Saturday, August 7, 2010
"Top 6 Ways to Drive Free Traffic To Your Website"
"Top 6 Ways to Drive Free Traffic To Your Website"
It's seems the mighty grail of the Internet is capturing traffic that is relevant to our site. Without traffic, we are carrying no real expectations of earning money or customers. When putting your website strategy together, you will need to remember that it isn't just about the site, but what happens next. The traffic, and the conversion of traffic to visitors. If you construct a website to sell products, services, or promote affiliates , with the hopes of generating an income, traffic is of the utmost importance.
Each of these warrant their own article, which I will also do, but to help guide you in general, the following are the top five FREE ways to drive traffic to your website:
1. Signature Files:
They say, "There's no such thing as a free lunch", but by using your email signatures, that simply isn't true. Signatures are those little messages that appear at the bottom of your email. Typical examples are your name, email address, company and position, but in the world of Internet Marketing, this is free advertising.
For Signatures the things you want to consider are:
*
1. Always add a signature because they work great and are absolutely free.
*
2. Depending on who you are sending an email message to, have multiple signatures you choose from.
*
3. Make sure you are including a signature for each and every email, whether it is personal or business.
*
4. Make the signatures work for you. Be aggressive, and if you have a landing page, drive every email to that so you can capture them in your autoresponder sales cycle.
*
5. Only have one link for them to choose from and make them want to go to it.
2. Links:
In Google PageRanks, Google looks at the popularity and keyword ranking of a website in order to determine where it appears in the searches. This could be as great as page 1, or anywhere after that. Most links occur in the following manner:
*
1. Word of Mouth, referrals from friends, promote in the bottom of your email
*
2. Free Link Exchange Program - This is where you go through the Internet in search of appropriate sites compatible to your industry, and offer to list their website, if they list yours. Time consuming, but free.
*
3. Affiliate Links - If you have the type of product that can be sold by others, where they make a percent of the sale, make sure they set up a website link back to your site. They will also have a page on your site with a unique identifier so that the sale can be traced back to them. This is a great way to not only increase your links, but get your product out there faster.
* 4. Purchased Links
* 5. Testimonial Links
* 6. Articles
* 7. Press Releases
The ultimate key with links is you want a site that has content similar to yours, they are credible in what they do, and they are in the same keyword area you are. That way it will benefit extensively.
3. SEO -Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or Keyword Optimization
SEO is a fancy way of saying make sure your web pages, titles, meta tags, and descriptions, and your page content contain the key words you want to appear in for your particular market. When considering your Internet marketing strategy, make sure you optimize your pages for keywords.
Many people rush off to Google and Yahoo and do pay per click campaigns (we'll get into these at a future date), but forget to use the old-fashioned free route of making sure each web page really uses these tools.
I have visited so many sites, and randomly checked to see if they use them, and they don't. This is a missed, free opportunity at 'true rankings' improvement.
Now it can take a while for search engines to start to notice you, and this is where Pay Per Click programs come into play, when you want a fast rank while the search engines start to take notice of you. But if you haven't optimized your page, that time will never come.
Getting your site listed for the keywords you want on the major search engines is a key to receiving the traffic increase.
When putting together the content for your page, remember that content is a major difference to appearing on page 1 or page 15 on the searches. Have your keywords appear as much as you can.
Then make sure your title has a keyword phrase you would enter if looking for your site, and that your meta description is a nice sentence about what your site is (and contains your keywords), and the meta keywords (contains your keywords.) With all 4 of these elements considered, you will have taken a big step in creating a relationship with the search engines.
4. Message and Social Boards - Make posts on relevant message boards and Social sites.
Make sure the posts are informative and not direct advertisements. In other words, post on message boards related to your site and offer the other viewers real advice and information to solve a problem. Make sure you are including a signature on each post that holds a link to your website.
5. Articles
The rule of thumb is create 10 articles for your industry, and get them out there fast. Then you can sit back and wait for the reaction. One of the best ways to promote you, your company, and your products or services is to give information away, with no strings attached. There are hundreds of free article submission sites and ezine lists on the Internet, with tons of sites hungry for free content.
As long as your article provides readers with useful information and are not for the purpose of selling, sites will accept them for publication. In turn, they will then make those articles available for reading--and for publication--for anyone else browsing their article sites. Free exposure for you. Articles have real power when it comes to traffic generation. You can use products such as ArticleSubmitter Pro, or go to each site you want and upload for free.
Then, another little tip is you add your article to your blog. This creates activity at your blog, and another link opportunity, back to your website which should be a landing page.
6. Press Releases - A press release is information supplied to reporters or media that is an official statement or account of an event that is specially prepared and issued to make known to the public.
It is generally done when you have a newsworthy event such as a new product, website, grand opening, upcoming event, new product feature - but whatever is going on, the key is to write about it, and let everyone know through a press release.
The success of press releases comes back again to links. These are a great way to get links back to your site. You don't get the meaty 'author or resource box' that you do in an article, but it can ultimately appear on some really great sites.
