Prosperity Law No. 2:
"Experiencing choice means knowing what we want and why we want it.  Only then do we have the excitement and energy to go after our desires."

     Becky was 20 years old, and she was in love.  More than anything in the world she wanted to go to Tahiti with her boyfriend and his parents.  They were leaving in three months, and it would cost her $1,000 to go.  She was in college, didn't have a job, and didn't have a nickel saved .
     When she asked my advice, I suggested she write a letter to the Universe, stating exactly what she wanted, and how she wanted to receive it.
     She wrote the following: Dear Universe, Please send me $1,000 by lune first.  I need the deposit of $400 by May 1 to go to Tahiti.  I really want to go.  I want work in the afternoons at $4.00 an hour doing something I enjoy.  I want to be able to study on the job too.  Thank you.  Love, Becky.
     Impossible?  Maybe.  Improbable?  Surely.  Yet, within 24 hours she had found an afternoon baby sitting job at $4.00 an hour, taking care of a two-year-old boy.  His parents, both professionals, were willing to pay the unusually high price for Becky's enthusiasm and love for their son.  Becky could also study during his nap time.
     As the money accumulated, Becky paid her deposit on May 1, and saw she would have the $1,000 on time.  She was concerned about telling the mother she was quitting; she knew they depended on her.  When it came time to mention that next week would be her last, the mother interrupted her by saying she was pregnant and had decided to stay home after one week!
     Becky's dream came true because she learned how to use the prosperity law of wanting.  She dreamed the impossible and believed she could have it.  Her experience gave her what many of us want - that feeling we can do or be whatever we want.  Prosperity, as she found out, is the result of deliberate wanting and planning.  Our ability to want is a magical gift.  When we are excited and motivated to want, we are experiencing a sense of aliveness, and an inner awareness of unliniited opportunities about us. Planning puts a structure around that excitement to take us where we want to go.

     We must sometimes give ourselves permission to want.  We are created to want; it's natural.  Wanting is how we grow.  We are not selfish, bad, or greedy when we want - we are stretching to realize more of our potential.
     At first glance this may appear to be the opposite of the Zen approach to self-fulfillment and peace of mind, which says the answer is to desire less.  However, even those studying Zen are still intently desiring peace of mind.  Emerson once remarked:

... the philosophers have laid the greatness of man in making his wants fezv, but will a man content himself with a hut and a handful of dried peas?  He is born to be rich .... Wealth requires - besides the crust of bread and the roof - thefreedom of the city, thefreedom of the earth, travelling, machinery, the benefits of science, and fine arts, the best culture and the best company.  He is the rich man who can avail himself of all men's faculties. *

* Brooks Atkinson, ed., Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, (Modern
Library, N.Y., 1968) p. 696.

     Fortunately, more women are availing themselves of the good things in life by giving themselves permission to desire better jobs, better pay, better health, more equal relationships, more satisfying sex.  The world is feeling the effect of those desires, and as a result we are experiencing faster change than in any other peaceful re-volution in the recorded history of womankind.

     Wants are thoughts, and thought - as mind energy - is creative power.  When we become specific about what we want, we are focusing the power of thought on our desires.  Focusing attention intensifies energy in the same way a magnifying glass held over kindling will intensify the sun's power to start a fire.  The more specific we are about our goals, the more intensely conscious we become about reaching them, and the greater the force of manifestation we create.
     Studies have shown, however, that most of us have not formulated precisely what we want.  Our wants appear nebulous and difficult to put a finger on.  It seems easier to live with the vague sense that something is missing, and to make do, rather than define what that something is.  One psychologist, Festinger, working in 'cognitive dissidence' research, has shown that when we get what we don't want, we often start perceiving it as what we do want, so as not to be miserable!  There's no way to know our real wants when we pretend we've got what we want.

     Why is it we have so much reluctance to state specifically what we want in life?
     There are a variety of reasons, but the root cause seems to be fear of failure.  If we state what we want, then we're admitting we don't have it - and that feels like failing before we start.  Other fears are:

"If I say what I want, and I don't get it, others will know it and I'll be embarrassed.... What's the use of deciding; I won't get it anyway.... If I name what I want, and I don't like it, I'm stuck with it."

     Do your goals reflect your values?
     As we learn to utilize goal-setting to create desirable changes, we need to acknowledge our values.  Wants which nourish are built on values we hold dear.  These values, through our belief systems, are unconsciously detern-dning our behavior patterns at every moment.  Yet, few people can identify their values.  Do you know what is important to you?
     Look over the following quiz and let these questions stimulate you to think about values that are real for you . The origin of your values has long been unconscious, but just answering a few simple questions will quickly reveal personal preferences.  Sharing answers with a friend is very helpful too, especially as you bring out details in your discussion.
     Values - being self-reliant, daring, logical, loving, polite, tidy, congruent, truthful, honest, capable, forgiving, responsible, self-controbed, open-minded, and so on - are only implied in our answers.  We must look between the lines.  Our values emerge in our choice of work, how we relate to people, how we spend our time, how we think.

