Achievements and possessions will never make you happy. They can, however, serve as tangible expressions of the happiness you have chosen to create within yourself.

Do you feel that something is missing in your life? Most likely, the only thing really missing is your commitment to fully accept and live the abundance that is already there.

That abundance comes to you in the people, places, things, events and situations that flow through your life each day. The way to connect with it is through sincere and sustained gratitude.

Be truly thankful for it all, for the ups and the downs, the pleasures and the pains, the progress and the setbacks. Joyfully accept what is, and you'll surely find it is a great place to be.

My beautiful gardens are very inspiring and condusive to meditation. I teach classes of yoga and meditation in the courtyard. You are invited to stop by anytime for the classes or just to watch my students and me do our relaxing routines.

Act as if you are serious about attaining your dream. Walk, talk, and act enthusiastically, creating a single-minded attitude of success toward the results you desire.

The warrior knew that it was not his sword that struck. Striking the opponent was achieved through a state of mind and attitude. Armed with the ultimate weapon of concentrated confidence, the warrior wielded a total presence. Adopt this warrior mindset. The attitude you hold about yourself decides your destiny.

One of America's pioneering psychologists, William James, said that the greatest discovery is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind. What he advocated was that if you act as if you are what you want to be, then you will become that.

This "act as if" principle is a powerful method of converting your consciousness from conditioned habits into specific positive behaviors that will not allow you to be defeated by your own self-destructing, negative feelings. By deciding to take control of your inner thoughts and attitudes, by engaging positive convictions and emotions, you go out into the world traveling the glorious path of will, a remarkable odyssey where positive attitude cultivates positive action, delivering you to that oh-so-special place where your dreams are waiting to have you, unless you say something that pushes them away. Because words can do that. You need to be alerted to that fact that your words, your inner chatter absolutely can uplift or diminish. One of the great schisms of empowering your dream is that your words influence your beliefs, your beliefs influence your behaviors, and your behaviors influence the results that orbit your life.

Research has determined that we are constantly talking with ourselves, even though we are not conscious of this running internal dialogue that fills our head. This steady stream of self-speak is our ongoing encounter with the things we see, hear, and experience, stimuli that is translated into words that become patterns of conditioning and thought. This self-speak can be positive and empowering, or negative and defeating. Either way, it is what generates our emotions and activates our behaviors. Words are not just words. They are inner directives flowing just under our surface of awareness.

Your ongoing mission is to become aware of your self-speak so you can recognize and rechannel the stream that is running your feelings and behaviors. The ancient text of the I Ching uses the imagery of Wind over Water, which suggests that the rippling waves reflect all the moods of the skies. Watch your words, for it is your self-speak that creates your experience and helps you crest.

You must be master of your mind rather than be mastered by your mind.