Any aspect of your business that is interesting or unique should be added to the Internet The Internet is one of the largest and easiest ways to get news out there, fast. There is a press release format, although each website has their own instructions that you should follow to increase your chances of being accepted, and being successful. When planning your press release, consider the headline, sub-headline or summary paragraph, and then the actual body of the article.
There are tons of free services out there, but a few you can get going with right away are:
www.free-press-release.com
www.prleap.com
www.i-newswire.com
All of the above are free methods of generating traffic to your website. By implementing them, you will have the opportunity to enjoy a surge in traffic, without any cost. Now you just need to convert them with your site.
"Starbuck Man"
Randy Flaherty
Starbuckman@gmail.com
Contact: powerman297@hotmail.com
Contact: 320-239-4537 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 320-239-4537 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
It's seems the mighty grail of the Internet is capturing traffic that is relevant to our site. Without traffic, we are carrying no real expectations of earning money or customers. When putting your website strategy together, you will need to remember that it isn't just about the site, but what happens next. The traffic, and the conversion of traffic to visitors. If you construct a website to sell products, services, or promote affiliates , with the hopes of generating an income, traffic is of the utmost importance.
Each of these warrant their own article, which I will also do, but to help guide you in general, the following are the top five FREE ways to drive traffic to your website:
1. Signature Files:
They say, "There's no such thing as a free lunch", but by using your email signatures, that simply isn't true. Signatures are those little messages that appear at the bottom of your email. Typical examples are your name, email address, company and position, but in the world of Internet Marketing, this is free advertising.
For Signatures the things you want to consider are:
*
1. Always add a signature because they work great and are absolutely free.
*
2. Depending on who you are sending an email message to, have multiple signatures you choose from.
*
3. Make sure you are including a signature for each and every email, whether it is personal or business.
*
4. Make the signatures work for you. Be aggressive, and if you have a landing page, drive every email to that so you can capture them in your autoresponder sales cycle.
*
5. Only have one link for them to choose from and make them want to go to it.
2. Links:
In Google PageRanks, Google looks at the popularity and keyword ranking of a website in order to determine where it appears in the searches. This could be as great as page 1, or anywhere after that. Most links occur in the following manner:
*
1. Word of Mouth, referrals from friends, promote in the bottom of your email
*
2. Free Link Exchange Program - This is where you go through the Internet in search of appropriate sites compatible to your industry, and offer to list their website, if they list yours. Time consuming, but free.
*
3. Affiliate Links - If you have the type of product that can be sold by others, where they make a percent of the sale, make sure they set up a website link back to your site. They will also have a page on your site with a unique identifier so that the sale can be traced back to them. This is a great way to not only increase your links, but get your product out there faster.
* 4. Purchased Links
* 5. Testimonial Links
* 6. Articles
* 7. Press Releases
The ultimate key with links is you want a site that has content similar to yours, they are credible in what they do, and they are in the same keyword area you are. That way it will benefit extensively.
3. SEO -Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or Keyword Optimization
SEO is a fancy way of saying make sure your web pages, titles, meta tags, and descriptions, and your page content contain the key words you want to appear in for your particular market. When considering your Internet marketing strategy, make sure you optimize your pages for keywords.
Many people rush off to Google and Yahoo and do pay per click campaigns (we'll get into these at a future date), but forget to use the old-fashioned free route of making sure each web page really uses these tools.
I have visited so many sites, and randomly checked to see if they use them, and they don't. This is a missed, free opportunity at 'true rankings' improvement.
Now it can take a while for search engines to start to notice you, and this is where Pay Per Click programs come into play, when you want a fast rank while the search engines start to take notice of you. But if you haven't optimized your page, that time will never come.
Getting your site listed for the keywords you want on the major search engines is a key to receiving the traffic increase.
When putting together the content for your page, remember that content is a major difference to appearing on page 1 or page 15 on the searches. Have your keywords appear as much as you can.
Then make sure your title has a keyword phrase you would enter if looking for your site, and that your meta description is a nice sentence about what your site is (and contains your keywords), and the meta keywords (contains your keywords.) With all 4 of these elements considered, you will have taken a big step in creating a relationship with the search engines.
4. Message and Social Boards - Make posts on relevant message boards and Social sites.
Make sure the posts are informative and not direct advertisements. In other words, post on message boards related to your site and offer the other viewers real advice and information to solve a problem. Make sure you are including a signature on each post that holds a link to your website.
5. Articles
The rule of thumb is create 10 articles for your industry, and get them out there fast. Then you can sit back and wait for the reaction. One of the best ways to promote you, your company, and your products or services is to give information away, with no strings attached. There are hundreds of free article submission sites and ezine lists on the Internet, with tons of sites hungry for free content.
As long as your article provides readers with useful information and are not for the purpose of selling, sites will accept them for publication. In turn, they will then make those articles available for reading--and for publication--for anyone else browsing their article sites. Free exposure for you. Articles have real power when it comes to traffic generation. You can use products such as ArticleSubmitter Pro, or go to each site you want and upload for free.
