As we move through the season of Lent, we should ponder if we are coming from a place of abundance or from a place of lack.
What we perceive and believe we achieve.
If we think and feel we are small, we draw small things into our lives.
If we believe in big things and that we can do big things, we draw big things into our lives.
For example, some of my biggest issues have been in the area of money, of finances. A lot of that is mired in my childhood. I'd ask for something specific that I wanted and I would get either what my parents thought they could afford, or - and closer to reality - what they thought I "ought" to have. So I learned that perhaps I wasn't worthy of having what I truly wanted, and that I could never afford it anyway. So, for many years, I settled.
I settled for perceived security instead of true partnership in relationships.
I settled for second hand or second class items instead of what it was I really wanted to have.
I settled for a multitude of things rather than true abundance - the kind that comes from non-material things.
I settled for a life of lack instead of a life of abundance.
My soul, my Self, never settled though. She was always restless, always knowing there was more for me out there. She just had to wait until enough tools came into my life and enough belief came into my mind and heart to push me toward that abundance.
That relationship with money I touched on earlier? Well, now I truly believe what I clipped from a program at a Center for Spiritual Living service nearly ten years ago now. It says:
Is money a naughty word?
No, it just means
More
Opulent
Natural
Energy
Yeah!
During the last month of last year, a long and painful chapter in my financial story hit its climax. There are still some loose ends to tie up, as there are at the end of every story, however, I am truly ready to move on to the next chapter in my financial life and good things are already happening in that area!
So, what is appearing in your life - a sense of abundance or a sense of lack?
Ponder that for the week and see what truths come to you…
With next week comes March and the topics of motivation, unintended consequences, sowing seeds, and planning.
Watch for my daily messages on Facebook, and until next time - Namaste!
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Sunday, April 27, 2014
MaXIMIze - Finances - Recap
This month we discussed examining our relationship with money - are we coming from a place of abundance or a place of lack in this area of our lives? Do we think money is a dirty word? We also discussed finances, like charity, begin at home - covering the basic needs first before going after the nice-to-haves. Finally, we discussed setting and achieving financial goals, touching on our previous discussions on commitment and follow through, Personal Prose, Values, Goal Setting, and the Five Whys, the Manifestation Board exercise, identifying and assessing roadblocks, and looking at what you want to harvest in the future.
Take-aways include:
Always come from a place of abundance.
Money - More Opulent Natural Energy, Yeah!
We have to take care of ourselves financially. If you need help in this area, get it!
Money is a tool, not a true goal.
Bless those who have wealth rather than cursing them; for in cursing those who are blessed, you curse yourself. ~ Financial Karma
Know the difference between want and need. Pare back to what you really need and then you'll be able to get what you really want.
It took time to get where we're at, so it stands to reason that it'll take time to get where we really want to be. By being diligent, persistent, and patient, we will get where we need to be in life.
By setting SMART goals and working diligently, persistently, and patiently toward them, we will make great strides down the path of MaXIMIzing this area of our lives!
Next week begins a new month and a new area of our lives to discuss - Physical Health.
As always, feel free to let me know what you think of this blog.
Until next time, namaste!
Take-aways include:
Always come from a place of abundance.
Money - More Opulent Natural Energy, Yeah!
We have to take care of ourselves financially. If you need help in this area, get it!
Money is a tool, not a true goal.
Bless those who have wealth rather than cursing them; for in cursing those who are blessed, you curse yourself. ~ Financial Karma
Know the difference between want and need. Pare back to what you really need and then you'll be able to get what you really want.
It took time to get where we're at, so it stands to reason that it'll take time to get where we really want to be. By being diligent, persistent, and patient, we will get where we need to be in life.
By setting SMART goals and working diligently, persistently, and patiently toward them, we will make great strides down the path of MaXIMIzing this area of our lives!
Next week begins a new month and a new area of our lives to discuss - Physical Health.
As always, feel free to let me know what you think of this blog.
Until next time, namaste!
Sunday, April 6, 2014
MaXIMIze - Finances - Our Relationship with Money
There is a scrap of paper on the bulletin board by my desk that says:
Is money a naughty word?