1. Answer these four questions off the top of your head:

1. If you could do anything you wanted for one week, what would you do?
2. What three things do you want people to re-member about you?
3. Finish this sentence: "Happiness is..
4. What always makes you angry?

2. What is important to you in your personal relations and life experiences?  Rate these items on a scale of 1-10 (1 low, 10 being highly valued) and share with a friend why each is important:

A loving relationship
Being physically attractive
A satisfying marriage
Two months vacation a year
A chance to be creative
Making a difference in the world
Freedom to make your own decisions
A beautiful home
Optimal health
Unlimited travel
Honesty with friends
Sensuous sex life
A large library of personal books
Peace in the world
To be treated fairly
Confidence in yourself
Influence and power in your community
High spiritual experience
A satisfying religious faith
Dependable transportation
Someone who needs you
Someone to take care of you
Orderliness in your affairs
A close-knit family
Wealth
Other

3. What is important to you in your actual work conditions? (1-10)

To work alone
Regular hours and guaranteed pay
Totally unstructured work-day
Self-employment
Good supervision
Having a variety of tasks
Work in a small organization
Outdoor work
Opportunity for over-time
Little responsibility and risks
Short commute
Other (fill in)
 
 

4. Choose 3 things from the 14 choices below that give you the most satisfaction in your work.

1. To be excited by what you're doing
2. To help others solve problems
3. To contribute to society with worthwhile work
4. To be recognized as an authority
5. To motivate yourself
6. To figure things out
7. To work within a structured situation
8. To think through new solutions
9. To have choice about time
10. To make a lot of money
11. To work in a team
12. To work out-of-doors
13. To be respected for your work
14. Other

5. Spranger's Study of Values says there are five principal personality values.  Which ones do you mainly identify with?

Theoretical
These people have a principal interest in discovering truth without judgment.  They mainly want to ob-serve and reason.

Economic
These people value first what is useful and practical.  They feel'unapplied knowledge is a waste.

Aesthetic
These people take the most pleasure from the artistic episodes of life.  They love form and harmony.

Social
The highest value for this personality is love of people.

Political
These people tend to desire influence, fame, and power first and foremost.

6. Name your five top values, based on your answers.
 
     Over the next few months, observe if your desires change.  Do these new desires reflect a change in values?  Values change very slowly.  Even though at the rational level we decide to be different, our automatic responses, based on old values, often lag behind.  As your goals and values become more congruent, you become more powerful, for then you are not in conflict with yourself.

     The closer we are to being the directors of our lives, the more in touch we feel with our dreams and desires.  We need now to let go and daydream a little.  It's very useful to establish a daily program of taking a few minutes to think, write, read, and meditate on goals.  Some of these suggestions may help structure that time, which should be approached in an easy, relaxed manner:

1. List all the major areas of your life.  What do you want in the area of love, home, work, play, health, finance, career, independence, travel, recreation, self-confidence building, personal growth, relationships?

2. Ask yourself questions and keep a diary of your answers:

a. List what you don't want
b. List what you 'should want' according to the significant people in your life.
c. What hasn't lived yet in your life?
d. What have you always wanted to do some-day?
e. What would you do if you could do anything you wanted for a year?
f. How much money would you like to be mak-ing in a year?  In 5 years?

3. Daydream a little.  Long-hidden wants sometimes reveal themselves in intuitive flashes.  They rarely show you the whole plan, or lay out your way like the yellow brick road.  Ideas come and go quickly in the form of images.  Write them down.  The dullest ink lasts longer than the sharpest memory.

4. Turn envious thoughts to positive use.  When you feel envy at someone's good fortune, know that this may be a signal for some want you have.  Release the envy and keep the desire.

5. Create an image of the ideal for yourself.  Remember, it's good to desire; wanting is a prerequisite for receiving.  How would you ideally have your life?  Put on some soft music, lie back, and imagine an entire ideal day:

Where would you be living?  With whom?
Where would you be working?  Under what circumstances?
How would you be playing?  Loving?  Being?
Now open your eyes.  How is your ideal different from your reality today?  Keep a journal of your thoughts.

6. Learn to pick a bouquet of roses from the thorn bushes in your life.  Inside every dissatisfaction is a want.  When you're experiencing any negative emotion, keep asking yourself, "What do I want?" Avoid the inclination to just remain upset.  Remind yourself that the world is yours for the asking -but you must know exactly what you want.
     What you have been doing so far is creating prosperity goals in general terms.  Before they become specific, they need to survive a series of other questions.  Observe your intentions and reactions as you ask yourself:

Have I dared to think big enough?
Is my goal based on pure fantasy?
Is it achievable, believable, and measurable?
Is the goal life-producing?
Does it hurt any others?
Does this goal really belong to others?
Is it legal?
Is it good for all concerned?
Do I have the consciousness of having this goal?
Can I see myself already having it?
Have I investigated what I will need to do to have this goal (such as education, experience)?
Am I willing to undertake the undesirable aspects of the job?
Can I handle the rewards of geting this goal?
Am I willing to take on the responsibility of this goal?

