Think and Grow Rich, Really?

When I was a teenager I had a job doing telemarketing. I hated it. Calling people to "book appointments" was loathsome.  I wanted to be doing anything else.  So sometimes I would call in sick when all I wanted was to be doing something else, like hanging out with friends or finishing that homework project (yeah I was a bit of a goody-goody in high school).

But I'm not any good at lying. So in order to call in sick, I'd have to invoke being sick. Have a cough, exhaustion, etc. And in the half an hour to an hour it took me to work up the courage to call and tell that lie I would start to feel really sick. And then I really needed that rest I was asking for. A very mixed blessing in my 15 year old head.

That is the power of the mind combined with taking action.

Saying it can make it so (you believe it), acting on that information will make it so (you create it).  As an example of how this works think of something you want that you know you're going to get. Like dinner - whether it's groceries, dining in a restaurant or fast food. Remember the last time you decided what to eat for dinner. How did you manifest that. You decide and know that you're going to get it. But you don't just know you're going to get it, you act on that information. If you didn't, likely you'd be very hungry quite often.

In reading "Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill he says decide what you want in detail and name what you're willing to do to get it. Then he instructs his reader to say that plan every day, morning and evening and act based on that plan.

That's the essence of working in alignment with your values. 

Values, beliefs, truths, affirmations are all the same thing with different phrasing (and possibly different copyrights) but getting to the same basic idea and intention.

"Affirmations" affirm your path, ideas and being.  If you really want to take that business to the next level that you know will require more than one, one-time action, it requires focus, drive and follow through. It takes being impeccable with your word and always doing your best. 

It will take other things as well, depending on who you are, what your business idea or life path you desire and where you are now.  Do you know what those things are? Do you know what qualities you need to invoke for your success?

That single-minded devotion to your dream takes tools to make it happen. Reminding yourself everyday of your dreams and supports you in making that happen - otherwise known as manifesting.  In fact it's one of the keys in many personal growth systems. Don Miguel Ruiz in his book, "The Four Agreements Companion Book" says to make your own Book of Law which is about writing down what you believe about yourself and the world in order to create it. "Creating Money: Attracting Abundance" by Duane Packer and Sanaya Roman has affirmations throughout the book as a core practice of creating change.  Doreen Virtue, PhD. includes affirmations in everything of hers that I've come across.  And Suze Orman, "Financial Guidebook: Put the 9 Steps to Work" calls this same idea "creating new truths" and it's one of the first steps in her process. 

Whether you call them beliefs, affirmations or truths, we're all getting at the same thing: affirming a positive present and acting on it.

In the first year of my business I doubled my income. I didn'tknow it, but I was using affirmations and integrity work. I kept saying to myself, "I'm making more money doing bookkeeping." And so I sought that out. Then it became true and set up a self-fulfilling prophecy.  I went from making $1200 a month to $4000 a month in a year, freelancing, even when other people told me I was nuts. I began to expand into my skills and knowledge as a coach and counselor. They told me to go out and get a real job. But I am clear that I want to be doing something meaningful with my life: inspiring financial liberation. So I chose it, I affirmed it and I acted on it.

So why?  The truth that I can find is that your mind manifests what you believe.  The same is true of negative patterns. Have you ever spent the afternoon thinking about how fat you feel or how difficult things are? Have you found that things feel worse when you do that? It's the same idea. What you focus on you bring into being.

The deeper truth is that when you're planting your own seeds in your unconscious or conscious mind, it leaves less space for other, negative thoughts to get in there and have a field day of self destruction, defeat, or questioning self worth.  Being active has the added bonus that it creates change much faster than passively receiving negative feedback. You've created your own willingness to have the change that you are intending. You are practicing having what you want.

Falling Down: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Implementation

In working with clients I get to see their biggest successes and most difficult challenges of their relationship with money.

The big successes in the coaching process with most of my clients, especially the entrepreneurs? Vision. They know what they want. That's a big part of why they went into business for themselves: they can see the possibilities. And once they identify those possibilities, they start to see them in their lives. That's exciting!

The hardest thing? Implementation. The every day follow up on that big dream.  And that shows up in coaching. Some clients get to the goal setting stage and then say to me, "Wow, thanks for the help, I'll take it from here." And they take a break, give up, go out on their own and try to do it all alone.

The vast majority of the time, when I check back in with them in a month or two or six they are in the same place that they were in before they took a break or before they came to coaching at all. I hear frustration and overwhelm, blame and sometimes anger.

And the truth is, it is the every day, day-to-day, get up and go to work that's the hard part. The following up on that vision, keeping it in your sights and staying focusing on what you really want is taxing and time consuming. It's not all roses.  

So what to do?

The first thing to do is notice what's going on.  If we don't acknowledge that there's an issue or a block, it's nearly impossible to change it.  So notice, right now - are you having a difficult time getting what you really want? 

Then as yourself: Are you ready to commit or re-commit to that vision?