No, it just means:
More
Opulent
Natural
Energy
Yeah!
When we think about dealing with finances and money in general, we come from one of two places - a place of abundance or a place of lack. Which do you come from?
This is actually a difficult topic for me to write about, which is probably why I decided to tackle this segment of the Circle of Perception first. My satisfaction rating for this particular segment of the areas of my life is currently a 5, which is down from last year's rating of 6. And I'll be quite honest, I am no financial guru in any way, shape or form.
When I was growing up, money was not talked about in our household, other than to say we couldn't afford something or other. I was not taught to save or plan for the future. My father was career military, so he had a guaranteed pension and medical benefits. My mother was Federal civil service under the old Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), which also meant a guaranteed pension and medical coverage.
Today, though, staying with one company for an career that could span forty years or more is the exception rather than the norm. And, even with Federal civil service, the retirement program has changed the ratio of the guaranteed pension to the 401k type program (Federal Employees Retirement System came on line in the mid-1980s, replacing CSRS), and is poised to potentially change even more, depending on the whim and will of Congress.
Back in the day, the advice was to save 10% of your income, and to insure you had at least three months' living expenses in the bank. The advice now seems to be have at least six months if not a year's living expenses in the bank.
The availability of credit is another thing that has changed over the years. Credit as we know it - with MasterCard, VISA, Discover, American Express, and all the store and gas cards - did not come into being until the 1970s. Back in the day, credit was something to be used sparingly for large purchases, not to buy everyday items such as clothes, groceries, even gas on.
Our way of looking at the use of money or credit to buy things has changed as well. We have become a society of "I want it all and I want it now" rather than one of "good things come to those who wait." We have lost the distinction between what it is we really need to live and what it is that we want to have.
When was the last time you waited to buy something - say, a painting - that struck your fancy? And by waiting, I mean going home, really looking at your financial situation, and sleeping on your decision rather than buying it right then, right there.
Household budget - do you know where all your money goes every month? Do you know how much you spend on meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, laundry items, bathroom items, pet items, alcohol, soda, junk food, etc.? Do you really need all those cable channels or can you pare down to the internet connection and Hulu or Netflix? Or do you really need TV at all? How much is that smart phone costing you each month?
I challenge you to track each and every expense for a month or two and really see where your money goes - and I mean every expense - whether you buy it with cash, check, or debit/credit. Then ask yourself what do I really need to have/eat/use?
As you do this, you will begin to see your bank account grow, and then you can pay off your credit debt and save for your future.
Which brings me to my last question for you - have you done any retirement planning? Do you know where you're going to live, how you're going to spend your time, what funds will be needed to cover all that for as long as you are likely to live?
We have to take care of ourselves financially, period. No one else will do this for us - and frankly, we shouldn't let them. We owe it to ourselves to be able to pay our own way, balance our accounts, and save for our future, period.
We owe it to ourselves to become educated about money, our relationship with it, and its place in our lives. We owe it to ourselves to acknowledge the strengths we do have in the realm of finances and use them to the best of our abilities. We also owe it to ourselves to acknowledge our weaknesses in this area, bring them out in the open, and seek the help and advice we need to get to a place where we can have a healthy relationship with money and rate this segment of our lives at a minimum of 8 if not higher.
There are many resources out there for this particular topic. Suze Orman is one of my favorite authors and speakers on this subject. There is also a book called Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin, Joe Dominguez, and Monique Tilford that is very good.
If you are already dealing with your finances from a place of abundance - great! Keep on trucking and refine things as you need to.
If you are dealing with your finances from a place of lack - of never having enough - do the work you need to do to figure out why your relationship with money is what it is and work to move from a place of lack to a place of abundance. If need be, get counseling - both financial and personal - to help you move down the path toward abundance.
We owe to ourselves to live our best lives now - and MaXIMIzing our financial health and well-being will help us to do that.
As we move through the month, we will discuss more on the topic of finances and money, coming from a place of abundance and reminding ourselves that money is a tool we use to MaXIMIze our lives, not a be all and end all of itself.
Until next week, namaste!