Then, another little tip is you add your article to your blog. This creates activity at your blog, and another link opportunity, back to your website which should be a landing page.
6. Press Releases - A press release is information supplied to reporters or media that is an official statement or account of an event that is specially prepared and issued to make known to the public.
It is generally done when you have a newsworthy event such as a new product, website, grand opening, upcoming event, new product feature - but whatever is going on, the key is to write about it, and let everyone know through a press release.
The success of press releases comes back again to links. These are a great way to get links back to your site. You don't get the meaty 'author or resource box' that you do in an article, but it can ultimately appear on some really great sites.
Any aspect of your business that is interesting or unique should be added to the Internet The Internet is one of the largest and easiest ways to get news out there, fast. There is a press release format, although each website has their own instructions that you should follow to increase your chances of being accepted, and being successful. When planning your press release, consider the headline, sub-headline or summary paragraph, and then the actual body of the article.
There are tons of free services out there, but a few you can get going with right away are:
www.free-press-release.com
www.prleap.com
www.i-newswire.com
All of the above are free methods of generating traffic to your website. By implementing them, you will have the opportunity to enjoy a surge in traffic, without any cost. Now you just need to convert them with your site.
"Starbuck Man"
Randy Flaherty
Starbuckman@gmail.com
Contact: powerman297@hotmail.com
Contact: 320-239-4537 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 320-239-4537 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
THE OPRAH SHOW "10 Practical Ways to Increase Your Abundance"
THE OPRAH SHOW
"10 Practical Ways to Increase Your Abundance"
***Just wanted to share this with you and my followers.***
Have you ever had your abundance levels evaluated? Get your on-the-spot abundance rating with Dr. Robert Holden's Abundance Test, which will help you examine 10 areas of your life—self, relationship, goals, money, receiving, giving, purpose, forgiveness, gratitude and presence. Once you have your score, get the exercises you need to help you get and give the most in life!
Self: I love and accept myself.
Your self-acceptance score sets your "personal allowance" for how much happiness, success and love is possible and how much is "too good to be true." Your allowance determines how much good fortune you can identify with before you start telling yourself "good things like this don't happen to people like me." As your self-acceptance score increases, the more good fortune you will allow yourself to notice, accept and enjoy.
When your self-acceptance score is low, you tend to forget that abundance is natural, and you start to believe that good fortune has to be deserved, earned and paid for. When good things happen to you, you feel guilty, anxious and afraid, because deep down you believe something deeply illegal or blasphemous has happened. You quickly set about "paying the bill" by making sacrifices, working harder, apologizing everywhere, pushing away love, rejecting the joy and sabotaging the success. Thus, for as long as you do not accept yourself, you will always want more than you let yourself have.
Exercise: Self-acceptance feels so good that you should try it at least once in your life! At the deepest level, self-acceptance is the awareness that you are what you seek. The love you hope to find in the world is what you are made of, and the happiness you are searching for is your true nature. Today, be willing to accept the idea that love is here because you are here, and happiness is here because you are here, and hope is here because you are here. Affirm to yourself, "I am what I seek."
Next: The power of connection
Relationship: I feel connected, and not alone.
To feel truly abundant for the rest of your life, do this one thing first: Give up all sense of separateness. Despite how it looks or how you may feel right now, you are not a separate self, you are not an island, and you are not alone. As you let go of thoughts of separateness—described by scientist Albert Einstein as "optical delusions"—your perception changes, and so, too, does your experience of the world. Once you were lost, and now you are found. Grace is at hand. Inspiration is here. All manner of help and support is available to you.
Exercise: If you want more energy, more inspiration, more creativity, more aliveness, more joy, you have to connect. First connect with yourself. Failure to do so will leave you feeling like something is missing in your life. Eventually, you will come to realize that what is missing is you! Next, connect with others. Ask yourself, "Who would I like to spend more time with?" Social studies show that people who invest in a rich "circle of friends" are twice as likely to feel very happy and abundant.
Your abundance score will increase as you extend your sense of connection to include the sun, the stars, the sea and the trees. Too many of us suffer from what author Richard Louv calls "a nature-deficit disorder." Mother Nature offers a perfect holding environment that helps to restore us to our unconditioned selves. Most important of all is our connection with the original energy that created us. In my favorite book, A Course in Miracles, it is written, "A sense of separation from God is the only lack you really need to correct." Amen to that.
Next: Know what you want
Goals: I know what I want.
Contrary to what the advertising copy writers tell us, the goal of your life is not to have it all. Nor is it to have everything. As the comedian Steven Wright said, "You can't have everything. Where would you put it?" Your goal is not just to accumulate. You are not a consumer. You are not here on Earth just "to get." If you think only in terms of "getting," you have clearly forgotten who you really are, and you'll always be haunted by a mistaken sense of inner lack.
