Sunday, December 5, 2010

Thank You

Hello Everyone,

 Just a quick note to say a very appreciative Thank You to everyone who came to see me at For Heaven's Sake Bookstore in Denver this Saturday. We had a great turnout and it was a lot of fun. It was great answering questions about Angel Words and was by far my largest booksigning ever.

 If any of you who were there didn't get your questions answered I do apologize, and would be happy to answer them here.

Grant Virtue

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Happy Hanukkah!

As someone who loves candles as much as I do, Hanukkah is the perfect holiday for me. It is relatively uncommercial, goes on for eight nights and is a wonderful celebration of togetherness and light.

In our home Hanukkah is looked forward to with just as much anticipation and happiness as we do Christmas and the Winter Solstice. Hey we never claimed to be normal, just happy.

The history of the holiday is very interesting and worth reading up on in more detail. A good place to start is here. The short version is that either it is because the rededication of the second temple of Solomon was done over eight days, or after a Byzantine siege only one days worth of oil was secured but it miraculously lasted for eight days. In any case today it stands as a great holiday that is worth celebrating regardless of your cultural heritage. After all, it makes a great excuse to get together with family and friends one more time.

Grant Virtue

Monday, November 29, 2010

Cyber Monday - One Day Only Sale

For those of you unfamiliar with Cyber Monday, it is to us online retailers what Black Friday is to the brick and mortar stores. It is a day to kick off the shopping season with great deals.

For Angel University our Cyber Monday special is a 15% off coupon good for anything we offer, including the wonderful Angel Therapy Practitioner® Program DVD course.

Simply use the coupon code cybermon15 when you checkout using our Google Checkout system at http://www.angeluniversity.com

This sale is good only today, Monday November 29th 2010 (MST time). After that the coupon will no longer work.

Enjoy!

Grant Virtue

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Welcome Back

You may or may not have noticed that this blog has been a touch inactive for the last few months. The reasons for this are many, but primarily amongst them was the finalization of Angel Words: Visual Evidence of How Words Can Be Angels in Your Life and planning various events around the release. Speaking of which if you are in the Denver area on December 4th I will be giving a talk and book signing at "For Heaven's Sake" bookstore in the Highlands.

Another reason is the release of the Angel Therapy Practitioner® Program on DVD. This is the first time ever that this life changing course has been shown anywhere other than in person. For those of us that prefer to learn in the privacy and comfort of our own homes this is a major breakthrough. You can of course find it for sale only at http://www.angeluniversity.com

Now that these major projects have been completed I will be back to join you more and more often. You can of course always suggest any spiritual or other topic that you would like to see discussed by e-mailing me at admin@angeluniversity.com

Grant Virtue

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Are You Where You Need To Be?

If you are anything like me a lot of your state of mind comes from your physical location in the world. It is simply a fact that some places feel more like home to us than other places do. There is nothing wrong with the places we do not resonate with, they are just not for us. The problem we can sometimes encounter is how do we know which places are better for us without actually leaving our area, and what do we do if we find out that our current geographical location isn't working for us.

Studying geography may be mind blowingly boring to some people but the benefits are far greater than just being able to win party trivia games. Getting a feel for the places, histories and peoples of places you feel you have always wanted to visit can also help key you in to a possible permanent location as well. Maybe the government is more progressive, or the people generally more laid back. Perhaps the climate is for you, or you feel you want to trade in the concrete jungle for a crystal clear blue ocean. Maybe you've lived in a desert all your life and want to have white Christmases from now on. These things can be learned by studying.

The next logical step is to actually visit the places you have learned about. See if they are as safe as they claim. You will want to see what it would be like to live there, what you would have to give up and what you would gain. Worst case scenario you have simply marked it off your list and can focus on somewhere else. Or perhaps after all of your studying you will find that where you are right now is where you are supposed to be.

The one piece of advise I would give is never let money be your primary factor in where you live. Happiness is much more important and if you really are meant to be someplace the universe will provide much more abundance than you could ever possibly use, and much more than you would have staying in a place you did not absolutely love.

Grant Virtue

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Re-Learning How to Write

Who taught you to read? For most people it is a pretty easy question to answer. It could have been a parent, sibling, tutor, teacher or any number of people. It is a fundamental skill that serves you your entire life. 

Now where did you learn how to write? This is a bit of a trickier one to answer because we are taught how to write bit by bit, piece by piece over a long period of time. During that time we hopefully develop our own style, but it is all too easy to pick up some bad habits from our teachers. Also since it does happen over such a large period of time sometimes we find ourselves not knowing a certain writing technique when we need it, or forgetting it when we want to use it because we learned it far too long ago and completely out of context.

Just as every other skill in life it is important to take time to learn more about writing if you would like to be serious at it. At the very least it can lead to inspiration or give you the proper motivation necessary to finish writing your book.

