If you don’t like who has the money, get some of it yourself!
I’ve always made a modest income and managed to live quite nicely. But last October I bumped into my budget and saw that it was not covering my expenses. Ummm, how did that happen?
Oh, all the usual ways. Maybe we can go into that another time. I’m pretty sure you’ve been there. So …
I stepped way outside my comfort zone and started taking marketing courses, attending marketing conferences, reading marketing books, and doing lots of marketing homework. The first thing they all began with was a word that was new to me:
MINDSET
They wanted me to examine my current mindset, especially my attitudes towards money, and shift my mindset to something larger, more prosperous and profitable. Now, I’ve been down that road before. I’m a very self-examining person. Why do you think I became a psychotherapist?
Others value worldly adventures. They climb the Himalayas, the Andes, the Rockies. But my Mt Everest has always been looking inward. I felt if I could enter my depths and excavate my inner demons, I would be free in the way that matters most — psychologically.
Examining my own attitudes towards money revealed:
- I felt “there’s never enough”
- Also, “good people are humble and modest (poverty seemed an inextricably woven into these qualities)”
- “If you have money, someone will take it away from you” (be it a stick-up in an alley or a Bernie Madoff scheme)
- “The less you have, the less you stand to lose”
- “Save every penny for a rainy day,”
- “Do like squirrels and stash money in secret places for future redemption” (Admittedly, few things were so pleasurable as slipping my hand into the deep front right pocket of my jeans (or my bathrobe, or the back of my sock drawer) and the surprise of feeling … ah! a neatly folded $20 bill.)
Despite working on my poverty consciousness for years,
I still attracted clients who were broke, going through a rough patch, young and struggling, or elderly and disenfranchised. Did I mention that in addition to being a psychotherapist, I went on to become an interfaith minister? My heart just wasn’t connected to my pocketbook.
I was much more in touch with this:
“The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.” ~Mother Teresa
She wasn’t concerned with how much you give, but how much love you put into what you give. Many consider austerity noble and associate Mother Teresa with austerity. Typically, this leads to a belief that in order to be a good person, it’s best not to accumulate monetary riches. Yet, poverty does not result in a humane and harmonious global society. What to do?
The Law of Attraction
Yes, I had seen What the Bleep? and The Secret and read many books on the law of attraction. I felt like Zig Ziglar, Napoleon Hill and Og Mandino were some of my best friends. (They struggled too, you know. Especially Napoleon.) And I earnestly wrote down my answers to the exercises, crafted vision boards, and recited affirmations. For the most part, this didn’t work. I don’t know why. But I persisted and listened to Abraham, Louise Hay and countless others. Still, no retirement plan for me.
Now I was faced, at 62 years young, with Donald Trump winning the election and the possibility of no healthcare, no pension, and no social security. People all around me were up in arms! Many of them were struggling financially and vociferously complaining. Meanwhile, my marketing mentors were making money hand over fist. Suddenly I realized,
It’s irresponsible NOT to be a millionaire!
The current economy, with its new, vast opportunities to earn money online, has opened up a huge world of financial possibility. And if we don’t like who has the money and privilege in this world, it is up to us to earn some and wield it the way we see fit!
A million dollars is a realistic financial goal these days.
One reason, it’s realistic is because a million is just not worth what it once was. Another is because there are more investment instruments to get you there than ever before. Plus, the world of MOOCs allows people worldwide access to education in almost everything — affordably! Crowdfunding platforms are now plentiful and can fund your dream venture.
I’m not saying it’s easy. Clearly, it hasn’t been for me. But I know it’s possible! And while I sometimes complain, I don’t have the stomach for endless complaining. Complain and then get on with it. DO something about your complaints. I am.
Shift your mindset so you can earn great money.
I’m sticking with the possibility of earning great money, both to energize and advance my own efforts, as well as share the wealth with those I deem most deserving. Dr Jane Goodall is one of my heroes, and I would love to donate gazillions to chimpanzees, elephants, dolphins, and other animal causes.
