The word success, deriving from the Latin language, meaning the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like, can have many definitions. People have been striving for success all of their lives. Some succeed, some fail – but there is always some level of success one can take credit for, if one tries. 

Success takes time and focus, persistence and perseverance, as well as a mindset that does not waiver. I think, however, we need to look deeper into the chambers of our hearts to find what success truly means to each of us, individually. First, let us ask the most valid questions: What am I looking for in life? What is it that will make me feel complete? Is it a career in a certain medical field or entertainment industry? Or is it a meaningful relationship that I desire most? Would I like to raise children or travel the world? Is having money a big part of my sense of being successful? There are uncountable responses to these questions, and again a very personal, individual viewpoint, for sure.

We accomplish tasks, small or large, all the time. We are trained to achieve our daily chores and we can call those accomplishments successful. But that isn’t really the gist of it. True success is the fulfillment of our life’s purpose. We can see that looking from this perspective we still have work to do; lots of diligent mental work. Our life’s purpose shall be a worthy cause. Again, it does not matter what this purpose is. We don’t have to be famous or someone extremely educated. But we have to make our lives worthy by being good and loving, helpful and kind. We must contribute to the Allness of Good.

Raising kind and respectful children is success. Living a healthy life style is success. Loving all people you come in contact with is success. Being able to choose your vocation as you please is success.

Passion for what we do, be it a teacher or handyman, a plumber or a clerk, will make us valuable. Being of service and connected to a higher cause or calling, by exuding good energy, will attract a wonderful and pleasant life. We will be operating in a higher frequency with better results.
 
True long term success requires your heart to be open and receptive. We must make sure that we don’t forget the vital point of keeping our focus on love. Whatever our choice of vocation, or life style, true success is a mindset. It is driven by the knowledge that we can achieve all we want to achieve; it is pure hunger for the achievement of the goal.

So remember, it is up to us to label success. Our dream fulfilled is true success. We don’t have to run after success, but we must live it and know that we cannot be any other way than successful, as it is the law of the universe.

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It occurred to me while reading, as I usually do in the early morning hours, that if I took any book and rewrote it in my own words, it would not only sound different, it would also reflect a different sense; my sense or perception of things. The words would take on my mental meaning and this new meaning or mental sense imbued by me, would penetrate your thoughts as you are reading the material.
 
Not only is our DNA, our fingerprints or eye recognition different, but also our communications style. Our word choices and individual denotation of words vary from each other. No individual is alike and the individual sense we personally put into writing a letter, blog, or manuscript, can be felt by the reader. However, it doesn’t stop here - each reader will also perceive the written message differently.

Out of billions of people- I, as well as you, have a specific style of the spoken word, our ‘verbal ID’. My sense, my communication ability is in my mind. You have your own. We possess a particular style of speaking, a specific set of vocabulary, even a tone of voice that contributes to our verbal ID.

As a writer I am very grateful for the English language. This language is expressive and full of word choices. Even though it is my second language, with German being my first, I communicate easier in English (verbally and in writing), because the German language has less vocabulary and is a more straight forward, harsher language. It is black and white. No talking around the bush, no softening of the tone. Still, all languages with their vastness of words, since they are the verbal expressions of people, souls, have a mental meaning when spoken. And this individual expression I call our ‘verbal ID’ – speaks to who you are, literally.

(Excerpt of "Forever...and 365 Days" by ULRIKE)

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When talking about peace I am not just speaking about world peace, I am speaking about the peace within. The fact is that in order to contribute to the grand vision of world peace we have to find our individual inner harmony first. Today’s world struggles with conflict of all kinds. Wars, civil unrests, internal battles, and personal hostilities are on the daily agenda. We cry for a solution to the problem, but we overlook the obvious: We must heal ourselves first.

How do we start? What must we know in order to contribute to the change? The primary facts are: Life in itself is intelligent, and we, as part of this intelligence, are composed of this primal substance. We are complete within ourselves. However, we have allowed ‘reacting’ to outer circumstances rather than acting rightly about them, and therefore have lost this natural peaceful demeanor. The fight is not outside of us, it is within. And we reflect our internal turbulence, echoing it into the Universe.

“In the last analysis, life is found to be nothing but sense”, is stated by one of the great metaphysicians William W. Walter in the early 1900’s. Life, boiled down, hidden behind the veil of all perception, leaves a purely mental essence. Truth, Life is mental.