This does not mean you have to go back to school, although that is a terrific option. Fortunately for all of us there are dozens of great writing books in our local libraries and book shops. If you are a procrastinator, like I can be, I recommend the book No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days. However if you would simply like some basic (and not so basic) advice on technique the book Writing Fiction For Dummies is a priceless treasure.

However you re-learn how to write you are sure to be doing yourself and your readers a great favor by giving your story that extra push towards greatness.

Grant Virtue 

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Life Happens One Minute At a Time

Pracrastination may be highly tempting. Believe me, I have been known to be a master at the craft. Sooner or later though the time comes that you will have to do what you have been putting off, or risk it not being done ever.

Many times we set goals for ourselves, say at New Years or before and after big events in our lives. Most of the times these are really great and healthy goals that probably deserve to be followed through on. A good portion of the time we do not achieve these self imposed targets however. Most people assume it is because we lack follow through, are not disciplined enough, or they were too hard and we set the bar too high.

The truth of the matter is not that we've ever really consciously decided to throw in the towel, it is that we put it off too long. When you delay or procrastinate something for too long a period of time it becomes exceptionally easy to completely forget about whatever it was you were trying to achieve. Perhaps you feel you've been away from it for so long that not starting is easier than starting over.

Life, for better or for worse, keeps moving whether we want it to or not. Sometimes it is full of tasks we feel that we do not want to accomplish but we know we need to. Try this on for size, stop reading for one second and think of the most awful thing on your to-do list. It can be the book that you never finished writing, the dishes, a call to a family member, or whatever else it is. If you were able to think about it that quickly then it is on your mind in some place, and it is time for you to do it.

Make that the first thing you finish on your list. Once it's done, it is done and you can get on with your life without anything hanging over your head. If it is something really good for you, say a new exercise regime, then you have already started and every day will just get easier from here. If it is your book then you have proven to yourself that you can write, so get in there and do it. If it is that phone call then you made the effort and reached out. Now you can go have some guilt free fun!

Grant Virtue

Monday, August 9, 2010

Out With the Old

Clutter is a universal truth in life. The more we live the more we acquire until such time that we find we cannot even move about, let along grow and acquire more.

It is not just possessions but feelings, opinions, beliefs and people that can clutter our lives. Sometimes you need to clear some outdated or no longer useful things from every aspect of your life.

It may sound cold and callous to say that people can become clutter, but just like everything else in our lives some people are here to teach you a very important lesson or two and then move on. It is the mutual hanging on to each other when the energy has long been spent that can lead to unhealthy relationships, both romantic and platonic.

Opinions are another area that should receive frequent weeding out. When we find ourselves so entrenched in a position, belief or political viewpoint that we think anyone who feels differently is somehow damaged it may be time to see if you are a bit cluttered. Try the other side on for a change, become your own Devil's Advocate and see if you can't at least gain some perspective on how the other side lives.

Ultimately though our space does dictate how we live our lives, and a cluttered space does eventually lead to a cluttered mind. This week try to come up with a very short list of things that you have around you that you no longer need. Post them up for sale on eBay or TripleClicks, donate them to a needy charity or see if one of your friends or neighbors has a need for it. It may be a small step, but ultimately it can lead to a much clearer head and personal space.

Grant Virtue

Sunday, August 8, 2010

It Is Never Too Late

Have you ever wanted to try something new, or wanted to return to an activity you used to participate in but feel you have been left too far behind?

Perhaps you used to paint, but feel that too much time has gone by and now you are rusty. Or you'd like to go back to school but don't even know where to start and don't want to be the oldest one in the class. Maybe you used to play the violin and would love to take it up again but have completely forgotten the fingering for first position. Even if you have never tried any of these but simply want to start and feel intimidated, there is one thing to remember:

It is never too late.

The quest for knowledge is lifelong. Trust me even the most famous of painters, violinists, lauded professors, all of them have more to learn if they give themselves the chance and permission.

The same applies to you. Never be afraid of starting out or restarting from the beginning. Most of the time it is in these beginning times that you have the most amount of fun practicing and learning new things.

Think about it this way, if you find painting fun then you will probably find learning about painting to also be fun. The first year of classes you take will teach you more techniques than your second, third, or fourth year will. You have more ground to cover in the beginning and so much more fun to have.

So jump in, have fun, learn something new or relearn something old. You will be better off for it and the world gains that much more beauty through your knowledge, art and music.

Grant Virtue


Thursday, July 15, 2010

Overcoming Writers Block

Have you ever just wanted to write, but for some reason or another simply could not think of what to put down on paper? Perhaps you are in the middle of some piece of work and suddenly you cannot find the inspiration that you had at the beginning. This is called writers block and it can be quite frustrating.

