Taking Care of Business, Taking Care of You

Money work is about two things: taking care of yourself and information. Most of my posts are about the information side. This post is about some ways that you can take great care of yourself and increase your ability to bring in business at the same time.

In my experience, I handle money best when I'm feeling at my best. When I'm feeling down or haven't been taking good care that's when I'm the most likely to make less than stellar decisions - to spend money badly, dip into savings when I wasn't planning on it, over commit myself, or take too much time off.

So here's a reminder of some things you can do to make sure you're feeling in tip top shape. Doing these things consistently will change the way you spend money because it will change the way that you feel. Most difficult decisions people make around money seem to happen when they are feeling emotional, drained, exhausted or scared.

1. Sleep. Getting enough sleep consistently is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. Make sure your space is comfy and dark and that you get at least 7-8 hours every night. If you're doing substantial healing work (physical or emotional) you need 9 and a half hours a night.

2. Eat well. You are what you eat, literally. Your cell walls are made of the fats you eat, your blood carries the nutrients, proteins make up your skin and hair and veggies support your system running clean and getting rid of waste. Crowd out caffeine, sugar, preservatives and trans fats with real, whole, nourishing foods. Eat what truly nourishes you so that you are available, focused and ready for your business and for your life.

3. Exercise. Exercise is the only thing clinically proven to improve depression - the only thing. Moving your body consistently changes your brain chemistry, makes you more effective, able to focus, lifts your mood, and makes you ready to take on the world. Find some way that you love to move your body and go for it! If you don't love your body, begin by becoming aware of that and notice what joy there is. Keep coming back to that in any moments of self-destructive behavior to help you re-focus. You are a beautiful human being.

4. Get outside. The earth, the clean air, the sunlight all have things to offer your body. Sunlight effects brain chemistry positively. 20 minutes a day is the minimum needed to get your sun-related vitamins. Yum!

5. Be kind. Doing a kind act releases serotonin which makes you feel good. In fact, doing the act, receiving the act, and watching the act all create those chemicals. Make kindness part of your day and see how it changes the way you feel.

5. Love. Be with people who feed you and who you feel good about. When you're filled up you're more likely to do something kind and be at your best and that draws the best of the universe to you.

6. Play. Playfulness inspires participation. Looking to bring in new clients? Play. Looking to find a partner? Play. Get out and have a great time and see what happens, how many people you meet and how you feel afterwards (it's also great to helping you induce sleep and cure insomnia!). It's one we often seem to over look, but that attitude is more likely to bring in clients than all the other things you're doing combined. Plus it's fun. And who doesn't want to have fun?

6. Practice skilled relaxation. Whether it's meditation, yoga or Tai Chi, doing something that intentionally brings you into your body and present helps your nervous system do it's job and take better care of you and your brain which makes decision-making more clear. Plus it feels so good.

7. Contribute. Recently in a workshop Matthew Engelhart of Cafe Gratitude fame, said something to the effect of, "When you feel constricted around money, give." Contribution gives life purpose and meaning as does love and family. These are things that help us, causing us to strive for the best and reach beyond ourselves into the extra-ordinary. Also remember that bit about kindness above? I'm a volunteer junkie - helping people makes me feel really good. And right now there are a lot of opportunities to help. So figure out what inspires you and give - time, money, energy and see what happens. Open the door to possibilities and co-creating something amazing with the people you love.

8. Take care of the gift wrap for your soul. You body is the home of your emotions, thoughts, and actions. Don't put off the trip to the dentist, doctor, healer, massage practitioner or body worker. If you know you need to, you do. Feeding yourself in that way makes you available to friends, family and your business. You've only got one body and I know it's cliche, but it will take care of you if you take care of it. All those aches and pains, lack of clarity, headaches and stiffness are telling you something. Tune in and listen.

Have a beautiful amazing day and I look forward to seeing you out in the wide world!

Finding The Forms You Need

You know how at the end of the year you're working on those pesky 1099 forms but find that you don't have the contractor's social security number or tax identification number?

Very small companies and companies that use a lot of independent contractors need to use for W-9 get tax ID information from their contractors. It's a simple form to have your contractors fill out bfore they start working with you.

You can find that form here. (Note: This will change in future years.)

You can search www.irs.gov for IRS forms or pulications. They are generally available online.

Now you know, so no excuses!