Most of the people I meet are not broken, they do not need fixing and there is nothing missing in them. My experience is that they don't need more therapy, but they do need more clarity. In particular, they need to get clear about what they really value. Until we know what our real values are, we will not be able to discern between genuine desires and advertising slogans. The Sufi poet Hafiz put it very well when he said:
"Learn to recognize the counterfeit coins
That may buy you just a moment of pleasure,
But then drag you for days
Like a broken man
Behind a farting camel."
Exercise: Reflect on the statement, "I know what I want." How true is this for you? Sit with this until you are at least a little bit clearer than before about what is the real more you want and why. Your new found clarity will save you so much time, so much energy and so much unnecessary heartache. Notice also that knowing what you want isn't just about "having" and "doing," it's also about "giving" and "being." When you know what you want, you stop wanting more of everything else.
Next: Realize that money isn't everything
Money: I have a healthy relationship to money.
Rich people seldom feel rich. They do not perceive themselves to be rich. In a Gallup poll, the average person judged that 21 percent of people, approximately one in five, are in the "rich" bracket. And yet not even one-half of 1 percent of people put themselves in that bracket. In other words, only one person in 200 can identify with the phrase "I am a rich person." Most people relate to terms like "rich," "wealth" and "abundance" as something you eventually experience when you finally, one day—you hope—enjoy something more than what you have now.
Rich people often feel poor. "When they are asked how much income they need, richer people always say they need more than poor people," writes Lord Richard Layard, the British economist. In his book Happiness: Lessons from a New Science, Lord Layard collated research on the economics of happiness back to the early 1970s. He writes: "Although real income per head (corrected for price inflation) has nearly doubled, the proportion of people who say they are pretty well satisfied with their financial situation has actually fallen."
Exercise: Money is important in life, but if you are to enjoy a truly healthy relationship with money, you have to be clear about what is even more important than money. The real truth is that you can't buy what you really want. True love is not for sale. Real happiness cannot be bought. Peace of mind is not a commodity. To increase your abundance score immediately, try this great exercise: Make a list of 10 things in your life that are priceless to you and that money cannot buy. This powerful exercise will open your eyes to how rich your life already is.
Next: Are you a good receiver?
Receiving: I am a good receiver (in all areas of my life).
Are you a good receiver? Do you drink life in? Do you let people give to you? Can you let the good times roll? When it comes to letting life be really great, what's your threshold? What's your fear?
There are no shortages, only a lack of willingness to receive. Receptivity works on three levels. Level 1 is about being open to what wants to come to you. This openness makes you attractive, in that it helps you to attract great things. Level 2 is about recognizing what is already here. Many of us overlook what is already here because we are poor receivers. Level 3 is about appreciating the natural qualities of our true nature—our secret beauty, our eternal loveliness, our innate wisdom and our human kindness.
Exercise: Take a personal inventory in which you identify at least three ways you limit your own happiness and abundance. Notice how you are depriving yourself of nourishment, inspiration, joy and aliveness. Make a resolution to stop being so mean to yourself. And be willing to let life give to you, so you can give yourself more fully to life. Reflect also on what my friend Dr. Chuck Spezzano says: "When the receiver is ready, the gift appears."
Next: Give unconditionally
Giving: When I give, I give unconditionally.
Has it ever occurred to you that what you are not getting—either from someone, something or somewhere—might be precisely what you are not giving? For example, your boss doesn't motivate you, but do you motivate your boss? Your partner doesn't compliment you, but do you compliment your partner? Your child never listens to you, but do you really listen to your child? Really? You are held back not by what you don't get, but by what you don't give.
Do you ever feel you give too much? If so, it may be that you are blocking abundance by being in a role. Roles are often so unconscious and automatic we often don't notice them until we collapse with exhaustion. So, what roles do you fall into in relationships? Do you ever play "the giver" who only gives and never receives; or "the helper" who suppresses any personal needs; or "the independent one" who never asks for what they want; or "the rescuer" who is always on duty; or "the martyr" who cannot really give unconditionally because they do not really receive?
Exercise: Today, do not think in terms of giving and receiving; rather, see that giving is receiving. Notice the difference between giving from your essence and giving from a role. From your essence, giving is always sharing and the gifts are multiplied. In a role, giving is always a transaction in which someone inevitably loses. When you give from your essence, you notice how you receive as you give, and, thus, you naturally let go of all fear of giving and receiving.
Next: Why it's important to have a strong sense of purpose
Purpose: I enjoy a strong sense of purpose.
The most abundant people I know are committed to a strong sense of purpose. Having a purpose helps you to feel good about yourself. It connects you to something bigger than your ego, helps you to recognize what is truly valuable, inspires you (more than money ever can), opens you up and makes you want to give and to serve in a way that you feel truly blessed. Without a strong sense of purpose, you can still get by, but you might not feel very alive, except for when you go shopping for more shoes and stuff.