Fortunately there are ways around it. While it can be difficult at times to restart that feeling of excitement you first had when you came up with the idea, it is not impossible. Here are a few steps that work for me.

Get outside for a while. Sometimes all the inspiration I need is outside of my normal surroundings. Most of the time I didn't come up with the topic at the kitchen table, so why would I continue to be inspired there? Bring your laptop or pad and paper with you just in case the muse strikes again.

Get your heart rate up. Some of the very best ideas happen when you are exercising. It is a time when you have nothing to do but think. Sometimes thinking about anything other than the exercise you are doing helps you exercise for longer periods of time too, so it is a double bonus. Nothing forces your mind to move more than staring at the bottom of a swimming pool for lap after lap.

Move on to something else. It is a good idea to keep a couple of projects going at the same time just in case something like this happens. If you cannot stand looking at the page for one of your books, move on to the next one and see if you can think of something to say. This works especially well for the types of people that tend to read more than one book at the same time. Multi-tasking is just in your blood.

Avoid caffeine and the internet. Sometimes what may seem like writers block is just a massive dose of distraction. Caffeine can make your mind jump from topic to topic too quickly to write down, and lets face it the internet is largely just an institutionalized distraction machine. Instead try some nice calming herbal tea or a paper book down at the library related to the topic you are writing about.

Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Studies show that school children who have proper nutrition are better able to concentrate in school. That ability in our minds doesn't disappear the day we get a drivers license. Improve your diet and the rest of your life, including your writing, will be improved as well.

If none of the above work for your project then it may be time to file it away for a couple of days. Just give yourself a vacation from it and see if you can come up with some new ideas. Just make sure the vacation is not too long or you risk losing the motivation to write it at all.

Grant Virtue

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Don't Give Up Just Before the Reward

Years ago I used to garden using containers on my (very small) apartment patio. One of my favorite things to grow was corn because in the hot California climate you could almost see it growing. One time in particular I remember I switched to a different gardening soil that was much thicker than I was used to. The corn took so long to sprout that I was convinced I had a bad batch of seeds. So I start digging little holes again to replant with a new packet, and I find just below the surface bright green sprouts just about to peak out. Had I waited one more day they would have surfaced on their own and I wouldn't have ruined so many perfectly good plants.

I mention this because sometimes in life, business, relationships we put so much work into them and it seems like we sometimes are not getting much back. It can be frustrating to put that much energy and time into something with no guarantee of a return.

The good news though is that no amount of work is ever done in vain. Even if that particular project you are working on does not amount to what you expected, it still came out exactly the way it was meant to. Sometimes all it takes is just a bit more effort, one final sprint, to reach the finish line. So many times I have seen close friends who are just starting out with their own businesses or books and they get so frustrated that all of their advertising and submissions have not gotten them anywhere. Sometimes they are on the verge of quitting outright and going back to their old jobs or throwing away the manuscript, only for their project to just take off the next month. Suddenly they have as many clients as they can take and are having to refer people out or they have three acceptance letters from different publishers and they have to choose who they are going with.

The next time you feel that you have reached the end of your ability to wait any longer for your work to pay off, I implore you to just wait a bit longer and go for one final push first. You may find the sprouts were there all along.

Grant Virtue

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Finding Time to Write

How many of you have ever wanted to become authors but feel that you do not have the time? It is a very common reason people cite for not starting or finishing the book that they know they must write.

It is true that writing does take time. Some people are natural born storytellers and they generally can get a bit more done in a smaller amount of time than others, but the rest of us do have to put in some serious finger time with the old typewriter. So where is this time supposed to come from?

Actually it has to come from everywhere. If you try to find an hour of free time during your day to sit and just write you are unlikely to find it. Usually people get their routines so streamlined that there isn't anything that the average person is willing to give up doing on a daily basis to gain that much time. The secret then is to find ways to finish up what you are already doing a bit earlier.

One technique that I find helpful is to work writing into my normal schedule. If I am out and about doing my normal things I bring a pad and paper with me. I know I might have to sit down and eat lunch eventually and that is a good a time as any to get a few words down.

Finding time while you are at home is equally important if you want to finish that great novel of yours. If you typically watch a couple of shows after dinner, pick your favorite one to watch and then see if you can write through the next one. Even if you just sit and look at a blank screen (and believe me I have done that more times than I'd prefer) at least you are getting yourself into a routine of finding the time to be creative.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that if you do manage to snatch five or ten minutes to write, make sure that you do use that time to write. It isn't the time to vacuum the carpet or check your e-mail for the fiftieth time. That ten minutes can turn into a written page without rushing, and as my grandparents are so often telling me "A page a day is a book in a year."

