The rest of the story....

Well, the plumber just left.

When he emptied the main drain, he found a 4-inch piece of wood.

Apparently a worker must have dropped it, kicked it, whatever, in there during construction. The sewerage was slowly backing up until...the inevitable happened. The washing machine was draining, and when there was no place for the water to go, it went to the next avaialable outlet -- the toilet.

Yikes.

At least that problem is solved...and the head of customer service with this builder is coming to do a walk-through with us on Thursday. None of our punch list stuff got done since closing, so that will be addressed on Thursday as well.

And so it goes...I'm still open to whatever lesson presents itself from this...

Maybe the lesson is that we should be sending our laundry out instead of doing it ourselves...

You Get What You Focus On....Always

I'm a bit perplexed right now.

I've just gathered every towel I own (probably about 40 or so, at least) to sop up a soggy mess, and I think I may know exactly how I attracted this.

But let me back up a bit.

For the past month or so, I've consciously focused on "ease and flow."

Things have certainly come naturally, but now I realize that lately I've used that same phrase (ease and flow) in my affirmations, but I haven't given any energy, attention or focus to the what that looks like. In other words, I've been requesting and affirming ease and flow, but I haven't been visualizing what that means to me, in real life.

So it's really no surprise that I had a plumbing issue in my newly constructed home (it's been 6 weeks, if you're keeping track).

As I often preach to you -- we must be specific in what we request.

I requested flow, I got flow. All over my very expensive hardwood floors, as a matter of fact.

And it's so bizarre how it happened, really. I still can't get my head around it.

I was in the kitchen (thank goodness - I had just been outside with my family, watching the sun set over the Rocky Mountains from our upper deck, and I came inside to start dinner). While fixing some rice on the stove, I heard gushing water.

I assumed something must be wrong with my washing machine, as I had tossed in a load of laundry just a little while earlier.

Imagine my surprise to see water GUSHING from my powder room toilet -- not from the tank, but from the bowl itself.

That's right -- WARM water was flowing up and out of my toilet.

I ran out to the deck to inform my husband and then ran back to find every towel I could get my hands on. He immediately came inside, turned off the water and got on the phone with the warranty company.

Yikes. There was at least an inch of water on my floor. And since the builder didn't seal the caps around the pedestal sink, there was also water in my basement. Fortunately, we haven't yet started construction to finish out that basement yet. I'd be pretty ticked if I was replacing carpet down there on top of all else!

Not exactly what I feel like dealing with while 7 months pregnant, but since I am committed to total personal responsibility, I've got to take a look and see what part I've played in this...and what lesson is to be learned.

After the initial shock, what came next was gratitude. Thnak goodness we were home (can't tell you how many times I toss in a load of laundry on my way out the door). Thank goodness I was inside and heard it. Thank goodness our basement wasn't finished. Thank goodness my husband was home. (I don't even know how to turn off hte water to the house...but this is probably a good time to learn). Thank goodness everyone was safe. Thank goodness we have a warranty. Etc etc etc.

After gratitude came the sense of "what now"? Fortunately, hubby took care of that. Getting a plumber out tonight to take care of things ASAP, etc.

Then there was that curiosity of "why did I attract this?"

What came to me immediately was the fact that I've been so focused on ease and flow. And I've brought so much water into my house -- lava lamp, tabletop fountain -- just today I bought a wall fountain too (it isn't even installed yet). I think on some level, I gotta look at whether or not I've got a good balance of the elements in this house (see Feng Shui).

So there's some things for me to look at there.

Now for the million-dollar question. What's the lesson to be learned?

Well, considering all this just happened less than an hour ago, I haven't quite figured that out yet.

What's coming to mind first and foremost is being specific in what I'm requesting.

So for the time being, I'm changing my affirmation to "ease and velocity."

In the meantime, we'll see what else comes up and I'll keep you posted.

And here is your QoD:

Are you truly willing to take total responsibility for every aspect of your life? Where are you reluctant to take responsibility? Consider that an intensely valuable lesson could be learned if you're willign to explore these areas to see why you're creating whatever you're creating.

Go for it! and stay dry....

Turn, turn, turn...turn over a new leaf

Since I lived in New ORleans my whole life (except for the past year, since Katrina), I never really appreciated fall. All fall meant to me was a brief week or two of spectacular weather. Other than that, there was no changing of leaves, no playing in piles of leaves, (no having to rake the yard!) and no real excitement around Halloween either.

Now, everything is different.

I can't help but marvel as the leaves change color -- it happens so fast! I swear, I can drive down teh same street 3 times a day adn notice a difference in color. The other morning, I woke up and the tree in our front yard had changed from green to yellow overnight.