That’s the beauty of having a lot. You have plenty to give away.
Many of you are part of the new wave of entrepreneurs. Articles abound on startups, marketing, copywriting, sales funnels, etc. People like Taylor Welch and Chris Evans, playfully snarky and indisputably sharp marketers, discuss growth and success as a moral responsibility on their podcast.
Tabitha Marsh, a gifted acupuncturist and masseuse who has been in business for 23 years, is now taking her work to the next level through online education. She will reach and benefit more people this way, and also earn more money. She’s learned from the folks at Heart of Business, that we think of money in terms of relationship.
Think about it: If you chronically ignore, avoid or resent the people with whom you’re in relationships, that doesn’t bode well. The same goes for money. Ignore, avoid, or chronically resent money and it’s pretty tough for money to love you back.
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind
In Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, T. Harv Eker gives us 17 “Wealth Files,” to clearly show the difference in mindset between poor people and rich people. He advises that after doing his affirmation exercises, you tap your head and say, “I have a millionaire mind.” I’m not proud, so I tried it. It’s kind of fun and definitely improved my relationship with money.
I recommended the book to one of my clients who was in a really scary place financially. He was game, and within a couple of months he enrolled in school and embarked on a new career track, ace-ing his studies and feeling thrilled with the direction his life is now taking. He will not earn a million dollars as a physician’s assistant, but he will feel like a million bucks as he ministers to frightened, ill people who need his compassion and humor.
Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki is about lessons learned from two different perspectives, that of a poor man, and that of a rich man. Kiyosaki discusses, from personal experience, how to create financial independence through investing, property ownership and building businesses.
Making A Budget Is A Terrible Idea
According to David Bach, author of The Automatic Millionaire, budgeting is not the way to go. Find out why here. In case you assume you’re not millionaire material, consider this statistic from financial adviser Sydney Wayman, “Most millionaires only earn about $100,000 a year.”
Fail Up
Tavis Smiley recommends in his book Fail Up: 20 Lessons on Building Success from Failure that we use failure to learn and improve. He’s certainly not the only one.
Getting to Plan B
Danny Iny calls himself an “Education Entrepreneur,” and, at 34-years-old, has built Mirasee, a multi-million dollar business, from scratch. I just completed Business Ignition Bootcamp, an amazing six-week ecourse that teaches five business models based on the book, Getting to Plan B by John Mullins and Randy Komisar, which explains that Plan A almost never works, but it does takes you to a series of Plan Bs, as you learn to pivot your business.
Where does this leave us?
As I said, I’m an interfaith minister, and my Plan B (as well as Plan A) is to rest in God and follow His Guidance. In my experience, Guidance is practical, and it always results in miracles. But often, miracles don’t look the way we think they should, and go undetected.
Do you know the joke about the guy who dies and goes to Heaven, and asks at the Pearly Gates, “Why didn’t you let me win the lottery, God? I prayed to you to give me that so many times!” And God replies, “You could have met me halfway and bought a lottery ticket.”
Guidance has led me to marketing. The marketing mentors in my life have surprised me with their selflessness. All of them have espoused value and advised having a passion to share your gifts with the world is top priority; money second. Danny Iny makes the point that you can’t have a viable business if it doesn’t make money because nobody will get to benefit from your products or services. This brings us back to: It’s irresponsible NOT to be a millionaire if you want to impact the world.
Prayer and Meditation
Having said that, I must add: much of my work is healing the world from behind the scenes. Meditation and prayer don’t cost a cent, are available 24/7, and heal and harmonize more than we will ever be able to measure on a flow chart. God has made sure the funds are there when I need them, and He has also made sure I do my part and study some basics around finance and business. I’m still working on it! Want to join me?
As a Gestalt psychotherapist and interfaith minister, turned “Do or Die Coach,” I’ve developed unique ways for you to delve deep, find your inner truth and guidance … and the courage to follow it. Don’t put this off. It’s your reason for being here. Be true to yourself, starting today.