Exercise 1: What would you say if someone was to ask you, "What is the purpose of your life?" Notice your response to this question. If you are not clear on your answer, you need to take some time to work this out. If you need some more help on this, I recommend you read my piece, "What Do You Want to Do with Your Life?" The clearer you are about your purpose, the more abundant you will feel.
Exercise 2: To discover the purpose of your life, you have to "let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love," the poet Rumi said. Asking yourself, "What do I love?" will help to clarify what energizes you, what touches your heart and what inspires you. As you answer the call to what you love, you will naturally feel more alive and more deeply engaged with life. You will also experience a greater sense of direction, meaning and fulfillment.
Next: Don't carry grievances
Forgiveness: I don't carry grievances.
Grievances often seem justified at the time, but ultimately they cost too much: They are not worth the upkeep, and they cannot give you want you really want.
The first step in moving beyond grievances is to realize that a grievance is not a solution. It offers nothing of value to you. A grievance keeps you stuck in the past, and until you let go of the grievance, you will keep giving away your future to the past. The good news is that your whole life shifts whenever you give up a grievance. As soon as you let go of a grievance, you move into the present, your life begins to flow again, you are more open, you attract new possibilities and a new story unfolds.
Exercise: Make this your affirmation today: "Forgiveness offers everything I want." One of my favorite lessons in A Course in Miracles begins: "Do you want peace? Forgiveness offers it. Do you want happiness, a quiet mind, a certainty of purpose, and a sense of worth and beauty that transcends the world? Do you want care and safety, and the warmth of sure protection always? Do you want quietness that cannot be disturbed, a gentleness that never can be hurt, a deep, abiding comfort, and a rest so perfect it can never be upset? ... All this forgiveness offers you, and more."
Next: Practice gratitude daily
Gratitude: I practice gratitude daily.
Everyone understands, at least intellectually, that gratitude is essential for happiness and abundance. That said, most of us do not make a conscious habit of practicing gratitude daily. Instead, we reserve gratitude for after something especially good happens. The problem with this is that, because we don't practice gratitude regularly, we often miss all the good things as they happen! Our lack of gratitude gives us only partial sight, and we lack a full appreciation of what is available to us.
Practicing gratitude is really a decision to give up all belief in lack. The miracle of gratitude is that it changes your perception, it changes your brain and it changes your experience of the world. Gratitude is a training in vision that helps you recognize what is already here for you. Gratitude energizes you. Gratitude opens you up. Gratitude makes you attractive. The more you practice gratitude, the more abundant you will feel. Why? Because like attracts like; and practicing gratitude attracts more reasons to be grateful.
Exercise: Your abundance score will increase if you commit to practicing gratitude on a daily basis. To get started, say out loud 10 things you are truly grateful for. Notice what this feels like to hear yourself say it. Are you having fun? Does it feel silly? Any resistance to doing this exercise is really a temptation to keep holding on to your old stories of lack, unworthiness and separation. Keep going. And keep doing it. The gift of gratitude is that it helps you to enjoy your life as it happens, here and now.
Next: Be fully present in your life
Presence: I am fully present in my life.
Our modern lifestyles are so manic, busy and hyperactive that we often have no time to enjoy our lives. In maximizing our efforts to pursue happiness, chase success and accumulate wealth, we miss out on life as it happens. We are so focused on "going" and "doing" and "having" that we settle for getting through the day instead of living and loving each day. Life becomes such a blur and the busyness is so chronic that it is almost impossible to locate ourselves in our own lives. We hope we might catch up with ourselves some time in the future.
Every authentic school of wisdom and spirituality teaches you that now is the most abundant moment of your life. They all agree that now is an eternal treasure chest dripping with everlasting gifts of peace, inspiration, grace and joy. And since time began, spiritual teachers have taught their students to "be here and now," to "enjoy the moment" and to "seize the day." And every spiritual student has repeatedly disregarded his or her teacher's wisdom—at first.
Exercise: One way to be more present in your life is to stop "doing," "going" and "having," and pay more attention to "being." How does this work? Well, you can start right now, by deciding "to be" more of what you want to experience. For example: If you want more love, be more loving; if you want to receive more, be more open; if you want to feel more abundant, be more grateful; and if you want to enjoy your life more, be more present.
By being more of who you really are,
you manifest more of what you really want.
Not sure how abundant you are? Take the abundance test!
Robert Holden, PhD, and his innovative work on happiness and well-being have been featured on The Oprah Show and Good Morning America and also in two major BBC documentaries, The Happiness Formula and How to Be Happy, shown to more than 30 million TV viewers worldwide. He is the author of the best-selling books Happiness NOW!, Shift Happens! and Success Intelligence. His latest book, Be Happy, is published by Hay House. Robert lives in London with his wife and daughter.
Is your life abundant? What do you need to do to feel more abundance in your life? Share your comment below.
Keep Reading More from Dr. Holden:
Not sure how happy you are? Take the quiz!
