Abundance is intangible, spiritual and attracts energy. To attract this type of energy you need to define it, for when you name it, you can claim it. Your definition of abundance is as personal as your DNA.

Abundance is the same feeling you have when all the toothpaste is gone and you realize with a sigh that there is a spare in the cabinet. Emotional abundance is having reserves available when you need them -- a loving safety net for you to pull from when needed to balance.

Reserves also assist in maintaining a strong personal foundation or who you are. Awareness and a place to keep those reserves, even if they are only clearly defined in your mind, are emotionally important. When committing those reserves to memory, it helps to work through them in writing and record them.

Since the definition of abundance is vast and personal, let us focus on four areas of reserves for now -- peace, joy, happiness and love -- to awaken awareness and build those reserves for added support to your personal foundation.

Peace.

Peace begins within the soul and is felt in the present moment. Negative emotions still lingering from the past hold you hostage and need to be let go in order to have abundance in the present.

Here is a simple and effective way to let go. Close your eyes and allow any past negative energy to emerge into active memory. At the same time, visualize picking up a small stone with your non-dominant hand and placing it carefully in your dominant hand. Close that hand gently on the stone. Take the built up energy and move it into the stone. Feel it leaving your body. When that energy has moved into the stone, open your eyes. Now throw the stone, as if tossing it across a river, and begin repeating something such as: "X, you are gone forever. Good riddance."

Repeat this mantra faster and faster over the next few days until it is a quick thought and feeling that whooshes through your body until it's emotional hold is gone. Afterwards, write an affirmation statement such as: "I am..." to replace it with positive energy. To enrich this visualization, throw a real stone into water and place that sound into memory.

Here is another technique that helps you switch from past to present. Journal for 10 minutes. At the end of that time, write a summary sentence, then rewrite it and begin to change it's energy with statements such as: "I am no longer a hostage of X. I am no longer allowing this to place my life on hold. I am free and at peace with it once and for all." Then shorten into an affirmation statement of ten or less words. Keep repeating this affirmation either eye-to- eye in front of a mirror or eye-to-eye with a friend until there is no longer any emotion attached.

Joy.

Joy and happiness have similar exhilaration powers. To name your joys reminisce through your past, especially those moments when the world slowed down or there was a lot of excitement in your heart. Was it the birth of a child, a promotion or something from a vacation? Make a list about those times and/or share them with others to extend the joy.

To change the energy on a current challenge, select a joy, then close your eyes and bring up a strong visualization and emotion of that joy. Feel its warmth embrace you. Now transfer that feeling, not its memory, to that challenge. The energy is now replaced and the challenge is no longer a challenge and will be easy to complete.

Happiness.

Define your happiness by finishing the following sentence with a list of 100 thoughts, feelings and experiences: "Happiness for me is...." Repeat this exercise periodically and keep stretching the list for even greater results. Some of my favorites are: an adventure movie, American Indian flute music, watching the tide come in, and playing in the sand. Now, what are yours?

Love.

Love...aaah, it curls your toes and makes your heart sing. Define the love you want to receive and the love you want to give. Separate the two and write out your definitions of each of these. What do you need to feel loved? What do others in your life need to feel loved?

Having the right intention for your love is important. If you give it away freely and don't expect it to come back, it will return. When you expect it back it is owed or a trade for something. Knowing what type of love you need sends the right energy into the Universe and it will return.

Now, stand back. It's time to smile. See how you have grown with these exercises. See their meaning and feel their warmth. Now you are sending out clear and definable signals and the Universal Laws of Attraction will send them back to you.

Catherine Franz is a Marketing & Writing Coach, niches, product development, Internet marketing, nonfiction writing and training. Additional Articles: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com