Today at a networking meeting I heard the story–from a financial adviser I respect and love dearly–about a conversation she had with a potential client whose wife believes in the theory that the universe (or God, the Creator of the universe and everything in it) will deliver whatever she wants merely by putting her intention out there. The husband, by contrast, wants to ensure their financial future during their retirement years by planning and investing so their later years will be secure.

During the course of my financial adviser friend’s explanation, the reputation of the universe got slimed as the wife’s theory was soundly derided and scoffed at–which made me want to defend the universe, since I know that what the wife was saying is, in essence, valid–to a point!   Beliefs and intentions matter because matter itself–the stuff the universe is made of–responds to them. This is not a theory but a proven fact. 

But you can’t just put in your order to the universe (or God): This almost-limitless power to manifest isn’t a cost-free vending machine that takes orders and delivers desired results ONLY to the people who believe most fiercely in its benevolence and in its ability to deliver.

People sitting in recliners and doing absolutely nothing else but putting in orders to the universe to make them healthy, wealthy and wise are kidding themselves.

Daydreamers are the complete opposite of DO-dreamers, people who actively pursue the result that they want to see in their lives.

DO-dreamers don’t ever ask for no-strings-attached hand-outs; they also do what’s required to show the universe that they’re actively invested in attaining whatever they want by partnering  in the process.

I’m all for believing that the universe which sustains us all is in the business of manifesting stuff– that’s pretty obvious: look at all the stuff it’s manifesting that we can see with the naked eye, which is a mere fraction of what it’s doing!  Beyond the naked eye, it’s manifesting galaxies, and in places so small that only electron microscopes can see it, the universe is manifesting the energies and synergies that bend to human and (dare I say?) plant and animal needs and desires.

As Henry Ford famously said about the human mind, “Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’re right!” We succeed according to the quality and vibrational energy of our thoughts and intentions: if we believe we can succeed in an endeavor and are eager to dedicate our time and energies to actively pursue it, we usually will achieve it; if we believe we can’t succeed in the same endeavor, we probably won’t because our energy patterns and the way they influence matter at the sub-atomic level will dictate lackluster results.

So bless the wife who believes the universe will take care of her needs without her having to stress over it or lift a finger or write a check–and bless the husband, who wants to plan for the future by writing some checks and having a financial adviser help him figure out a prudent way forward!  The fellow wants to mitigate against risk (I hope out of love more than out of fear); the lady wants the universe to know that she has faith in it to know her needs now and in the future and that it will provide for her. (No fear there–just pure, childlike love and trust!)

The problem is that unless both the husband and the wife do something to actively endorse their positions–not just think about them but actually do something–the universe won’t receive their intentions with enough certainty to know what they want manifested and, if any doubt or fear enter the picture on either of the stances they’ve taken, it won’t know what to do with the dichotomy and may deliver something that neither party believes they asked for–but did ask for in some way emotionally or mentally, usually subconsciously.  The universe also responds to subconscious fears but doesn’t recognize “Don’t want.”  So if the wife (or the husband) is saying, “I don’t want to be broke” because she (or he) powerfully imagines being penniless at the end of their lives, someone is operating from fear and the message the universe will get is “I see myself  broke!” because the envisioning that results is so vivid and powerful! The universe does its level best to deliver what we focus on for ourselves–for good and for ill.

This is why it’s crucial to make sure your conscious and subconscious minds agree on the way forward. If they don’t, the subconscious mind will win every time because it’s 400 times more powerful than the conscious mind. It calls the plays. Those who operate out of fear usually attract what they fear; those who operate out of faith and positivity usually attract what they want.

To find out how to align your conscious and subconscious mind, I recommend John Assaraf’s Brain-A-Thon, a 6+-hour explanation of the brain’s ability to align itself over a period of time so that people can achieve the success that has eluded them because of the subconscious imprinting of self-limiting beliefs that so many of us received as children before we knew how to separate the wheat from the chaff and believed everything we were told about ourselves and our abilities.

The Brain-A-Thon starts at noon Pacific Time every Saturday. Here’s the link: http://www.yourbrainathon.com/