10 scientifically proven methods to increase your happiness
6 exercises to find your life's purpose
How to be happy—even when times are tough
MORE TOP STORIES
Take Action! 10 Ways to Increase Your Happiness
Dr. Robert Holden shares 10 ways to make yourself happier.
READ MORE
Take the Abundance Test
Here's your chance to take a test that not only gives you an on-the-spot abundance rating, but also gives you 10 practical ways to start increasing your abundance right away.
READ MORE
Eckhart Tolle on the Beauty of Today
Best-selling author Eckhart Tolle writes about the beauty of living in and celebrating the present moment.
READ MORE
The Object of My Affection
Martha Beck's advice to help you avoid and deal with the narcissists in your life.
READ MORE
The Best
"Starbuck Man"
Randy Flaherty
Starbuckman@gmail.com
Contact: powerman297@hotmail.com
Contact: 320-239-4537
"10 Practical Ways to Increase Your Abundance"
***Just wanted to share this with you and my followers.***
Have you ever had your abundance levels evaluated? Get your on-the-spot abundance rating with Dr. Robert Holden's Abundance Test, which will help you examine 10 areas of your life—self, relationship, goals, money, receiving, giving, purpose, forgiveness, gratitude and presence. Once you have your score, get the exercises you need to help you get and give the most in life!
Self: I love and accept myself.
Your self-acceptance score sets your "personal allowance" for how much happiness, success and love is possible and how much is "too good to be true." Your allowance determines how much good fortune you can identify with before you start telling yourself "good things like this don't happen to people like me." As your self-acceptance score increases, the more good fortune you will allow yourself to notice, accept and enjoy.
When your self-acceptance score is low, you tend to forget that abundance is natural, and you start to believe that good fortune has to be deserved, earned and paid for. When good things happen to you, you feel guilty, anxious and afraid, because deep down you believe something deeply illegal or blasphemous has happened. You quickly set about "paying the bill" by making sacrifices, working harder, apologizing everywhere, pushing away love, rejecting the joy and sabotaging the success. Thus, for as long as you do not accept yourself, you will always want more than you let yourself have.
Exercise: Self-acceptance feels so good that you should try it at least once in your life! At the deepest level, self-acceptance is the awareness that you are what you seek. The love you hope to find in the world is what you are made of, and the happiness you are searching for is your true nature. Today, be willing to accept the idea that love is here because you are here, and happiness is here because you are here, and hope is here because you are here. Affirm to yourself, "I am what I seek."
Next: The power of connection
Relationship: I feel connected, and not alone.
To feel truly abundant for the rest of your life, do this one thing first: Give up all sense of separateness. Despite how it looks or how you may feel right now, you are not a separate self, you are not an island, and you are not alone. As you let go of thoughts of separateness—described by scientist Albert Einstein as "optical delusions"—your perception changes, and so, too, does your experience of the world. Once you were lost, and now you are found. Grace is at hand. Inspiration is here. All manner of help and support is available to you.
Exercise: If you want more energy, more inspiration, more creativity, more aliveness, more joy, you have to connect. First connect with yourself. Failure to do so will leave you feeling like something is missing in your life. Eventually, you will come to realize that what is missing is you! Next, connect with others. Ask yourself, "Who would I like to spend more time with?" Social studies show that people who invest in a rich "circle of friends" are twice as likely to feel very happy and abundant.
Your abundance score will increase as you extend your sense of connection to include the sun, the stars, the sea and the trees. Too many of us suffer from what author Richard Louv calls "a nature-deficit disorder." Mother Nature offers a perfect holding environment that helps to restore us to our unconditioned selves. Most important of all is our connection with the original energy that created us. In my favorite book, A Course in Miracles, it is written, "A sense of separation from God is the only lack you really need to correct." Amen to that.
Next: Know what you want
Goals: I know what I want.
Contrary to what the advertising copy writers tell us, the goal of your life is not to have it all. Nor is it to have everything. As the comedian Steven Wright said, "You can't have everything. Where would you put it?" Your goal is not just to accumulate. You are not a consumer. You are not here on Earth just "to get." If you think only in terms of "getting," you have clearly forgotten who you really are, and you'll always be haunted by a mistaken sense of inner lack.
Most of the people I meet are not broken, they do not need fixing and there is nothing missing in them. My experience is that they don't need more therapy, but they do need more clarity. In particular, they need to get clear about what they really value. Until we know what our real values are, we will not be able to discern between genuine desires and advertising slogans. The Sufi poet Hafiz put it very well when he said:
"Learn to recognize the counterfeit coins
That may buy you just a moment of pleasure,
But then drag you for days
Like a broken man
Behind a farting camel."
Exercise: Reflect on the statement, "I know what I want." How true is this for you? Sit with this until you are at least a little bit clearer than before about what is the real more you want and why. Your new found clarity will save you so much time, so much energy and so much unnecessary heartache. Notice also that knowing what you want isn't just about "having" and "doing," it's also about "giving" and "being." When you know what you want, you stop wanting more of everything else.
