What shows up in our lives is a direct reflection of our inner thoughts and emotions. Pam Grout

As you know by now, my intention for Experiment #5 was guidance for the direction I should go with my writing. I'd  been toying with the idea of selling advertising space on my garden site, Maine Garden Ideas. I'd even gone so far as working on a price list and creating some sample ads, but I wasn't sure whether I should go through with it or not. I hadn't mustered up the courage to approach businesses, yet.

Yesterday, during the raging blizzard I suddenly noticed an increase in 'likes' on my Maine Garden Ideas Facebook page. When I set my intention, I had 126 likes. I am pleased to announce I now have 170 likes. That may not sound like a lot to you, but I went from 126 followers to 170 followers without doing anything different. According to Facebook insights, that reperesents a 1,400% increase of new likes over the previous week. 

Meanwhile, I was contacted by two people whom I didn't know asking me for gardening advice and received an invitation to an establsihed  gardening group with several professional greenhouses and garden writers with thousands of followers on Google Plus. This came to me by someone I have never met or whose name I did not recognize.

I don't know about you, but I can only see two ways to interpret these results 1) Concentrate on writing for Maine Garden Ideas and support the site (and my time) via advertisig or 2) Concentrate on writing gardening articles. I'm counting this experiment as a big success.

Please see my previous posts about my experience with the Experiments in Pam Gorut's book E-Squared. Check back later to find out more about Experiment #6.

To really believe that you’re meant to be happy is the first step to enlightenment. Pam Grout

Experiment #5 from E-Squared by Pam Grout instructs readers to ask for an answer to something that is important to them and give it 48 hours to materialize. I gave this considerable thought after the results of my last experiment. At 4:41 p.m. on Monday, I decided I needed an answer to the direction I should go with my writing, or rather for ways to earn a comfortable living with my writing skills.

As many of you know, I have been a content writer for close to 8 years now. You can see what I do Here. Most of what I write comes to me from third parties who contract with others to provide content for websites and blogs. The work is interesting and it pays my bills, so I'm not complaining - but it's not exactly a writer's dream. Not anymore. As a new writer, it was exciting and thrilling to earn a living writing, but there comes a point when a writer needs to move on to new things and I think I've reached that point. 

The problem is, I'm not sure how to make that profitable. Sure, I'm working on a book - like every other writer out there - but it's a local historical book that isn't likely to gain a lot of fame. It's a labor of love to honor my mother, but was and is never intended to be a source of income.

I don't intend to give up content writing anytime soon, unless some marvelous opportunity comes my way. I'm good at it, it's profitable and for the most part it is enjoyable work. I just can't help but think that perhaps there is something better out there waiting for me.

That being said, I'm not sure what direction I want to take, so I've handed it off to God to find my answers. My ears and eyes are wide open and I'm keeping a tally of anything I think might be writing related. I've noticed an upturn in interest in my gardening site Maine Garden Ideas and I've had a couple of inquiries related to my paranormal articles. I don't know if they are related to my 'request' for guidance or not, but I'll keep them in mind.

If you haven't done so already, please take the time to read my previous posts about the experiments in E-Squared. Check back soon to find out how Experiment #5 is working out for me!

Nannette Richford's Writing Services
Maine Garden Ideas 

Whatever you focus on expands… Pam Grout

I’m a little embarrassed to report that my “Go Big or Go Home” goals didn’t work out as planned. I did break my record for pageviews in a day, but not in the way I wanted. I got the fewest pageviews I have ever gotten in a day on both days.

I’ll be honest with you.  It’s been a difficult two days. I didn’t understand what was going on. I’d check my views in “real time” and have 0 readers (which is practically unheard of). I couldn’t understand why when I’d set an intention to break my record that I would get even fewer readers than normal. It didn’t make sense.

 It didn’t occur to me until this morning to check what I had actually written. If you read my intentions carefully, you will notice that I never specifically said I would break my record for the most views in a day - although that is what I meant. What I actually said was “My intention for Experiment #4 is to break my record for pageviews in one day on Examiner.”  When I read what I had written, I laughed out loud. The experiment didn’t fail; it just didn’t work out how I had planned.

I’m not sure if this was an example of God’s sense of humor, or if it was meant to teach me about the importance of being specific and focusing on the details, but it sure got my attention this morning.

I’m counting this one as a success, even though I didn’t get what I really wanted. I will continue with Pam Grout's Experiments from E-Squared as planned. Check back later to learn about Experiment #5.

Go Big or Go Home -- E-Squared Experiment #4

Okay folks, I'm ready to set my intentions for Experiment #4. I decided that I should either go big or go home. I mean, really, either it works or it doesn't. "The Universe" can bring me something big just as easily as it can bring something little ... so here we go.

