Why Your Relationship With Money Matters

When I take time to understand my overall relationship with money, my finances usually seem to change for the better.  I've worked through some limiting beliefs over the past few years and gotten rid of the "rich people suck" thought pattern.  And, I no longer make money SO important that it interferes with my relationships.

But - now that I have taken a sabbatical from work, I'm becoming very conscious of my cash.  With the awareness that where I focus my thoughts is what will manifest in my life, I don't want to create the space for lack or scarcity mentality to overtake me.  So, I reached for Eric Butterworth's book, Spiritual Economics.  He has a chapter that talks about Work and the Success Syndrome.

"How easy and yet how mistaken it is to be influenced by the 'another day, another dollar' syndrome.  Let your work, whatever it may involve, be an outworking of the creative flow, engaged in through the sheer joy of fulfilling your divine nature.  You will prosper and you should do so, but it will not be because you have 'made money' in your job."

What that means to me is, even though I don't have a job, as I focus my time on activities that fulfill my heart's desire and as I treat my volunteer work as my 'job', I will prosper financially.  It seems strange that while I may not be receiving a paycheck, all of my needs are met.

And, if I have faith and trust that the Universe is my source, what emerges are the miracles and blessings that I very likely missed before I took a leap of faith.

No doubt, being jobless takes a little bit of courage each morning that I wake up and realize that I am free to do as I choose (mostly).  But the more I feel financially supported within, the more I see my abundance expressed and returned to me beyond what I even imagine.

 It seems I'm taking my relationship with money to the next level.  And it feels good - no regrets!

So, what is YOUR relationship with money like?  Are you 'making money' from your job?

Today, I set the intention to see the abundance that is all around me, grateful that my relationship with money is healthy and my finances are thriving!

"It is a beautiful insight dealing with prosperity as a divine flow from within.  

When you work in the right consciousness, when your work becomes organically

 a part of your whole self, and when you do your work out of that commitment,

 no matter what other people do, no matter what the compensation may be, 

doing it for the health of your own soul, then you open the door by which

 the affluence of the Universe flows forth into your life."  

~Eric Butterworth, Spiritual Economics

"If you cannot work with love but only with distaste, then you should quit 

your job and go sit at the Temple and beg alms from those who work with joy."  

~Kahlil Gilbran

Affirmative prayer:
Watching the clouds float in the sky and requiring no effort whatsoever, there is the recognition of a pure Divine Power that sustains all of life.  It is joy that is as bright as the sunshine, it is happiness reflected in the beauty of a summer day.  And, it is the unlimited potential of the Divine Creator of hopes and dreams that makes all things possible.

Knowing I am one with the One Divine Power, I look within to a place that is pristine and perfect.  It is a place of overflowing abundance that requires only allowing and acceptance.  It is a place of strength and sustenance that overflows with unconditional love.  I celebrate my unity with Infinite Intelligence as I spread my arms and let every space be filled with joy and laughter.

Holding on to the joy and laughter, I embrace my worthiness to receive the abundance that reaches out to meet me.  I let go of any limitations to my good and I welcome the richness that invades my life.  Prosperity takes over as Spirit guides my steps and I feel the affluence in my bones.  I claim the Divine blessings that are so much more than I can imagine as my relationship with money thrives.  And I affirm that life is so good and getting better with every sunrise that begins the new day.

As Divine Grace enfolds me, I am filled with deep, profound gratitude for the miracles and blessings that prosper my life.  I am thankful that my way is lit with such love and amazing beauty as I receive the bounty of good that is God's great pleasure to give.  And I am grateful for the certainty that as I wake each day, I am financially supported in real and tangible ways.

Affirming my worthiness, I release my word to the Divine Action of the Law, knowing it is already done.  I am supported and empowered to stand strong in the Divine flow from within.  And I let it be so.  And so it is!

Photo courtesy of Trey Ratcliff/Flickr

Do You Feel Entitled To Abundance?

Should I invest in purchasing something brand new or just DIY?  This is the question that is throwing some chaos into my thinking this week.

I can remember a time when that would have been an easy answer.  I would have bought the new item without hesitation.

