Here’s an exercise ….

Fill in the blank as many times as you want to:

It’s My Life and I’ll _________________ if I Want to…….

I hope you chose to fill in the blanks with some wonderful words like: love, prosper, experience joy, succeed, thrive, be relaxed… for once again we see our friend CHOICE. Choice is essence of prosperity. We either choose to see the glories and the wonders of prosperity in our life as it exists, or we choose to disregard what is there to want “other”, “different”, “more”.

The gift of true prosperity is the wonderment of wealth in the world surrounding you and it is not measured in dollars or galleons. True prosperity gives us the feeling we are wealthy on all levels and it fills our heart up so much, we simply have to give, which then inspires greater and greater prosperity in our lives. Whether it be our smile or our help, whether is $10 or $10,000, whether it is one hour a month or one day a week, that which we give from our hearts flows back into our lives with doubtless certainty in the form of even more prosperity.

Once a student came to see Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan) and complained of so many problems. Yogi Bhajan asked him to write down each of his problems. When he was finished his list had 20 different problems written out. Yogi Bhajan then directed him to go out the next day and get a list of 30 problems other people have. He came back with a list of 70! And he said, I didn’t realize it before, but now I understand that it is our focus, how we look at things, that makes us think our lives are full of problems instead of blessings.

So, take a moment to reflect on the inherent prosperity in your life. When your heart is so filled up with gratitude and joy at the prosperity you have, create a plan to give back. Some of many choices:

Offer time at a local youth center, a place of worship or a hospice.

Organize a neighborhood clean up (or just start cleaning up on your own).

Give back in thanks by tithing. Support organizations like Dasvandh, which teach about spiritual lifestyle and practices.

As Goethe wrote, “Until you are committed, there is hesitancy… Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” Choice is the essence of true prosperity. It’s your life and you’ll enjoy true prosperity if you want to!