This experiment has a time limit of 48 hours. That means that by this time on Monday, my intentions will be a reality.

As many of you know, I am a writer. I write on several topics on Examiner. This site pays writers according to the number of readers who read their articles each day. The number of views I get varies widely, but I've had a couple of block-buster days that I intend to surpass. That's right. My intention for Experiment #4 is to break my record for pageviews in one day on Examiner.  Don't misunerstand me here, This goal is BIG. It means hundreds of thousands of views. I have no idea where they will come from, but with the help of "The Universe" and a couple of high profile links, it can be done.

Feel free to help me out by reading and sharing my work on Examiner, but don't feel obligated. "The Universe" can find readers for me!

Paranormal Examiner
New Age Examiner 
Gardening Examiner

Check back tomorrow to find out how my new goals are working out.

E-Squared Experiment #4

You may have noticed that I didn't post an update today. That would be because Experiment #4 requires me to actually manifest something in my life and the thought of it scared me. That's right. I got scared. I wasn't ready to deal with it yet, so I gave myself a day to psyche myself up and decide what I want to manifest.

I still haven't decided what I will manifest, but I'll give that serious thought tonight before going to sleep. Grout instructs us to set a 48-hour deadline. That means Experiment #4 will require the weekend to complete.

I really wish Grout hadn't mentioned starting small to prevent doubt from interfering. As soon as she said most of us have difficulty with 'believing' we can manifest large things and that our minds quickly become filled with doubt if the object seems to big, I began to panic.
How big is too big? Is a new plant a reasonable goal? What about a book or a new bedspread or bucket of sage green paint for my bedroom? Are they too small? You see my dilemma.

Check back tomorrow to find out what I have chosen to manifest for Experiment #4.

E-Squared: Experiment #3 Results

I just finished Experiment # 3 from E-Squared by Pam Grout. If you haven't done so already, please read my previous posts about experiments #1 and #2 and the amazing results I got before reading Experiment #3. These set the stage for building your faith in the power of your thoughts.

Experiment #3 involved making a dowsing or divining rod from an ordinary coat hanger. The object of this experiment was to observe how your thoughts control the movement of the rods.

I was absolutely amazed by the results. When I thought about negative experiences the 'rods' began to move inward and crossed in front of me. When I thought of positive, happy thoughts they swung wide open. I didn't expect such dramatic results.

I wondered if I was somehow manipulating the rods to get the results I wanted, so I had my husband, the skeptic, give it a try. Sure enough, it worked for him too - although I will admit the movement was slower and less dramatic.

But that wasn't the best part. When I hold the rods in my hands they put on quite a show, but come to a stop when I 'tell' them to. When I laugh or get excited they spin wildly in a clockwise direction. I'm assuming this is a good sign. The amazing thing is that I can stop them from spinning simply by thinking the command to stop. Grout doesn' share any information on how to put the rods to practical use, so that is something I will need to explore on my own, but I can tell you I had a blast playing with them today.

If you don't have a copy of E-Squared, yet, I certainly recommend that you get one.  Although I am sharing a brief description of each experiment, it is no substitute for the book, as Grout shares numerous stories and examples that bring the concepts to life.

Check back tomorrow to learn more about Experiment #4.

The energy of the mind is the essence of life. Aristotle

By Dream Designs via www.freedigitalphotos.net

Welcome to Experiment #3 from Pam grout's book E-Squared.  You can read about experiments #1 and #2 - as well as my results - in my prior posts. In fact, I encourage you to do so before continuing with this post. Go ahead, we'll wait for you.

Today's experiment is a little different from those we've seen so far. This experiment is meant to illustrate the powerful force of our thoughts.  Grout instructs us to create makeshift dowsing rods from coat hangers (at least they sound and look like dowsing rods to me) and watch as the rods react to our thoughts.

I haven't tried this yet, but I intend to as soon as I finish my daily blog posts and writing assignments. According to Grout, the rods will swing outward in response to positive thoughts and positive energy and swing inward with negative thoughts or memories. I'm already thinking of practical applications of this little gadget.

Check back later to find out how it works out for me! 

E-Squared Experiment #2, Part 2 Results

Experiment #2 Part 2 was a tremendous success. As I shared in my previous post, today's goal was to manifest frogs. I began with the intention to see neon frogs but decided I was being too nitpicky and settled on just plain frogs.

I'll be honest with you. I expected to see frogs on Facebook or somewhere online - but that's not where I saw them. I had to run to the grocery store today and I stopped at my local Marden's to look for buttons for a craft project I want to do. I deliberately avoided the fabric department because I didn't think it would be fair to go ambling down that aisle when I didn't need or want anything there and knew there was a good chance they would have some frog fabric.