If you are, look for support. Coaching helps (that's why I do what I do - it's what I think is needed). Groups like masterminding groups or issue-specific peer groups or group coaching help. Having a money buddy to check in with consistently helps. The basic idea here is to get support to help you be accountable to your vision.

Here are some things you can do with that vision that will help keep you on track that you can do on you own:

* Frame your vision positively.

* Make sure to include not just your vision, but what you're willing to do to get it.

* Make sure that what you're going to do to get it is something that you'll enjoy and is related to your purpose.

* Write it down and post it in a place you'll see it.

* Read you vision to your self twice at day - once in the morning and once in the evening.

* Imagine yourself in your vision, getting what you want and doing what you say you're going to do for five minutes every day.

As always, if you try something I've written about or have an additional idea, please post a comment or email me and let me know!

My experience: Getting Things Done

I've talked a bit about "Getting Things Done" by David Allen. I did implement his system and I thought you'd like to know how it went for me. So here's a piece of my personal journal that I've edited and transcribed here.

"Last week I got the bottom of the 4th stack of Inbox stuff. Entered in Omni Focus, filed, calendared, put away. (Omni Foucs is a program that was written for use with Getting Things Done and was one of the best gifts I've ever received)
I didn't know things could change so much and that I could really let go of holding everything in my head.

"My desk has become a working space rather than storage. I feel confident that I'm holding all the pieces and that I can get to them all. I won't loose them. My computer files are backed up in case something does happen to it. (Thank you to Mozy)

"I found art from camp, important development work, books that have been missing, and cleared out places for old client files and documents that have been waiting to be filed for what seems like years. It's enabled me to do calendaring much further in advance because I know what I need to do and know that it's held in the calendar.

"It feels not just like I've cleaned something, but that I've made a fundamental change in the way that I'm viewing my work and working process. I started applying this to the rest of the house already and it's going to get all the stuff off my plate a piece at a time because in addition to doing the work, I don't have to hold the organizing in my head as well. It's really freeing up a lot of brain space

"The cost of this system: Omni Focus is $80 (Outlook has very similar functionality, if you know how to use it) , Getting Things Done by David Allen $15, inbox, $4, upright file holder, $3, new rolling shelves (not necessary for the system, just for me) $40, new insert for additional cabinet drawer, $8, box of manilla filing folders $6, and time. That's $156. I already had the filing cabinets and hanging file folders. The time it's actually taken me is a couple of hours a few days a week for the last 2 weeks. Plus 6 hours of reading and re-reading.

"This is a very useful system that don't require a ton of cash or a ton of time. Just focus and consistency and it creates that in its use."

What I'm finding is that in having a system that I'm sticking to it's revolutionizing my life. Creating time and ease in places that I've been holding. Needless to say, I highly recommend this system!

Small Business Administration Deals Blow to Women-Owned Businesses

Since many of my clients are small business owners, those who want to be or those who have been (with small business are those with less than 500 hundred employees) I thought this would be of interest.

One of the findings of the SBA has been that even though women-owned business make up 30% of small businesses they receive only 3.4% of the federal contracts. That's not a big surprise for many reasons. It's still not an equitable playing field for women and minorities.

What is a surprise or a sadness really is that the SBA would try to get rid of legislation that supports equalizing the playing field and supporting all people in running successful businesses. Especially in this economic climate where the government is encouraging spending to increase liquidity in the banking and monetary systems.

You can read more about it here

From monetization to interconnectedness: a theory

Today I was reading Charles Eisenstein's blog entry about monetization and came across this quote:

In the face of the impending crisis, people often ask what they can do to protect themselves. "Buy gold? Stockpile canned goods? Build a fortified compound in a remote area? What should I do?" I would like to suggest a different kind of question: "What is the most beautiful thing I can do?"

I'm really impressed both by his understanding of the process and his ability to frame a shift away from the banking system in such positive terms. Additionally he talks about the shift to human-beingness, the idea that now is the time to bring our gifts to the world.

It's a beautiful read, go take a look. And do let me know what you think!

What do you intend?

I've been watching people - friends and clients alike - freak out about the recent financial uproar. It all seems so scary. There's not a lot of information and a lot of speculation and fear.

I found this video amusing and helpful. It's reassuring to think about legislators being willing to speak their truth.

What I've been doing is thinking about how money and our interactions with it transform out lives. I've been holding this quote from Lynne Twist's "The Soul of Money" close to me:

"Money travels everywhere, crosses all boundaries, languages, and cultures. Money, like water, ripples at some level through every life and place. It can carry our love or our fear. It can flood some of us such that we drown in a toxic sense of power over others. It can nourish and water the principles of freedom, community, and sharing. Money can affirm life or it can be used to demean, diminish, or destroy it. It is neither evil nor good; it is an instrument. We invented it, and it belongs squarely in the human experience, but it can be used by and merged with the longings and passions of our soul."

Remembering that we have assets that have nothing to do with our finances is a great benefit right now. Money is part of the human experience, but only one part.