But - as I have been dismantling old patterns of belief and rebuilding new thoughts around money, I now stop before buying anything and consider my spending habits.  That's especially true ever since I have been living within the budget I set about a year ago.

The chaos comes as I try to balance up-leveling my consciousness around money with taking responsibility for my life, including my finances, and making good choices.  One thing is true - I am not here in this life to manage pain; I am here to LIVE life fully.

In Eric Butterworth's book, Spiritual Economics, he says, "Claim your entitlement.  I am a child of the Universe, richly endowed with the fullness of All-Good.  A child of the Universe! Can you get that into your consciousness?  Not just the offspring of your parents or a product of the times, but a child of the Universe.  You are an expression of the Infinite creative flow, entitled to as constant support as the lilies of the field."

It that's true, am I not entitled to purchase the shiny, new object?  With that thought came the curve-ball feeling - "Who am I to be entitled to get what I want?"

And there it is -  my indwelling pattern of thought.  More than that, I have to believe it's also a thought held in the consciousness of our society.  Look at all the negative talk that happened around the Millennial generation - the "Generation Me".

I researched the traits given to describe the Millennials - confident, tolerant and <ick> narcissistic.  There we go again - another trigger word for me that brings up feelings and judgements of those who focus on themselves.

Clearly, there is dismantling and rebuilding work for me around the word "entitlement".  And it's likely double the work, knowing the race thought contained in that word means I will be judged poorly if I throw that belief out for public scrutiny.  

"Look at how narcissistic she is, acting as if the world revolves around her and she's entitled to having the best of everything."

THERE is the judgement that needs to be dissolved.  And, not just for me.  Because who are we NOT to be entitled to a life of prosperity?  To a life of affluence and opulence?  Why do we live from a place of a scarcity mindset?

Don't get me wrong - gratitude and generosity and humility are also important traits but self-love and our worthiness needs to be honored.  Sometimes, it takes a strong word like entitlement - one that has a lot of charge around it - to really wake us up to our Divine self.

So, I love when Butterworth writes we should "claim <our> inheritance of abundance.  You are entitled to the support of God-substance in everything to which you give your mind or hands.  Let go of the old belief in the "grace" of poverty and the subconscious sense of guilt in having things, along with feelings of unworthiness - attitudes that have such a detrimental influence upon human consciousness."

For me, THAT is the art of stepping into who we are meant to be.  To embrace and allow the FACT that I am entitled to the richness of ALL that is in the Universe.

So, what feelings and thoughts come up for YOU when you hear the word "entitlement"?

Today, I set the intention to truly get that I am entitled to the full support of the Universe, allowing the amazing things in my life to unfold as a part of the natural Divine process.

"Make a deeply rooted commitment that you will practice the Presence

 of God-substance, ever reminding yourself that you are in the Presence

 of an infinite, eternal substance from which all things proceed.  Resolve that 

you will live and think and work as if you really believed that the whole 

Universe of creativity and substance were present in every project of your work 

and every transaction of your investments as your never-failing resource.  

Practice the presence of God-substance with diligence and persistence, 

and you will begin to realize prosperity."  

~Eric Butterworth

"My good is my God, my God is my good."  

~Emma Curtis Hopkins

Affirmative Prayer:
As the light shines through the window each morning, there is a Presence of Grace that is felt within as life is renewed and refreshed with the start of each day.  This Grace is limitless, lifting ALL that is, higher and higher toward a Source of love that is unconditional.

Turning toward this light, there is an awareness that I am a unique, individualized expression of this Source, of Spirit.  I live and move and have my being in this Grace and Love and Beauty that is always available, guiding and supporting every aspect of my being.  It is all inside of me, in this moment now and the next moment and the next.

With this new day, I declare a greater expression of Spirit is taking place in my life.  I release any feelings of fear and with each step, I hold the vision of a life well-lived.  I accept the greater abundance and increasing prosperity which is the All-Goodness of Spirit as mine.  I only have to remain in the awareness that it is Spirit's good pleasure to give me the kingdom.  Embracing this knowing, I welcome the Divine gifts of opulence and wealth and affluence which have already been given.

