The more I practice thinking positively, the more exciting results I get in my life experience. Below are a few strong examples of how thought direction pays off in big ways.

1. The power of pre-paving
Also known as segment-intending, pre-paving is the act of deciding what you want to get out of an experience before you go into it. Each and every time I prepare for a situation by setting a few intentions, the experience goes exactly as I want it. It doesn't have to take a long time or be specific. On a drive to a meeting or event, Kelly and I will ask each other what we want from it. Our answers vary, but often include "I want this experience to improve my mood. I want this to unfold perfectly. I want to have fun. I want this to feel effortless."

2. The power of pivoting
Being able to pivot from a negative thought to a positive thought is exactly how you keep a good mood going. When you are able to stop a negative thought from attracting more negative thoughts, you can maintain a positive vibration which will net you positive experiences.

Mantras are very useful for pivoting. If you have a negative thought, you don't have to find a positive thought about the same subject to feel better. You can think any thought that feels good. Some mantras I like are:

• I say yes to what is.
• This is the main event.
• My mood is my work.
• Is that what you want?

Thinking "is that what you want?" is particularly effective, because it reminds me in the moment that my thoughts are creating and I had better choose a thought I like if I want to attract the experiences I desire.

3. The power of appreciation
My universal grocery list has got to be my best invention ever. Ever since Kelly and I started filling one out every day, we've noticed a huge boost in our mood and in manifestations. Finding things to appreciate about our lives has the following benefits:

• When I appreciate things I already have, the value of those things increases. Additionally, when I appreciate, my own value increases.
• It is extremely energizing to find things I already have that I like. When I focus on all the reasons my life is already awesome, I feel excited and eager to find more. Appreciation is a cumulative good like exercise - instead of using caffeine or stimulants to artificially increase my energy, appreciating increases my energy and gives me more stamina for tomorrow.
• Speaking of stamina, practicing appreciation is like a workout for your mind. It's thrilling to fill out a whole list of things I like about my life, and when I'm done, I feel spent, like I just worked out. Every day I work on appreciating, the more I'm able to appreciate the next day. It truly feels like mental exercise.
• By keeping a physical list of things I like, I've been able to start using the worksheet as a "good idea collector". I put EVERYTHING, every thought I like, on that list. At the end of the day, I see how many thoughts are actually useful ideas for my creative work.
• The more I focus on the things working out for me, the more I notice things working out for me. Not only do I notice more, but I start to see how things are working. I get to learn how to be a cooperative component. I get to see the laws of the universe illustrated in my daily life.

4. The power of inside jokes
Ever notice that when you have a funny inside joke that you talk about all the time, you start seeing weird coincidences related to the joke in your life? Kelly and I always have a bunch of jokes that we like repeating to each other all the time, and we always notice that we start seeing those jokes play out in our life experience. When you have an idea that you focus on that makes you feel good with humor, it starts reflecting in your reality. Take note of your inside jokes and focus on the ones you want to manifest!

5. The power of desire
Learning how to get what you want really does come down to a pretty specific method. Think about what you want, let it go, and feel good. But sometimes you don't know what you want, or what you want comes with too many negative thoughts. The real trick here is to find a way to think about what you want that you have no resistance to. Think about what you want in a way that you can actually believe you'll get it. Think about what you want in terms of next logical steps - does your desire seem like something that you can actually see happening? The more comfortable you are with your desire, the more likely you are to receive the manifestation.

When I hit on a desire that I really want, and that I can totally see happening in my near future, I call it my "biggest wish". I collect these biggest wishes, relish how good it feels to think about them, then try to forget them. That is when I see the most obvious evidence of my power–when I have a strong, specific desire, no negative thoughts about it, and it manifests in a matter of days or hours. It makes life SO FUN! :D