     At first, tell no one about your desires.  Later, you may want feedback about how others see your project, but when you are initially building your confidence and accepting your own decisions as valuable, give your ideas time to germinate.  Getting a negative response from others too soon might cause you to release it prematurely.  You do not want to put yourself in a position of explaining or justifying your desires and ideas while they are still fresh and new to you.  Let them develop strength of their own before you share them.

     So far, we've been thinking about general goals, but definite results require definite ideas.  For plans to succeed, we need to make our general goals concrete.
     In defining a goal , we choose to focus energy in concentrated form on a certain event or thing.  With this focus comes the strength and power to create what we want.  We are now ready to go beyond the usual, "I want to be happy," or "I want someone to love me," and specify what would make us content, or what characteristics we'd like to find in a partner.  We need to know precisely what we desire.
     Wishing is only a start.  As a vaguely conceived goal it will be vaguely expressed.  The statement, "Wouldn't it be nice if . . . " shows little energy behind it.  Wishes need to be made into declaratives in clear, concise words.
     'Should-goals' are in the same category.  Unless we're acting on our 'shoulds', they are only for show anyway.  By repeating the thought, "I should write my mother every week," we can prove our good intentions, and still continue not to write mother.  'Shoulds' have little generative energy to change behavior.  First you must become clear on what kind of communication you want with your mother and how often you want it.  Your goal then comes from what you really want.

     Powerful, impelling goals that come true have the full force of the Self emerging from bondage.  Expressing these desires brings a distinct bodily reaction - a "feeling response" that we can't miss.  We've all had that experience of being extremely clear about some strong desire, and knowing it was ours long before it was actually manifested.
     At such times, the world seems to be our oyster.  We can literally see, smell, taste, touch success.  We're not at all surprised when we succeed - it just seems natural.
     A friend recently told me she 'knew' a certain job was hers when she received the call for an interview.  She felt it was just a matter of showing up.  She was right; she got the job that day.
     Another young couple in Chicago recently made newspaper headlines when they won a large sum of money in a lottery.  There had been no doubt at all about the rightness of their goal for them.  They were in desper-ate straits financially, and had decided they had to win that lottery.  They spent several hours each day meditat-ing, intensely visualizing winning - what it would feel like when the phonee rang, when the check arrived, depositing it and spending it.  They reported later that it was almost anticlimactic to actually win it because they had already experienced even the joy of winning.
     We have many levels of desires.  By sorting through and finding out which ones are truly coming from our deepest well, we will tap into the energy we need to help create it physically.  We don't have to force our minds to concentrate on something we deeply want and feel we deserve.
     Take a moment and recreate a time when you experienced that power of 'knowing' deeply what you wanted, and got it.  Take a deep breath, relax, and go back in memory to a time when you sensed something you really wanted was going to happen, although to all outward appearances there was no way to know it.  Feel the 'knowing' in your body.  Pay attention to the thoughts you were having.  Remember the details of where you were, and what happened.  Remember how you looked and felt.  This 'feeling response', when you know your goal is on target, is your success signal.
     When you have that 'feeling response', of winning, you know you have chosen your goal well.  You are in alignment with your feelings, values, desires, and you have eliminated all negative opposition in your own thoughts.  And a paradox now comes into play.
     Our prosperity task is to be specific about our wants, goals, and plans to achieve our goals.  What we are actually doing is programming our subconscious through the use of our conscious mind.  We must be very concrete and list exactly what we want.  At the same time that we are working with specifics, we must also stay aware that our subconscious does not deal with specifics.  The subconscious responds to the essence of that which we desire.
     So, while the subconscious must be programmed with exact detail, our higher intelligence, manifesting or producing through our subconscious, often does not bring about results exactly the way we think we want them.  The end result may come about in ways we never dreamed possible.  We've all heard miracle stories of chance meetings with a stranger who held the perfect answer for a pressing problem or need, such as Mary Ann in Chapter 1. We must stay alert to the possibilities constantly opening up around us from our source -infinite intelligence - in the form of creative ideas and situations.
     There are few shortcuts to prosperity consciousness.  It is only after we have defined what we want in definite terms that we become aware of all the possible ways of receiving what we desire.  In that sense, prosperity consciousness can be seen as a process of waking up.  We are responding to a 'higher self', that part of us that knows we deserve what we want.  This helps to explain the paradox that while we must be specific, and desire our goal intensely, we,must also let go of the idea of having to have the exact thing in the exact way we think it should happen.
     Knowing what you want in life is a reward in itself.  Spend as much time alone with your thoughts as possible, for this is internal work.  No one can help you with your true desires.  This is a wonderful game of consciousness and, played well, will result in attracting your life of abundance.