This may not seem like a big deal to someone who grew up with a change in seasons, but to a little gal from New Orleans, it's a fascinating observation. In fact, we're planning to head up to the mountains for a few days, to see the changing aspens. Gorgeous.

Are you wondering what this has to do with success?

I thought you'd never ask.

Let me see if I can narrow it down to 3 key lessons I'm learning from the advent of fall.

1 - Things change fast. Really fast. There's no time to fret over days gone by, or "the way things used to be." If you waste time doing that, you'll miss the next batch of changes. This is all about hanging on for the ride.

2 - Life moves on, with or without you. It boggles my mind when I think of how much time I wasted, telling myself that I couldn't be taken seriously as a writer without experience, a degree in journalism, or age. So silly! All it took was for me to change my mind -- turn over a new leaf, if you will -- and now people come out of the woodwork, wanting to hire me to write for them. Life kept going, kept sending me those nudges, those little messages, and I was all caught up in the Ego and wondering whether or not I was good enough.

If you're wondering that about yourself right now, let me save you some time and heartache: YOU ARE PERFECT, WHOLE AND COMPLETE, right now in this moment. Whatever you think you want to do, go for it NOW because life will move on and seasons will change whether you take action or not. So you might as well get the most out of this roller coaster ride we call LIFE.

3 - Abundance is all around us. It's everywhere -- you can't help but see it when you look. Think about it this way: how many leaves are on one tree? How many trees are in a single forest? How many forests are in the United States? How many forests are in the entire world? How many leaves does that equate to, really? NOW to really blow your mind -- remember how many leaves were on a single tree? Well, consider how long a tree lives (mighty oak trees can live more than 100 years) and think about the fact that every single autumn, each tree will lose all its leaves and RE-GROW them each spring. Now how many leaves do you think have existed since hte beginning of time?

What a mind trip.

And just think -- we're only talking TREES. We're not even talking about fish in teh sea, stars in the sky, or blinks of an eye. Abundance is everywhere -- we are swimming in it. And some of you are whining about money. For pete's sake, it's RIGHT THERE -- as much as you need. Just name it and claim it and find yourself a more interesting game to play.

(and if you're thinking "but HOW do I do that?" then stay posted because I've got something coming down the pike that is really gonna rock your socks.)

So enjoy this changing of the seasons, will you? and be happy and abundant and free and take massive, massive action. OK?

You can start with this Question of the Day:

What is an area of your life where you'd just love to turn over a new leaf? What is stopping you from taking that leap of faith? What will happen / where will you be NEXT fall, if you don't take action and do something different now?

Here's one example of a change you could make.

Go for it!!!

Parenting as Mutual Entertainment

Maybe it's my pregnancy hormones, maybe it's life with a 2 1/2 year old and another on the way, maybe it's just my continuous evolution as a human being, but I have a new perspective on parenting lately.

It seems that things in my parenting world go extremely well as long as I remember that my child and I have a mutual (yet unspoken) agreement that we are here for the entertainment of the other.

Sure, some parents may disagree with me, arguing that the role of a parent is to instill discipline and order, and to attempt to raise a decent human being.

As I so often do, I will once again disagree with the common opinion of society.

So to the disciplinarian parent, I say RUBBISH! Just chill out already.
To the ever-teaching parent, I remind: are you learning something too?
To the authoritative parent, I ask: are you reminding your child to challenge authority?
To the ever-nurturing parent, I enquire: are you remembering to be playful?
To the irresponsible parent, I simply ask you to wake up.

As far as I can tell, successful parenting is an art, not a science.

If I look at parenting as though perhaps there's something I can learn from my kids and perhaps there's something they can learn from me, the pressure is off.

It makes life a lot easier...easier to discipline with patience and care. Easier to teach without preaching. Easier to consider that that tiny soul may be wiser than I am (in some ways). Easier to remember to play in addition to nurturing. Easier to be the parent I'm capable of being.

I believe that parents and children come together not by chance but by choice. Yes, I realize this is getting a bit farther "out there" than I usually tend to be in this particular blog, but I feel called to share the message.

Perhaps just one of you needs to hear this.

So there you go.

At any rate, my little miracle is ready for her dinner, so it's time to fix something to eat with love and joy. Thank heaven for little girls.

And here is your QoD:
What can you do differently when you find yourself short on patience with the children in your life? Will you take the time to see what lesson YOU can learn in any challenge?

You DON'T Want to Miss THIS...

I know I've been talking about my upcoming FREE teleclass with Michael Losier, but perhaps I haven't properly clarified how much you'll want to be there.