However, most people confuse self-knowledge with knowledge. Humankind, and their egos, assume that being knowledgeable means to also know your “self”. This is not so. Many intellectuals, men of great earthly knowledge, act from their ego-consciousness and do not know themselves at all. The true essence of the person remains hidden. Ego does not allow Spirit to shine. Ego is threatened by Truth. The ego is a peace-disturber, a troublemaker. It wants more and more, it doesn’t stop or find satisfaction, as it looks to outside pleasures instead of within.

The inherent and characteristic goal of unfoldment and growth, striving to expand, is fully misunderstood by the ego-mind. It sees this task as an accumulation of material riches and status, worldly powers you might say. However, the spiritual mind knows that the unfoldment of self consists of the humble awakening of Truth within. We have to expand our minds beyond our five senses. To truly ‘sense’ is to go beyond your accustomed limited perception. Mind always seeks to know and to expand its awareness. We all have the gift. We are all blessed with the same potential and abilities. We just have to start using these gifts.
 
Our work is to observe this inner sensing that is going on at all times. Can we accept ourselves as the dynamic, powerful, yet peaceful Soul we are? Or do we see ourselves as struggling, confused, and always in a hectic state? Where is our inner peace? What happened to this natural harmonious disposition?

Let us begin, step by step, and one day at a time. Because, once we have mastered this inner harmony we can start sowing the seeds to include our surroundings and loved ones. Once we have found this stillness and calm within, it will naturally and effortlessly contribute to a grander picture. It will spread easily, and flow with the natural current of the Universe. It will certainly contribute to a better life and manifest into world peace, as we are part of Collective Consciousness, which is connected to the All-mighty Universal Source.

“About 50,000 youth in the U.S. sleep on the street for six months or more. Homeless youth face unique developmental challenges and vulnerability. They are easy prey on the streets, clinging on to anyone that gives them a feeling of “belonging.” Many times this leads to drug abuse, prostitution, and in some cases, death. The United States homeless statistics reports that approximately 50% of all homeless women and children are fleeing some form of domestic violence.

How many in Hollywood? According to the Institute for the Study of Homelessness and Poverty at the Weingart Center, an estimated 254,000 men, women, and children experience homelessness in Los Angeles County during some part of the year and approximately 82,000 people are homeless on any given night. Unaccompanied youth, especially in the Hollywood area, are estimated to make up from 4,800 to 10,000 of these.

Behind the glamour and fame that surrounds Hollywood there is a growing population of homeless youth never discussed in the tabloids or recognized at any of the Hollywood awards ceremonies. These kids and teens, mostly runaways, come to this luring city to “make it big.” With dreams and ideas, but no common sense, and even less education, they end up lost. You find them sleeping next to the marble stars, laid on the Walk of Fame, a hard concrete reality.

You, as a parent, have to appeal to education first, no matter how scarce the financial situation in your household. Learning is everything. Teach them how to balance a check book, show them how to manage money first. It’s amazing how many people are ignorant to basic accounting and day to day spending habits. Train your children from early age on to become responsible adults, and investors of the future of this country.

Hollywood is not bad in itself. It is a beautiful city and a wonderful place to live, if you are grounded and mature. There are two “realities,” two perceptions, which is the glamorous world of TV and movies and the neighborhood next door. It’s been thirty-one years since I first came here and I call myself a true “Hollywoodian.” There are many good people in this town, quite normal (yes, normal is in the eye of the beholder) and hardworking, like the rest of the country.

What’s the difference between Hollywood and other cities? The difference is the perception of people, which, as we know, creates what you experience. More affluent people live in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and Hollywood area than in the rest of the country. The economy is driven by movie making and TV production. Most of the population, myself included, draws a paycheck from an entertainment industry related company. But you have to be shrewd and careful. Again, it’s all perception. You can get away with printing business cards with a swanky address to give an impression of grandeur, but many work out of their cars or small homes. The iPhones, laptops and internet access make it all possible.

I have worked for, and with, the rich and famous for many years. I have enjoyed many of the experiences and I have loathed some of them. However, I am fully aware of the fact that life here is not what it looks like. And in 2011 I have made a conscious decision to live according to Truth and Universal Laws, letting go of the glitz and glamour. I came to the full realization that I have to look at the important and real things, and not the false and illusory.”

(Excerpt of “Forever…and 365 Days” by ULRIKE)

What is the difference in the mental in regards to men and women? Why do we females think and react differently, what are our issues, and what are our strengths? Better yet, what makes us so resilient and strong?