I am so grateful for Divine guidance that shows me each day how much I am loved.  I am thankful for the success that spreads through every area of my life and out beyond, to touch other's lives too.  And I am filled with gratitude that there is so much grace and love and joy in every moment.

As good and more good is being revealed this very minute, I release my Word to the Divine Action of the Law, knowing answered prayer is already here.  How good life is!  And I let it be so.  And so it is!

Plan For Prosperity. Ditch The Same Old Life

Every thought impacts your life.  That has become so clear as I continue reading The Power of Intention.  For the past few days, I have been consciously holding the life I want to manifest in my imagination.  Now, I must take the next step - to examine the obstacles that keep me from connecting to my intention.

Yep, I have to get my hands a little dirty <sigh>.

It is so important to be conscious of the conversations I am having with others and having with myself.  I may be creating barriers to realizing my intentions by talking and thinking about what I DON'T want.

According to the book, "Everything in this Universe is a movement of energy."  This includes your thoughts.

"Every thought you have has an energy that will either strength or weaken you."

So, as I have conversations that are not loving and not valuable - conversations that simply fill space - my energy level remains low, impacting not only me but those around me too.

If I keep having the same old conversations in that low energy level, that will translate to the same old life.

What if I am seeking to up-level my life to one filled with more prosperity and abundance on every level?  The goal, then, is to be aware of my thoughts and raise them to a higher energy level.  This means I MUST start noticing what I am actually saying.

I learned something about myself recently as I started paying attention to some of my conversations.  My husband, Kevin, and I were talking about going on vacation to Hawaii in December.   I agreed that would be nice but we won't have the money.

Wait!   HOW do I know I WON'T have the money?  I was already planning for lack and scarcity.  And - I just set my future in motion with that intention.

With that in mind, I took a minute to stop and change my thoughts to one of possibilities.

I went out to the Travel & Leisure website and started picturing myself enjoying one of the many vacation options they had listed.  And, I wrote down affirmations about how affordable our vacation in December will be - how amazing it will be to stay in a 5-star resort this year - how exciting the opportunities for dining and for spa days and for other activities would FEEL.  I even threw in how luxurious flying first class would be on this trip.

I planned for the prosperity rather than the lack.  And, now the doors are open for the Universe to provide unexpected good where before there was "not enough".

So, how do YOU plan for the prosperity and the possibilities for good?

Today, I set the intention to take responsibility for my thoughts, seeking only to engage in higher energy conversations that translate into a life of prosperity and abundance.

"Faith is expectancy.  You do not receive what you want; you 

do not receive what you pray for, not even what you say you have 

faith in.  You will always receive what you actually expect."  

~Eric Butterworth, Spiritual Economics

"When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you."  

~Lao Tzu

Affirmative Prayer:
There is a Presence in this moment that is filled with happiness, filled with joy, filled with bliss.  It is a Divine Wisdom and Divine Intelligence that exists throughout all that is - in the beauty of a green meadow sloping down toward a lush river, in the quiet patter of the rain falling against the window - It is alive and awake to the possibilities of Life.

This Divine Presence of Life is also awake and alive through me, expressing as me, in ways that are filled with the wonder of what will be.  As I move through my day, this Presence of Spirit within guides me and sustains my very being as I allow the flow of happiness and joy and bliss to surround me.

As Spirit expresses through me, my dreams and visions are brought into my every day experience.   I keep my thoughts and feelings focused on the good that is available and it shows up in ways that are better than I even imagined.  I let go of any thoughts of lack and allow the Universe to prosper me in every area of my life - in my relationships, in my finances, in my health.  I am worthy of the flow of abundance that is here now and I am enough, just as I am in this moment.  And, just like a stone that is tossed into a pond, this flow of prosperity and abundance, of happiness and joy, spreads out to others who are open to the possibility of every day miracles.

I am deeply grateful for the good in my life, for the blessings that seem to appear out of nowhere.  And I am so thankful for knowing the nature of God is always my Truth, the nature of Good is always my Divine Birthright.

From this place of thankfulness, I release my Word to the Divine Action of the Law, knowing it is already done.  It is creating through me - right here, right now.  And I let it be so.  And so it is!