Is money a naughty word?
No, it just means:
More
Opulent
Natural
Energy
Yeah!
When we think about dealing with finances and money in general, we come from one of two places - a place of abundance or a place of lack. Which do you come from?
This is actually a difficult topic for me to write about, which is probably why I decided to tackle this segment of the Circle of Perception first. My satisfaction rating for this particular segment of the areas of my life is currently a 5, which is down from last year's rating of 6. And I'll be quite honest, I am no financial guru in any way, shape or form.
When I was growing up, money was not talked about in our household, other than to say we couldn't afford something or other. I was not taught to save or plan for the future. My father was career military, so he had a guaranteed pension and medical benefits. My mother was Federal civil service under the old Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), which also meant a guaranteed pension and medical coverage.
Today, though, staying with one company for an career that could span forty years or more is the exception rather than the norm. And, even with Federal civil service, the retirement program has changed the ratio of the guaranteed pension to the 401k type program (Federal Employees Retirement System came on line in the mid-1980s, replacing CSRS), and is poised to potentially change even more, depending on the whim and will of Congress.
Back in the day, the advice was to save 10% of your income, and to insure you had at least three months' living expenses in the bank. The advice now seems to be have at least six months if not a year's living expenses in the bank.
The availability of credit is another thing that has changed over the years. Credit as we know it - with MasterCard, VISA, Discover, American Express, and all the store and gas cards - did not come into being until the 1970s. Back in the day, credit was something to be used sparingly for large purchases, not to buy everyday items such as clothes, groceries, even gas on.
Our way of looking at the use of money or credit to buy things has changed as well. We have become a society of "I want it all and I want it now" rather than one of "good things come to those who wait." We have lost the distinction between what it is we really need to live and what it is that we want to have.
When was the last time you waited to buy something - say, a painting - that struck your fancy? And by waiting, I mean going home, really looking at your financial situation, and sleeping on your decision rather than buying it right then, right there.
Household budget - do you know where all your money goes every month? Do you know how much you spend on meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, laundry items, bathroom items, pet items, alcohol, soda, junk food, etc.? Do you really need all those cable channels or can you pare down to the internet connection and Hulu or Netflix? Or do you really need TV at all? How much is that smart phone costing you each month?
I challenge you to track each and every expense for a month or two and really see where your money goes - and I mean every expense - whether you buy it with cash, check, or debit/credit. Then ask yourself what do I really need to have/eat/use?
As you do this, you will begin to see your bank account grow, and then you can pay off your credit debt and save for your future.
Which brings me to my last question for you - have you done any retirement planning? Do you know where you're going to live, how you're going to spend your time, what funds will be needed to cover all that for as long as you are likely to live?
We have to take care of ourselves financially, period. No one else will do this for us - and frankly, we shouldn't let them. We owe it to ourselves to be able to pay our own way, balance our accounts, and save for our future, period.
We owe it to ourselves to become educated about money, our relationship with it, and its place in our lives. We owe it to ourselves to acknowledge the strengths we do have in the realm of finances and use them to the best of our abilities. We also owe it to ourselves to acknowledge our weaknesses in this area, bring them out in the open, and seek the help and advice we need to get to a place where we can have a healthy relationship with money and rate this segment of our lives at a minimum of 8 if not higher.
There are many resources out there for this particular topic. Suze Orman is one of my favorite authors and speakers on this subject. There is also a book called Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin, Joe Dominguez, and Monique Tilford that is very good.
If you are already dealing with your finances from a place of abundance - great! Keep on trucking and refine things as you need to.
If you are dealing with your finances from a place of lack - of never having enough - do the work you need to do to figure out why your relationship with money is what it is and work to move from a place of lack to a place of abundance. If need be, get counseling - both financial and personal - to help you move down the path toward abundance.
We owe to ourselves to live our best lives now - and MaXIMIzing our financial health and well-being will help us to do that.
As we move through the month, we will discuss more on the topic of finances and money, coming from a place of abundance and reminding ourselves that money is a tool we use to MaXIMIze our lives, not a be all and end all of itself.
Until next week, namaste!
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