” Or “I quit.” Or “What if I didn’t?”

  So, when lying awake in bed with ten thousand things I ought to be doing spinning around in my mind, I stop. I take a few deep breaths and remind myself that all the thinking in the world won’t help this thing get done. I ask myself if I can fix the most pressing issue right now, and if the answer is yes, then I get up and fix it, because I’ll feel better. If the answer is no, then what’s the point of worrying about it?

  I had got myself so into the habit of worrying about money at night during that tough patch I told you about, that once I got all the debts paid off, and my attitude changed, and my cash flow in was keeping up with my cash flow out, I caught myself lying awake in bed one night thinking, “Worry, worry, worry—wait, what is it I’m worrying about again? Oh, right, money. But I fixed that, and everything else is pretty good. So…I don’t actually have anything to lie here worrying about.” It was so odd, realizing how ingrained the habit of worrying myself to sleep (somewhere between 2 and 4 a.m. most nights) had become. So much that my brain went right there, even though the worries were solved. And for a few minutes, I was aware that my brain was actually casting around in search of something to lie awake thinking about.

  Worrying is a habit. We get addicted to it. And while we are, we will always worry. If we don’t have something to worry about, we’ll find something, because we always get what we’re looking for. But, it’s a habit that can be broken, or more accurately, replaced with better habits.

  Exercise for Sleeplessness

  Inhale deeply while counting to 3.

  Pause for a beat or two.

  Exhale fully while counting to 5.

  That’s the pattern. Keep breathing like that through the rest.

  Clench up your feet on an inhale, hold for a couple of seconds, then release on an exhale.

  Clench up your shins on an inhale, hold for a bit, then release on an exhale.

  Clench up your thighs on an inhale, hold for a bit, then release on an exhale.

  Clench up your backside on an inhale, hold for a bit, then release on an exhale.

  Clench up your abs and lower back on an inhale, hold for a bit, then release on an exhale.

  Clench up your entire lower body, feet to butt, on an inhale, hold, then release on an exhale.

  Clench up your fists, same pattern.

  Clench up your arms. Hold and release.

  Clench up your shoulders.

  Then your neck.

  Clench up your chest and upper back, hold, then release on an exhale.

  Clench up your face and head, hold for a bit, then release.

  Clench up your entire up
per body on an inhale, hold for two seconds, then release on an exhale.

  Clench up your entire body, upper and lower, on a big inhale, hold for five seconds if you can, then release on complete exhale.

  I’m usually asleep before I get through my entire body. I bet you will be, too.

  * * *

  Assignment 5

  Bliss Up Your Sleep

  * * *

  Keep a journal on your nightstand. Before you lie down to go to sleep, open your journal and write down every good thing you can remember from your day. Mine contains things like the eagle I saw while running errands, the compliment my husband paid me, the lights all being green through town, how much I enjoy my car, how good I felt today, that fan who emailed me about a book she loved, the time I spent hugging my bulldog, the great phone call with one of my girls, or with all five of them, the way the sunset looked, the stars outside my bedroom window.

  Fill your journal with all the good things you remember from your day.

  When you’re almost finished, write down your intent for a restful night. Mine is often something like, “Tonight, I’ll sleep like a baby and dream beautiful dreams and commune with my Higher Self. And tomorrow I’ll find even more reasons to feel good.”

  * * *

  Assignment 6

  The Bliss of Letting Go

  * * *

  Adapted from Esther Hicks’ Placemat Exercise

  Create two lists. One is titled ME and the other is titled UNIVERSE or God, Goddess, Higher Power, Source, Higher Self, Soul, Guardian Angel, or whatever you prefer.

  Now divvy up all the things on your overwhelming to-do list. The things you feel excited about doing, that are going to be fun and that you feel eager to tackle, belong on the ME list.

  The things you are dreading or don’t feel like you can handle or have time to do, belong on the UNIVERSE list.

  Put your own list up on the fridge or somewhere you can see it, and happily check things off throughout the week or the day or whatever.

  The other list, the Universe’s list, should be folded up and put away in a special box or under your pillow or someplace out of sight and therefore out of mind. Occupy yourself entirely with the things on your ME list, and with fun things in between, and try not to think about that other list at all.

  Your results will go in one of the following ways.

  Things will change so an item on the Universe’s list no longer needs to be done.

  Someone else will do it.

  You’ll suddenly feel compelled to do it yourself. (When that happens, move it to your ME list and tackle it before your energy shifts.)

  The Goddess Speaks

  Worrying is being ungrateful in advance.

  For you are assuming all is not well. You are assuming bad things are coming, and lamenting and complaining, really, ahead of time. But bad things are only coming, child, if you continue inviting them with your habit of worry.

  Optimism is the opposite of worry. Optimism means you trust me and believe in your own power. Optimism is being grateful in advance.

  * * *

  Chapter Six

  Developing an Abundance Consciousness

  * * *

  Is Money the Root of All Evil?

  Do you know that’s a misquote of a mistranslation of a misunderstood principle?