Here's some of the stuff we're going to cover:

The secret to my success
The secret to Michael's success
Why your affirmations may not be working as well as you'd like them to work
Using the Law of Attraction to build your business
The 3 little words that are sabotaging your positive thinking and forward efforts
And much more...

Michael and I could easily sell admission to this class for $30-$50 or more, but we've decided to give back, so the class is completely FREE and our gift to you.

Please note -- we have literally had hundreds of people signing up for this class, but only 300 people will be admitted to each call so if you've already registered, be sure to dial in a few minutes early on Wednesday. If you haven't yet registered, DO IT NOW - click here. http://newsuccess.org/attraction.html

You'll want to have a pen and paper handy to take some notes during hte call -- both Michael and I talk pretty fast!

Some people have been emailing me, asking when the dial-in codes will go out -- if you have registered, you'll get the dial-in codes later TODAY.

See you on the "Success and the Law of Attraction" call on Wednesday!

--Amy

P.S. I nearly forgot your QoD: If you haven't yet registered for this call, what is holding you back? Long distance fees? Lack of time? Procrastination? Imagine if Michael adn I can show you a way to eliminate concern over all 3 of these things, but all YOU gotta do is get yourself on that call! Go for it!

I Know I'm Sappy, But I Gotta Be Me...

OK, I can't help it. I tear up and get all misty-eyed whenever I hear a John Denver song. I know it's sappy, but I'm just being authentic here.

And I get this way even when I'm NOT pregnant. But yes, emotions seem a bit enhanced when the hormones are raging.

At any rate, "Rocky Mountain High" can really make me break down. Damn, I love that song. I always have, even though I never had any desire to live in/near/among mountains.

And who would have thought that I'd be here in fabulous Castle Rock, living in my brand new home with sweeping mountain views of the Rocky Mountain Front Range? Heck, I never thought I'd ever live in a small town either (growing up in New Orleans) and now that I've been here a year, I can't imagine living anywhere else.

It kind of makes me wonder...

Since I used to listen to John Denver all the time, implanting those songs in my brain, my memory and my soul...was it a foregone conclusion taht I would end up living so close to the Rocky Mountains? and so near to Denver?

Yeah, this Law of Attraction stuff can mess with your head if you get too deep into it.

But it's definitely possible.

Perhaps my higher self knew I was destined to live this fabulous life, in this fabulous place, with fabulous people, among fabulous scenery. But my humble beginnings were keeping me stuck for awhile -- stuck in New Orleans, and stuck among thoughts and deep beliefs of lack, limitation and longing.

Now here I am at the tender age of 33, living in a 4,000 square foot home, married to my soul mate, with one perfect child and another on the way, headed to Hawaii in a couple of weeks and planning a two-month $50,000 adventure back to the intriguing country of Australia this summer.

Man, life is good.

If you're reading this thinking "no, life isn't so good" well stay tuned buddy, because I have got news for you.

This go-round, you got 1 shot at this amazing life, so you better make it count. Things didn't start to get "good" for me until about 2 years ago, when I opened my mind to possibility. My life didn't really start rockin until Katrina rocked my world a year ago.

But you don't have to wait for a natural disaster (or a near-death experience) to make a shift. You can choose it. Right now.

If you want to create something other than what you've got right now, be sure to listen to my free teleclass on Wednesday. Michael Losier (Law of Attraction maven) and I are putting together a one-hour class on Success and the Law of Attraction.

Finally, you'll learn the secret of MY success. And then you can have it too. Or wahtever else you want.

Seriously, life can be this good. (Or better. I'm just getting warmed up.)

Major, major, major developments ahead for New Success, the Grant Galaxy and Amy Scott Grant. Aren't you glad you hopped on board for the ride?

Hang on to your bobby socks...and get ready to F L Y !!!

and before you get too far off the ground, here is your QoD:

What would you do right now (and I mean RIGHT NOW) if there were no obstacles? If time, money, health adn energy were NO issue, what would you be planning next for this strange and wonderful life you've been given?

NEWS FLASH: Time, money, health and energy are no issue. So get started planning it RIGHT NOW.

Go for it!!!

Success and the Law of Attraction -- FREE TELECLASS

Well, it's finally time to let you in on the big secret.

Michael Losier and I are presenting a free one-hour teleclass on Success and the Law of Attraction on September 13. Details are here.

If you would like to promote this call to your friends or a list of subscribers, shoot me an email and I'll be glad to send you some copy for your ezine, newsletter or email campaign.

HOWEVER, I will tell you that there are only 300 spots for this free call, so if you want to listen in to secrets of success and the law of attraction, you'd better go here to register.

http://newsuccess.org/attraction.html

QoD: Have you marked your calendar for September 13th? It's gonna be your lucky day...

http://newsuccess.org/attraction.html