June 9, 2009

Money is Just Money Until --   "Aha-ahaaa All the things I could do if I had a little money. It's a rich mans world," sang ABBA.   If I had a little money.  What is money, anyway?  It's a medium of exchange that facilitates trade.  That's just scratching the surface.   "Money is just money -- until you bring your beliefs to it," said Suze Orman.    Everyone has their own beliefs about money, dating back to their childhood and family dynamics.  And yes, some of those beliefs do have a tendency to get in the way of you living your life to the fullest.   Do any of these beliefs sound familiar to you? Money grows on trees. Money doesn't grow on trees. Don't talk about money. Money doesn't buy happiness. Money buys happiness. Men should make more money than women. You have to work hard for your money. (This is a biggie for many people.) There's never enough to go around.   What were the beliefs you were brought up to believe?  List them.  Have they become a part of your daily thinking?  If so, in what ways are these beliefs showing up in your life?  How do they limit you and hamper financial abundance from coming into your life? Or, how do they empower you?   There's more.   Money is just money - until you bring your emotions and self-worth to it.   "Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like," said Will Rogers.  You're keeping up with the Jones', even if you don't like them and you're putting on the façade that you have arrived and you have money.   Earning, spending, saving, and yes, even giving money away are all wrapped up in your emotions and your feelings of self-worth.  Many have said that you earn what you feel you are worth, and you spend freely, sometimes too freely, for reasons you must confront.  There's barely enough to save you say, and how can you give any of it away when you need/want it all?    In what ways are your emotions and feelings of self-worth guiding your financial life?   "When you understand that your self-worth is not determined by your net worth, then you will have financial freedom," said Suze Orman.    Get to a good feeling place with your money.  List and be grateful for what you do have. And, replace those limiting beliefs with more empowering ones such as:   I am financially secure. Money flows freely and abundantly into my life. I give thanks for the unlimited flow of good into my life. Money is the root of all that is good.   "If you believe that money is the root of all that is honorable and good, then you can make it so with every cent that you earn, and with very dollar you create," said Orman.   Yes, money is just money -- until.  Let your beliefs, emotions, and self-worth work FOR you and not against you.  You can do it.  Financial freedom can be yours.     "It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money can't buy."             George Horace Lorimer   "I'm living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart."             e.e. cummings   "The safest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it in your pocket."             Kin Hubbard   "When I chased after money, I never had enough.  When I got my life on purpose and focused on giving of myself and everything that arrived into my life, then I was prosperous."             Wayne Dyer     One of my father's favorite expressions was that money did not grow on trees, but I swear there was a money tree right outside our front door.  You just went out and plucked the money off the tree, and voila, more would grow.  Here I am, older and wiser, yet that belief still sticks in my thoughts.  I wonder if that tree is still there!   Working hard for your money is believed by many people I know.  They equate hard work to bringing home the bacon and the harder they work, the more bacon there will be. They find it difficult to release themselves from that mindset, yet if they could I would imagine their life would expand.    I notice that when I choose to believe empowering thoughts, money will appear, sometimes from unlikely sources.  However, when the "nothing is working" attitude hits me, it's downhill all the way.  Gaining control of my mindset is critical to living a life of abundance.    Join me in ditching those beliefs that work against us, and embracing those empowering ones that enable us to live our lives to the fullest.   Have a fantastic few weeks and remember that money is just money -- until.   Stephanie   P.S.  I will "see" you in a few weeks, June 30.  I will be in Hilton Head later this week for the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Women Dentists, home for a few days, then off toOrlandowhere I will be speaking at the Florida National Dental Convention.  Please stop by if you will be there.  I get to spend a few days with my daughter Valerie while inFlorida, and then she comes home for a quick visit to attend a family wedding.  It will be a busy few weeks so until June 30, keep the balance.     We grow by "word-of-email" so please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone whom you think might benefit from and enjoy it. Thanks so much! Contact Us: stephanie@7steps2abalancedlife.com