If you are writing about a spiritual topic you might want to check out Doreen Virtue's Spiritual Writers Workshop, available on DVD at Amazon.com and AngelUniversity.com

Grant Virtue

Monday, July 12, 2010

Helping Others by Helping Ourselves



Nearly all of us have heard the call to help others. It could be as simple as dedicating your spare time to listening to friends and family members, to quitting your day job and starting your own counseling practice or writing self help books. This is great, as there has never been a better time to start helping as many people as possible.

The thing is though that your angels do not want you to suffer for your craft. If you are not properly looking after yourself then you will not be in a position to completely help another person. The universe needs you to be operating at 100% and the only way to do that is to make sure that you are happy doing what you are doing and have the energy and finances to continue doing it.

Boundaries are probably the biggest paradox we face as light workers. We have to simultaneously shout to the world "bring us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses" while also making sure that we give ourselves enough breathing room to rest and recuperate from healing and enough financial remuneration to be able to afford the amount of time we give to helping without having to work two jobs to pay for it.

I may sound like a broken record but again the way around this is scheduling. Try your best to make sure that the time you spend helping others is scheduled into your day with a clear time to start and a clear time to end. Schedule payments with clients in advance, because after a long counseling session is not the time to be thinking about money for anyone. Schedule your vacations, and make sure you stick to them.

Remember the better you take care of yourself the longer you will be doing this work and the more people will be helped. As the flight attendants say, make sure to put on your own air mask before assisting others.

Grant Virtue


Sunday, July 11, 2010

Balancing Your Three Sides

Every person is made up of three equally important aspects of themselves. These are your spiritual, mental and physical aspects. Typically when a person finds themselves unbalanced or feeling out of sorts we find that one or more of these three aspects has been ignored in some way.

Just as it is important for a persons spiritual growth to engage in activities such as attending or teaching courses, reading books, and talking with other like minded people there are simple steps you can take to increase your physical health and general knowledge base.

This summer take some time to see what other types of classes you can take, along with the spiritual classes you are planning to attend. Take a short spin or yoga class down at your local gym or yoga center. See if there are any regular Tai Chi groups down at the park.

Now would also be a good time to finally learn that language you have always wanted to study. With online courses so widely available for those who prefer to study at home, to night courses and organizations such as the Learning Annex for those who want to meet and mingle with other students.

I have found, and I suspect that you will as well, that when I am growing across all three aspects I am a much happier person.

Grant Virtue

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Finding Time for Play

Sometimes it is far too easy to work the entire day away. An increasingly large number of people in the spiritual community are becoming self employed, and with that comes a rather large blur between work time and free time. All too often we can intend to just finish up a bit of leftover work and end up working right through our weekend.

This isn't such a bad thing when we are just starting off or are launching a new product, but if it becomes a pattern it can negatively impact your life. Balancing work and play can be one of the hardest things for a self employed person to do. Since we now make our own schedules rather than have someone else tell us what to do and when to do it, we must develop a tad more discipline to have a fully balanced life.

If you find yourself working more than you or your family feels is healthy, then set scheduled breaks into your day. You are much less likely to feel guilty about taking time out if it has already been planned. Make sure to take at least one day a week off, and have a relatively standard time at which your work ends for the day.

Obviously with a small business of any kind, but especially ones that involve helping so many people there will be blurred boundaries and it is best to be flexible. However if you do try to find time to play you may come to realize that you can have as much of both as you'd like.

Grant Virtue

Friday, July 9, 2010

Working Carbon Free

Angel University has been carbon free from the start. In fact because we use so little carbon and offset so much ever single course sold through AngelUniversity.com comes with a negative carbon balance. Like the drink bottle says, it cleans up after itself and then some.

How does this happen and how can you work carbon free as well?

It starts with carbon offsets. We use the Carbon Fund to offset a set amount per year based on our company size, and then go one better. We use the mobile application CauseWorld to offset roughly 200 lbs of carbon per day. You can use CauseWorld on any iPhone or Android based phone. It takes a bit of time per day to check in enough to earn the karmas necessary to offset such a large amount, but it is worth it in the end.

Secondly we do not use our own gasoline powered vehicles. All supplies are delivered to us, which saves carbon because delivery trucks in Colorado for the most part use natural gas. Plus they are delivering things for many people so it is not a single use trip. This cuts down on the carbon per delivery significantly.

All outgoing parcels are delivered to the post office, FedEx and UPS offices either on foot in inclement weather or bicycle in good weather. The bags we carry the parcels in were supplied by Voltaic Systems and are made of recycled drink bottles and include built in solar panels to recharge our phones and PDAs used throughout the ordering process.

Never once have we felt that these small steps have inconvenienced ourselves (and the bicycles make for great exercise) and the end result is that we leave the air a little cleaner than when we started.

Thank you for helping us make this possible.

Grant Virtue