If you have ever wondered ...

... if all of my positivity and gratitude "works". The answer is a resounding "YES"!

In the macro, I get to be a happy, blessed person day in and day out. No "in order to" or "because of". I just am.

But, it is the "micro" about which I am writing today. Real world results. Where the rubber hits the road. So, here is a true, recent, personal story about my putting my trust in "The Universe" to help me with something specific and measurable.

Three days ago I was facing a dilemma. There is a coaching course I had been invited to attend, training me to deliver a program that I knew would add greatly to my ability to help people. Financially, though, it was not feasible. Taking stock of my other obligations, I knew I had to say "No" and pass on this great opportunity. 

When I woke up the next morning, however, I was still asking myself if I might be overlooking some way to make it happen. After some focused meditation on the matter, later in the day, I wrote this blog post ... "A Note TO The Universe", and published it just before going to bed.

Unless you are already very familiar with what that blog post said, please take a moment to click here and read it so that the rest of this story will make sense :)

So, what happened next?

Well, I woke up to find that, thanks to the generosity, trust and confidence of so many friends (and the "miracle" of Interac email transfers and PayPal), overnight I had received almost exactly the amount of the course! So I did it - I am registered and confirmed for Mike Dooley's "Train The Trainers" conference in Orlando, June 8-10, 2012. And over the next day and a half, the rest of the course was covered and most of my flight. 

And that is just the beginning! Here are other amazing results from that one simple experiment ...

• enough people Pre-Registerd to fill TWO sessions of my "Gifts From The Universe" program this Summer!
• plus, several friends in the Toronto area sent contributions - despite not knowing if they'd be able to attend. So, I AM HOLDING A SPECIAL G.T.A. EVENT THIS AUTUMN especially for those awesome people!
• several people said they want so much for their kids to experience this positive message and approach - enough that I AM DESIGNING A VERSION OF THE PROGRAM SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AGES 12-16. Stay tuned for details.
• many people chose to SPONSOR a stranger in the program - something that moved me quite literally to tears of gratitude and admiration - and I will be offering those spots to wonderful people who could not otherwise afford to attend. IN ADDITION to honouring all of those spots, I am going to be working with the director of the local Youth Center to deliver the program (as often as desired) to at-risk youth in Orillia and area. 
• Only AFTER registering, did I find out that Mike JUST announced who his Saturday dinner speaker is going to be ... FRANK FERRANTE! Anyone who attended the Premiere of Elevate Orillia (Uplifting Film Series), will recognize him as the star of "May I Be Frank". So, this is a massive bonus for me!

There was another phenomenal benefit to all of this. I generally do not like to ask for help - and I will admit that it is all because of ego. It was very therapeutic to admit that I could not do this on my own, and to ask others to consider helping me make it happen. 

My approach was inspired by Kickstarter campaigns (I recently contributed to Theo Dore's album "Loveolutionary Music", the film "People In Motion" and a similar initiative by Sleeper Records on RocketHub). In each case, there is no "panhandling" involved. The objective of the project is clearly stated, and its spirit honestly expressed. If people are inspired to be part of what you are up to, they are rewarded with something of value ... in my case, deeply discounted registration in a "Gifts From The Universe" course to be offered later this summer.

People really do want to help where they can. Every email and money transfer that I received included the comment that the sender was so happy to be able to assist me in pursuing this opportunity. They were far less motivated by the proferred reward than by the chance to express their love and contribute to something worthwhile. This moved me deeply and was both affirming and humbling.

I learned that there is nothing wrong with asking for help! People who wanted to help did, and I am so grateful. People who weren't moved to weren't, and I don't mind a bit. Every day we make choices about where to place our attention, energy and money. I decline many requests, both direct and indirect. But I also accept many - and am always enriched by that choice. The album, movie and record label in the examples above are a perfect illustration of this - I am very proud to be a small part of those awesome endeavours. Similarly, everyone who has contributed to my upcoming adventure with Mike Dooley feels very good about their role in that!

So, three weeks from now I will be in Orlando, being trained personally by one of our greatest living teachers, Mike Dooley, and "breaking bread" with Frank Ferrante. I will post a blog(s) about the event and will, of course, keep my "funders" apprised as the resulting program takes shape and is ready to be delivered this Summer and Autumn.

I often post Jason Mraz's amazing ode to Gratitude (Who I Am Today), but today I feel that this other song of his is even more fitting ;)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Since this IS really happening, and I AM offering the "Gifts From The Universe" program this year, anyone who wishes to register before June 8th, can do so at the "Thanks for Helping me Manifest This" rate, as per the instructions in the aforementioned blog post :)