I stopped to look at some discount craft items and noticed there were more on the other side of the aisle. I rounded the corner to look into the bin and right beside it was several bolts of fleece. One of them was filled with big, bold frogs that were as close to neon as fabric can get. There were hundreds of colorful frogs covering the bolt.

Next, I drove to Walmart to continue my search for buttons. On the way, I noticed the sign for The Frugal Frog, a little shop that sells new and used items. There were two big green frogs on the sign.

Seeming Frogs were my theme for the day and I'd never been into The Frugal Frog, I thought I might as well stop on my way home and look through the used books. I saw two more frogs on the front of the store and a big old happy frog on the Holiday flag still flying in the front of the store.

By this time, I was amused and thought I'd seen enough frogs for the day. But "The Universe" wasn't through with me yet. I browsed the books and had several in my hands. I turned to set them down on a bench beside the books and was greeted with even more frog fabric. Once again these cute little frogs were brightly colored and some might call them neon. I stopped and counted the frogs and counted 25 of them.

All in all, I think it's safe to say that my day would have been successful, even if I had stuck to the intention of seeing neon frogs.

Don't forget to check back tomorrow to find out about Experiment 3!

“What shows up in our lives is a direct reflection of our inner thoughts and emotions.” - Pam Grout

For those of you new to my blog, I am currently putting the Experiments in Pam Grout's book E-Squared to the test. Check my previous posts for Experiment #1 and the first part of Experiment #2. I think you'll be amazed to read what happened so far.

The second part of Experiment #2 is very similar to part #1. Grout asks us to choose an object that we want to see today. Many people choose cute little butterflies and fairies, but I figured those were a bit too easy to come by. I wanted to choose something a little more difficult.

Initially, I chose neon frogs - but I decided to revise it to just plain frogs. I'm not saying that "The Universe" can't give me neon frogs, but it occurred to me that maybe I was trying a little too hard to make things difficult. I like to think I was reducing the chances of mere coincidence, but I suspect I was really trying to trip things up. Whatever my reason, my new intention is to see lots of frogs today.
Let me remind you that I live in Maine and the landscape is frozen. It isn't likely that I will be meeting any real frogs in the garden today.

 I'll be counting any frog as a sign the experiment is working. Neon frogs would just blow me away.

This experiment runs until 12 midnight, but I'll be posting at the end of the day to update you on the number of frogs I see today.

E-SQUARED Experiment 2 - Part One Results

I'm closing in on the deadline for seeing purple cars and I must tell you it was an interesting day.When I hadn't seen anything remotely resembling a purple car by late afternoon, I was getting a little antsy. I sat down to watch a movie.

Of course, I paid close attention to all the vehicles in the movie. The cars of the two main characters were light gold and blue. On a couple of occasions, under specific lighting the gold car had a purple tint. In at least one scene, the blue car appeared purple around the doors. I found myself thinking that if that was the best "The Universe" had to offer me, I might be in trouble.

As it turned out the newspaper office had either purple curtains or a purple tinted window. Suddenly the window was in the background of a scene. Several cars passed the window - and you guessed - they all looked like purple cars. I counted a total of five purple cars passing the window.

A little later a scene with an opening in the trees revealed passing cars. Again I saw two purple cars flash in the background.

Although seeing purple cars proved to be a bit of a challenge, I can tell you that every show I watched, including the commercials, seemed to contain a lot of purple. Overall I counted seven (7) purple cars today.

Check back in the morning when I'll share Part Two of Experiment Two. 

We only “experience” things that jibe with our very limited perception. ~ Pam Grout

Okay, folks, I'm ready to start Experiment #2 from E-Squared. If you haven't done so already, take a moment to read my two previous posts about Experiment #1. You'll want to read this one first as it sets the stage for the others. Once you've done that, check out this post and pay close attention to how I almost missed my sign and the lengths "The Universe" (I prefer to think of it as God) went to to make sure I got the message.

Today's experiment involves a little manifesting. It's more specific than the first. Although I must admit that this one has more to do with what we see than with actually manifesting anything - at least, that's how I see it. But that doesn't devalue it, as my results from experiment #1 clearly illustrated how easy it is to only see what you want to see.

Grout instructs us to choose a color of an automobile and set the intention to see it in the next 24 hours. She further asks us to make a note of how many times we see it. Now, that would be easy if you lived in an urban area, but I don't. I live in a little town of under 500. To compound the issue, I work from home and have no intentions of going out today - in fact, my spouse is using the car today and I couldn't if I wanted to.

I chose a purple car. Here's my rationale. Purple cars aren't that popular. The chances of a purple car driving through my town just as I look out the window are probably pretty slim. But, if I had chosen a blue or green car it would have been too easy.

I can't wait to see how this experiment works out!