6 Ways to Take Money Out of Corporation

One of the bigest confusions I see in corporate bookkeeping is how you can take money out of the corporation. So I've complied a very basic list for us to refer to.

(1) Repayment of a loan to the corporation. This is not taxable to the stockholder. The stockholder should have reported interest earned and the corporation should have taken an interest expense deduction.

(2) As dividends paid by the corporation. Dividends are profits split among the shareholders proportional to the number of shares each stockholder owns. For example, a company has $100 to pay in dividends, if one stockholder owns 40% of the stock, he should receive 40% of the dividends or $40. See dividends for more information on them.

(3) By selling some of his stock back to the corporation. This becomes Treasury Stock to the corporation (as opposed to Common Stock) and is not taxable to the sharehold if he receives the same amount per share as the amount per share for which he originally bought the stock.

(4) As salary. The salary amounts are not dependent upon the number of shares owned. For example, if two shareholders each owns 50% of the outstanding stock, it is not necessary that each get identical salaries. Bonus payments would also fall under this category. This is taxable as payroll and the corporation must pay liabilities on the amounts paid.

(5) Theft or embezzlement. This is taxable to the shareholder as he is caught.

(6) As a loan from the corporation. In this case there should have been loan documents drawn up and signed by both the stockholder and a corporate officer. The corporation will record periodic interest earned and the stockholder may be able to take interest paid as a tax deduction.

There's abunch of other things that people think they can take out of a corporation, but they can't. Partner "draws" are one of those things.

Reimbursements are not wages or money taken out, they are corporate expenses being paid in advance by an individual. So the reibrusement is not taxable and does not fall into this category.

Please note: this is a beginning only. This does not create a reliance of any kind.

Why Prosperity Work Often Doesn't

I see a lot of "Prosperity Work" going around - people teaching classes, communities doin events, books, television shows, etc. But people consuming it aren't getting rich. Or even making enough money to thrive.

Why is that? What is it that holds us back from having more money?

I can't say I have The Answer. But one of the most overlooked thing about money is: our relationship to it. Most people assume that they want more of it so they are going to do something, primarily an emotional thing - like prospereity work - to try to make it happen. First of all, this has to be accompanied by real world actions or it's virtually useless - unless you're teaching the class.

In using the approach of prosperty work, it assumes that whatever the issues is we need money to fix it. That also assumes things like it can be fixed and that we know the solution. Is that true or accurate or even useful?

Let's look at this from another angle. If you have difficulty with digestion and are suddenly hungry, is the answer more food?

Well, maybe. But we don't know.

The answer is to figure out what nourishment you require, acquire it, prepare it and make time to sit down and consume it. Having more food won't fix the issue, it won't nourish you and it won't prevent hunger or create a solution for addressing future needs that won't also irritate your digestive track. Your missing information, clairty and action.

There's a similar idea for relationships. If you have a difficult relationship with yoru parents, is the way to fix it to have more time with them? Sometimes. Maybe. I don't know.

The point is that just having more of a thing is over-simplistic and doesn't usually meet the needs of the seeker.

The thing that is generally missing from the equation is clarity. Most people have a twisted relationship with money or the things they use money for and so it's assumed that money, and only money, will fix a problem.

That way of thinking creates a level of scarcity and emotional constriction going into the situation that prevents clear thinking and therefore decisive action. You've created desperation and fear before you've even bagan. If you were afraid you'd never eat again, what would your next meal look like? And if you were afraid you'd never see your Mom again, what would that visit look like?

The question to ask yourself is: do you have clarity about your relationship with money? Have you so contricted and twisted up how you feel about money that you're not using your resources appropriately and so it's unavailable? Is there some way that you could be more honoring of money so that when it is available you can use it to it's fullest?

Just like planning meals is both necessary for running an efficient household (especially with kids!), creating a money plan is necessary for effective use of currency and resources. Planning focuses on clarity, intentions and goal setting as well as decisive action and review. This creates a space for money to be, a container to put it in (literally sometimes like accounts and investments) and a direction for it to flow.

If a plan is not available and active, all the asking in the world is not going to draw money to you, there's no space for it and no where for it to go.

I'm not saying "don't aquire more money" or even "stop doing prosperity work." The point is to get clear about what you're looking for and why, so that you make space to have the money that would really serve your needs.