Hi Dien and Everyone!

Thank you so much for writing of my take on abundance. Its amazing, I set up themes for each month....August was "Intentional Abundance" and I really created an awareness of Abundance in my life.

This month, my theme is Plentiful Harvest. Believe me y'all, its working. I have been harvesting, reaping after many months of sowing, almost to the point where it is unbelievable! The one common thread is that I took time in laying a foundation, and now I am getting the reward. I never stopped living abundantly....I always believed in abundance and gratitude, and now it is paying off so I am abundant in even more ways.

I wrote an article in August I entitled Intentional Abundance....I will post it here, so you can get a feel for what Dien and I were talking about in our ICQ conversation last week.

Intentional Abundance
(c) 2000
by Julie Jordan Scott

Intentional Abundance. Sounds peacefully rich, doesn't it? It
is also my theme for this month. On Saturday, when I
mindmapped my plans for the month, "Intentional Abundance" was
birthed with both speed and clarity. By creating a theme to filter
the rest of the month through, I am upping the ante towards
living with intention and abundance as unique partners.

Merriam Webster has a two-fold definition of "Themes". The
first is more from the scientific, or logical method of thinking: "a
specific and distinctive quality, characteristic, or concern" while a
secondary definition embraces the artistic side: "a melodic subject
of a musical composition or movement" yet for our purposes, the
"Monthly Theme" concept is a combination of the two.

To be intentional, one must be purposeful. Deliberate. Focused.
Yet in my mind, intentional also has a spirit of not forcing oneself,
while including a spirit of flow. My favorite quotes from one
of my very favorite philosophers, Henry David Thoreau, goes like
this: "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately,
to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn
what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that
I had not lived." Thoreau wanted to be sure that he lived life as
he was meant to live, so he went and lived separately from the
rest of the world for a time.

How I express living intentionally is quite different from my
Nineteenth Century counterpart. In my situation, being intentional
means to seek out relationships being sure it is a quality
relationship rather than simply another person to engage in
mindless conversation.

Being intentional means being aware, alert, and alive towards
the possibilities. All of the possibilities, and then taking action
towards them.

Hearing the word "abundance" brings content smiles to most
people's faces, whether describing an abundance of home baked
chocolate chip cookies, an abundance of quality time with those
we care about the most or the abundance of financial wealth in
various holdings. Abundance means being whole, being full, being
fulfilled no matter the context.

Mindmapping on Abundance as I set forth to create the context
for this month, I noted what areas of my life could be exponentially
higher quality if I looked through the filter of abundance. My
map illustrates Freedom (enlarged social support system, fully
equipped office, automobile, home, and bank accounts) Service
(More shared resources, Active Networking) and Organization
(Greater use of Virtual Assisting, Coherent and Awesome follow
up mechanism in place, Workable schedule).

Intentional Abundance embraces both systems and creative flow.
It recognizes the incredible freedom that comes from discipline. It
embraces the joy that arises when we are able to focus on that
which we should be focused, possibilities rather than focusing on
the lack in our lives.

What is your Theme for this month? Be Abundant. Be
Intentional. Live Passionately, Today.

*******
Today I went to Target to pick up some items (it is a store similar to Wal-mart, where you can buy everything from pet supplies to garden tools, to clothes, to videos, etc etc. and I thought to myself "Eighteen months ago I had no idea how I could work at home. Now I am not only working from home, I am working from home successfully." *sigh* It warmed my entire person!

Have an abundant, passionate day everyone!

JULIE




Where Passion and Abundance Reigns!