Next: Realize that money isn't everything
Money: I have a healthy relationship to money.
Rich people seldom feel rich. They do not perceive themselves to be rich. In a Gallup poll, the average person judged that 21 percent of people, approximately one in five, are in the "rich" bracket. And yet not even one-half of 1 percent of people put themselves in that bracket. In other words, only one person in 200 can identify with the phrase "I am a rich person." Most people relate to terms like "rich," "wealth" and "abundance" as something you eventually experience when you finally, one day—you hope—enjoy something more than what you have now.
Rich people often feel poor. "When they are asked how much income they need, richer people always say they need more than poor people," writes Lord Richard Layard, the British economist. In his book Happiness: Lessons from a New Science, Lord Layard collated research on the economics of happiness back to the early 1970s. He writes: "Although real income per head (corrected for price inflation) has nearly doubled, the proportion of people who say they are pretty well satisfied with their financial situation has actually fallen."
Exercise: Money is important in life, but if you are to enjoy a truly healthy relationship with money, you have to be clear about what is even more important than money. The real truth is that you can't buy what you really want. True love is not for sale. Real happiness cannot be bought. Peace of mind is not a commodity. To increase your abundance score immediately, try this great exercise: Make a list of 10 things in your life that are priceless to you and that money cannot buy. This powerful exercise will open your eyes to how rich your life already is.
Next: Are you a good receiver?
Receiving: I am a good receiver (in all areas of my life).
Are you a good receiver? Do you drink life in? Do you let people give to you? Can you let the good times roll? When it comes to letting life be really great, what's your threshold? What's your fear?
There are no shortages, only a lack of willingness to receive. Receptivity works on three levels. Level 1 is about being open to what wants to come to you. This openness makes you attractive, in that it helps you to attract great things. Level 2 is about recognizing what is already here. Many of us overlook what is already here because we are poor receivers. Level 3 is about appreciating the natural qualities of our true nature—our secret beauty, our eternal loveliness, our innate wisdom and our human kindness.
Exercise: Take a personal inventory in which you identify at least three ways you limit your own happiness and abundance. Notice how you are depriving yourself of nourishment, inspiration, joy and aliveness. Make a resolution to stop being so mean to yourself. And be willing to let life give to you, so you can give yourself more fully to life. Reflect also on what my friend Dr. Chuck Spezzano says: "When the receiver is ready, the gift appears."
Next: Give unconditionally
Giving: When I give, I give unconditionally.
Has it ever occurred to you that what you are not getting—either from someone, something or somewhere—might be precisely what you are not giving? For example, your boss doesn't motivate you, but do you motivate your boss? Your partner doesn't compliment you, but do you compliment your partner? Your child never listens to you, but do you really listen to your child? Really? You are held back not by what you don't get, but by what you don't give.
Do you ever feel you give too much? If so, it may be that you are blocking abundance by being in a role. Roles are often so unconscious and automatic we often don't notice them until we collapse with exhaustion. So, what roles do you fall into in relationships? Do you ever play "the giver" who only gives and never receives; or "the helper" who suppresses any personal needs; or "the independent one" who never asks for what they want; or "the rescuer" who is always on duty; or "the martyr" who cannot really give unconditionally because they do not really receive?
Exercise: Today, do not think in terms of giving and receiving; rather, see that giving is receiving. Notice the difference between giving from your essence and giving from a role. From your essence, giving is always sharing and the gifts are multiplied. In a role, giving is always a transaction in which someone inevitably loses. When you give from your essence, you notice how you receive as you give, and, thus, you naturally let go of all fear of giving and receiving.
Next: Why it's important to have a strong sense of purpose
Purpose: I enjoy a strong sense of purpose.
The most abundant people I know are committed to a strong sense of purpose. Having a purpose helps you to feel good about yourself. It connects you to something bigger than your ego, helps you to recognize what is truly valuable, inspires you (more than money ever can), opens you up and makes you want to give and to serve in a way that you feel truly blessed. Without a strong sense of purpose, you can still get by, but you might not feel very alive, except for when you go shopping for more shoes and stuff.
Exercise 1: What would you say if someone was to ask you, "What is the purpose of your life?" Notice your response to this question. If you are not clear on your answer, you need to take some time to work this out. If you need some more help on this, I recommend you read my piece, "What Do You Want to Do with Your Life?" The clearer you are about your purpose, the more abundant you will feel.
Exercise 2: To discover the purpose of your life, you have to "let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love," the poet Rumi said. Asking yourself, "What do I love?" will help to clarify what energizes you, what touches your heart and what inspires you. As you answer the call to what you love, you will naturally feel more alive and more deeply engaged with life. You will also experience a greater sense of direction, meaning and fulfillment.
Next: Don't carry grievances
Forgiveness: I don't carry grievances.
Grievances often seem justified at the time, but ultimately they cost too much: They are not worth the upkeep, and they cannot give you want you really want.