PS Before you ask, the photo above of the purple car does not count in my tally for the day, as I actively sought out this picture,

“You will not break loose until you realize that you yourself forge the chains that bind you.” Pam Grout - E-Squared

Well folks, my 48 hours are up and I promised you I would give you an update on how Experiment #1 from E-Squared worked out. You can read the details about this experiment in yesterday's post located HERE.  Go ahead and read it now, if you haven't already. We'll wait for you.

I don't mind admitting that up until about an hour ago I was sweating bullets and wondering how on earth I was going to break the news to you that it didn't work. What would I say? How could I possibly come back to you and tell you it was all a hype? How could I save face without lying? I'd be lying if I didn't say I thought about deleting yesterday's post and pretending it never happened, but that was all before my experience tonight.

I've had my ears and eyes wide open since I gave "The Universe" the little ultimatum. I mean really, I figured I owed it to myself to give it my best shot. But nothing was happening - at least not anything BIG like I had expected.  One thing did happen yesterday, but I wasn't satisfied. It wasn't big enough. It was a coincidence. It wasn't the answer.

Let me explain. I am currently working a book about my mother's life in rural Maine in the early to mid 1900s. I've asked everyone if they have pictures of the area where she was raised. I've posted on Facebook and in several groups. No one had pictures.

• Yesterday, I ran into someone who typically doesn't go out of his way to share information. He suddenly told me he had pictures that he would let me copy. I was excited about this but figured I'd asked before and this wasn't really that big a deal. It wasn't my answer.
• Last night, a cousin who I've had very little contact with over the years, added me to a group conversation on Facebook. A few family pictures were shared. I was delighted but didn't count that as big enough to be my answer either. After all, she was my cousin.
• Today, I heard from someone who gave me the name and number of someone who is still alive and well who lived in the same little village with my mother. He is ready and willing to share what stories he remembers. Nope. Not enough to satisfy me. It wasn't my answer.
• Tonight, at about 8 p.m. - a full hour before my deadline - I was suddenly inspired to start a family group on Facebook to share family pictures and stories. I invited 5 or 6 members ad didn't really expect others to join. Within minutes, there were 27 members in the group and several began posting old family pictures right away.

I was so excited and happy that it took me a while to realize that The Universe had been busy answering my request for two days, but I was too blind (or skeptical) to see it.

I'll be posting about Experiment #2 tomorrow. If you don't have the book, yet, I encourage you to get it and follow along with me. Please feel free to share your experiences with Experiment #1 in the comments! We'd all love to hear how it works for you!

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. ~ Leo Tolstoy

By Stuart Miles via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My copy of E-Squared by Pam Grout arrived yesterday. I felt like I'd just received precious cargo. I opened the package and looked at the copy. I ran my hands over the cover, read the back and then set it down beside my computer. I wasn't quite ready to peruse the pages.

I knew the book would require me to think about myself and face up to my propensity to revert to negative thoughts. I wasn't ready to take the responsibility for my own thoughts, yet. I wasn't ready to challenge my beliefs and exorcise the negative scripts I've taken years to perfect.

A little part of me begged me to just leave it alone, to pretend I didn't already know that I am capable of changing my life by changing my thinking. I let it plead for a while. Maybe I was being a little sadistic. I mean, really, I did intend to open it soon and I knew full well that I would embrace the contents. Maybe a perverse part of me enjoyed the whining and the squirming or maybe I was letting it plead its case. I really don't know.

So far, the book has delivered everything it promised. It's well-written, to the point and right on the money. I really like that Grout supplements it with statistics, like: 1) according to neuroscientists  95 percent of our thoughts are controlled by our pre-programmed subconscious mind, and 2) that 99.9 percent of our brain is devoted to things we don't want. (Imagine that!)

I am currently trying experiment ONE. This experiment sets the base for the rest of the book, (Yes, I have read ahead to see what comes next.) In simple terms, Grout instructs the reader to test the theory that the world is made up a "field of infinite possibilities" that you can access at any time. According to Grout, all you need to do is tap into the invisible field of energy that connects us all.

This experiment involves asking the Universe (or whatever you choose to call it) for a sign that it works. This sign must be something that cannot be discounted or easily explained. For example, getting paid for the job you did yesterday can't be counted as proof the theory works - however, if you get a big bonus that was not expected it may be the Universe speaking. In addition to a sign to build your faith, you will also receive a blessing. The real kicker to the experiment is you get to set a time limit of 48 hours.

I am currently waiting for my sign and my blessing. It will arrive before Monday at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. I've tried to imagine what it might be, but stop myself so I won't ruin my own surprise. I don't know when or where it will show up, but I can tell you that I have my eyes and ears wide open today.

Check back tomorrow to find out the results of my experiment.

P.S. Today I am grateful for Pam Grout's book E-Squared and the exciting journey it promises.