Many studies suggest, and psychologists have proven, that women are better communicators, nurturers, and caretakers. Men’s strength is to mostly rule with their intellect, they reason with fewer emotions, and are more controlled in many situations. However, this is not a psychology paper or medical research study. This is a purely metaphysical look at our differences in the mental; an examination of the female mind and the difference between the male and female element. So the question I ask today is: What does this difference mean to the metaphysician? How does this seeming diversity relate to our thoughts and our daily experiences?

Our consciousness contains the male and the female element. When used in mind the elements are also called ‘reason’ and ‘feeling’. The male element or reasoning ability does the analytical chores, while the female element or feeling ability does the nurturing, loving, and reacts emotionally. We, both men and women, are comprised of both elements; however, we express what we have ‘more off’. I am a woman because I have more of the female element present, a man has more of the male element, and so forth.

This excerpt of my book “…because you can!” will explain the connection in a more traditional way. The chapter is called: “What does marriage represent in the mental?” 

The concept of marriage in the mental represents the blending together of the male and female elements in mind. This is not a physical action, but a mental one. It takes the male and the female elements, knowing and feeling, to create anything. What is made, or appears in the visible world, was first conceived in the mental, nurtured by good thoughts, and born through our conclusion or conviction, which is a feeling of certainty.  It is a visible picture of our conscious thoughts and desires.

The birth of a child is also the visible expression of this mental process. The observable symbol of earthly marriage is the coming together of a man and woman to create more life. As we explored earlier we are all composed of the male and female elements. We are a complete whole, and we give birth to more wholeness, physically and mentally. We are multiplying life into its visible form. The focal point of our journey is to unfold and gain an understanding of the truth of life. This includes how the creation or birth process works.

So how does the male and female element affect our daily lives? Our thoughts are the creators of our experiences. We can think as many good and right thoughts as we want to, but - unless we feel these thoughts as true, we will not manifest our desires.
Feeling is the mother of all creation. Giving birth does not only mean giving birth to children to replenish the earth, it also means giving birth to ideas and everything that exists in our wonderful realm. Everything you see is a specific idea and was conceived by a thinker. It was not only conceived, but also nurtured and carried in mind until it was time for the idea to be born and manifested into this world. It could only be born if a feeling of certainty, the conviction that ‘it is so’ was reached. This full understanding of the specific idea brought forth the experience, or manifestation.

I’d like to point out why being the “mother” or feeling/ female element is most important. Our children are thought children or ideas, as mentioned earlier. Babies born, reflect life’s urge to express more of itself – which could not be done without the feeling/ female element, hence woman. If we would only use the male element, the idea of birth would be trapped, just sitting there as an idea in mind, conceived by reason or the male element, but not brought to fruition. 

The reflection or picture in the material world shows forth as the male being equipped with all of his potential, yet trapped without a female to produce more life. At this stage he would not be able to create more life of his own. Even though reason, thoughts, potential, the male element, comes first - the feeling of certainty necessary to generate the final creation of all, including more life, must be present. This process clearly shows that life consists of both, male and female –elements – as neither could produce without the other.

A baby’s sex is determined at the point of conception, depending on the dominant mental element present. This is a progressive idea and most likely will meet with some resistance. But I have observed this concept over many years. When I first read about this discovery I was pregnant myself and I was not surprised that we produced a son. Again, these are metaphysical theories and not backed up with medical studies.

Remember, the All-Power, Universal Intelligence, created all things from within. They are not created from nor are they of the material world. All creatures and things stem from this godly source and are projected out into the visible world. However, the substance of you, us, and all things remain of Universal Intelligence and are of mental origin.

In my world, there is only me and my sense of me. In your world, there is only you and your sense of you. No one knows how you feel and what you think deep down in your heart, not even your family or closest friends. Your feelings, emotions, and thoughts are your own; they are your secret.

I therefore ask of you: Don’t see yourself as being a man or woman. Don’t buy into being black or white, or whatever color your skin exhibits. Do not think that your sexual orientation is who you are. Do not use the country of your birth as your identity.

All of these are only perceptions. They label you to act one way or another. See yourself as a mentality, a soul. Free yourself of the sense of racial, cultural, and sexual limitation. Act as the free Spirit you are. Your soul does not have a specific color or race; it is not only a man or a woman. It contains ALL. As it so beautifully says in The Course in Miracles: “I am not a body. I am free.  For I am still as God created me.”

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