  Money, as we know it in our society today, doesn’t even really exist. It’s not even a real thing. Up until 1971 the United States’ paper currency was based on and “backed by” the value of the gold owned by our nation. But that old notion is long gone. We have WAY more paper money floating around than we have gold in Fort Knox, and now the line is that our paper money is backed by the “full faith and credit of the US government.” So, if it’s not a paper representation of a piece of gold, it’s just…paper and ink.

  More and more, it’s not even that. I am paid royalties on my books from Amazon and other retailers by direct deposit. I then pay myself a salary, also by direct deposit. Then I go online and pay my company bills from the corporate account, and my personal bills from my personal account. I use the debit card to fill the car with gas and buy groceries. All these actions cause the digits I see on my computer screen while logged into my online bank account to change. Those digits don’t really exist. They’re just pixels. No money, paper or gold, ever moves into or out of my possession. I’m just tapping keys on a keyboard, making pixels move around on a screen.

  Money is energy. Energy is never good or evil. It’s just energy. You can use electricity to shock a heart into beating or to stop one from ever beating again. You can use it to power a hospital or burn down a forest. It’s just energy. So money can’t be inherently evil.

  I’m made of energy. If I attune my energy to abundance, then abundance will be my experience.

  I do that tuning by noticing, celebrating, and basking in every hint of abundance I already have in my life. If all I own is a candle, I’ll bask in its light, and press shapes into its soft wax with my fingers. I’ll cup my hands around the warmth of its flame, like I can catch it and keep it forever that way. I’ll adore my candle. I’ll believe it’s the best candle in all the world and that I’m lucky to have it. And tomorrow, when I’m out walking, caressing the warm wax stump in my pocket, I’ll find a whole box of candles in the road. And I’ll feel like I just won the lottery.

  Our Feelings about the Wealthy

  Do you curl your lip a little bit when you see someone living in a mansion with a giant pool out back? Do you sneer at people who pass you on the highway in a Mercedes or a Porsche? Do you ever think things like “What a rich bitch” or “He’s got more money than brains” or “Look at him in his four-hundred-dollar haircut and designer suit” or “I’d never pay that much for a purse!”

  I used to. My very first-ever designer handbag, which I ordered online after having the highest earning year of my entire career, was stolen before it ever made it to my house, because I was still feeling like anyone dumb enough to spend several hundred dollars on a handbag didn’t deserve to live. So therefore, my vibration was repelling my new bag.

  You cannot resent people for having what you want if you ever hope to have it.

  I grew up in a family that believed rich people were all evil and going to hell. And to us, “rich” meant you had an average middle-class home and a car less than five years old.

  We were poor and we resented anyone better off than we were. I am not saying that’s how poor people are. I’m just saying that’s how my family was. I knew and still know a lot of truly good people who had no more money than my family did, but seemed somehow to make more of it.

  So we couldn’t attract abundance, because we hated it.

  This same principle applies to everything we might want to create in our lives. If we’re jealous of and resentful toward those who already have it, we will never get it for ourselves.

  Better to notice people with abundance and think, “If she did it, so can I.” Better to see it as proof of what’s possible, and a sign that we’re on the right track, because we’re seeing what we want all around us.

  Do You Feel Guilty for Doing Well When Others are Not?

  You cannot get sick enough to make the sick well, and you cannot get poor enough to make the poor rich. You can be of more help to the sick and the poor when you create prosperity and do your best to infect others with it, too. This planet is abundant. We are meant to live with plenty. That’s why the story of Adam and Eve is set in a paradise garden. This is our ideal, and our goal, that we all live in such bliss.

  Feeling guilt over the abundance we create in our lives, is as silly as feeling guilt for being healthy when others are sick.

  I knew a couple who were handed $100,000 in a lawsuit settlement. To them, it might as well have been a million. For years they’d lived for that payout. Boy, when we get that settlement, things will be different. Hot damn, will we ever be happy then!

  Within a year of their big payday, they were broke again. The onl
y lasting change they’d made with the money, was new carpet in their house. They resented money. They wanted it, but they detested anyone who had it. And so it came, but it didn’t stick, because they were still listening to the station where money was evil and they were poor and righteous.

  Understand That You Already Have Enough

  This is one of those keys to all wisdom. We are expanding beings. Our very purpose for existence is expansion. Everything we experience adds to the understanding of the Whole. Every moment we live makes us more.

  It’s our nature to expand.

  That tendency spills over into physical things. It spills over into things like food—some of us, from time to time, eat as if food is going to cease to exist at any moment. Some of us can’t stop eating. Others of us can’t stop drinking. Or smoking. Or taking drugs. Or having sex. Everything we do that makes us feel good also makes us want more, and more, and more of it.

  The only way to curb this is to savor what we have. Because we can’t do both at the same time. We can’t binge on anything and savor it at the same time. The way to savor something is to imbibe it slowly, and to be fully present in the experience of it. Its scent, its texture, its taste.

  We can’t bask in something while striving for more of it. It’s not possible. To bask is to focus fully on experiencing the thing you have.

  So let’s apply this to money. Understand and know and accept that what we have right now is enough. It has to be enough, because it’s what we’ve got, and since we’re still breathing, it must be enough. If we continue to think of what we’ve got as not enough, then not enough will become our reality over and over and over again.

  Every time we say, “But it’s not enough! Look at me, I can’t pay my bills,” we are creating another round of that same reality.