The first step in moving beyond grievances is to realize that a grievance is not a solution. It offers nothing of value to you. A grievance keeps you stuck in the past, and until you let go of the grievance, you will keep giving away your future to the past. The good news is that your whole life shifts whenever you give up a grievance. As soon as you let go of a grievance, you move into the present, your life begins to flow again, you are more open, you attract new possibilities and a new story unfolds.
Exercise: Make this your affirmation today: "Forgiveness offers everything I want." One of my favorite lessons in A Course in Miracles begins: "Do you want peace? Forgiveness offers it. Do you want happiness, a quiet mind, a certainty of purpose, and a sense of worth and beauty that transcends the world? Do you want care and safety, and the warmth of sure protection always? Do you want quietness that cannot be disturbed, a gentleness that never can be hurt, a deep, abiding comfort, and a rest so perfect it can never be upset? ... All this forgiveness offers you, and more."
Next: Practice gratitude daily
Gratitude: I practice gratitude daily.
Everyone understands, at least intellectually, that gratitude is essential for happiness and abundance. That said, most of us do not make a conscious habit of practicing gratitude daily. Instead, we reserve gratitude for after something especially good happens. The problem with this is that, because we don't practice gratitude regularly, we often miss all the good things as they happen! Our lack of gratitude gives us only partial sight, and we lack a full appreciation of what is available to us.
Practicing gratitude is really a decision to give up all belief in lack. The miracle of gratitude is that it changes your perception, it changes your brain and it changes your experience of the world. Gratitude is a training in vision that helps you recognize what is already here for you. Gratitude energizes you. Gratitude opens you up. Gratitude makes you attractive. The more you practice gratitude, the more abundant you will feel. Why? Because like attracts like; and practicing gratitude attracts more reasons to be grateful.
Exercise: Your abundance score will increase if you commit to practicing gratitude on a daily basis. To get started, say out loud 10 things you are truly grateful for. Notice what this feels like to hear yourself say it. Are you having fun? Does it feel silly? Any resistance to doing this exercise is really a temptation to keep holding on to your old stories of lack, unworthiness and separation. Keep going. And keep doing it. The gift of gratitude is that it helps you to enjoy your life as it happens, here and now.
Next: Be fully present in your life
Presence: I am fully present in my life.
Our modern lifestyles are so manic, busy and hyperactive that we often have no time to enjoy our lives. In maximizing our efforts to pursue happiness, chase success and accumulate wealth, we miss out on life as it happens. We are so focused on "going" and "doing" and "having" that we settle for getting through the day instead of living and loving each day. Life becomes such a blur and the busyness is so chronic that it is almost impossible to locate ourselves in our own lives. We hope we might catch up with ourselves some time in the future.
Every authentic school of wisdom and spirituality teaches you that now is the most abundant moment of your life. They all agree that now is an eternal treasure chest dripping with everlasting gifts of peace, inspiration, grace and joy. And since time began, spiritual teachers have taught their students to "be here and now," to "enjoy the moment" and to "seize the day." And every spiritual student has repeatedly disregarded his or her teacher's wisdom—at first.
Exercise: One way to be more present in your life is to stop "doing," "going" and "having," and pay more attention to "being." How does this work? Well, you can start right now, by deciding "to be" more of what you want to experience. For example: If you want more love, be more loving; if you want to receive more, be more open; if you want to feel more abundant, be more grateful; and if you want to enjoy your life more, be more present.
By being more of who you really are,
you manifest more of what you really want.
Not sure how abundant you are? Take the abundance test!
Robert Holden, PhD, and his innovative work on happiness and well-being have been featured on The Oprah Show and Good Morning America and also in two major BBC documentaries, The Happiness Formula and How to Be Happy, shown to more than 30 million TV viewers worldwide. He is the author of the best-selling books Happiness NOW!, Shift Happens! and Success Intelligence. His latest book, Be Happy, is published by Hay House. Robert lives in London with his wife and daughter.
Is your life abundant? What do you need to do to feel more abundance in your life? Share your comment below.
Keep Reading More from Dr. Holden:
Not sure how happy you are? Take the quiz!
10 scientifically proven methods to increase your happiness
6 exercises to find your life's purpose
How to be happy—even when times are tough
MORE TOP STORIES
Take Action! 10 Ways to Increase Your Happiness
Dr. Robert Holden shares 10 ways to make yourself happier.
READ MORE
Take the Abundance Test
Here's your chance to take a test that not only gives you an on-the-spot abundance rating, but also gives you 10 practical ways to start increasing your abundance right away.
READ MORE
Eckhart Tolle on the Beauty of Today
Best-selling author Eckhart Tolle writes about the beauty of living in and celebrating the present moment.
READ MORE
The Object of My Affection
Martha Beck's advice to help you avoid and deal with the narcissists in your life.
READ MORE
The Best
"Starbuck Man"
Randy Flaherty
Starbuckman@gmail.com
Contact: powerman297@hotmail.com
Contact: 320-239-4537
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)